Title: I can't, I'm Different!
Category: M/L,......Rating: G - PG-13
Author: jane
E-mail: illta1985@aol.com
Disclaimer: They're not mine. The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda Metz, the WB,
Jason Katims, and all the wonderful people who we all love for starting this wonderful series.
The idea for the title and the story as a whole comes from "Pilgrimage" by Zenna Henderson.
c1962 Published by Doubleday & Co. No infringement is intended. I'm just borrowing them!
Summary: AU, future fic. All four aliens emerge from their pods at different times, wander out
into the desert and are found by adults who adopt and raise them in four different parts of
the country. They don't know what they are, or that there are others like themselves. There
is No destiny, No FBI, No evil aliens! This is a love story! How will they find each other? Will
they find their own true loves? Read and find out!
I Can't, I'm Different Part 1
Max Evans walked down the street one early autumn afternoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He was thinking about all of the studying he needed to do for tomorrow's classes. He had
made it through pre-law and was in his first year of law school here at Harvard University and
wanted to stay at the top of his class. As he walked up to an intersection, which he needed to cross and joined the group of people waiting for the light to change, he saw her; his brown haired angel. He had seen her on the sidewalks of Cambridge for four years now, but he had never been in a position to say anything to her. She would be across a busy street, or they would pass each other just as Max looked up from the pavement and he would turn to see her disappear into the crowd going the other way. A few times he had see her through a shop window, or in a restaurant, but she would be with someone else, or he would be too pressed for time to stop and introduce himself. But today would be different, he told himself. Today he would walk up to her and introduce himself to her and ask her out for coffee. Just then two men walked up to the group waiting at the corner. They were arguing about 'the game' which they had been to see the night before and both men were gesturing wildly with their arms, accidentally hitting other people around them.
"I said the home team would win. I won the bet. I want you to pay up now!"
"I'll get you the money tomorrow." The second man said, shoving the first guy, who then
shoved him back harder so he stumbled into the crowd behind him.
It was a like watching dominoes topple over. One person would fall, knocking into the next person and through the crowd until Liz, who was standing on the curbstone was pushed out into the street, into the path of an oncoming car. Max had been watching Liz and making his way towards her, so
when he saw her pushed out into the street, he immediately sprinted out after her to push her out of the car's path. His momentum took them both across the street until they stumbled. Max desperately twisted them so that he would take the brunt of the fall with his leather-covered back and he cupped the back of her head with his large hand, to protect it from striking anything as they landed. When he came back to his senses, his brown-eyed angel was sprawled on top of him; her lovely, soft hair caressing his face.
"Are you alright?" Max asked anxiously, as he sat up. He put his arm around her shoulders to
help her sit up too, but she just sat gazing into his eyes.
'It's him!' She thought to herself. That tall, dark and handsome hunk she had seen on the
sidewalks of Cambridge for four years now. Ever since she had come to Cambridge to attend
Harvard University and get her Ph.D. in microbiology. She had seen this gorgeous guy out
and about, half a dozen times a year, but she had never been in a position to introduce
herself...and now it seemed that he had just saved her life!
"Are you alright, Miss?" She heard him ask, anxiously.
"Uh yes, I think so." Liz answered dazedly.
"Take a minute to be sure. Do your arms or legs hurt? Did you hit your head at all? Your eyes
look responsive, so I don't think we have to worry about that, thank goodness!"
"Yes, yes thank goodness. Thank you!" Liz looked directly into his eyes for the first time.
"You saved my life! You dashed right out into the street and pushed me out of the path of
that oncoming car! Thank you so much!" Liz was trying to hang onto her composure, but
shock was setting in and she was beginning to shake.
"Here you're cold; take my coat." Max put his leather jacket around her shoulders. Then he
stood and reached down to help her up, but as she stood, Liz felt a pain in her ankle.
"Oh, my ankle. I may have banged it as we fell."
"Or you may have sprained it; let's get you home." He signaled for a cab authoritatively and
one pulled over to the curb right next to where they stood. Max gently helped her into the
cab. "Where do you live?" Liz gave her address to the cabby.
"That's graduate student housing at Harvard." Liz told him.
"So, you're a graduate student?" Max asked.
"Only just. I received my Bachelor's of science last spring and now I'm working on my
Masters'. I plan to go on and get my Ph.D. in microbiology after that."
"Wow, that sounds like you've got it all mapped out." Max said.
"I do. I love microbiology and science in general." Liz replied.
"Here we are Miss." The cabby called. Max paid him and helped Liz out of the car.
"Let me help you up to your room; your ankle has started to swell. My name is Max Evans, by
the way. I'm attending law school here and I'm harmless, I promise."
"Thank you Max. I think I do need some help. My name is Liz Parker." Liz limped into her building
with Max's arm around her shoulder. He took one look at the out-of-order elevator and then the stairs and scooped Liz up into his strong arms.
"What floor do you live on?"
"The third. I'm sorry, you don't need to carry me. I'm sure I could walk up with your help."
"No problem. I row for Harvard. They have us running up and down so many staircases, during
training, you wouldn't believe it." He was in excellent shape because he wasn't even breathing
hard by the time they reached the door to Liz's room. She had her key out and let them into her
tiny apartment.
"I guess my roommate isn't here, but I'm sure she'll arrive soon. You don't need to stay. I'm
sure that you have a lot to study since you're in law school. Thank you again for saving my
life! It was so nice of you to bring me home, but I don't want to impose on your time any
further." Liz was trying to say all the proper, polite things but really she loved being held in
his strong arms. His leather jacket was giving off an intoxicating scent of leather and 'Max'.
She didn't want this little interlude to end.
"Don't be silly, it was no problem to help you. Let me put you on the couch." Max put her
gently down. "You need to elevate that ankle. Excuse me while I lift your leg." He touched her
shapely calf as he quickly slipped some end-pillows under her ankle. 'Oh man, her skin is so
soft and smooth!' Max groaned to himself.
"From experience, I know that you're supposed to switch back and forth between heat and
cold with a sprain. May I go check out your freezer?" Liz nodded. "Oh good, you have frozen
peas." Max called from the kitchen. "They don't have the sharp corners that ice cubes do, but
they do the job just as well." Max placed the bag of frozen vegetables gently on her ankle.
He had been glancing around the tiny apartment as he worked. It consisted of a small central
living room which was stuffed with the couch, coffee table, a tiny dining table with two chairs,
a small entertainment tower, two desks and some overflowing bookshelves. It would have been a dingy little room, but there was a profusion of green plants on the windowsill, a gaily-colored quilt over the back of the couch and some beautiful art posters hung on the wall. The kitchen was really tiny, but spotlessly clean and an open door next to the kitchen showed one small bedroom. On the other side of the living room were two more doors, both ajar. One showed a tiny bathroom and another small bedroom could be seen through the second door. As he held the frozen peas around Liz's swollen ankle, Max had to keep telling himself that this was all he could do for her. He could not risk using his healing powers on her ankle. What would Liz think of him if she ever found out that he was 'different'? She would no longer be looking at him with gratitude and what looked like admiration in her eyes; that was for sure, Max told himself.
"Um Liz. I was wondering if, after your ankle heals of course, if you'd like to go out and have
coffee with me sometime?" Max asked, glancing up into her eyes.
"You want to ask me out?" Liz exclaimed. In her wildest dreams, she never would have
believed that such a handsome guy like Max would ever want to ask her out.
"Well if you'd like to. You probably have a boyfriend. Never mind, I understand." Max
mumbled, looking down at his shoes. Of course such a beautiful girl like Liz would have a
boyfriend. Was he really thinking that someone like her would want to go out with someone
like him? Someone 'different'?
"I'd love to have coffee with you!" Liz exclaimed.
"What did you say?" Max asked, not believing his ears.
"I don't have a boyfriend, and I'd love to have coffee with you sometime." Liz repeated.
"OK, great!" Max grinned. "May I call you in a couple days, to see how you're doing?"
"That would be very nice of you! If you get me a piece of paper from by the phone in the
kitchen, I'll write my number down for you."
"Actually, I memorized your number when I was getting the peas." Max said, smiling.
"Speaking of peas, it's time to change to the heat part of the therapy. I see you have a
microwave. I'll just heat a wet washrag in it for a minute." Max stepped into the kitchen to
heat the dishcloth. He felt like dancing, jumping up and down; he had met his brown haired
angel and asked her out for coffee and she had accepted!
Liz sat on the couch waiting for Max to come back, but she too would have liked to dance with happiness if her ankle didn't hurt so much.
"While I'm in here, can I make you some tea or anything?" Max called.
"I'd love a soda. They're in the 'fridge. Grab one if you'd like, or there are teabags in the
cupboard over the sink." Liz called back.
"Would you like a glass?" Max asked.
"No, the can's fine." Liz answered.
"Here you go then." Max handed her a pop can, and then moved to place the towel wrapped
dishcloth on her ankle. "Is that too hot on your skin?" Max asked, anxiously. "The cloth was
too hot when it came out of the microwave, that's why I wrapped it in the towel."
"No, that feels really good after the peas." Liz assured him. Just then the apartment door
opened and Liz's roommate, Louise came in.
"What's going on here? What happened?" She asked when she saw Liz's swollen ankle
propped up on pillows.
"Your roommate was almost run over by a car this afternoon, Miss..."
"Carey, Louise Carey."
"I believe that she sprained her ankle. I've been applying cold and then heat to the swollen
area, but if the swelling doesn't go down by tomorrow, she should see a doctor."
"I'm sorry, you are?" Louise asked.
"I'm Max Evans." Max couldn't believe the way he was speaking. The intimate little bubble that
had surrounded he and Liz had just popped and he had immediately reverted to his more serious, shy shelf.
"He saved my life Louise!" Liz explained. "He ran right out into traffic and pushed me out of
the path of the car! Then he called a cab to bring me home and carried me up two flights of stairs!" Liz finished off impressively.
"Wow!" Louise exclaimed looking admiringly up at Max.
"Anyone would have done the same." Max said, modestly, embarrassed now.
"I didn't see anyone else rush to help me today, Max."
"Ah well now that your roommate is here, I'd better be going. Keep up with the hot and cold
therapy." He was shyly inching his way towards the door. "I'll call you tomorrow if I may; to
you know, see how you're doing."
"That would be great, Max!" Liz replied. "Oh don't forget your jacket." Liz took off the coat
and handed it to Louise, who passed it onto Max.
"See you. It was nice to meet you, Louise." Max said before he left.
"Oh my gosh!" Louise exclaimed. "That's the hunk you've been pointing out to me for years!
And he saved your life?"
"Yeah!" Liz was grinning.
"And he's going to call you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Liz said again.
"And if he asks you out, will you go?"
"He already has, and I've already said yes."
"Oh I'm so glad Liz! He seems like a really nice guy. You haven't dated since your putz-boyfriend, Nicholas tried to rape you two years ago. I'm glad you've found someone new; I was beginning to worry about you. But if this Max hurts you..."
"I don't think he will, Louise. Do you know how many little old ladies I've seen him help across
the street, or carry groceries for, over the last four years? Dozens. And they say that you can
always tell a lot about a guy by watching how he treats his mother. I'm betting that Max is a
very good son!" Just then the phone rang and Louise answered it.
"It's your sister, Tess." She brought the wireless phone to Liz. "I've got to go. I just came by
to drop off my books. Will you be OK?"
"Sure." Liz told her friend, and Louise left the apartment. "Hi Tess." Liz greeted her sister.
The two of them had become more like best friends than just sisters after Liz's parents had
found Tess out in the desert one night when she was six years old. The authorities had been
unable to find her parents, so Mr. and Mrs. Parker had adopted the homeless girl. It hadn't
taken very long for Liz to figure out that Tess was 'different' from other little girls. She had
'powers' and the two of them had lots of fun learning what those powers were as they grew up.
Of course having grown up in Roswell, New Mexico, supposed site of a UFO crash back in
1947, and an alien-themed tourist trap, Liz's money was on Tess being an alien. But that was
their little secret. Neither of the girls had ever told anyone else, not even their parents.
Part 2
The phone rang and Louise answered it.
"It's your sister, Tess." She brought the wireless phone to Liz.
"Hi Tess." She greeted her sister. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Business at the Crashdown is switching over from summer tourists to high
school students after classes let out."
"Now that you're assistant manager, who do you think is the worst customer; a tourist or a
student?" Liz asked.
"I don't know. I think they're pretty even in their sloppiness!" Tess answered.
Both Liz and Tess had worked as waitresses in their family's alien-themed café, during their
high school years. Tess had received a business degree in college and was now helping their
father, Jeff Parker run the place. Their mother, Nancy Parker was an artist with quite a
reputation in the art world.
"Hey, some artist out in California, wrote Mom asking if he could show his work in her gallery.
He wrote that he's a big fan of her work and that he also specializes in southwest-type clay
and metal sculpture. He sent a few pictures of his work. Mom thinks they're really good and is
going to fly out to L.A. to meet him."
"Wow, that's so cool! Artists, asking to show their work at Mom's gallery. What's his name?
Had Mom ever heard of him before?"
"His name is Michael Guerin. Mom hadn't heard of him before, but a friend of hers in L.A. has.
I guess he has quite a good rep.!"
"Oh speaking of the gallery. How's Maria doing as the assistant manager?"
"She says she loves it; that old Mr. Jones is a dream to work for and that she's learning a lot
from him. More practical business information than she learned in college getting her major in
art history and a minor in business."
"Great! Tell her 'Hi' for me." Maria DeLuca was Liz and Tess' best friend growing up. They
shared everything, told everything to each other, except their little secret about Tess.
"Well, I've got some news." Liz told her sister. "I finally met my hunk! You know, the tall,
dark, handsome one I've been telling you about for four years?"
"Oh Wow! What's his name? What's he like up close? How'd you meet him?"
"His name's Max Evans. He's a total sweetheart! But before I tell you how we met, you have to
promise not to tell Mom and Dad."
"What? Why not?" Tess exclaimed.
"Well I was almost run over by a car today!" Liz admitted.
"What! Are you OK?" Tess shrieked.
"I'm fine. Well, I have a sprained ankle, but never mind that. I met Max, get this, after He
Saved MY LIFE!" Liz's voice rose in volume with each word she said. "I was waiting to cross
the street when someone bumped into me, pushing me out into the path of this on-coming
car. Next thing I know, Max sprinted out after me. He pushed me out of the way and then we
were both tumbling over one another on the far sidewalk. I was lying right on top of him and I
could feel all of the muscles under his clothes! Then he hailed a cab, brought me home and carried me in his arms up two flights of stairs. He stayed and took care of my ankle and he was so gentle when he did it, too. He's going to call me tomorrow to see how I'm doing and he's already asked me out on a date! Well, it's only to have coffee, but it's still a date. He's so cute and shy. You'd think a guy as handsome as Max is would have all the self confidence in the world, and the arrogance to match, but he wasn't like that at all!" Liz gushed.
"And you felt safe with him? You didn't feel threatened by him? After Nicholas..."
"After Nicholas attacked me, I climbed into a hole and hid from the world for two years. With
Max's gentle help, I think that I'll be able to climb back out." Liz said.
"I'm so glad, Liz! I've been worried about you." Tess admitted.
"Thanks. So, how's Kyle?" Liz asked.
"He's fine, sister mine! We're going out Friday night." Tess answered.
The two sisters had grown up with Kyle Valenti; captain of the football team and son of Roswell's Sheriff. He and Tess had fought and insulted each other throughout school, denying their attraction to one another. Then during their senior year, it was as if their blinders had been taken off and they fell madly in love. Four years later, they were still dating. Kyle was now a Sheriff's Deputy and Liz thought that a wedding might not be too far off. The only problem was that Tess had never told Kyle about her secret.
"Well, I'd better get going." Tess said. "I'll call you next week. Say 'Hi' to Isabel when you see
her next."
"OK, 'bye Tess. Kiss Mom and Dad for me." Liz said before they both hung up.
Isabel Evans was a student from Wellesley College, whom Liz had met the year before. Both
girls had attended a 'frat' party with other girlfriends from their college dorms. They had been
introduced by a mutual friend and hit it off right away. Isabel was in her senior year, working
towards a degree in accounting, following in her mother's footsteps. She had worked her way
through college as a model though, and since graduation had signed with one of the top clothing designers in the Boston area. After the party where they'd met, Isabel and Liz had made a point of getting together at least once a month if their studies permitted. They'd go to lunch, or the movies, museums, or to dinner. No matter what planned activity they did, the two friends did a lot of talking so that now they knew each other very well.
And, as they spent more time together, Liz began to notice some things about Isabel, which reminded her of her sister, Tess. There was a similarity in their mannerisms and their diet. Tess loved to eat spicy and sweet foods together. She always had a bottle of tobacco sauce with her, and splashed the stuff onto almost everything. Isabel didn't use tobacco, but she did order sweet and spicy foods together. Her favorite was ordering a fruit smoothie with her spicy meal, whenever she could. Liz was almost sure that Isabel had visited her in her dreams a few times and then mentioned
bits of information from those dreams the next day, to Liz. The most telling coincidence about Isabel was that she often wore lipstick, nail polish, or eye shadow, in shades which did not exist, but which did match the outfit she was wearing, perfectly. Liz had even checked with the modeling agency, which Isabel worked for; they required their models to supply and apply their own make-up, so Isabel was not getting exclusive products from the agency. Lastly Liz remembered the conversation when Isabel had told her how she'd grown up.
"It's kind of complicated." "Isabel started. "See, Mom wasn't married when she found me by
the side of the road, out in the middle of 'nowhere', New Mexico. They think I was six years
old when she found me that night. We can't be sure, because I have no memory of my life
before she found me. I have no idea how I came to be wandering out in the middle of the
desert."
"How awful!" Liz sympathized. "How did you end up growing up in Florida then? And how
does your father come into the picture if your mom wasn't married when she found you?"
"Mom was driving through the southwest doing the tourist thing that summer. When I saw
her stop her car that night, I immediately felt as if I could trust her. I walked over to her and
she gently put her arms around me and gave me one of her blouses to wear. It came down
to my ankles like a dress. Did I mention that I was naked?"
"Oh no!" Liz exclaimed.
"Anyway, she gave me a sandwich and some milk that she had with her in the car and after that,
she put me in the car and drove home to where she lived in Florida. The authorities gave her
heck for taking me across state lines, but she had, had foster children before so they overlooked it when they were unable to find any sign of my real parents. They suspected that I'd been abandoned out in the desert to die."
"How awful! I mean, it's terrible when people abandon their pets on the side of the road, but
to do that to a little girl. Oh, Isabel! I'm so thankful she found you that night!" Liz exclaimed,
tears gathering in her eyes.
"So am I. She adopted me as soon as she could. She was in her thirties and figured that
she'd never marry, much less ever have kids of her own. And then, two years later, out of
the blue, Mom met John Evans. They dated for six months before he finally got up the
courage to ask Mom to marry him, but I knew long before that, that John was head-over-heals in
love with my mom. What was even greater, he loved me too. They married, he adopted me as
well, and after that I became Isabel Evans! Mom had attended Wellesley, so here I am too."
Isabel brought their thoughts back to the present.
Liz was now certain that Isabel was 'different' in same way that Tess was, so she invited her new
best friend to her home in Roswell over the summer. Liz warned Tess what she was doing but
not Isabel. In case Isabel wasn't like Tess, or the two of them couldn't sense things about
each other, then Tess would be safe. Liz picked Isabel up at the small Roswell airport that
afternoon and then made a point of having to pick up her sister, Tess at a supply company
on the way home. As soon as Tess got into the car with Isabel, Liz could tell that the two
girls 'recognized' each other as someone like themselves.
"Pull over please, Liz." Tess asked. Liz pulled the car over and all three of them got out. There
was no one else in sight.
"What's going on, Liz?" Isabel asked, nervous.
"What do you mean, Isabel?" Liz asked innocently.
"It's just that...nothing. Never mind." Isabel said, uncertain.
"It's just that we can sense that we are the same." Tess took the leap of faith and admitted.
"You feel it too? I thought it was just me!" Isabel exclaimed.
"No, I feel it too!" Tess confirmed.
"Liz how can she be your sister? I sense only that you are like everybody else, not like us."
Isabel asked.
"Didn't I ever mention to you that Tess is adopted? Probably not, since I only think of her as
my sister and best friend. My parents found Tess out on the side of the road, in the middle of
nowhere, in the middle of the night, naked, when she was six years old." Liz explained.
"Oh my gosh!" Isabel exclaimed. "How long have you suspected, known about me?"
"I've noticed things about you ever since we met, that reminded me of Tess. You both like
sweet and spicy foods. You both change your make-up colors to exactly match your clothing.
And then you told me how your mother found you and I was almost sure. I couldn't chance
exposing Tess' secret however, so I invited you here, hoping the two of you would be able to
do what you both just did, sense each other!" Liz explained.
"You're safe, Isabel." Tess reassured her. "Liz and I have never told anyone about me,
including our parents. Do your folks know about you?"
"No, I've never told anyone either." Isabel and Tess hugged, tightly for a moment and then
both looked over at Liz and opened their arms to include her in their embrace.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Liz hung up the phone after saying good-bye to Tess and hobbled the few steps it took to
reach the tiny kitchen. She heated a bowel of water in the microwave, put the dishcloth into
the water, and took the bowel, towel, and bag of frozen peas back with her to the couch.
That way she could keep up the therapy on her ankle without having to constantly get up and
go to the kitchen. Liz placed the peas on her ankle and picked up one of the textbooks she
needed to study but she found it difficult to concentrate, because her mind kept drifting back to thoughts of Max.
A short time earlier, Max had arrived at his own home in one of the Law School's dorms. It consisted of a living space, which had just enough room for a lumpy couch up against one wall and two desks, pushed together in the middle of the room. Max and his roommate, Russell did have their own miniscule bedrooms, but the bathroom was down the hall and the kitchen and dinning room were on the first floor. As he let himself into their room, Russell got up from the sofa to shake Max's hand.
"Way to go 'Hero'! Rushing out into the street to save a damsel in distress from being run
over by a car! Man, I couldn't have done that." Russell exclaimed.
"How'd you hear about that?" Max asked, shocked.
"Hey it's all over campus! A couple other law students were in the crowd and they've been
spreading the story every since. So who is she? Is she pretty, and if she is, does she have a
sister?" Russell asked.
"Her name is Liz Parker. She's gorgeous! And I don't know if she has a sister." Max answered.
"But not as gorgeous as your 'brown haired angel' that you've told me about, right?" Russell
wagged his eyebrows up and down.
"Actually Russell, she is that same girl that I've told you about." Max said.
"What? You finally met her! What are you doing here then?" Russell asked.
"Well, her roommate came in and I thought I should go, but I'm going to call her tomorrow, to
see how she'd doing. And we're going to go out for coffee in the next day of two." Max told
him.
"You romantic fool!" Russell exclaimed. "Coffee? You should take advantage of her gratitude
towards you. Take her out for a candle-lit dinner and then, you know...!"
"We just met. And I don't 'you know' with a girl I just met. Liz is special! I'm not going to
ruin everything by trying to rush her into my bed." Max argued.
"Oh brother!" Russell huffed. "You and your code of ethics. Well I've got to get over to the
law library. See ya."
"See you." Max replied as Russell left him alone.
His mind drifted for a while, touching on the memory of how pretty Liz was up close. How her hair smelled like strawberries and how soft it was as it brushed against his face, when he held her in his arms. Then his mind drifted into unfamiliar territory. What would it be like to make love with Liz? Max was sure that it would be wonderful.
'What are you thinking about?' His inner-self yelled at him. 'You can't make love with Liz!
You're 'different'! Who knows what you'd do to her if you became intimate with her. You
might as well stop thinking about kissing her as well. You can't do that either. Can I have
coffee with her at the same table if we drink out of separate mugs?' Max yelled back at
himself.
"Oh man, now I'm having arguments with myself!" Max muttered out loud. 'I want this, this
chance to be with Liz; to get to know her. She doesn't have to find out that I'm 'different'
from everybody else.' Max's hand started to glow in his agitation, but he took some deep breaths
to calm himself down, and the glow receded. 'It'll be OK. At least I didn't have to use my
healing powers, to save her from a gunshot wound or something overly dramatic like that.
We'll just be friends.' Max argued. Yeah, right!' His inner-self replied, sarcastically.
Part 3
The next morning Liz's ankle was feeling much better and she didn't have a class until ten, so she was studying when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Liz said.
"Hey Liz." Isabel replied. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Is. How're you?"
"Great! In fact, I've been wanting to thank you for recommending your friend Alex Whitman when the modeling agency's computer needed fixing last month. He's been a lot of help."
"I'm glad! Yeah, Alex is a great guy. He helped me pass my computer classes when I was an undergrad. So do you like him?" Liz asked her friend, coyly.
"Well yeah, I guess so. He's got a wonderful sense of humor." Isabel laughed. "Who am I kidding? He's a sweetheart and so cute! It took him a month, but he finally asked me out to go see a movie Friday night. I was about to ask him out myself. Every time he came by to check on the agency's computer, he would give me these big puppy-dog eyes when he didn't think I was looking. Have you spoken to Tess lately?" Isabel changed the subject.
"Yeah, she called yesterday." Liz brought Isabel up to date with all the news about her family. Not only had Tess emotionally adopted Isabel, but their parents had as well.
"Well, I've go to go. I'll tell you how my date with Alex goes. And you'll have to tell me more about this Max. It's so great that the two of you finally got to meet and in such a romantic way! Take care of yourself, OK?" Isabel admonished.
"Okay, 'bye, Is." Liz said and then a moment later the phone rang again. "Hello?"
"Hi Liz. It's Max Evans. You know from yesterday?" He said, uncertainly.
"Yeah, I vaguely remember you." Liz teased him. "Of course I remember the guy who saved my life. As if I could forget you!"
"Oh well, uh good. I just called to see how you're doing. How's your ankle?" Max asked.
"It's so much better this morning, Max. That hot and cold therapy that you recommended really worked. Are you sure you're in law school and not in med. school?"
"I'm sure. I was wondering if you'd like a ride to class so that you don't have to walk on that ankle."
"That's so sweet of you to offer, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, don't you have classes to get to as well?" Liz asked.
"Well, I thought you could tell me when your classes are today and I'd see when I could help you, especially this afternoon. Your ankle may really be strained. I could at least pick you up from your last class and we could go out for that cup of coffee. You know, if you still want to, that is." Max showed his shy side again.
"That sounds great!" Liz said and told him where and when her classes were.
"So I'll pick you up at the Bio Labs Library and take you to your last class and then pick you up afterwards and take you for coffee?" Max asked.
"That sounds great! I'll look forward to this afternoon. 'Bye, Max."
"Bye Liz, see you then." Max hung up and a moment later so did Liz. Then she went to get dressed.
"Was that your Max on the phone?" Louise asked, coming out of her bedroom and over to Liz's door.
"Well he's not 'my' Max, but that's who was on the phone. He was just checking up on how I'm doing after the accident yesterday." Liz said.
"And he's going to drive you to your classes today? Wow, that's thoughtful!" Louise exclaimed.
"Well, our schedules only match up this afternoon, but I bet I'll be ready to be given a ride by then. Afterwards we're going out for coffee." Liz said.
"Great! Well, I have to go or I'll be late for class. See you tonight." Louise said.
"See you Lou." Liz called. 'Now to find the perfect outfit that will get me through the day and still look great this evening.' Liz said to herself.
She chose brown slacks and a cotton turtleneck sweater in a rich shade of maroon. Over the sweater she put on a lightweight brown blazer with maroon threads running through the fabric horizontally and vertically. Some of her classrooms could be colder inside than it was outside, and this evening might be chilly. She left her hair down but pulled it back from her face with a small barrette at the back of her head.
By three o'clock that afternoon, Liz was exhausted and her ankle was aching. As she limped out the library's door, Max pulled up in an old jeep with its top on. He jumped out of the car and helped Liz walk over to the passenger side where he gently helped her sit down, but kept her sitting sideways in the seat. Max dropped down onto one knee in front of her.
"Max what are?" Liz didn't say anymore as Max gently took off the loafer and sock from her foot and pulled out an ACE bandage from his coat pocket.
"I thought you might need one of these by now." Max said as he gently wrapped her ankle, getting it just right; not too tight, not too loose. Then he put her shoe back on, handed back her sock and helped her turn to sit front-ways in the seat. "Are you sure you want to go to class with your ankle aching like that?" Max asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine. That bandage is really helping. Thanks for thinking of bringing it. You knew just what I'd need!" Liz glanced over at Max's handsome profile, smiling.
"No problem. Glad I could help." Max replied, modestly. "I thought I knew about all of the libraries on campus, but I've never seen the one you just came out of."
"No reason you should since you're in law school." Liz replied. "The Biological Laboratories Library is a special library collection covering the different biologies, especially microbiology, which is my major."
"Yes, I remember you telling me that was your major. Not knowing about this collection I just assumed that you'd study at the Science Library." Max said.
"I do use the Science Library as well, but the Bio Labs Library is smaller, quieter and more specialized to my needs. The two staff members are so helpful as well." Liz said.
"Great! I'll have to check it out sometime. Just so I can say I've been inside it. Here we are; door to door service." Max said as he pulled the jeep up to the curb. He got out and ran around the hood to help Liz out of the car. "Do you want me to help you inside?"
"No thanks, Max, I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride. You've been so nice to me. I don't deserve it." Liz reached up and briefly caressed his check with the palm of her hand. Little tingles ran down her fingers and up her arm as she felt the beginning roughness of his afternoon beard.
"You deserve every good thing this world has to offer, Liz." Max placed his hand over hers to keep it touching his face as he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. Liz's mouth opened slightly as a tiny sigh came out at the sensation of his lips kissing her hand. "Now you'd better get to class and I'll be out here when you're done." Max said and Liz came back down to earth.
"Thanks again, Max!" Liz said and walked into the building.
Two hours later, Liz came out to find Max just pulling up to the curb for her. He helped her into the car again.
"How's the ankle now?" Max asked, concerned.
"Well it's not great, but I'll be Okay." Liz smiled into his concerned eyes. "You mentioned coffee. I could really use a jumbo sized mug right about now."
"Coming right up. I know a little hole-in-the-wall, coffeehouse that brews the best coffee. It's a little dingy, but the owners are this cute, older couple who are really nice. I hope you like it." Max said.
"You don't mean the 'Grinding Stop' do you? I love that place! I don't get in there too often but you're right, Mr. Schmidt brews the best coffee and Mrs. Schmidt bakes the best spice cake I've ever had."
Max smiled at Liz's enthusiasm. He had started frequenting the shop after seeing Liz through the front window, having coffee there one day; hoping that she would come in while he was there, but she never had. When they both entered the shop, Mr. Schmidt came forward to greet them.
"Miss. Parker, Mr. Evans; you are coming into our little shop together? You have met each other?" Max and Liz nodded. "Mrs. Schmidt always said you two would make a cute couple, but you always came in at separate times...alone." He specified, significantly. "Come, sit. Would you like your usual order?" Mr. Schmidt asked.
"Yes please, for me." Max said. "Liz?" He inquired. At her nod, "Has Mrs. Schmidt baked her wonderful spice cake today?"
"She just took a new one out of the oven half an hour ago. Each of you would like a piece?" At their nodding smiles, "Very good then. I'll be right back with your order." Mr. Schmidt said.
A few minutes later returned with their 'lattes, with cinnamon sprinkled on top and their pieces of cake. While Mr. Schmidt was serving Liz, Max did a quick bit of slight-of-hand that he used when he wanted to add 'something' spicy to his food. He had learned at an early age to hide this little dietary quirk of his, as his friends had been grossed out by it. For his coffee he liked to drop a handful of red-hot candies into the mug. He changed their density so that they stayed near the bottom of the mug and dissolved into the hot, sweet liquid. The candies went especially well with Mrs. Schmidt's spice cake.
"So tell me about yourself, Liz." Max requested.
"What do you want to know?" Liz asked, shyly.
"Where did you grow up?" Max asked.
"Well, I'll answer your question if you'll answer the same one for me. Then it'll be my turn to ask you a question and I'll answer that one for you as well."
"Okay." Max agreed.
"I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico; have you ever heard of it?" When Max shook his head. "It's a small town. The only thing it's famous for is the UFO which supposedly crashed there in 1947. There was allegedly a whole government cover-up, but ever since, the town has become one great big alien-themed tourist trap. What about you?"
"Oh, I grew up across the Charles River in Boston." Max replied. "Do you have any brothers and sisters?"
"I have a sister, Tess. You?" Liz asked.
No, I'm an only child. What do your parents do for a living?" Max asked.
"Dad owns this alien-themed café named the Crashdown. You know after the UFO which came crashing down to earth! Tess and I used to work there when we were in school. We had to wear head-bands with antennae attached to them!" Liz chuckled.
"Oh boy! What does your mom do?" Max asked.
"Mom is actually a famous artist! Her specialty is southwest and Native American works of art."
"Hey that's impressive! My parents are both lawyers in the Boston area. My grandfather, Mom's dad was an influential judge before he retired. I'm studying to follow in his footsteps more than my parents' because I want to work for the D.A.s office when I graduate." Max said.
"What kind of movies do you like to watch?" Liz asked next.
They found out that they both liked romantic comedies and action-adventure films. Neither of them had a lot of time to read for enjoyment, but when they did, they both liked mysteries which weren't too violent as well as some of the same sci-fi authors. At some point, Mr. Schmidt offered to bring them some stuffed pork chops, the one entrée the little shop was offering its patrons that night. They both agreed and went back to their conversation immediately. They were so engrossed in each other, that they ate their way through a delicate apple strudel for dessert and hardly noticed. They were gazing deeply into each other's eyes and holding hands by the time that Mr. Schmidt told them that he needed to close the shop. They left hand in hand as a dreamy-eyed Mrs. Schmidt came up to her husband.
"Didn't I tell you they'd make a perfect couple?" She asked.
"You did, and I didn't argue with you." He replied, kissing his wife on the cheek.
Max drove Liz home. There was a comfortable silence in the car for the few minutes it took them to reach their destination. Max pulled the jeep over to the curb.
"I'll walk you up to your room." Max stated.
"No. You don't have to, Max, let me just say goodnight here. I had such a wonderful time!"
"I did too. Would you like to go for a pick-nick if the weather's fair, on Saturday?" Max asked.
"I'd love to!" Liz replied.
"I know this is only our first date." Max said, shyly. "But could I...I'd like to kiss you?"
"I'd like you to kiss me too!" Liz said; her eyes already caught by his gaze as he moved in.
Just before he reached his goal, Max switched his gaze to her lips and saw her little tongue quickly moisten those lips which he wanted to kiss so much. A low groan slipped out just before his mouth made contact with hers. The first kiss was a quick one, but the second was considerably longer and quickly became more intense.
"Mmmm, I wish I didn't have to wait until next Saturday to see you again, but I have so much studying to do this week." Max said glumly.
"I know; me too." Liz groaned. "Maybe we could help each other study; you know, test each other. Or we could study at the same library some time." Liz suggested.
"Those are good ideas, Liz, but speaking for myself, I know that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but you, if you were anywhere near me. I'm afraid we'll have to hold out until Saturday."
He leaned into kiss Liz again, but kept it light, so as to not make it impossible for him to let her out of the car. Max watched Liz until she was safely inside the locked front door of her dorm before starting up the jeep to drive to his dorm for another restless night's sleep filled with dreams of Liz.
Part 4
Liz studied hard through the rest of the week and by Saturday morning she was ready for a break and looking forward to going on the pick-nick with Max, but first, Liz called Tess for their weekly chat.
"Hi Tess!"
"Hey Liz! How's it going? How are you feeling after your accident?"
"I'm fine. The ankle's good as new again. How're Mom and Dad?"
"They're fine. Mom is really excited about that young artist, Michael Guerin. She just flew back from LA. on Thursday. Michael flew with her but they went directly to the gallery in Albuquerque, so I haven't met him yet. Maria called last night babbling on about how he's a total jerk. She called him names like 'cheese-head' and 'dork-butt'! She must really like him to get so worked up about him, don't you think, Liz?" The two sisters chuckled.
"Sounds like love at first sight! Although I could never understand Maria's choice of 'endearments'. Has Mom mentioned how Michael is reacting to Maria?" Liz asked.
"Yeah, she says that they're evenly matched in their 'flirting'. Although it took her a while to realize that their outbursts were a form of flirting and not fighting. Mom is going to help get Michael settled in Albuquerque and then she'll probably bring him to Roswell next weekend." Tess said and then changed the subject. "So, tell me about Max!"
"Ohhh, Max! Liz sighed. "He's wonderful. First of all, he drove me to my afternoon class on Monday so that I wouldn't have to walk. Then he took me for coffee after class and we ended up having dinner together and talking until the restaurant closed. We have so much in common!"
"Oooh, sounds like Michael and Maria aren't the only ones who have a case of 'love at first sight'! So have you seen him since then?" Tess asked.
"Well, no, but he's called every night before we each go to sleep and he's picking me up in a couple hours and we're going on a pick-nick." Liz said.
"It's September in New England. Isn't it a little late for pick-nicks?" Tess asked.
"No! Today's supposed to be sunny and nice." Liz explained.
"What are you going to wear?" Tess asked, excited for her sister.
"I don't know. I want to look nice, of course, but I need to be casual, since we're eating outside."
"How about your bib-overall-denim-dress with your white peasant-blouse?" Tess suggested. "That way you can wear a dress and be comfortable too. Do you still have that blue-gray shawl? That would go well with the blue of your dress and the peasant-look of your blouse." Tess suggested.
"Fantastic! What would I do without you?" Liz asked.
"You'd do just fine, but I'm glad I could help." Tess reassured.
"Oh I almost forgot. Isabel had a date with my friend, Alex last night. I'll have to call her and find out how it went." Liz said.
"You do that and call me back. 'Bye, Liz." Tess said.
"'Bye, Tess!" Liz hung up and dialed Isabel. "Hi, Isabel."
"Hey, Liz, how's it going? How are you feeling? How's Max?"
"I'm great, so is Max!" Liz went on to tell Isabel about her week. "I want to hear about your date with Alex."
"It was wonderful! We went to a pizza-parlor and then he took me to this film festival which was showing all of these classic black-and-white love stories. We even made out a little bit near the end. He has to work today, but we're going to get together to do something tomorrow. Would you and Max like to join us?" Isabel asked her friend.
"That would be fun! Let me ask Max and I'll call you tonight. Now I really have to go so I can get ready for our pick-nick. See ya, Is." Liz said before hanging up the phone.
"Bye, Liz." Isabel said.
Liz had just walked out of her bedroom, ready to go when Max knocked on the door to her apartment. He was wearing a pair of new blue jeans, a blue button-down shirt and his leather coat. He looked fantastic, Liz thought.
"Hi!" Liz greeted him as she let him in.
"Hey!" Max leaned in for a kiss. "You look beautiful. That dress is just perfect for what I've arranged."
"Really, what else have you arranged besides our pick-nick?" Liz asked, curious.
"You'll have to wait and see!" Max replied, mysteriously. "Ready to go?"
"After you." Liz replied. A few minutes later, Liz was surprised when Max pulled over to park near one of Harvard's boathouses. "Where are we going, Max?" She asked.
"You'll see. Come on!" He got out of the jeep, helped her out and then took a large hamper and a blanket out of the back. "Shall we go 'my lady'?" Max offered his arm to her.
"Lead on, sir!" Liz slipped her hand between his side and his proffered arm as they crossed the street and entered the boathouse.
"Hey Max, is this Liz? I'm Max's roommate, Russell."
"Nice to meet you, Russell." Liz replied politely.
"Is everything ready?" Max asked.
"Yeah, your boat is tied to the dock. Here, let me take the hamper and the blanket." Russell said.
"Thanks." Max took Liz out onto the deck where she saw a rowboat tied up. "Here, let me get in first, then I'll help you." Max told her as he lightly jumped into the boat and then lifted his hand out to help Liz step down. "Have a seat on that bench." He told her.
"Here's your hamper and blanket and...this." Russell handed Max a long, white object.
"Here, I bought this for you." Max said handing it to Liz.
"Oh, Max, it's lovely!" Liz exclaimed.
"Just what a lady needs for a boat ride up the Charles River." Max said.
Liz opened the white parasol. The shaft and curved handle were made of glossy, white-painted wood. The parasol had no flounces or ribbons, but was made of white, eye-let lace. Liz twirled it behind her head and settled back for an enjoyable ride.
"I had to practice rowing this thing, since I'm used to sculling racing shells." Max said.
"It looks as though you've done it all your life!" Liz encouraged.
The day was warm and sunny and there were quite a few rowboats as well as racing shells out on the water. Liz waved back several times as people they passed, greeted them and after a short while, Max nosed their boat over to the riverbank. He hopped out and dragged the boat higher out of the water before giving Liz a hand to help her out of the boat. Then he grabbed the hamper and the blanket in one hand and took Liz's hand in his other one and lead her over to a spot in the shade of a tree.
"How's this spot? Just enough sun and shade so that we should be comfortable." Max suggested.
"It's wonderful, Max! Here let me help you spread the blanket out." Liz said as they quickly settled down on the blanket and opened the hamper.
"Mmmm, I'm starved. What did you bring? Ohhh, enormous submarine sandwiches. Pineapple, grapes. Ohh, spice cake. What's in the thermos? Is this some of Mr. Schmidt's 'lattes? And cold cans of pop. Fantastic!" Liz exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, but I didn't think to bring any wine, since I don't drink. I should have thought to ask you if you would like any." Max reproached himself.
"Max, it's Okay, I don't drink much either because alcohol just makes me sleepy. Everything looks delicious. Let's start, I'm famished!" Liz soothed.
"Hmmm, Liz, try some of this spicy sauce on your sub. It's great!" Max suggested.
"Ohhh, that is spicy!" Liz exclaimed. Max had managed to slip his red-hots into his coffee, but he was also eating some of the sweet fruit between bites of the sub.
The two young lovers chatted about inconsequential things as they ate. When they were stuffed and could eat no more of the delicious food, they put the remains back into the hamper, working well together. Then they stretched out on their sides, facing each other, their heads propped on their hands, a foot's distance separating them. As they continued their conversation, Max idly reached out to play with a lock of Liz's long, soft hear. He ran it through his fingers and tickled Liz under her chin with the end of it. Finally, he lightly tugged on it to bring Liz closer to him, until she was near enough for him to lean in the last few inches to kiss her. He let himself fall backwards, so that Liz was leaning over him as they continued to kiss and he brought up both of his hands to gently brush her gorgeous hair out of her face and back behind her shoulders. Then his hands continued down, caressing her spine until they reached her waist. There his arms encircled her, bringing her upper body down onto his well-muscled chest. But, suddenly Max noticed that the sun had completely disappeared behind a bank of clouds which were quickly building themselves into a storm. A cold breeze blew across them as they lay there together.
"Oh man, I think we better get back. It's going to storm any time now!" Max exclaimed.
They both jumped up, collected their things and got back into the rowboat. Max pushed it out into the water and then jumped in and started to row for home. They pulled up to the dock and tied the boat to it just as the first rain drops started. Just after they reached the boathouse, it started to pour.
"Boy are we lucky!" Liz exclaimed. "You rowed as if you were competing in the Olympics!"
"Well I'm afraid we'll still get wet because the car is down the street. I'll run and bring it in as close to the boathouse as possible, so that you won't have to run." Max said.
"Or we could just stay in here until the storm passes." Liz suggested. "It's quiet, except for the sound of the rain on the roof. It's so peaceful here. We could put our blanket down on the floor, watch the rain fall on the water and just 'relax' some more."
"Sounds like a great idea!" Max agreed. They spread the blanket out, and Max sat down and then offered his hand to Liz, to bring her down to sit in his lap. Liz felt warm and protected, resting her back against Max's muscled chest, having his legs spread out, his knees drawn up on either side of her hips and his arms encircling her waist.
"I think there was some cake, fruit and coffee left. Would you like some, Max?" Liz asked.
"Sounds good." Max said.
He reached out and drew the hamper closer towards them. Liz got a bunch of grapes out and twisting a little within his embrace, popped one of the small green fruits into Max's mouth. They took turns feeding each other bits of cake and pieces of fruit, drinking the last of the coffee, enjoying the warmth and the closeness of each other. Finally the storm passes and they reluctantly got up to leave.
"This has been the most wonderful, memorable day I've had in a long time, Max!"
"Me too, Liz!"
"I was going to get together with some friends of mine tomorrow. Would you like to join us?" Liz asked.
"I'd love to Liz, but Sundays are the days I spend with my parents. Even if I could skip a weekend with them, I would have to spend it studying to make up for not doing so today." Max explained, unhappily.
The two of them had reached the jeep. They got in and Max drove Liz home.
"I know what you mean about studying, Max. I have a ton of it to do myself. "I'll call you Monday night, Okay?"
"Talk to you then." Max agreed. They had reached Liz's building and Max drew Liz into his arms for a deep, intense kiss good-bye. "We'll decide what we want to do next weekend during the week?"
"Sure, 'bye, Max." Liz got out of the jeep and walked into her building.
TBC
Category: M/L,......Rating: G - PG-13
Author: jane
E-mail: illta1985@aol.com
Disclaimer: They're not mine. The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda Metz, the WB,
Jason Katims, and all the wonderful people who we all love for starting this wonderful series.
The idea for the title and the story as a whole comes from "Pilgrimage" by Zenna Henderson.
c1962 Published by Doubleday & Co. No infringement is intended. I'm just borrowing them!
Summary: AU, future fic. All four aliens emerge from their pods at different times, wander out
into the desert and are found by adults who adopt and raise them in four different parts of
the country. They don't know what they are, or that there are others like themselves. There
is No destiny, No FBI, No evil aliens! This is a love story! How will they find each other? Will
they find their own true loves? Read and find out!
I Can't, I'm Different Part 1
Max Evans walked down the street one early autumn afternoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He was thinking about all of the studying he needed to do for tomorrow's classes. He had
made it through pre-law and was in his first year of law school here at Harvard University and
wanted to stay at the top of his class. As he walked up to an intersection, which he needed to cross and joined the group of people waiting for the light to change, he saw her; his brown haired angel. He had seen her on the sidewalks of Cambridge for four years now, but he had never been in a position to say anything to her. She would be across a busy street, or they would pass each other just as Max looked up from the pavement and he would turn to see her disappear into the crowd going the other way. A few times he had see her through a shop window, or in a restaurant, but she would be with someone else, or he would be too pressed for time to stop and introduce himself. But today would be different, he told himself. Today he would walk up to her and introduce himself to her and ask her out for coffee. Just then two men walked up to the group waiting at the corner. They were arguing about 'the game' which they had been to see the night before and both men were gesturing wildly with their arms, accidentally hitting other people around them.
"I said the home team would win. I won the bet. I want you to pay up now!"
"I'll get you the money tomorrow." The second man said, shoving the first guy, who then
shoved him back harder so he stumbled into the crowd behind him.
It was a like watching dominoes topple over. One person would fall, knocking into the next person and through the crowd until Liz, who was standing on the curbstone was pushed out into the street, into the path of an oncoming car. Max had been watching Liz and making his way towards her, so
when he saw her pushed out into the street, he immediately sprinted out after her to push her out of the car's path. His momentum took them both across the street until they stumbled. Max desperately twisted them so that he would take the brunt of the fall with his leather-covered back and he cupped the back of her head with his large hand, to protect it from striking anything as they landed. When he came back to his senses, his brown-eyed angel was sprawled on top of him; her lovely, soft hair caressing his face.
"Are you alright?" Max asked anxiously, as he sat up. He put his arm around her shoulders to
help her sit up too, but she just sat gazing into his eyes.
'It's him!' She thought to herself. That tall, dark and handsome hunk she had seen on the
sidewalks of Cambridge for four years now. Ever since she had come to Cambridge to attend
Harvard University and get her Ph.D. in microbiology. She had seen this gorgeous guy out
and about, half a dozen times a year, but she had never been in a position to introduce
herself...and now it seemed that he had just saved her life!
"Are you alright, Miss?" She heard him ask, anxiously.
"Uh yes, I think so." Liz answered dazedly.
"Take a minute to be sure. Do your arms or legs hurt? Did you hit your head at all? Your eyes
look responsive, so I don't think we have to worry about that, thank goodness!"
"Yes, yes thank goodness. Thank you!" Liz looked directly into his eyes for the first time.
"You saved my life! You dashed right out into the street and pushed me out of the path of
that oncoming car! Thank you so much!" Liz was trying to hang onto her composure, but
shock was setting in and she was beginning to shake.
"Here you're cold; take my coat." Max put his leather jacket around her shoulders. Then he
stood and reached down to help her up, but as she stood, Liz felt a pain in her ankle.
"Oh, my ankle. I may have banged it as we fell."
"Or you may have sprained it; let's get you home." He signaled for a cab authoritatively and
one pulled over to the curb right next to where they stood. Max gently helped her into the
cab. "Where do you live?" Liz gave her address to the cabby.
"That's graduate student housing at Harvard." Liz told him.
"So, you're a graduate student?" Max asked.
"Only just. I received my Bachelor's of science last spring and now I'm working on my
Masters'. I plan to go on and get my Ph.D. in microbiology after that."
"Wow, that sounds like you've got it all mapped out." Max said.
"I do. I love microbiology and science in general." Liz replied.
"Here we are Miss." The cabby called. Max paid him and helped Liz out of the car.
"Let me help you up to your room; your ankle has started to swell. My name is Max Evans, by
the way. I'm attending law school here and I'm harmless, I promise."
"Thank you Max. I think I do need some help. My name is Liz Parker." Liz limped into her building
with Max's arm around her shoulder. He took one look at the out-of-order elevator and then the stairs and scooped Liz up into his strong arms.
"What floor do you live on?"
"The third. I'm sorry, you don't need to carry me. I'm sure I could walk up with your help."
"No problem. I row for Harvard. They have us running up and down so many staircases, during
training, you wouldn't believe it." He was in excellent shape because he wasn't even breathing
hard by the time they reached the door to Liz's room. She had her key out and let them into her
tiny apartment.
"I guess my roommate isn't here, but I'm sure she'll arrive soon. You don't need to stay. I'm
sure that you have a lot to study since you're in law school. Thank you again for saving my
life! It was so nice of you to bring me home, but I don't want to impose on your time any
further." Liz was trying to say all the proper, polite things but really she loved being held in
his strong arms. His leather jacket was giving off an intoxicating scent of leather and 'Max'.
She didn't want this little interlude to end.
"Don't be silly, it was no problem to help you. Let me put you on the couch." Max put her
gently down. "You need to elevate that ankle. Excuse me while I lift your leg." He touched her
shapely calf as he quickly slipped some end-pillows under her ankle. 'Oh man, her skin is so
soft and smooth!' Max groaned to himself.
"From experience, I know that you're supposed to switch back and forth between heat and
cold with a sprain. May I go check out your freezer?" Liz nodded. "Oh good, you have frozen
peas." Max called from the kitchen. "They don't have the sharp corners that ice cubes do, but
they do the job just as well." Max placed the bag of frozen vegetables gently on her ankle.
He had been glancing around the tiny apartment as he worked. It consisted of a small central
living room which was stuffed with the couch, coffee table, a tiny dining table with two chairs,
a small entertainment tower, two desks and some overflowing bookshelves. It would have been a dingy little room, but there was a profusion of green plants on the windowsill, a gaily-colored quilt over the back of the couch and some beautiful art posters hung on the wall. The kitchen was really tiny, but spotlessly clean and an open door next to the kitchen showed one small bedroom. On the other side of the living room were two more doors, both ajar. One showed a tiny bathroom and another small bedroom could be seen through the second door. As he held the frozen peas around Liz's swollen ankle, Max had to keep telling himself that this was all he could do for her. He could not risk using his healing powers on her ankle. What would Liz think of him if she ever found out that he was 'different'? She would no longer be looking at him with gratitude and what looked like admiration in her eyes; that was for sure, Max told himself.
"Um Liz. I was wondering if, after your ankle heals of course, if you'd like to go out and have
coffee with me sometime?" Max asked, glancing up into her eyes.
"You want to ask me out?" Liz exclaimed. In her wildest dreams, she never would have
believed that such a handsome guy like Max would ever want to ask her out.
"Well if you'd like to. You probably have a boyfriend. Never mind, I understand." Max
mumbled, looking down at his shoes. Of course such a beautiful girl like Liz would have a
boyfriend. Was he really thinking that someone like her would want to go out with someone
like him? Someone 'different'?
"I'd love to have coffee with you!" Liz exclaimed.
"What did you say?" Max asked, not believing his ears.
"I don't have a boyfriend, and I'd love to have coffee with you sometime." Liz repeated.
"OK, great!" Max grinned. "May I call you in a couple days, to see how you're doing?"
"That would be very nice of you! If you get me a piece of paper from by the phone in the
kitchen, I'll write my number down for you."
"Actually, I memorized your number when I was getting the peas." Max said, smiling.
"Speaking of peas, it's time to change to the heat part of the therapy. I see you have a
microwave. I'll just heat a wet washrag in it for a minute." Max stepped into the kitchen to
heat the dishcloth. He felt like dancing, jumping up and down; he had met his brown haired
angel and asked her out for coffee and she had accepted!
Liz sat on the couch waiting for Max to come back, but she too would have liked to dance with happiness if her ankle didn't hurt so much.
"While I'm in here, can I make you some tea or anything?" Max called.
"I'd love a soda. They're in the 'fridge. Grab one if you'd like, or there are teabags in the
cupboard over the sink." Liz called back.
"Would you like a glass?" Max asked.
"No, the can's fine." Liz answered.
"Here you go then." Max handed her a pop can, and then moved to place the towel wrapped
dishcloth on her ankle. "Is that too hot on your skin?" Max asked, anxiously. "The cloth was
too hot when it came out of the microwave, that's why I wrapped it in the towel."
"No, that feels really good after the peas." Liz assured him. Just then the apartment door
opened and Liz's roommate, Louise came in.
"What's going on here? What happened?" She asked when she saw Liz's swollen ankle
propped up on pillows.
"Your roommate was almost run over by a car this afternoon, Miss..."
"Carey, Louise Carey."
"I believe that she sprained her ankle. I've been applying cold and then heat to the swollen
area, but if the swelling doesn't go down by tomorrow, she should see a doctor."
"I'm sorry, you are?" Louise asked.
"I'm Max Evans." Max couldn't believe the way he was speaking. The intimate little bubble that
had surrounded he and Liz had just popped and he had immediately reverted to his more serious, shy shelf.
"He saved my life Louise!" Liz explained. "He ran right out into traffic and pushed me out of
the path of the car! Then he called a cab to bring me home and carried me up two flights of stairs!" Liz finished off impressively.
"Wow!" Louise exclaimed looking admiringly up at Max.
"Anyone would have done the same." Max said, modestly, embarrassed now.
"I didn't see anyone else rush to help me today, Max."
"Ah well now that your roommate is here, I'd better be going. Keep up with the hot and cold
therapy." He was shyly inching his way towards the door. "I'll call you tomorrow if I may; to
you know, see how you're doing."
"That would be great, Max!" Liz replied. "Oh don't forget your jacket." Liz took off the coat
and handed it to Louise, who passed it onto Max.
"See you. It was nice to meet you, Louise." Max said before he left.
"Oh my gosh!" Louise exclaimed. "That's the hunk you've been pointing out to me for years!
And he saved your life?"
"Yeah!" Liz was grinning.
"And he's going to call you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Liz said again.
"And if he asks you out, will you go?"
"He already has, and I've already said yes."
"Oh I'm so glad Liz! He seems like a really nice guy. You haven't dated since your putz-boyfriend, Nicholas tried to rape you two years ago. I'm glad you've found someone new; I was beginning to worry about you. But if this Max hurts you..."
"I don't think he will, Louise. Do you know how many little old ladies I've seen him help across
the street, or carry groceries for, over the last four years? Dozens. And they say that you can
always tell a lot about a guy by watching how he treats his mother. I'm betting that Max is a
very good son!" Just then the phone rang and Louise answered it.
"It's your sister, Tess." She brought the wireless phone to Liz. "I've got to go. I just came by
to drop off my books. Will you be OK?"
"Sure." Liz told her friend, and Louise left the apartment. "Hi Tess." Liz greeted her sister.
The two of them had become more like best friends than just sisters after Liz's parents had
found Tess out in the desert one night when she was six years old. The authorities had been
unable to find her parents, so Mr. and Mrs. Parker had adopted the homeless girl. It hadn't
taken very long for Liz to figure out that Tess was 'different' from other little girls. She had
'powers' and the two of them had lots of fun learning what those powers were as they grew up.
Of course having grown up in Roswell, New Mexico, supposed site of a UFO crash back in
1947, and an alien-themed tourist trap, Liz's money was on Tess being an alien. But that was
their little secret. Neither of the girls had ever told anyone else, not even their parents.
Part 2
The phone rang and Louise answered it.
"It's your sister, Tess." She brought the wireless phone to Liz.
"Hi Tess." She greeted her sister. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Business at the Crashdown is switching over from summer tourists to high
school students after classes let out."
"Now that you're assistant manager, who do you think is the worst customer; a tourist or a
student?" Liz asked.
"I don't know. I think they're pretty even in their sloppiness!" Tess answered.
Both Liz and Tess had worked as waitresses in their family's alien-themed café, during their
high school years. Tess had received a business degree in college and was now helping their
father, Jeff Parker run the place. Their mother, Nancy Parker was an artist with quite a
reputation in the art world.
"Hey, some artist out in California, wrote Mom asking if he could show his work in her gallery.
He wrote that he's a big fan of her work and that he also specializes in southwest-type clay
and metal sculpture. He sent a few pictures of his work. Mom thinks they're really good and is
going to fly out to L.A. to meet him."
"Wow, that's so cool! Artists, asking to show their work at Mom's gallery. What's his name?
Had Mom ever heard of him before?"
"His name is Michael Guerin. Mom hadn't heard of him before, but a friend of hers in L.A. has.
I guess he has quite a good rep.!"
"Oh speaking of the gallery. How's Maria doing as the assistant manager?"
"She says she loves it; that old Mr. Jones is a dream to work for and that she's learning a lot
from him. More practical business information than she learned in college getting her major in
art history and a minor in business."
"Great! Tell her 'Hi' for me." Maria DeLuca was Liz and Tess' best friend growing up. They
shared everything, told everything to each other, except their little secret about Tess.
"Well, I've got some news." Liz told her sister. "I finally met my hunk! You know, the tall,
dark, handsome one I've been telling you about for four years?"
"Oh Wow! What's his name? What's he like up close? How'd you meet him?"
"His name's Max Evans. He's a total sweetheart! But before I tell you how we met, you have to
promise not to tell Mom and Dad."
"What? Why not?" Tess exclaimed.
"Well I was almost run over by a car today!" Liz admitted.
"What! Are you OK?" Tess shrieked.
"I'm fine. Well, I have a sprained ankle, but never mind that. I met Max, get this, after He
Saved MY LIFE!" Liz's voice rose in volume with each word she said. "I was waiting to cross
the street when someone bumped into me, pushing me out into the path of this on-coming
car. Next thing I know, Max sprinted out after me. He pushed me out of the way and then we
were both tumbling over one another on the far sidewalk. I was lying right on top of him and I
could feel all of the muscles under his clothes! Then he hailed a cab, brought me home and carried me in his arms up two flights of stairs. He stayed and took care of my ankle and he was so gentle when he did it, too. He's going to call me tomorrow to see how I'm doing and he's already asked me out on a date! Well, it's only to have coffee, but it's still a date. He's so cute and shy. You'd think a guy as handsome as Max is would have all the self confidence in the world, and the arrogance to match, but he wasn't like that at all!" Liz gushed.
"And you felt safe with him? You didn't feel threatened by him? After Nicholas..."
"After Nicholas attacked me, I climbed into a hole and hid from the world for two years. With
Max's gentle help, I think that I'll be able to climb back out." Liz said.
"I'm so glad, Liz! I've been worried about you." Tess admitted.
"Thanks. So, how's Kyle?" Liz asked.
"He's fine, sister mine! We're going out Friday night." Tess answered.
The two sisters had grown up with Kyle Valenti; captain of the football team and son of Roswell's Sheriff. He and Tess had fought and insulted each other throughout school, denying their attraction to one another. Then during their senior year, it was as if their blinders had been taken off and they fell madly in love. Four years later, they were still dating. Kyle was now a Sheriff's Deputy and Liz thought that a wedding might not be too far off. The only problem was that Tess had never told Kyle about her secret.
"Well, I'd better get going." Tess said. "I'll call you next week. Say 'Hi' to Isabel when you see
her next."
"OK, 'bye Tess. Kiss Mom and Dad for me." Liz said before they both hung up.
Isabel Evans was a student from Wellesley College, whom Liz had met the year before. Both
girls had attended a 'frat' party with other girlfriends from their college dorms. They had been
introduced by a mutual friend and hit it off right away. Isabel was in her senior year, working
towards a degree in accounting, following in her mother's footsteps. She had worked her way
through college as a model though, and since graduation had signed with one of the top clothing designers in the Boston area. After the party where they'd met, Isabel and Liz had made a point of getting together at least once a month if their studies permitted. They'd go to lunch, or the movies, museums, or to dinner. No matter what planned activity they did, the two friends did a lot of talking so that now they knew each other very well.
And, as they spent more time together, Liz began to notice some things about Isabel, which reminded her of her sister, Tess. There was a similarity in their mannerisms and their diet. Tess loved to eat spicy and sweet foods together. She always had a bottle of tobacco sauce with her, and splashed the stuff onto almost everything. Isabel didn't use tobacco, but she did order sweet and spicy foods together. Her favorite was ordering a fruit smoothie with her spicy meal, whenever she could. Liz was almost sure that Isabel had visited her in her dreams a few times and then mentioned
bits of information from those dreams the next day, to Liz. The most telling coincidence about Isabel was that she often wore lipstick, nail polish, or eye shadow, in shades which did not exist, but which did match the outfit she was wearing, perfectly. Liz had even checked with the modeling agency, which Isabel worked for; they required their models to supply and apply their own make-up, so Isabel was not getting exclusive products from the agency. Lastly Liz remembered the conversation when Isabel had told her how she'd grown up.
"It's kind of complicated." "Isabel started. "See, Mom wasn't married when she found me by
the side of the road, out in the middle of 'nowhere', New Mexico. They think I was six years
old when she found me that night. We can't be sure, because I have no memory of my life
before she found me. I have no idea how I came to be wandering out in the middle of the
desert."
"How awful!" Liz sympathized. "How did you end up growing up in Florida then? And how
does your father come into the picture if your mom wasn't married when she found you?"
"Mom was driving through the southwest doing the tourist thing that summer. When I saw
her stop her car that night, I immediately felt as if I could trust her. I walked over to her and
she gently put her arms around me and gave me one of her blouses to wear. It came down
to my ankles like a dress. Did I mention that I was naked?"
"Oh no!" Liz exclaimed.
"Anyway, she gave me a sandwich and some milk that she had with her in the car and after that,
she put me in the car and drove home to where she lived in Florida. The authorities gave her
heck for taking me across state lines, but she had, had foster children before so they overlooked it when they were unable to find any sign of my real parents. They suspected that I'd been abandoned out in the desert to die."
"How awful! I mean, it's terrible when people abandon their pets on the side of the road, but
to do that to a little girl. Oh, Isabel! I'm so thankful she found you that night!" Liz exclaimed,
tears gathering in her eyes.
"So am I. She adopted me as soon as she could. She was in her thirties and figured that
she'd never marry, much less ever have kids of her own. And then, two years later, out of
the blue, Mom met John Evans. They dated for six months before he finally got up the
courage to ask Mom to marry him, but I knew long before that, that John was head-over-heals in
love with my mom. What was even greater, he loved me too. They married, he adopted me as
well, and after that I became Isabel Evans! Mom had attended Wellesley, so here I am too."
Isabel brought their thoughts back to the present.
Liz was now certain that Isabel was 'different' in same way that Tess was, so she invited her new
best friend to her home in Roswell over the summer. Liz warned Tess what she was doing but
not Isabel. In case Isabel wasn't like Tess, or the two of them couldn't sense things about
each other, then Tess would be safe. Liz picked Isabel up at the small Roswell airport that
afternoon and then made a point of having to pick up her sister, Tess at a supply company
on the way home. As soon as Tess got into the car with Isabel, Liz could tell that the two
girls 'recognized' each other as someone like themselves.
"Pull over please, Liz." Tess asked. Liz pulled the car over and all three of them got out. There
was no one else in sight.
"What's going on, Liz?" Isabel asked, nervous.
"What do you mean, Isabel?" Liz asked innocently.
"It's just that...nothing. Never mind." Isabel said, uncertain.
"It's just that we can sense that we are the same." Tess took the leap of faith and admitted.
"You feel it too? I thought it was just me!" Isabel exclaimed.
"No, I feel it too!" Tess confirmed.
"Liz how can she be your sister? I sense only that you are like everybody else, not like us."
Isabel asked.
"Didn't I ever mention to you that Tess is adopted? Probably not, since I only think of her as
my sister and best friend. My parents found Tess out on the side of the road, in the middle of
nowhere, in the middle of the night, naked, when she was six years old." Liz explained.
"Oh my gosh!" Isabel exclaimed. "How long have you suspected, known about me?"
"I've noticed things about you ever since we met, that reminded me of Tess. You both like
sweet and spicy foods. You both change your make-up colors to exactly match your clothing.
And then you told me how your mother found you and I was almost sure. I couldn't chance
exposing Tess' secret however, so I invited you here, hoping the two of you would be able to
do what you both just did, sense each other!" Liz explained.
"You're safe, Isabel." Tess reassured her. "Liz and I have never told anyone about me,
including our parents. Do your folks know about you?"
"No, I've never told anyone either." Isabel and Tess hugged, tightly for a moment and then
both looked over at Liz and opened their arms to include her in their embrace.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Liz hung up the phone after saying good-bye to Tess and hobbled the few steps it took to
reach the tiny kitchen. She heated a bowel of water in the microwave, put the dishcloth into
the water, and took the bowel, towel, and bag of frozen peas back with her to the couch.
That way she could keep up the therapy on her ankle without having to constantly get up and
go to the kitchen. Liz placed the peas on her ankle and picked up one of the textbooks she
needed to study but she found it difficult to concentrate, because her mind kept drifting back to thoughts of Max.
A short time earlier, Max had arrived at his own home in one of the Law School's dorms. It consisted of a living space, which had just enough room for a lumpy couch up against one wall and two desks, pushed together in the middle of the room. Max and his roommate, Russell did have their own miniscule bedrooms, but the bathroom was down the hall and the kitchen and dinning room were on the first floor. As he let himself into their room, Russell got up from the sofa to shake Max's hand.
"Way to go 'Hero'! Rushing out into the street to save a damsel in distress from being run
over by a car! Man, I couldn't have done that." Russell exclaimed.
"How'd you hear about that?" Max asked, shocked.
"Hey it's all over campus! A couple other law students were in the crowd and they've been
spreading the story every since. So who is she? Is she pretty, and if she is, does she have a
sister?" Russell asked.
"Her name is Liz Parker. She's gorgeous! And I don't know if she has a sister." Max answered.
"But not as gorgeous as your 'brown haired angel' that you've told me about, right?" Russell
wagged his eyebrows up and down.
"Actually Russell, she is that same girl that I've told you about." Max said.
"What? You finally met her! What are you doing here then?" Russell asked.
"Well, her roommate came in and I thought I should go, but I'm going to call her tomorrow, to
see how she'd doing. And we're going to go out for coffee in the next day of two." Max told
him.
"You romantic fool!" Russell exclaimed. "Coffee? You should take advantage of her gratitude
towards you. Take her out for a candle-lit dinner and then, you know...!"
"We just met. And I don't 'you know' with a girl I just met. Liz is special! I'm not going to
ruin everything by trying to rush her into my bed." Max argued.
"Oh brother!" Russell huffed. "You and your code of ethics. Well I've got to get over to the
law library. See ya."
"See you." Max replied as Russell left him alone.
His mind drifted for a while, touching on the memory of how pretty Liz was up close. How her hair smelled like strawberries and how soft it was as it brushed against his face, when he held her in his arms. Then his mind drifted into unfamiliar territory. What would it be like to make love with Liz? Max was sure that it would be wonderful.
'What are you thinking about?' His inner-self yelled at him. 'You can't make love with Liz!
You're 'different'! Who knows what you'd do to her if you became intimate with her. You
might as well stop thinking about kissing her as well. You can't do that either. Can I have
coffee with her at the same table if we drink out of separate mugs?' Max yelled back at
himself.
"Oh man, now I'm having arguments with myself!" Max muttered out loud. 'I want this, this
chance to be with Liz; to get to know her. She doesn't have to find out that I'm 'different'
from everybody else.' Max's hand started to glow in his agitation, but he took some deep breaths
to calm himself down, and the glow receded. 'It'll be OK. At least I didn't have to use my
healing powers, to save her from a gunshot wound or something overly dramatic like that.
We'll just be friends.' Max argued. Yeah, right!' His inner-self replied, sarcastically.
Part 3
The next morning Liz's ankle was feeling much better and she didn't have a class until ten, so she was studying when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Liz said.
"Hey Liz." Isabel replied. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Is. How're you?"
"Great! In fact, I've been wanting to thank you for recommending your friend Alex Whitman when the modeling agency's computer needed fixing last month. He's been a lot of help."
"I'm glad! Yeah, Alex is a great guy. He helped me pass my computer classes when I was an undergrad. So do you like him?" Liz asked her friend, coyly.
"Well yeah, I guess so. He's got a wonderful sense of humor." Isabel laughed. "Who am I kidding? He's a sweetheart and so cute! It took him a month, but he finally asked me out to go see a movie Friday night. I was about to ask him out myself. Every time he came by to check on the agency's computer, he would give me these big puppy-dog eyes when he didn't think I was looking. Have you spoken to Tess lately?" Isabel changed the subject.
"Yeah, she called yesterday." Liz brought Isabel up to date with all the news about her family. Not only had Tess emotionally adopted Isabel, but their parents had as well.
"Well, I've go to go. I'll tell you how my date with Alex goes. And you'll have to tell me more about this Max. It's so great that the two of you finally got to meet and in such a romantic way! Take care of yourself, OK?" Isabel admonished.
"Okay, 'bye, Is." Liz said and then a moment later the phone rang again. "Hello?"
"Hi Liz. It's Max Evans. You know from yesterday?" He said, uncertainly.
"Yeah, I vaguely remember you." Liz teased him. "Of course I remember the guy who saved my life. As if I could forget you!"
"Oh well, uh good. I just called to see how you're doing. How's your ankle?" Max asked.
"It's so much better this morning, Max. That hot and cold therapy that you recommended really worked. Are you sure you're in law school and not in med. school?"
"I'm sure. I was wondering if you'd like a ride to class so that you don't have to walk on that ankle."
"That's so sweet of you to offer, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, don't you have classes to get to as well?" Liz asked.
"Well, I thought you could tell me when your classes are today and I'd see when I could help you, especially this afternoon. Your ankle may really be strained. I could at least pick you up from your last class and we could go out for that cup of coffee. You know, if you still want to, that is." Max showed his shy side again.
"That sounds great!" Liz said and told him where and when her classes were.
"So I'll pick you up at the Bio Labs Library and take you to your last class and then pick you up afterwards and take you for coffee?" Max asked.
"That sounds great! I'll look forward to this afternoon. 'Bye, Max."
"Bye Liz, see you then." Max hung up and a moment later so did Liz. Then she went to get dressed.
"Was that your Max on the phone?" Louise asked, coming out of her bedroom and over to Liz's door.
"Well he's not 'my' Max, but that's who was on the phone. He was just checking up on how I'm doing after the accident yesterday." Liz said.
"And he's going to drive you to your classes today? Wow, that's thoughtful!" Louise exclaimed.
"Well, our schedules only match up this afternoon, but I bet I'll be ready to be given a ride by then. Afterwards we're going out for coffee." Liz said.
"Great! Well, I have to go or I'll be late for class. See you tonight." Louise said.
"See you Lou." Liz called. 'Now to find the perfect outfit that will get me through the day and still look great this evening.' Liz said to herself.
She chose brown slacks and a cotton turtleneck sweater in a rich shade of maroon. Over the sweater she put on a lightweight brown blazer with maroon threads running through the fabric horizontally and vertically. Some of her classrooms could be colder inside than it was outside, and this evening might be chilly. She left her hair down but pulled it back from her face with a small barrette at the back of her head.
By three o'clock that afternoon, Liz was exhausted and her ankle was aching. As she limped out the library's door, Max pulled up in an old jeep with its top on. He jumped out of the car and helped Liz walk over to the passenger side where he gently helped her sit down, but kept her sitting sideways in the seat. Max dropped down onto one knee in front of her.
"Max what are?" Liz didn't say anymore as Max gently took off the loafer and sock from her foot and pulled out an ACE bandage from his coat pocket.
"I thought you might need one of these by now." Max said as he gently wrapped her ankle, getting it just right; not too tight, not too loose. Then he put her shoe back on, handed back her sock and helped her turn to sit front-ways in the seat. "Are you sure you want to go to class with your ankle aching like that?" Max asked, concerned.
"I'll be fine. That bandage is really helping. Thanks for thinking of bringing it. You knew just what I'd need!" Liz glanced over at Max's handsome profile, smiling.
"No problem. Glad I could help." Max replied, modestly. "I thought I knew about all of the libraries on campus, but I've never seen the one you just came out of."
"No reason you should since you're in law school." Liz replied. "The Biological Laboratories Library is a special library collection covering the different biologies, especially microbiology, which is my major."
"Yes, I remember you telling me that was your major. Not knowing about this collection I just assumed that you'd study at the Science Library." Max said.
"I do use the Science Library as well, but the Bio Labs Library is smaller, quieter and more specialized to my needs. The two staff members are so helpful as well." Liz said.
"Great! I'll have to check it out sometime. Just so I can say I've been inside it. Here we are; door to door service." Max said as he pulled the jeep up to the curb. He got out and ran around the hood to help Liz out of the car. "Do you want me to help you inside?"
"No thanks, Max, I'll be fine. Thanks for the ride. You've been so nice to me. I don't deserve it." Liz reached up and briefly caressed his check with the palm of her hand. Little tingles ran down her fingers and up her arm as she felt the beginning roughness of his afternoon beard.
"You deserve every good thing this world has to offer, Liz." Max placed his hand over hers to keep it touching his face as he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. Liz's mouth opened slightly as a tiny sigh came out at the sensation of his lips kissing her hand. "Now you'd better get to class and I'll be out here when you're done." Max said and Liz came back down to earth.
"Thanks again, Max!" Liz said and walked into the building.
Two hours later, Liz came out to find Max just pulling up to the curb for her. He helped her into the car again.
"How's the ankle now?" Max asked, concerned.
"Well it's not great, but I'll be Okay." Liz smiled into his concerned eyes. "You mentioned coffee. I could really use a jumbo sized mug right about now."
"Coming right up. I know a little hole-in-the-wall, coffeehouse that brews the best coffee. It's a little dingy, but the owners are this cute, older couple who are really nice. I hope you like it." Max said.
"You don't mean the 'Grinding Stop' do you? I love that place! I don't get in there too often but you're right, Mr. Schmidt brews the best coffee and Mrs. Schmidt bakes the best spice cake I've ever had."
Max smiled at Liz's enthusiasm. He had started frequenting the shop after seeing Liz through the front window, having coffee there one day; hoping that she would come in while he was there, but she never had. When they both entered the shop, Mr. Schmidt came forward to greet them.
"Miss. Parker, Mr. Evans; you are coming into our little shop together? You have met each other?" Max and Liz nodded. "Mrs. Schmidt always said you two would make a cute couple, but you always came in at separate times...alone." He specified, significantly. "Come, sit. Would you like your usual order?" Mr. Schmidt asked.
"Yes please, for me." Max said. "Liz?" He inquired. At her nod, "Has Mrs. Schmidt baked her wonderful spice cake today?"
"She just took a new one out of the oven half an hour ago. Each of you would like a piece?" At their nodding smiles, "Very good then. I'll be right back with your order." Mr. Schmidt said.
A few minutes later returned with their 'lattes, with cinnamon sprinkled on top and their pieces of cake. While Mr. Schmidt was serving Liz, Max did a quick bit of slight-of-hand that he used when he wanted to add 'something' spicy to his food. He had learned at an early age to hide this little dietary quirk of his, as his friends had been grossed out by it. For his coffee he liked to drop a handful of red-hot candies into the mug. He changed their density so that they stayed near the bottom of the mug and dissolved into the hot, sweet liquid. The candies went especially well with Mrs. Schmidt's spice cake.
"So tell me about yourself, Liz." Max requested.
"What do you want to know?" Liz asked, shyly.
"Where did you grow up?" Max asked.
"Well, I'll answer your question if you'll answer the same one for me. Then it'll be my turn to ask you a question and I'll answer that one for you as well."
"Okay." Max agreed.
"I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico; have you ever heard of it?" When Max shook his head. "It's a small town. The only thing it's famous for is the UFO which supposedly crashed there in 1947. There was allegedly a whole government cover-up, but ever since, the town has become one great big alien-themed tourist trap. What about you?"
"Oh, I grew up across the Charles River in Boston." Max replied. "Do you have any brothers and sisters?"
"I have a sister, Tess. You?" Liz asked.
No, I'm an only child. What do your parents do for a living?" Max asked.
"Dad owns this alien-themed café named the Crashdown. You know after the UFO which came crashing down to earth! Tess and I used to work there when we were in school. We had to wear head-bands with antennae attached to them!" Liz chuckled.
"Oh boy! What does your mom do?" Max asked.
"Mom is actually a famous artist! Her specialty is southwest and Native American works of art."
"Hey that's impressive! My parents are both lawyers in the Boston area. My grandfather, Mom's dad was an influential judge before he retired. I'm studying to follow in his footsteps more than my parents' because I want to work for the D.A.s office when I graduate." Max said.
"What kind of movies do you like to watch?" Liz asked next.
They found out that they both liked romantic comedies and action-adventure films. Neither of them had a lot of time to read for enjoyment, but when they did, they both liked mysteries which weren't too violent as well as some of the same sci-fi authors. At some point, Mr. Schmidt offered to bring them some stuffed pork chops, the one entrée the little shop was offering its patrons that night. They both agreed and went back to their conversation immediately. They were so engrossed in each other, that they ate their way through a delicate apple strudel for dessert and hardly noticed. They were gazing deeply into each other's eyes and holding hands by the time that Mr. Schmidt told them that he needed to close the shop. They left hand in hand as a dreamy-eyed Mrs. Schmidt came up to her husband.
"Didn't I tell you they'd make a perfect couple?" She asked.
"You did, and I didn't argue with you." He replied, kissing his wife on the cheek.
Max drove Liz home. There was a comfortable silence in the car for the few minutes it took them to reach their destination. Max pulled the jeep over to the curb.
"I'll walk you up to your room." Max stated.
"No. You don't have to, Max, let me just say goodnight here. I had such a wonderful time!"
"I did too. Would you like to go for a pick-nick if the weather's fair, on Saturday?" Max asked.
"I'd love to!" Liz replied.
"I know this is only our first date." Max said, shyly. "But could I...I'd like to kiss you?"
"I'd like you to kiss me too!" Liz said; her eyes already caught by his gaze as he moved in.
Just before he reached his goal, Max switched his gaze to her lips and saw her little tongue quickly moisten those lips which he wanted to kiss so much. A low groan slipped out just before his mouth made contact with hers. The first kiss was a quick one, but the second was considerably longer and quickly became more intense.
"Mmmm, I wish I didn't have to wait until next Saturday to see you again, but I have so much studying to do this week." Max said glumly.
"I know; me too." Liz groaned. "Maybe we could help each other study; you know, test each other. Or we could study at the same library some time." Liz suggested.
"Those are good ideas, Liz, but speaking for myself, I know that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but you, if you were anywhere near me. I'm afraid we'll have to hold out until Saturday."
He leaned into kiss Liz again, but kept it light, so as to not make it impossible for him to let her out of the car. Max watched Liz until she was safely inside the locked front door of her dorm before starting up the jeep to drive to his dorm for another restless night's sleep filled with dreams of Liz.
Part 4
Liz studied hard through the rest of the week and by Saturday morning she was ready for a break and looking forward to going on the pick-nick with Max, but first, Liz called Tess for their weekly chat.
"Hi Tess!"
"Hey Liz! How's it going? How are you feeling after your accident?"
"I'm fine. The ankle's good as new again. How're Mom and Dad?"
"They're fine. Mom is really excited about that young artist, Michael Guerin. She just flew back from LA. on Thursday. Michael flew with her but they went directly to the gallery in Albuquerque, so I haven't met him yet. Maria called last night babbling on about how he's a total jerk. She called him names like 'cheese-head' and 'dork-butt'! She must really like him to get so worked up about him, don't you think, Liz?" The two sisters chuckled.
"Sounds like love at first sight! Although I could never understand Maria's choice of 'endearments'. Has Mom mentioned how Michael is reacting to Maria?" Liz asked.
"Yeah, she says that they're evenly matched in their 'flirting'. Although it took her a while to realize that their outbursts were a form of flirting and not fighting. Mom is going to help get Michael settled in Albuquerque and then she'll probably bring him to Roswell next weekend." Tess said and then changed the subject. "So, tell me about Max!"
"Ohhh, Max! Liz sighed. "He's wonderful. First of all, he drove me to my afternoon class on Monday so that I wouldn't have to walk. Then he took me for coffee after class and we ended up having dinner together and talking until the restaurant closed. We have so much in common!"
"Oooh, sounds like Michael and Maria aren't the only ones who have a case of 'love at first sight'! So have you seen him since then?" Tess asked.
"Well, no, but he's called every night before we each go to sleep and he's picking me up in a couple hours and we're going on a pick-nick." Liz said.
"It's September in New England. Isn't it a little late for pick-nicks?" Tess asked.
"No! Today's supposed to be sunny and nice." Liz explained.
"What are you going to wear?" Tess asked, excited for her sister.
"I don't know. I want to look nice, of course, but I need to be casual, since we're eating outside."
"How about your bib-overall-denim-dress with your white peasant-blouse?" Tess suggested. "That way you can wear a dress and be comfortable too. Do you still have that blue-gray shawl? That would go well with the blue of your dress and the peasant-look of your blouse." Tess suggested.
"Fantastic! What would I do without you?" Liz asked.
"You'd do just fine, but I'm glad I could help." Tess reassured.
"Oh I almost forgot. Isabel had a date with my friend, Alex last night. I'll have to call her and find out how it went." Liz said.
"You do that and call me back. 'Bye, Liz." Tess said.
"'Bye, Tess!" Liz hung up and dialed Isabel. "Hi, Isabel."
"Hey, Liz, how's it going? How are you feeling? How's Max?"
"I'm great, so is Max!" Liz went on to tell Isabel about her week. "I want to hear about your date with Alex."
"It was wonderful! We went to a pizza-parlor and then he took me to this film festival which was showing all of these classic black-and-white love stories. We even made out a little bit near the end. He has to work today, but we're going to get together to do something tomorrow. Would you and Max like to join us?" Isabel asked her friend.
"That would be fun! Let me ask Max and I'll call you tonight. Now I really have to go so I can get ready for our pick-nick. See ya, Is." Liz said before hanging up the phone.
"Bye, Liz." Isabel said.
Liz had just walked out of her bedroom, ready to go when Max knocked on the door to her apartment. He was wearing a pair of new blue jeans, a blue button-down shirt and his leather coat. He looked fantastic, Liz thought.
"Hi!" Liz greeted him as she let him in.
"Hey!" Max leaned in for a kiss. "You look beautiful. That dress is just perfect for what I've arranged."
"Really, what else have you arranged besides our pick-nick?" Liz asked, curious.
"You'll have to wait and see!" Max replied, mysteriously. "Ready to go?"
"After you." Liz replied. A few minutes later, Liz was surprised when Max pulled over to park near one of Harvard's boathouses. "Where are we going, Max?" She asked.
"You'll see. Come on!" He got out of the jeep, helped her out and then took a large hamper and a blanket out of the back. "Shall we go 'my lady'?" Max offered his arm to her.
"Lead on, sir!" Liz slipped her hand between his side and his proffered arm as they crossed the street and entered the boathouse.
"Hey Max, is this Liz? I'm Max's roommate, Russell."
"Nice to meet you, Russell." Liz replied politely.
"Is everything ready?" Max asked.
"Yeah, your boat is tied to the dock. Here, let me take the hamper and the blanket." Russell said.
"Thanks." Max took Liz out onto the deck where she saw a rowboat tied up. "Here, let me get in first, then I'll help you." Max told her as he lightly jumped into the boat and then lifted his hand out to help Liz step down. "Have a seat on that bench." He told her.
"Here's your hamper and blanket and...this." Russell handed Max a long, white object.
"Here, I bought this for you." Max said handing it to Liz.
"Oh, Max, it's lovely!" Liz exclaimed.
"Just what a lady needs for a boat ride up the Charles River." Max said.
Liz opened the white parasol. The shaft and curved handle were made of glossy, white-painted wood. The parasol had no flounces or ribbons, but was made of white, eye-let lace. Liz twirled it behind her head and settled back for an enjoyable ride.
"I had to practice rowing this thing, since I'm used to sculling racing shells." Max said.
"It looks as though you've done it all your life!" Liz encouraged.
The day was warm and sunny and there were quite a few rowboats as well as racing shells out on the water. Liz waved back several times as people they passed, greeted them and after a short while, Max nosed their boat over to the riverbank. He hopped out and dragged the boat higher out of the water before giving Liz a hand to help her out of the boat. Then he grabbed the hamper and the blanket in one hand and took Liz's hand in his other one and lead her over to a spot in the shade of a tree.
"How's this spot? Just enough sun and shade so that we should be comfortable." Max suggested.
"It's wonderful, Max! Here let me help you spread the blanket out." Liz said as they quickly settled down on the blanket and opened the hamper.
"Mmmm, I'm starved. What did you bring? Ohhh, enormous submarine sandwiches. Pineapple, grapes. Ohh, spice cake. What's in the thermos? Is this some of Mr. Schmidt's 'lattes? And cold cans of pop. Fantastic!" Liz exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind, but I didn't think to bring any wine, since I don't drink. I should have thought to ask you if you would like any." Max reproached himself.
"Max, it's Okay, I don't drink much either because alcohol just makes me sleepy. Everything looks delicious. Let's start, I'm famished!" Liz soothed.
"Hmmm, Liz, try some of this spicy sauce on your sub. It's great!" Max suggested.
"Ohhh, that is spicy!" Liz exclaimed. Max had managed to slip his red-hots into his coffee, but he was also eating some of the sweet fruit between bites of the sub.
The two young lovers chatted about inconsequential things as they ate. When they were stuffed and could eat no more of the delicious food, they put the remains back into the hamper, working well together. Then they stretched out on their sides, facing each other, their heads propped on their hands, a foot's distance separating them. As they continued their conversation, Max idly reached out to play with a lock of Liz's long, soft hear. He ran it through his fingers and tickled Liz under her chin with the end of it. Finally, he lightly tugged on it to bring Liz closer to him, until she was near enough for him to lean in the last few inches to kiss her. He let himself fall backwards, so that Liz was leaning over him as they continued to kiss and he brought up both of his hands to gently brush her gorgeous hair out of her face and back behind her shoulders. Then his hands continued down, caressing her spine until they reached her waist. There his arms encircled her, bringing her upper body down onto his well-muscled chest. But, suddenly Max noticed that the sun had completely disappeared behind a bank of clouds which were quickly building themselves into a storm. A cold breeze blew across them as they lay there together.
"Oh man, I think we better get back. It's going to storm any time now!" Max exclaimed.
They both jumped up, collected their things and got back into the rowboat. Max pushed it out into the water and then jumped in and started to row for home. They pulled up to the dock and tied the boat to it just as the first rain drops started. Just after they reached the boathouse, it started to pour.
"Boy are we lucky!" Liz exclaimed. "You rowed as if you were competing in the Olympics!"
"Well I'm afraid we'll still get wet because the car is down the street. I'll run and bring it in as close to the boathouse as possible, so that you won't have to run." Max said.
"Or we could just stay in here until the storm passes." Liz suggested. "It's quiet, except for the sound of the rain on the roof. It's so peaceful here. We could put our blanket down on the floor, watch the rain fall on the water and just 'relax' some more."
"Sounds like a great idea!" Max agreed. They spread the blanket out, and Max sat down and then offered his hand to Liz, to bring her down to sit in his lap. Liz felt warm and protected, resting her back against Max's muscled chest, having his legs spread out, his knees drawn up on either side of her hips and his arms encircling her waist.
"I think there was some cake, fruit and coffee left. Would you like some, Max?" Liz asked.
"Sounds good." Max said.
He reached out and drew the hamper closer towards them. Liz got a bunch of grapes out and twisting a little within his embrace, popped one of the small green fruits into Max's mouth. They took turns feeding each other bits of cake and pieces of fruit, drinking the last of the coffee, enjoying the warmth and the closeness of each other. Finally the storm passes and they reluctantly got up to leave.
"This has been the most wonderful, memorable day I've had in a long time, Max!"
"Me too, Liz!"
"I was going to get together with some friends of mine tomorrow. Would you like to join us?" Liz asked.
"I'd love to Liz, but Sundays are the days I spend with my parents. Even if I could skip a weekend with them, I would have to spend it studying to make up for not doing so today." Max explained, unhappily.
The two of them had reached the jeep. They got in and Max drove Liz home.
"I know what you mean about studying, Max. I have a ton of it to do myself. "I'll call you Monday night, Okay?"
"Talk to you then." Max agreed. They had reached Liz's building and Max drew Liz into his arms for a deep, intense kiss good-bye. "We'll decide what we want to do next weekend during the week?"
"Sure, 'bye, Max." Liz got out of the jeep and walked into her building.
TBC
