Disclaimer: I don't own the series Roswell or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the laptop I wrote this on.

A/N: It appears to be somewhat of a rarity when I show my face on here. Not because I don't want to write fanfiction, because me and it are like soul-mates. I started writing it over a decade ago, which is absolutely unbelievable! I'm getting old. I also have an original fiction project that takes up the spare time I do have, but my love for fanfiction reemerges often and there are times when it won't just be de-prioritized. It seems fitting that I had this sudden urge to write a Liz/Max centered story. Roswell was one of my first TV obsessions, and it still is! I adore the show and I think the chemistry between Liz and Max is undeniable. Therefore I am pretty sure that I'll be a Dreamer for life. :)

A Night Out

"I can't believe you're taking me to a horror movie after everything," Liz remarked to her best friend, referring to the whole ordeal that had taken place at the diner. Initially she had gotten shot after which Max had healed her and saved her life. She had lied her way through the police's questioning and Maria's frantic claims that she could have sworn that the bullet had hit her, leaving her bleeding to death on the floor. Fortunately the ketchup story had stuck, for now at least. She was still shaken up by the events and her mind was absolutely boggled by Max's confession. The beautiful introvert boy with the soulful eyes had an otherworldly secret that he had been forced to share with her. It was something he should have lied to her about if she went on the glares Isabel and Michael had been giving her lately.

"Hey, it's either this for mindless distraction or yet another alien movie. Probably one we've seen 5 times already," Maria returned, turning around with the movie tickets in hand. She stuffed them in her wallet, both girls knowing that they would be able to walk straight into the movie theater without someone checking them again. It was the first showing of the night on a weeknight after all. Maria fanned herself with her wallet as they headed in. "And there's junk food and air-conditioning inside. I can't believe it's still smoldering at this time!" she loudly complained, earning herself a look from the girl reading a magazine behind the food stand.

The girls halted in front of the food and drinks section, Maria scanning the selection in front of her while untying the knot she had tied in her shirt earlier and Liz's eye caught by a movie poster that featured a green alien with big, black almond eyes. It was the most popular portrayal of an alien in Roswell, but she now had a completely contradicting image to compare it to. She wondered if the opposing image should reassure her or comfort her.

"What do you want, babe?" Maria asked her, causing Liz's focus to center back on the food options stalled out before them. "Are you in the mood for salty or sweet?"

Liz shrugged. "I don't know if I can stomach anything while people are being brutally slaughtered on screen."

Maria looked over at her friend, noticing the faint gloominess in her voice. She had been through a lot, more excitement than either one of them had ever experienced or come to expect living in a tourist attraction in the middle of the dessert. She protectively wrapped an arm around Liz's waist, squeezing her in a comforting manner before looking back at the girl behind the counter who was still enthralled by the pages in front of her. "The biggest bucket of salted popcorn you have and two bottles of water, if you can pull yourself away from that riveting piece of literature," she added with a smile.

Liz couldn't help but laugh at Maria's sassiness and was grateful for the distraction. She grabbed the two bottles of water while Maria took the giant bucket of popcorn. It wobbled dangerously in her hand as she popped her wallet back into her bag as they headed into the room. The lights were already dimmed and both girls stumbled on their way to their seats, especially Maria in her 5 inch wedges that she had insisted on wearing.

"Must be a worthwhile movie," Marie said as they passed another row of empty seats.

"Isn't the premise of each horror movie almost the same?"

Maria looked back at Liz. "Yeah, but that also guarantees us the same level of hotness when it comes to the leading man. Or men. A girl can dream," she finished before reaching into the bucket of popcorn to grab a handful. "Our seats are up there," she managed to get out with a mouth full of popcorn.

Liz looked up in the direction Maria nodded at, only to come to a temporary halt. She grabbed a hold of her friend's arm, holding it firmly as she leaned in to her. "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes flicking nervously upwards once again.

Maria followed her lead and spotted the two high school students in the top row. One sprawled out with multiple snacks in his hands while the other did his best to keep his eyes on the large screen. Maria rolled her eyes. "Of course they would be here of all people. Come on, Liz," she urged her friend while pulling her arm free. "We already paid to see the movie and I'm pretty sure Max still has a thing for you so you might as well do the boy a favor by being his eye candy for the next 2 hours. Especially considering that he underwent all that questioning by Sheriff Valenti. I think it's sweet that he was by your side when you fell. It shows he cares," Maria rationalized, putting Liz slightly at ease although Liz knew she couldn't keep the secret from her best friend for very long.

"Maria, swear you won't do or say anything to embarrass me?"

"Please," was Maria's response as she went up to their row first. Liz followed, unable to not steal another glance at Max. He looked as uncomfortable as she probably did, even though he didn't have to risk everything for her or tell her the truth. He could have lied. She always thought he looked very trustworthy so she would have bought it.

"What, no fleeing a crime scene tonight," were the words that left Maria's mouth as she stopped in front of her seat.

"Maria," Liz cautioned her.

"I'm just making conversation."

"Are you sure this movie won't be too scary for you?" Michael sarcastically asked, not looking up as he fished a bottle of Tabasco from his pocket.

"By the way, that is a disgusting habit," Maria pointed out. "Although I shouldn't be too surprised since it's you who's doing it."

"You're not going to do this throughout the movie, are you?" Michael raised an eyebrow at her while putting a Tabasco covered chip in his mouth. "Mmm delicious. Liz," he acknowledged the other girl's presence with a single nod.

"Hey Michael. Hi Max."

Max finally looked her way, his gaze breaching on hers shyly. Having his eyes on her felt intense, like all he could see was her, but that couldn't be because she was nothing more than the dark-haired girl with the geeky science fascination who worked at the local diner. As if he knew about the big dreams she wrote about in her journal and the jumbled up feelings she was having about him. She should have known that he was more than the quiet human boy who was her occasional lab partner. Her thoughts came quick and she saw the words she would use to write about this moment when she got back home.

She sat down in her seat quickly, shaking her head when Maria offered her some popcorn. "What are the chances, huh?" She grabbed another handful, distracted when she heard the whistle directed at the two of them. It came from one of the two boys sitting in the row in front of them.

"Great," Maria mumbled.

"Just ignore them," was Liz's advice as she took her own and opened up a bottle of water. She took a sip.

"You know, the way you're drinking that water is very sexual."

Liz coughed at the boy's attempt at throwing her a pick-up line.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Are you sure it's not you turning something normal into something sexual with that sordid mind of yours."

"No need to be jealous. We also noticed you," the other guy commented.

Maria snorted. "You two should save your energy; we are both out of your league. Like way out."

"You can't blame us for trying," one of the boys said as the other one smiled at them sweetly. Too sweetly.

As the lights dimmed completely, they turned back around in their seats. Maria shared a look with Liz, leaning in to whisper, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad we're not alone in here with just them." She nodded at the two boys in front of them. She leaned into Liz a little more, the two of them cozying up the way they always did when watching scary movies.

Liz found it difficult to focus on the movie at first, the two boys in front of her distracting her as they continued to whisper and snicker. There was no doubt that they were sharing offensive comments about her and Maria, simply because they hadn't reciprocated their interest or basked in it. The looks the boys had given her didn't feel pleasant and their attention had been unwanted. It had made her extremely uncomfortable and she wished that she had Maria's clever comebacks and feisty attitude.

Whereas Max's interest in her felt very different and was welcome, even though knowing what he was made her a little more weary of him. She had never even considered Max, besides as one of those high school crushes she'd occasionally daydream about. Ever since he had saved her, she had been more aware of his presence and found herself looking his way more often. During the movie she wondered if he had her on his mind, for the right reasons and if he couldn't help but look at her every now and then, pretending to be fixed on the movie the entire time. She fought the urge to turn her head and see for herself.

The movie was a bad one, with too much blood and depthless characters who stole a kiss when they should be desperately looking for a way out. It didn't end well for any of them and both Liz and Maria couldn't help but scream as something jumped out at them near the end of the movie. The girls latched onto one another, sharing a look of amusement as the lights slowly came on.

Maria opened her mouth to say something as she got up but was interrupted. "If you two change your mind, we'll be around," one of the guys who'd bothered them before reminded them, while reaching into his pocket for his packet of cigarettes.

"Take a hint, man," Michael spoke up, passing both the girls and the guys on his way out. "They aren't interested. You did your best," he went on with a hint of sarcasm, shrugging his shoulders. "You win some and you lose some."

"You should leave them alone now," Max chipped in, coming down to stand by Michael, coming across as intimidating as Liz had ever seen him, the lines of his face set and his shoulders straightened. By his tone it was clear that it wasn't a mere suggestion.

"I guess, you're right," one of the guys agreed. "You can't win 'em all." He shot them all a smile that he managed to keep up until he and his friend had disappeared from the room.

Michael shared a look with Maria as she passed him on her way out. "Like I said, I'm glad we weren't alone with those two."

Liz tilted her head and she tucked the loose strands behind her ear, following Maria out. "Thanks," she let Max and Michael know. "Have a good night." Her eyes skimmed Max's before she ducked through the doorway.

"And just when I thought I had Michael pegged," Maria said once outside, stopping so she could put the knot back in her shirt.

Liz smiled to herself. "It's okay if you like him, you know. I mean, he isn't horrible to look at and he does seem like your type."

"Every guy is my type. Including the slacker bad boy kind who needs to work on his verbal skills." Maria adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, giving their surroundings a quick once over before continuing. "You can't be going all gaga over Max Evans though, not when you're still dating Kyle. You are still dating Kyle, aren't you?"

"Technically," Liz answered vaguely while looking down at her hands. The wrinkles in her forehead increased. "We haven't really talked about what we are exactly."

"Do you want to be Valenti's girlfriend?" Maria asked with one hand on her waist.

"He's a good guy."

"But I bet Max is a better one. And if you are into him, then I'm pretty sure he'd be open to that."

That got Liz's attention and she looked up at her friend. "How do you know?"

Maria shrugged. "Because of how he's always looking at you. And he's protective of you too. The way he-"

"Michael said something first," Liz pointed out.

Maria smiled, dropping her hand from her waist to wave it in the air. "Aren't crushes fun?"

Liz nodded, although she didn't return the smile. "The movie was a good distraction. Thanks for that."

"Anytime, babe. You went through a lot," Maria acknowledged, grabbing Liz's hand to give it a reassuring squeezing. "My car's parked behind here," she signaled with her head. "I'll give you a ride home."

"It's only 5 minutes. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Maria leaned in to give her a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Liz waited for Maria to turn the corner before starting on her short walk home. The wind had picked up a little, making her untie her hair from her band and letting the wind rake through it. She shivered slightly, thinking about the jean jacket she had abandoned on her bed earlier. It had been too hot to wear it and she had gotten in the car with Maria dressed in her short tan skirt and soft pink tank top. Maria had made fun at the sneakers she had decided to put on underneath, knowing that flip-flops were a no-go in their movie theater. Still she walked slowly, taking in the peacefulness that settled over Roswell in the brief timeslot between 8 and 10 due to it being too early for the night owls set to explore the select night life. The bustle was turned inwards as people went out to dinner or got ready. Liz would probably go straight upstairs and take a long bath where she could soak in her favorite scent of bath bubbles while letting her mind wander, looking forward to jotting everything down in her diary.

She abruptly slowed her pace when she saw a lone figure standing up ahead, smoking. He took a puff, raising his head and angling it into the streetlight so she could get a good look at him. Halting completely, her heart sped up as she recognized him as one of the boys from the movies. She believed in coincidences but this was too much. Liz looked around, contemplating walking back to the movie theater although she went with crossing the street, hurrying. His footsteps followed just as quickly.

"I told you I'd see you around."

Liz kept walking.

"I was paying you a compliment earlier, being nice." He kept up with her. "It's alright though. You can make up for your rude behavior." He flicked his cigarette bud onto the sidewalk and placed himself directly in front of her so her path was blocked.

"Look, I'm not interested, okay," she told him. "I'm sort of seeing someone and-"

"Your boyfriend doesn't have to know," the boy let her know with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders while his eyes shone deviously. "It'll be our secret." He reached out, his fingers brushing the loose strands near her face.

Liz pushed his hand aside and awkwardly maneuvered her body passed him, her heart racing as the many awful places the situation could go crossed her mind. "Just leave me alone," she called out to him over her shoulder, but her plea was ignored as his fingers were clasped around her arm before she could run. She spun around, catching the smoldering brown accompanying a familiar leather jacket. The breath she had been holding escaped as she opened out to call out the name that had been on the tip of her tongue all this time. "Max!"

Max's gaze sought out hers before landing on the guy who had his hand on her. He took him by surprise. "I told you to leave her alone." He was fast and exuded confidence as he navigated his body in front of Liz's as if it was where he belonged, compelling the guy to break contact with her.

He looked from Max to Liz and back. "Is this your boyfriend?"

Liz inched closer to Max as if anchored to him, shaking her head lightly. Max simply ignored him, broadening his stance. "Trust me, the best thing to do is to just go. Before things get out of hand." He heard Liz gasp in surprise, but he loosened one of his fists, allowing his fingertips to brush against hers, reassuring in the gentle manner she had come to expect from him.

Max took a step forwards, threatening and the guy backed up with both hands up. He shook his head. "Alright, I get it. I'm calling it a night. I won't bother you again," he directed at Liz before turning around and heading in the opposite direction.

Liz didn't watch him leave, confounded by Max closing his fingers around her hand. She looked down at their entwined hands, her sun kissed skin with the silver rings mixed with his alien skin. It was a sight to see, and to experience.

"Are you okay?"

She could only nod, her eyes still stuck on their hands together.

Max noticed and quickly let go.

"How did you know?" She was curious.

"I had a feeling."

"Thank you. I feel stupid for... for needing you again."

Max gave her the most endearing smile she had ever seen, one that would be imprinted in her memory. "I'll walk you the rest of the way."

The lines in her forehead returned. "Where's the jeep?"

"Isabel needed it for a thing. A date actually." He began to walk and so did she.

"I thought the guy is supposed to pick you up?"

Max smiled at that. "Her date doesn't have a car so she's picking him up."

"It's empowering."

"I'm sure he's paying for gas and dinner."

Silence fell between them for a short while as they crossed the street. "What did you think of the movie?" Max asked her.

Liz shrugged one shoulder, throwing him a look. "It was alright for a horror movie. We really went for the air conditioning and Maria wanted me to help me get my mind off... stuff." She stopped her rambling, biting her lip. "Max, what do you want from me?" she finally asked him, catching him off guard by the confused look in his eyes. "I mean, I'm very grateful to you for doing what you did and I promise I won't tell the police, but," she paused, grabbing her elbows with her hands and pressing her arms against her stomach, "you've never really talked to me before. Not like this at least. So if you're worried about your secret, I won't..." she stopped talking when she realized Max had come to a halt. She stopped as well and turned her body towards him. "You can trust me," she promised him, reacting to the wounded look he was carrying.

He moved towards her, reaching out to touch her, but stopping midair. "Can I show you something?"

Liz bit her lip as she thought about it, but as she remembered the events at the diner when Max's eyes were so concerned when they looked down at her and his touch had been so gentle. She nodded. "Okay."

Her eyes locked with his as he placed both hands on either side of her face, his fingers disappearing into her thick locks. "It won't hurt."

The last thing she saw was his kind smile before images started taking over, appearing in front of her slowly at first before spiraling towards her quicker and quicker. They were all of her. At different ages, in different places. All from his perspective. She was beautiful to him and she made him feel... things. He knew it would be an almost impossible love and that's why he had kept his distance all this time, but when she had gotten stop, passion had propelled him forwards without thinking about the consequences for him. It was overwhelming and she was left to catch her breath after the final one. Maria had been right all this time.

Her eyes were big and filled with amazement and new knowledge when she looked at him again.

"I keep to myself," he explained while removing his hands from her.

"This is unreal. You're unreal." She ran her hands through her hair.

"Maybe out of this world, but unreal's a little harsh," he attempted a joke.

"I can't believe you're joking right now."

"I know it's a lot. But your life won't change." It was a lie. They both knew it. "Everything will stay the same."

"Besides the fact that I almost died and an al... you brought me back," Liz corrected herself. She bunched the fabric of her t-shirt between her fingers, pulling it up to bare her stomach. She was being daring. "The mark's fading." Max allowed his gaze to slip downwards, taking in the silver handprint he had left behind. It had faded since the first time she's shown him.

Without realizing what he was doing, he touched his fingers to the handprint. He felt her inhale at the contact, the feeling a thrilling one. Another flash of imagery was revealed to her. This time of a star sprinkled horizon with a younger Max standing beneath it. She gasped and he removed his hand. "You need to stop doing that."

"It wasn't on purpose. You're just very receptive of... me."

Her cheeks turned a shade of crimson and she didn't know where to look, glad to find them having reached The Crashdown. It offered her with an excuse. "I should go in. And go up to bed, or something."

With the fabric still bunched between her fingers and her hair blowing in the wind, she looked incredible to him. The connection he had felt between them when he had healed her wasn't a fluke. There was something between them. Something larger than life.

"Thanks for walking me home."

"It was eye-opening," he replied, amusement making his eyes shine bright, and she laughed. It had been a night to remember.

"Don't be a stranger, Max," she said his name. "If you ever need to talk about... anything." She leaned back against the door, opening it to a crack with her weight.

He nodded. "And if you have more questions..."

"I'll make sure to come and find you." She bit her lip, giving him a shy sideways glance before pushing the door open even further. "Goodnight, Max."

"Night."

She went inside, her eyes catching his one last time before she disappeared into the back and up the stairs to her bedroom. She decided against the shower, wanting to feel Max on her skin a little longer.

Please review? To be honest, I have no clue how many active Dreamers are still on here, reading and reviewing? I hope that at least some of you will come across this. I worked very hard and since it's been a while since I've written and uploaded any fanfiction, feedback would be very much appreciated. I am off to check out some Roswell fanfiction myself. :)