Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. TPTB at the WB and Regency Television and Melinda Metz have them. I just like to play with them.
A/N: The song is "Enough of Me" by Melissa Etheridge.
It had been a long three years for all of them. High school was a time of alienation for teens all over the world. For her friends, it was a way of life. Ever since that day at the beginning of their sophomore year when Liz had been shot, nothing had been normal. Max, Isabel, and Michael had been forced to share their secret and with it, the danger of being discovered.
There had been a lot of close calls, moments when they thought that it was the end. Their alien friends would be taken away to be dissected and tortured and Maria, Liz, and Alex would be left behind in the pain and confusion. But no matter how dire the circumstances had become, they had always pulled through.
Relationships had been formed, as a group, as friends, and as so much more. As a group, they were stronger than they were apart. They were a complete set.
Liz and Max were like a happy ending to Romeo and Juliet. They were the star-crossed lovers that, no matter what, would always be together. They had their "just friends" moments, mostly in misguided need for protection, but they always ended up together again.
Alex and Isabel were the eternally happy pair. They each saw the true beauty within the other better than the rest of the world. It had taken Isabel a long time to let down her ice princess façade, but as soon as that happened, they had connected, never to be separated.
Maria couldn't help but sigh wearily as she turned her thoughts to her relationship with Michael. They were the volatile ones. Always doing everything in extreme measures: fighting, yelling, hating, flirting, loving. They may have been different species, but they were the same. They had both had a hard childhood, never getting enough attention and love. Maria had at least had her mother, but something had always been missing. Until she had found Michael.
We were all wounded in some domestic war
I found you to settle my score
You looked like father
You felt like mother
My mind told my heart
There is no other
Their relationship was the most unstable. Their classmates had made a game out of betting how long they could stay together or apart at a time. When they were together, they were strangers to those around them. No one had ever seen either of them as happy or as content. And when they were apart, they became the same as they had been before that fateful day, only worse.
Even though there were times that she wish she had more control over her actions, Maria knew that she could not deny Michael anything. There was always that threat of him leaving that made her need to be with him as much as possible until then.
And I gave you my soul
And every ounce of control
I gave you my skin
And my original sin
I gave you my pride and my side oh my pride
They had somehow managed to make it through their senior year before taking that crucial step. After three years of being the other's strength and support, they had given in to the temptation.
It was the night after graduation and the six of them had been celebrating together in Michael's apartment. They didn't bother going to any of the big, loud parties around town. They didn't need anything but each other.
It was well into the night before Max and Liz had left with plans to drive out to the desert and Alex and Isabel headed out for some stargazing. They were finally alone, both knowing that this was the night.
Ain't that enough
I turned your dreams into lightning
Ain't that enough
I held the world back for you
Ain't that enough
I loved you past the point of dying
Ain't that enough of me for youThat's why she hurt so much now. He had finally done it. He was gone. She had given him everything that she had. She had saved him from the harsh realities and had loved him more than life itself. She had had no choice.
I was so sure one and one gave you one
My noisy love is coming undone
Now you leave like father
Disappointed like mother
And I know in my heart
There is no otherMaybe he'd be back. They were never able to stay apart for very long. But until then, she was alone with her thoughts and her questions. Wasn't what she had given him enough? And would he ever know what she could now offer?
And I gave you my soul
And every ounce of control
And I gave you my shame
And my eternal flame
And I gave you my need and my seed oh my need
Why can't you hold on
