*******
Destiny Claimed
The Crashdown loomed in front of them. The once warm, welcoming second home to them now seemed cold and foreboding. None of them really knew what that meant. All of them were scared to find out. That much they knew. So much had changed in such a short time. So much had changed, yet so much only strengthened in that time as well.
They had seen things, done things, created things, destroyed things, but in all they had done, nothing was as scary as this. As scary as facing the bridges that might have been burned. The feelings they knew had been hurt.
And the loves they all feared lost forever.
*******
She came to a screeching halt as soon as the door opened and they walked in.
No, she hissed to herself, Time didn't stop until HE walked in. At least you can be honest with yourself.
Casting a glance back towards the counter, she closed her eyes as she turned back around. How could either of her friends deal with this if she couldn't? She, being the one of the three that seemed to have held up best. With careful steps, she moved swiftly to a table to her right and placed the order down.
"One Weaver Burger and one Alien Blast, vanilla." She smiled, her voice surprisingly calm. With every ounce of effort she could muster, she tried to cut out everything else. "Can I get you anything else?"
"That's all I need," the older woman replied. "Better hurry, those kids that just walked in don't look too happy." A wink. "Don't want to miss any tips."
Maria swallowed hard and nodded. The other table. She had been trying to ignore that it even existed at this point. Falling out of existence would have been good. Or better yet a silent explosion that took out that table. Alien bits. Yeah, aliens bits would be good.
Wasn't it bad enough that they had all been left behind after all that they had endured a risked? Cast aside like the contributions they had made meant nothing. Not that she was bitter. No, she only spent hours awake and night, crying into her pillow because she hadn't been good enough.
She hadn't been destiny.
Michael had claimed he loved her, then walked away without a glance back. And it hurt. No matter how often she told herself he had done it because he loved her, because he didn't want her hurt, it didn't help. Didn't ease the pain that festered inside of her.
And now he dared come back? Dared sit in this place and act like nothing happened?
Fine, she thought coolly, then so can I.
Whipping out her order pad and pen, she marched to the booth they now sat in and poised herself for the order.
"What can I get you?" she asked in the most businesslike voice she could manage.
"Maria" he started softly only to be cut off by an even colder tone from her.
"I'm sorry, we don't have any of that. Might I suggest a Coke? Or maybe an Alien Blast? Vanilla seems to be the popular flavor today. We also have tea, sweet and unsweetened. I think the latter would be your best option."
Michael opened his mouth to speak again, never once imagining she would act like this. A look towards both Max and Isabel was enough to let him know that he had been the only one to think she might be happy to see them. To see him. Closing his mouth, unable to come up with anything, he looked to the tabletop and blinked.
"Uh, how about just a round of Cokes then?" Max tried gently.
Maria began to respond, her mind unable to come up with anything cutting enough. Unable to put months of pain and anger into a few words.
She didn't have to.
"Get out." The voice behind her said softly. "You're not welcome here."
"Liz," Max nearly begged her name, "We need to talk."
"No, we don't need to talk." Liz reached out, taking the order pad from Maria's hands roughly. Ripping the top sheet from the pad, she balled it up and threw it on the table. "You're not welcome here. Any of you. Get out. Now."
Isabel slid out of the booth, not wanting to push the girl farther. If the reaction from these two was this strong, she feared what Alex's was going to be. Without looking back, she headed for the door. They should have known better than to come here. Known better than to think they could just show up again and things would be okay.
Slamming into someone, or maybe a brick wall, Isabel looked up, an apology on her lips. She knew she should have been paying better attention to where she was going. She'd probably just plowed some old lady or something.
Alex stared down at her.
"Alex," she whispered. Anything would have been better than meeting him like this. Better than the look of cold indifference that was on his face.
"Isabel," he replied as he moved her aside, a look of distaste on his face. Without another word, he walked to his friends and stood behind them.
"Liz," Michael tried this time, "We know this is hard, but you can't -"
"I told you to leave," she insisted, her voice raising an octave. Customers began to look towards the commotion and she tried to calm herself. Making a scene wouldn't help matters.
"You heard her," Alex spoke up from behind them. Instinctively he reached out for his friends and pulled them close. "Leave. You're good at it. Don't stop now."
Max and Michael looked at one another, then slid out of the booth simultaneously. Neither said another word as they followed Isabel out the door.
*******
Standing there, she realized she was numb. Totally and completely numb. Her insides felt hollowed out and she expected to cry. But nothing came. Slowly she sat in the chair and stared at the floor. Vaguely she noted the chair was tilted, but it was with a kind of detachment that scared her.
"Here," Maria offered up the glass of water. "Drink this."
Without protest, Liz brought the glass to her lips and drained it. She knew she was drinking it, she could feel her throat work, but she tasted none of it, felt none of the coolness she knew it should have. This was all too much.
"Why did they have to come back?" she asked, her voice small.
"I don't know," Maria told her as she took back the glass, fearing Liz would drop it in her near stupor.
"Because they don't have anything else better to do," Alex insisted bitterly. "I guess destiny didn't take them the places they thought it would."
Maria looked at him a moment, taking in the drawn look his face held and the tenseness in the way he stood. She had once thought he would welcome Isabel back with open arms. That he would be the one to forget it all, to put it behind them. But then no word came from them in the months they were gone. Not a phone call, letter or even a single post card. Nothing. It had taken time, but now Alex was just as angry as the rest of them.
"Where's Tess?" Liz wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer. The answer probably wouldn't get past the visions of Max and Tess swimming around in her head anyway.
"If we're lucky, she's burning in some kind of alien hell," Maria retorted.
"Back on the home planet," Alex smirked, "Where they all belong."
"This can't be happening," Liz murmured. Looking up at her friends, she pleaded, "Please tell me this isn't happening."
*******
"Ow," Isabel breathed as she flopped down onto the rock. Bringing her knees to her chin, she looked out across the green-blue water in the quarry. The last time they had been here, Alex had still been in love with her. Still wanted to protect her.
"No kidding," Michael agreed. "Brutal would be a good word for it."
Max looked between them, the expression on his face like a lost little boy. Liz, his Liz, had kicked him away. She had nearly said he hated him.
"She told me to leave. Liz told me to leave."
"She told all of us to leave," Isabel corrected.
Michael began to pace, the events of the past few hours unfolding again in his mind. "Ok, it's not like I expected them to be all happy to see us," he admitted. "But I didn't expect this either."
"I knew Liz would be mad. And Maria." Isabel confessed. "But Alex? Alex who would have thrown himself in front of a bus if I had asked? I mean I knew he'd be upset. But" she trailed off, a shiver racing down her spine. "He was just cold."
"Arctic," Michael agreed. "All of them."
"But Liz." Tears formed and Max didn't try to hold them back. "I told her how much I loved her and she left me. I wanted her to come"
Isabel looked at her brother with sympathy. Of the three of them, she felt he was probably the least likely to understand the animosity. The least likely to be able to stand the anger. In his mind he and Liz would always end up together because that's just the way it was.
"But she didn't come, and you still left," she tried softly. "And Tess left" She let the implication trail off. There was no need to say the words. It would only be pouring salt into the wound.
"But it wasn't like that!" her brother protested. Tess had done nothing except drive him crazy.
Isabel offered a small smile. "I know that. You know that. Michael knows that. But they don't. They weren't there Max. They don't know everything we've seen. Everything we've done. They only know what we left them with. And let's face it, that wasn't much."
"We have to fix then." Michael said as he came to a stop. "I'm not going through all of this again. I'm not going to hurt her again."
Isabel nodded slightly. "I know. I just don't know how to fix it."
Max shook his head. "We can't fix it. It's over. There's no more reason for us to be here."
*******
The rain poured down, but instead of trying to escape it, she stood there, looking skyward.
Desperately she wished it could erase the past three months from her, from all of them. However she knew that there was simply no way that could happen. Maybe they really didn't want it to happen if they were honest with themselves. They had all tried to move on. Had tried to put together the pieces of their lives that remained.
Her uniform stuck to her and she sighed softly. Closing her eyes, she soaked up a few more seconds of rain, then started forward towards her car. Her mother would get worried if she weren't home soon.
And in all honesty, all she wanted to do right now was crawl into bed and pull the covers up over her head. Pretend all was right in the world.
Maybe then the monsters would go away.
***
The alley was dark and cold, but it offered a perfect view of her as she stood there in the rain. He almost called out to her, but thought better of it. Right now he just wanted to look at her. To let the lines of her face embed themselves in his mind. And, truth be told, he didn't want to feel the sting of her rejection again. It was just too much.
Baring his soul to her was hard enough. There was a possibility it could shatter if she refused him again. And if it shattered, would there really be anything left of him?
***
She pulled the brush through her hair once, then paused. The sense of deja vu washed over her and she frowned. Brushing her hair was a nightly ritual, it wasn't like it was something new. Of course it would be familiar. But the feeling wouldn't go away. Easing the brush down to the top of the vanity she turned slowly, her eyes moving to the window with a will of their own.
Rain sounded against the glass. Not this, she thought frantically. It was all too familiar. Anything but this. A flash of lightning lit everything for a few seconds then went dark again.
He stood in the rain, looking at her. Normally spiked hair plastered against his head, his shirt dripping in the downpour. Thunder sounded and he made no move.
A million words rushed into her mind at once causing her to be unable to form any of them. Instead she pushed the window up and looked at him.
"You hurt me," she told him.
"I know," he replied, moving slowly to the window. Rain stung his cheeks as it pounded him. "I did what I thought would hurt the least."
"It didn't work."
"So I see." He stood in front of her, water running down his face. "I didn't want to hurt you."
"That's what you keep saying." Maria turned, unwilling to close the window in his face, but as equally unwilling to invite him in. He had hurt her deeply. She couldn't just forget that.
"I don't know what else to say." Michael stood there almost as if he were unable to enter without being invited. A vampire instead of an alien.
A sad smile touched her face, emphasizing the lines that had formed in her skin over the past few months. Lines of worry. "There's not much to say Michael. You can't take it back."
"No, I can't take it back," he agreed as he reached a hand inside the window. "I can only try to start again."
Maria looked at the hand stretched out to her. Even in her dreams she never imagined it to be like this. Never imagined him as close to just saying sorry as this. Never imagined he would feel bad for hurting her. She only imagined him coming back in Isabel's arms. At least those had been the latest dreams.
"And if it's not enough?"
The hand didn't waver. "Then all I can do is say I'm sorry and go. I won't beg. And I won't say I'm sorry I went, because I had to go. But I still care about you. Nothing has changed that."
She took a hesitant step forward, stopping close enough to touch his hand. Running a finger down the palm she sighed.
"I missed you."
"I missed you more than you'll ever know."
Waiting until her hand was solidly in his, Michael slipped through the window.
*******
The footsteps were just loud enough for her to hear over the sound of the rain. Even though she didn't roll over to look, she already knew who it was. Her head told her she should scream, raise hell and bring her dad into the room to protect her. Yell and pretend she thought it was an intruder. Cry and say she'd never leave her window open at night again.
But instead she stayed perfectly still.
He slipped in through the window, careful not to touch anything that might wake her. Her rhythmic breathing made him smile wistfully, remembering a simple night in the desert. Quietly he made his way to her bed, sitting on the floor next to it. Resting his head against the mattress, he took in the smell of her from the sheets. Her scent was something he had missed greatly. It always made him feel warm and happy inside.
"Liz?" he whispered, not really wanting to wake her. It would only mean dealing with things that he wasn't sure he could deal with right now. Feelings and thoughts that were already running rampant inside of him.
She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on keeping her breathing slow and steady. Maybe if she faked sleep he'd just go away. At least he hadn't sat down so that she was facing him. It would have been so much harder that way.
"I missed you Liz," his voice cracked, making the whisper almost grating. "I missed everything. I mean, Roswell, you, Maria, Alex" He laughed softly. "It sounds pathetic, I know. I mean who would have thought you could miss a place like Roswell?" Eyes closed and he sighed deeply. "But I did. I missed having you around just to talk to. To tell my ideas to."
Max shook his head, never lifting it away from the mattress. He had spent nearly all day planning this little speech, but somehow it wasn't coming out like it should. It sounded pathetic and false. Rang with desperation.
Liz forced herself to breathe regularly, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling silently down her cheeks. The urge to wipe them away built within her and she resisted. Hopefully he would be done soon and then he'd just go away. And she could go back to sleep. The laugh inside her head was harsh, even to her. Sleep. Right. She hadn't done much of that in three months. Instead she had spent nights awake, wondering if he was ok. If he was still alive. In the back of her mind she knew that if she had gone with them, had joined them on their journey, that she would only have been in the way. It was something they had to do alone. Something the humans couldn't help them with. Alex had been the first to realize that. But it didn't stop her from wishing he'd just let her know he was ok. Didn't stop her from praying that whatever alien gods existed would bring him home to her. Would watch over him since she couldn't.
He wiped the tears away, memories rushing at him at the speed of light. Maybe she wouldn't know he had been here. That was fine, he didn't think she'd let him say these things to her in the light of day. But he needed to tell her. Needed her to understand.
"Tess died in June. They killed her. I was the leader, I was supposed to protect her, and I let them kill her." A faint whimper escaped Max's throat. "She had spent nearly a month telling me that it was over between you and me. That you had walked away and you would never look back. A month telling me that she was my destiny. That I should stop fighting it." Liz felt the rage fill her. Felt the anger that this girl would try to turn Max away from her. Even though Max said she was dead, Liz couldn't help but despise her. Slowly she rolled onto her back, letting the pretend sleep cover the movement.
He didn't feel her turn. Pictures of that day kept coming at him. But it wasn't only pictures. It was sound and smell and touch. All of it. Everything. Almost like some genie had sent him back to the exact moment in time that it all started to happen.
"I tried to tell her that it didn't matter. That even if you had left me for good, I still didn't want her. Even Michael and Isabel tried. After they tried, they figured out that destiny was just crap. It only took one kiss for that to happen." His laugh turned into a sob. "I wondered a few times if a kiss would have made Tess realize the same thing. If I really thought it would have worked, I'd have tried it." Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes then took a deep breath. "We hadn't seen much up till then. We were all ready to just come back home and forget we'd ever heard the word destiny. Isabel had her bags packed. We were all just standing in the hotel room, talking about what we should do next. Isabel wanted to call, to tell Alex we were coming back. She kept telling me that I should talk to you too. I didn't want to. I didn't think I could face you, even if it was through a phone. But finally she convinced me. I told her that we could start out, that we'd drive till dark and find another hotel. We'd all make our phone calls then.
"It had only been a month. None of us thought that any of you would be very angry yet. I mean, we know you were all upset, but I don't know. Maybe we were just stupid. So we drove. And it was almost dusk. The sun was just starting to fade against the horizon. Isabel was pushing to stop at the next hotel."
Max took a shuddering breath. "The other Jeep came from no where. I mean it really came from no where. One second we were totally alone on the road, not a car in sight, and the next there was this Jeep trying to force us off the road. Tess started to panic, screaming 'Oh my God, it's them!' over and over. I remember thinking that I just wanted her to shut up. Anything to get her to shut the hell up.
"They forced us off the road completely then. She was still screaming. Isabel was in the back, making some kind of noise. I could hear Michael trying to calm her down, but he didn't sound too calm himself.
"We must have hit a hole or something. Next thing we knew, we were rolling. We finally came to a stop and all of us managed to climb out. Isabel's suitcase had come open and there were clothes all over the place." A frail, cold laugh. "If we hadn't been fearing for our lives, she probably would have been yelling at me for ruining her clothes." He touched the sheets lightly, training a finger down the side of the mattress. Lightly he touched a blanket that hung over the side. "Michael yelled something about guns, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. It was like my mind had shut down, or turned off. I couldn't process anything, let alone actually think quickly. Tess was still screaming, saying that we should never have left Nasedo. That we should have listened to what he told us about the orbs. And again I wished she'd just shut up. Shut up so I could think.
"And then the gun went off. And she was silent. I looked over and she was on the ground. Blood was pouring from her. Michael and I just looked at each other. I was as shocked as he looked. Isabel forced us down then. Practically back under the Jeep. She was telling Michael something, telling him to do something. I couldn't understand her. It was like the words were some kind of strange language. All I could do was look back at Tess. At the lifeless eyes that were staring back at me. Accusing me."
He raised a shaky hand to his face, wiping away the tears with the backs of his fingers.
"She was dead. I knew she was dead. But all I could think was that it hadn't been you. It had been her and not you. You were still safe in Roswell. You weren't dead. I hadn't just gotten you killed.
"Finally everything seemed to become clear. I could understand words again. I could hear Isabel and Michael. They were connecting. I think they might have asked me earlier, but I couldn't remember. But I reached out to them, let them know I was back again. Isabel took my hand and we all connected.
"I've never imagined power like that Liz. I don't know what Nasedo did to Michael, but the raw power that was in him scared me. I think it scared him too. But it was what we needed. So we used it. Sent it out at those of us who wanted to kill us." His voice dropped so low that Liz had to strain to hear him. "And we killed them. It was like a giant fireball hit them. There was the flash of heat, then everything just exploded. The air around them incinerated and they were nothing but ashes. Even the Jeep was gone, burned into nothing. And it happened in less than a minute."
Tremors ran through his body, shaking the bed. Liz rolled over and looked at him. Max was staring off into space, seeing the horrible event in the darkness. She wanted to reach out to him, to hold him close and tell him it would be ok. But somehow she knew he wasn't finished.
His voice was still a whisper as he continued.
"We used the same power to right our Jeep. We wrapped Tess' body in a blanket. At the next pay phone we called Nasedo. Told him about Tess. He told us to leave her there. That he would take care of it. So we did.
"It was dawn before we stopped again. None of us wanted to slow down. That meant being close to it all again. But by then we were all so tired none of us could see. So we stopped at the first hotel we found. None of us wanted to be alone, so we all slept on the same bed. Curled up like kittens in a box. Little alien kittens.
"None of us woke up for almost 24 hours. Probably wouldn't have woke up if the phone hadn't rang. It was Nasedo. He told us that if he could find us this easily that the others could too. We had to keep moving. So we did. All of us agreed then that we couldn't come back until we knew you'd all be safe. We couldn't risk coming back here and bringing the others with us. Otherwise it might have been one of you next."
She whispered his name, forcing him from the semi dream state he had fallen into. Startled, he rose.
"I'm sorry. I'll go now Liz."
Slowly she pulled the covers back and scooted on the bed. "Come on," she told him softly. "I don't think you should be alone tonight."
Max looked at her, watched her carefully. "Are you sure?" He wasn't sure what to make of the offer. His body nearly ached with the need to be near her, but he didn't want to force her. Didn't want to make things worse than they already were.
A slight nod against her pillow. She smiled slightly. "I'm sure."
He moved to the bed, sitting down gently on the edge. Kicking his shoes off, he lay back stiffly.
"It's ok," she assured him. "It's ok."
Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him close. He buried his face in her neck, the tears flowing easily again. His arms wound around her waist and he clung to her, crying hard.
Slowly the tears began to subside and he looked at her. "I love you Liz. I've always loved you. Nothing will ever change that."
"I know," she smiled, brushing hair away from his forehead. "I know." A gentle kiss. "Go to sleep. We'll talk about it more in the morning."
"Promise?" he asked, already falling into the sandman's grasp.
"I promise."
*******
Normally the bass was a perfect fit in his hands, like he had grown up with it practically embedded there. But tonight was different. Tonight everything was wrong. Everything felt off. The bass in his hands felt like it was made for a giant. No matter how hard he tried, none of the chords he played came out right. With a rush of disgust, he dropped the bass onto the speaker and sighed.
He glanced out of the garage, into the rain, stumbling backwards as the figure emerged amid the drops. Realizing who it was, he straightened and turned his expression neutral. Show no fear. Show no pain.
"Hey," she tried, not really sure what she was going to say. This should be so easy, but it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.
"Isabel." Alex looked at her, watched the drops of water fall from strands of hair. His chest tightened and he swore at himself. She left you to follow her destiny, he tried reminding himself. And since she didn't bother to even tell you she was alive, you obviously aren't part of that destiny.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked softly. The look he was giving her was enough to freeze her insides. If she hadn't gone numb from earlier, she was sure she'd be spitting up ice as she spoke.
"Is there really anything to say?" Carefully he bent and picked up the bass, setting it gently in its case. "Seems to me that actions speak louder than words."
"Alex" she sighed and shook hear head. "You have no idea how many times I came close to calling. I kept telling Max we needed to call"
Standing again, he looked at her once more. "But you didn't call, did you Isabel? No, instead you were off doing god knows what, and we were all left here to wonder if any of you were even left alive. It's not like Nasedo would just up and give us a call if something happened."
"No, I didn't call." She swallowed hard. The things she needed to tell him still terrified her. Still gave her nightmares. "We were all going to call, but then everything kind of went to hell." A sharp laugh. "First nothing for almost a month, then they came from no where." Hands went to her arms, rubbing them in an effort to ward off the chill that was setting itself inside of her. "We all could have died, probably should have died. But three of us got lucky. Tess didn't."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he offered. Not that he liked Tess, but the girl hadn't deserved to die and none of them should have had to see it.
Isabel sat down on the concrete. The rain poured down on her, but she didn't seem to notice.
"We spent nearly a month looking for these so called other aliens. We'd have a few leads and follow them, but none of them ever really turned out to be anything. Just rumors." Her chin rested on her knees after she drew them tightly to her chest. "We had decided to just come back. It was all a lie. I finally convinced Max to let us call. To let us talk to you. He told me that he wanted to start home that we could call at the next hotel. I guess I wanted to come home more than I wanted to call. Or maybe it was the idea that I'd be calling closer to home. I don't know." Isabel stared off into space, her eyes focused on nothing specific, just the thoughts in her head.
"So we drove all day. It was getting dark. Michael and I were ready to stop for the night. Tess was all pissy because we were going home. Because Max had pretty much ignored her since we had left. Hell, he'd practically told her to get lost. She didn't seem to get the hint. Anyway, Michael and I wanted to stop. We saw signs for the next town, 20 miles or so away. We all agreed to stop there for the night. When we got to the hotel, then we could all call." A laugh nearly turned into a sob. "I told them I got to call first. Max actually tried to argue with me. He said he needed to talk to Liz first. We were arguing when it came out of nowhere. At first I thought that we had just missed it while we were arguing, but then I knew. It really had come from no where. Like the air had just split open and there it was.
"The Jeep slammed into us. I remember screaming, yelling at Max to do something. Anything. Tess was screaming too, telling us it was them. That they had finally found us. I think Max yelled at her and told her to shut the hell up, but I'm not sure. Maybe it was Michael.
We went off the road then. Must have hit a rock, or a hole. Something. We rolled. I remember seeing the ground rushing up at me a few times. It was such a strange feeling. We landed on our side and all of us managed to crawl out.
Michael saw the guns before the rest of us. He yelled at us to get down." A mocking smile twisted her lips. "I didn't ask. I just hit the ground. More concerned with my own skin than anyone else I guess. Max was saying something, but I couldn't understand him. Tess was screaming that we should never have left Nasedo. That he warned us this would happen. Max yelled at her to shut up just as the gun went off.
"You'd think that in an open space like that, the sound wouldn't be bad, that it wouldn't be deafening," she mused. "But it was. I felt my ears pop. Then I realized Tess was silent. I didn't have to see her to know. It was like I could feel her essence leaving her body. I heard the guns clack again and knew they were aiming for us next. Max seemed so out of it I shoved him down and Michael did the same. I asked Max if he could connect with us, maybe we could stop them. But he just kept staring at Tess' body. So Michael and I connected. Held hands and felt the power start to grow.
"Maybe it was the power that snapped him out of it, I don't know, but suddenly Max was with us again. We all connected and let the power build. Then we let it loose. Unleashed it on the people that were coming after us." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't know how to even describe it Alex. The power was so strong, so raw. And we just flung it out. There was this backwash of heat almost. We kind of looked at each other, all of us wondering what was going to happen or if that was it. Then it just lit up. Exploded isn't even a good word for it. It was like a flash fire or something. Spontaneous combustion maybe. Instant, deadly, so hot that nothing was left."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was like she could smell the heat again, feel it wash back over her skin.
"We knew then that it wasn't safe to come home. Everyone would be in danger. You, Liz, Maria, our parents even Valenti. Anyone who got close to us would be in danger. Hell, we didn't even know if they might just wipe out the town or something to make sure they destroyed us.
"We made plans then. To fight them. None of us knew anything about guns really, about weapons. But we had power. And it seemed we could use it. So we relied on that."
Finally she looked at him, her eyes searching his face to se if he understood. To see if he realized they hadn't wanted to not talk to them, but that they had to do it. His face gave away nothing and she could feel despair rising up within her.
"Every single day we fought. Sometimes days and nights at a time. Occasionally we had help, most of the time we didn't. Then one night one of them mentioned Roswell. And talked about you and Liz and Maria. Talked about our parents. They even talked about Hank. About teachers we had. I've never been so terrified in my life. All I could think was that they had already gotten to you. That we had left and it was for nothing.
"We killed them, hoping that these were the only ones of their kind that knew about our lives in Roswell. But we knew we had to strike back at them. To hit them hard. We called Nasedo, told him what we wanted to do. He agreed. Provided us with some back up.
"It was almost midnight when we hit them. We had found the base a few weeks earlier. Stumbled onto it actually. I guess there was no choice in the matter, we had to kill them. Kill or be killed maybe." Her voice was pained and Alex felt it pull inside of him. Making him want to hold her and whisper in her ear. To kiss away all her fears and doubts. "I was fine while we were at it. While we shoved the power out and took them all down. But after after all I could do was throw up. I felt so sick horrified at the thought that we had just killed so many people. It didn't seem to bother Max or Michael, but it made me sick. It still gives me nightmares."
Isabel sighed and closed her eyes. Her story was almost done, but she didn't feel as if it had made any kind of difference. Didn't feel any of the weight leave her shoulders or her soul. He still hated her.
"We headed back here then. Nasedo thought we had hit them hard enough that it would take them a while to regroup. Besides, we couldn't stay gone forever. We had to come back here and be normal after all we had seen. After everything we had done.
"We've been back for a few days," she admitted, "But we were all so scared to see you guys. All of us fearing the worst." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I guess we were right."
Alex felt something inside of him die. Knowing she had gone through so much, knowing he hadn't been there to help her. That she couldn't call
Slowly he made his way to her, standing in the rain with her. Holding out a hand, he waiting until she took it then helped her up. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging her close.
"If I could," he started, "I'd take it all back for you. Make it so you never had to leave." He felt the water soak through his clothes. "I wish I could do that for you. But I can't. I'd give anything to do it." He stroked her hair gently. "I can't imagine going through everything you have all gone through. I really can't." She relaxed slightly against him. "But I can't forget what I've gone through either Isabel. When you left, I knew it was something you had to do alone. That it was something I would only be in the way for. I accepted that. But I felt as if we were still together when you left. That you still cared for me." He shook his head when he felt her begin to protest.
"But then no word came. I was terrified you were dead. We all were. I hoped, every day, every night, that there would be a letter from you, a phone call. Anything just to let me know you were ok. Just so I wouldn't have to wonder. So I'd know you thought of me too.
"Nothing ever came though. And even though I understand why now, and I can accept that you did what you had to do, I can't accept that we still might be together.
"Maybe you were right so long ago. Maybe we are better off as friends."
Isabel pulled away from him, the tears falling freely as she looked at him.
"Alex" she tried.
"I'm sorry Isabel. I care about you too much. I can't go through this again." He shrugged helplessly. "I'll always be here when you need me, but maybe your mother was right. Maybe your destiny is with someone like Michael. Someone that you can love."
Alex stepped away from her and turned away. "I'll always love you Is. Don't forget that. I just can't feel like this again."
Then he walked away, leaving her to stand in the rain.
*******
Curling up in bed, she hugged the covers to her tightly. The feelings of happiness that were rushing through Max and Michael were enough to make her nauseous. Alex wanted to be friends. Just friends. Could he have said anything else more hurtful? Even if he had said he never wanted to see her again, it wouldn't have hurt this bad. Knowing that he loved her made it so much worse. And he had said it. Had flat out told her he loved her. Why couldn't he have kept that to himself?
With a deep breath, she dropped the blankets and leaned over the edge of the bed. Struggling to grasp the object in such an awkward position, she finally managed to grab a hold and pull it out. With trembling fingers, she traced the lines of the box, the patterns carved into it. Her mother had left it for her. Told her that as a child she used to like to put things in it that she wanted to hold on to. For some reason her mother thought she might like to have something like it again.
She had been right. Isabel had practically scoured the desert the night they had been run off the road to find it. Her clothes had been scattered to kingdom come, but all that mattered was finding the damn box. When she did, she felt such a rush of relief that her knees had gone weak and she actually fell to the sand.
A finger played with the lock. The lock was solid, looking almost like a lump of metal with a loop that held it closed. Even Max or Michael couldn't open it. The box was hers and hers alone. Wrapping her hand around the blob of metal, she let her thoughts carry. Within a few seconds, the loop popped and the metal was in her hand. Placing it gingerly beside her, she carefully opened the lid.
One hand held the box in her lap and the other ran though the box. Paper rustled softly as her hand moved inside. Tears began to slide down her face, falling to the box. Running in the carved patterns and inside. Unwilling to damage the contents more than they had already been damaged, she grudgingly closed it. Leaning down, she rested her forehead against the slick wood. After a moment or two, she replaced the lock and slid it back under her bed.
Trying her best to ignore the tears slipping down her face, Isabel pulled the covers to her chin and closed her eyes.
*******
Maria watched him warily as he slammed the amplifiers down onto the stage. He had been in a snit for more than week now. Ever since they had come back. Both she and Liz had chosen to make amends and accept it all as it came, but Alex hadn't. Isabel wasn't faring much better, truth be told. She was sullen, aloof and cranky. Well, when it was put like that it just made her sound like normal Isabel. But Maria knew the difference.
"You know, those amps did nothing to you," she said with a smirk.
Alex looked up at his friend with a scowl. "I'm just moving them."
"You should be lucky they don't bruise, otherwise they'd be all black and blue by now." Maria shook her head and sighed. "Come on Alex. Stop trying to pretend you're not upset. We all know better."
"I'm not upset," he protested. "I just want to get everything ready before it's time. Is that such a big deal?" The last came out harsh and impatient.
"Ok then, have it your way. I'm going to go find food in this mass hysteria. Preferably something that might not try to eat me while I eat it."
Alex couldn't help but grin slightly at that. Amid the carnival chaos, there wasn't much in the way of food except hot dogs and funnel cakes. Not exactly Maria food. But that's what happened when the yearly, alien themed carnival hit town. Which was kind of odd since it always came right before school started and the Crash Festival was only a month or so later. Too much excitement for the average Roswellian.
Shaking his head, bringing himself back to now, Alex hefted one amp up and onto another. Just a few more to go and then he'd be done. Then he could go try to scavenge some food for himself.
"Alex?" Her voice was soft and hesitant. Very unlike her.
He turned, his eyes searching her out amid the curtains and props at the side of the stage. "Isabel." He sighed and turned back to his work not in the mood to have his heart ripped out again, even if it was him that was technically doing the ripping.
"Alex," she took a deep breath and plunged forward." I have something to say to you, and you're going to stand there and listen."
Now that was typical Isabel. She stepped forward, crossing the wooden stage until she stood in front of him. He took note of the strange box she held in her hands, but said nothing about it.
"Make it fast," he warned as she approached. The faster the better like ripping off a band-aid.
"Fine." The snotty tone was back and he waited for her to yell at him. To tell him he had made the biggest mistake of his life by letting her go. Hell, he already knew that. He certainly didn't need to stand here and listen to her say it.
"I left Roswell in May thinking that I was going to find my destiny. That it was something that I could never find here. I didn't really think it was Michael, but I thought maybe she was right. Maybe there was some greater purpose to us being here. And I was ready to find it.
"And I looked. Looked long and hard. Hell, I even thought if I gave Michael a chance, maybe my destiny would be clearer. But after one kiss, I knew he wasn't my destiny. He didn't make me forget everything that was happening. He didn't make my world narrow down to nothing but me and him.
"I could accept that. Everything happened then. So much in such a short time. But even through everything that was going on. Through all the battles, through the nights spent wondering if they would find us again, one thing kept me going.
"The thought that you would be here, waiting for me. That I could come back after it was all over, and claim the destiny that I wanted. The destiny that meant something to me."
Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but she appeared more angry than sad.
"I wrote you a letter every single day Alex. I told you every day that I loved you. Sometimes more than once a day." She turned the box she had been holding over. The lid dropped open, letting sheets of paper flutter to the ground. "And now it doesn't do me a damn bit of good that I love you, because you want to just be friends!"
Isabel stomped her foot in a show of anger. "I told myself that you'd be here when I got back Alex. That you'd welcome me with open arms."
He stared down at the hundreds of sheets of paper now lying at his feet. They were jumbled, mixed together in no real order. But he could see words written on them. Snatches of the things she had written. On the top sheet, very clearly written was, "Love, Isabel" in her calligraphy perfect handwriting. Alex opened his mouth to speak but found he was unable. Looking up, he realized Isabel was still ranting.
"I'll be damned if I put this much time and energy into something like this just to watch you get your undies in a twist and leave me! I love you, and you're just going to have to accept that." Another stomp of her foot and she stared at him.
"Isabel" he started, still unsure of what it was he intended to say.
"Don't 'Isabel' me dammit. Not unless you're going to say those words you'd damn well better be thinking!"
Alex blinked then looked back down at the paper at his feet. "Love, Isabel." The words slowly seeped into his brain.
"You love me?" he asked quietly.
"For all the good it does me," she nearly yelled. Tears were still falling and she wiped them away angrily with the back of her hand.
In half a step he was across the paper and standing in front of her. Grabbing her arms tightly, he hauled her to him. "Dammit," he muttered just before his mouth descended on hers.
They broke apart finally and looked at one another.
"Does this mean we're no longer 'just friends'?" she asked.
"Like I have a choice," he retorted, already dodging the hand ready to whack him.
Waiting until she was done trying to flatten him, he pulled her close and kissed her again.
Hoots and whistles rang out as they parted a second time and both of them looked around. The rest of the group had gathered at one end of the stage, applauding and whistling loudly.
"Bravo!" Maria called.
"Well done!" Liz added with a grin.
"Encore!" Max managed around laughter.
"Keep it up and we'll start selling tickets," Michael advised.
The group scattered as Alex and Isabel raced towards them in mock fury, still hand in hand.
*******
The single figure made it's way through the rocks, climbing steadily until it reached the entrance. With a deep breath, it stepped inside gingerly, careful not to disturb the things inside.
Kneeling slowly, the figure placed the bouquet of wildflowers on the floor in front of the pod. No one knew who had come out of which pod, but the figure felt this was the right one.
"Good bye Tess," the bent figure whispered. "I hope you're where you want to be now."
Liz touched the pod carefully, then rose and walked out into the desert. Destiny had been claimed.
**
Author's Note: While I love getting feedback, PLEASE be careful of what you say in your reviews. A lot of people will read the reviews before reading a story, and I would hate for a story to be ruined for ME that way, so please don't ruin it for other people. Thanks -- Labrynth