Calling Me As You Fade To Black
A/N: A work in progress I actually intend to finish. This is only my second attempt at a Roswell Fanfic and so I welcome any feedback you guys want to give me, all I ask is that you be patient. This is set after the last episode, 'Graduation' and explains the space between that episode and where I'm starting the story. I have to warn you, it contains character death so if that's not your cup of tea, please don't review yelling at me for it. I have nothing against the character I have killed off; I just wanted to experiment with the other character's reactions.
Sorry this chapter is sort of short, the next will be longer.
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or the characters or anything…
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Chapter 1: California Here We Come
They'd done it, they'd left Roswell. Better than that, they'd done it together and all in one piece. No casualties. Which was pretty surprising when you took all the fights they'd had over who was driving into account. Choosing where to go was no easy decision either.
Max had eventually been chosen as driver, of course, "New York, we're going to New York. We need to go somewhere big, somewhere we won't be noticed and somewhere as far away from Roswell as possible. New York is the perfect place. I've been there, I know what it's like and I know we'd never be traced…"
"No. Max, we are not going to New York. After all the problems I had in that damn city with the whole record company thing… I'll be glad to never go there ever again, let alone live there,"
"Yeah but Maria, it's not your decision," Drinking a mouthful of Snapple (which he was still drinking religiously), Michael blinked off the look his girlfriend sent his way, "You're not the one who was going to get killed, therefore it's not your decision,"
"Excuse me! I left my home, my mom, my life for you Space Boy! This is so my decision too!"
After a lengthy argument, one of which Isabel decided to stay out of, they agreed on California. Los Angeles to be precise, even though Michael thought it would be funny to suggest Santa Maria (which earned him a slap). Before they arrived in their new home, Max and Liz were married, just outside of the state. It wasn't a big wedding but it was the perfect way to start their new life, their new identities.
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"Isabel?"
Looking up from her magazine, she smiled, "Oh, I'm not Isabel anymore, remember?"
"I thought Max decided against the whole different name thing?" Kyle asked, somewhat startled.
"Oh? He did? Sorry, I haven't exactly been paying attention,"
Isabel turned back to the magazine. Sitting down next to her on the floor, Kyle reached for the magazine and closed it, placing it next to him. He sighed, "Talk to me,"
"About?"
It hurt her to look away. Kyle was a good person, a good person she'd treated like dirt, same as most of her friends. The truth was she wasn't ready to talk about anything. She wasn't even ready to admit to herself that she needed to talk about it. The last time she'd spoken to Jesse kept playing over and over in her head until she wanted to smash her skull open every time she heard herself tell him she was going without him. It made her sick. Her stomach was a mass of tangled knots as it was, talking about it could only make it worse. No, pretending to not care was a lot easier.
"C'mon Isabel, I know you're not as tough as you're trying to be. You can talk to me, I won't bite,"
She smiled again, "Thanks Kyle… and you know, one day I might just take you up on that… but not right now, 'kay?"
"Okay," Silence for a moment, "You don't mind me sitting here though, right?"
"Well that depends on whether you're going to give me my magazine back," Isabel grinned as he passed it back, "Thanks,"
They sat in silence again apart from the sound of Isabel turning pages and Kyle humming very quietly. It was a comfortable silence though, and neither objected. Well until Max broke it…
"Isabel, I need you… Kyle, get back in the van, make sure Maria doesn't come out… hurry!"
Sensing the desperation in her brother's voice, Isabel nodded, scrambling to her feet and following him to the front of their rented apartment. Kyle obeyed too, running into the van, quickly closing the door behind him.
Lying on the floor, eyes wide, blood dripping from her mouth, Liz Parker was whiter than Isabel had ever seen her. Michael looked up from the still body, his energy obviously low, as was Max's. They shared a look, to which Isabel found herself shaking her head and dropping down next to her sister-in-law, her hand clasping the ice cold skin of Liz's own hand. From the knelt position she was in, she could clearly see the gunshot wound, even through the thick blanket of blood covering her stomach.
"I was too late," Max sobbed, kneeling beside Isabel and pulling Liz into a seated position, "I was too late!"
Isabel had never seen her brother cry. Not like this. He'd lost the love of his life.
To be continued…