Title: Up Against Your Wall
Chapter: 1/1
Series: Roswell
Author: Alex Graves
Pairing: Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Implied Michael/Liz
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell. Only this plot line. No copyright infringement intended.
A/N: I wrote this a while back and realized that I hadn't posted it here, so enjoy!
Feedback: Always welcomed and loved. Flames however are not.
Summary: A Polar Short. Liz and Michael have a short conversation which shines a new light on both participants.
Liz flopped back on the couch with a tired groan. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, taking in deep breaths. Plates knocking together and shouting could be heard coming from the restaurant in front. Michael could be heard calling out orders for the waitresses to come and pick up and the ting of bells could be heard, sounding that new customers had entered The Crashdown.
She sighed, opening her eyes and looking up at the tan plaster ceiling. "Where's Parker?" could be heard from the kitchen. She looked towards the kitchen door and listened in on the short conversation which revolved around her. "What do you mean she's in the back? I can't serve the burgers! She needs to get her ass out here!" Michael yelled.
"I wouldn't say that about the boss's daughter if I were you," Jose commented at which Liz rolled her eyes. Boss's daughter – whatever.
"Yeah, well it's her job. I'm going back to see if I can find her, cover for me." The scuffing of boots could be heard coming towards the back room where Liz sat. She turned her gaze back to the ceiling as she thought about last night's fight with Max. Destiny her ass. The back door swung open and Michael Guerin walked in, exuberating power and confidence as he did so. "Parker get up! The people are not going to feed themselves."
"Maybe they should," she groused, not taking her eyes off the ceiling. She heard Michael sigh and soon felt the couch shift, telling her that he had taken a seat next to her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing him looking up at the ceiling also.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, trying to see what had interested her so much that she had to ignore him and leave customers complaining in their booths. She sat up, starring at him with expectation of something else.
"Aren't you supposed to be yelling at me or giving me grief about something like you usually do?" she asked, eyeing him. Michael sat up and looked at her, trying to read her, figure out what she wanted.
"Do you always have a stick up your ass Parker because I'm just trying to be nice."
"Nice? You, be nice? Is the world ending? It must be," she stated, glaring at him. Michael smirked, running a hand through his hair.
"Wow, I never expected you to say something like that Parker. It's not in character." Liz rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her stomach.
"Well maybe I don't want to be nice Liz Parker anymore. I am tired of everyone walking all over me and acting as if they own me." Michael looked at her, again giving her a look as if he was trying to read her. He pursed his lips, obviously thinking of something to say in reply of what he had just heard.
"What makes you think that, Parker?" Liz sighed, looking at her hands as she pulled at her fingers, a nervous habit she had acquired in the past month. She bit her lip, shaking her head as a forced laugh erupted from her.
"Nothing, forget I ever said anything. It's nothing."
"It's obviously something if Perfect Liz Parker stops working and blows up in the backroom. Now tell me what's wrong. When did you start thinking people walk over you?" Liz sighed, looking him straight in the eye.
"When do you start thinking they didn't?" she whispered. Michael stopped thinking, stopped breathing and only looked at her. He had never realized how much of what he had said she had taken for truth. Most of the time when he insulted her, he was just angry and was blowing off steam. Most if it meant nothing. Liz was too nice, too perfect, to be anything other than wonderful. Max seemed to like to take that for granted.
He took a deep breath and gave her a small smile. "I never thought that." It was Liz's turn to be surprised as she looked at him. Before she had the chance to answer him, Maria had popped her head n and called him out while sending Max in. She only cast a glance at Max and watched Michael leave with a small smirk on his lips.
"What are you smirking at Space Boy, you've got a job to do, you know. Making food." Maria stated in that annoying tone of hers. Michael, however, did not shoot a comeback at her, but only kept his smirk in place and glanced back at Liz who sat watching him as he left.
"Liz?" Max said, sitting down next to her, trying to draw her attention away from his friend. He said her name twice before she shook her head and turned her gaze on him. "Are you okay? Did Michael say something to you?"
Liz shook her head with a smile. "Nothing bad, no. What do you want?" she asked sweetly. Max gave her a small smile as he grasped her hand in his. He starred at their hands intertwined for a few seconds with a sad smile upon his lips. He let her hand go and stood up, pacing in front of her for a few seconds before he stopped and bent down in front of her.
"Liz, I love you. You know that, right?" Liz nodded, looking at him confused. "And you love me, right?" Again she nodded, trying to understand what he was getting at. She didn't notice a certain alien watching from the kitchen.
Michael watched through the small circular window at Max as he bent down in front of Liz. Jose came up behind him and peered through the window. "What's going on?" he whispered, causing Michael to give a little jump. Jose laughed happily as Michael shot him a look to kill. "Is Evans finally going to stop beating around the bush and ask her?"
"Ask her what?" Michael asked, not looking away from the scene unfolding in front of him but listening intently to Jose who resumed grilling.
"What do you mean ask her what? You're Max's best friend, you should know what!" When Michael didn't answer, Jose gave a loud sigh. "Last I heard, he was going to ask her to prom. Trying to mend the relationship like they've been doing, you know." Michael made a noise, causing Jose to raise an eyebrow at him. Michael turned around and went back to working.
"He doesn't deserve her," Michael mumbled as he grabbed the spatula and flipped the burger patter, pressing it down against the grill. Jose didn't answer but gave Michael one of those knowing looks. "I mean, it's not that I like her or anything. I've got Maria," Michael stated, staring at Jose.
"Oh yeah, Maria DeLuca's a real gem," Jose stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Hey! She may be a little annoying but she's my girlfriend and-" he paused trying to think of what to say in defense of Maria but couldn't think of anything. "Fact is, she's my girlfriend and you can't say anything bad about her," he stated after a moment's pause. Jose only chucked and returned to the fries. Michael sighed, looking again out the small window at Max and Liz who were smiling at each other as if no one else in the world existed.
The End