Where Are You Christmas?
Author'sNote: Gotta love listening to Christmas music during the holidays. Sometimes a song will just come on at the right time on the radio and be the inspiration you need to get those creative juices flowing.
Summary: The Roswell gang is on the road. It has been a tough year and the holidays seem to have been all but forgotten. The only thing that matters is survival but what happens when an angel reminds them of the holiday spirit?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I may not have loved many of the storylines but I love these characters.
1.) Looking Back
Isabel Evans sat in the passenger side of the van. Michael was driving and the others were getting some much needed rest. It had been nearly a year since they'd been on the road. A week ago they had celebrated Thanksgiving at Denny's in town. There was nothing more normal than travelers eating some place when they couldn't celebrate at home.
Isabel sighed. This was home, the van, the five other people in it. This was her family, with her boyfriend by her side. It still made Isabel feel weird to refer to Michael as her boyfriend.
Michael looked over but said nothing. He understood how hard of a year this had been for his girl. A couple weeks after they had left Roswell, Isabel had got an encrypted message from Jesse. He had said he was in Boston and for them to go meet him where he would be waiting at an undisclosed location, a hang out him and his college buddies used to visit but had long since been abandoned.
Isabel though wanting to go knew the safety of her family was more important despite Jesse being family too. Instead she had used her powers to draw up some legal documents which she formed out of scratch pieces of paper. In an encrypted message she asked Jesse for his home address. She knew he would have to move again after that in case anyone found out but he was more than willing to do whatever it took if that meant Jesse could see Isabel again. Isabel knew she was playing on his emotions but it was the only way to get him to listen.
"Are you sure you want to do this," Michael asked as Isabel had a pen in her hand, the two of them sitting at a park bench in only god knew where.
"I should've listened to you guys before: Jesse should never have been brought into this."
"We were wrong," Michael said and then he looked down, "At least I was. I know he made you happy."
"He did but look at the cost: I put him in danger, danger he wouldn't know if he hadn't met me."
"He loves you."
Isabel sighed, "Sometimes that isn't enough. You know that better than anyone."
Michael nodded. About a week into their trip on the road he had called things off permanently with Maria. Enough had been enough with her constant complaining. Michael realized that what Maria really wanted was Max, or at least the prince charming self that he was. Michael could never give her that and a long time ago he vowed never to change for anyone. If a girl couldn't accept him for who he was then the drama wasn't worth it. Why Michael had allowed himself to put up with her was beyond him. No, he knew the answer. At least she wanted him, maybe not the person that he was but it was better than being alone. Michael knew Maria loved him despite her wanting him to be something he wasn't but that wasn't enough. Michael didn't love Maria enough to want to change let alone love her enough to want to stay regardless of him ending up alone.
The two continued in silence and then Isabel placed her pen and signed her name where the spaces asked for it. Once it was complete she placed the papers in a manila envelope but before closing it she looked down at her hand and then removed the ring from her finger. Michael understood the significance that removing her wedding ring meant but he said nothing. There were moments in Isabel's life that he knew when to speak and when to shut up and this was one of those moments. With the envelope sealed the two of them walked to one of the blue mailboxes nearby. Isabel placed it in.
"I'm sorry Isabel," Michael said as he placed a hand over hers.
Isabel let out a small smile. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. The marriage was really over, at least on her end. She knew Jesse would be reluctant to sign the papers but she was giving him no choice. She would leave no forwarding address except for him to file the papers himself and she would never again contact him. Even if he never signed the papers, and she hoped he would, in her eyes she was no longer Isabel Ramirez, instead she was back to being Isabel Evans.
"I'm 18 and all ready divorced, how stupid is that?"
"It's not stupid. It's just our way of life."
Isabel nodded. "The consequences of being what we are."
Michael squeezed Isabel's shoulder. "You're not alone you know."
Isabel looked up and could see how genuine his words were. "Neither are you," she said to him.
It was about a month later that the two really became involved. It didn't go unnoticed by the others as it was hard to keep things hush-hush now. The only person that had an objection to the relationship was Maria, being the ex girlfriend and all. Max though never liking the idea because he felt like it was just destiny controlling him the way it had with him and Tess, could not really object as he had never seen Michael and Isabel so happy the way they were with each other. Maybe all their past relationships had been a ploy, a way to find happiness that could not be found but only in each other.
From that point on the two had become inseparable. It hurt even just to breathe when they were apart. This was something Max and Liz knew all too well and so they knew their love was real.