Title: This is Fire
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, all characters and original Roswell verse settings belong to other very lucky people.
Pairings/Couples/Category: UC, Tess/Liz with Polar leanings
Rating: Teen
Summary: An alternate reality in which something very different happened when Tess first showed up in Roswell.
Author's Note: This is really out of the box for me, just a very AU, kinda smutty, little piece of fun so please be gentle with your reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome! The poem quoted is by Cheryl McDonnell. I actually found the poem after I wrote the fic while I was looking for a title and it just fit perfectly so I decided to put it throughout the fic. Anyways please read, hopefully you'll enjoy, and review either way!
Summon me
Damage me
Hunt me
Export me
Make me your sin
A circus act inside a bin
The worst of the sideshow
Let out in the rain beside you
Tess stared down the dusty street, her blue eyes scornful. What on Earth had possessed their people to hide the Royal family here in this Podunk, uncivilized little town? It was sheer madness to expect them to remember a decadent palace surrounded by lush and vibrant wildlife, and then live in this suburban desert hell hole. Turning in disgust to go back inside, she wondered where Nasedo had gone this time. While it made her glow with pride that he trusted her enough to leave her to this task alone, it also terrified her.
If she failed, his punishment would be much more severe.
Walking down the hallway to her room, she stopped in front of her full length mirror and waved her hand over her body, then smirked. This task wasn't going to be that hard after all. Being both the bait and the trap had its perks, and she did so enjoy being the bait.
~x~
Max had a girlfriend. Those four words sent her into a tailspin of fury that she was hard pressed to hide from Isabel, barely managing to play it off with the perfect touch of knowing innocence. Who was this girl? What did she look like? What charms did she possess that would draw Max into telling her his secret, into risking his life? Isabel had said no such thing of course, but she wouldn't have said the girl's name, such a stupid common name, with that easy trust if he hadn't.
Max was her past and he would be her future. It was Destiny, and that trumped any silly high school crush. When Nasedo had told her that he had finally found the others, her excitement had been tempered with fear. What if they didn't remember? Or worse, what if they did, but they didn't want her anymore?
Then they had arrived in Roswell and it was clear that the three teens had no clue about their past, but something, something inside of them recognized her. Isabel befriending her so quickly had soothed her fears of abandonment, and she had assumed that it would only be a matter of time before Max too welcomed her with open arms. But she knew all too well the power a woman could hold; in fact she'd been counting on it. She just hadn't expected another woman to be holding that power.
Whoever this girl was, she would have to find her, and destroy her.
~x~
Nasedo had told her that she would be attracted to Max, and he to her, but it shocked her just how easily a certain pair of warm chocolate eyes could melt her insides into a tingling puddle of goo. Sex she was familiar with, Nasedo hadn't given her a choice on that, and she knew how to make it pleasurable for her partner. But her own enjoyment hadn't been important, in fact, she'd never even felt aroused before arriving in Roswell.
She tried to brush it off as a sudden surge of human hormones, but when the dreams started, it was impossible to ignore her feelings any longer, and she found herself glad that Nasedo was still gone. He would have been disgusted with the very human means she employed to satisfy the overwhelming urges she couldn't control.
~x~
Lips curled to emphasize her displeasure, Tess sat next to Isabel in the dark green booth, her eyes burning a hole in the back of Liz's skull. How could they stand to eat here? The stupid bobbing antennae the waitresses wore caused her hands to burn with the urge to blast them into oblivion and the food infuriated her. The first time she had seen the 'Blood of Alien' smoothie written out in cutesy block letters, she had almost vomited, fear and rage sending shivers down her spine.
Shoving those thoughts down, she returned to staring at the mousy brunette, wondering once again what drew the aliens to her. Max wasn't the only one either. Despite knowing that he would deny it with his last breath, she had seen the looks that Michael directed at his best friend's girlfriend, usually whenever that annoyingly high pitched blonde was hanging on his arm. Isabel seemed the only one immune to her dubious charms, and even she clearly considered Liz a cut above the other humans.
Tess's blue eyes narrowed in calculation. If she wanted her prey, she was going to have to step up her game. After all, this was just another form of hunting, and compared to the bookish waitress, she was the ultimate predator.
~x~
When the rain began to fall, Tess couldn't help a victorious smile. This couldn't be more perfect, the weather itself was aligning to her plans. All she had to do was set the trap, play her role as bait, and her victim would walk willingly to its doom. Or its pleasure she thought, licking suddenly dry lips as the area below her stomach tightened in anticipation.
Her timing was impeccable, and bare moments after she stepped out of the car, she spotted a familiar head of chestnut hair making its way towards her. The impossibly deep brown eyes met hers and widened with concern even as suspicion flicked through them. Clearly struggling with two warring desires, the pink mouth finally opened, "Are you okay?"
The blonde widened her own eyes and parted her lips in invitation as her tongue darted out to moisten them in apparent nervousness, then replied with a soft, "Not exactly." There was a charged moment of silence, tension building in the air between them, until, without warning, the space was gone.
Tess had no idea who had moved first, but suddenly their bodies were molded to each other, and her last coherent thought before she felt Liz Parker's unbearably soft lips pressed against her own, was that Nasedo was going to be pissed.
Summon me
Damage me
Hunt me
Export me
A little like Judas
But this time you left before us
How could you be her
Not a chance in hell but you were
Liz was getting twitchy. She had felt eyes watching her for days now, and she thought she finally knew who they belonged to, although she had yet to discover why. Sneaking a glance at the petite blonde staring at her from the back row, she tried to figure out what the girl could possibly find so fascinating with her, Liz Parker.
Tess had been here less than a week, and already Isabel had befriended the girl, while Maria seemed to think that she was out to steal Max, or maybe even Michael. But then Maria never liked a girl she thought might be prettier than her, a prejudice Liz had never shared. So Liz walked the line between them, neither befriending her nor hating her, just wondering who she was and what she wanted.
~x~
There she was again, sitting next to Isabel in her regular booth. The girl was intriguing. On the surface she seemed like any of Isabel's shallow and popular friends, but something was different about her. Every now and then, her beautiful blue eyes would show glimpses of hidden feelings and darker thoughts, hinting at depths that none of the other popular girls possessed, and Liz was fascinated despite herself.
In fact, Tess reminded her strongly of another someone she had always found intriguing. One she tried hard not to think about. After all, girls weren't supposed to fantasize about their best friend's boyfriends. No matter how desperately they wanted to know the secrets buried in his warm, sienna eyes.
Trying to hide her sudden flush, Liz ducked into the back, resting her head against the cold metal of her locker. Why wasn't she happy? She had Max; he'd finally decided that the risks were worth it and everything had been going perfectly. It was what she wanted, wasn't it?
Groaning, she banged her head against the locker, then instantly regretted it. "Fuck!" That hurt a lot more than she thought it would.
Someone chuckled behind her and she jumped, turning to see Michael smirking at her. "Why Parker, I didn't think you knew how to curse."
Liz found herself blushing again, and then something inside of her snapped. Stalking towards Michael, she stopped when her face had almost touched his chest, her gaze boring into him. "There are a lot of things I know how to do, Michael, things you've only fantasized about." Spinning on her heel, she walked back out into the restaurant, her perky smile back in place even as a strange satisfaction burned deep in her gut.
~x~
Listening to Alex bemoan his lack of success with Isabel, Liz couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to earlier that day. Whatever had come over her in the back room was strange, and nothing like how she usually acted or reacted. It had been fun. Part of her couldn't believe what she had done, what she had said to Michael, but the rest of her, the rest of her couldn't wait to do it again.
She was not a shy girl. While not exactly up to Maria's level, people would describe her as outgoing, and she knew she wasn't a coward – confronting the aliens and Topolsky multiple times had more than proved that. She just didn't like to show how she really felt, that would be a loss of control and she didn't like to lose control. When necessary to accomplish her goals, she had no problem showing her true emotions, but if it wasn't necessary, then they stayed hidden under her perky smile and ever so helpful demeanor.
Alex seemed to realize that she wasn't paying attention after the third time she replied with an "Uhuh" to a direct question, and after teasing her for dreaming about Max – something she didn't deny in the interest of peace – bid her goodnight. After dropping the phone back in its cradle, she stared down at her journal (she had removed it from its hiding place earlier) and smiled as Michael's face drifted through her mind, then growled. She needed to stop thinking about him, if not for Max's sake, then for Maria's.
Sitting back against the headboard, she flipped to her first entries after Max had healed her, trying to recall that amazing feeling that just one glance or touch from him could inspire. Now when he touched her, she had to fight not to picture someone else when she closed her eyes, and she barely reacted to his presence.
Staring sightlessly at the pages she wondered who had changed; him, or her?
~x~
Her lips caressed Tess's with wild abandon, and their tongues engaged in a gentle, primitive dance as she stroked the girl's ribcage through the silky cloth of her shirt. She felt dizzy with sensuality and liberation, and found herself almost hoping that someone was watching her, Liz Parker, do something so unashamedly irrational and wonderfully out of character. The blonde tasted like honey and Opuntia, the fruit produced by the prickly pear cactus; it was intoxicating. A moan escaped her throat as Tess pulled her even closer, fingers digging into Liz's hips and sending little electric shocks towards every sensitive spot in her body. This felt real, intense, she wanted more and she could have it.
She had broken up with Max that morning, no longer wishing to pretend something was there. Guilt might have consumed her for kissing someone else so soon after, if she hadn't seen her best friend comforting him in an awfully friendly matter after school. If anything, she felt anger, nor for her but for Michael. Then again, if he was free, maybe she could have something else she wanted.
Before she could pursue that thought further, Tess turned her so that she was sitting on the hood of the car, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around the blond's waist, briefly surprised at the girl's strength before losing all further thought in the most intense wave of desire she had ever felt. Skin met skin as fingers wandered under shirts and lips explored every sensitive spot they could find. Teeth nipped as passion flared and they both grew more aggressive in their advances, no longer afraid of rejection.
The rain soaked both of them, trailing in rivulets down their arms and slicking their clothes to their bodies, erasing all but the faintest barrier between their most intimate places. It pooled in the hollow of Liz's throat and Tess lapped it up, grinning at the look of ecstasy on the brunette's face as their eyes met, and burned. Liz laughed and pulled her in for another kiss, brimming with joy she could hardly contain. If only this moment could last forever, perfect in its untainted freedom.
Summon me
Damage me
Hunt me
Export me
Up high sitting on the bed
Under the water this girl treads
Biting fruit tainted with lust
This is fire, ash, embers and rust
Michael was far too aware of Liz Parker, this he knew, but even someone less observant would have noticed the way the new girl in town followed her every move. It reminded him of the documentary that they had showed in Jr. High science class. The way the lions would lay still in the same place for hours, waiting patiently for just the right moment to strike. But what interest would Liz hold for such a lion? He knew why he wanted her. He could list the reasons why Max 'loved' her, having heard them more times than he cared to count.
Maria had been blathering on about how much Tess was stalking he and Max, but clearly her observational skills were lacking. While he would admit that when she first showed up, the girl had shown an unhealthy interest in the three aliens, especially Max, all of that had changed once she noticed Liz. Her attention was now focused with laser like intensity on the beautiful waitress, and he wanted to know why. What could this tiny blonde thing want with Liz, his Liz?
Scowling darkly at the ridiculousness of his last thought, he turned from his observance of the two girls in the hallway, and walked onto the front lawn of the school. His shift started in half an hour and he would be able to continue his obsession there with at least one, if not both, of his targets there.
~x~
What was that supposed to mean? 'Things he'd only fantasized about.' How did she know that he fantasized about her? Growling under his breath, Michael tried to hide his reaction to her statement. It may have sent a jolt of fear through him, but it hadn't been enough to remove his arousal at first the word 'fuck' falling from her beautiful, innocent lips, and second her all too close confrontation of him. Fantasies, well he was definitely having some now, and he could only thank god that his apron covered his very obvious desire for the brunette his best friend loved.
Growling again, he stalked into the kitchen, slamming pans around in his frustration. That shift was the longest of his life and he couldn't help but notice the extra little bounce in Liz's step as she moved gracefully around the restaurant. He wasn't the only one to notice either, Tess was there with Isabel and she was staring just as intently as he was at the petite waitress. For some reason, her staring made him angry, and he had to fight to control his powers for the next hour until Isabel dragged the girl away.
~x~
He watched her from the dark corner of her balcony, hiding in shadows as she sat bathed in the warm golden light from her bedside lamp. The irony wasn't lost on him. She had the phone cradled between her shoulder and her head, and was flipping through her journal, a thoughtful squiggle creasing the skin on her forehead. His fingers itched with the urge to smooth that line away, and for a moment he looked down, struggling to maintain his self control.
When he turned back, the phone had been put away and she was staring out the window. For a brief, heart pounding moment, he thought she was looking at him before he realized that if she was, she certainly wouldn't have that blank look on her face.
Wondering what she was thinking about, he settled himself in for a long wait. She may not have noticed him yet, but if he moved, his cover was blown, and he wasn't prepared to explain why he was standing on her balcony, spying on her at eight o clock at night.
What had he been thinking coming here? Seeing Tess watch Liz had done something to his self control, and his emotions, that he couldn't quite describe. It was part protectiveness and part jealousy and part something else he didn't want to look too closely at.
This was his best friend's girlfriend, his on and off girlfriend's best friend. Although right now he was pretty sure the off was going to stick, it didn't excuse him fantasizing about her best friend, especially since, as far as he could tell, Max was never going to have an off phase when it came to Liz.
Finally, what seemed like hours later, Liz turned off her light and he was free to leave, frustration bubbling inside of him as his wants conflicted with his duties, and once again, duty was taking the lead.
~x~
Michael slammed his locker door closed and glared as the light bulb above his head popped, and rained tiny bits of glass down on his head. The image of Maria bent over Max on the bench outside of their high school, lips just about to touch, wouldn't go away. He didn't know who he was angrier at, Maria for constantly berating him for lack of commitment and then pulling a stunt like this, or Max, for betraying the girl he had supposedly loved since he was eight.
Waving his hand over the glass shards to prevent anyone else from being hurt, he stalked into the front of the restaurant, glad he was closing alone tonight so no one bore witness to his temper tantrum. He stopped abruptly in the middle of the room and started muttering under his breath as he saw the rain coming down in sheets. That was perfect, just perfect. He loved his motorcycle, but riding it in the rain was never a pleasant, or intelligent idea.
Then something in the rain caught his eye, and he walked forward until he was right next to the glass windows. When his brain caught up with his eyes, the sign on the door lit up with a blaze of color until the power became too much and it shorted out. His jaw was gaping and his pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight.
There were lips, girl lips, pressed up against each other and there was definitely some tongue action going on. Their clothes were tight and see through in the rain and he had never seen a more arousing sight. Reaching down, he stroked himself through the tight confines of his jeans, groaning lightly under his breath. Damn the Parkers for living upstairs, he couldn't risk being caught and would have to save this image for later satisfaction.
Breathing hard, he tried to focus on something else. Clearly Liz was moving on and in a way no one could have predicted. Michael suddenly grinned, he'd rather watch the girl he couldn't have make out with Tess over Max any time, this day was definitely looking up. And who knew? Maybe Tess would be willing to share.