Title: Secrets
Author: Gaudicia
E-mail: acussing_crane@hotmail.com
ICQ: 101624726
IM: Gaudy831
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Roswell, except David.
Category: Liz/Max
Rating: PG
Summary: Liz has a secret no one knows. Its short, but I don't want to give much away.
Distribution: Just ask. This is so I know where to send the other chapters.
Author notes: You all have to thank Julie, Lacy and Brie, my beta (editors') readers. Lacy does a wonderful job and most important puts up with me. Brie helps me keep the fic going. Julie helps me with my writer's block and it's my fountain of information.
Authors note 2: The time line will be a bit different I will be changing something like when Nasedo show up and Liz meet Maria and Alex when she was 8 years old and Max first saw her at that age also. (I wanted to clear this up)
Authors note 3: Please bear with me if I take long with sending out the chapters. This is my first fic, so I'm new at this. I hope you enjoy.
Authors note 4: I also want to thank everyone who sent feedback for the previous chapters. I really appreciate it.
Feedback: You know the drill. Please, send your comments good or bad.


Chapter 1


It was a typical Saturday afternoon, except for the fact that Liz Parker felt like she had been hit by a truck.

It all started Friday night. First, Max decided he wanted to take a step back. Then, inevitably, that tugging feeling that had been irritating her heart for over a week worsened, making it impossible to steal even a wink of sleep. Every time she did somehow manage to get to sleep she would be shocked awake by hideous nightmares. They haunted her. The worst part was that she knew they meant something, but only if she could remember them.

She struggled with the covers, throwing them off and in the process knocking off her alarm clock. It was half an hour until her first shift began, and she wasn't even close to being ready. She had overslept due to the nightmares.

"Liz, hurry up and get ready. We have work to do!" yelled Maria.

"I'm coming, just give me a minute." Liz said grouchily. She loved Maria dearly, but she was definitely not a morning person; not lately, at least. Seeing the sunrise reminded her of Max. Heck, everything reminded her of Max. It was futile to tell herself to stop thinking about him, though. His face invaded her thoughts time and time again, taunting her.

Five minutes later Liz came down dressed out in antennas and all. "Finally. I was starting to think you ran off with Max. " Maria laughed slightly, trying to get a smile from her friend.

"Not likely," responded Liz in a cold voice. She appreciated the attempt at humor, she really did, but she wasn't in a very funny mood at the moment. Maria was only trying to make her feel better, which was what best friends did, but what Liz was suffering from couldn't simply be cured by some jokes that included the source of her pain.

"OK. Spill it. What's wrong?" Maria asked, becoming concerned. The last thing Liz needed was for Maria to go into overprotective-friend mode. She was dealing on her own; if she told Maria what happened, she would break down, and she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Nothing. Just forget it." Liz said dejectedly. It would be impossible to ignore what happened between her and Max forever, but she could sure draw it out.

"Liz, come on, tell me." Maria prodded.

"Maria, I don't want to talk about it. Let's go, we're late." Liz said, walking towards the front of the Café.

"God, what side of the bed did you wake up on?" Maria asked sarcastically as she followed Liz.

When Max, Michael, and Isabel came in there weren't many people. They sat in their usual booth. Max's first instinct was to search for Liz and when he found her he was visibly more relaxed. He cared for her even more than before, if that was possible, but he was just so scared. The memories of what transpired between them in their few heavenly days together haunted him, however.

Liz saw them enter and take their usual booth, She didn't think she could handle dealing with them today. It would be enough to deal with Max every day in school, Bio especially, so she didn't need to take on extra duty now.

"Could you take their order?" Liz asked, turning around so she couldn't torture herself. It hurt too much to see Max and know he wasn't hers any more.

"Sure, but why?" Maria said, both confused and concerned. Maria and Michael were the problem relationship, or so she thought, and Liz was so happy with what was going on with Max so recently. What could have happened between them that would make Liz not even want to talk to Max? She never would have avoided the opportunity before.

"I'm going to check if there is enough change in the cash register." Liz said lamely, leaving before Maria had a chance to call her on the lie.
Maria made her way to their booth, wondering what was up with Liz. "Hi guys, what can I get you?" The tone of her voice clearly indicating that she was preoccupied with something else.

"Where is Liz?" was the first thing Max asked.

"Checking the cash register. " Maria said shaking her head as she glanced at her friend.
---
Suddenly the bell sounded, announcing someone coming through the door and that restless little tug in Liz heart got worse. She didn't dare look up. Time seemed to move in slow motion until finally her eyes meet his.

"David?" Liz whispered in question still not believing he was there.
---
Maria, feeling the sudden tension and wanting some answers, seeing what just took place between this stranger and Liz. She could feel something was transpiring and they hadn't even talked. She decided to go to him.

"Are you looking for someone, or is there any way I can help you?" Maria asked, smiling.

The stranger answered as he continued on his way towards Liz "No, I already found what I was looking for." Not even paying attention to Maria.
---
Michael was already being paranoid, a habit he couldn't brake.

"Who is this guy and what does he want?" He asked, eyeing the guy. He could sense the guy was trouble even more than he was.

"I don't know, but he sure is cute." Isabel said checking the guy out, but for totally different reasons.

"We should keep an eye on him. I don't like the vibes I'm getting from him." Michael said, sipping on his Cherry Cola. Still staring at the guy.

"Michael, you don't like anyone who is new here and you always find everyone suspicious." Isabel looked back at David and immediately felt that there was something familiar about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well let's see Isabel, I have my reasons and you should know that as well as I do." Michael said, with his usual blank face not believing Is could be so clueless after everything they had gone through.

"Iz, I agree with Michael. We should keep an eye on him and not let our guard down." Max said not liking the way Liz was looking at the new guy. He knew he was the one that decided to take a step back but that didn't mean he would like that any guy would come and check out Liz.

"Finally, Maxwell, something we agree on." Michael said looking back over at the stranger.

"Michael, he just doesn't like him because he hasn't taken his eyes of Liz Parker." Isabel said distastefully. She cared for Liz, Maria and Alex but she wasn't going to tell them that. She had an image to keep up.
---
Liz let the money she had in her hand slip and also made her way towards him. When the finally stood in front of each other they just keep looking into each others eyes until Liz threw her arms around him and they hugged each other as if they were never going to let go. 'How long has it been since we have seen each other?' Was the question running through their heads.
---
Maria returned to their booth. "Can you believe that guy? He didn't even look at me." Maria said watching her best friend put him in a death grip hug.

"That's why you shouldn't be around him more than necessary." Michael immediately stepped closer to Maria, though without quite touching her. For reason he couldn't explain, he didn't like the idea of Maria close to another guy. He had an air around him that said 'stay away from her, she's mine'.

"Why?" Maria asked still looking at Liz, but her question was directed towards Michael.

"We are just being cautious, since he is new and we don't really know him." Michael said quickly.

"Max, you got to see this!" Isabel said immediately.

This got everyone's attention. "Look at what, Isabel?" Max asked, taking his eyes from the tabletop and looking back over at where the guy last was. His heart almost stopped at the sight of Liz in the arms of another man. They watched the pair intently, surprised at the closeness that could be seen between the two of them.
---
"Liz, when is your shift over?" David asked putting his cheek on top of her head savoring the feeling of been close to Liz again.

"At 10 p.m. but I have to close, so I finish around 11pm. Why?" Liz asked still reveling in the fact that he was actually there. She looked him over. He was well built, had dark eyes and hair. His skin was a little paler than hers was. His nose was thinner than hers was. He was two years older than her.

"So we can talk." He said smiling at her. Liz was always able to read him like a book, but she knew something was wrong.

"It's not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here? Is there something wrong? " Liz asked, slightly untangling herself to look at David's eyes. She could tell something was wrong. It had always been like that just by looking into his eyes she would know if something was wrong, she could even sometimes tell what he was feeling but today she couldn't get any thing. It was like he put up a barrier when she asked those questions.

"Liz, I'll tell you later, OK? Look, I'll come around ten so I can help you close and then we can talk. In the mean time don't tell anyone I'm here. I'll be back later." He said not wanting to say anything in front of everyone.

"But David-" Liz began.

"I told you don't tell anyone I'm here. I'll see you later." He gave her a final squeeze before letting go. He would tell her what was going on, but not now. Later, he would tell Liz everything

He was making his way to the door when Liz yelled, "David! Don't go with out telling me something, at least."

"Liz, I promise I'll be back and I'll tell you." He replied knowing how stubborn she could be.

"Promise? And you won't get in trouble?" Liz asked, remembering he would always get into trouble.

"Yes, I promise. And since when do I get in trouble? Don't answer that. "He made his way back over to her and placed a kiss on top of her head. He whispered 'bye' before regretfully turning away and walking out the door.

Max couldn't believe his eyes. There was the girl of his dreams in another man's arms. He could just kill the guy. He could not believe the guy was still standing and wasn't dead, since all he could do was shoot daggers through his eyes and hope the guy would die.
---
'I hope he doesn't get in trouble.' With that thought in mind Liz returned to work. Since David came, she hadn't talked with any of the others and, frankly, she didn't want to talk to them. She knew if she did they would ask questions--questions she couldn't and didn't want to answer.
---
"Now is the time to ask Liz who that guy was. She seemed to know him." Michael wanted some answers as soon as possible.

"Let me talk to her. If she says something she'll say it to me, I mean I'm her best friend." Maria said. Maria knew that if she let them ask questions they would gang up on her and she wouldn't tell them, she had a feeling she wouldn't get answers either.

"Michael, Maria has a point. What do you say, Max?" Isabel asked logically.
Max just whispered, "Yeah." He still couldn't take that image out of his mind. Liz in the arms of another man.

To be continue…