Title: Secrets
Author: Gaudicia
E-mail: life_mistery@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 16

David looked incredulously at Max. "Max, how can you help?"

Max stepped forward, "You aren't the only one with special abilities?"

"You are like me and Liz?"

"Yes and no. We are more complicated than that," Max said, dancing around the subject, since he still didn't know if he could trust David. Max looked at River Dog searching for any sign that would tell him if he should trust David. At River Dog's nod, Max continued, "I guess you aren't the only one with secrets. Liz knew our secret. Liz was the one that brought us all together. She got Michael, Isabel, and I to trust her, Alex, and Maria. Liz made me human."

Max waited for David to digest the information.

"Liz made you human…hmm, that's a great pick up line. The next thing I know you'll tell me you are not from this earth." David replied, jokingly.

"We are not from this earth," Max confirmed.

"You aren't serious? That's it! I'm officially in the Twilight Zone." David said, not believing what they were telling him. He saw Max, Michael, and Isabel drop their gazes to the floor and he knew that the three of them were different.

River Dog sternly scolds David. 'David, this is not the time to be joking. They can and they will help Liz. They owe her that much. Max already took a step forward, and admitted something that could put his life as well as Isabel and Michael's lives in danger. Liz was able to keep their secret will you?"

Everyone held their breath; the question that had plagued each of their minds was spoken out loud and now they had to do the most difficult thing, wait for an answer.

"Yes, I can and I will," David confirmed with certainty.

"Good, then now is your turn to take that step forward."

David ignored River Dog and asked Max. "Where are you from?"

"We don't know," Max answered, truthfully.

"You can help me reach Liz?" David interrogated.

"Yes, I've done it before," Max said, with confidence.

David examined Max one more time before extending his hand.

Max was surprised when David extended his hand, but claps it anyway.

David shook Max's hand firmly. "Let's get to work."

River Dog was proud of David. He got past his stubbornness, and was willing to work with Max. But still the hard part wasn't over.

River Dog looked at the others and asked, "Do you want to be here?"

Maria jumped at the opportunity to answer. "Of course! What kind of question is that?"

River Dog satisfied turned his attention back to David and Max. "You should rest tonight. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

Just in that moment Eddie came in carring six blankets and as quietly as he entered, he left.

Maria was not happy with this turn of events, none of them were. Liz was out there, who knows where, and they were going to rest. "But what about Liz?"

River Dog knew their concern. "Liz will be okay tonight and to be able to help her we have to rest. Trying to communicate with Liz at the level Max and David will be tiring and energy consuming."

Maria nodded, accepting River Dog's words, still not happy.

With no more interruptions everyone grabbed their own corner and blankets, and tried to get some sleep.
---
Liz knew she needed to calm down, but she couldn't. There was something in the cave that was making her irrational, sad, and depressed. She couldn't put into words how she felt. Liz got up from her place in the floor, and she crawled in a corner where silent tears streamed down her face, and she fell asleep.
---
The first thing in the morning everyone was up. Anxiously waiting for River Dog to return.

Alex knew everyone was getting irritated, so he did the only thing that came to mind. "So David, how long have you had this ability?"

David sent a look at Alex much like Michael would have. "We were born with it."
"Why didn't Liz tell us about it?"

Alex's question caught everyone's attention.

David could feel their stares, waiting for him to answer. "Liz couldn't tell you something she didn't know." David seeing their confused looks felt the need to elaborate. "We went through some rough times, Liz was very attached to our mother. When our mother died, Liz went into a shell and the situation with the Parkers didn't help at all."

They could tell it still hurt David to talk about the subject, but they felt they had a right to know, even if it mean pushing him for answers.

Just when Alex was about to ask another question River Dog came in.

David and Max got up. "Can we start now?" Max and David asked at the same time.

The others would have laughed if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation.

Isabel looked at David and Max. They were both eagerly looking at River Dog, waiting for him to give orders. 'Maybe they have more in common than they thought.' When Isabel came out of her thoughts David and Max were already seated in Indian style and River Dog was guiding them through their trance.

Fifteen minutes later they came out of their trance looking dazed and confused.

Maria was immediately asking questions. "Did you do what ever it was you were going to do? Is Liz okay? Where is she?"

Michael put his arm around Maria. "Maria, calm down. Let them speak. Here sniff some cedar oil."

David shook his head in answer to Maria's questions. "We couldn't connect with each other, Max and I, I mean…"

"Why? Were you supposed to be able to connect? Aren't the two of you enough?" Alex asked, not understanding why they failed.

Max and David were frustrated, and hearing Alex's questions, only made them more so.

River Dog knew why it didn't work, and he knew they needed to get past it. "There are still doubts inside of you, concerning one another. You'll have to clear them if you want to help Liz."

Max and David looked at each other and knew it was time to come clean and answer each other's questions.

David still didn't want to give in. He was willing to work with Max, but he wasn't ready to open up to him. "Why don't you do it yourself, River Dog? I know you can do it!"

Everyone looked at River Dog waiting for an answer. Thinking: 'Why are we going through so much when he can do it?'

"I cannot interfere." Was the only explanation River Dog offered. He knew that David and Max needed to get along. 'They will be great allies and friends in the future, but they must learn to work together and this is the first step for this to end as it should. Every thing has its purpose.'

Max hit his fist against a table making everyone jump. "You said it yourself, River Dog. We are running out of time. How are we supposed to get to know each other?"

"Everything is possible if you try," River Dog reasoned.

Max was getting impatient. "We already told each other our secrets. There is nothing left to say!"

"Are you sure?" River Dog asked, as he looked at David and Max.

Max and David sighed looking the others for help all they got were confused looks answering them. None of them knew what to do.

David was trapped, he knew he had to this. If he didn't Liz would suffer the consequences, and he couldn't afford that. David also knew River Dog was right and that he was the one that was closed off. Even though they knew things about him and Liz, he couldn't help but feel protected, because they didn't have all the facts in 'order'. They just knew what they heard at the Crashdown and what he wanted them to know. David sighed and out of the blue--he started talking. "You already know Liz and I knew from the beginning we were related and that we used to live here."

They were surprised when David started talking, but they paid close attention feeling that the secrets were finally coming to an end. They waited for David to continue.

Once David saw he had their attention, he continued, "As you know we found out some things the other day. Even though you heard them, I know it must be confusing, like coming in, in the middle of the movie, and the first time we finally spoke about what was going on I wasn't exactly honest." David trailed of and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Maria rudely remarked, "We knew that already."

David glared at Maria and began his tale again. "You also know that the Parkers adopted Liz, and I went to live with my godparents. We were taught never to talk about what happened, we got used to living the lie that was our lives-I guess that's why Liz didn't tell you from the beginning and I told her not to tell anyone. When my godparent, Hector, died he left a will telling me that our mother was alive. That's why I came back to Roswell, I needed to tell Liz and find out what was going on. I still couldn't believe my mother had been alive, so I took Liz to the cemetery where our mother was supposedly buried and we dug it up. That turned out to be the easiest way to tell Liz and at the same time to confirm what Hector told me. I admit that letting Liz find out that our mother had been alive that way was not the best, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her. I knew Mr. Evans was in charge of our mother's will, our adoptions, and the other legal things and I knew he would be able to tell us who was in charge of her burial. Even though Liz didn't knew everything she was behind me and she also wanted to know what was going on so she blindly followed me. At the first opportunity I had I went to talk to Mr. Evans." David looked at Max, Michael, and Isabel. "That was the day you saw me and Liz at Mr. Evans' office. You see, the thing is we thought our mother was dead, but she was really alive and only just recently had died. Between the Parkers, my godparents, and the Evans they staged her death, because someone was after her. That's what we were told the other day." David looked at them as he said these last words. David watched them as they digested the information.

None of them could imagine what it must have been like for David and Liz; it all was too hard to believe. But they accepted it knowing that there were more unbelievable things and still they were true. Everything was making more sense now, but they were still hurt by Liz's lack of trust.

Michael was slowly processing the new information when he suddenly remembered about the pictures. "Where did you get the pictures you had the other day. Liz seemed to be affected by them." Michael asked thinking that Liz was merely shocked by the silver handprint that was in the woman's stomach.

David closed his eyes at the reminder of the pictures. "That was our mother. Hector left me those pictures to prove that she had been alive, but I still couldn't believe it. I had to find more proof."

Max, Isabel, and Michael were shock to hear that someone like them had killed someone so close to one of their friends. They couldn't believe it, but they knew it was true, they had seen the pictures.

Alex and Maria's thoughts were along the same line. They couldn't begin to imagine how Michael, Max, and Isabel must have felt.

Isabel put her thoughts aside and asked, "Do you have any idea who killed your mother?"

David sighed, "No, we don't know." David suspected that Liz knew something and she hadn't told him. Liz never told him what she had seen in her visions and he knew they had something to do with their mother, but he hadn't pushed her waiting for her to tell him.

River Dog was proud of David. David had passed the test-the test of trust, but could Max. River Dog had no doubt that he would and he was right. A few seconds later Max began his tale about how they came to this earth and what role Liz played in their lives.
---
Liz woke up to find herself covered by a blanket. She wondered where it had come from and what time it was. When she looked to her right, she saw a plate filled with food and a note besides it. Liz was confused, 'Where did this come from?' When Liz started to read the note a shiver passed through her and her hands started to shake, she let the note slip from her fingers. She replayed the words in her mind. 'Here is a blanket and some food. We don't want you to starve to death, or die from cold…well at least not yet. Enjoy!' Liz wanted to run and bury herself in Max and David's arms. Where she knew she would be safe from harm. 'How can you do that if you haven't done anything to get out of this mess?' Liz got even more scared when she realized that the person that took her had come in and she hadn't felt, or noticed it. 'He can come in anytime and do something to me and I won't notice!' From scared Liz turned angry. 'I can't let myself be played with like that! If he was able to get in, there must be a way out.' Liz began to think logically, putting all her fears behind her.

Liz put the plate on a corner. 'I may be hungry but there's no way I'm eating that!' Liz started to pace as she tapped her finger to her chin, and started to think out loud. "Well, if I can't see an exit from inside then…it must be visible from the outside. Besides it's proven that there is a way out, because there is a way in. If there wasn't a way in that would mean my captor and I turned into Casper." Liz stopped her pacing. 'That's it, I think this closure is making me crazy. I'm already talking to myself.' Liz took another look around the cave, but she couldn't see a way out. "What use is it that someone sees the entrance from outside? If they don't know I'm here--I don't know where here is!" 'How can I find out where I am?' Suddenly it was like a light of bolting had struck her. "Of course! Why didn't I think about that before?!"

Liz started to replay River Dog's word in her mind. 'He said our gift was like a light switch, it can be turned on and off. All I have to do is turn it on.' Liz took a seat on the floor and crossed her legs. Liz remembered River Dog said her breathing had to be even and calm. Liz was surprised at how soon she fell into her trance, suddenly she felt like she was falling to a pit with no end and everything was going in fast motion and images started playing in her mind. After a while Liz opened her eyes and tears clouded her vision. Liz still couldn't believe what she saw. 'I can't wait to tell the others. I guess our lives were meant to cross paths.'


Liz looked at the cave like she was seeing it for the first time. Now she understood her feelings, and she still couldn't believe it. 'I can't believe I'm in the same cave where my mom used to come. I can't believe this is the same cave where the three pods were, maybe still are located. How can my kidnapper know about this? Who is he?'

Liz was too excited and scared, she couldn't stay still. She knew she had to try to contact David, but right now she couldn't. Liz knew she had to be calm to be able to go into a deep trance, and in her present state she couldn't do it.

Liz managed to calm herself down and was now starting to go into her trance. Now she had a new goal, to contact David.
---
Alex called the Parkers and told them they were okay and that they still hadn't found Liz, but that they were working on it. None of them were happy when Alex told them that the Parkers had called the Sheriff. But they understood that the Parkers needed to feel like they were doing something and who knew maybe the Sheriff would find Liz sooner than they could.

River Dog guided them through their trance again and was pleased when he felt they were in harmony with one another.

The others were nervous, wondering if this would work. They all held their breath hoping to finally find Liz. They couldn't believe that they had told David everything there was to tell. They were getting to know him and they found that though they may not have too much in common, they had Liz and that was enough.

Max and David found themselves in a dark place covered by fog. They knew that they had been able to connect and they couldn't be happier, but now they had to find Liz.

David suddenly heard something. "Did you hear that, Max?"

Max confused asked, "No, what did you hear?" 'How could David hear something? If we are the only ones here.' No sooner had Max thought this, when he suddenly heard someone calling David's name.

Max and David looked at one another as if asking if they heard right. When they saw each other nod they turned around and in front of them stood Liz in all her glory.

Liz couldn't believe what she was seeing. Liz knew that Max must have told David what he was. Liz was overcome by happiness to know the two people she loved the most were getting along. Liz felt herself being crushed and her body tensed, but immediately relaxed knowing it was Max. Liz mind went in scientific mode when she thought about how they could hug if her body was in the cave and this was happening in another place where material things didn't exist.

David knew Liz had been here for sometime now. "Who helped you get here, Liz?"

Max let loosed his grip on Liz. "I did it alone. I can't stay here much longer. I'm already getting tired." As she said this, her image started to waver.

"Liz, where are you?" David asked, knowing it was taking up too much of her energy.

Liz looked at Max and said, "I'm at the cave. Max, I'm at the cave, where you were born." That was the last thing she was able to say.

To be continued…