Irony

Irony

Chapter 12

Author: Margarita

Email: margarita782@hotmail.com

Category: Liz angst, slight M/L romance.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Roswell and all of the characters from the show do not belong to me. "In the End" is by Linkin Park, and all lyrics belong to them.

Author's Note: The first part of this is taken directly from the episode "Harvest." All lyrics are in italics. Parts of this piece take place in the future; note the dates at the beginning of the chapters.

Spoilers: "The End of the World," "Harvest," "Max in the City."

Summary: Liz deals with the aftershocks of her promise to future Max.

Warning: Character death.

*I had to fall
To lose it all,
But in the end
It doesn't even matter…*

June 2006, the day before the anniversary of Max's death

I entered the church slowly, with Michael at my side. "There she is," I said, pointing to where Maria stood, talking to Kyle. "Have fun!"

Michael rolled his eyes at me, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over to the pair. He tapped Maria on the shoulder, and when she turned to face him, I saw her mouth open in surprise. Then she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the church.

"Liz!" My head snapped up when I heard Isabel squeal, and I hugged her when she ran over to me.

"Have you seen it?" she asked, holding out her left hand so that I could see the diamond on her engagement ring.

I smiled. "It's beautiful, Is." She beamed and led me over to Alex. I kissed him on the cheek affectionately. "Told you so."

"Liz!" He hugged me. "I'm glad you were right," he whispered into my ear. He pulled away and we both looked over to the corner where Michael and Maria were standing, talking awkwardly. "How did she react?" he asked.

"Not badly, considering that we hadn't heard from him in about three years, ever since he moved to New York." I laughed quietly. "Michael had a look of absolute terror on his face during the entire drive here. It was the funniest thing." I paused. "I think he still loves her."

"Well, obviously," Isabel said, from over my shoulder. I turned to look at her and she smiled. "I'm so glad that you're going to be in the wedding, Liz. I hope Saturday won't be too hard for you," she added quickly.

"I'll manage." I smiled weakly and Alex squeezed my arm supportively.

"It wasn't intentional," Isabel continued. "We just didn't want to wait any longer. We set the date without even realizing what it was." She paused. "Really, Liz, if you can't come…"

I stopped her. "Isabel, I am not missing the wedding of two of my very best friends just because of something that happened five years ago. I'll be here."

"Of course, Lizard breath," Alex said, using a nickname that he had made up for me when we were younger. "We just wanted to make sure that you'd be ok." He smiled and put one arm around Isabel and the other around me. "With my two favorite girls in the ceremony, Saturday is going to be the best day of my life."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Isabel said dryly, her eyes twinkling. Alex opened his mouth to say something but just then Mrs. Evans interrupted us.

"Isabel, honey, we should get everyone together so that we can start the rehearsal." Isabel nodded, and I walked over to where Michael and Maria were talking to tell them that we were about to begin.

"…and then you don't call me, and I'm just supposed to accept that you're back, Michael?" I cringed as I neared the pair, stopping just within hearing range. Apparently, they were already arguing. I felt bad for Michael. I knew that he had missed Maria while he was gone.

"I'm sorry, Maria, but I couldn't stay here. I had to get away." Michael's back was to me as I approached. "After what happened…" He paused, and when he spoke again, I heard his voice crack. "I…I couldn't stand being here, without Max. You don't understand. I love you, Maria, but Max was like a brother to me. It was too hard…being here and knowing that he wasn't."

"Michael, I—"

"Maria, no. I love you and I want to be with you and I've missed you like hell. But I couldn't stay. I felt empty with Max gone, and…I didn't know what I'd do to Liz if I saw her. I felt like it was all her fault, and I couldn't be near her without wanting for her to suffer for what had happened."

I gasped. So Michael had blamed me. Not that I hadn't deserved it and didn't believe it as well, but the knowledge that someone blamed me, that he had had to leave in order to avoid physically harming me, was sickening. God, what had I done? My stomach ached and I felt ill. I approached the pair.

"Liz!" Michael's face paled when he saw me, and I saw him gulp, his Adam's apple bulging.

"The rehearsal's beginning," I said, looking at Maria. "Isabel wants you to line up." She nodded, and I turned toward the entrance to the church. And then, without looking back, I ran out of the door, got into my car, and drove away.