The Time Between
By Adrienne
Summary: Another story about the pod squad leaving
Earth – actually it's more about their return. A M/M and M/L as well as a Maria
and Liz friendship piece with a definite happy ending.
Rating: PG-13
Email: AgeRose@aol.com
Spoilers: Up until and parts of Departure
Disclaimer: Just me writing a little Roswell fiction
at 1 am for the fun of it. No money is being made off of his. Leave me alone.
;)
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They were the darkest shade of purple that Maria DeLuca had
ever seen. Almost black. The smile on her face refused to go away as she looked
for a vase to place the flowers in. She loved how the forest green leaves mixed
with the purple pedals, but even more, she loved the fact that she had even
received flowers. No card accompanied the bouquet. A wistful sigh escaped her
full lips as she rummaged around the kitchen.
"You're up rather early for the first day of vacation," Liz
Parker mumbled sleepily as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"I know. We have got to get some curtains for the bedrooms. Or
at least mine. The sun hits me smack in the face first thing."
"Who are the flowers from?"
"Michael."
"What?"
"A girl can dream, can't she?"
Liz collapsed tiredly onto one of the stools at the counter.
"I'm sorry. It's just been a year already."
"I know," Maria muttered with sudden sadness. It was too
early in the morning to face reality. But the two best friends had been facing
it for an entire year already.
"They're really pretty," Liz commented in hopes of changing
the subject.
"Yeah, aren't they? They were on the counter at the
Crashdown. Or at least that's what Kyle said. Since he was there to help your
dad open, he drove over and dropped them off before his shift started."
"What's the card say?"
"No card. Just this ribbon with my name written on it."
"Brody?"
"Probably," Maria responded with a dejected expression.
Time had gone by – three hundred and seventy-two days, but
they both had stopped counting for fear of losing their last shreds of sanity.
Jim Valenti had reclaimed his beloved job as Sheriff after Agent Duff put in a
good word for him. He and Maria's mother, Amy, had grown so intimate that they
began spending entire weekends off in the mountains. Maria, Liz, and Kyle
Valenti returned to school as seniors, but they returned alone. The small desert
town mourned once more over the loss of youths in Roswell, New Mexico. First
Alex Whitman, the two girls' lifetime friend. And then Max and Isabel Evans,
Michael Guerin, and Tess Harding. The town was impacted in sentiment. The loss
suffered was no greater felt than in the hearts of Maria, Liz, and Kyle,
however, despite the fact that they, the Sheriff, and later on Mr. and Mrs.
Evans, were the only ones who knew the four hadn't truly died when the jeep
rolled off the cliff early last summer. The following weeks were spent in
mourning. The Evans' watched the video their children recorded for them. The
shock was apparent, the fear for their children's safety obviously visible, but
a certain relief also clung to their voices as they asked Liz and Maria endless
questions about Max and Isabel's secret. They were still alive, and that
allowed hope to manifest inside.
"They're really pretty," Liz repeated, emphasizing the
gesture.
"But Liz. I told Brody very politely to back off."
"He's a nice guy, Maria."
"I know. And he's also loaded. Not to mention sensitive.
Every girl's wish-come-true, right? But I can't throw myself into a
relationship yet. I don't know if I'll ever want to."
"I understand. I haven't been able to either. It's just that
we've got to move on soon."
Maria didn't answer. She merely sniffed the flowers before
letting the crystal vase rest upon the kitchen's window seal.
The Czechoslovakians busted through the atmosphere in a tiny
shuttle the previous year, and the humans left behind were about to embark on
their second summer since the departure. Several people heard the explosion,
but many interpreted it as thunder. A few people saw the trail of smoke form in
a split second. Nothing was confirmed. No pictures were captured, but the
rumors alone were enough to bring an unusually large number of tourists to the
tiny town, which meant the Crashdown was as hectic as ever. It was Kyle who now
cooked at the grill. Maria's heart plummeted every time she walked over to
fetch an order and saw him there instead of Michael. She knew Kyle could see
the disappointment in her face, but she couldn't help it, and he understood. He
had lost an alien too.
Maria and Liz forced themselves to move on, and as a drastic
show of independence, they committed themselves to finding a place to live on
their own. They ended up moving out as soon as they were both eighteen. It was
a nice house, two stories high, but not too big. Both girls had saved the
majority of their Crashdown earnings over the last three years and had no
trouble affording it. It was convincing their parents that had been the hardest
part. The fact that they were now eighteen and that the house was only five
blocks away from the Crashdown made Amy as well as the Parkers settle their
fears. Besides, Liz and Maria would look after each other better than anyone
ever could. They insisted they had been best friends since before time.
Maria hung out with Brody a few times, and Liz flung herself
into Sean DeLuca's arms, but both lasted less than a week. Their hearts refused
to be a part of a new relationship. Sean soon after left Roswell, and Brody
flooded himself with abduction research after being rejected by Maria.
"You know what would be the best thing ever? If Michael
really did send me those flowers and he's outside somewhere, too stubborn to
come in because he's afraid that I've moved on or something."
"Maria!" Liz pleaded.
"What? So sue me for being optimistic."
"I won't, but I will sue you for your optimism rubbing off
on me," she replied with a smile, exasperated.
Maria turned to glance out into the yard, half hoping to see
him out there. When she didn't, she felt a small pang of disappointment, but
the past year had made that feeling impact her less.
"We can be happy without them," Liz stated more to herself
than to Maria.
Maria snorted. "Yes. We've established that. But like you've
already said. Every single guy from now on will only be second-best. We both
lost our soul mates, Lizzie. We'll never be as happy as we could have been."
"We should have never gotten involved." The two girls looked
at each other solemnly, and they both knew the statement couldn't be further
from the truth.
"We're both off today. What do you want to do?" Maria questioned
as she took a sip of water.
"Let's get some sheets for the bedrooms. Then you won't be
banging around in the kitchen so early in the morning anymore."
They both giggled and headed upstairs to change, unaware of
the set of eyes watching them from the behind the bush on the side of the
house.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"It's been a long day," Kyle groaned from behind the
counter.
"Hi, Kyle," Maria and Liz greeted in unison as they seated
themselves on the swiveling stools.
"Evening, ladies."
"Has it been busy?" Liz questioned.
"No. It's been a mad house!"
All three laughed. "Be glad you're off in ten minutes then."
"Maria. We close in ten minutes. Of course I'm off. These
open to closes really bite. You know that?"
Maria rolled her eyes playfully. She and Liz had worked
countless open to closes over the years.
"So what are your plans for tonight?"
"I'm going to rent a movie with Sara."
"Oooooh. Sara!" Maria said in the tone of a fourth grader.
"It's called dating. You know, you two should try it. I know
the intergalactic relationships kind of swayed you away from it, but the whole
human-with-human concept is pretty normal. It's quite nice."
"Easy for you to say. You thought of Tess as a sister, man."
Kyle shrugged and stared down at the counter top, rubbing
away ketchup stains with his cloth. No customers remained in the café. The
lights were dim. The night stars twinkled above the building and the half
moon's beams filtered in. Silence fell on top of the three friends' shoulders.
It was clear that Tess was a topic that still pained him. As ready as he was to
pursue a relationship, he couldn't get past the loss of a considered sister. He
never really had that much time to be a brother in the first place. It hurt too
much to even think about, and so he tried not to.
"Sorry, Kyle," Maria finally spoke. Kyle shrugged it off
with a laugh.
"Time will heal all. At least I think. Eventually, I hope."
"Yeah," Liz agreed.
"Listen, we just came by to see if you wanted to come over
after you closed here and watch a movie with us, but obviously you have other
plans, so we'll catch ya tomorrow."
"All right. And, girls. I hope you take my advice on the
whole dating thing."
"I wish it were that easy," Liz uttered as unexpected tears
hit her. Maria looked over to her.
"Interstellar relationships might have never been meant to
be, but to have one at all has made life all the more worthwhile," Maria stated
with a fiercely prided smile. She grabbed Liz's hand and started to leave.
Kyle smiled at the two girls as they walked out. At times,
he thought of them as so fragile, but they always turned around and showed him
their interminable strength. A contented sensation filled in his stomach just
then, almost full enough to overcome the emptiness living inside of him because
of Tess. He was never gladder to be friends with Maria DeLuca and Liz Parker as
he was in that moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The
mood had lightened up in the Jetta on the short drive back home. The girls were
laughing again as Maria pulled up in front of their house. The sky was clearer
than ever before. Looking at the vastness above them, they both silently
wondered how far away Antar was.
"Maria,"
Liz whispered.
"Yeah?"
Maria answered in the same somber tone.
"We
keep saying that we have to move on, but we haven't."
"Michael
probably got over me a long time ago," she stated, not really believing it. The
night he left, she knew for the first time that he loved her more than she ever
believed was possible. The way he held her so delicately as they made love. No,
there was no denying that the love fortified was too strong to crumble after a
year. But would seeing a completely new world change that?
"We
don't really want to forget them, Maria."
"We
don't," she agreed.
"And
we are happy. I mean, I love living with my best friend. And we certainly find
ways to have a blast, always. Kyle's becoming a bigger friend each day."
"And
we were a part of a great thing, Liz. And as much happiness as we have now, and
for as grateful as I am to have ever gotten the chance to love Michael Geurin
and find friendship in Max and Isabel … I still want them home. Here, with us."
Liz
nodded silently, just as vehement as Maria.
"So,"
Maria began again, "let's not try and forget about them anymore, okay? Because
I couldn't bear it if we lost that too. We could never forget the past two
years, so let's stop trying. It won't make anything better."
Liz
stepped over to her best friend, embracing her in the midnight glimmer of
stars. "We won't then. We'll talk about it whenever we need to. Tell stories of
the good times over and over. And we'll still enjoy life now. Who knows. We
just might find love again."
Maria
nodded, her head against Liz's shoulder. "Let's go inside."
As
Maria pressed the key into the lock and pushed the oak door open, the sound of
Alex's voice hit their ears. Flashes of light threw themselves up against the
walls, as both girls realized the television was on. They looked at each other
with questioning expressions, but both made a face that the other easily read.
Neither of them had left it on.
They
walked inside and into the living room. The video Liz and Maria had made was
playing. Left with nothing to do but fill in space last summer, they had
decided to use Alex's computer equipment to edit their videos. Adding music and
effects, they created a touching look into the lives of humans and aliens, only
the video didn't show the distinction. The video was simply eight teenagers and
the times they had together – both happy and poignant times.
A
single lamp beside the couch was turned on. Their eyes seemed to distract away
from the television at the same time as they came across the figure sitting in
the direct center of the sofa. He stood up quickly, blurring the girls'
frightened vision so that they could only see what was happening when he was standing
straight and still. Liz gasped as Maria frantically searched for Liz's arm. She
quickly found it and grasped to her.
Max
stood before them. "I'm sorry," he said with a tremendous pain etched behind
his voice. The look on his face was enough to make the strongest of hearts
break in a mere moment. He was dressed in dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and
his old jean jacket. He almost looked exactly the same as he did a year ago.
Almost. The pain in his eyes was enough to visibly change his appearance,
though. "I'm sorry we came in."
"Max,"
Liz whispered, unable to move from her position beside her trembling friend.
Tears
were welling in everyone's eyes. Max could not tear his gaze from Liz. "I'm so
sorry, Liz." She knew he wasn't apologizing for coming into their home while
they were gone. His face grimaced in torture. "I didn't mean for you to see me.
I didn't want to bring you two anymore pain. None of us did."
Liz
broke gently from her friend's grasp and rushed further into the living room.
An odd feeling precipitated through her chest. It hurt so much that it was hard
to breathe, but it was an exhilarating pain.
The relief and blissful unexpectedness overwhelmed that pain instantly.
Maria
watched from her distance. As Liz ran into Max, she saw him step back,
intercepting her petite body. His own body shook, and with another moment, the
two collapsed onto their knees, still holding onto each other. His arms wrapped
around her so tightly. His eyes were closed and his face was twisted in
emotional turmoil. The absence of Liz Parker's touch for so long had impacted
him the very second her skin touched his.
"You
said 'we' Max," Maria mumbled, almost too afraid to ask – almost too afraid to
find out if Michael had returned as well.
Max
opened his moist eyes as motioned upstairs with his head. Maria nodded with a
hard swallow. As she walked away from the emotional scene in the living room,
she heard Liz ask if Isabel was okay.
"She's
at home with our parents," he muttered, his face buried in her hair. Their bodies
shook with sobs, and they refused to let go.
"Liz.
I love you, Liz."
Maria
quickly walked up the steps, her heartbeats increasing with every inch closer
she came to the top. Once she was there, she was almost afraid to turn and look
down the hall, but she turned despite the fear.
Michael
was there, just three yards in front of her, lying down in the hallway. He was
still.
"Oh
gawd," Maria cried as the emotional tidal wave slammed into her. She ran to
him, falling down beside him and clasping his blue shirt all at the same time.
Michael jerked in surprise, pulling away and sitting up just as quickly,
preparing for defense. His breath was heavy in his throat from being startled.
"It's
me!" Maria shouted out, bringing her arms in front of her face for protection.
Michael quickly put his hands down, realizing he was far away from the war that
had been a part of him for the past year. A new form of alarm filled his lungs.
He hadn't meant to fall asleep outside her bedroom door. He and Max were going
to leave before she and Liz ever came back. But now, Maria was kneeling in
front of him. She had him trapped. He pressed against the door, still trying to
catch his breath.
Michael
looked down at his trembling hands. Maria's eyes followed. He had Maria's blue
tank top clutched in his right hand. Finding it lying on the couch earlier in
the evening, he couldn't help but grab it and take in the familiar scent of
cypress and cedar and roses that was every bit Maria. The memories had flooded
through his mind the second he brought the article of clothing to his nose.
Now, as he looked down at it, he felt so wrong for even being there. He let his
hand release the shirt, wanting to pretend he had never touched it.
For
once, Maria waited for Michael to be the first one to speak. Only he didn't know
what to say. "You like the flowers?" He asked. His body was calming down, aside
from his heart which still insisted on beating furiously inside his chest.
"I
knew you sent them to me," Maria resounded with utter joy. She leaped into his
arms. "They were the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. Oh, Michael. Deep
down, I knew you sent them to me."
"Uh,
Maria. I didn't plan on being here when you came back."
"What?"
"Maxwell
and I were going to be gone before you and Liz came home," he tried explaining again.
She
broke away from him in order to see his face. "Why?" she asked outrageously.
Michael
diverted his eyes quickly. Maria watched his bottom lip tremble. She reached to
find his hand.
"We
all three decided that we weren't going to let you know we came back. It would
have been asking too much of you guys after we said goodbye once already."
"Michael,"
Maria whispered. "You don't know how happy I am that you're back." She embraced
his slightly quivering body again. And this time, flashes bombarded both of them.
Michael had let go, allowing her to see him.
She
saw thick, dirty smoke, and she could hear sounds like explosions. She could
feel the fear inside of Michael. The flashes were quick, but soon the
devastating images gave way to warmer ones, memories she shared with him. The
all important image of him collapsing in tears onto her bed after coming in out
of the rain; her screaming at him in the middle of the woods, shouting at him
that she wouldn't leave him; the two making love the last night they were together.
"I
left you, Maria. You told me that you wouldn't leave me. You cared about me too
much. But I left you," he sobbed. She could feel her shirt becoming wet, but
she didn't care. She gripped at him so tight that her knuckles were becoming
white in color.
"I'm
sorry." His voice was pained, and it made Maria shudder.
"You
came back, though."
"I
never wanted to leave. Believe me, Maria. I tried getting out of the pod
chamber, but Tess said being together was the only way. Oh, Maria, she lied to
us. She lied to all of us."
"I
don't understand." She couldn't stop hugging him. The two latched onto each
other as Michael squeezed his eyelids shut. He couldn't bring himself to tell
her the truth about Tess. Not now anyway. She wouldn't be able to handle finding
out that Tess Harding was responsible for Alex's death.
"It's
not important right now."
"What's
important is that you guys are back."
"Back
for good. I was so afraid that you had moved on. That's why we didn't want to
let you know we had returned. We didn't want to screw your lives up."
"I
would have waited forever, space boy."
"We
can't stay here. Isabel, Max, and I. We can't stay in Roswell. They think we're
dead."
"We'll
move. Liz and I. We'll move out of the town if we can't come up with an explanation
as to why everyone assumed you were dead. If we can't, then we'll move out of
here with you in a heartbeat."
The
confidence touched Michael's heart. Being away from her for so long had worn
him down, wearing down any last stonewalls that remained erected. He could no
longer brood. He could only admit the love for his Maria that flew through his
body.
"Don't
be afraid, Maria. Don't ever be afraid of me leaving again. I'm here and I want
nothing more than to stay. All those times I told you to stay away from me.…
Going home and going through that war made everything change. This is home.
Being with you is my fate, and it's all I want. I know I never said this
enough. But, I love you, Maria."
"Oh
gawd, Michael. I love you…. I love you!" she squealed happily, squeezing him
even tighter. Liz was downstairs undoubtedly clinging to Max just as hard.
Michael was in Maria's arms telling her everything she ever wanted to hear, and
he was completely sincere about every single word. He wanted to hold onto her just
as much as she needed to hold onto him. He was promising her that he'd never
willingly leave her again.
And
so Maria and Liz embraced the loves of their life for the remainder of the
night. Liz led Max upstairs and to her bedroom. Maria had already done the same
with Michael. The night was filled with tears of the greatest relief ever felt
by any of them. The night was filled with happiness of a blissful reunion. Best
of all, the night was filled with intentions of an infinitely joyous future
that Maria and Liz had almost given up on.
The
fear of lost time quickly diminished. After a year, feelings hadn't changed. As
Maria slept in the comfort of Michael's arms and Liz in Max's, the days spent
apart almost seemed to melt away, giving the sense that the time between had
been nothing more than a horrible nightmare that had come to its end. It gave
way to a bright dream, as the love falling over that house showed it could and
forever would prevail over any destruction that threatened to destroy. Life had
never been greater.
The
End.
