Title: Thy Sweet Love Remember'd - Chapter 2 (The Morning After)
Author: PepperjackCandy
Series: Yep
Archive : my writing at fanfiction.net
Rating: PG
Category: Romance
Spoilers for: Everything. The entire series. I'm not kidding here.
Disclaimer: Roswell belongs to 20th Century Fox, Jason Katims Productions, and Regency Television, all of which are most emphatically not me.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail -- on-list or privately -- or using the review system at fanfiction.net.
A/N: Again with the notes re: dates. Liz's journal says September 27 at the beginning, contemplating what *will* happen in school. September 27, 1999 was a Monday, so we start on September 27, 1999 during school.
========
"Good afternoon, Miss Parker." Liz recognized the voice. It was Jim Valenti, only the voice was colder than she remembered. Harder.
"Hi, Mist . . . Sheriff Valenti."
His eyes narrowed at her stumble, but then he smiled at her, the same cold, slightly hard smile that she'd seen so often before Jim had found out that aliens truly *were* among them, and that they were benevolent. Well, the three who were residents of Roswell were, at any rate.
"I know you've given a statement to my men already, Miss Parker, but I thought I should come by and talk to you. Make sure you're all right."
"Thank you, Sheriff. I'm fine. Well, I will be fine, once I'm out of the hospital."
"Good." He took off his sunglasses and sat down on the chair by her bedside. "You told Deputy Hanson that you don't remember anything about the shooting. Have you remembered anything else in the meanwhile?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."
Jim nodded. "Some people in the Crashdown said that they saw Max Evans standing over you."
"Max?" Liz's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes. You do know Max Evans, don't you?""
Liz knew that Jim could be a valuable ally. She hoped that he could be a valuable ally, at least. That knowledge was the only thing that kept her from lying outright. "Yes. I know him. He's my lab partner for biology and he's in a couple of my other classes. He's been bringing my homework to me for those classes."
"And do you remember seeing Max Evans in the Crashdown the day of the shooting?"
"Yes." She said simply. "But we never spoke to each other or anything."
"Was he alone?"
She shook her head, indicating the negative. "His sister was with him. And that friend of theirs, with the spiky hair."
Valenti nodded. "Michael Guerin."
"Yeah. Him." Liz saw a flash of . . . something in Valenti's eyes for a moment. She wondered what it meant.
"Did either Isabel Evans or Michael Guerin approach you that day?"
She shook her head. "No, sir."
Jim furrowed his brow. "All right." He stood. "You take care of yourself, all right?"
She nodded. "All right." She responded just before Jim left the room.
~~~
After school, Max walked into Liz's hospital room, his backpack slung over one shoulder. "All right. Now you're starting to scare me."
"I'm just starting to scare you now?" Liz asked jokingly.
"I'm serious. How the hell did you know about Topolsky?"
"I told you, Max . . ."
"Precognitive dreams. Right."
"What else can I tell you? What did she say?"
"She asked where Michael was. Just like you said she would. I ran into her in the hallway and saw the stack of folders. Michael's was among them. What's her interest in him?"
Liz remembered Jim Valenti's curiosity about Michael, which had seemed so odd to her at the time. She knew that Topolsky and Jim had been in contact. So, had Topolsky told Jim about her interest in Michael, or had Jim told her about his? She needed to get out of the hospital. All of the inactivity was driving her crazy.
"I don't know." She said honestly. "Some things have already changed from what I dreamed."
"Changed?" Max sat down heavily in the chair by her bed. "What do you mean, changed?"
I mean that in my dream you healed me and Sheriff Valenti became suspicious of you. Now that it's common knowledge that I'd been shot, he's after . . . Michael. Liz thought, but she couldn't say that aloud. Not yet. "Well, in my dream, I didn't end up in the hospital, for one."
Max nodded slowly. "Why not?"
Liz was saved from answering by Maria's chirpy, cheerful voice as she entered the room. "Am I interrupting?"
"No, of course not." Liz said with a smile. Maria had been by to visit her several times over the weekend, but every time she saw her best friend, in the old pixie haircut she used to sport, it brought her back to a warmer, friendlier time in her heart.
"I guess I'd better go." Max mumbled as he stood to leave.
"No! Don't go!" Liz exclaimed instinctively.
Maria turned to Liz, her eyes wide in surprise.
Max slowly sat back down. "All right," he said in a dubious tone.
"Well, we haven't had time to talk about biology yet. Or anything." Liz said, lamely.
Max just looked at her, long and steadily. She stared back, wishing she could find the words that would bridge this uncomfortable gap. Turn him into 'her' Max. If anything would.
Maria looked from Liz to Max and back again. "I am interrupting. I'll go . . ."
"No. Stay." Max insisted. "You can go on our afternoon walk with us."
"Your afternoon walk?" Maria asked with raised brows.
Max blushed.
Liz came to his rescue. "Max has been coming with me every afternoon when I go for a walk. They tell me I'll get out of the hospital faster if I get up once in a while."
Maria nodded and indicated the door. "So, shall we?"
Max averted his gaze while Maria helped Liz into her robe. "So, how much longer will you be in here? People at school keep asking about you."
Liz shrugged. "They might let me go home tomorrow. It's hard to tell. They say that I should have died from the wound, but I didn't."
She glanced at Max out of the corner of her eye as she said this. Max just dropped his eyes, staring at his feet as they walked.
"So, did Max tell you about the weirdo substitute covering for Singer?" Maria babbled. "She actually asked if any of us believed in aliens." She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Max's attention to his shoes increased, causing him to nearly trip.
"You all right, Max?" Maria asked.
"Yeah. Fine." Max mumbled, not meeting Maria's eyes. He turned slightly away from the two young women.
Liz knew that Max was about to flee. She could see it in his body language. She looked to Maria. "Maria, can you leave us alone, please?" Liz begged Maria with her eyes to understand.
Maria nodded. "Sure."
When Liz turned back, Max had left. She headed after Max. "Max!" She called as loudly as she dared.
Max turned, the familiar hunted expression in his eyes.
Liz approached him slowly, willing him to stay calm, maintaining eye contact the whole way.
Finally, she stood right in front of him, looking deeply into his dark eyes. "We need to talk." She enunciated clearly.
Max nodded wordlessly.
"Let's go back to my room." She held out her hand, which he took, and together they walked back to her room.
When they reached her room, Liz closed the door while Max sat in the visitor's chair. Liz flopped back onto her bed. "Something about what Maria said about Topolsky bothered you. What was it?" Silently, she urged him to tell her the truth.
Max shook his head. "I guess I'm just unnerved by the dream you had. Is there . . . anything else you can tell me about it?"
"I wish I could. But I really don't know which things are going to happen, and which are just figments of my imagination. But . . ."
"All right. What do you know -- or think you know -- about Topolsky?"
"She's not a substitute at all. She is . . . or she'll say that she is . . . a guidance counselor."
"'She'll say that she is?'" Max quoted back to her.
"Well, that part I'm not sure of. In my dream, it turned out that she was an FBI agent."
Max nodded. "An FBI agent . . ." He repeated slowly. "Investigating what?"
She's with a branch of the FBI that is trying to root out aliens. Liz desperately wanted to tell Max the truth, but she couldn't. Not until Max trusted her enough to tell *her* the truth.
If that would ever happen.
Author: PepperjackCandy
Series: Yep
Archive : my writing at fanfiction.net
Rating: PG
Category: Romance
Spoilers for: Everything. The entire series. I'm not kidding here.
Disclaimer: Roswell belongs to 20th Century Fox, Jason Katims Productions, and Regency Television, all of which are most emphatically not me.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail -- on-list or privately -- or using the review system at fanfiction.net.
A/N: Again with the notes re: dates. Liz's journal says September 27 at the beginning, contemplating what *will* happen in school. September 27, 1999 was a Monday, so we start on September 27, 1999 during school.
========
"Good afternoon, Miss Parker." Liz recognized the voice. It was Jim Valenti, only the voice was colder than she remembered. Harder.
"Hi, Mist . . . Sheriff Valenti."
His eyes narrowed at her stumble, but then he smiled at her, the same cold, slightly hard smile that she'd seen so often before Jim had found out that aliens truly *were* among them, and that they were benevolent. Well, the three who were residents of Roswell were, at any rate.
"I know you've given a statement to my men already, Miss Parker, but I thought I should come by and talk to you. Make sure you're all right."
"Thank you, Sheriff. I'm fine. Well, I will be fine, once I'm out of the hospital."
"Good." He took off his sunglasses and sat down on the chair by her bedside. "You told Deputy Hanson that you don't remember anything about the shooting. Have you remembered anything else in the meanwhile?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."
Jim nodded. "Some people in the Crashdown said that they saw Max Evans standing over you."
"Max?" Liz's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes. You do know Max Evans, don't you?""
Liz knew that Jim could be a valuable ally. She hoped that he could be a valuable ally, at least. That knowledge was the only thing that kept her from lying outright. "Yes. I know him. He's my lab partner for biology and he's in a couple of my other classes. He's been bringing my homework to me for those classes."
"And do you remember seeing Max Evans in the Crashdown the day of the shooting?"
"Yes." She said simply. "But we never spoke to each other or anything."
"Was he alone?"
She shook her head, indicating the negative. "His sister was with him. And that friend of theirs, with the spiky hair."
Valenti nodded. "Michael Guerin."
"Yeah. Him." Liz saw a flash of . . . something in Valenti's eyes for a moment. She wondered what it meant.
"Did either Isabel Evans or Michael Guerin approach you that day?"
She shook her head. "No, sir."
Jim furrowed his brow. "All right." He stood. "You take care of yourself, all right?"
She nodded. "All right." She responded just before Jim left the room.
~~~
After school, Max walked into Liz's hospital room, his backpack slung over one shoulder. "All right. Now you're starting to scare me."
"I'm just starting to scare you now?" Liz asked jokingly.
"I'm serious. How the hell did you know about Topolsky?"
"I told you, Max . . ."
"Precognitive dreams. Right."
"What else can I tell you? What did she say?"
"She asked where Michael was. Just like you said she would. I ran into her in the hallway and saw the stack of folders. Michael's was among them. What's her interest in him?"
Liz remembered Jim Valenti's curiosity about Michael, which had seemed so odd to her at the time. She knew that Topolsky and Jim had been in contact. So, had Topolsky told Jim about her interest in Michael, or had Jim told her about his? She needed to get out of the hospital. All of the inactivity was driving her crazy.
"I don't know." She said honestly. "Some things have already changed from what I dreamed."
"Changed?" Max sat down heavily in the chair by her bed. "What do you mean, changed?"
I mean that in my dream you healed me and Sheriff Valenti became suspicious of you. Now that it's common knowledge that I'd been shot, he's after . . . Michael. Liz thought, but she couldn't say that aloud. Not yet. "Well, in my dream, I didn't end up in the hospital, for one."
Max nodded slowly. "Why not?"
Liz was saved from answering by Maria's chirpy, cheerful voice as she entered the room. "Am I interrupting?"
"No, of course not." Liz said with a smile. Maria had been by to visit her several times over the weekend, but every time she saw her best friend, in the old pixie haircut she used to sport, it brought her back to a warmer, friendlier time in her heart.
"I guess I'd better go." Max mumbled as he stood to leave.
"No! Don't go!" Liz exclaimed instinctively.
Maria turned to Liz, her eyes wide in surprise.
Max slowly sat back down. "All right," he said in a dubious tone.
"Well, we haven't had time to talk about biology yet. Or anything." Liz said, lamely.
Max just looked at her, long and steadily. She stared back, wishing she could find the words that would bridge this uncomfortable gap. Turn him into 'her' Max. If anything would.
Maria looked from Liz to Max and back again. "I am interrupting. I'll go . . ."
"No. Stay." Max insisted. "You can go on our afternoon walk with us."
"Your afternoon walk?" Maria asked with raised brows.
Max blushed.
Liz came to his rescue. "Max has been coming with me every afternoon when I go for a walk. They tell me I'll get out of the hospital faster if I get up once in a while."
Maria nodded and indicated the door. "So, shall we?"
Max averted his gaze while Maria helped Liz into her robe. "So, how much longer will you be in here? People at school keep asking about you."
Liz shrugged. "They might let me go home tomorrow. It's hard to tell. They say that I should have died from the wound, but I didn't."
She glanced at Max out of the corner of her eye as she said this. Max just dropped his eyes, staring at his feet as they walked.
"So, did Max tell you about the weirdo substitute covering for Singer?" Maria babbled. "She actually asked if any of us believed in aliens." She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Max's attention to his shoes increased, causing him to nearly trip.
"You all right, Max?" Maria asked.
"Yeah. Fine." Max mumbled, not meeting Maria's eyes. He turned slightly away from the two young women.
Liz knew that Max was about to flee. She could see it in his body language. She looked to Maria. "Maria, can you leave us alone, please?" Liz begged Maria with her eyes to understand.
Maria nodded. "Sure."
When Liz turned back, Max had left. She headed after Max. "Max!" She called as loudly as she dared.
Max turned, the familiar hunted expression in his eyes.
Liz approached him slowly, willing him to stay calm, maintaining eye contact the whole way.
Finally, she stood right in front of him, looking deeply into his dark eyes. "We need to talk." She enunciated clearly.
Max nodded wordlessly.
"Let's go back to my room." She held out her hand, which he took, and together they walked back to her room.
When they reached her room, Liz closed the door while Max sat in the visitor's chair. Liz flopped back onto her bed. "Something about what Maria said about Topolsky bothered you. What was it?" Silently, she urged him to tell her the truth.
Max shook his head. "I guess I'm just unnerved by the dream you had. Is there . . . anything else you can tell me about it?"
"I wish I could. But I really don't know which things are going to happen, and which are just figments of my imagination. But . . ."
"All right. What do you know -- or think you know -- about Topolsky?"
"She's not a substitute at all. She is . . . or she'll say that she is . . . a guidance counselor."
"'She'll say that she is?'" Max quoted back to her.
"Well, that part I'm not sure of. In my dream, it turned out that she was an FBI agent."
Max nodded. "An FBI agent . . ." He repeated slowly. "Investigating what?"
She's with a branch of the FBI that is trying to root out aliens. Liz desperately wanted to tell Max the truth, but she couldn't. Not until Max trusted her enough to tell *her* the truth.
If that would ever happen.