PROM, REVISITED
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, would I need to write this story? I didn't think so.
Category: Mostly M/L, with a little M/M and I/A
Summary: Junior Prom, with an AU twist. Max makes a different choice when he and Liz are talking on the dance floor. M/L, with a little M/M and A/I.
Feedback: Please. *Pretty Please*
Author's Note: I was reading the transcript for Heart of Mine because of something I needed to do for my website, when I came to the part where Max and Liz are talking on the dance floor. I thought to myself that if Max had made a different decision when Liz went to dance with Maria, things could have turned out much better. I kept reading, but then I just had to see what would happen if Max hadn't just let Liz go. This fic came out of that. Some dialogue is straight from the show and I don't claim to have made it up.
Part One – Snap Decision
Max took Liz's hand and led her out to the dance floor. A slow song came on and he drew her into his embrace. He wasn't surprised by the fact that it felt like coming home. He hadn't held Liz in a long time. Everything had been so complicated, with the Gandarium and Valenti losing his job and the trip to Vegas. But Liz had asked him to prom and he felt hope for them grow even as he continued to see Tess for their memory retrieval sessions. Max purposely turned his thoughts away from Tess and back to the girl he held in his arms. It felt so right to have her there again.
"Max, I just want to say that I feel really weird."
Max, startled, looked down into her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Liz took a deep breath, preparing herself to say the hated words. "I mean I saw you with Tess."
"Saw me what with Tess?" Max's mind blanked…he hadn't seen Tess except at the pre-prom Crashdown party since their last memory-retrieval session.
Liz steeled herself to get the words out. She couldn't believe he was actually going to make her say it. "I saw you with her. I came by your house yesterday to talk to you about something and you were with her."
Max covered the relief he felt at Liz's words. He could explain. It was going to be okay. "We were just trying to find out things about where I came from, that's all." But Max could tell his words did little to reassure Liz.
"I know, I know, I mean, you know, you keep saying that. But you um, keep on leaving out this really pertinent fact. That you were married to her. I feel like my whole life for the past year has been waiting for some really bad news. Oh, you know, by the way Liz, I remember Tess, and I love her. It's really paralyzing."
"I know it's not easy."
"No, Max, it can be. It can be really, really easy. You know, we both just stop pretending."
"What do you mean?" She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant. Because she had it wrong if she did. They weren't pretending. If anyone was pretending, it was Max and Tess. Max's thoughts were racing, but Liz's voice interrupted him.
"You know, maybe we're both just holding on to something that'll never be. Max, maybe we should just let go. I have been in so much pain. This whole year. And it's like I'm suffocating." It was so hard for her to say what she'd said, but Liz knew she had to say them. For Max's sake as much as for her own. She thought back to Future Max's visit. He'd wanted her Max to fall in love with Tess. Liz knew that she was still standing in the way of that.
"Liz..." Max began, but trailed off as she stared up at him with her dark, sad eyes. He couldn't form the words he wanted to say. To say that she was the only girl he could ever want, and that nothing Tess could make him remember about their planet could change that. Nothing.
Max noticed that Liz was looking at Maria, standing by herself.
"Um, I should go, you know, for Maria."
Max knew that if he wanted to save his hopes and dreams about Liz, now was the time to act. He knew that he couldn't leave Liz with all that had been said. And all that hadn't. He also knew that Maria needed Liz.
"Right," he murmured, trying to buy time to think.
"She's all alone tonight." Liz didn't add that she was certain that she herself was about to be as well. After everything, she still didn't want to really say the words that would end things.
A sad, resigned look came into Max's eyes, and Liz knew exactly what he was going to say, and exactly what would happen. He would say go ahead and she would, and they would be over. She couldn't keep the sad look in his eyes from being mirrored in her own. She felt a wall being dragged down between them, and fought the pained cry that wanted to escape her throat.
Suddenly Max's eyes changed, and his look was not one of sad resignation. It was one of stubborn, hopeless determination.
"I'll go with you."
Liz's shocked eyes flew to Max's. He was supposed to say go ahead, she thought wildly. And I was supposed to go ahead and let go.
"You'll go with me?"
"I'll go with you." With those words, Max pasted on his best I'm-gonna- cheer-somebody-up smile and pulled Liz toward Maria.
"I find," Max said as he stopped in front of Maria, "that there are two women in this gym who are more beautiful than all the rest." Maria sent a questioning look to Liz, who shook her head dazedly. Max continued as though he hadn't seen the look. "I also find that I am only dancing with one of them. I believe, and I'm sure you will agree, that as a king, I deserve to dance with both of them." Max kept a serious, expectant; kingly look on his face until Maria and Liz both burst out laughing. He didn't miss a beat.
"You dare mock me? I am a king!" The exaggerated arrogance and outrage in Max's tone put Liz and Maria into further giggle spasms.
"For one dance with the two most beautiful women in this gymnasium, I would gladly renounce my throne," he added gallantly.
"Th-th-that won't be necessary, Your Highness," Maria sputtered between giggles. She grabbed Liz and Max's hands. "Shall we dance, my friends?"
"We shall," declared Liz, and the trio whirled onto the dance floor. Maria and Liz danced wildly, with complete abandon to the fast song the poured out of the gym's sound system. Max was slightly more reserved, but served as a very handy center for Liz and Maria to dance around. All three of them were laughing as they hadn't laughed since Tess' arrival in Roswell.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, would I need to write this story? I didn't think so.
Category: Mostly M/L, with a little M/M and I/A
Summary: Junior Prom, with an AU twist. Max makes a different choice when he and Liz are talking on the dance floor. M/L, with a little M/M and A/I.
Feedback: Please. *Pretty Please*
Author's Note: I was reading the transcript for Heart of Mine because of something I needed to do for my website, when I came to the part where Max and Liz are talking on the dance floor. I thought to myself that if Max had made a different decision when Liz went to dance with Maria, things could have turned out much better. I kept reading, but then I just had to see what would happen if Max hadn't just let Liz go. This fic came out of that. Some dialogue is straight from the show and I don't claim to have made it up.
Part One – Snap Decision
Max took Liz's hand and led her out to the dance floor. A slow song came on and he drew her into his embrace. He wasn't surprised by the fact that it felt like coming home. He hadn't held Liz in a long time. Everything had been so complicated, with the Gandarium and Valenti losing his job and the trip to Vegas. But Liz had asked him to prom and he felt hope for them grow even as he continued to see Tess for their memory retrieval sessions. Max purposely turned his thoughts away from Tess and back to the girl he held in his arms. It felt so right to have her there again.
"Max, I just want to say that I feel really weird."
Max, startled, looked down into her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Liz took a deep breath, preparing herself to say the hated words. "I mean I saw you with Tess."
"Saw me what with Tess?" Max's mind blanked…he hadn't seen Tess except at the pre-prom Crashdown party since their last memory-retrieval session.
Liz steeled herself to get the words out. She couldn't believe he was actually going to make her say it. "I saw you with her. I came by your house yesterday to talk to you about something and you were with her."
Max covered the relief he felt at Liz's words. He could explain. It was going to be okay. "We were just trying to find out things about where I came from, that's all." But Max could tell his words did little to reassure Liz.
"I know, I know, I mean, you know, you keep saying that. But you um, keep on leaving out this really pertinent fact. That you were married to her. I feel like my whole life for the past year has been waiting for some really bad news. Oh, you know, by the way Liz, I remember Tess, and I love her. It's really paralyzing."
"I know it's not easy."
"No, Max, it can be. It can be really, really easy. You know, we both just stop pretending."
"What do you mean?" She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant. Because she had it wrong if she did. They weren't pretending. If anyone was pretending, it was Max and Tess. Max's thoughts were racing, but Liz's voice interrupted him.
"You know, maybe we're both just holding on to something that'll never be. Max, maybe we should just let go. I have been in so much pain. This whole year. And it's like I'm suffocating." It was so hard for her to say what she'd said, but Liz knew she had to say them. For Max's sake as much as for her own. She thought back to Future Max's visit. He'd wanted her Max to fall in love with Tess. Liz knew that she was still standing in the way of that.
"Liz..." Max began, but trailed off as she stared up at him with her dark, sad eyes. He couldn't form the words he wanted to say. To say that she was the only girl he could ever want, and that nothing Tess could make him remember about their planet could change that. Nothing.
Max noticed that Liz was looking at Maria, standing by herself.
"Um, I should go, you know, for Maria."
Max knew that if he wanted to save his hopes and dreams about Liz, now was the time to act. He knew that he couldn't leave Liz with all that had been said. And all that hadn't. He also knew that Maria needed Liz.
"Right," he murmured, trying to buy time to think.
"She's all alone tonight." Liz didn't add that she was certain that she herself was about to be as well. After everything, she still didn't want to really say the words that would end things.
A sad, resigned look came into Max's eyes, and Liz knew exactly what he was going to say, and exactly what would happen. He would say go ahead and she would, and they would be over. She couldn't keep the sad look in his eyes from being mirrored in her own. She felt a wall being dragged down between them, and fought the pained cry that wanted to escape her throat.
Suddenly Max's eyes changed, and his look was not one of sad resignation. It was one of stubborn, hopeless determination.
"I'll go with you."
Liz's shocked eyes flew to Max's. He was supposed to say go ahead, she thought wildly. And I was supposed to go ahead and let go.
"You'll go with me?"
"I'll go with you." With those words, Max pasted on his best I'm-gonna- cheer-somebody-up smile and pulled Liz toward Maria.
"I find," Max said as he stopped in front of Maria, "that there are two women in this gym who are more beautiful than all the rest." Maria sent a questioning look to Liz, who shook her head dazedly. Max continued as though he hadn't seen the look. "I also find that I am only dancing with one of them. I believe, and I'm sure you will agree, that as a king, I deserve to dance with both of them." Max kept a serious, expectant; kingly look on his face until Maria and Liz both burst out laughing. He didn't miss a beat.
"You dare mock me? I am a king!" The exaggerated arrogance and outrage in Max's tone put Liz and Maria into further giggle spasms.
"For one dance with the two most beautiful women in this gymnasium, I would gladly renounce my throne," he added gallantly.
"Th-th-that won't be necessary, Your Highness," Maria sputtered between giggles. She grabbed Liz and Max's hands. "Shall we dance, my friends?"
"We shall," declared Liz, and the trio whirled onto the dance floor. Maria and Liz danced wildly, with complete abandon to the fast song the poured out of the gym's sound system. Max was slightly more reserved, but served as a very handy center for Liz and Maria to dance around. All three of them were laughing as they hadn't laughed since Tess' arrival in Roswell.