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 Four – Revelation
Max was sitting on a bench in the hallway outside the gym waiting for Liz to return with the punch he knew she was just hiding behind when he saw Kyle and Tess approach. He saw them well before they saw him and he watched them approach.
Tess was pretty; he mused...if you liked extremely short girls with annoyingly bouncy barbie curls who whined a lot. He wondered why he hadn't seen that before. Then Tess saw him and his mind began to cloud. He fought the sensation, and he saw that Tess was visibly worried about something at that second. She leaned towards Kyle, said something to him, and strode over to Max.
"You look sad," she began. Neither Tess nor Max noticed Liz standing in the shadows just beyond them, hold two cups of punch.
"I think it's really over," Max said quietly, looking up at Tess thoughtfully.
"You mean with Liz." Tess was careful to sound questioning, despite the fact that she was determined to make it a statement. She was also careful to keep from screaming triumphantly and requesting "We Are the Champions" be played...God knew she couldn't sing it. She sat down carefully next to Max.
"No, I don't mean with Liz." Tess' heart skipped a beat, as did Liz's. Tess' mind went blank with shock, while Liz's quick mind sorted out the only other possible thing Max could mean was over. Max and Tess.
"You don't mean..." Tess stuttered.
Max stood up abruptly and began pacing. "I mean it's over, Tess. No more memory-retrieval sessions if that's what they really are. No more clouding my mind whenever you see me. No more torturing Liz or anyone else with your whining complaints about destiny. And while I'm at it, no more calling Alex 'Al,' or treating him like dirt." Max turned to stare angrily into Tess' eyes. "No more ruining my life or my friends and families' lives for the sake of your stupid ideas about our 'destiny'!"
"Max!" Tess cried, grabbing his wrist. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A vision of his previous-self and Tess' previous-self kissing burst into his brain. Something about the vision communicated that it had been their first kiss.
Max jerked his arm away from Tess' grip. "Don't touch me! And don't you dare put visions in my head of things that may or may not have happened!"
Tess blanched visibly at Max's angry words. Realization dawned over Max.
"That's what you've been doing the whole time isn't it? My God, you've been playing me for a fool this whole time!"
Tess couldn't stop angry tears from spilling over her cheeks. "You weren't supposed to find out, damn you!"
"And that makes it all better? God, Tess! I love Liz! Do you hear me?" Max grabbed Tess' shoulders and shook her. "I love Liz!" He pushed Tess away, and she collapsed back onto the bench in defeat. Max turned back to Tess, leaning over her ominously. "I love her, I've always loved her. Then you came along and screwed it all up. You just wouldn't take no for an answer. And now, thanks to you and your endless manipulation and my own stupidity, Liz is in there getting punch so she'll have an excuse to put off talking to me. I may never work things out with Liz, but I'll be damned if I'm going to go running to you now or ever!" He turned his back on Tess. "Get out of my sight."
"Max..." Tess whined.
"Get out of my sight." The words were cold and emotionless. Tess had lost, and she knew it. She sprang up from the bench and stalked towards the exit. Max turned back to the bench. He looked around quickly, and seeing no one, still not noticing Liz, he swept his hand over the bench about an inch above it. A slight glow showed, then faded, and Max sat down wearily.
Liz emerged from the shadows. Silently she set the two cups of punch down and moved up behind Max. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, Max," she whispered in his ear.
"Liz!" Max exclaimed, surprised.
"Were you just cleaning that bench?" she asked amusedly.
"Um, yeah...I just didn't want to...how much of that did you see?"
"Oh...from about 'I think it's really over' to 'get out of my sight.'"
Max winced. "That would be everything."
"It would." Liz agreed quietly. Then she walked around the bench and sat down next to Max. "I love you, Max. I've always loved you, even when I didn't know it. I'm sorry I let things go so far."
Max reached out and gently touched Liz's cheek. "None of this was your fault, Liz."
"But it was!" Liz insisted. She took a deep breath. It was time the truth came out. "Do you remember when you asked me how I knew to warn you about the granilith?"
Max nodded.
"I never answered your question. It's high time I did."
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 Four – Revelation
Max was sitting on a bench in the hallway outside the gym waiting for Liz to return with the punch he knew she was just hiding behind when he saw Kyle and Tess approach. He saw them well before they saw him and he watched them approach.
Tess was pretty; he mused...if you liked extremely short girls with annoyingly bouncy barbie curls who whined a lot. He wondered why he hadn't seen that before. Then Tess saw him and his mind began to cloud. He fought the sensation, and he saw that Tess was visibly worried about something at that second. She leaned towards Kyle, said something to him, and strode over to Max.
"You look sad," she began. Neither Tess nor Max noticed Liz standing in the shadows just beyond them, hold two cups of punch.
"I think it's really over," Max said quietly, looking up at Tess thoughtfully.
"You mean with Liz." Tess was careful to sound questioning, despite the fact that she was determined to make it a statement. She was also careful to keep from screaming triumphantly and requesting "We Are the Champions" be played...God knew she couldn't sing it. She sat down carefully next to Max.
"No, I don't mean with Liz." Tess' heart skipped a beat, as did Liz's. Tess' mind went blank with shock, while Liz's quick mind sorted out the only other possible thing Max could mean was over. Max and Tess.
"You don't mean..." Tess stuttered.
Max stood up abruptly and began pacing. "I mean it's over, Tess. No more memory-retrieval sessions if that's what they really are. No more clouding my mind whenever you see me. No more torturing Liz or anyone else with your whining complaints about destiny. And while I'm at it, no more calling Alex 'Al,' or treating him like dirt." Max turned to stare angrily into Tess' eyes. "No more ruining my life or my friends and families' lives for the sake of your stupid ideas about our 'destiny'!"
"Max!" Tess cried, grabbing his wrist. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A vision of his previous-self and Tess' previous-self kissing burst into his brain. Something about the vision communicated that it had been their first kiss.
Max jerked his arm away from Tess' grip. "Don't touch me! And don't you dare put visions in my head of things that may or may not have happened!"
Tess blanched visibly at Max's angry words. Realization dawned over Max.
"That's what you've been doing the whole time isn't it? My God, you've been playing me for a fool this whole time!"
Tess couldn't stop angry tears from spilling over her cheeks. "You weren't supposed to find out, damn you!"
"And that makes it all better? God, Tess! I love Liz! Do you hear me?" Max grabbed Tess' shoulders and shook her. "I love Liz!" He pushed Tess away, and she collapsed back onto the bench in defeat. Max turned back to Tess, leaning over her ominously. "I love her, I've always loved her. Then you came along and screwed it all up. You just wouldn't take no for an answer. And now, thanks to you and your endless manipulation and my own stupidity, Liz is in there getting punch so she'll have an excuse to put off talking to me. I may never work things out with Liz, but I'll be damned if I'm going to go running to you now or ever!" He turned his back on Tess. "Get out of my sight."
"Max..." Tess whined.
"Get out of my sight." The words were cold and emotionless. Tess had lost, and she knew it. She sprang up from the bench and stalked towards the exit. Max turned back to the bench. He looked around quickly, and seeing no one, still not noticing Liz, he swept his hand over the bench about an inch above it. A slight glow showed, then faded, and Max sat down wearily.
Liz emerged from the shadows. Silently she set the two cups of punch down and moved up behind Max. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, Max," she whispered in his ear.
"Liz!" Max exclaimed, surprised.
"Were you just cleaning that bench?" she asked amusedly.
"Um, yeah...I just didn't want to...how much of that did you see?"
"Oh...from about 'I think it's really over' to 'get out of my sight.'"
Max winced. "That would be everything."
"It would." Liz agreed quietly. Then she walked around the bench and sat down next to Max. "I love you, Max. I've always loved you, even when I didn't know it. I'm sorry I let things go so far."
Max reached out and gently touched Liz's cheek. "None of this was your fault, Liz."
"But it was!" Liz insisted. She took a deep breath. It was time the truth came out. "Do you remember when you asked me how I knew to warn you about the granilith?"
Max nodded.
"I never answered your question. It's high time I did."