Part 4
"You came back." Liz stared at the boy standing in the doorway to the Crashdown, a tentative expression on his face. He looked exactly the same - did not even look a day older. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, from the haircut, to the old t-shirt he had been wearing the last time she had seen him.
Well, one thing was different. His eyes were haunted, having witnessed horrors that no one should ever be subjected to - maybe having even experienced them himself.
"I had to see you." He said, his voice husky with emotion
"You didn't even say good-bye."
"I couldn't. I would never have found the strength to go if I had."
"It's too late." Liz said it quietly, firmly, knew it was the truth. His eyes darkened with pain, making her want to rush into his arms despite herself, wanting to comfort him. She moved slightly, against her will, causing the full skirt of her white gown to swing into the line of her vision. "It's too late." She repeated, sadly this time. And she knew it was. It was her wedding day after all. She was marrying another man.
"I know." He turned, started to leave.
She swallowed, tried not to call after him, but her heart was screaming for him. "MAX! Don't leave! Please!"
But he kept walking.
"MAX! Come back!"
Liz sat up with a gasp, clutching the thin sheet to her chest. She took great gulping breaths, trying to get a hold of herself. It took her a full minute to get her bearings.
The familiar shapes and shadows of her childhood bedroom began to come into focus, and with them, a sense of security and comfort. Liz threw the sheet back, stumbled across the room to the bathroom, filled a glass with water and drank it down before she even tried to get a sense of what had just happened to her.
She knew it had been a dream. She had just woken up hadn't she?
But it had been the most realistic dream she had ever experienced. She had been able to see Max breathing, could smell him even.
Even after all this time, she remembered exactly what he smelled like. And she had tried to convince Maria that she was over him! Ha!
It was being back in Roswell that was doing this to her, seeing Isabel, talking about Michael... She had been perfectly sane, perfectly happy back in Boston, perfectly in love with a perfect guy. Max had been a distant memory.
But, here, he was back. Maybe not physically... But there was no question that he was back.
What the hell was she going to do?
You are going to go to Isabel's school and you are going to exorcise his ghost once and for all a firm voice in the back of her head told her.
Yes. That was what she was going to do. She was going to get her life in order and she was going to be happy, even if it killed her.
As Liz showered and dressed, she sighed with relief that her parents were still old-fashioned enough to insist on separate bedrooms for she and Dan until the wedding day. They had to know that they were sleeping together - they [I]were[/I] living together after all - but under their roof, she was still their little girl. And it was a blessing.
Because how on Earth could she explain it to her fiancé that she had woken up screaming another man's name? And not just any man. Max's.
Dan Riley was not an insecure person, but he knew about Max, knew how much he had meant to Liz. She had explained the essentials - that Max had saved her life once, that they had fallen in love, that Max had made a mistake and slept with another girl and had gotten her pregnant, that he and Liz had tried to make it work but that Max had ended up leaving in order to be closer to his son.
Dan also knew that if there had been no Tess, Max and Liz would still be together. Liz had refused to keep anything from the man she was going to marry. To understand who she was, he had had to understand about Max.
And he did. But that didn't mean that having her wake up screaming Max's name would not have upset him. He was only human.
Which was one of the many reasons that Liz loved him. No alien destinies would come crawling out of the closet with Dan Riley. She was safe loving him.
It had been hard enough dealing with Dan's reaction to the fact that she planned to spend the last few days before their wedding helping her old friend Isabel teach school.
When she had told him on the drive back to Roswell last night, he had glanced at her incredulously from his spot behind the steering wheel, clearly aware that something strange was going on with her. Maria had been in the back-seat so he hadn't truly grilled her until they had dropped Liz's best friend off at her mother's and had returned back to the Crashdown.
"I just don't get it Elizabeth." He had been sitting on her bed, concern on his face. "What is this about?"
"Well, you seem to have most of the wedding preparations under control." Liz had explained lamely. "I'm bored. I had a good time today and I love kids. Plus, it's been great spending time with Isabel. We've barely seen each other since high school."
Dan had narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Elizabeth, you told me that you and Isabel never got along in high school, that the only reason you even associated with each other was because you were dating her brother."
"Er..." Okay, why had she ever told him that? He had accepted readily enough earlier when she had invited him for dinner at Isabel and Jesse's that the two girls were trying to let bygones be bygones.
Dan had stood up, coming to pull her into his arms. "It's okay to have the jitters Sweetie."
Liz had pulled back, smiling nervously. "I swear that's not it." She had kissed him firmly. "I just need to get a little perspective and Isabel is helping me with that. She's been married for a long time Dan. She's just giving me a little insight into what I can expect."
Dan's expression had softened. "Okay. If it's what you want..."
Liz still didn't know why she hadn't told him the truth - that she hated her job and that she was interested in seeing if teaching younger kids might be a future career path that could interest her. For some reason, she couldn't seem to talk to him about this - maybe because she knew it would upset him. She knew that one of the things Dan loved the most about her was that they had so much in common, down to their job descriptions.
The only thing she and Max had ever had in common was the belief that they had found the other half of their souls in each other.
And he had left her anyway.
Having things in common with Dan - it was secure. She understood her connection to him. It was only when she had finally given up on Max coming back to her, the year she had left for Harvard, that she had begun to realize that what she and Max had had never been secure.
It had been passionate, volatile, exciting, but it had never been secure.
After complete heartbreak, a little security can go a long way.
She loved Dan Riley and she [I]was[/I] going to marry him. But, first, she needed to say good-bye to Max Evans once and for all.
Even if he never knew that she had.
*******************************************************
She didn't know why she was nervous as she raised her hand to knock on the door to Isabel's classroom a few hours later. It had taken her close to two hours to drive from Roswell to Albuquerque and so she was a little late. Isabel had suggested last night that, she if she liked being a teacher assistant, Liz could maybe stay with she and Jesse for a couple of nights. Liz had an overnight bag in the trunk of her car. She had known the minute that Isabel had agreed that she could come to school again to help that she was going to love it.
It was because she was late that Liz noticed the little tow-headed boy lurking at the far end of the hallway. He was standing just under the pictures Liz had examined on the wall the day before, swinging a back pack between his legs, clearly bored.
Liz frowned slightly. Shouldn't he be in class? Had he been sent to the principal's office as a punishment? Should she intervene?
The question was answered for her when the boy caught sight of her and brightened. "Hi! Do you know where Mrs. Ramirez's class is?" He asked, moving towards her. Up close, Liz could see that he was about eight or nine. His blond hair caught the sun through one of the big hallway windows as he passed under it, glowing brightly until he returned to the artificial lighting closer to where she stood.
"Right here." Liz replied, smiling, indicating Isabel's door. "Are you new?"
"Yup." He grinned at her, displaying a missing front tooth. "I'm Ben."
"I'm Liz. I'm new too." Liz told him. "A new teacher assistant," she added because Ben looked a little confused. "Did they just leave you to find your own way around?" She asked. That seemed a little weird. He was only a kid. Someone should have shown him the way to Isabel's classroom.
"No. I'm supposed to be waiting for Michael. He's getting some stuff straightened up in the office. They had my name wrong." Ben confided. "But I'm really bored. My dad told me I was going to like school, but so far..." He trailed off, looking incredulous. "Michael told me it was all a lie that parents tell you to disguise how bad it really is and I'm beginning to believe him."
Liz tried to hide her smile at the sudden outrage in the boy's voice. "Ah. Well, maybe you can go tell [I]Michael[/I] that I can go in with you if you'd like? So at least you don't have to wait any longer? Because I think your dad is right. You'll like Mrs. Ramirez." Liz suggested. Just as she said it, the principal's door beside which Ben had been standing opened and a tall man came out.
Liz blinked. Unless she had completely lost her mind, she [I]knew[/I] this Michael.
Michael Guerin stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. "Liz! What the he..." He glanced down at Ben, who had hurried to join him and was now gazing up at him adoringly. "Er, I mean, how the heck are you?" He finished lamely.
"You guys know each other?" Ben asked, sounding interested.
"Michael? What's going on?" Liz demanded, glancing at Ben.
"Neighbour's kid." Michael stated bluntly. "He had to work so I said I'd bring the kid in. He was just transferred and couldn't get off. Plus since I know Iz so well, it seemed like a good idea."
"That's not what I meant. " Liz muttered. But Michael wasn't listening to her. He was glaring at Ben.
"Didn't your dad tell you not to talk to strangers kid?" He glanced back at Liz uncomfortably. Liz frowned slightly. Something odd was going on here.
"She's not a stranger. She's a teacher assistant." Ben argued back. "I know her name. And you know her, right?"
"That's not the point kid."
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Liz asked suddenly. "Maria said you were back in LA."
"Change of plans." Michael replied non-committally. "What are [I]you[/I] doing here anyway? Don't you have wedding stuff to take care..."
He was cut off though as Ben exclaimed, "Hey! You know Maria! My dad and Michael talk about her all the time..." Ben's face lit up, as a sudden thought seemed to come to him. "Do you know my dad?"
Michael grabbed Ben, placing his hand firmly over the little boy's mouth. "Of course she doesn't know your dad kid." Michael shrugged in Liz's direction. "His dad and I are buds. Neighbours. He likes hockey."
Liz stared at him. Michael appeared on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She literally saw him wipe a bead of sweat off his upper lip as the door behind them opened.
"Hey! What's all the noise out here?" Isabel's voice asked sternly before she stepped out into the hallway. She left the door open, glancing over her shoulder at the children she left in the classroom, who were all working quietly at their desks. Her eyes widened in shock and she screeched in delight at the sight of Michael. "Michael! What are you [I] doing[/I] here?" She threw her arms around him. Liz could hear the students in the classroom starting to whisper and giggle at their teacher's behavior.
"New kid. Neighbour. Here he is." Michael grabbed Ben by the shoulders, pushed him lightly towards Isabel. "I'll be back for him after school. We'll talk then Iz." And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked away. If Liz was not mistaken, he shook his shaggy head in dismay before he disappeared out the main doors down the hall.
"What on Earth was that all about?" Isabel asked, perplexed.
Liz turned to look at Ben, who suddenly looked a little scared. "I have no idea. But this is Ben." Liz introduced.
"Hi Ben. I'm Mrs. Ramirez. I heard you were coming." Isabel's tone changed from suspicious to welcoming as she greeted her new student. "Where are you from?"
"Los Angeles." Ben replied. Liz felt a pang of sympathy for him as he moved slightly away from Isabel and towards Liz. Isabel raised an eyebrow at her.
"We've already bonded." Liz explained. "Both new and all." She felt something warm stir in her heart as Ben reached out and took her hand. This child was a strange mélange of maturity and childishness. While he had seemed fairly outgoing earlier, now he was a scared little boy, looking for something familiar.
"Oh, I see." Isabel nodded, smiled at Ben. "Well, maybe you and Liz can muddle through together today then. How's that sound?"
"Good." Ben said.
"Okay, then why don't you go and put your bag and your jacket on that hook over there and Liz and I'll get a desk set up for you." Isabel instructed. Ben glanced at Liz, but finally nodded and moved slowly away.
"What's this all about Liz?" Isabel hissed as they moved into the classroom together. "Michael has clearly been in town for a while and he never called me?" She sounded hurt and annoyed at the same time. "Not to mention, just showing up here with some strange kid?"
"I have no idea what's going on." Liz whispered back. "But you can bet that I'm going to find out for Maria's sake. Because my guess is that this all has something to do with the reason they broke up."
"Count on my help." Isabel returned before smiling brightly at Ben as he came back to join them. She turned to the class as a whole. "This is Ben everyone. He's from Los Angeles and he just moved to New Mexico." She indicated Liz. "And you all remember Miss Parker. She's going to be helping out around here for a couple of days. You were all so charming yesterday, she couldn't get enough." Isabel joked. Liz admired the comfortable way she interacted with her kids, it being clear that this was a place where students felt safe and appreciated.
The class giggled before chanting, "Hi Ben. Hi Miss Parker."
Liz felt the glow of belonging return, smiled. This was going to be great. She didn't care if her fiancé and her best friend thought she was going crazy. She knew that this was where she was meant to be. "Ready to settle in partner?" She asked Ben, who was still half-hidden behind her back.
Ben smiled back. "Ready."
Liz frowned as he walked away from her, towards the desk Isabel had assigned him. There had been something familiar in that smile, something from long ago...
She shook her head, wondering if she was going crazy. She was seeing signs in everything these days. If she didn't watch it, she was going to be committed to the loony bin before she ever had a chance to marry Dan.
Liz shrugged and followed her new charge.
**************************************************
"It was a disaster Maxwell!" Michael exclaimed, flopping back on the couch, one arm thrown over his eyes. "A complete disaster."
"What happened?" Max demanded, still standing where he had greeted Michael at the door to the apartment, waiting to hear how Ben had done at school. "Did he not like it? Where is he? Did Isabel suspect something?"
"It's worse than that..." Michael moaned. "Liz. She was there."
Max blinked. That was the last thing he had expected to hear. If Michael had told him that Khivar had been waiting for Ben at the school, he would have been less surprised.
And Khivar was dead. Max had killed him with his own hands.
"What the hell was Liz doing there?" Max asked, falling back into a chair, his legs suddenly weak.
Liz was here. In Albuquerque. At his son's school.
She was supposed to be in Roswell getting married.
Max had awoken that morning, remembering his vivid dream of Liz, remembering the flash of determination that had claimed him in the middle of the night - that he was going to win her back.
In the light of day though, he had come to his senses, had remembered exactly [I]why[/I] he was going to leave her alone.
She loved her fiancé. She had built a happy life for herself without him, in fact her [I]dream[/I] life - molecular biology at Harvard and everything. He had abandoned her. She was no longer his.
He had to leave her alone.
And he planned to.
But could it mean something that she had suddenly shown up at his son's school five days before her wedding? What on Earth was she doing there?
"I have no idea." Michael complained. "I got out of there as fast as I could. Oh crap." Michael groaned again. "This means Maria's going to know I'm here."
Max wasn't listening though. Another thought had just occurred to him. If Liz was in Albuquerque with Isabel, that meant that her fiancé was probably in Roswell - alone.
And suddenly Max knew exactly what he had to do.
"You came back." Liz stared at the boy standing in the doorway to the Crashdown, a tentative expression on his face. He looked exactly the same - did not even look a day older. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, from the haircut, to the old t-shirt he had been wearing the last time she had seen him.
Well, one thing was different. His eyes were haunted, having witnessed horrors that no one should ever be subjected to - maybe having even experienced them himself.
"I had to see you." He said, his voice husky with emotion
"You didn't even say good-bye."
"I couldn't. I would never have found the strength to go if I had."
"It's too late." Liz said it quietly, firmly, knew it was the truth. His eyes darkened with pain, making her want to rush into his arms despite herself, wanting to comfort him. She moved slightly, against her will, causing the full skirt of her white gown to swing into the line of her vision. "It's too late." She repeated, sadly this time. And she knew it was. It was her wedding day after all. She was marrying another man.
"I know." He turned, started to leave.
She swallowed, tried not to call after him, but her heart was screaming for him. "MAX! Don't leave! Please!"
But he kept walking.
"MAX! Come back!"
Liz sat up with a gasp, clutching the thin sheet to her chest. She took great gulping breaths, trying to get a hold of herself. It took her a full minute to get her bearings.
The familiar shapes and shadows of her childhood bedroom began to come into focus, and with them, a sense of security and comfort. Liz threw the sheet back, stumbled across the room to the bathroom, filled a glass with water and drank it down before she even tried to get a sense of what had just happened to her.
She knew it had been a dream. She had just woken up hadn't she?
But it had been the most realistic dream she had ever experienced. She had been able to see Max breathing, could smell him even.
Even after all this time, she remembered exactly what he smelled like. And she had tried to convince Maria that she was over him! Ha!
It was being back in Roswell that was doing this to her, seeing Isabel, talking about Michael... She had been perfectly sane, perfectly happy back in Boston, perfectly in love with a perfect guy. Max had been a distant memory.
But, here, he was back. Maybe not physically... But there was no question that he was back.
What the hell was she going to do?
You are going to go to Isabel's school and you are going to exorcise his ghost once and for all a firm voice in the back of her head told her.
Yes. That was what she was going to do. She was going to get her life in order and she was going to be happy, even if it killed her.
As Liz showered and dressed, she sighed with relief that her parents were still old-fashioned enough to insist on separate bedrooms for she and Dan until the wedding day. They had to know that they were sleeping together - they [I]were[/I] living together after all - but under their roof, she was still their little girl. And it was a blessing.
Because how on Earth could she explain it to her fiancé that she had woken up screaming another man's name? And not just any man. Max's.
Dan Riley was not an insecure person, but he knew about Max, knew how much he had meant to Liz. She had explained the essentials - that Max had saved her life once, that they had fallen in love, that Max had made a mistake and slept with another girl and had gotten her pregnant, that he and Liz had tried to make it work but that Max had ended up leaving in order to be closer to his son.
Dan also knew that if there had been no Tess, Max and Liz would still be together. Liz had refused to keep anything from the man she was going to marry. To understand who she was, he had had to understand about Max.
And he did. But that didn't mean that having her wake up screaming Max's name would not have upset him. He was only human.
Which was one of the many reasons that Liz loved him. No alien destinies would come crawling out of the closet with Dan Riley. She was safe loving him.
It had been hard enough dealing with Dan's reaction to the fact that she planned to spend the last few days before their wedding helping her old friend Isabel teach school.
When she had told him on the drive back to Roswell last night, he had glanced at her incredulously from his spot behind the steering wheel, clearly aware that something strange was going on with her. Maria had been in the back-seat so he hadn't truly grilled her until they had dropped Liz's best friend off at her mother's and had returned back to the Crashdown.
"I just don't get it Elizabeth." He had been sitting on her bed, concern on his face. "What is this about?"
"Well, you seem to have most of the wedding preparations under control." Liz had explained lamely. "I'm bored. I had a good time today and I love kids. Plus, it's been great spending time with Isabel. We've barely seen each other since high school."
Dan had narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Elizabeth, you told me that you and Isabel never got along in high school, that the only reason you even associated with each other was because you were dating her brother."
"Er..." Okay, why had she ever told him that? He had accepted readily enough earlier when she had invited him for dinner at Isabel and Jesse's that the two girls were trying to let bygones be bygones.
Dan had stood up, coming to pull her into his arms. "It's okay to have the jitters Sweetie."
Liz had pulled back, smiling nervously. "I swear that's not it." She had kissed him firmly. "I just need to get a little perspective and Isabel is helping me with that. She's been married for a long time Dan. She's just giving me a little insight into what I can expect."
Dan's expression had softened. "Okay. If it's what you want..."
Liz still didn't know why she hadn't told him the truth - that she hated her job and that she was interested in seeing if teaching younger kids might be a future career path that could interest her. For some reason, she couldn't seem to talk to him about this - maybe because she knew it would upset him. She knew that one of the things Dan loved the most about her was that they had so much in common, down to their job descriptions.
The only thing she and Max had ever had in common was the belief that they had found the other half of their souls in each other.
And he had left her anyway.
Having things in common with Dan - it was secure. She understood her connection to him. It was only when she had finally given up on Max coming back to her, the year she had left for Harvard, that she had begun to realize that what she and Max had had never been secure.
It had been passionate, volatile, exciting, but it had never been secure.
After complete heartbreak, a little security can go a long way.
She loved Dan Riley and she [I]was[/I] going to marry him. But, first, she needed to say good-bye to Max Evans once and for all.
Even if he never knew that she had.
*******************************************************
She didn't know why she was nervous as she raised her hand to knock on the door to Isabel's classroom a few hours later. It had taken her close to two hours to drive from Roswell to Albuquerque and so she was a little late. Isabel had suggested last night that, she if she liked being a teacher assistant, Liz could maybe stay with she and Jesse for a couple of nights. Liz had an overnight bag in the trunk of her car. She had known the minute that Isabel had agreed that she could come to school again to help that she was going to love it.
It was because she was late that Liz noticed the little tow-headed boy lurking at the far end of the hallway. He was standing just under the pictures Liz had examined on the wall the day before, swinging a back pack between his legs, clearly bored.
Liz frowned slightly. Shouldn't he be in class? Had he been sent to the principal's office as a punishment? Should she intervene?
The question was answered for her when the boy caught sight of her and brightened. "Hi! Do you know where Mrs. Ramirez's class is?" He asked, moving towards her. Up close, Liz could see that he was about eight or nine. His blond hair caught the sun through one of the big hallway windows as he passed under it, glowing brightly until he returned to the artificial lighting closer to where she stood.
"Right here." Liz replied, smiling, indicating Isabel's door. "Are you new?"
"Yup." He grinned at her, displaying a missing front tooth. "I'm Ben."
"I'm Liz. I'm new too." Liz told him. "A new teacher assistant," she added because Ben looked a little confused. "Did they just leave you to find your own way around?" She asked. That seemed a little weird. He was only a kid. Someone should have shown him the way to Isabel's classroom.
"No. I'm supposed to be waiting for Michael. He's getting some stuff straightened up in the office. They had my name wrong." Ben confided. "But I'm really bored. My dad told me I was going to like school, but so far..." He trailed off, looking incredulous. "Michael told me it was all a lie that parents tell you to disguise how bad it really is and I'm beginning to believe him."
Liz tried to hide her smile at the sudden outrage in the boy's voice. "Ah. Well, maybe you can go tell [I]Michael[/I] that I can go in with you if you'd like? So at least you don't have to wait any longer? Because I think your dad is right. You'll like Mrs. Ramirez." Liz suggested. Just as she said it, the principal's door beside which Ben had been standing opened and a tall man came out.
Liz blinked. Unless she had completely lost her mind, she [I]knew[/I] this Michael.
Michael Guerin stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. "Liz! What the he..." He glanced down at Ben, who had hurried to join him and was now gazing up at him adoringly. "Er, I mean, how the heck are you?" He finished lamely.
"You guys know each other?" Ben asked, sounding interested.
"Michael? What's going on?" Liz demanded, glancing at Ben.
"Neighbour's kid." Michael stated bluntly. "He had to work so I said I'd bring the kid in. He was just transferred and couldn't get off. Plus since I know Iz so well, it seemed like a good idea."
"That's not what I meant. " Liz muttered. But Michael wasn't listening to her. He was glaring at Ben.
"Didn't your dad tell you not to talk to strangers kid?" He glanced back at Liz uncomfortably. Liz frowned slightly. Something odd was going on here.
"She's not a stranger. She's a teacher assistant." Ben argued back. "I know her name. And you know her, right?"
"That's not the point kid."
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Liz asked suddenly. "Maria said you were back in LA."
"Change of plans." Michael replied non-committally. "What are [I]you[/I] doing here anyway? Don't you have wedding stuff to take care..."
He was cut off though as Ben exclaimed, "Hey! You know Maria! My dad and Michael talk about her all the time..." Ben's face lit up, as a sudden thought seemed to come to him. "Do you know my dad?"
Michael grabbed Ben, placing his hand firmly over the little boy's mouth. "Of course she doesn't know your dad kid." Michael shrugged in Liz's direction. "His dad and I are buds. Neighbours. He likes hockey."
Liz stared at him. Michael appeared on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She literally saw him wipe a bead of sweat off his upper lip as the door behind them opened.
"Hey! What's all the noise out here?" Isabel's voice asked sternly before she stepped out into the hallway. She left the door open, glancing over her shoulder at the children she left in the classroom, who were all working quietly at their desks. Her eyes widened in shock and she screeched in delight at the sight of Michael. "Michael! What are you [I] doing[/I] here?" She threw her arms around him. Liz could hear the students in the classroom starting to whisper and giggle at their teacher's behavior.
"New kid. Neighbour. Here he is." Michael grabbed Ben by the shoulders, pushed him lightly towards Isabel. "I'll be back for him after school. We'll talk then Iz." And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked away. If Liz was not mistaken, he shook his shaggy head in dismay before he disappeared out the main doors down the hall.
"What on Earth was that all about?" Isabel asked, perplexed.
Liz turned to look at Ben, who suddenly looked a little scared. "I have no idea. But this is Ben." Liz introduced.
"Hi Ben. I'm Mrs. Ramirez. I heard you were coming." Isabel's tone changed from suspicious to welcoming as she greeted her new student. "Where are you from?"
"Los Angeles." Ben replied. Liz felt a pang of sympathy for him as he moved slightly away from Isabel and towards Liz. Isabel raised an eyebrow at her.
"We've already bonded." Liz explained. "Both new and all." She felt something warm stir in her heart as Ben reached out and took her hand. This child was a strange mélange of maturity and childishness. While he had seemed fairly outgoing earlier, now he was a scared little boy, looking for something familiar.
"Oh, I see." Isabel nodded, smiled at Ben. "Well, maybe you and Liz can muddle through together today then. How's that sound?"
"Good." Ben said.
"Okay, then why don't you go and put your bag and your jacket on that hook over there and Liz and I'll get a desk set up for you." Isabel instructed. Ben glanced at Liz, but finally nodded and moved slowly away.
"What's this all about Liz?" Isabel hissed as they moved into the classroom together. "Michael has clearly been in town for a while and he never called me?" She sounded hurt and annoyed at the same time. "Not to mention, just showing up here with some strange kid?"
"I have no idea what's going on." Liz whispered back. "But you can bet that I'm going to find out for Maria's sake. Because my guess is that this all has something to do with the reason they broke up."
"Count on my help." Isabel returned before smiling brightly at Ben as he came back to join them. She turned to the class as a whole. "This is Ben everyone. He's from Los Angeles and he just moved to New Mexico." She indicated Liz. "And you all remember Miss Parker. She's going to be helping out around here for a couple of days. You were all so charming yesterday, she couldn't get enough." Isabel joked. Liz admired the comfortable way she interacted with her kids, it being clear that this was a place where students felt safe and appreciated.
The class giggled before chanting, "Hi Ben. Hi Miss Parker."
Liz felt the glow of belonging return, smiled. This was going to be great. She didn't care if her fiancé and her best friend thought she was going crazy. She knew that this was where she was meant to be. "Ready to settle in partner?" She asked Ben, who was still half-hidden behind her back.
Ben smiled back. "Ready."
Liz frowned as he walked away from her, towards the desk Isabel had assigned him. There had been something familiar in that smile, something from long ago...
She shook her head, wondering if she was going crazy. She was seeing signs in everything these days. If she didn't watch it, she was going to be committed to the loony bin before she ever had a chance to marry Dan.
Liz shrugged and followed her new charge.
**************************************************
"It was a disaster Maxwell!" Michael exclaimed, flopping back on the couch, one arm thrown over his eyes. "A complete disaster."
"What happened?" Max demanded, still standing where he had greeted Michael at the door to the apartment, waiting to hear how Ben had done at school. "Did he not like it? Where is he? Did Isabel suspect something?"
"It's worse than that..." Michael moaned. "Liz. She was there."
Max blinked. That was the last thing he had expected to hear. If Michael had told him that Khivar had been waiting for Ben at the school, he would have been less surprised.
And Khivar was dead. Max had killed him with his own hands.
"What the hell was Liz doing there?" Max asked, falling back into a chair, his legs suddenly weak.
Liz was here. In Albuquerque. At his son's school.
She was supposed to be in Roswell getting married.
Max had awoken that morning, remembering his vivid dream of Liz, remembering the flash of determination that had claimed him in the middle of the night - that he was going to win her back.
In the light of day though, he had come to his senses, had remembered exactly [I]why[/I] he was going to leave her alone.
She loved her fiancé. She had built a happy life for herself without him, in fact her [I]dream[/I] life - molecular biology at Harvard and everything. He had abandoned her. She was no longer his.
He had to leave her alone.
And he planned to.
But could it mean something that she had suddenly shown up at his son's school five days before her wedding? What on Earth was she doing there?
"I have no idea." Michael complained. "I got out of there as fast as I could. Oh crap." Michael groaned again. "This means Maria's going to know I'm here."
Max wasn't listening though. Another thought had just occurred to him. If Liz was in Albuquerque with Isabel, that meant that her fiancé was probably in Roswell - alone.
And suddenly Max knew exactly what he had to do.