Interlude I: Crush
/Roswell, New Mexico March, 2000/
Looking at herself in the long locker mirror, she pulled her hair up high atop her head in a ponytail before she reached down to straighten her uniform. Closing her locker, she grabbed her pen, pad, and apron as she rushed out into the crowded restaurant. Her pen and pad currently lodged in her mouth, Liz hastily tied her apron as she surveyed the scene with her dark eyes. She quickly pinpointed the location of her friends and brother. Michael stood behind the grill; sweat sliding down his face from the heat of the grill and the heat of the summer as he quickly prepared all the orders her friend Maria Valenti was bringing to him. Maria was standing nearby the counter, eyes bored as she waited for Michael to finish an order, obviously irritated.
Kyle Valenti and her best bud, Max Evans sat in the corner, at their usual booth, obviously in a heated discussion. Turning around, she saw that her other best bud, and Max's sister Isabel Evans was currently sitting very closely to one Alex Whitman who was showing her how to hold the guitar properly. The sight brought a smile to her face, she was happy for them, and another part of her thought she may have been envious, but she pushed those thoughts away quickly as she rushed around to the tables in her section.
An hour later she was still rushing around, hoping that the lunch crowd would soon give way for she was so tired. She passed by the booth Kyle and Max were occupying; meeting the latter's eyes as she gave him a quick smile before she rushed to refill a couple's coffee. Another hour went by, and she felt as if she were about to collapse. Luckily the lunch rush was over, and there were only a few people left as she tiredly wiped the sweat away from her forehead. So far she had orange juice spilled on her, annoying teenagers hit on her, and just as annoying complaining customers. She just wanted to take her break, but the chime above the door signaled another customer, and she groaned when she realized that the couple that had entered had seated themselves in her section. Cursing softly, she plastered her waitress smile onto her face as she walked over to their table. If these two caused her any trouble there would be hell to pay!
"Welcome to the Crashdown, I'm Liz. How may I help you?" Liz recited the speech rather passively, not even bothering to look up at the two.
"Two orders of a Galaxy Club, Saturn Rings, and Milky Way Shakes please." The man answered promptly. Liz looked up from her notepad, and could not help but raise an eyebrow at the pair. The man was wearing a alien shaped cap atop his head, a large ET shirt that said 'Do you believe?', on his finger was a small alien head ring, his crooked smile revealed missing teeth, and his eyes glowed happily as he looked around the diner. He wasn't as bad as his companion however. The woman was wearing a large alien theme shirt also with a black skirt with little alien heads scattered over it. She wore matching earrings that had small silver aliens dangling from her ear, a silver bracelet which printed out clearly 'I believe' and had some sort UFO looking emblem. She wore silver lipstick and had painted her eyelids with a bright, very bright green eye shadow. In her arms lay a small little alien stuffed toy. Obvious tourist. Joy.
Before she could move away to deliver the order to Michael, the man spoke up quickly. "Liz was it?"
She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Yes? Was there something else you needed?"
"Well, my wife and I wanted to…" He lowered his voice, "We wanted to get the scoop on this town, and you seem to be a person who could help us."
Her eyebrow arched higher, "You mean you want to know if I've ever seen an alien?"
The man nodded in a hushed no nonsense sort of way, his eyes focused on her. Liz had to keep herself from bursting out in laughter.
Looking back over to the counter, she realized that her father had gone to the back, and decided it was time for a little fun. Sweeping her gaze back to the couple in front of her, her eyes caught Max's and he grinned that lopsided grin of his. So he knew what she was up to. She smirked at him before leaning closer to the two customers, and in a soft whisper, she spoke quickly and urgently as if sharing her greatest secret. "Ok, I'll tell you something. As long as you keep in a secret."
The two of them nodded excitedly before leaning as Liz's eyes darted around the diner, in mock paranoia. "I was abducted by aliens when I was ten years old."
The woman gasped, her grip seemed to tighten on her husband's hand. "Were they the ones who crashed here in '47?"
Liz leaned in closer, "The very ones."
"What did they want from you?" The woman whispered. Liz smiled sadly in response.
"My essence."
"Your essence?"
"Yes, you see these aliens were royalty back on their planet. They had died, but were sent down to earth by their parents, who had taken the essence of humans just like you and me. Ones who believed you know? Apparently the King's wife was dying because something was wrong with her essence, so he wanted to take mine. They followed me on my way home from the park, and took me."
"Why you?"
"Because I was a child, and they wanted an innocent spirit for their queen. They also thought that taking anyone else might have been too risky. Adults were stronger than children and would have put up a harder struggle." Liz continued, her voice in mock reminiscence.
"What happened next?" The man asked, wanting her to continue. Liz raised an amused eyebrow; they were actually buying this crap?
"Well, they kept me with them for weeks and ran tests over me to see if I was a DNA match to their queen. I was so terrified, and kept telling them that my parents and brother were going to notice I was missing and would come find me. When I said this, they just looked at me with this odd look and continued. Finally after all the tests were done, they finally decided that I was a match. I was so scared, I had a life to live, and these people were trying to take it away." Tears filled Liz's eyes and behind her she could hear Max and Kyle snorting softly.
"How'd you get away?" The woman asked eagerly, and Liz coughed to hide her amusement.
"I'm not sure really, but the leader, their King had come up to me, and pressed his hand against my stomach. There was this bright light and this warm tingling sensation on my skin. I don't know how but I managed to kick away from him, and I grabbed my backpack that was in the corner and threw the things I had at them. I heard them scream and realized that I could smell something garlic like in the air and I saw my bags of garlic potato chips on the floor. They were shrinking away from it, and obviously in pain."
"Garlic? I thought those were only for vampires?"
"Apparently they worked on aliens too." Liz shrugged before continuing, "I managed to escape, but not before taking a picture. I mean how many times in your life do you get to say I met an alien, a king no less?"
The woman and man were now gripping the table hard, and Liz bit back her smile. "I can still remember the pain from that day, the way his hand felt on my stomach and the burning sensation. I didn't get away unscathed though. Apparently the weeks I spent with them turned out to only be a few hours, they had somehow managed to break into the time dimension, slowing it down. Nobody would believe me whenever I told the story, and so a few months after I just stopped trying to make someone believe. I never talked about those weeks anymore, I still shiver when I think of them." Liz's voice was mournful and fearful, causing the woman to dab at her eyes.
"I still had reminders from that day. The picture I took, and…" Liz paused dramatically, before pulling the top of her waitress uniform up a little to expose her midriff, and there standing out in the mid-afternoon light was a large silver handprint, glittering in light. "…this. It still hasn't disappeared even after all these years. I haven't shown anyone else because I knew they wouldn't believe me still…for some reason, the two of you just seem to that you might understand."
The woman nodded, reaching out her hand towards Liz in a comforting gesture, "We do Liz, we do."
Liz's smile returned, bright and ever so fake as she pulled out a photo from her apron. "Here's the picture I took of them. Don't show anyone."
The two nodded before eagerly looking the picture over. Liz turned to bring their orders to Michael, ignoring the laughter coming from the booth to her left. Michael had his eyebrows raised at his sister, smirking mildly. Liz threw back her own smirk before innocently batting her eyelashes at him, causing Michael to shake his head and chuckle as he started to cook the order. She turned her gaze over to where Maria was now standing with Isabel and Alex and saw the thumbs up sign Alex was giving her, and heard the soft giggling as Maria and Isabel supported each other. Isabel mouthed to her, and when Liz made out the words Bad Girl, she chuckled. Liz shook her head as she walked over to Max and Kyle's booth to ask if they needed anything. Upon her arrival, she was immediately pulled into Kyle's lap as his arms wrapped around her securely.
"Where do you think you're going missy?" He asked as he smiled a cheeky smile. Liz sighed as she again tried to push away his arms, but he was still too strong for her. "Nowhere if you don't let me go Valenti."
"Aww, Lizzie's very touché now." Liz whined in frustration as Kyle continued to tighten his hold on her quite easily at that. Meanwhile, Max looked on, laughter clearly written in his features. Liz glared at him for laughing at her situation, "I don't see what's so funny Evans."
"Payback for calling me a mean evil alien king." Max shrugged flippantly, referring to the handprint on her stomach. It had been he who had put it there just yesterday when Liz had managed to con him into helping her make signs for the upcoming tourist season. A paint fight had broken out, and well, let's say his back was littered with small handprints. Liz's face lit up as she giggled at the thought.
"You really should stop picking on your customers Liz, it isn't good for business. One day some therapist is going to lock you away for telling that story." Max teased good-naturedly. Liz made a face at him, "What's the fun in that? Besides a mean evil alien king technically attacked me. Do you know how long it took to get that paint out of my hair?"
The two of them glared at each other as they began one of their famous staring contests. It had been tradition for a long time now. The two of them would began a staring contest without meaning to, and the others would bet on who would win. Of course Liz would usually win, but today was different as she suddenly jumped up and reached across the table, and pinched Max's cheeks as she nosily kissed them, "'Course you're my mean evil alien king."
Laughing at his dazed and surprised expression, Liz went to retrieve her the orders and had smiled politely at the couple when she heard a loud bang behind her. She turned around to see two men suddenly screaming at one another in a loud argument. She frowned and was on her way over to the table to try and break up the argument when suddenly she saw a silver glint. From the corner of her eye, she saw Maria drop to the ground, and panicked, Liz turned her head towards Maria, concern etched on her features.
"LIZ!" Max's pained scream broke through her reverie, and time seemed to slow to a stop when she turned back around only to find a gun aimed at her, and everyone else on the ground. She watched as the gun went off, sending a small streak of silver straight at her, and she closed her eyes in disbelief and horror. Blinding fear struck through as anger welled up somewhere deep inside, and she fought to keep tears at bay as her shoulders slumped defeated, taking acceptance of her fate. The last thought going through her mind was the fact that she had never known love.
She felt a numbing pain as something heavy crashed into her, knocking the wind out of her as she let out a startled cry. Her shaking hands clutched at her stomach, only to come in contact with another body. Confusion swept over her as she opened her eyes and turned to see his face a mere inch or two away from hers. The first thing she saw were his eyes, liquid amber eyes that were looking at her with such concern and so much love that it caused her to cry out, to wail. He was watching her, and she hoped to God that he could see how much he meant to her. His hand deftly caressed her cheeks, and just as sudden she saw the flash of pain, "Max…"
He looked at her, seemingly satisfied that she was safe from harm, that he had been able to protect her. "Liz…"
She lifted her hand to brush away the hair that had fallen in his face, but stopped cold when time suddenly rushed past her, bringing along with her the memories of what had just transpired. Fear coursed in her veins when she noticed her hand was covered, not in her blood, but the blood of another's. Looking down she saw blood rush from the wound in his side, pooling around them. No! Her mind cried out, Oh God, please no!
Her stricken eyes met his, and she saw the love reflected in his still there. "Liz…my Liz."
His eyes suddenly closed and she was abruptly aware of his weight, and of the situation. What he had done for her. Liz choked and let out a sob, her cries shattering the silence and striking everyone present to the core with the raw emotions in her voice. "Maxxx!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He looked over at her small figure, huddled in the chair in the dark corner, head drawn down, and even from across the room he could hear her silent tears. She had been in a state of shock when they had pulled Max's body off of her, and she had promptly fainted. They had taken her to the hospital also, and found that she had a concussion. Nothing more serious, but physical damage wasn't what he was worried about. He knew that even though she hadn't been physically harmed, that her heart had suffered more than anything else. When she had woken up, he had seen the guilt buried in her eyes. The guilt that remained as they awaited reports of Max's surgery. Tears blinded his vision as Michael kept himself from running to his sister's side, understanding though without having said so that she needed to be alone right now.
"Is he going to make it?" Diane Evans asked the doctor urgently, tears in her voice.
Dr. Miller nodded in confirmation, "He'll be fine. The bullet missed vital parts and wasn't buried to deep. However, he did lose a lot of blood and will need to recuperate. Try to keep him off his feet for a few months, and he should be as good as new."
Relief flew around the room, wrapping itself extra tightly around the solitary figure, huddled against the chair.
He watched, amusement in his eyes as the small figure crept into the room, silently and on alert, her eyes darting the room in paranoia, settling on his face. She saw the smile on his face, and with a sob ran into his awaiting arms, throwing herself into them. Max yelped in pain, and Liz dropped her arms quickly, moving away from him, tears pooling in her eyes. Max, unable to stand the sight of her in tears, asked her to come closer. Liz looked at him warily before stepping closer, just a bit and then hesitated. She didn't move until he motioned her to, and once again she stopped and hesitated. Max, frustrated with this little game of Red Light, Green Light, stuck his arms out and pulled her into him, letting her sob into his chest.
"I'm sorry. So sorry." Her broken whispers shattered his heart as he listened to her apologize to circumstances beyond herself. It wasn't her fault those two men had a gun, and it certainly wasn't her decision to let him jump in front of him. That had been all him. He kissed the top of her head as he stroked her hair, soothing her the best he could with his kind words and gentle, soothing voice. Soon, Liz fell asleep sobbing in his arms, and he lay awake, looking down at her, protective feelings running rampart. It was obvious she had little sleep since the accident two weeks prior, and it was even more apparent that she had barely been eating. To know that he was the cause of this change in her broke his heart as he watched his Lizzie barely hold herself together. Little did he know that he could be no truer than he was at the moment, and yet so very wrong.
You know everything that I'm afraid of
You do everything I wish I did
Everybody wants you, everybody loves you
She watched him from across the room, surrounded by all the females from school who had come to his welcome home party. She wondered why her heart was beating so quickly, why suddenly she felt this red hot…jealousy? It was nothing new, truth be told, wherever Max Evans was, there was bound to be at least one girl following him, flirting or batting their lashes at him.
I know I should tell you how I feel
I wish everyone would disappear
Every time time you call me, I'm too scared to be me
And I'm too shy to say
She was staring at the liquid in her cup so intently that she didn't hear his approach nor did she hear the clearing of his throat. It was not until he coughed and tugged on her hand did she look up to find herself lost in amber eyes once more, and she felt the room tilt beneath her as a feeling rushed through her, something new, something exciting and so very new. She blushed when she realized that he was holding his hand out in a silent invitation, and she hesitated. Quickly she composed herself, but still caught sight of the flash of hurt in his eyes as his hand retreated.
Mentally berating herself for hesitating, Liz grabbed his arm and nodded, accepting his invitation. Letting him lead her to the dance floor, Liz relaxed as his arms came around her as they swayed to the song filling the air, and Liz allowed herself to lose herself in the fantasy as the lyrics to the song washed over her, drowning out the noise of ever person in the room, taking away everyone but herself and Max.
Ooh, I got a crush on you
I hope you feel the way that I do
I get a rush
When I'm with you
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you
Nothing could describe the way it felt to be in Max Evan's embrace. The warmth and security she found there was like nothing she had ever experienced, and the love shined from his eyes as he gazed down at her. However, this comforting gaze somehow broke her heart even more than seeing him with all those girls.
You know, I'm the one that you can talk to
And sometimes you tell me thing that I don't want to know
Suddenly she was reminded of the many times and many conversations they had of his past several relationships. Somehow between all the growing pains and fun, Max had become a player along with Michael, and Liz sat back watching them played all the girls around her, her heart breaking at the sight. Suddenly she remembered the way he had held all those girls, the way he looked at them, the way he kissed them.
I just want to hold you
And you say exactly how you feel about her
And I wonder, could you ever think of me that way
And just as unexpectedly, her heart wished he would look at her that way, that she could hold him close to her like she had seen those other girls do. Wished that he would kiss her the way he did those other girls.
Ooh, I got a crush on you
I hope you feel the way that I do
The thought startled her as she suddenly whipped her head up, causing Max to look at her in question; so many emotions crossed her face at that moment. She shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be. No! Her mind screamed. It wasn't possible, but her heart was already disagreeing whispering the severe possibility of it all.
I get a rush
When I'm with you
Happiness…confusion, content, sorrow, love…Love? Revelation. It was true. She was falling for him, perhaps she was already gone. Acceptance, pain, confusion, love. Falling for her best friend? Her brother's best friend…for Max Evans.
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you
The truth became clearer and clearer as the weeks wore on, and as she pulled away from her Max, her best friend, her newest love and the rest of the world. She rarely ate, she couldn't sleep, and she could talk to no one about the way she felt. No one would understand. Slowly, but surely she drifted into a deep depression that no one could pull her out of. With a heavy heart, she made up her mind, and it wasn't until the day of her departure did she work up the courage to tell him.
Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody
But there's no one to talk to, nobody knows
"Liz?" Surprise was evident in his voice for he hadn't seen her in such a long time, all of course, entirely her fault.
"I'm leaving Max."
"What? Where? With who? How long? Why?" God he sounded so confused so lost, Liz wanted nothing more than to break down in his arms.
"Florida. Aunt's house. No one. The summer." You wouldn't understand why. Liz thought silently, tears welling up in her eyes.
Her wish was granted as he wrapped his arms around her, and she felt so welcomed, so safe. She berated herself for allowing this to happen. How did she allow herself to fall in love with her best friend? Tears coursed down his face as well as hers as they wept together. Liz looked up to see the same love shining in his eyes as longing filled her upon the memory that his love was nothing more than something platonic. God why was she torturing herself like this? Why was she allowing herself to get close to something she could never have? It would always be like this, she would watch him, longing, but never having him, never loving him the way she needed to.
"I'll miss you Lizbit."
I've got a crush on you
A crush on you, I got a crush
She looked out the window and saw him standing there, watching as she left him. The aircraft taking her further and further away from him, she was still pressed against the window, hands tightly pressed against the glass. It would only be two months, but they had never been apart for that length of time. Best friends since birth, it seemed he would miss her as much as she would miss him. This was for the best after all; she had decided to get away from Roswell. To clear her mind and redirect her life, to get rid of whatever feelings she may have had for her best friend. It was better for both of them this way. Better for her to get hurt in the process than for he to get hurt too. It was something she was never willing to allow to happen. He deserved no pain whatsoever. Besides, she knew he wasn't ready to deal with this right now. Through conversations with him, she learned that he had wanted something more, wanted something special, but was too afraid to pursue it.
She would forget. Forget the way his arms felt around her. The burning sensation as he kissed her forehead. The fluttering whenever he came into view. She would forget she had ever fallen for Max Evans.
You say everything that no one says
But I feel everything that you're afraid to feel
But a part of her was not willing to let go as memories of a conversation drifted into her mind just as she fell into the world of slumber.
'Max?'
'Yeah?'
'Why?'
'Why what?'
'Why did you jump in front of the bullet? You could have been killed.'
'…'
'Max?'
'It was you.'
Gasping, Liz Parker sat straight up in bed, tears running down her cheeks as memories of the first time she had fallen raced through her mind. She reached for the medallion around her neck, rubbing it in comfort. It couldn't have been happening again, not after the way it had ended last time.
She couldn't be falling for him again. It wasn't possible. She just couldn't be.
I will always want you, I will always love you
I've got a crush...
**Crush, Mandy Moore**
But once again her heart would prove her wrong, because love had already began to play its timeless melody, and she found herself dancing to the familiar music once more.
End Interlude
A/N: Basically, this sort of explains why Liz left a while back. I know it wasn't good, and I kinda rushed it, but maybe next time, ok? I'll rewrite it or something later.
/Roswell, New Mexico March, 2000/
Looking at herself in the long locker mirror, she pulled her hair up high atop her head in a ponytail before she reached down to straighten her uniform. Closing her locker, she grabbed her pen, pad, and apron as she rushed out into the crowded restaurant. Her pen and pad currently lodged in her mouth, Liz hastily tied her apron as she surveyed the scene with her dark eyes. She quickly pinpointed the location of her friends and brother. Michael stood behind the grill; sweat sliding down his face from the heat of the grill and the heat of the summer as he quickly prepared all the orders her friend Maria Valenti was bringing to him. Maria was standing nearby the counter, eyes bored as she waited for Michael to finish an order, obviously irritated.
Kyle Valenti and her best bud, Max Evans sat in the corner, at their usual booth, obviously in a heated discussion. Turning around, she saw that her other best bud, and Max's sister Isabel Evans was currently sitting very closely to one Alex Whitman who was showing her how to hold the guitar properly. The sight brought a smile to her face, she was happy for them, and another part of her thought she may have been envious, but she pushed those thoughts away quickly as she rushed around to the tables in her section.
An hour later she was still rushing around, hoping that the lunch crowd would soon give way for she was so tired. She passed by the booth Kyle and Max were occupying; meeting the latter's eyes as she gave him a quick smile before she rushed to refill a couple's coffee. Another hour went by, and she felt as if she were about to collapse. Luckily the lunch rush was over, and there were only a few people left as she tiredly wiped the sweat away from her forehead. So far she had orange juice spilled on her, annoying teenagers hit on her, and just as annoying complaining customers. She just wanted to take her break, but the chime above the door signaled another customer, and she groaned when she realized that the couple that had entered had seated themselves in her section. Cursing softly, she plastered her waitress smile onto her face as she walked over to their table. If these two caused her any trouble there would be hell to pay!
"Welcome to the Crashdown, I'm Liz. How may I help you?" Liz recited the speech rather passively, not even bothering to look up at the two.
"Two orders of a Galaxy Club, Saturn Rings, and Milky Way Shakes please." The man answered promptly. Liz looked up from her notepad, and could not help but raise an eyebrow at the pair. The man was wearing a alien shaped cap atop his head, a large ET shirt that said 'Do you believe?', on his finger was a small alien head ring, his crooked smile revealed missing teeth, and his eyes glowed happily as he looked around the diner. He wasn't as bad as his companion however. The woman was wearing a large alien theme shirt also with a black skirt with little alien heads scattered over it. She wore matching earrings that had small silver aliens dangling from her ear, a silver bracelet which printed out clearly 'I believe' and had some sort UFO looking emblem. She wore silver lipstick and had painted her eyelids with a bright, very bright green eye shadow. In her arms lay a small little alien stuffed toy. Obvious tourist. Joy.
Before she could move away to deliver the order to Michael, the man spoke up quickly. "Liz was it?"
She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, "Yes? Was there something else you needed?"
"Well, my wife and I wanted to…" He lowered his voice, "We wanted to get the scoop on this town, and you seem to be a person who could help us."
Her eyebrow arched higher, "You mean you want to know if I've ever seen an alien?"
The man nodded in a hushed no nonsense sort of way, his eyes focused on her. Liz had to keep herself from bursting out in laughter.
Looking back over to the counter, she realized that her father had gone to the back, and decided it was time for a little fun. Sweeping her gaze back to the couple in front of her, her eyes caught Max's and he grinned that lopsided grin of his. So he knew what she was up to. She smirked at him before leaning closer to the two customers, and in a soft whisper, she spoke quickly and urgently as if sharing her greatest secret. "Ok, I'll tell you something. As long as you keep in a secret."
The two of them nodded excitedly before leaning as Liz's eyes darted around the diner, in mock paranoia. "I was abducted by aliens when I was ten years old."
The woman gasped, her grip seemed to tighten on her husband's hand. "Were they the ones who crashed here in '47?"
Liz leaned in closer, "The very ones."
"What did they want from you?" The woman whispered. Liz smiled sadly in response.
"My essence."
"Your essence?"
"Yes, you see these aliens were royalty back on their planet. They had died, but were sent down to earth by their parents, who had taken the essence of humans just like you and me. Ones who believed you know? Apparently the King's wife was dying because something was wrong with her essence, so he wanted to take mine. They followed me on my way home from the park, and took me."
"Why you?"
"Because I was a child, and they wanted an innocent spirit for their queen. They also thought that taking anyone else might have been too risky. Adults were stronger than children and would have put up a harder struggle." Liz continued, her voice in mock reminiscence.
"What happened next?" The man asked, wanting her to continue. Liz raised an amused eyebrow; they were actually buying this crap?
"Well, they kept me with them for weeks and ran tests over me to see if I was a DNA match to their queen. I was so terrified, and kept telling them that my parents and brother were going to notice I was missing and would come find me. When I said this, they just looked at me with this odd look and continued. Finally after all the tests were done, they finally decided that I was a match. I was so scared, I had a life to live, and these people were trying to take it away." Tears filled Liz's eyes and behind her she could hear Max and Kyle snorting softly.
"How'd you get away?" The woman asked eagerly, and Liz coughed to hide her amusement.
"I'm not sure really, but the leader, their King had come up to me, and pressed his hand against my stomach. There was this bright light and this warm tingling sensation on my skin. I don't know how but I managed to kick away from him, and I grabbed my backpack that was in the corner and threw the things I had at them. I heard them scream and realized that I could smell something garlic like in the air and I saw my bags of garlic potato chips on the floor. They were shrinking away from it, and obviously in pain."
"Garlic? I thought those were only for vampires?"
"Apparently they worked on aliens too." Liz shrugged before continuing, "I managed to escape, but not before taking a picture. I mean how many times in your life do you get to say I met an alien, a king no less?"
The woman and man were now gripping the table hard, and Liz bit back her smile. "I can still remember the pain from that day, the way his hand felt on my stomach and the burning sensation. I didn't get away unscathed though. Apparently the weeks I spent with them turned out to only be a few hours, they had somehow managed to break into the time dimension, slowing it down. Nobody would believe me whenever I told the story, and so a few months after I just stopped trying to make someone believe. I never talked about those weeks anymore, I still shiver when I think of them." Liz's voice was mournful and fearful, causing the woman to dab at her eyes.
"I still had reminders from that day. The picture I took, and…" Liz paused dramatically, before pulling the top of her waitress uniform up a little to expose her midriff, and there standing out in the mid-afternoon light was a large silver handprint, glittering in light. "…this. It still hasn't disappeared even after all these years. I haven't shown anyone else because I knew they wouldn't believe me still…for some reason, the two of you just seem to that you might understand."
The woman nodded, reaching out her hand towards Liz in a comforting gesture, "We do Liz, we do."
Liz's smile returned, bright and ever so fake as she pulled out a photo from her apron. "Here's the picture I took of them. Don't show anyone."
The two nodded before eagerly looking the picture over. Liz turned to bring their orders to Michael, ignoring the laughter coming from the booth to her left. Michael had his eyebrows raised at his sister, smirking mildly. Liz threw back her own smirk before innocently batting her eyelashes at him, causing Michael to shake his head and chuckle as he started to cook the order. She turned her gaze over to where Maria was now standing with Isabel and Alex and saw the thumbs up sign Alex was giving her, and heard the soft giggling as Maria and Isabel supported each other. Isabel mouthed to her, and when Liz made out the words Bad Girl, she chuckled. Liz shook her head as she walked over to Max and Kyle's booth to ask if they needed anything. Upon her arrival, she was immediately pulled into Kyle's lap as his arms wrapped around her securely.
"Where do you think you're going missy?" He asked as he smiled a cheeky smile. Liz sighed as she again tried to push away his arms, but he was still too strong for her. "Nowhere if you don't let me go Valenti."
"Aww, Lizzie's very touché now." Liz whined in frustration as Kyle continued to tighten his hold on her quite easily at that. Meanwhile, Max looked on, laughter clearly written in his features. Liz glared at him for laughing at her situation, "I don't see what's so funny Evans."
"Payback for calling me a mean evil alien king." Max shrugged flippantly, referring to the handprint on her stomach. It had been he who had put it there just yesterday when Liz had managed to con him into helping her make signs for the upcoming tourist season. A paint fight had broken out, and well, let's say his back was littered with small handprints. Liz's face lit up as she giggled at the thought.
"You really should stop picking on your customers Liz, it isn't good for business. One day some therapist is going to lock you away for telling that story." Max teased good-naturedly. Liz made a face at him, "What's the fun in that? Besides a mean evil alien king technically attacked me. Do you know how long it took to get that paint out of my hair?"
The two of them glared at each other as they began one of their famous staring contests. It had been tradition for a long time now. The two of them would began a staring contest without meaning to, and the others would bet on who would win. Of course Liz would usually win, but today was different as she suddenly jumped up and reached across the table, and pinched Max's cheeks as she nosily kissed them, "'Course you're my mean evil alien king."
Laughing at his dazed and surprised expression, Liz went to retrieve her the orders and had smiled politely at the couple when she heard a loud bang behind her. She turned around to see two men suddenly screaming at one another in a loud argument. She frowned and was on her way over to the table to try and break up the argument when suddenly she saw a silver glint. From the corner of her eye, she saw Maria drop to the ground, and panicked, Liz turned her head towards Maria, concern etched on her features.
"LIZ!" Max's pained scream broke through her reverie, and time seemed to slow to a stop when she turned back around only to find a gun aimed at her, and everyone else on the ground. She watched as the gun went off, sending a small streak of silver straight at her, and she closed her eyes in disbelief and horror. Blinding fear struck through as anger welled up somewhere deep inside, and she fought to keep tears at bay as her shoulders slumped defeated, taking acceptance of her fate. The last thought going through her mind was the fact that she had never known love.
She felt a numbing pain as something heavy crashed into her, knocking the wind out of her as she let out a startled cry. Her shaking hands clutched at her stomach, only to come in contact with another body. Confusion swept over her as she opened her eyes and turned to see his face a mere inch or two away from hers. The first thing she saw were his eyes, liquid amber eyes that were looking at her with such concern and so much love that it caused her to cry out, to wail. He was watching her, and she hoped to God that he could see how much he meant to her. His hand deftly caressed her cheeks, and just as sudden she saw the flash of pain, "Max…"
He looked at her, seemingly satisfied that she was safe from harm, that he had been able to protect her. "Liz…"
She lifted her hand to brush away the hair that had fallen in his face, but stopped cold when time suddenly rushed past her, bringing along with her the memories of what had just transpired. Fear coursed in her veins when she noticed her hand was covered, not in her blood, but the blood of another's. Looking down she saw blood rush from the wound in his side, pooling around them. No! Her mind cried out, Oh God, please no!
Her stricken eyes met his, and she saw the love reflected in his still there. "Liz…my Liz."
His eyes suddenly closed and she was abruptly aware of his weight, and of the situation. What he had done for her. Liz choked and let out a sob, her cries shattering the silence and striking everyone present to the core with the raw emotions in her voice. "Maxxx!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He looked over at her small figure, huddled in the chair in the dark corner, head drawn down, and even from across the room he could hear her silent tears. She had been in a state of shock when they had pulled Max's body off of her, and she had promptly fainted. They had taken her to the hospital also, and found that she had a concussion. Nothing more serious, but physical damage wasn't what he was worried about. He knew that even though she hadn't been physically harmed, that her heart had suffered more than anything else. When she had woken up, he had seen the guilt buried in her eyes. The guilt that remained as they awaited reports of Max's surgery. Tears blinded his vision as Michael kept himself from running to his sister's side, understanding though without having said so that she needed to be alone right now.
"Is he going to make it?" Diane Evans asked the doctor urgently, tears in her voice.
Dr. Miller nodded in confirmation, "He'll be fine. The bullet missed vital parts and wasn't buried to deep. However, he did lose a lot of blood and will need to recuperate. Try to keep him off his feet for a few months, and he should be as good as new."
Relief flew around the room, wrapping itself extra tightly around the solitary figure, huddled against the chair.
He watched, amusement in his eyes as the small figure crept into the room, silently and on alert, her eyes darting the room in paranoia, settling on his face. She saw the smile on his face, and with a sob ran into his awaiting arms, throwing herself into them. Max yelped in pain, and Liz dropped her arms quickly, moving away from him, tears pooling in her eyes. Max, unable to stand the sight of her in tears, asked her to come closer. Liz looked at him warily before stepping closer, just a bit and then hesitated. She didn't move until he motioned her to, and once again she stopped and hesitated. Max, frustrated with this little game of Red Light, Green Light, stuck his arms out and pulled her into him, letting her sob into his chest.
"I'm sorry. So sorry." Her broken whispers shattered his heart as he listened to her apologize to circumstances beyond herself. It wasn't her fault those two men had a gun, and it certainly wasn't her decision to let him jump in front of him. That had been all him. He kissed the top of her head as he stroked her hair, soothing her the best he could with his kind words and gentle, soothing voice. Soon, Liz fell asleep sobbing in his arms, and he lay awake, looking down at her, protective feelings running rampart. It was obvious she had little sleep since the accident two weeks prior, and it was even more apparent that she had barely been eating. To know that he was the cause of this change in her broke his heart as he watched his Lizzie barely hold herself together. Little did he know that he could be no truer than he was at the moment, and yet so very wrong.
You know everything that I'm afraid of
You do everything I wish I did
Everybody wants you, everybody loves you
She watched him from across the room, surrounded by all the females from school who had come to his welcome home party. She wondered why her heart was beating so quickly, why suddenly she felt this red hot…jealousy? It was nothing new, truth be told, wherever Max Evans was, there was bound to be at least one girl following him, flirting or batting their lashes at him.
I know I should tell you how I feel
I wish everyone would disappear
Every time time you call me, I'm too scared to be me
And I'm too shy to say
She was staring at the liquid in her cup so intently that she didn't hear his approach nor did she hear the clearing of his throat. It was not until he coughed and tugged on her hand did she look up to find herself lost in amber eyes once more, and she felt the room tilt beneath her as a feeling rushed through her, something new, something exciting and so very new. She blushed when she realized that he was holding his hand out in a silent invitation, and she hesitated. Quickly she composed herself, but still caught sight of the flash of hurt in his eyes as his hand retreated.
Mentally berating herself for hesitating, Liz grabbed his arm and nodded, accepting his invitation. Letting him lead her to the dance floor, Liz relaxed as his arms came around her as they swayed to the song filling the air, and Liz allowed herself to lose herself in the fantasy as the lyrics to the song washed over her, drowning out the noise of ever person in the room, taking away everyone but herself and Max.
Ooh, I got a crush on you
I hope you feel the way that I do
I get a rush
When I'm with you
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you
Nothing could describe the way it felt to be in Max Evan's embrace. The warmth and security she found there was like nothing she had ever experienced, and the love shined from his eyes as he gazed down at her. However, this comforting gaze somehow broke her heart even more than seeing him with all those girls.
You know, I'm the one that you can talk to
And sometimes you tell me thing that I don't want to know
Suddenly she was reminded of the many times and many conversations they had of his past several relationships. Somehow between all the growing pains and fun, Max had become a player along with Michael, and Liz sat back watching them played all the girls around her, her heart breaking at the sight. Suddenly she remembered the way he had held all those girls, the way he looked at them, the way he kissed them.
I just want to hold you
And you say exactly how you feel about her
And I wonder, could you ever think of me that way
And just as unexpectedly, her heart wished he would look at her that way, that she could hold him close to her like she had seen those other girls do. Wished that he would kiss her the way he did those other girls.
Ooh, I got a crush on you
I hope you feel the way that I do
The thought startled her as she suddenly whipped her head up, causing Max to look at her in question; so many emotions crossed her face at that moment. She shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be. No! Her mind screamed. It wasn't possible, but her heart was already disagreeing whispering the severe possibility of it all.
I get a rush
When I'm with you
Happiness…confusion, content, sorrow, love…Love? Revelation. It was true. She was falling for him, perhaps she was already gone. Acceptance, pain, confusion, love. Falling for her best friend? Her brother's best friend…for Max Evans.
Ooh, I've got a crush on you
A crush on you
The truth became clearer and clearer as the weeks wore on, and as she pulled away from her Max, her best friend, her newest love and the rest of the world. She rarely ate, she couldn't sleep, and she could talk to no one about the way she felt. No one would understand. Slowly, but surely she drifted into a deep depression that no one could pull her out of. With a heavy heart, she made up her mind, and it wasn't until the day of her departure did she work up the courage to tell him.
Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody
But there's no one to talk to, nobody knows
"Liz?" Surprise was evident in his voice for he hadn't seen her in such a long time, all of course, entirely her fault.
"I'm leaving Max."
"What? Where? With who? How long? Why?" God he sounded so confused so lost, Liz wanted nothing more than to break down in his arms.
"Florida. Aunt's house. No one. The summer." You wouldn't understand why. Liz thought silently, tears welling up in her eyes.
Her wish was granted as he wrapped his arms around her, and she felt so welcomed, so safe. She berated herself for allowing this to happen. How did she allow herself to fall in love with her best friend? Tears coursed down his face as well as hers as they wept together. Liz looked up to see the same love shining in his eyes as longing filled her upon the memory that his love was nothing more than something platonic. God why was she torturing herself like this? Why was she allowing herself to get close to something she could never have? It would always be like this, she would watch him, longing, but never having him, never loving him the way she needed to.
"I'll miss you Lizbit."
I've got a crush on you
A crush on you, I got a crush
She looked out the window and saw him standing there, watching as she left him. The aircraft taking her further and further away from him, she was still pressed against the window, hands tightly pressed against the glass. It would only be two months, but they had never been apart for that length of time. Best friends since birth, it seemed he would miss her as much as she would miss him. This was for the best after all; she had decided to get away from Roswell. To clear her mind and redirect her life, to get rid of whatever feelings she may have had for her best friend. It was better for both of them this way. Better for her to get hurt in the process than for he to get hurt too. It was something she was never willing to allow to happen. He deserved no pain whatsoever. Besides, she knew he wasn't ready to deal with this right now. Through conversations with him, she learned that he had wanted something more, wanted something special, but was too afraid to pursue it.
She would forget. Forget the way his arms felt around her. The burning sensation as he kissed her forehead. The fluttering whenever he came into view. She would forget she had ever fallen for Max Evans.
You say everything that no one says
But I feel everything that you're afraid to feel
But a part of her was not willing to let go as memories of a conversation drifted into her mind just as she fell into the world of slumber.
'Max?'
'Yeah?'
'Why?'
'Why what?'
'Why did you jump in front of the bullet? You could have been killed.'
'…'
'Max?'
'It was you.'
Gasping, Liz Parker sat straight up in bed, tears running down her cheeks as memories of the first time she had fallen raced through her mind. She reached for the medallion around her neck, rubbing it in comfort. It couldn't have been happening again, not after the way it had ended last time.
She couldn't be falling for him again. It wasn't possible. She just couldn't be.
I will always want you, I will always love you
I've got a crush...
**Crush, Mandy Moore**
But once again her heart would prove her wrong, because love had already began to play its timeless melody, and she found herself dancing to the familiar music once more.
End Interlude
A/N: Basically, this sort of explains why Liz left a while back. I know it wasn't good, and I kinda rushed it, but maybe next time, ok? I'll rewrite it or something later.