ME: Wow, great response to the last chapter! I'm surprised at how many
reviews I've gotten so far. I never get this kinda response with any of my
other fics. Uhh, anyway, DISCLAIMER!
YEAH, I OWN ROSWELL. SO BITE ME. NAH, I'M KIDDING! SERIOUSLY NOW, I DON'T OWN IT.
ME: On we go!
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Max walked briskly down the slowly darkening street. Even though he'd only been down it once, he knew exactly where he was going. He had the map to Liz's house down in his brain like an...uhh, map of some sort. But that didn't matter! He just had to go to her house and convince her and their son to go back to Roswell with him.
Easier said than done.
*Ding Dong!* Max stood impatiently outside her door. He was somewhat pleased to see the name 'Evans' on the brass doorplate. To him, it meant like he still had a chance. He heard indistinct murmuring behind the door, the sound of a chain sliding and the click of a key. He braced himself, taking big, deep breath as the door swung open.
"Max?!"
Back at the hotel:
Kyle and Isabel sat in companionable silence watching the tiny TV that was in Kyle's room. They didn't know where Michael and Maria were, but to tell you the truth, they didn't really care. Whenever those two fought, outside interference definitely didn't help their already somewhat volatile relationship. So, on a Friday night, the only two single members of the pod squad (Max never considered himself single, even though he hadn't seen his wife in eight years.) were sitting in a dingy hotel room watching the 'Frasier' marathon and drinking past-it's-sell-by-date apple juice Kyle found in the room's fridge.
"Man, Frasier sucks." Kyle announced after watching thirty seconds of the episode.
"Well don't watch it then." Isabel replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Nah, I'll keep watching. You never know, it might get better."
"It won't."
"Ah well, what can you do?"
Now, back to Max and Liz:
"Hi Liz, uhh...long time no see." Idiot! Max almost slapped himself. 'Long time no see?! What the hell? Stupid, stupid, stupid!' His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Liz's startled, but not pleased-sounding voice.
"Max? What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you on Antar playing toy soldiers against Kivar?" Max winced. That hurt.
"Look Liz, I know you're upset..."
"Upset?! Oh, I'm more than upset Max! You left me, in the middle of the night, without one word of your departure! How do you think that made me feel? Huh?" She yelled at him. He tried desperately to calm her down as some of her neighbours were starting to look out their windows.
"Liz, ssh, please..."
"No, Max! What are you afraid of what the neighbours think? I'll stand out here and yell all day if that's what it takes to make you leave!" Max blinked.
"Did you just say, did you just say that you wanted me to leave?"
"Did I stutter?" Her tone was harsh and unforgiving. Max noticed that the neighbours weren't just looking out through the net curtains, they were standing out on their doorsteps to see what all the commotion was about. He decided that it would be a good idea to go inside. He looked into her eyes.
"Liz, please, can we go inside and talk about this?"
"What? No way!" She made to slam the door in his face, but he jammed his leg in between the door and the frame.
"Please?" Her ice-cold stare softened for a second and looked indecisive. Then she said,
"Fine, get in." She stepped back to let Max in."
"Tha..."
"Just shut up and get in!" She slammed the door behind them and led Max towards the living room. She sat down, but made no move to offer him a seat. When he tried to sit next to her and take her hand she moved across to the other chair.
"I said you could come in, I didn't say I wanted you to touch me." His face fell and he twiddled the wedding band on his left hand nervously. For a while there was a tense silence, then Max spoke up.
"I missed you."
"Save it, Max. All I want is an explanation as to why you're here, then I want you leave."
"I wanted to see you again, Liz. I gave up my position as king for y..."
"Oh, wow Max, that's just super! But I didn't know you'd be back so soon, so the marching band wont be here until tomorrow!" Max winced again at the heavy sarcasm in her voice. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pain and hatred. He stood up and sat down beside her. This time she didn't move chair, but shifted along so they weren't touching. His face fell even more.
"Liz, please, stop it." God, he sounded pathetic.
"Stop what, Max?"
"You know. Just stop it."
"Stop what, Max?"
"Pushing me out of your life." Liz turned to face him again, tears shining in her eyes. She still looked furious though.
"What!?" She stood up quickly. "I thought you were already out of my life, Max. You went out of my life eight years ago."
"Not because I wanted to though, I had a duty to the people of Antar..."
"Oh, and you didn't have a duty to me, your wife? No, I don't suppose you did. After all, you didn't think anything of disappearing into the night and leaving me alone in some crappy hotel in some redneck town in Alabama. Pregnant, no less." She smiled wickedly at his reaction. "But you didn't know that did you? You didn't exactly hang around to find out!" Max looked down at his knees.
"No, I didn't know then, but I do now. Maria and Kyle told me. They're here too y'know, and they want to see you." This time it was Max's turn to enjoy the others reaction as Liz paled considerably and sat down again.
"What do you want from me, Max?" The anger was gone from her tone and she sounded desperate. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I love you and want you to come back to Roswell with me." He reached out and took her hand. This time she didn't flinch or pull away.
"You know I can't do that."
"Why not? Judging from what I've seen of this neighbourhood, you don't have much of a life here."
"I can't, Max. It wouldn't be fair on Adam, he's lived his whole life in Seattle."
"He'd get used to Roswell, in time." His grip on her hand got tighter. "Don't you still love me?" He watched her sadly as she turned away and stared down at the dark blue carpet.
"Yes, I do, Max. Of course I do."
"Then come back with me." He kissed her hand. "Please? I want us to be a family, a real family."
"I...I'm not sure. I mean, how do I know that you wont just leave again?" She looked at him, and he looked back. For a second there was nothing, then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
"I promise you, I wont ever leave again." He drew back slowly, trying to make the moment last as long as possible. When he looked into her eyes again, he saw that (Most of.) the hatred was gone.
"Ok." She said, still staring into his deep, dark eyes. "I'll go back with you." Max's face split into a huge smile.
"On one condition." The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"What's that?" He asked.
"You have to tell Adam."
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ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhangers are evil, aren't they?
YEAH, I OWN ROSWELL. SO BITE ME. NAH, I'M KIDDING! SERIOUSLY NOW, I DON'T OWN IT.
ME: On we go!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Max walked briskly down the slowly darkening street. Even though he'd only been down it once, he knew exactly where he was going. He had the map to Liz's house down in his brain like an...uhh, map of some sort. But that didn't matter! He just had to go to her house and convince her and their son to go back to Roswell with him.
Easier said than done.
*Ding Dong!* Max stood impatiently outside her door. He was somewhat pleased to see the name 'Evans' on the brass doorplate. To him, it meant like he still had a chance. He heard indistinct murmuring behind the door, the sound of a chain sliding and the click of a key. He braced himself, taking big, deep breath as the door swung open.
"Max?!"
Back at the hotel:
Kyle and Isabel sat in companionable silence watching the tiny TV that was in Kyle's room. They didn't know where Michael and Maria were, but to tell you the truth, they didn't really care. Whenever those two fought, outside interference definitely didn't help their already somewhat volatile relationship. So, on a Friday night, the only two single members of the pod squad (Max never considered himself single, even though he hadn't seen his wife in eight years.) were sitting in a dingy hotel room watching the 'Frasier' marathon and drinking past-it's-sell-by-date apple juice Kyle found in the room's fridge.
"Man, Frasier sucks." Kyle announced after watching thirty seconds of the episode.
"Well don't watch it then." Isabel replied, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Nah, I'll keep watching. You never know, it might get better."
"It won't."
"Ah well, what can you do?"
Now, back to Max and Liz:
"Hi Liz, uhh...long time no see." Idiot! Max almost slapped himself. 'Long time no see?! What the hell? Stupid, stupid, stupid!' His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Liz's startled, but not pleased-sounding voice.
"Max? What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you on Antar playing toy soldiers against Kivar?" Max winced. That hurt.
"Look Liz, I know you're upset..."
"Upset?! Oh, I'm more than upset Max! You left me, in the middle of the night, without one word of your departure! How do you think that made me feel? Huh?" She yelled at him. He tried desperately to calm her down as some of her neighbours were starting to look out their windows.
"Liz, ssh, please..."
"No, Max! What are you afraid of what the neighbours think? I'll stand out here and yell all day if that's what it takes to make you leave!" Max blinked.
"Did you just say, did you just say that you wanted me to leave?"
"Did I stutter?" Her tone was harsh and unforgiving. Max noticed that the neighbours weren't just looking out through the net curtains, they were standing out on their doorsteps to see what all the commotion was about. He decided that it would be a good idea to go inside. He looked into her eyes.
"Liz, please, can we go inside and talk about this?"
"What? No way!" She made to slam the door in his face, but he jammed his leg in between the door and the frame.
"Please?" Her ice-cold stare softened for a second and looked indecisive. Then she said,
"Fine, get in." She stepped back to let Max in."
"Tha..."
"Just shut up and get in!" She slammed the door behind them and led Max towards the living room. She sat down, but made no move to offer him a seat. When he tried to sit next to her and take her hand she moved across to the other chair.
"I said you could come in, I didn't say I wanted you to touch me." His face fell and he twiddled the wedding band on his left hand nervously. For a while there was a tense silence, then Max spoke up.
"I missed you."
"Save it, Max. All I want is an explanation as to why you're here, then I want you leave."
"I wanted to see you again, Liz. I gave up my position as king for y..."
"Oh, wow Max, that's just super! But I didn't know you'd be back so soon, so the marching band wont be here until tomorrow!" Max winced again at the heavy sarcasm in her voice. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but pain and hatred. He stood up and sat down beside her. This time she didn't move chair, but shifted along so they weren't touching. His face fell even more.
"Liz, please, stop it." God, he sounded pathetic.
"Stop what, Max?"
"You know. Just stop it."
"Stop what, Max?"
"Pushing me out of your life." Liz turned to face him again, tears shining in her eyes. She still looked furious though.
"What!?" She stood up quickly. "I thought you were already out of my life, Max. You went out of my life eight years ago."
"Not because I wanted to though, I had a duty to the people of Antar..."
"Oh, and you didn't have a duty to me, your wife? No, I don't suppose you did. After all, you didn't think anything of disappearing into the night and leaving me alone in some crappy hotel in some redneck town in Alabama. Pregnant, no less." She smiled wickedly at his reaction. "But you didn't know that did you? You didn't exactly hang around to find out!" Max looked down at his knees.
"No, I didn't know then, but I do now. Maria and Kyle told me. They're here too y'know, and they want to see you." This time it was Max's turn to enjoy the others reaction as Liz paled considerably and sat down again.
"What do you want from me, Max?" The anger was gone from her tone and she sounded desperate. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I love you and want you to come back to Roswell with me." He reached out and took her hand. This time she didn't flinch or pull away.
"You know I can't do that."
"Why not? Judging from what I've seen of this neighbourhood, you don't have much of a life here."
"I can't, Max. It wouldn't be fair on Adam, he's lived his whole life in Seattle."
"He'd get used to Roswell, in time." His grip on her hand got tighter. "Don't you still love me?" He watched her sadly as she turned away and stared down at the dark blue carpet.
"Yes, I do, Max. Of course I do."
"Then come back with me." He kissed her hand. "Please? I want us to be a family, a real family."
"I...I'm not sure. I mean, how do I know that you wont just leave again?" She looked at him, and he looked back. For a second there was nothing, then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
"I promise you, I wont ever leave again." He drew back slowly, trying to make the moment last as long as possible. When he looked into her eyes again, he saw that (Most of.) the hatred was gone.
"Ok." She said, still staring into his deep, dark eyes. "I'll go back with you." Max's face split into a huge smile.
"On one condition." The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"What's that?" He asked.
"You have to tell Adam."
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ME: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhangers are evil, aren't they?