ME: (Sitting in a throne, watching several people hanging over the edge of
a big cliff.) Heh, heh, heh, I do love cliffhangers!
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I DON'T OWN ROSWELL!
ME: (Still watching.) On with the chapter!
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Creak. The door opened slowly on its rusty hinges. He was sitting with his back to the door, playing with his little plastic ninja figures. He had heard the door opening but didn't bother to turn around. He knew who it was already. He could feel people near him without needing to see them.
"Hi, mom." (Adam's American, so he would say 'mom' and not 'mum' like I do.) Hi-yah! His little blue ninja kicked the purple one in the stomach. "Is it time for bed already?" Whack! The purple ninja struck back by whacking the blue one over it's head with a pencil.
"No, sweetie." Silence. She was nervous. Then, "I need you to come downstairs for a second." He put his ninjas down and turned to look at his mother.
"Why?"
"Just...because." Another brief, awkward silence. "I need you to meet someone." He looked up at her curiously, the ninja battle now forgotten.
"Who?"
"You'll see when you go down into the living room."
"Oh, ok mom!" His childish curiosity peaked, he jumped to his feet and ran down the stairs. Or, he would have run down the stairs if his mother hadn't grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt as he ran past.
"Walk down the stairs, Adam. You don't want to slip and hurt yourself now, do you?"
A sigh. "No mom, I don't." He looked up at her, hopeful. "Can I go now?" Liz smiled at him.
"Yeah, go on." She ruffled his spiky hair affectionately and he yelped in protest.
"Watch the hair!" He mock-frowned at her and then walked as fast as he could down the stairs, with Liz right behind him.
"So, mom. Who's this perso..." Adam stopped short as he entered the living room. He couldn't believe it. "Dad?" His voice was shocked, disbelieving. Max smiled at him reassuringly.
"That's me." Adam looked back up at his mother, she was also smiling at him. But, he noticed, her smile looked more forced, more stressed than his father's. He looked over at the man sitting in the chair again.
"Well, aren't you going to say hi to your daddy?" The man, his dad, seemed to be getting impatient. What was he supposed to say? Oh, hi dad! Nice of you to join us after eight years alone! He looked at his father, seeing the glimmer of hope in his eyes. Then back to his mother, her smile couldn't quite conceal the years of pain she had endured without him. Where was his dad when she cried herself to sleep at night, thinking he was asleep in his room across the hall? He looked again at 'daddy' and made his decision. A decision that a child his age should never have to make.
"No." Then he turned and walked out the room.
Max almost fell out of the chair. Safe to say, he was pretty upset. Well, upset probably isn't a strong enough word. He was devastated, his own son had rejected him. Liz saw the look on his face and went and sat beside him. She took his hands in hers.
"I'm sorry, Max. But you have to understand how hard this is for him."
"He, he said no. How could...why? Why would he do that?" Liz crumbled inside. It was as if Max had reverted into a small child right in front of her eyes. He was lost, there was no denying that. Like the child at the airport who's parents have got on the plane without him. It was borderline pathetic. A grown man reduced to tears by a seven-year-old boy. And not just any seven-year-old boy, his own son.
"Well, Max, what did you expect? He's never even seen you before, well only in a photograph. And even so, it was group photo and you're at the side. He took it better than I though he would, actually." Max looked at her curiously, though he was till crying.
"Huh?" His voice was thick, like he couldn't seem to get the words out well. "You have a photo?"
"Yeah, of the group. Remember, we got that weird guy in Arizona to take a group photo of the six of us about a month before you...left."
"No." Liz sighed.
"Oh, well. I can show you it if you want." He only looked half-interested, but agreed anyway.
"Ok, where is it?" Liz got up and went into the hallway. He heard her rummaging around in a box or something, then a loud snap and she came back through with the photo in her hand.
"Here." Max looked at it, and instantly remembered.
Flashback:
"Aww, come on Michael, you have to be in the photo!" Maria whined and tugged on Michael's sleeve. He struggled for a bit more then, with a heavy sigh, complied with her wishes.
"Fine! But just one photo, mind. Then we're outta this dump." Maria groaned in mock-frustration and dragged her boyfriend over next to the others. It was Maria's idea, naturally, to have a group photo taken. And whatever misgivings the others had about them all being photographed together, they hid them underneath their cheery smiles as they posed for the photo. Maria gave the signal to the weirdo Max had, probably unwisely, loaned his camera to for this occasion. The flash went off, and the moment was recorded forever.
End flashback:
Max smiled a little and looked at Liz.
"I remember now. The jerk tried to run off with my camera!" He stared down at the photo he held in his hands. "Wow, I can't believe you've kept this all these years." He laughed quietly, but Liz didn't.
"It's the only link I have to life back in Roswell." Max looked back at her, all the laughter gone. He hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'll probably never, ever be able to tell you just how sorry I am." He held her close to him, as if letting her go would make her disappear. And Liz, strangely uncomfortable in the man, who she was once was so sure was her soul mate's arms, was even more lost then he was.
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Me: It is done! Now, I've had a couple of reviews from people who think Max has been let off too lightly about the whole abandoning-of-his-family- thing. Let me assure you, right now, that he definitely isn't gonna get off easy on this one.
You'll see...
Now review!
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I DON'T OWN ROSWELL!
ME: (Still watching.) On with the chapter!
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Creak. The door opened slowly on its rusty hinges. He was sitting with his back to the door, playing with his little plastic ninja figures. He had heard the door opening but didn't bother to turn around. He knew who it was already. He could feel people near him without needing to see them.
"Hi, mom." (Adam's American, so he would say 'mom' and not 'mum' like I do.) Hi-yah! His little blue ninja kicked the purple one in the stomach. "Is it time for bed already?" Whack! The purple ninja struck back by whacking the blue one over it's head with a pencil.
"No, sweetie." Silence. She was nervous. Then, "I need you to come downstairs for a second." He put his ninjas down and turned to look at his mother.
"Why?"
"Just...because." Another brief, awkward silence. "I need you to meet someone." He looked up at her curiously, the ninja battle now forgotten.
"Who?"
"You'll see when you go down into the living room."
"Oh, ok mom!" His childish curiosity peaked, he jumped to his feet and ran down the stairs. Or, he would have run down the stairs if his mother hadn't grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt as he ran past.
"Walk down the stairs, Adam. You don't want to slip and hurt yourself now, do you?"
A sigh. "No mom, I don't." He looked up at her, hopeful. "Can I go now?" Liz smiled at him.
"Yeah, go on." She ruffled his spiky hair affectionately and he yelped in protest.
"Watch the hair!" He mock-frowned at her and then walked as fast as he could down the stairs, with Liz right behind him.
"So, mom. Who's this perso..." Adam stopped short as he entered the living room. He couldn't believe it. "Dad?" His voice was shocked, disbelieving. Max smiled at him reassuringly.
"That's me." Adam looked back up at his mother, she was also smiling at him. But, he noticed, her smile looked more forced, more stressed than his father's. He looked over at the man sitting in the chair again.
"Well, aren't you going to say hi to your daddy?" The man, his dad, seemed to be getting impatient. What was he supposed to say? Oh, hi dad! Nice of you to join us after eight years alone! He looked at his father, seeing the glimmer of hope in his eyes. Then back to his mother, her smile couldn't quite conceal the years of pain she had endured without him. Where was his dad when she cried herself to sleep at night, thinking he was asleep in his room across the hall? He looked again at 'daddy' and made his decision. A decision that a child his age should never have to make.
"No." Then he turned and walked out the room.
Max almost fell out of the chair. Safe to say, he was pretty upset. Well, upset probably isn't a strong enough word. He was devastated, his own son had rejected him. Liz saw the look on his face and went and sat beside him. She took his hands in hers.
"I'm sorry, Max. But you have to understand how hard this is for him."
"He, he said no. How could...why? Why would he do that?" Liz crumbled inside. It was as if Max had reverted into a small child right in front of her eyes. He was lost, there was no denying that. Like the child at the airport who's parents have got on the plane without him. It was borderline pathetic. A grown man reduced to tears by a seven-year-old boy. And not just any seven-year-old boy, his own son.
"Well, Max, what did you expect? He's never even seen you before, well only in a photograph. And even so, it was group photo and you're at the side. He took it better than I though he would, actually." Max looked at her curiously, though he was till crying.
"Huh?" His voice was thick, like he couldn't seem to get the words out well. "You have a photo?"
"Yeah, of the group. Remember, we got that weird guy in Arizona to take a group photo of the six of us about a month before you...left."
"No." Liz sighed.
"Oh, well. I can show you it if you want." He only looked half-interested, but agreed anyway.
"Ok, where is it?" Liz got up and went into the hallway. He heard her rummaging around in a box or something, then a loud snap and she came back through with the photo in her hand.
"Here." Max looked at it, and instantly remembered.
Flashback:
"Aww, come on Michael, you have to be in the photo!" Maria whined and tugged on Michael's sleeve. He struggled for a bit more then, with a heavy sigh, complied with her wishes.
"Fine! But just one photo, mind. Then we're outta this dump." Maria groaned in mock-frustration and dragged her boyfriend over next to the others. It was Maria's idea, naturally, to have a group photo taken. And whatever misgivings the others had about them all being photographed together, they hid them underneath their cheery smiles as they posed for the photo. Maria gave the signal to the weirdo Max had, probably unwisely, loaned his camera to for this occasion. The flash went off, and the moment was recorded forever.
End flashback:
Max smiled a little and looked at Liz.
"I remember now. The jerk tried to run off with my camera!" He stared down at the photo he held in his hands. "Wow, I can't believe you've kept this all these years." He laughed quietly, but Liz didn't.
"It's the only link I have to life back in Roswell." Max looked back at her, all the laughter gone. He hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'll probably never, ever be able to tell you just how sorry I am." He held her close to him, as if letting her go would make her disappear. And Liz, strangely uncomfortable in the man, who she was once was so sure was her soul mate's arms, was even more lost then he was.
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Me: It is done! Now, I've had a couple of reviews from people who think Max has been let off too lightly about the whole abandoning-of-his-family- thing. Let me assure you, right now, that he definitely isn't gonna get off easy on this one.
You'll see...
Now review!