ME: YAY! It's chapter ten! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh boy, I really need
medication...
VEGETA: Got that right.
ME: Shut up, Vegeta!
OH COME ON, DO YOU REALLY, HONESTLY, TRULY BELIEVE THAT A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL FROM SCOTLAND COULD OWN A POPULAR AMERICAN TV SHOW? REALLY, YOU DO? WELL MY FRIEND, YOU'RE IN GREATER NEED OF MEDICATION THAN I AM...
ME: Uhh, okay then. The chapter!
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The first thing Adam noticed as he got out of the car outside the Crashdown café and took his first steps in Roswell, apart from the nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach that he really didn't want to be here, was the heat. The sun was shining down full force, and he, stupidly deciding on wearing his thick, padded ice-hockey jumper, was roasting. He glanced at his mother as she got out of the car. Strange, she didn't seem to notice it...
"Well Adam, what do you think?" He whirled around. It was his mother's friend, Maria who had spoken. He smiled at her weakly. Maria was alright, she didn't try to force things on him like his mom's other friends. (Notice, I've not slipped up with the mom/mum thing yet!)
"It's too hot." He said quietly. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Ah, don't worry about that, you'll get used to it!" Then she walked away, his father taking her place.
"How you holding up, sport?" Adam just stared at him. Sport? What the hell?
"I'm fine." He replied, a little more curtly than with Maria. "And don't call me sport. Ever." Max grinned.
"Then what do people call you?"
"Adam." Stating the obvious, but never mind. Max's smile faltered slightly at the boy's tone.
"You don't have any nicknames, or anything like that?"
"No." His father's smile faded completely. He squatted down so that he was Adam's height.
"Listen." He began softly. "I know we haven't exactly gotten off to a good start but I would like to get to know you better." He stared hopefully into his son's eyes. "So, do you think we could, y'know' start all over again?" He stood up again. "I'll take you to some basketball games too, if that's what you want." Adam glared at him. Start all over again? Oh yeah, that was really gonna happen. Uh oh, getting impatient, better answer.
"Whatever." Was all he said, before sauntering off to join his mother a couple of feet away talking to Kyle, Isabel and Maria. Max looked down at the ground sadly. He was trying his hardest, but the boy still wouldn't even give him a chance."
"Well, what did you expect, Maxwell?" He looked up, surprised to see Michael standing in front of him, arms crossed. "A warm welcome and a tea party to celebrate your return?" Max frowned.
"Look Michael, I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes right now." He snapped. Michael tilted his head slightly.
"Who was joking? I'm serious. What did you expect?" Max was silent for a while, pondering his answer. Finally, he said,
"Something like this." Michael frowned.
"That's bullshit Max, and you know it." He said, so that only Max could hear him. "You had it all worked out before we even spent a week on Antar. You'd come back, Liz would be happy, and everything would all go back to being perfect. It would be like nothing had ever changed." Max stared at him curiously.
"How did you...?"
"You talk in your sleep, Maxwell."
"Oh." Neither of them spoke for a minute after that, not wanting to push the matter any further. Finally, Michael said,
"Are you going in to the Crashdown with Liz and Adam?" Max looked up, surprised at the question.
"I don't know. I hadn't even thought about that." He admitted. Michael wasn't pleased with his answer.
"Well, are you?" He asked him, clearly not taking Max's indifferent answer easily. Max didn't reply, just kept staring at his scuffed boots.
"Max!" His head snapped up.
"What?"
"Are you going into the Crashdown?" He asked again, and when Max didn't answer him he just sighed impatiently and walked away.
"You'll never get it..." Max heard him mutter as he walked away, but took no notice. What was there to get? His own son hated him, his wife didn't want to be near him and his friends...well, there was nothing left to say there. Max didn't really trust anyone anymore. Betrayal, it was chiselled into his consciousness. On Antar everyone was a traitor. Trust, well trust was a word almost unheard on the planet where Kivar's iron-fist rule was obsolete. Max had learned that the hard way...
Flashback:
"Your majesty, your majesty!" The foot soldiers terrified yells could be heard all the way down the corridor and into Max's chamber. He was automatically on his feet, alert, poised to defend himself against whatever the threat was now. The soldier burst through the doors of his chamber, panting and gasping for breath.
"Your majesty..." He gasped weakly, clutching his chest. "Kivar's forces....they're here." Max's eyes widened in fear and surprise.
"What? But that's impossible, no-one knows about this base!" He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his pistol. Weapons on Antar looked very much like weapons on Earth, but with one crucial difference. Antarian guns drew energy from the person holding them, so they could fire a concentrated burst of energy, without the need for any bullets.
"We need to get you out of here." The man said. Max wasn't about to argue.
"Right, let's go." He closed the drawer and walked out, the man at his heels. But as soon as the door behind them swung shut, a cold, prickly feeling began to creep down the back of his neck, making the hairs all stand up. He heard a gun cock, then the voice of the man who'd told him about the attack.
"I'm sorry, your majesty." The voice said, just behind him, and Max could hear real apology in his voice. "But Kivar pays a lot more than you do..." He shut his eyes tight as he felt the cold, steel barrel of the gun against his back. This was it, he was going to die, and all of the battle's he'd fought were for nothing. And worst of all, he would never see Liz again. Click. Safety off. The trigger was pulled.
Oblivion.
One week later:
Max opened his eyes slowly, and groaned. Bright light streamed down on him and strange, unfocused shapes swam before his eyes. He could hear voices, pounding down on his already splitting headache. Everything seemed distant, as if he was floating. Then his eyes came into focus, he saw Isabel and Michael standing anxiously at his bedside, and it all come flooding back. Betrayal, the soldier with the gun, the attack on the base.
"What...happened?" He asked weakly, his tongue suddenly feeling too big for his mouth. Isabel fielded that one, her eyes clouded with worry.
"There was an assault on the base, it came without warning." She said quickly. "Someone inside the base tipped Kivar off to our whereabouts. It was lucky we got to you in time." Max could do nothing but stare at her. Lucky? There was nothing 'lucky' about what had happened. That man, he had turned away from the rebel forces, almost killed him in cold blood. Trust was usually given without any kind of judgement or test. But never again would Max Evans trust another soldier.
End flashback:
Max shook himself mentally. He had tried his hardest to push that memory down to the furthest reaches of his mind. Why had it come back now?
"Max. Max?" He looked up to see Liz staring at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright? You totally spaced out on us for a moment there." He looked at her for a while longer, then put on his best fake smile.
"Yeah, I'm just fine." He lied.
"Are you coming in with us to see my parents?" His thoughts turned briefly to Liz's parents, the Parkers. Then held back a grimace at the thought of what Mr Parker would do to him when he found out that he had gotten Liz pregnant and then left without a trace. He shook his head.
"No, it'd be better if you went in on your own." He stared into her eyes, trying to turn some of the love he felt for her into some sort of emotion and failing. "I'll be out here if you need me." He added weakly. For a split second, he was sure he could see some sadness in her eyes at his decision, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had came. Leaving them hardened against any kind of emotional assault he could muster.
"Right." Was all she said, before grabbing Adam's hand and leading him through the Crashdown's doors.
Later that evening:
Liz's trip back to the Crashdown had gone pretty much they way she had expected it to. Both her parents were happy to see her, but their opinions on Adam were split. Her mother loved the boy as soon as she saw him, kissing him on the forehead and exclaiming to her father how similar the boy was to Max. And her dad, well...Mr Parker was slightly weird about the whole thing. First demanding to know if Adam was indeed Max's son, then looking both surprised and angry when she told him he was. Then for a while he was silent, watching the kid out of the corner of his eye as his wife fawned all over him.
Hmm, she would have to talk to her father about that. Adam was a little too interested in knowing why his granddad seemed to hate his dad so much. Maybe a quick word with him about not criticising Max in front of Adam, she didn't want him to be a bad influence. Hell, she really didn't want her father to be any sort of influence on her son at all. He was too old fashioned, and besides, Adam had Max for that, and more than likely Michael and Kyle too. Especially Michael though, it was as if he and Adam had some sort of silent understanding between them. Maybe it was the fact that Michael's 'father' Hank had never been there for him, and Adam's father hadn't been there for him either, Liz didn't know.
"Liz, we're here." She was immediately shaken out of her musing by the sound of Max's voice. Somehow, in the short amount of time he had been back on Earth and in Roswell, he had managed to buy an apartment that they could live in until he got a better job, but just until then he'd promised her. She didn't really want to go into details about his somewhat suspicious 'acquisition' of the apartment right now though, she was far too tired. So, she was quite happy to get out of the car, Adam at her heels, and follow Max up the stairs to their temporary home.
"Kitchen...bathroom...our bedroom...Adam's bedroom...living room..." Max gave them the short tour of the place, nothing too it really. It was tiny. But Liz wasn't in any position to complain about it now, she had chosen to return to Roswell with Max and was now stuck with him, and wherever he lived. Trying vainly to stifle her yawns, she walked towards hers and Max's bedroom, leaving Adam alone with his dad. Max smiled at him reassuringly.
"C'mon, I'll take you along to your room." Adam 'hmphed' in response but followed him along the narrow corridor towards his bedroom anyway. The narrow door opened with a creak. Max followed his son inside, switching the light on on the way.
"Did you bring sheets?" He asked. Adam nodded. "Want me to help you sort them out?" This time his son shook his head.
"I'll be fine." Max's face fell a little.
"Oh, alright then." He said slowly, rising to his feet. "Well, you know where I am if you need me." And he closed the door behind him. Adam sat perfectly still for a moment, listening to his father's footsteps echo down the corridor. Then, satisfied that Max was gone, he went over to one of his suitcases and unzipped, it, pulling out a couple of sheets and a pillow. God only knows how his mother managed to fit all that into the one suitcase. Maybe she used her powers, he really didn't know. He tutted to himself.
Mothers.
Quick as a flash, he flicked his wrist lightly in the direction of the bed and then watched in awe as the sheets floated over and fixed themselves out on it. That was just an experiment, he hadn't really expected it to work. Grabbing his pillow, he walked over and jumped onto the bed, a small, innocent smile on his face. He loved to play with his 'special powers', as his mother called them and hadn't yet reached a limit as to what they could do. But now it was time to sleep. The day had been hectic from the start and he was very, very tired. Sighing a little, he reached into his bag once again, pulled out a little, blue teddy bear and jumped back onto bed.
What? Even adults have teddy bears y'know.
Meanwhile, down the hallway:
Max lay, still as stone in the large bed he shared with his wife. She hadn't said a word to him since he'd came into the bedroom. He knew that she was faking sleep to avoid conversation, and it tore him up inside. She still hadn't forgiven him. He shifted slightly, so he could look over at the back of her head and sighed. What would he have to do to be forgiven he really didn't know, but nobody could say he wasn't trying. Hell, he'd done everything except beg her for forgiveness, but she still wouldn't give. And her eyes, he shivered slightly. They weren't the warm, kind eyes he remembered. No, they were cold, emotionless, at least towards him. He shivered again, but from the cold this time. The room wasn't very warm, and he'd noticed Liz shivering too.
Well, even those made of ice aren't oblivious to the cold.
Slowly, not sure if it was the smartest thing to do when you're wife seemed to hate you, he shifted his weight so that he could pull Liz close to her to keep out the cold. A small smile crossed his face when she didn't fight his embrace, but sank further into it.
Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.
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ME: Whooooooo, evil chapter. It took me ages to get right! (Mumbles something about desperately needing caffeine and sugar.) Review!
VEGETA: Got that right.
ME: Shut up, Vegeta!
OH COME ON, DO YOU REALLY, HONESTLY, TRULY BELIEVE THAT A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL FROM SCOTLAND COULD OWN A POPULAR AMERICAN TV SHOW? REALLY, YOU DO? WELL MY FRIEND, YOU'RE IN GREATER NEED OF MEDICATION THAN I AM...
ME: Uhh, okay then. The chapter!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
The first thing Adam noticed as he got out of the car outside the Crashdown café and took his first steps in Roswell, apart from the nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach that he really didn't want to be here, was the heat. The sun was shining down full force, and he, stupidly deciding on wearing his thick, padded ice-hockey jumper, was roasting. He glanced at his mother as she got out of the car. Strange, she didn't seem to notice it...
"Well Adam, what do you think?" He whirled around. It was his mother's friend, Maria who had spoken. He smiled at her weakly. Maria was alright, she didn't try to force things on him like his mom's other friends. (Notice, I've not slipped up with the mom/mum thing yet!)
"It's too hot." He said quietly. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Ah, don't worry about that, you'll get used to it!" Then she walked away, his father taking her place.
"How you holding up, sport?" Adam just stared at him. Sport? What the hell?
"I'm fine." He replied, a little more curtly than with Maria. "And don't call me sport. Ever." Max grinned.
"Then what do people call you?"
"Adam." Stating the obvious, but never mind. Max's smile faltered slightly at the boy's tone.
"You don't have any nicknames, or anything like that?"
"No." His father's smile faded completely. He squatted down so that he was Adam's height.
"Listen." He began softly. "I know we haven't exactly gotten off to a good start but I would like to get to know you better." He stared hopefully into his son's eyes. "So, do you think we could, y'know' start all over again?" He stood up again. "I'll take you to some basketball games too, if that's what you want." Adam glared at him. Start all over again? Oh yeah, that was really gonna happen. Uh oh, getting impatient, better answer.
"Whatever." Was all he said, before sauntering off to join his mother a couple of feet away talking to Kyle, Isabel and Maria. Max looked down at the ground sadly. He was trying his hardest, but the boy still wouldn't even give him a chance."
"Well, what did you expect, Maxwell?" He looked up, surprised to see Michael standing in front of him, arms crossed. "A warm welcome and a tea party to celebrate your return?" Max frowned.
"Look Michael, I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes right now." He snapped. Michael tilted his head slightly.
"Who was joking? I'm serious. What did you expect?" Max was silent for a while, pondering his answer. Finally, he said,
"Something like this." Michael frowned.
"That's bullshit Max, and you know it." He said, so that only Max could hear him. "You had it all worked out before we even spent a week on Antar. You'd come back, Liz would be happy, and everything would all go back to being perfect. It would be like nothing had ever changed." Max stared at him curiously.
"How did you...?"
"You talk in your sleep, Maxwell."
"Oh." Neither of them spoke for a minute after that, not wanting to push the matter any further. Finally, Michael said,
"Are you going in to the Crashdown with Liz and Adam?" Max looked up, surprised at the question.
"I don't know. I hadn't even thought about that." He admitted. Michael wasn't pleased with his answer.
"Well, are you?" He asked him, clearly not taking Max's indifferent answer easily. Max didn't reply, just kept staring at his scuffed boots.
"Max!" His head snapped up.
"What?"
"Are you going into the Crashdown?" He asked again, and when Max didn't answer him he just sighed impatiently and walked away.
"You'll never get it..." Max heard him mutter as he walked away, but took no notice. What was there to get? His own son hated him, his wife didn't want to be near him and his friends...well, there was nothing left to say there. Max didn't really trust anyone anymore. Betrayal, it was chiselled into his consciousness. On Antar everyone was a traitor. Trust, well trust was a word almost unheard on the planet where Kivar's iron-fist rule was obsolete. Max had learned that the hard way...
Flashback:
"Your majesty, your majesty!" The foot soldiers terrified yells could be heard all the way down the corridor and into Max's chamber. He was automatically on his feet, alert, poised to defend himself against whatever the threat was now. The soldier burst through the doors of his chamber, panting and gasping for breath.
"Your majesty..." He gasped weakly, clutching his chest. "Kivar's forces....they're here." Max's eyes widened in fear and surprise.
"What? But that's impossible, no-one knows about this base!" He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his pistol. Weapons on Antar looked very much like weapons on Earth, but with one crucial difference. Antarian guns drew energy from the person holding them, so they could fire a concentrated burst of energy, without the need for any bullets.
"We need to get you out of here." The man said. Max wasn't about to argue.
"Right, let's go." He closed the drawer and walked out, the man at his heels. But as soon as the door behind them swung shut, a cold, prickly feeling began to creep down the back of his neck, making the hairs all stand up. He heard a gun cock, then the voice of the man who'd told him about the attack.
"I'm sorry, your majesty." The voice said, just behind him, and Max could hear real apology in his voice. "But Kivar pays a lot more than you do..." He shut his eyes tight as he felt the cold, steel barrel of the gun against his back. This was it, he was going to die, and all of the battle's he'd fought were for nothing. And worst of all, he would never see Liz again. Click. Safety off. The trigger was pulled.
Oblivion.
One week later:
Max opened his eyes slowly, and groaned. Bright light streamed down on him and strange, unfocused shapes swam before his eyes. He could hear voices, pounding down on his already splitting headache. Everything seemed distant, as if he was floating. Then his eyes came into focus, he saw Isabel and Michael standing anxiously at his bedside, and it all come flooding back. Betrayal, the soldier with the gun, the attack on the base.
"What...happened?" He asked weakly, his tongue suddenly feeling too big for his mouth. Isabel fielded that one, her eyes clouded with worry.
"There was an assault on the base, it came without warning." She said quickly. "Someone inside the base tipped Kivar off to our whereabouts. It was lucky we got to you in time." Max could do nothing but stare at her. Lucky? There was nothing 'lucky' about what had happened. That man, he had turned away from the rebel forces, almost killed him in cold blood. Trust was usually given without any kind of judgement or test. But never again would Max Evans trust another soldier.
End flashback:
Max shook himself mentally. He had tried his hardest to push that memory down to the furthest reaches of his mind. Why had it come back now?
"Max. Max?" He looked up to see Liz staring at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright? You totally spaced out on us for a moment there." He looked at her for a while longer, then put on his best fake smile.
"Yeah, I'm just fine." He lied.
"Are you coming in with us to see my parents?" His thoughts turned briefly to Liz's parents, the Parkers. Then held back a grimace at the thought of what Mr Parker would do to him when he found out that he had gotten Liz pregnant and then left without a trace. He shook his head.
"No, it'd be better if you went in on your own." He stared into her eyes, trying to turn some of the love he felt for her into some sort of emotion and failing. "I'll be out here if you need me." He added weakly. For a split second, he was sure he could see some sadness in her eyes at his decision, but then it disappeared as quickly as it had came. Leaving them hardened against any kind of emotional assault he could muster.
"Right." Was all she said, before grabbing Adam's hand and leading him through the Crashdown's doors.
Later that evening:
Liz's trip back to the Crashdown had gone pretty much they way she had expected it to. Both her parents were happy to see her, but their opinions on Adam were split. Her mother loved the boy as soon as she saw him, kissing him on the forehead and exclaiming to her father how similar the boy was to Max. And her dad, well...Mr Parker was slightly weird about the whole thing. First demanding to know if Adam was indeed Max's son, then looking both surprised and angry when she told him he was. Then for a while he was silent, watching the kid out of the corner of his eye as his wife fawned all over him.
Hmm, she would have to talk to her father about that. Adam was a little too interested in knowing why his granddad seemed to hate his dad so much. Maybe a quick word with him about not criticising Max in front of Adam, she didn't want him to be a bad influence. Hell, she really didn't want her father to be any sort of influence on her son at all. He was too old fashioned, and besides, Adam had Max for that, and more than likely Michael and Kyle too. Especially Michael though, it was as if he and Adam had some sort of silent understanding between them. Maybe it was the fact that Michael's 'father' Hank had never been there for him, and Adam's father hadn't been there for him either, Liz didn't know.
"Liz, we're here." She was immediately shaken out of her musing by the sound of Max's voice. Somehow, in the short amount of time he had been back on Earth and in Roswell, he had managed to buy an apartment that they could live in until he got a better job, but just until then he'd promised her. She didn't really want to go into details about his somewhat suspicious 'acquisition' of the apartment right now though, she was far too tired. So, she was quite happy to get out of the car, Adam at her heels, and follow Max up the stairs to their temporary home.
"Kitchen...bathroom...our bedroom...Adam's bedroom...living room..." Max gave them the short tour of the place, nothing too it really. It was tiny. But Liz wasn't in any position to complain about it now, she had chosen to return to Roswell with Max and was now stuck with him, and wherever he lived. Trying vainly to stifle her yawns, she walked towards hers and Max's bedroom, leaving Adam alone with his dad. Max smiled at him reassuringly.
"C'mon, I'll take you along to your room." Adam 'hmphed' in response but followed him along the narrow corridor towards his bedroom anyway. The narrow door opened with a creak. Max followed his son inside, switching the light on on the way.
"Did you bring sheets?" He asked. Adam nodded. "Want me to help you sort them out?" This time his son shook his head.
"I'll be fine." Max's face fell a little.
"Oh, alright then." He said slowly, rising to his feet. "Well, you know where I am if you need me." And he closed the door behind him. Adam sat perfectly still for a moment, listening to his father's footsteps echo down the corridor. Then, satisfied that Max was gone, he went over to one of his suitcases and unzipped, it, pulling out a couple of sheets and a pillow. God only knows how his mother managed to fit all that into the one suitcase. Maybe she used her powers, he really didn't know. He tutted to himself.
Mothers.
Quick as a flash, he flicked his wrist lightly in the direction of the bed and then watched in awe as the sheets floated over and fixed themselves out on it. That was just an experiment, he hadn't really expected it to work. Grabbing his pillow, he walked over and jumped onto the bed, a small, innocent smile on his face. He loved to play with his 'special powers', as his mother called them and hadn't yet reached a limit as to what they could do. But now it was time to sleep. The day had been hectic from the start and he was very, very tired. Sighing a little, he reached into his bag once again, pulled out a little, blue teddy bear and jumped back onto bed.
What? Even adults have teddy bears y'know.
Meanwhile, down the hallway:
Max lay, still as stone in the large bed he shared with his wife. She hadn't said a word to him since he'd came into the bedroom. He knew that she was faking sleep to avoid conversation, and it tore him up inside. She still hadn't forgiven him. He shifted slightly, so he could look over at the back of her head and sighed. What would he have to do to be forgiven he really didn't know, but nobody could say he wasn't trying. Hell, he'd done everything except beg her for forgiveness, but she still wouldn't give. And her eyes, he shivered slightly. They weren't the warm, kind eyes he remembered. No, they were cold, emotionless, at least towards him. He shivered again, but from the cold this time. The room wasn't very warm, and he'd noticed Liz shivering too.
Well, even those made of ice aren't oblivious to the cold.
Slowly, not sure if it was the smartest thing to do when you're wife seemed to hate you, he shifted his weight so that he could pull Liz close to her to keep out the cold. A small smile crossed his face when she didn't fight his embrace, but sank further into it.
Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.
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ME: Whooooooo, evil chapter. It took me ages to get right! (Mumbles something about desperately needing caffeine and sugar.) Review!