A/N: Thanks for reviewing. This story is one of my favorites.
Part 2. Blind Sided.
"Are you all right? Liz?" He asked, his features shadowed in the dim light.
"I'm okay, I think. My neck and shoulder hurt." She answered uncertainly as he reached around to undo the seatbelt for her.
"Thanks." She winced as he helped her out of the car.
"Take it easy, all right." He coached, slipping one arm around her, helping her sit down on a patch of grass. Gently he slid one hand down the neck of her high-collared jumper, resting it gently on the back of her neck.
For several seconds the dimness was lit up and she felt the pain ease, then vanish.
Reaching out his hand to her, Max helped her to her feet, leading her towards his car, opening the passenger door for her. Then, closing the door he walked around to the driver's side of the car, and pulled out a cell phone.
Liz watched in silence as he dialed a number and spoke for several short moments.
"Valenti will be here soon. He wants us to stay put until he gets here." Max said softly, turning to look at her. Before she could speak, he beat her to it.
"Liz, what brought you back to Roswell?"
"Kind of a long story." She admitted, feeling a little self-conscious.
"I'd say we've got a while." He pressed.
"How is everyone?" She asked, trying to delay answering his question.
"They're okay. We're all getting by."
"Three days ago I had a boyfriend. And I thought I loved him. I know I did. For my birthday he bought me a ring."
She began, surprising herself. From inside her jumper she pulled at the chain around her neck, holding the ring with two fingers. "He gave me a twining ring, just like this one, and I knew that I was supposed to be somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?" He echoed. "Somewhere here?" Even after so much time had passed a note of hope resounded in his voice.
"Somewhere here." She confirmed.
"How did you know that you were supposed to be somewhere else?"
"I realised that as much as I loved him, the way I felt didn't actually come close to how much I still love you." She stared out of the window so that she didn't have to meet his gaze.
He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you came home Liz."
She turned to face him, not quite believing what she was hearing.
Gently he laid his hand against her cheek. "I missed you."
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, relief washing over her. She leaned slightly into his touch, relaxing her muscles and feeling all of the tension and doubt leave her body.
Then, unexpectedly, Liz was temporarily blinded by a bright flash of light. She felt Max jump slightly beside her, moving his hand from her cheek to shield her eyes.
As the spots disappeared from her vision, and she began to find that she could see clearly again, she heard a familiar voice call out, "Max, are you still here?"
"Yeah." He called, leaving her and getting out of the car.
"Is the driver okay?" The Sheriff's voice asked.
"Yeah, she's fine." Liz heard Max say as she got out of the car.
"And she'd right here." She said, walking up beside Max.
"Liz? Liz Parker?" He asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.
"It's me, and I'm home." She said quietly, holding her hand up so that he could see the scar that divided her palm.
"Well, uh, why don't you get what you need out of the car. I'm sure Max will drive you to wherever you want to go." Valenti said to her. "I'll wait here for the tow truck."
"Thank you." She said to him, meaning it.
In less than ten minutes Sheriff Valenti and Max had piled all of her bags into the back of Max's car, and she was safe in the front seat, sitting beside him while Max drove them into town.
He parked outside the Crashdown Cafe, which Liz's aunt and uncle had once owned. Liz had lived there with them while she'd attended school in America.
"Come on," He urged gently, "You probably haven't eaten since you got off the plane."
"Do a couple of Twinkies and a bag of peanut M&M's count?" She asked.
"It sounds like you could use some all-American homestyle cooking." He teased, a happy smile on his face.
She shook her head, laughing at his over-exaggerated accent.
The bell jangled as the door closed behind them.
"Max, where have you been?" Isabel stood up from the booth that had been their regular table when they were in high school. "We've been worried sick."
"I'm sorry Izzy." He apologized.
"You didn't even call."
"I ran into an old friend." Max told her.
Maria, standing behind the counter thought she was seeing things for a moment. "Oh my God, Liz!"
At once several pairs of arms encircled, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Finally, once she was bursting for air, they all let go.
"What are you doing here in Roswell?" Maria asked her. "I thought you were going home."
Liz stared around the room for several moments, taking in the familiar sights, the spaceships hanging from the ceiling, the cartoon aliens painted on the walls in varying shades of green. "I am home." She said simply. "I'm finally back home."
Part 2. Blind Sided.
"Are you all right? Liz?" He asked, his features shadowed in the dim light.
"I'm okay, I think. My neck and shoulder hurt." She answered uncertainly as he reached around to undo the seatbelt for her.
"Thanks." She winced as he helped her out of the car.
"Take it easy, all right." He coached, slipping one arm around her, helping her sit down on a patch of grass. Gently he slid one hand down the neck of her high-collared jumper, resting it gently on the back of her neck.
For several seconds the dimness was lit up and she felt the pain ease, then vanish.
Reaching out his hand to her, Max helped her to her feet, leading her towards his car, opening the passenger door for her. Then, closing the door he walked around to the driver's side of the car, and pulled out a cell phone.
Liz watched in silence as he dialed a number and spoke for several short moments.
"Valenti will be here soon. He wants us to stay put until he gets here." Max said softly, turning to look at her. Before she could speak, he beat her to it.
"Liz, what brought you back to Roswell?"
"Kind of a long story." She admitted, feeling a little self-conscious.
"I'd say we've got a while." He pressed.
"How is everyone?" She asked, trying to delay answering his question.
"They're okay. We're all getting by."
"Three days ago I had a boyfriend. And I thought I loved him. I know I did. For my birthday he bought me a ring."
She began, surprising herself. From inside her jumper she pulled at the chain around her neck, holding the ring with two fingers. "He gave me a twining ring, just like this one, and I knew that I was supposed to be somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?" He echoed. "Somewhere here?" Even after so much time had passed a note of hope resounded in his voice.
"Somewhere here." She confirmed.
"How did you know that you were supposed to be somewhere else?"
"I realised that as much as I loved him, the way I felt didn't actually come close to how much I still love you." She stared out of the window so that she didn't have to meet his gaze.
He reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you came home Liz."
She turned to face him, not quite believing what she was hearing.
Gently he laid his hand against her cheek. "I missed you."
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, relief washing over her. She leaned slightly into his touch, relaxing her muscles and feeling all of the tension and doubt leave her body.
Then, unexpectedly, Liz was temporarily blinded by a bright flash of light. She felt Max jump slightly beside her, moving his hand from her cheek to shield her eyes.
As the spots disappeared from her vision, and she began to find that she could see clearly again, she heard a familiar voice call out, "Max, are you still here?"
"Yeah." He called, leaving her and getting out of the car.
"Is the driver okay?" The Sheriff's voice asked.
"Yeah, she's fine." Liz heard Max say as she got out of the car.
"And she'd right here." She said, walking up beside Max.
"Liz? Liz Parker?" He asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.
"It's me, and I'm home." She said quietly, holding her hand up so that he could see the scar that divided her palm.
"Well, uh, why don't you get what you need out of the car. I'm sure Max will drive you to wherever you want to go." Valenti said to her. "I'll wait here for the tow truck."
"Thank you." She said to him, meaning it.
In less than ten minutes Sheriff Valenti and Max had piled all of her bags into the back of Max's car, and she was safe in the front seat, sitting beside him while Max drove them into town.
He parked outside the Crashdown Cafe, which Liz's aunt and uncle had once owned. Liz had lived there with them while she'd attended school in America.
"Come on," He urged gently, "You probably haven't eaten since you got off the plane."
"Do a couple of Twinkies and a bag of peanut M&M's count?" She asked.
"It sounds like you could use some all-American homestyle cooking." He teased, a happy smile on his face.
She shook her head, laughing at his over-exaggerated accent.
The bell jangled as the door closed behind them.
"Max, where have you been?" Isabel stood up from the booth that had been their regular table when they were in high school. "We've been worried sick."
"I'm sorry Izzy." He apologized.
"You didn't even call."
"I ran into an old friend." Max told her.
Maria, standing behind the counter thought she was seeing things for a moment. "Oh my God, Liz!"
At once several pairs of arms encircled, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Finally, once she was bursting for air, they all let go.
"What are you doing here in Roswell?" Maria asked her. "I thought you were going home."
Liz stared around the room for several moments, taking in the familiar sights, the spaceships hanging from the ceiling, the cartoon aliens painted on the walls in varying shades of green. "I am home." She said simply. "I'm finally back home."
