Mending Pieces
A Roswell Alternate Universe Story
By Andrea Sinisterra
Romance/Drama
Standard Disclaimers Apply
* * *
I pray, looking into the sky
I can feel this rain; right now it's falling on me
Fly, I just want to fly, life is all mine
Some days I cry alone, but I know I'm not the only one
I'm here, and another day is gone
I don't want to die...
Please be there when I'll arrive, don't cry... please
"Falling Again"
- Lacuna Coil
* * *
Part 5
"Aaron, wake up, we're late!"
Aaron opened one sleepy eye, "Wha-?"
"The picnic started an hour ago. Grandma is going to kill us!" Max gathered Aaron into his arms, hurled him over his shoulder, and ran to the bathroom. "Take off your clothes, shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed as soon as possible. I'll go fish your bathing suit... Have you seen it?" Max asked, hastily helping Aaron remove his Toy Story Pj's.
"Seen what?" Aaron asked absentmindedly.
Max sighed, carrying Aaron into the tub, "Shower, now."
Max left the bathroom, "where the hell is that bathing suit!" He groaned as he perused Aaron's drawers.
The phone rang.... Max groaned again.
"Hello."
"What are you still doing there?" Diane Evans demanded from the other end of the line, "almost everyone's here, Max. Even your sister is here. Michael brought Maria, oh, she's so lovely!" Diane sighed. "Max, I know it's hard to raise--"
"Mom, we overslept. Aaron's taking a quick bath. And really, we're okay. We'll be there in twenty minutes. Okay? Stop worrying, mom."
"I worry, because I love you. Now, bring me my grandson, I want to see him!" She laughed, almost tearfully.
"Right away, ma'am!"
Max replaced the receiver. "Aaron, what's taking so long?" He called, walking into the bathroom.
He pushed aside the curtain just a little to peek in and avoid the water from splashing out. And a smile touched his lips. A soapy headed Aaron sleeping with his head resting against the edge of the tub greeted Max's eyes.
"Aaron, wake up son, we're running very late."
* * *
"We had to stop by a shop and buy him a bathing suit."
"Excuses, excuses."
Max sighed, "Hi mother, long time since I last saw you." Max leaned down, and kissed his mother on the cheek.
Diane cooed when she saw Aaron standing behind Max, "and there's my precious little boy! Come and give your grandmother a kiss... you know you can't go swimming."
Max smiled at the pouting kid. "I told you last night. Fall is here, and snow's on the way. It's way too cold for exposure, Aaron."
Aaron crossed his arms, "then, why DID you buy me the bathing suit, dad?"
"Because, if I don't recall right, someone *I* know, performed a tantrum last night because his father wouldn't let him go swimming."
"It's not faaaiirrr!!"
"Now," Diane smiled, urging Aaron inside the house, "let's go put that bag of yours somewhere... would you like some cookies?"
Max adjusted his shades more securely to his nose. The sun was almost unbearably bright today, even though it was rather chilly with the autumn's air. His eyes slowly scanned the area, from the long buffet table at one side of the house, the beautiful blue pool at the center of the lawn and the various white tables placed throughout. Evans Manor was a beautiful house, had been in the family for various generations. It had twelve rooms, plus the master bedroom, each room with its adjoining bathroom and small sitting space.
The dining room, with its grand crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling and the long dark colored oak table, was one of the favorite rooms. But the biggest room was the "State", which was an empty room used in occasions for balls or parties. During Christmastime, the tree was placed at one corner, the lights reflecting sparkles at the several portraits of Evans' hung at the walls. The room had the capacity for fifteen hundred people.
The shiny Japanese grass surrounded the entire property, with scattered trees around, swings on one side, and a small wooden gazebo downhill. At one side of the artificial lake, hidden by tall bushes, lay a rose garden. His grandmother had always been fond of those flowers saying they were the symbol of love and romanticism. His grandmother had always been a hopeless romantic as grandfather always joked.
His eyes suddenly halted at the little person Aaron was talking to. What the-- What was Paige doing here? Which meant...?
His eyes encountered Michael and Isabel standing at one side of the pool, "Max, I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Maria Deluca."
"Nice to meet you." Max said shaking her hand, and a kiss to her cheek.
"Finally! I've heard so much about you, feels like I already know you!" Maria laughed.
"We've heard a LOT about you, too. Trust me." Max smiled warmly.
Maria glanced above Max's shoulder, "Paige, honey, come here a minute."
Paige came in a hurry, eager to return to her games, "why don't you go inside and call your mommy, ask her when the hell does she pretends to come!"
Paige rushed to the house to call her mother; it was obvious she hadn't noticed Max. Max frowned. What was Paige doing here? And why was Maria taking care of her? And why was Liz supposed to be here? Did Maria know Liz?
"So, Max." Maria began, seeing Michael and Isabel were having a conversation of sorts, "I heard you have a son. Rumor has it, he's the greatest kid a parent could ask for."
"Thank you," Max looked around for Aaron, and called him. "Aaron, I'd like you to meet Maria DeLuca. She's going to marry your uncle."
"Wow! I wish you luck!" Aaron said hugging her waist.
Maria looked up at Max critically.
"Ha!" Aaron laughed, "I was kidding! My uncle is a great uncle! Hey! And you're going to be my new aunt! That's cool!"
Maria laughed at his eagerness, "Yeah, and that would make you my new nephew. Hey, how about I take you sometime to eat, I don't know, ice-cream-- oh, I know, next Saturday I'm taking Paige to the fair, would you like to join us?"
Aaron looked up at Max pleadingly, nodding for acceptance. And squealed happily when Max nodded, "your Dad can come, too, if he wants."
"We'll see."
At that moment, Paige returned, "She said she won't take long. She was busy doing I don't remember what." Then she stopped, and lunged herself at Max's arms, "Max! What are you doing here?"
Max hugged her and set her on the ground, "my parents live here."
"They do? Wow, that is one big, big house!"
Max laughed. And then, she was off.
"Max," Michael began, as he neared him, "dad's thinking about retiring. Do you think that's wise, you know, for him and the company?"
"Of course I think it's wise! Besides, don't you want to take over completely? Basically, the company's future will rest in your hands."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for reminding me that." Michael grimaced, "I guess, well, I've always known he was there, you know-"
"In case anything happened. Yeah, I know, but look at this like an opportunity to prove yourself and to others that you can do it on your own." Max said, squeezing his shoulder. "Give the Parkers something to fuss about."
Michael smiled, now confident. It was always this way between Max and he. Even when kids, and they fought, they always came around. Max was always there when kids decided that using him, as a punch bag was more exciting than playing tag. But Max always came to his rescue.
Michael had always had problems in those of the social aspects. He was too shy, too cold to socialize. Even when he was at college, where he had majored in accounting and later had a master's degree in business administration, even then, he had been shut out of the social circle. Sometimes he'd envy Isabel and how she always seemed to be surrounded by people who loved her and worshipped her. Or envied Max and the way Aaron looked up at his father in adoration and fascination. He's never had anything of his own, really. Something that would matter more to him than his own life.
Until he met Maria. Maria. Although it amazed him that at the beginning she was nothing more than a simple pain in the ass. They had met in some reunion, company's reunion, where she had been the spotlight. The small group of people where she sat at looked at her in fascination as she talked animatedly about this or the other. It was a bit of a shock, though, when he found out she was a Parker. Turned out she was Amy Parker's daughter. Imagine the shock he felt at that time.
And slowly, she threw down his barriers, little by little. Although, their relationship had been explosive since the beginning. They would sometimes sneak out of some party or gathering, and make out in some laundry room, or somewhere with a door and a lock.
It had been a complete shock to his family when he presented her to his parents. Never in his life, had Michael brought home any girlfriend. He guessed that was when he discovered that things had started to go a little more serious than he'd thought. But, to his amazement, it didn't bother him in the least.
"I know. I don't know why I got so scared."
"Relax. And anyway, you won't be on your own, isn't Sean Parker running the other side? He's been running it since Anthony Parker passed away a few years ago..."
"I still don't get why Sean replaced Anthony instead of Jeff. It was a surprise when I found out that Sean was running the company along with grandpa." Michael commented, confused.
"I heard that Anthony had a fight with Jeff shortly before his death. I guess that has something to do with it. Isabel told me that Anthony didn't include Jeff in his will..."
"Wow." Michael said.
"Yeah." At that moment, Max's breath stopped as he saw a rather familiar figure move in the distance, over Michael's shoulder. "What the hell is she doing here?" He muttered.
Michael turned around, "you've met her?"
"..."
"That's Maria's cousin. Her name is--"
"Elizabeth Carson. Yeah, I know, we've met." Then it dawned, "she's a Parker?"
"Mmmm, she's Jeff's daughter."
At that moment, Maria came rushing, dragging a smiling Liz behind, "look who finally decided to join us!"
Liz looked at Max, her eyes smiling, though a bit confused, "hi, Michael, how've you been?"
"Ecstatic." Michael answered laughing, drawing Maria into his arms. "I was going to present you two, but since you know each other, already..."
"You know her?" Maria asked, excitedly.
"Yeah." Max reached for Liz's arm, and linked their arms together, "and if you excuse me, I'd like to spend some time alone with her." And then he winked back at Michael and Maria.
"Who would've thought?" Maria asked at their retreating backs, "how do they know each other?"
"Don't know, maybe they met at one of these things, like we did?"
"Probably. Although Liz hasn't attended one of these things in ages. And Max either."
"Well, I don't know, why don't you ask them!" Michael sighed, exasperated.
"I will."
"You know, I never had-- what the fuck?"
Michael's gaze quickly followed the person that had exited the house. His face furrowed into a frown as he saw her looking around. What the fuck is she doing here?, He thought, what does she want now?
To be continued...
Chapter 6: Marplot