This
part is way to short, but how could I not resist the cliffhanger
"Disclaimer: You
know the drill…the characters aren't mine. A lot of stuff in the beginning is
taken from End of the World.
God knows THAT'S not
mine. Anything that makes sense and makes it all better, now that's mine.
Seriously, Roswell and all characters belong to Jason Katims, 20th Century Fox
etc. I'm just borrowing them.
Rating: PG-13
– possibly to R
Love Changes Everything
Chapter Thirteen – On the Edge
Max pulled into the quarry, relieved to notice that
everybody else was waiting for him. He quickly pulled Bob the Jeep in next to
Michael's motorcycle and killed the ignition. Climbing out, he walked over to
where the others were standing.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said. "Tess decided to surprise me and show up for
breakfast. She tried playing her little mind games on me, but luckily, the
phone rang, and I was able to tell her something important had come up."
"Who was on the phone?" asked Isabelle.
"Me," said Max with a grin. "I used my cell to call the house."
"Well, aren't you just the clever king," said Kyle. "Let's get to the important
stuff. Did you remember to bring the donuts?"
Max grinned and walked backed over to the Jeep and
pulled out two boxes of donuts from the local donut shop. "I know they're not
Krispy Kreme's," he said. "But it was the best I could do." The others laughed
and dug into the donuts and hot coffee that Max had brought with him and sat in
silence and watched the sun rise over the rim of the quarry. When the sun
finally broke over the tallest sandstone outcropping Max began to speak.
"Tess tried to convince me to ally myself with Rath and Lonnie," he said. "She
wants us to go to New York with them and attend the summit."
"All of us go to New York?" asked Isabelle. "How does she expect us to pull
that off?"
"Not all of us Isabelle, just her and me, along with those three freaks."
"Max, I don't like it," said Liz. "You being alone
with them, and with her,
well it just scares me."
"Liz is right Max," said Michael. "I want to go with you."
"You can't Michael. I need you here to keep everybody safe."
"What, and you're saying Alex and I can't manage that?" snapped Kyle.
"Kyle, against any human, I know you'd do anything to protect them, Alex too.
But you know that our enemies aren't just human. If Michael and Isabelle stay
here, you guys will have a fighting chance if something does happen."
"Do you think anything is going to happen Max?" asked Alex.
"No, not really, but we should all be on our guard. I think it's a little
strange the way the three of them just showed up out of the blue like that,"
said Max.
"Okay, then, we'll watch our backs," said Alex. "Have any of you gotten any
signals from Ava that she is trying to mess with our minds?"
Liz stood up and walked a short distance away from
the others. She stood on the edge of the cliff that overlooked deep ravine
filled with water. "Ava isn't like them," she said finally. "She's different
somehow. I can't explain it, but she's different."
"Are you saying we should trust her?" Maria asked, her voice incredulous.
"No, not trust her, but I talked to her the other day, and I got the impression
that she didn't want you to go back to New York with them. In fact, I got the
impression SHE
didn't want to go back to New York either."
"Maybe we can use this," said Max. "But first we need to decide about New
York."
"I don't want you to go," said Liz, her voice trembling a little.
"I agree with Liz," said Maria
"Me too," Alex and Isabelle said simultaneously.
"Wait a second," said Max firmly. "You guys aren't
thinking clearly."
"Watch it Max!" snapped Maria. "I'm thinking as clearly as you, maybe more."
"Okay, bad choice of words. You are thinking emotionally, not logically.
Emotionally, II
don't want to go, but logically, I know it's the right thing to do. Now step
back and think about it logically."
Liz caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment and said, "Max is
right. If they have a way to make contact with your home, you owe it to
yourselves to find out everything you can."
"Maria?" asked Max. She said nothing, but nodded.
"Kyle?"
"Yeah, I see what your saying, we need to search our inner selves to find the
truth deep within us."
"Kyle, spare me the Buddha crap. How do you vote?"
"Go, and can you get me a Yankee's cap while you're there?"
"I'll see what I can do," said Max, with a smile. "Alex, what do you think?"
"I say go."
"Michael and Isabelle, that leaves you. What do you think?"
"I don't like it Max, but I don't see where you have any choice," said
Isabelle.
"Do it," added Michael. "It seems like our best chance to get information.
"Okay then, I'll tell them yes," said Max. "Now
about Ava, what should we do with her?"
"Max, wait," said Liz. "Promise me something. No matter what, don't tell them
about the granalith. It's too important. Don't let them know about it."
"I won't Liz, I promise," said Max, startled by her vehemence.
"I mean it Max," said Liz looking at him intently and backing up as she spoke.
"They can't know about it."
"Okay Liz, I promise," said Max. "I won't say LIZ!" Max looked in horror as Liz
stumbled and slipped over the edge of the cliff they were standing on.
