Disclaimer: Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. I'm simply borrowing them until the Season 2 DVD's get released.

Tomorrow's Yet to Come

Chapter Eleven Ready to Run

"Damn it Michael, stop pulling me!" demanded Maria. She wrapped her free arm around a lamppost and held on tightly, practically jerking Michael off his feet.

"Maria, we so don't have time for this independent crap," said Michael. "We have to get out of here."

"Yeah, I get that," said Maria. "And I know where we're going. But we are not just going to take off with out some semblance of a plan."

"We have a plan, Maria," said Michael, his voice tinged with fear and frustration. "Our plan is to get the hell out of here."

"Great, fine, that's your plan. My plan involves going home, packing some clothes, and figuring out how we're getting the hell out of her."

"Maria, we don't need," began Michael, but Maria interrupted him.

"No, we do need!" she shouted. "If I'm going to be running for my life, I am going to need a few of the creature comforts! We are not the Dixie Chicks, and we are not ready to run."

"Look, I don't exactly think we're running for our lives, or anything," said Michael. "But I don't think we should stick around, either. Wait, did just call me a Dixie Chick? Never mind"

"Great, if we're not running for our lives, we have time to go home and pack," said Maria, a smile playing on her lips. Michael realized that he was caught in a nice neat Maria trap, and smiled.

"Fine, but we have to move fast. I don't want to stick around any longer than necessary."

"Agreed," said Maria, and the two climbed on the back of Michael's bike and took off down the street.

"Are you sure you don't mind heading back to Roswell so soon?" Ava asked Kyle.

"No way, this trip is for you, Ava. You get to call the shots, and if you want to head home for a while, then we head home."

"Well, Colorado is really beautiful, all the trees, and mountains and all. It's just that I never really had a home," said Ava. "Just Zan and Rath and Lonnie."

"You never really talk about Zan," said Kyle. "You've told us how he died but that's about it. Was he like them, all mean and nasty, or was he more like Max?"

"A little of both," said Ava. He was kinda mean, but not Rath and Lonnie mean. He tended to think about things. Rath and Lonnie were more about reacting. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't anywhere near as nice as Max or Michael, but he wasn't totally evil either."

"You know, I've never asked, and you don't have to answer, but were you and he, like together?"

Ava looked out the car to the woods that lined either side of the road. Twilight had filled them with sinister shapes and shadows. Ava thought for a few minutes before she answered.

"Once," she said. "Just the one time. We knew we were supposed to be together, but it never felt right. But he was my best friend Kyle. It was so hard after he was gone. Rath and Lonnie were very, very cruel."

"It must have been so hard, seeing him die like that," Kyle said, compassionately, covering her hand with his.

"Can I tell you something, Kyle?" Tess asked nervously.

"You know you can tell me anything," said Kyle, squeezing her hand gently.

"Zan's not dead."

"What!" shouted Kyle. He turned his head towards Ava in shock. His hand jerked on the steering wheel, and the car jumped off the road and onto the shoulder. Kyle tried to jerk it back, but the right front wheel hit a rock, or a hole, and the car went careening off the road into the woods.

"Max, we have to stop," said Liz. "Something's wrong with Kyle, I know it."

"How do you know it?" Max asked, reasonably. "We haven't heard anything from them."

"I just know, Max. "You have to trust me."

"Fine," said Max. "Where do we go?"

Liz thought for a minute, and said "North. We need to go north."

"Fine, then north it is," said Max. He changed lanes, and drove for several miles before he came to an onramp for highway headed north. "Liz, not to be difficult or anything, but do you have any clue where we're headed?" he asked.

"Colorado," said Liz, softly. "We need to go to Colorado."

"It's a pretty big state, Sweetie," said Max. "Do you think you can narrow it down for us a bit?"

"Not yet," said Liz, leaning her head against the glass of the window. "I just know that something's wrong, and their in Colorado."

"Okay, look, I'm beat," said Max. "How about if we pull over, and grab something to eat, and then you take a turn driving. Maybe if you're focusing on where your driving, you'll get a sense of where we need to go."

"You believe me, Max?" asked Liz. "Really?"

"Look, Liz. We've really only begun to understand our powers, and Che'koth told us that it's only that our brains are more developed, well maybe you and Kyle have linked up somehow because I healed you both. Damn, I don't know," he continued, hitting his hand on the steering wheel. "But you're certain they're in danger, and that's good enough for me."

"Thank you for believing me, Max." said Liz. "It means a lot to me."

"Liz, you believed me, and kept my secret, and put yourself in danger countless times," said Max. "I think, an unscheduled road trip to Colorado doesn't even begin to compare." He pulled off at the exit, and followed the signs to a nearby restaurant. "Do you want eat in, or take out?" he asked.

"Take out," said Liz. "I know you're tired, but I can't help but think time is of the essence here. We need to keep moving." She unconsciously gnawed on her thumbnail as she thought. "Grab me something while you're in there. I want to wait out here and think for a bit."

"Okay," said Max. He climbed out of the car and walked up the stairs to the small roadside diner they'd found. Liz climbed out of the car, and walked around for several minutes, stretching her cramped muscles. She got back in the car, this time behind the wheel, and leaned back and closed her eyes.

Where are you, Kyle? she thought. I know you're in trouble, but I don't know what's wrong. I only know we need to find you, and fast. Liz forced her mind to focus on Kyle and Ava, trying to get some idea of where they were. Suddenly, she found herself standing on a winding road that climbed up into the mountains. Dense trees lined each side of the road. She looked up and saw a sign that said Lake City 15 miles. She looked past the sign, and saw skid marks on the road. Her eyes followed the path the skid marks took off the road, and she saw Kyle's car. She could barely make out two figures slumped over the dashboard in the thickening twilight.

"Liz! Liz, come on, Liz! Wake up!" Max shouted. Liz felt a jerk in her stomach, and she sat up.

"God, Liz, I was so worried. It was like you were dead or something. I couldn't wake you up," said Max, his fear and worry evident in his voice as well as his face.

"I wasn't sleeping Max. I think I was astral projecting. Like I did that time you were in New York, remember? I found Kyle and Ava. They had a car accident. They're on some mountain road 15 miles outside of a place called Lake City."

"Are they okay?" Max asked.

"I don't know, they were both unconscious, I think," said Liz. She bit her lip in an unconscious gesture as she tried to recall as much as she could about what she had seen.

"I'm going to call the Colorado State Police," said Max. "They may be hurt, and it's going to take us at least another two days to get there. Did you see a route number or anything?

Liz closed her eyes, and tried to recreate the scene in her mind. She saw the road sign, and the skid marks, and a sign for the A & A Ranch.

"They're not too far from the A & A Ranch," she said, triumphantly. She opened her eyes and looked at Max.

"I'll go make the call, and then we'll head out," he said. He walked away from the car, stopped and turned back. He leaned in the open window and kissed Liz, fully on the lips. "You are wonderful," he said. He spun on his heel, and walked across the parking lot to the empty phone booth near the diner.