'So ummm, nice place. Where are we?'
Liz fixed Max with an icy stare, 'Las Cruses University,' her voice was cold and emotionless.
Max looked at her with a hurt expression, 'What's going on Liz?'
'God! You of all people should know! You have the nerve to even ask!' she spat back at him before walking out of the room.
Maria watched Liz storm away from her room just minutes after entering. I guess it's me next! she thought as she walked towards the room.
'Max?'
Max was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. What was happening? Why was Liz so cold?
'She's hurting Max.'
Max looked up into Maria's face.
'You tore her heart in two, you betrayed her! You took everything she had and then left her here! The Liz you know is gone, she left the same time as you did.'
Max' expression became one of confusion and pain.
Maria nodded without smiling. 'You wonder why she won't let you near here, but that's cos she feels betrayed! You slept with Tess for, god's sake!' Anger crept into her tone.
'But she. Kyle.' replied Max staring up at her.
'You know she could never do that!' sighed Maria exasperatedly, Max' stare became one of disbelief. 'You want to know why she did that? Because you told her to!' spat Maria, confusion took over Max' face. 'Yes that's right, yet again Liz Parker turns her life upside down for you!'
'But I never. What do you mean?' stammered Max. Had Maria gone completely mad? Why would he have asked the girl of his dreams to sleep with Kyle?
'Oh not you, you! Future you! You came back from the future, fourteen bloody years later, when you and Liz were married! Tess had walked out on you all just before your enemies attacked and the rest of you got killed! You came back and told Liz about this perfect future she could never have! You forced her to make you stop loving her by making her to pretend to sleep with Kyle! Can you imagine the pain? Can you possibly imagine the strength it took to stay in that bed and pretend to love Kyle while you had your heart ripped in two by the window? She knew what you must think of her, how you must hate her, but she did it for you! She always did it for you! And even before that, can imagine what it did to her to tell you she wouldn't die for you? Her heart was ripped out, trampled on and left to die! And then you go and, god, sleep with Tess, get her pregnant and just abandon Liz! And then you come back and act like everything is normal!'
Maria flung up her arms and walked to the window. Max just sat stunned by what he had just heard. What had he done? He had destroyed his Liz! The only thing precious to him in the whole universe! How could he have even believed that she could do such a thing? His eyes roamed the room for something, anything, that would show him Liz had any kind of forgiveness for him.
Finally his eyes settled on a clump of medicine bottles, he looked towards Maria in confusion. Maria began to speak, it was almost as if she had sensed his question.
'After you left, Liz got sick, she got really sick. The doctors did everything they could but no one could work out what was wrong and she just got worse. There was a time when we didn't think she was gonna pull through. She couldn't eat, she was so weak she could barely breathe! Her parents were going through hell, I visited her every day, spent all my free time with her in hospital. While she was ill, I hated all you aliens, you were taking everything from us, you'd already made me lose one best friend and now you were taking Liz from me!
'I used to take Alex' guitar with me when I went to visit. I'd sing to her, just to try and make her happy, perhaps to take away some of the pain. And when I used to play I could feel Alex there with us, just like it used to be, and we'd all be happy for a while.' Maria smiled at the memory. 'Then one day I got a call from the Parkers, they said Liz was dying and they wanted me to go and see her one last time,' tears caught in Maria's throat but she swallowed and went on. 'I went to watch my best friend die, to see the last person I really love with all my heart and soul, being torn away from me!' She turned back to face Max, tears streaming down her face. 'I never knew what happened that day,' continued Maria, her voice immediately calmer.' But she didn't die, in fact from that day on she got steadily better. I think that was the day she finally began to let go and move on with her life. Those pills are anti-depressants, migraine pills and all kinds of other crap she has to take. she has to take them because of you and your scheming bitch Tess!' she stared Max straight in the eyes, her own eyes on fire with fury anger and sadness, 'And now my Liz isn't even my Liz any more! She cold, bitter and she won't let me in.' All the hurt found it's way back into her voice. 'The warm, gentle, caring Liz that I loved is gone and the person that's taken her place scares me! I know that my Liz is trapped in there somewhere... but I can't get her out. I can't get her out!' Maria collapsed on the bed, again in tears. Max put a hand on her shoulder.
'Will you show me?' he asked hesitantly. Maria nodded in silence and took his hand. Max felt Maria's emotions of Pain, anguish, anger and loneliness sweep over him as the room faded away.
*I suppose I ought to start right at the beginning, before you left.*
FLASH
Alex lay dead in his own car. No more singing, no more laughing, just darkness and fear. The music had died.
FLASH
Maria looked across the table outside the Crashdown at Sean, ' Oh Sean, you really gotta lose that earring. It's just so like you're obviously trying.'
Sean just looked at her, 'You're retarded, you know that?'
Liz giggled, 'I think it looks cute.'
Maria glared at her best friend, could she get any more desperate? 'Okay, lets hear from somebody other than the lowly Parker. Kyle?'
Kyle glanced up at Sean's ear, 'Isn't it a gay thing anyway?' He asked smiling sweetly.
Sean coughed violently, 'No, it's not a gay thing! I have got to get out of this town, I really do.'
'Would you stop doing that? Please!' sighed Maria exasperatedly, staring at Kyle.
'What?'
'That tapping thing, you've been doing it for like an hour!'
'I have?'
FLASH
'I can't believe this is happening! I - I just can't believe this is even possible!' groaned Maria as she slumped down on the bad next to Liz.
'Um, hmm.'
'Larek. He says his name is Larek, and he's an alien. Who is Larek?'
Maria glanced up at Liz in panic, 'My mom!' she gasped as the ran towards the kitchen.
'And he's taken over this whole place. And he's holding us hostage here with a gun. He's pointing a gun at my daughter. He threatened my daughter.'
Maria looked in fear at her mom babbling away, 'Mom, Mom what's wrong?'
Amy looked at her, 'Maria? What are you doing up, it's the middle of the night. And Liz? What are you still doing here?'
Liz glanced down at where Amy's fingers were tapping on the oven, 'Oh my god,' she murmured. 'It's Tess, Tess mindwarped Alex!'
FLASH
Liz and Maria were slouched on Kyle's bed, staring at him with expectant faces. Suddenly he turned to them.
'I carried his body. She made me think it was luggage. She killed him. Tess killed Alex!'
FLASH
Maria stood facing the podchamber entrance, she sighed. All this just wasn't worth it, they would never get in, the aliens were leaving, end of story! Her eyes strayed to Liz. Pain shot through her as she watched her friend. Liz' hair was flailing everywhere, her eyes were panic stricken and wild and small droplets of blood were appearing on her hands from where she had been banging the stone.
There was complete eerie silence except for Liz screams, her voice was different, unnatural, like a soul in torment. Then tears began to roll down her cheeks, her face became even more desperate and lost. 'MAX!!'
Her voice quieted for a second as the ground around her began to shake. But the next second she was screaming again.
Maria saw Kyle run forward, and understood what was needed of her. She followed him and grabbed one of Liz' arms.
'NO! I won't go! Let me stay!' yelled Liz, turning her face on them. 'You can't make me leave him! I won't leave him! I swore I'd never leave him!'
Maria blinked back tears as her friend slashed at both her and Kyle, she looked ready to kill them. Her eyes were red with hate.
'Liz it's over!' said Maria in a choked voice. 'We're too late, we have to let them go!'
'No!!!' screamed Liz.
Maria and Kyle collapsed into the sand with Liz just as the huge rock in front of the began to disintegrate.
'Max,' gasped Liz.
The small glowing ship shot out of the ruble and into the sky.
Maria flinched as Liz yelled, 'I loved you!'
FLASH
Maria sat in the corner of Liz' bedroom, the room was dark and quiet. Maria was sitting watching the bed, listening to the sound of Liz crying herself to sleep. A tear rolled down Maria's face.
FLASH
Maria stood looking at Liz lying on her bad, facing away from her. 'Please Liz, you have to eat, you're making yourself ill! Please!' pleaded Maria. 'This isn't how Max would have wanted it.'
Liz turned her head to stare at Maria with cold eyes, 'How would you know what Max would have wanted?' she spat.
FLASH
Maria was sitting in a hospital bedroom, the walls were decorated with cards and balloons. Maria smiled down at her best friend, 'Happy 19th birthday Liz!'
'Thanks Mar-' Maria looked on in concern as her best friend began to choke.
'Liz are you, are you OK?'
'Yeah,' replied Liz as she stopped coughing. 'Thank you.'
FLASH
Maria sat in class at school, her eyes strayed to the world outside the window.
'Miss Maria DeLuca.'
Maria's eyes snapped immediately back to the teacher, Great here we go, in trouble again!
'Please will you come with me.'
Maria looked at the teacher in surprise, She'd just been looking out the window, she hadn't attacked him or anything! Maria blushed as she felt all the eyes of the class on her.
The teacher closed the door of the class room behind her, 'You have been excused for the rest of the day. Liz Parker's parents just called, they want you to go and see Liz. They don't think she's gone last the day.'
'Liz,' Maria gasped as her knees buckled and she fainted, the teacher grabbed her and held her up.
FLASH
Maria sat next to Liz' hospital bed, she had Liz' hand clasped in her own and tears were rolling down her cheeks. 'Liz, please don't leave me here alone!'
FLASH
Maria was clasping both of Liz' hands, her face showed her obvious fear. Liz was sitting up in bed, her eyes were open and excited.
'He's coming back isn't he. Max is coming back, they all are! He told me he loved me, and people who love you don't just leave! Mom and Dad didn't, and Max won't, he's coming back for us, and he'll love me again! And we'll all be together again, you, me , Max and Michael and Isabel and Alex! They're all coming back to get us aren't they, and we'll be happy just like we were, right? No one'll have to cry, we'll be happy all the time, everyday, we can laugh again.' Liz paused to study Maria's face, her own face fell. 'They aren't coming back are they. He's never coming back, I'll never see him again,' tears began to roll down Liz' face. 'He'll never tell me he loves me again. Never again-'
Liz fell back against the pillow, the consistent bleep of her heart on the heart monitor becoming a long wail.
'Help! Please, Someone!' screamed Maria.
Two nurses and a doctor were in the room immediately, 'She's gone into cardiac arrest, get me 200 volts!'
One of the nurses hurried over to Maria, 'Come on sweetheart, lets get you out of here.'
'Liz,' murmured Maria as she looked back over her shoulder at Liz' limp lifeless body.
FLASH
As soon as Maria entered the room Mr and Mrs Parker were at her side, 'What are they doing to Lizzie? What happened?'
'I-I don't know. she just. went.' Maria collapsed into a chair, convulsed with sobs.
FLASH
'Mr and Mrs Parker?'
Liz' parents leapt out of their chairs, Maria looked up her face showing all her fear.
'I have good news, Liz pulled through, she's alive.'
Mrs Parker burst into tears of joy and Mr Parker embraced her. Maria sat back in her chair and let tears roll down her face.
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting on her balcony looking at the stars.
'Maria?'
'Mmmm.'
'I want to go to Sweden.'
Maria turned to look at Liz in incredulity.
FLASH
'You take care of our baby girl, if anything goes wrong you'll come straight home right?'
Maria nodded, 'Of course, I'll keep her out of trouble.' She grinned at Liz.
'I love you Mom and Dad, we'll be fine, don't worry.'
Mrs Parker ran forward and kissed Liz, 'You be careful!'
Liz smiled and turned to board the plane.
FLASH
Maria was lying in a bed, the room was dark and quiet, a sudden noise caused her to turn her head, she saw Liz walk across the room and out the French windows. She lay and watched still for a minute and then pulling herself out of bed she walked over to where Liz had left and looked out. Sitting in the snow a few meters away, sat Liz, her head was in her hands and Maria could hear her crying. Somehow Maria thought she could see Alex sitting beside Liz, comforting her, a trick of the northern lights? Maria smiled and walked back to bed, Liz was going to be fine.
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting in a small café.
'So what happens now?' asked Maria.
'We go home.'
Maria looked up from her breakfast in surprise.
'I'm fed up of holding onto someone, I mean, something that's never coming back. We're gonna go home, we're gonna go to university. You're gonna study Music and I'll study Science, just like we always planned. And then when we leave, we'll get jobs, we'll get married, we'll have children, we'll be happy. We'll always be happy, all the time, everyday.'
A haunted expression passed over Maria's face at the memory of those words.
'Our lives will go on! We had life before them, and we'll have life after them. I'm done wasting my life hoping that that self-centered Czech will come back looking for me!'
'Liz, honey, I know you're angry, but do you think you could keep it down a bit. It's just people are staring and that couple over there are Czech, they look a bit miffed.'
Liz didn't laugh at Maria's joke, she didn't even smile. Her face just glazed over and became a stone wall.
***Max felt Maria's pain hit him as she watched her best friend slip away from her.***
FLASH
'So this is our apartment. Why Las Cruses University, why here?'
'It's the only place that's close enough to Roswell, and it's not that bad.'
Maria saw her friend was lying, she could see the pain on her friend's face.
'Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing.'
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting drinking coffee.
'Liz, what you're doing is safe right? I mean experimenting on your own brain! It's like something from a horror movie!'
'I'm not experimenting on my own brain, I'm just trying to find out about how to get powers.'
'Yes, but is it safe?'
Liz didn't answer.
'Liz! You can't do anything unsafe! I thought you'd given up waiting for Max!'
Liz turned blazing eyes on Maria, 'This isn't about Max! This is about Alex! I will not let Tess get away with all this! She can have Max, but she will not get away with killing Alex! I'm not gonna let Alex die unavenged!'
'Why can't you just let him rest in peace?' sighed Maria.
'You think he can rest while she's out there?' shouted Liz. 'While she's a queen being waited on hand and foot and he's stuck under that cold, dank ground? And while everyone thinks he committed suicide? I will not let that happen! I may have found out what happened too late! But I will do something!'
'Liz! You're changing! You're like you were after the funeral! You refuse to grieve and let go! Remember what happened then! Max slept with Tess cos you pushed him away!' Maria stopped, realising what she had said, 'Oh Liz, I'm sorry.'
'Just forget it!' spat Liz as she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Maria put her head in her hands and began to cry.
END OF FLASH
Tears were once again rolling down Maria's face when Max looked up in amazement. 'Tess. Tess killed Alex?'
Maria stopped crying for a second, she looked at him suspiciously, 'You didn't know?'
Max shook his head, 'I guess that was another small detail she forgot to tell us. Like the one where she betrayed us, not Isabel. And the one where she and Kivar are lovers!' His voice was bitter, 'I think we all need to talk, something big is coming.'
***
Max and Maria wandered out of Liz' bedroom to find the outside room silent. Isabel and Michael looked up at them with expectant faces.
'Where are Liz and Serena?' asked Maria in surprise.
'Oh, they hurried off a few minutes ago, saying something about being late for class.' replied Michael.
'Class? Shit!' cried Maria looking down at her watch. 'I have to go. Damn it! How could I forget? Look ummm, there's the bathroom, make yourselves at home, take what you want from the fridge, go to sleep, what ever.' she babbled at them as she ran to collect her music and Alex' guitar. 'Oh, but just one thing, stay inside, cos technically you're not meant to be here. And I mean really not meant to be here!' She yelled over her shoulder as she ran out.
Isabel blinked, 'Oh, OK then.'
Michael said nothing but just walked straight to the fridge. 'Michael, you can't just raid their fridge!'
'Hey, Maria said we could! She commands, I do!' he said with a grin.
'Get some food then we have to talk Michael. We have bigger problems, there's no way Tess is gonna just let us walk away.'
Liz fixed Max with an icy stare, 'Las Cruses University,' her voice was cold and emotionless.
Max looked at her with a hurt expression, 'What's going on Liz?'
'God! You of all people should know! You have the nerve to even ask!' she spat back at him before walking out of the room.
Maria watched Liz storm away from her room just minutes after entering. I guess it's me next! she thought as she walked towards the room.
'Max?'
Max was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. What was happening? Why was Liz so cold?
'She's hurting Max.'
Max looked up into Maria's face.
'You tore her heart in two, you betrayed her! You took everything she had and then left her here! The Liz you know is gone, she left the same time as you did.'
Max' expression became one of confusion and pain.
Maria nodded without smiling. 'You wonder why she won't let you near here, but that's cos she feels betrayed! You slept with Tess for, god's sake!' Anger crept into her tone.
'But she. Kyle.' replied Max staring up at her.
'You know she could never do that!' sighed Maria exasperatedly, Max' stare became one of disbelief. 'You want to know why she did that? Because you told her to!' spat Maria, confusion took over Max' face. 'Yes that's right, yet again Liz Parker turns her life upside down for you!'
'But I never. What do you mean?' stammered Max. Had Maria gone completely mad? Why would he have asked the girl of his dreams to sleep with Kyle?
'Oh not you, you! Future you! You came back from the future, fourteen bloody years later, when you and Liz were married! Tess had walked out on you all just before your enemies attacked and the rest of you got killed! You came back and told Liz about this perfect future she could never have! You forced her to make you stop loving her by making her to pretend to sleep with Kyle! Can you imagine the pain? Can you possibly imagine the strength it took to stay in that bed and pretend to love Kyle while you had your heart ripped in two by the window? She knew what you must think of her, how you must hate her, but she did it for you! She always did it for you! And even before that, can imagine what it did to her to tell you she wouldn't die for you? Her heart was ripped out, trampled on and left to die! And then you go and, god, sleep with Tess, get her pregnant and just abandon Liz! And then you come back and act like everything is normal!'
Maria flung up her arms and walked to the window. Max just sat stunned by what he had just heard. What had he done? He had destroyed his Liz! The only thing precious to him in the whole universe! How could he have even believed that she could do such a thing? His eyes roamed the room for something, anything, that would show him Liz had any kind of forgiveness for him.
Finally his eyes settled on a clump of medicine bottles, he looked towards Maria in confusion. Maria began to speak, it was almost as if she had sensed his question.
'After you left, Liz got sick, she got really sick. The doctors did everything they could but no one could work out what was wrong and she just got worse. There was a time when we didn't think she was gonna pull through. She couldn't eat, she was so weak she could barely breathe! Her parents were going through hell, I visited her every day, spent all my free time with her in hospital. While she was ill, I hated all you aliens, you were taking everything from us, you'd already made me lose one best friend and now you were taking Liz from me!
'I used to take Alex' guitar with me when I went to visit. I'd sing to her, just to try and make her happy, perhaps to take away some of the pain. And when I used to play I could feel Alex there with us, just like it used to be, and we'd all be happy for a while.' Maria smiled at the memory. 'Then one day I got a call from the Parkers, they said Liz was dying and they wanted me to go and see her one last time,' tears caught in Maria's throat but she swallowed and went on. 'I went to watch my best friend die, to see the last person I really love with all my heart and soul, being torn away from me!' She turned back to face Max, tears streaming down her face. 'I never knew what happened that day,' continued Maria, her voice immediately calmer.' But she didn't die, in fact from that day on she got steadily better. I think that was the day she finally began to let go and move on with her life. Those pills are anti-depressants, migraine pills and all kinds of other crap she has to take. she has to take them because of you and your scheming bitch Tess!' she stared Max straight in the eyes, her own eyes on fire with fury anger and sadness, 'And now my Liz isn't even my Liz any more! She cold, bitter and she won't let me in.' All the hurt found it's way back into her voice. 'The warm, gentle, caring Liz that I loved is gone and the person that's taken her place scares me! I know that my Liz is trapped in there somewhere... but I can't get her out. I can't get her out!' Maria collapsed on the bed, again in tears. Max put a hand on her shoulder.
'Will you show me?' he asked hesitantly. Maria nodded in silence and took his hand. Max felt Maria's emotions of Pain, anguish, anger and loneliness sweep over him as the room faded away.
*I suppose I ought to start right at the beginning, before you left.*
FLASH
Alex lay dead in his own car. No more singing, no more laughing, just darkness and fear. The music had died.
FLASH
Maria looked across the table outside the Crashdown at Sean, ' Oh Sean, you really gotta lose that earring. It's just so like you're obviously trying.'
Sean just looked at her, 'You're retarded, you know that?'
Liz giggled, 'I think it looks cute.'
Maria glared at her best friend, could she get any more desperate? 'Okay, lets hear from somebody other than the lowly Parker. Kyle?'
Kyle glanced up at Sean's ear, 'Isn't it a gay thing anyway?' He asked smiling sweetly.
Sean coughed violently, 'No, it's not a gay thing! I have got to get out of this town, I really do.'
'Would you stop doing that? Please!' sighed Maria exasperatedly, staring at Kyle.
'What?'
'That tapping thing, you've been doing it for like an hour!'
'I have?'
FLASH
'I can't believe this is happening! I - I just can't believe this is even possible!' groaned Maria as she slumped down on the bad next to Liz.
'Um, hmm.'
'Larek. He says his name is Larek, and he's an alien. Who is Larek?'
Maria glanced up at Liz in panic, 'My mom!' she gasped as the ran towards the kitchen.
'And he's taken over this whole place. And he's holding us hostage here with a gun. He's pointing a gun at my daughter. He threatened my daughter.'
Maria looked in fear at her mom babbling away, 'Mom, Mom what's wrong?'
Amy looked at her, 'Maria? What are you doing up, it's the middle of the night. And Liz? What are you still doing here?'
Liz glanced down at where Amy's fingers were tapping on the oven, 'Oh my god,' she murmured. 'It's Tess, Tess mindwarped Alex!'
FLASH
Liz and Maria were slouched on Kyle's bed, staring at him with expectant faces. Suddenly he turned to them.
'I carried his body. She made me think it was luggage. She killed him. Tess killed Alex!'
FLASH
Maria stood facing the podchamber entrance, she sighed. All this just wasn't worth it, they would never get in, the aliens were leaving, end of story! Her eyes strayed to Liz. Pain shot through her as she watched her friend. Liz' hair was flailing everywhere, her eyes were panic stricken and wild and small droplets of blood were appearing on her hands from where she had been banging the stone.
There was complete eerie silence except for Liz screams, her voice was different, unnatural, like a soul in torment. Then tears began to roll down her cheeks, her face became even more desperate and lost. 'MAX!!'
Her voice quieted for a second as the ground around her began to shake. But the next second she was screaming again.
Maria saw Kyle run forward, and understood what was needed of her. She followed him and grabbed one of Liz' arms.
'NO! I won't go! Let me stay!' yelled Liz, turning her face on them. 'You can't make me leave him! I won't leave him! I swore I'd never leave him!'
Maria blinked back tears as her friend slashed at both her and Kyle, she looked ready to kill them. Her eyes were red with hate.
'Liz it's over!' said Maria in a choked voice. 'We're too late, we have to let them go!'
'No!!!' screamed Liz.
Maria and Kyle collapsed into the sand with Liz just as the huge rock in front of the began to disintegrate.
'Max,' gasped Liz.
The small glowing ship shot out of the ruble and into the sky.
Maria flinched as Liz yelled, 'I loved you!'
FLASH
Maria sat in the corner of Liz' bedroom, the room was dark and quiet. Maria was sitting watching the bed, listening to the sound of Liz crying herself to sleep. A tear rolled down Maria's face.
FLASH
Maria stood looking at Liz lying on her bad, facing away from her. 'Please Liz, you have to eat, you're making yourself ill! Please!' pleaded Maria. 'This isn't how Max would have wanted it.'
Liz turned her head to stare at Maria with cold eyes, 'How would you know what Max would have wanted?' she spat.
FLASH
Maria was sitting in a hospital bedroom, the walls were decorated with cards and balloons. Maria smiled down at her best friend, 'Happy 19th birthday Liz!'
'Thanks Mar-' Maria looked on in concern as her best friend began to choke.
'Liz are you, are you OK?'
'Yeah,' replied Liz as she stopped coughing. 'Thank you.'
FLASH
Maria sat in class at school, her eyes strayed to the world outside the window.
'Miss Maria DeLuca.'
Maria's eyes snapped immediately back to the teacher, Great here we go, in trouble again!
'Please will you come with me.'
Maria looked at the teacher in surprise, She'd just been looking out the window, she hadn't attacked him or anything! Maria blushed as she felt all the eyes of the class on her.
The teacher closed the door of the class room behind her, 'You have been excused for the rest of the day. Liz Parker's parents just called, they want you to go and see Liz. They don't think she's gone last the day.'
'Liz,' Maria gasped as her knees buckled and she fainted, the teacher grabbed her and held her up.
FLASH
Maria sat next to Liz' hospital bed, she had Liz' hand clasped in her own and tears were rolling down her cheeks. 'Liz, please don't leave me here alone!'
FLASH
Maria was clasping both of Liz' hands, her face showed her obvious fear. Liz was sitting up in bed, her eyes were open and excited.
'He's coming back isn't he. Max is coming back, they all are! He told me he loved me, and people who love you don't just leave! Mom and Dad didn't, and Max won't, he's coming back for us, and he'll love me again! And we'll all be together again, you, me , Max and Michael and Isabel and Alex! They're all coming back to get us aren't they, and we'll be happy just like we were, right? No one'll have to cry, we'll be happy all the time, everyday, we can laugh again.' Liz paused to study Maria's face, her own face fell. 'They aren't coming back are they. He's never coming back, I'll never see him again,' tears began to roll down Liz' face. 'He'll never tell me he loves me again. Never again-'
Liz fell back against the pillow, the consistent bleep of her heart on the heart monitor becoming a long wail.
'Help! Please, Someone!' screamed Maria.
Two nurses and a doctor were in the room immediately, 'She's gone into cardiac arrest, get me 200 volts!'
One of the nurses hurried over to Maria, 'Come on sweetheart, lets get you out of here.'
'Liz,' murmured Maria as she looked back over her shoulder at Liz' limp lifeless body.
FLASH
As soon as Maria entered the room Mr and Mrs Parker were at her side, 'What are they doing to Lizzie? What happened?'
'I-I don't know. she just. went.' Maria collapsed into a chair, convulsed with sobs.
FLASH
'Mr and Mrs Parker?'
Liz' parents leapt out of their chairs, Maria looked up her face showing all her fear.
'I have good news, Liz pulled through, she's alive.'
Mrs Parker burst into tears of joy and Mr Parker embraced her. Maria sat back in her chair and let tears roll down her face.
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting on her balcony looking at the stars.
'Maria?'
'Mmmm.'
'I want to go to Sweden.'
Maria turned to look at Liz in incredulity.
FLASH
'You take care of our baby girl, if anything goes wrong you'll come straight home right?'
Maria nodded, 'Of course, I'll keep her out of trouble.' She grinned at Liz.
'I love you Mom and Dad, we'll be fine, don't worry.'
Mrs Parker ran forward and kissed Liz, 'You be careful!'
Liz smiled and turned to board the plane.
FLASH
Maria was lying in a bed, the room was dark and quiet, a sudden noise caused her to turn her head, she saw Liz walk across the room and out the French windows. She lay and watched still for a minute and then pulling herself out of bed she walked over to where Liz had left and looked out. Sitting in the snow a few meters away, sat Liz, her head was in her hands and Maria could hear her crying. Somehow Maria thought she could see Alex sitting beside Liz, comforting her, a trick of the northern lights? Maria smiled and walked back to bed, Liz was going to be fine.
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting in a small café.
'So what happens now?' asked Maria.
'We go home.'
Maria looked up from her breakfast in surprise.
'I'm fed up of holding onto someone, I mean, something that's never coming back. We're gonna go home, we're gonna go to university. You're gonna study Music and I'll study Science, just like we always planned. And then when we leave, we'll get jobs, we'll get married, we'll have children, we'll be happy. We'll always be happy, all the time, everyday.'
A haunted expression passed over Maria's face at the memory of those words.
'Our lives will go on! We had life before them, and we'll have life after them. I'm done wasting my life hoping that that self-centered Czech will come back looking for me!'
'Liz, honey, I know you're angry, but do you think you could keep it down a bit. It's just people are staring and that couple over there are Czech, they look a bit miffed.'
Liz didn't laugh at Maria's joke, she didn't even smile. Her face just glazed over and became a stone wall.
***Max felt Maria's pain hit him as she watched her best friend slip away from her.***
FLASH
'So this is our apartment. Why Las Cruses University, why here?'
'It's the only place that's close enough to Roswell, and it's not that bad.'
Maria saw her friend was lying, she could see the pain on her friend's face.
'Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing.'
FLASH
Maria and Liz were sitting drinking coffee.
'Liz, what you're doing is safe right? I mean experimenting on your own brain! It's like something from a horror movie!'
'I'm not experimenting on my own brain, I'm just trying to find out about how to get powers.'
'Yes, but is it safe?'
Liz didn't answer.
'Liz! You can't do anything unsafe! I thought you'd given up waiting for Max!'
Liz turned blazing eyes on Maria, 'This isn't about Max! This is about Alex! I will not let Tess get away with all this! She can have Max, but she will not get away with killing Alex! I'm not gonna let Alex die unavenged!'
'Why can't you just let him rest in peace?' sighed Maria.
'You think he can rest while she's out there?' shouted Liz. 'While she's a queen being waited on hand and foot and he's stuck under that cold, dank ground? And while everyone thinks he committed suicide? I will not let that happen! I may have found out what happened too late! But I will do something!'
'Liz! You're changing! You're like you were after the funeral! You refuse to grieve and let go! Remember what happened then! Max slept with Tess cos you pushed him away!' Maria stopped, realising what she had said, 'Oh Liz, I'm sorry.'
'Just forget it!' spat Liz as she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Maria put her head in her hands and began to cry.
END OF FLASH
Tears were once again rolling down Maria's face when Max looked up in amazement. 'Tess. Tess killed Alex?'
Maria stopped crying for a second, she looked at him suspiciously, 'You didn't know?'
Max shook his head, 'I guess that was another small detail she forgot to tell us. Like the one where she betrayed us, not Isabel. And the one where she and Kivar are lovers!' His voice was bitter, 'I think we all need to talk, something big is coming.'
***
Max and Maria wandered out of Liz' bedroom to find the outside room silent. Isabel and Michael looked up at them with expectant faces.
'Where are Liz and Serena?' asked Maria in surprise.
'Oh, they hurried off a few minutes ago, saying something about being late for class.' replied Michael.
'Class? Shit!' cried Maria looking down at her watch. 'I have to go. Damn it! How could I forget? Look ummm, there's the bathroom, make yourselves at home, take what you want from the fridge, go to sleep, what ever.' she babbled at them as she ran to collect her music and Alex' guitar. 'Oh, but just one thing, stay inside, cos technically you're not meant to be here. And I mean really not meant to be here!' She yelled over her shoulder as she ran out.
Isabel blinked, 'Oh, OK then.'
Michael said nothing but just walked straight to the fridge. 'Michael, you can't just raid their fridge!'
'Hey, Maria said we could! She commands, I do!' he said with a grin.
'Get some food then we have to talk Michael. We have bigger problems, there's no way Tess is gonna just let us walk away.'