Author's note: I know, I know, it's been like a year. I just haven't been able to motivate myself to write for that long. BUT I have finally made my start towards the end of this story. I want to finish it. It deserves an end. Plus I discovered that \I had some chapters on my comp that weren't put up here. So I'm slowly gonna try and finish this fic. Reviews are what make me want to write (that's not really bribery, just truth) So if you want more, please do let me know, otherwise this story may never get its end.

This chapter is dedicated to kt(Â ) for giving me the kick up that backside I needed to write more. I hope you're still out there and will read the end :)

Chapter 28

The group watched in disbelief as Liz stood up from her seat and calmly walked to the door.

'Where are you going?' demanded Michael.

'Out,' replied Liz defiantly as she shut the door behind her.

'Liz,' sighed Maria under her breath.

Isabel watched the closed door awkwardly she left like she should do something. She might be hurting underneath but so was Liz.. She must be able to help in some way! 'Some one ought to follow her.' she stated quietly.

Max opened his mouth to speak but was cut off my Maria. 'I'll go. You guys plan what happens next. I'll be back soon.' Quickly Maria walked to the door.

Liz walked slowly away from the door. her heart thumping in her chest. Right choice or wrong choice. Liz Parker or pain. It looked like she'd made her choice then. The wrong one.

She could go back, just turn around right now. Go back in and tell them she'd go too. Tell them she wanted to be a part of the team again. Tell them she wanted to be Liz Parker again. It would be so easy. All she had to do was turn round and take those few short steps back into the apartment. They'd all be there waiting for her, they'd welcome her back just like they'd done to Adam. They wouldn't judge her. She could be Liz Parker again.

She almost did it. Almost turned that 180º that would lead her straight back to the door but something stopped her. Her ears rang once again with the sound of the departing Granolith, her throat once again filled with the screams she had thrown heedlessly at the solid, impenetrable rock and she saw again Tess' ice blue eyes that had haunted her mind ever since Alex' funeral. Of course she couldn't go back to them. Tess was there. Tess would always be there, lurking in every unspoken sentence, every unuttered word. The shadow in everyone's eyes. And Liz couldn't take it, she had to escape it, escape everything!

'Chica!' called Maria after her.

Liz turned round slowly, tears lingering in her eyes.

'Please,' whispered Maria. 'Please just tell me what's wrong. Tell me what it's like for you. Just… Just tell me.'

'I can't,' choked Liz.

'Please,' begged Maria, tears forming in her own eyes. 'I just want to be able to help you. I want you back Liz. I want my best friend back.'

'I can't go on any more Maria,' cried Liz collapsing down against a wall. 'I can't face him any more, knowing what I've lost. What we screwed up. I just want to leave, forget the whole thing!'

'I'll help you! We can do it together.' pleaded Maria, kneeling down in front of Liz. 'Just please, don't leave me to do this alone.'

'I can't,' whispered Liz, hopelessly.

'Please don't do this Liz.'

'No,' said Liz quietly. She raised her hand and brushed away the tears. 'I'm gonna take a trip back to Roswell tomorrow for a couple of days. I need some space, that's all. You've got Michael, and I promise I'll be here waiting for you when you get back. I can't go, I can't take any more of this.'

Maria nodded slowly. It was pointless to argue, Liz had always been stubborn. Perhaps what she was doing was right. She wouldn't be able to cope around Max. Maria could see how it was destroying her these past few days. But she didn't want to do this without her best friend. A new planet, new people, new challenges. She'd faced every challenge through her life with Liz by her side. She just couldn't do it alone. 'Will you come back in time to say goodbye?'

'Ok.'

'Promise,' demanded Maria.

Liz smiled slightly. 'I promise, Maria. You'll be careful? I don't want to lose you.'

'You're not getting rid of me just yet Parker!' laughed Maria slightly. She stood up, brushing the back of her skirt with her hands. 'You want to come back in?' she asked, holding out her hand to help Liz up. her eyes pleaded with Liz, asking one more time for the impossible.

'No,' said Liz, shaking her head. 'You go. I'll come back later. I'll go phone Mom and Dad and tell them I'm coming.'

'Ok,' replied Maria turning away.

'Maria.'

'Yeah.'

'Thank you.'

'I love you girl friend!'

'I love you too,' replied Liz running towards her and engulfing her in a hug.

Everyone looked up at Maria as she walked back into the room. Max watched her through sad eyes.

'Well?' asked Michael.

'She'll be here waiting for us when we come back.'

Serena looked wistful. 'When we come back?' she whispered.

'Huh?' asked Adam.

'Nothing,' she replied quickly, not looking him in the eye.

'So what's the plan?' asked Maria.

'Well…' replied Kyle sheepishly.

'Great!' she replied sarcastically. 'This looks SO hopeful.'

'Thank you Liz,' said Isabel as she pulled Liz into a hug. 'For what you said to me when I got back. For believing in me even when I did everything possible to make you hate me. Thank you for giving me Alex.'

'I'll miss you Issy,' replied Liz quietly.

'I'll miss you too Liz Parker,' murmured Isabel as she walked away.

'I'm sorry I took your journal, Liz,' said a small voice from behind her.

Liz swung round into Adam's arms. 'Just as long as you didn't read too much,' she said with a slight smile.

'Nah, I felt too guilty after reading the first page… did you really die?'

'It's a long story,' said Liz quietly. 'Someone'll tell you one day.'

'I'll hold you to that,' he said smiling.

'You do realise that if you ever tell anyone what you saw in there I'll have to kill you.'

'Don't worry I'll let some evil aliens do that for you.' he replied with a grin.

'Good luck.'

'I'll miss you Lizziebear!' he cried as he smothered her once again in a hug. 'But you're coming back to wave us all off right?'

'Yeah.'

Michael walked forward awkwardly. 'Uh yeah, so I'll see you around Parker,' he said, scratching behind his ear.

'Bye Michael. Take care of Maria for me right?'

'You're only gonna be gone two days.'

'Yeah, I guess,' replied Liz, turning away.

'Sorry for barging into your life Liz,' said Serena shyly.

'It's Ok. I thought you'd show up at sometime.'

'Huh?' replied Serena in confusion.

'It's another long, long story. I hope you manage to free your planet.'

'Thanks.'

'Why all the long goodbyes Parker?' asked Kyle grinning at her. 'You'll be back in a few days and it's not like you'll never see us again!'

'I know,' she replied as she walked into his out-stretched arms. 'It's just seems right somehow.'

'I'll miss you.'

'You too Kyle.'

'Say hey to my dad for me right.'

'Sure. And I'll tell him you've met the girl of your dreams and just so long as you don't stuff it up too bad he'll have a daughter sometime soon.'

'Don't count your chickens just yet.'

'Don't let Serena get away though will you?'

'Not if I can help it. I lost you. I'm not gonna miss out again!'

Liz watched sadly as Kyle walked away from her. All this just seemed so final. She'd be back in a few days but it just didn't feel like it. This felt like an ending. It felt like a goodbye forever.

'So you'll be here waiting when we get back right?'

'I promised Maria.'

'Just checking cos one thing that's gonna be missing on that planet is a girlfriend and some Rocky-road ice cream.'

'I'll have it defrosting in the freezer for you.' replied Liz. She looked at her best friend hesitantly, tears threatening to enter her eyes.

'Oh don't get all weepy on me. You'll be here in a couple of days, leave the real sad stuff for then! Come on, gimmie some of that sugar!'

Liz held Maria close not wanting to let go. Part of her didn't want to walk away now. It wanted to stay to finish what had been started, to complete her destiny. But her mind was ignoring that part, it was time she skipped town. She needed space and without it she'd go crazy. But Maria… Maria was a part of what she wanted to take with her. Maria was her rock, her stronghold where everything else was chaos.

'Don't go having too much fun without me,' she said sadly.

'Chica nothing will be fun without you.. well except for-'

'Yeah, Ria I really don't need to hear what goes on between you and Spaceboy behind closed doors!'

'Point taken. I'll miss you.'

'I'll be back in two days.'

'I'll still miss you.'

'I know, me too.'

'I love you chica.'

'I love you too.'

Liz reluctantly let go of Maria's hand and watched her retreat back into Michael's arms. 'Well… I guess I ought to, uhh, I ought to go.' She picked up her bags and started towards the door.

'Liz.'

Max. Liz swung round and found herself looking straight into his deep eyes. What she saw there broke her heart, almost. She even considered staying for a second. Trying to get things back to where they once were. But then her mind took control and froze out her heart. And Tess' words filled her ears;

I' And Max? Aren't you forgetting him? Can't have loved you that much if he would just sleep with me and then leave you on your godforsaken little planet to die! Can he? Hmmm… Did it hurt you? Did it make you squirm to think of him and me together, sharing what you never shared? It was a good night, that first night with Max, of course you wouldn't know, he never did that with you! Perhaps it was just because he didn't love you enough!'/I

'Liz I-' Max started

'Goodbye Max.'

He sighed looking defeated. 'Goodbye Liz. Please- Please could you just tell our parents that we're Ok and that we love them and could you give them this.' he asked, handing over an envelope containing a letter and a video.

Liz nodded without expression and picked up her bags. 'I guess I'll see you guys in a couple of days then.'

'Bye Liz,' called Maria as Liz walked through the door.

A silence fell over the room as the sound of the taxi died away.

'I suppose we ought to get on with the plan then,' said Adam finally.

Isabel watched her brother with clouded eyes as he sat down dejectedly. 'Tell us about Kivar's palace Serena. We need a weakness.'

'There is one,' she replied. Sitting down opposite him. 'My Grandfather found it…'

Liz sank back into the seat of the taxi, emotionally and physically exhausted. She hadn't thought it would be that hard, saying goodbye to all of them. Even Max had been nearly impossible. It scared her, it was almost as though her resolve was breaking. She was letting people in no matter how much her head told her not to. And since when did Liz Parker not listen to her head?

She didn't know if she could do it again. Saying goodbye this time had been hard enough but next time, next time there would be a chance they wouldn't be coming back to her. There was a chance she'd never see Maria or Kyle again. How could she say goodbye to them knowing that there was nothing in her power that she could do to keep them safe. And Serena and Adam, She'd only known Serena for a few days but it already hurt to say goodbye. Just another sign that she was letting her heart take control. She had to stop it. Following her heart only led her to trouble, only led her to pain.

She'd never thought she'd come to a day when saying goodbye to Michael and Isabel would be so hard. She'd always got the feeling that they both disliked her before. But now they seemed just as close to her as Maria or even Kyle.

And Max? What was it like saying goodbye to him?

Liz shook herself trying to rid herself of all the thoughts that plagued her. It was no good dwelling on how hard it had been, there was harder to come but for a few days she had freedom. She was going home. Home to the place she loved. Loved? She had loved it but now didn't it just hold memories she didn't want to remember. Wouldn't the drive home take her straight past that large rock in the desert that had been the centre of her hell. So many times she'd fled from it, her world crashing down around her. This time she wasn't running from it though. This time she was running towards it. Towards the pain it caused her. But there was nothing there now of course. Just dead rock. Rock that had been dead now ever since that day when- No she wouldn't think about it.

Liz closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, throwing all the painful thoughts out of her head. She was free for two days and she was going to make the most of it. She was going to live for 48 hours.

'So you're off to alien central then?' said the driver.

Liz smiled, keeping her eyes closed. 'Yeah, I'm going to Roswell. I'm going home… Ihome/I.' She smiled again at the thought.

'Are you indeed,' said the voice.

'Yeah.' She opened her eyes and looked up to the mirror seeking the drivers. 'So how about you. Where you fro-'

Liz froze, bile rising up into her throat.

'Hello Liz.'

She shot out her hand. Shaking she fumbled in panic with the door. it was locked, she couldn't open it. She was trapped in a car with Ihim/I. She turned her horrified face back to the mirror.

'Oh God,' she whispered hysterically.

'Yes Leandra, oh God!' said Kivar as Liz' whole world went black.

8