Disclaimer: Roswell, and its characters do not belong to me. Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox have that particular pleasure. If I was lucky enough to own them, you just know the show would still be on the air, and you be watching that instead of reading this.

Rating: PG-13 to R for inappropriate language and some violence.

Winds of Change

Chapter Two – Connections

"Lizzie! Oh my God, Lizzie, are you okay?" a concerned Jeff Parker yelled, running into the restaurant. "Is that blood?"

"Relax, dad, I'm fine," said a shaky Liz. "It's just ketchup from a bottle that broke when Maria fell."

"Maria? Maria, are you okay?" Jeff asked. "Oh, God, look at you, Maria, are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah," Mr. Parker," Maria said, her voice wobbling a bit. "Like Liz said. I splashed ketchup on myself when I fell."

"As long as you to girls are okay," said Jeff. "That's the most important thing." He hugged first Maria, then Liz tightly. Liz could feel his fear like it was a palpable thing. He was so afraid, but it was his fear that made Liz realize that she had to keep what just happened a secret.

"Liz," Maria whispered. "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," Liz said. "But I'm going to find out. Just don't say anything, okay?"

"Say anything to who?" asked Maria. "Who'd believe me?"

"Liz, he saved me," Maria said. She rearranged herself so that she sat more comfortably on Liz's bed. "I was dying, and he saved me. He – he touched my soul. It was almost like he could see into it, and I could see into his."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Liz, remembering how she felt when she looked into Max Evans eyes for that fleeting second. She felt as if she were falling, and the only safe haven she would find would be in Max's eyes. She perched on the windowsill, enjoying the feeling of the curtains blowing around her as she and Maria talked.

"So what happened, anyhow?" asked Maria. "The whole thing is kind of a blur."

"What do you remember?" asked Liz, cautiously.

"Those two guys were arguing," said Maria. "The next thing I knew, there was a gun. I remember screaming at you, and then I felt as if someone shoved me, and I went flying into you. After I hit you, I felt this thud, almost like I got hit with during a dodge ball game or something. That's the last thing I remember."

"I remember you screaming, and pushing into me, but that's about it," Liz admitted. "You saved my life, Maria. If you hadn't shoved me, that bullet would of hit me, I'm positive."

"Chica, I love you, you know that, but I have to be honest. I didn't set out to save you," said Maria. "I felt like I was rooted to the ground. I couldn't have moved if I wanted to. I'm telling you, someone shoved me into you."

"It doesn't matter how you did it," said Liz. "All that matters is that you did do it. Thank you, Maria."

"Damn it," Nicholas swore softly. He crouched under Liz's bedroom window, eavesdropping on the conversation between her and Maria. He plan was perfect, and it would have worked if that foolish blond waitress hadn't gotten in his way. He waited until the exact right second, when the human had pulled out his gun. Nicholas rushed across the café, intent on killing Liz just as the bullet struck her when that ditzy blond shifted slightly, causing him to collide with her. The momentum of his body striking hers drove her forward into Liz Parker, knocking her to the ground.

"Look, Chica, I've got to go," he heard the blond say. "I'll keep quiet, for now, but if we don't get some answers soon, I'm going to Sheriff Valenti."

Nicholas peered in the window and watched the two friends hug each other. This was perfect, he thought to himself. Once the blond left, he'd finish Liz off, and no one would be the wiser. He ducked down and scrambled away from the window as Liz crossed her small room.

Liz climbed out onto the rooftop patio off of her room and walked to the edge to call out a goodbye to her friend. She leaned on the low wall that stood between her and the edge of the roof and looked up into the sky. Millions of stars seemed to twinkle down upon her looking like diamonds spread upon a black velvet cloth.

Abruptly, Liz spun around and walked over to the fire escape. She flung one leg over the side to climb down. A noise across the patio drew her attention and she paused, trying to locate its origin. She waited, but the sound didn't reoccur. She shrugged her shoulders and continued her descent to street level.

Once on the ground, Liz stopped, unsure of what she wanted to do. Finally, she decided to just start walking. She turned a corner and collided with what felt like a rock wall.

"Umph," she said, falling to the ground. "Oh, hey, I'm really sorry. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Watch it," said a familiar male voice.

"Oh, Michael, hi, how are you doing?"

"Go away, Liz," Michael said, his voice taciturn. "And stay away, and tell you're dippy friend to do the same."

"What?" said Liz, shocked at Michael's abruptness.

"Stay away from us," Michael repeated. "And the same goes for Maria." He turned away and walked down the street, fading into the darkness.

"Michael, wait!" Liz called to the empty street.

Liz sat quietly in the study carrel in the library, focusing not on the schoolwork in front of her but in the whispered conversation that was being carried on across from her.

"It's weird," the voice said. "I felt this connection with her. I could see into her soul, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"What you did was stupid," said another voice. "And it put us all in jeopardy. Why did you do it, anyhow?"

"You know why," said the first voice. "I had to."

"No you didn't have to, and now you've brought all this attention down on us. We're in danger. I say we leave now, before it's too late."

"We're not going to leave," the second voice said calmly, an oasis of calm in the stormy sea that surrounded him. "We're just going to go on, living our lives the exact same way. Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed!"

"Guess who?" said a voice from behind her. A pair of hand covered her eyes, and Liz screamed softly.

"Kyle," she cried. "Stop it."

"I was worried about you, Liz," Kyle said, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside her. "Dad told me what happened yesterday at the café."

"Everything's fine, Kyle. But I'm really trying to study," she said over the scrambling sounds that came from the study carrel across from her.

She looked up to see Michael Guerin staring down at her, his eyes as hard as granite. Next to him stood Max Evans, his golden brown eyes watching her intently. She swallowed deeply, trying to tamp down the sudden feelings of fear and excitement that rose up inside of her. Liz broke the connection first, looking down at the papers on the table in front of her for a second. When she looked up again, Michael and Max were gone.