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 Eight – Dreams and Visions

"Did you draw this, Michael?" Max asked.

"I think that answer's pretty obvious, don't you, since it was in the notebook I was carrying when I got here," said Michael.

"Maybe the question should be why did you draw this?" Max asked, holding up the notebook.

"Give me that," said Michael, pulling the notebook out of Max's hand and closing it. "It's not important."

"I think it is," said Max, grabbing the notebook back. He flipped through the pages trying to locate the sketch when he found something else that caught his attention.

"Michael, what's this?" he asked, passing the book back to Michael.

Michael took the notebook and examined the drawing. It showed the back of a man, standing in the rain looking at a house. From the house, a woman peered out at the man from behind a window. The woman was Maria DeLuca.

Michael stared, entranced by the poignancy in the woman's face. He reached out with one finger and touched the face of the woman gently, his expression betraying a fierce longing.

"Michael?"

"It-it's nothing," said Michael.

"No, it's something," said Max. "Did this happen? It must have for you to be able to put so much emotion into it."

"Of course it didn't. I keep telling you, that DeLuca chic is a train wreck looking for a place to happen," Michael insisted, only this time, his voice lacked conviction.

"I saw Liz Parker tonight," Max told Michael.

"What? I thought you were going to stay away from her!" Michael yelled.

"I can't," admitted Max. "I'm, well, I feel like I'm drawn to her," said Max. "I just can't seem to keep away."

"This is not good, Maxwell, not good at all," said Michael. "And I don't mean that in a we need to keep to ourselves way. Something is totally whacked."

"What do you mean?" asked Max.

Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and handed it to Max.

"Do I want to read your love notes," joked Max.

"Read it, will ya," said Michael.

Max skimmed the piece of paper that had to headings with lists underneath them.

Reasons it was just a dream:

1. Voices sounding far away.
2. Time speeding up and slowing down.
3. Plates of food getting heavy.

Reasons it really happened.

1. Feeling the bullet slam into her.
2. The connection I felt when Max healed me.
3. The feeling that it was so real.

"Did Maria write this?" asked Max, his voice laced with concern. Something about the handwriting was bothering him. He knew he'd seen it before.

"No, it wasn't Maria, it was Liz," said Michael.

"Liz?" said Max, trying to catch his breath. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. "It was you," he added almost to himself.

"What? Max, what did you say?" asked Michael.

"It was you," said Max, to himself. "It was you."

Nicholas roamed the deserted streets of Roswell, struggling to maintain his hold on this reality. He could feel his power slipping away, and his grasp on the time shift was tenuous. He needed to kill Liz; that would seal their fate, and lock this timeline into place. A low rumble filled the air. Nicholas looked up into the night sky to see that a low bank of clouds had obliterated the stars, and lightning flashed from the sky.

"I hate this stupid little town," he growled in his man-boy voice. He broke into a jog as the rain started to fall from the sky, seeking shelter from the storm.

Maria DeLuca tossed and turned fitfully in her bed. The rumblings of thunder punctured her dreams, causing her to moan slightly. A loud bang shook the house, and she sat up in her bed.

"What was that?" she asked the empty room. Another rumble of thunder filled the room, answering her question for her. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the dreams of a stranger that plagued her sleep.

She slid her legs over the side of the bed and walked softly to the window. Feeling foolish, she pushed the curtains aside, fully expecting to see someone standing on the sidewalk, but there was nobody there. She stared out into the darkness for several long minutes waiting, but the phantom figure in her dreams never materialized.

Maria sighed, and turned away from the window and climbed back into her bed, but she didn't sleep, not for a long time.

The sun rose on a new morning, scrubbed crisp and clean from the rainfall of the night before. Liz smiled to herself as she walked down the empty sidewalks of Roswell. She was determined to put the foolish dreams of the past few nights behind her. Today was a new day. She wasn't going to let her imagination distract her any longer, and keep her from her dream of becoming a molecular biologist.

Liz paused at the corner as she waited for the light to change, signaling her opportunity to cross. When the light was green, she stepped out into the crosswalk and began to cross the street. The sound of squealing tires caught her attention, and she stopped, foolishly trying to locate the sound.

"Liz, look out!" Maria screamed from the other side of the street. Liz looked up to see a black pick up truck bearing down on her. She remained rooted in place, frozen by fear. In that split second, she stared into the windshield of the truck, looking at the driver. She knew him. She'd seen him before, she was certain.

A jolt brought her back to the present, and Liz found herself rolling on the ground, her face scraping against the pavement. She lifted her head in time to see the truck turn the corner and speed off out of sight.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to," she stopped when she turned to look into the amber eyes of her rescuer. "Max," she said softly.

"You're hurt," Max said, his voice filled with concern.

He put his hand on her stinging cheek, and Liz felt a warm glow on her face. When he removed his hand, the pain was gone.

"Here comes Maria," he said, softly. "You'll be okay, now."