Title: Early Morning Sunset

Author: Radiogirl

Summary: They travel at night and play by day. City by city, they live. The music defines their lives, and in it they find their hope. Together, Maria and Michael get swept away in the melody of summer, allowing them to forget everything that's holding them back.

Credit: I own none of the Roswell characters or plot lines, or any of the quotes used at the beginning of chapters. However, the name Early Morning Sunset is mine, and any lyrics of the band in the upcoming chapters will be mine as well.

A/N- My other story isn't going too well right now, and I got the idea for this story last night. So today I sat down to write it, and this is what came out. I hope everyone enjoys it. I absolutely love music- it's changed my life in so many ways. I love concerts, I love local bands, and I've loved Roswell for years, so I decided to combine them all. I hope this works out as well as I think it's going to. The story will get quite a bit more complicated in the next chapter. Enjoy and please review, the reviews inspire me to go on.

"'Cause it feels like summer again. I was thinking that it just might never begin. After winter and spring, it feels good to have the sun on my face again."

-The Wallflowers

Chapter One

Maria shielded her eyes from the grueling New Mexico sun, squinting down at the numbers on the paper. People passed around her on the busy sidewalk, the heat wilting their bodies into huddled masses as they made their way to their destinations. The case hung heavy on her shoulder and she shifted her weight, attempting to balance the weight of the guitar. She looked up at the building in front of her and double checked the address, realizing she'd found the right building.

She pushed open the door to the small shop, the cool air welcoming her as she stepped into the room. She heard music from above, but the shop was silent. She looked around at the guitars lining the walls, the drum sets in the corner, the sheet music in a rack at the back.

"Can I help you?" The voice from behind her startled her and she spun around. The petite girl smiled at Maria's surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Did you need help finding something?"

Maria looked down at the sheet of paper in her hand. "Um, yeah... someone called me... from a band. They said they were looking for a bass guitarist and they'd heard me play at a gig? I don't know; I might have the wrong place..."

"Oh! Maria, right?" The girl's smile grew. "Of course! You're in the right place. I'm so glad you decided to join us. I've heard your stuff and you're amazing, girl." She paused looking upward toward where the music had grown louder. She laughed, "Max is the one who called you. He's really excited that you wanted to come."

Maria blushed. She'd been complimented on her playing before, but it always came as a surprise to her. "Well, I've heard the band before at local shows, and they're awesome. I was surprised when he called."

Liz smiled and rolled her eyes, "yeah, there's been a bit of drama around her lately. Evan, the bass guitarist, was clashing with everyone in the band, especially Michael. Finally things just blew up and he left the band. We've been searching for awhile, actually. You're the first person Max has even suggested to replace Evan." She paused and laughed. "I'm Liz, by the way. I don't think I even introduced myself."

She held out her hand and Maria took it, smiling. "I'm Maria... well, obviously." Liz laughed again and looked upstairs one song ended and another one began.

"They'll be so excited you're here. Come on up. I think everyone is here." Liz led the way toward the back of the shop. A small hallway led to a narrow staircase. The stairs creaked as they climbed, the noise being taken over by the music above. Maria felt her stomach flutter as nervousness set in. The stairs opened up into an attic room thick with the stench of guitar strings and sweat. Maria looked around at the four bodies placed around the room. Entranced, none of them saw Liz and Maria as they entered the room. They played, the music filling the room with its melodic hymn. Maria recognized Max standing toward the front, strumming his guitar and singing slowly, his eyes closed, listening closely to the music.

Slowly his eyes opened, first falling on Liz and then on Maria. He smiled, holding up his hand. "Hold up!" He screamed, and the music stopped. He swung the guitar strap over his head and leaned it up against the wall, taking a step forward. "Maria?" He asked, his eyebrows rising in a question. She nodded and his smile grew. "I'm so glad you came."

She smiled as well, shaking his hand. "Well, I'm grateful for the opportunity. I've admired your work for awhile."

Max turned toward the rest in the room. For the first time, Maria noticed that each set of eyes fell on her in a questioning gaze. "Everyone, this is Maria DeLuca, the one we heard at Static a month or so ago. She's going to be taking over for Evan."

"Thank God," The boy in the corner laughed. "We're all going to miss Saint Evan so much, I'm sure." He set his guitar against the wall and stepped forward to shake her hand. "I'm Alex, and let me just say, we're all very glad to have you here. Not only are you most likely way cooler than Evan, but I'm sure you'll look a LOT better in a skirt."

"Alex!" The blond girl screeched, standing up from behind the keyboard. "I cannot believe you just said that." She smiled apologetically, shaking Maria's hand. "Don't mind Alex, he was dropped on his head as a child. I'm Isabel."

Maria smiled at her, shaking her hand. Her gaze traveled to the boy behind the drums, finding his eyes pinned on her in a cautious and inquisitive gaze. He made no move to get up, but sat staring at her in evaluation.

"And Mr. Silent back there is Michael," Isabel said, looking back toward Michael behind the drums. "Don't worry; he's that rude to everyone."

"I'm not rude, Izzy, I'm reserved." Michael said, his voice light with sarcasm. He lifted his hand in a half wave, throwing a "hey" at her before picking up his drum sticks again. "So are we going to play today or what?"

Max nodded. "That's actually a really good idea. We can start teaching Maria the chords. Sound good?" He looked at her and she nodded. "Awesome, let's get started."

He picked up his guitar and looked at her as she knelt down to open the guitar case. "Welcome to Early Morning Sunset," he smiled, before picking up his guitar and strumming the first chord.

Hours Later

Max yelled out the signal and Maria stopped playing. She stretched her fingers out then closing them into a fist, attempting to return feeling to her hand. She felt the sweat matting her hair as she swung the guitar strap over her shoulder and let out a sigh. They'd been playing for hours, and she finally felt like she was getting it down.

She felt the kind of exhaustion that she only got after a day of playing. It was the success of the ache in her fingers, the sweat on her back. An exhausted happiness that she only got with a guitar in her hand.

"That was awesome, Maria. I can already tell this is going to work out." Max smiled as he watched her pack away her guitar. He looked out the window at the dark desert evening. "I didn't even realize it was this late. Where are you staying?"

"At the motel on the other end of town. Less than a mile walk, I'll be fine." She commented, picking up the guitar case and balancing it on her shoulder.

"No way girl, you're not walking alone. I'll walk with you," Liz offered, standing up beside her.

Michael laughed, moving from behind the drums. "Yeah, like two girls walking alone at night is better than one." He cast a sideways glance at Maria. "I'll walk her back."

Maria tried to hide her surprise as they made their way down the stairs. Michael hadn't said a word to her the entire night, and now he'd offered to walk her home. They made their way through the shop, calling their goodbyes as they stepped out into the night.

They walked slowly down the dimly lit street, the light from the shop getting fainter as they traveled further away. The silence fell between the two; the only noise coming from the constant beat of the crickets and the shuffle of their feet on the pavement. She took a glance at him and saw him looking up at the night sky as they walked.

"So you're from around here?" His voice broke the silence, turning his head toward her.

"Yeah, Marshall, it's a couple towns over." She answered, smiling as she looked down at her feet. "It's about forty miles, I'd say."

He nodded. "Max has just been ecstatic for weeks at the idea of you coming to play with us. Our music hasn't been the same without a bass, and that damn Evan sure as hell wasn't coming back." Maria heard the anger in his voice. He quickly moved on, replacing the anger. "Anyway, you've definitely exceeded our expectations."

Maria smiled, glad the night would mask her crimson cheeks. "Thanks, you guys are amazing." She paused. "Where did you get the name? Early Morning Sunset? It has a nice edge to it."

"Max and I used to go into the desert when we were in high school. Sometimes we'd stay for hours until the sun began to rise. Max has always loved desert sunrises. One day we were sitting there as we watched the sun crawl above the horizon and he smiled and said, 'look at that. It's so beautiful. It almost looks like sunset.' And there it was... Early Morning Sunset. He likes to think that if we ever get famous and start touring constantly, it will always remind us of where we came from."

Silence fell as Michael finished. Maria watched him as he spoke, a distant look in his eye taking over as he told the story of their past. "That's beautiful," the words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. She felt her cheeks burn redder as she looked down at her feet.

"Yeah, Max is into all that sappy shit. I swear, you'll see. He and Liz are disgusting sometimes." He laughed, regaining his sarcastic tone. "Anyway, we leave in a week and a half for the road. You've seen the cities list?" She nodded and he continued. "Lots of local stuff but we'll be on the road for a couple of months. I'm not sure how many yet."

Maria snuck a sideways glance at Michael as they walked in silence again. His hair fell in front of his eyes as he looked downward. His t-shirt was worn thin from too many washings and on his left bicep she saw the faint tattoo through the light material. For a moment, she wondered what it meant. His jeans hung low on his hips, falling in a pool around the chucks on his feet. She pulled her eyes away when he looked at her.

"Did we just pass your motel?" He asked, looking behind them.

Maria looked back too and laughed in embarrassment. "Yes, that we did." She said, turning on her heel and walking back toward the motel that she'd been too distracted to notice. "I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for walking me back," she said, smiling slightly at his awkward form standing on the sidewalk.

He stood staring at her for a moment in silence. "Thank you for letting me," he said before smiling and starting back down the sidewalk. She watched his back as he walked away, ignoring the feeling in her stomach knowing that it could never be acknowledged.