Summary: (AU) Liz meets another alien while trying to escape from Roswell and the events of the end of Season 1 (the cave - you all know what I mean!)

Could this stranger, friend or foe, hold the key to Liz's own destiny?

Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell so I'm not taking any of the credit from the creators for this fantastic show. Pity: I'd soo love to be mega-rich by now - and better yet, hold creative license over Tess' head (behave, vixen!) :D The OC's are mine, and I will fight viciously to keep them!

I should also mention that this chapter will have dialogue taken from Episode #201: Skin and Bones. Some of the action around that dialogue will have changed but I thought it right to credit that the basis is taken from that episode.

Reviews: Thank you for the loyal support for Chapter Six:

To XxXSarXxX: I am soo so glad you really like this story, thank you for your review! And if you can't wait for Liz to make it back to Roswell, then this chapter is for you!

To Just Me: Please! I love long reviews – I do them myself! Thank you for your praise of my last chapter – the dream sequence was a favorite of mine, too! Akela is going to remain a mystery for a little while, though this chapter may give you some food for thought! I like a bit of mystery! As for Liz loosing it and getting some physical payback – I have to agree with you that Max was a little annoying sometimes … but I can't spoil it for you, you is just gonna have to wait:D

To Dreamer Oasis: Thanks for the interest in my story; lets see, you asked about any connection between Liz and Max's destinies – I can't reveal too much, but I am a BIG M/L shipper, so … hmm! As for Liz's friends: she's been gone from Roswell all summer and has hardly spoken to either of them. Maria and Alex are close enough to her to know something isn't right, and they know Max's side of the story, but it would have hurt them that she had left them – that she didn't want to use their shoulder for a summer-long tear fest! Anyways … we all know what Maria's like, so I hope that answers some of your questions!

And now on to the next chapter …

Chapter Seven: Home Sweet Home

The warm summer sunlight bounced off the pavement as Liz Parker strolled confidently down the street. Her summer had so far been complicated; after spending a few weeks in Florida with her aunt at her parents suggestion, supposedly relaxing by the beach when in reality she had been training with Akela and Victus on her new powers, she was now back in Roswell where all her problems seemed to stem from. She hadn't really kept in close contact with her old friends while away - she hadn't wanted to lie to them, but she couldn't think of anything she had wanted to say. Hearing of Max when those wounds were still so raw was not a welcome thought, but she also wasn't ready to reveal what had happened to her, especially over a telephone line. Even now, facing her old haunts from a new perspective, she felt as if she didn't belong any longer.

She smiled to herself when she remembered how mad Maria had been with her; actually, mad was a rather small understatement. She would have had to create a new word to describe Maria's reaction, but then Maria had always been one to overly demonstrate her emotions. Alex had been a little more kind about the whole deal, but his kicked-puppy look had made Liz feel vaguely guilty. In the end, they had both readily forgiven her, and seemed to side with her explanations on her length of absence with a pact of understanding.

Her thoughts were dragged from the internal reflective type when her pulse seemed to jump into overdrive on their own. The edge of her mind grew tingly, for want of a better word, and Liz recognized it as the same feeling she would get whenever Max entered her radius. Looking ahead, she saw the one person she had been avoiding so successfully so far since her world had begun to fall apart. Meeting his openly stunned gaze, it was hard to remember that her life had changed so much in the last few weeks.

Seeing him again bought it all back; the memories of the fight to bring him back from the White Room and their flight across the desert at night flashed before her eyes, ending with his hurt and confused gaze as she ran from him after learning his destiny was already laid out for him. With a sharp jolt, she seemed to be pulled out of the trance as a thought implanted itself into her mind with an exerting force that she too now had a destiny she didn't get to choose. The aftereffects seemed almost mocking, and she forced herself to stay where she was when her first impulse was to run in the other direction as fast as she could. Unnoticed to either of them, the Auron beneath her dress glowed a faint blue.

Max almost couldn't believe his eyes. The last time he had talked to Maria she had intimated that Liz hadn't returned from Florida, and yet here she was, standing before him in a pool of pure sunlight that radiated off of her like a shining aura, and looking more beautiful than he remembered her being. It wasn't just his eyes that could sense her; their connection was still there and she was filling all of his senses at once. His mind buzzed with her nearness, but there was something different about her - something past the façade, something deep within her that he could sense. And it dug into his heart that it was pulling her away from him.

Their conversation was stilted; both were anxious and unsure of what to say, their words lapping at each other like skittish waves against a rocky shore. Straightening his posture, Max decided to jump, hoping that she would still be his anchor.

"Listen, Liz, I … I know how strange everything got before you left. But I think it's ok. No aliens have attacked. Nasedo is putting an end to the Special Unit as we speak. I think all of this could finally be over."

Liz felt something inside her begin to break all over again; she didn't want to have this conversation here, not when what he evidently hoped for wasn't the reality he believed it to be. How could she reveal all to him when he wasn't ready to accept his citizenship to the alien-ness he belonged to. Instead, she kept the conversation's turn in safe waters.

"Oh, I really hope that's true … for all of you." But maybe not for me. Max took an eager step forward, as he continued.

"And I just want you to know about the whole Tess situation …"

Liz gritted her teeth as her heart ached with a sudden sharp pain. She really didn't need to hear this; not now, when she knew she had to keep him at arm's length for too many reasons added to his own. And she definitely didn't want to hear any of his happily ever after stories with his past bride. She had to stop this; stop him and his words that cut like sharp knives.

"Oh, Max, you don't … you don't have to!"

Max tried not to deflate when he saw for himself her reluctance leap back into his world. His only thought was that her aloofness was because of Tess, and he had to set her straight.

"It's just that it's definitely over. I don't have feelings for her. I've told her that … and she understands. I know it's probably irrelevant at this point, but … just for the record."

Liz felt a wave of sadness sweep over her. Their dance had lasted too long and now it was time to end it. It hurt her to know that destiny was not something that easily dismissed. She remembered with a bittersweet tang that she had always been proud of her motto that we all choose our own destiny, but it seems she had just been deluding herself. If only Max hadn't believed her - believed in her powers over fate. Then her heartache would be more bearable - she would have been the only one hurt by this chain of events.

"Right. Yeah, I just want to get a fresh start. I've decided … "

"Right … right. Anyway, you look …"

"Oh!"

"Great!"

"No, it's …"

"Different."

Glancing over her shoulder, Liz watched for the person she was waiting on. She was starting to regret walking here - she should have just taken the car, then she could found refuge behind the steering wheel when Max had passed, saving them both the awkwardness that was mandatory in situations like these.

"Oh, I have a job interview actually."

"Oh. What about the Crashdown?"

Liz wanted to rant at him to stop looking so damn hurt. She wanted to just cut loose and blame him for everything that had happened to make her life so out of control. Her wave of anger was incredible, and slightly frightened by the intensity of the realization of the amount of power Max still held over her, Liz forced down the emotion and tried to act natural.

" Well, this really incredible opportunity came up sort of out of the …"

Her sentence left incomplete, Liz was given a split second warning that they had company. Turning slightly, she moved to face the Congresswoman as Whitaker approached them from seemingly nowhere and spoke to Liz.

"You must be Liz Parker."

"Congresswoman Whitaker! It is so nice to meet you. You are a real hero to me!"

The Congresswoman smiled in amused silence. With a shake of her head, she moved towards the door behind Liz. Liz could feel the confusion in Max radiating off of him in waves and it added to her nervous energy.

"You don't need to suck up, really. My paid staff takes care of my enormous ego."

"Oh, so there's, um, not an actual salary?"

"We have a lot to talk about."

With a practiced move, Liz tried to be as large as possible, standing between Max and the Congresswoman while trying to be as inconspicuous about it as possible. Something about this situation just wasn't right. Whitaker noticed him anyway, and turned aside to include him.

"I'm sorry. This is Max Evans. A friend."

Max didn't meet her gaze, but took Whitaker's hand in a firm shake as they exchanged pleasantries. Liz didn't need to see into his eyes to know what he was feeling at her words, as he seemed to discharge it into the air around him. Liz hoped she was the only one to pick up on it.

"Should we step inside?"

Liz breathed a sigh of relief, as she gratefully assented, and she stepped into the office after the Congresswoman without turning back to see if Max watched after them. Her Auron pulsed in her new company.

Unable to fully concentrate due to the edgy energy the Auron was sending her, Liz was surprised the interview went as well as it did. It was quick and to the point; Congresswoman Whitaker did not have time to waste, but she seemed vaguely impressed, and when Liz left the building twenty minuets later she took with her a new job. She wasn't sure if the Auron was reacting to the Congresswoman or if it was just reacting to her tumultuous emotions; there was still so much about the charm she didn't understand. She wished for a moment that Akela were waiting for her outside the office so she could ask her as she left, but only for a moment. The thought of Akela being there when she had run into Max was not something she would actually like to experience.

She wasn't sure if it was her own emotions on the subject that were to blame, but she got the distinct impression that Akela seemed to dislike Max intensely. And as far as she was concerned, the less Max knew about Akela, the better for all involved. Though if she were truly honest with herself, her main reason for keeping Max in the dark was that she wanted Akela to herself without having to share her with boundless questions and mistrust.

Out on the sidewalk once more, Liz didn't notice a pair of eyes watching her progress from the offices, but the summer breeze that whipped her hair around her face awoke her from her musings, and she placed a hand over the warm charm under her dress, pulling away again in alarm at the sudden shock of power that surged up her arm. Shaking off her fingers from the tingling aftereffects, she bit her lip in confusion at the feelings that she was receiving. Her eyesight blurred, then sharpened with a sudden twist that made her feel slightly nauseous, and she stumbled into the nearest alleyway to lean against the cool bricks of the wall behind her as she tried to make sense of the piercing feeling she was being watched.

The sinister echo built up around her, and Liz closed her eyes as she struggled to stay above the powerful wave that seemed to be trying to drown her with its intensity. The Auron hummed as its voice grew stronger, but Liz's ears were throbbing with the many sounds around her. Her whole body tensed when she heard the sound of feet slightly pattering toward her, and the Auron blazed under her clothes a deeper shade of power. As she raised her hand and opened her eyes, a weak translucent shield of pure white power flashed around her in protection. With a loud yowl, a pudgy tabby cat that came too close was thrown clear across the alley and landed with a loud crash into a rubbish-filled dumpster, and with a gasp Liz dropped her hand and the already flickering shield fizzled out entirely.

Chuckling with nervous energy as the angry feline scurried away, Liz dry washed her face; but even though the intensity of the feelings had dropped to a mere hum, the prickling feeling of being watched remained. The cool breeze that gave Roswell some slight relief from the summer heat brushed past her, encouraging her to reach out for a relaxed state, but her jumbled thought kept pressing down upon her. Needing some guidance and the support of a friend, Liz turned to follow the breeze to the one person she had grown to trust beyond all others.

The cool breeze blew gently forward, flowing fluidly across town as it invaded streets and open widows with its fingers of serenity. Akela stood alone, watching out over the small town through the view from her window. She had chosen this large house on the west side of town because it was slightly deserted, and the neighbors, though few, were not particularly interested in what happened there. Her senses were stretching as they grew used to the presence of the populace around her, and she focused instead on the auras of her companions on the far side of the house.

Keeping her hand stretched on the cold pane of glass, she used the pain to focus on her next step, but the growing feeling that something wasn't right distracted her thoughts. There was a new presence in town, one that didn't belong, and that one had come to Roswell merely to cause harm. Growling, she shrugged off the distraction, reminding herself as her anger threatened to burst through her rigid control that her time here was short, and with a deep breath she refocused her mental boundaries.

Her mind found Liz's; she was close, and she would be seeking guidance. Releasing her breath with a start, Akela gritted her teeth. She had not wanted the added burden of acting as the Zai'era's moral compass, but the girl would not cease to come to her when she was confused. Perhaps this was her punishment for following the signs to a human. Humans could be so exasperating in their simple ness - but then, if she wanted Liz's full trust, she would have to play nice. It was just getting harder and harder. Firmly reminding herself what the consequences would be if she did not have the Auron and its keeper firmly under her heel when the time came, she set her smile and remained perfectly still as she waited for Liz to find her.

Next Chapter:

Chapter Eight: The Vicious Cycle Begins:

Liz is already under some confusion about where she stands now that she has returned to Roswell. She isn't sure she wants to go back to the way it was, but what would it mean if she were to move forward? Would she have to do it on her own? And if it came down to it, whose side would she choose to stand on … or are the sides to the coming battle a little to vague for her to decipher? …

AN: Hey guys, how was that one? Liz is back home, but it's gonna be one adventure after another now that she has a new secret she has to hide! Well, review review review – let me know what you think and I'll hopefully get Chapter Eight up by the middle of the coming week! (hey, that sorta rhymed - eww!)

Ciao Ciao xx