Between the Lines – Chapter 9
Disclaimer: Metz and Katims and the WB own Roswell but Cameron and Eglee and Fox own Dark Angel.
- - -
The two motorcycles rolled on into Roswell and as if rehearsed they split off in opposite directions like a starburst, one going right and the other left. The red tipped Ducati and its jean-clad rider took the left and swung around town while the navy clothed rider on the Yamaha YZF-R1 took to the right.
Both riders did a few circuits in and around town, occasionally passing each other by in their rounds. Passersby just smiled and shook their heads at the pair obviously showing off their vehicles. It wasn't uncommon, though since the Pulse of 2009 not many could afford a vehicle, much less such a 'leisurely' one as a motorcycle. Roswell hadn't been as hard hit as the rest of the United States, perhaps due to the small West desert town mentality. Life went on in Roswell no matter what.
Kyle Valenti eyed the pair who met up again at an intersection and their machines appreciatively, if a little envious. Both machines roared power and badass and they were just cool. He sighed as they raced away down the Main Street.
I want one of those…perhaps, one day, he thought wistfully.
- - -
Maria paced like an angry tiger, nearly burning a swath in the rug. Had she a tail it would have been swishing side to side in jerky, erratic movements in time to her escalating agitation. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand in Liz's room, giving a moan of annoyance and worry.
It was almost three-thirty and Liz had yet to make an appearance. Jeff and Nancy didn't seem too worried though they were appropriately skeptical at Liz's bizarre mood swing. Maria wouldn't have either if she hadn't witnessed it herself with her own two eyes.
Giving another frantic groan, she dug into her metallic sliver alien head shaped apron for one of her vials of oil. Almost desperately, she uncapped and inhaled, taking a deep draught, trying to allow the scent of cypress soothe her frazzled nerves.
A quick, hopeful eye jump to the clock and a frenzied poll of the room and two entrances failed to produce sight or hair of her best friend and her concern sky-rocketed.
Okay, cypress isn't working, go for cedar!
Maria recapped the cypress-scented oil and brought out the big guns. She had brought several various scented oils just for this reason. She'd already gone through lavender, lilac, jasmine, and sandalwood.
With a final whiff and panicked look at the empty room, Maria knew she couldn't dally any longer. Exiting the room, she moped down the stairs leading to the back room and kitchens of the Crashdown diner.
She was getting ready to enter the double doors to begin her shift when she felt a hand on her shoulder and a, "Hey, Maria."
"Good, Lord! Liz!" Maria screeched, jumping up in shock as she took in the sight of her best friend before her.
"Where have you been?" she demanded with all the self-righteous anger and indignation of the Best Friend's Due.
Liz stood there calmly, attired in her dorky uniform, minus the alien antennae. Maria frowned: where did Liz get a uniform if she hadn't been home? Her hair was slicked back fresh from a shower (where? when?), and she had her hair wrapped in a bun low on her neck, tendrils snaking down. And why didn't she get to wear the antennae? It wasn't fair.
"Listen, I had to get out of there, I was going to go Full Metal Jacket toward end of boot camp in the head if I didn't," Liz assured her, trying to show Maria the plea in her eyes.
"What is it with you and military quotes? And I thought it was the bathroom, but that's not the point! You completely blew off Mr. Shepard! Where did that come from? It was like you were a female version of that Michael Guerrin creep! Only, he's never been that blatant in his disregard for the teaching staff, he just doesn't show up, but still," Maria frowned as she considered the situation.
Liz tried not to roll her eyes even though Maria's overdramatizing made it difficult at times. She did arch an eyebrow at the Michael Guerrin comparison and Maria's surprising notice and knowledge of his habits.
"Maria, Mr. Shepard is a jerk and you and everyone else knows it. He only gave us those assignments because Ms. Topolsky asked him to and he hoped to get some brownie points with her."
"But what you said!" Maria protested, the pair entering the diner, sending out megawatt smiles to the room in general as phony as Topolsky's cover.
They briefly split to take care of their respectable areas, Liz wryly noting an increase of fellow students, many who had been present for the "Shepard Incident".
Conversations shushed when Liz went by, and she inwardly snorted as it started back up as soon as she left the table. Not like she couldn't hear them anyway, or know that she was the topic of conversation and the reason they came in the first place.
Did it bother her? When she thought about it, no, it didn't. Did it annoy her? Hell, yes.
Maria practically crashed into her, sticking to her side, as they set the dirty dishes in the dish area for the busboy to pick up and send to the kitchen for cleanup.
"So where did you go?"
Liz was gathering up more utensils rolled up in napkins to set out on her tables while Maria started to interrogate her again.
"I went for a walk," she replied, walking over to an empty table to set out the fresh utensils.
"A walk?" Maria squawked and Liz didn't try to hold back her laughter, amused doubly so at the startled looks on the eavesdropping students who acted like they weren't.
"Yeah, you know, that thing where I move my legs and propel my body around to different locations?" Liz joked, smiling at the dumbstruck look on Maria's face.
She realized then how much she had missed speaking her mind and it felt like dropping a façade, which in a way she guessed was true.
She wasn't lying either. After she had left Topolsky to getting her butt reamed she had went for a walk, locating one of her secret stashes with a spare uniform and taking a cold sponge bath in the little utility room in the work shed out back, washing her hair and flipping it back in it's bun in time for work.
"I don't understand you," the blond pixie haired girl sighed in frustration and Liz felt a twinge of regret she'd caused her friend so much worry.
"Hey, it's okay. I just needed to blow off some steam, I didn't mean to worry you," she tried to reassure her, and then froze slightly when she heard Michael Guerrin's voice outside as clearly as if he had been in the room right next to her.
"I don't see why we need to be here," he was grumping as the alien trio entered the diner, and Liz fought a blush when she felt more than saw Max's gaze at her.
Naturally, he drifted toward one of her tables, as she knew he would and mentally prepped herself before heading over to them after they were situated. Maria was scowling and shaking her head, but she went back to work, keeping a not so subtle eye on her best friend as if she'd vanish once more.
"Hey, y'all, what can I get you or do you need some time to think about it?" she greeted them, voice and appearance calm and calculated, belying the slight trip of her heart at Max's nearness and the news she needed to share.
Easy, soldier, she soothed herself, calming down.
"I'll have a Galaxy Shake, strawberry," Isabel spoke up immediately, having no qualms at staring at the petite brunette.
Liz met her stare with an unruffled expression, merely nodding and jotting down the order, eyes flicking to the males of the group.
"A Will Smith burger, extra cheese, mayo, pickles, onions, tomato, and ketchup. Extra Tabasco sauce, some Galaxy fries, and a large shake…strawberry," Michael said next when it seemed Max wasn't going to do more than awkwardly avoid looking directly at Liz.
"So that was an interesting show you put on," he went on, his gaze challenging and calculating, but Liz didn't care. In fact, she felt like grinning as she met his stare and held back a smirk.
"Glad you liked, maybe you'll come more often if there was more," she sassed back, winking, and holding in a chuckle at his surprised look.
Isabel couldn't hold back a snort and started laughing, eyes sparkling as she grinned at the boy who was like a second brother to her. Even Max had a slight smile on his face.
"And what will you have, Max?" she queried, mentally almost begging for those deep brown eyes to look at her.
When they did her breath was nearly stolen but her soldier and savvier side kicked in to save her from acting like a complete star struck idiot. She merely waited patiently until he quietly told her he wanted some fries and a strawberry shake before shyly looking away. She thought it sweet he couldn't seem to look at her, and nodding at them all, went off to place their order, but not before lowering her voice and under the guise of picking up the menus,
"Topolsky is FBI and getting close," she murmured.
Max, Isabel, and Michael were left staring at her and then glancing worriedly at each other.
"My. God. Max! What are we going to do?" Isabel turned wide-eyed toward her brother.
Max felt uncomfortable under her gaze, looking to Michael, who merely raised his brows patiently clearly acknowledging his unofficial leadership. This was so weird, when had he become the leader of the bunch? It had just kind of happened and it often left him feeling ill prepared, as if he was flying blind. Not that he ever flew before, or that airplanes were as popular pre-Pulse.
"We'll think of something," was all he replied, knowing that wasn't exactly what they wanted to hear. They wouldn't say anything else, secure in the knowledge that Max always thought of something.
He sighed and let his eyes drift toward the girl he loved. She was so adorable, and he was amazed at her transformation almost overnight, from this shy brainiac to this sassy spitfire. That wellspring of strength he had always suspected but never really saw but in glimpses was out in full force, there in the way she'd easily handled both Michael and Isabel, a feat that he freely admitted could be trying. He didn't know which he side he loved more: sassy or shy.
She risked so much for him especially since she had found out. But what he, and his sister and friend didn't realize was exactly how much.
- - -
Maria just didn't get it. She eyed Liz as she flitted calmly through their shift and customers as if she hadn't just made Roswell High history by putting Mr. Shepard in his place. Granted, many may have wanted to do it, but no one could have guessed that it would be Elizabeth Parker who would hold that honor.
She also cast a glance at the Czechoslovakians, turning away quickly as Michael caught her gaze and stared hard at her, making her blush furiously. What was with that guy anyway? Didn't he know staring like that at people was impolite? Why, if he weren't in Liz's territory she'd go right over there and give him a piece of her mind. And what about all that Tabasco sauce he covered everything he ate with? Big eeugh!
She looked up as the chime on the door jingled and in walked one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. Head to toe he screamed 'biker', leather pants and a leather jacket slashed with navy blue. His eyes were the palest blue, almost the transparently silvery blue-gray of a Husky, and his sandy blond hair was just the right shade of brown, black, hints of red, and flaxen color for a rippled wheat look. Each individual color glimmered and showed itself when the light hit it at a certain angle and she was captivated.
He projected a confidence and aura of influence, his walk a predator's stalk for prey, and eerily reminded Maria of Liz's way of departing the class for some reason. He took an empty table in Liz's jurisdiction, near the Aliens, and Maria somehow felt better that little miss Isabel Evans seemed to have the same jaw dropping reaction to him as every other hot blooded female. She sighed along with the others as he unzipped his jacket to reveal a t-shirt the color of the navy splashes on his jacket that seemed to cling to some very well defined musculature. All that blue just made his eyes stand out more and if at that moment she were to die, she would die happy with this glimpse of Heaven.
A second man came in the door and there was another intake of breath from the female population as he sidled on to join the first man. He was more casual looking, with jeans, a tee, boots, and worn brown leather jacket but that didn't make him less. In fact, that simplicity only added to his allure and unspoken command. He had a prominent brow and a stubborn set to his jaw, blond locks that fell like straw into his face.
There was something commanding in the second one that made the first acknowledge his authority, his command almost palpable.
Then Liz came striding through the swinging double doors at the end of the room in direct line of sight of the strangers' table, and looked up.
- - -
Liz came through the double doors, having been called to the kitchen to help coax the ancient fryers to compliance, and after giving the old machines a loving thump, she left to return to her post. Her father also found a spare set of alien antennae, and just laughed at the long suffering look she shot him, but she put the dorky headband on anyway, scowling up at the bobbing Styrofoam puff balls on top of the springs. She also wanted to have a few moments alone with the Aliens and had a pretty damned good excuse with the delay in bringing some of their food.
So she came breezing in the diner with her stride certain and assured, the newfound decision to not inhibit herself so effusively having taken a weight off her shoulders, and putting her in a very good mood. She was very happy with this turn of events, determining to ease into her more natural Vada-ness so as not to alarm anyone further.
Her head had been down as she passed the utensil counter, rooting around in her apron pocket for her pen and order pad, when her X5 senses went screaming on alert. The first thing she noticed was their scent: there was no denying the subtle blend of musk and feline and the spicy tang of male. The second thing that happened, next to the faltering of her heart at a simultaneous moment, was the sudden prickling of almost scintillating alarm flowing through her body, standing all the hair to attention.
Her head whipped upwards and her eyes met light blue ones.
SNAP!That initial contact felt to Liz like being in the aftermath of a lightning strike, the sonic boom serving to freeze her right in her tracks, an almost living snare of energy.
Memories of drills, and tests, and experiments, of shared fear, pain, sorrow, joy, laughter, and tears sizzled in that one glance and she knew. She knew as sure as her true name was Vada, X5-732, who this was. A glazed slide of the eyes to his companion met pale Husky colored ones and she knew who he was, as well. She especially knew him.
How could she ever forget?
A/n: And I'll leave this at that! Mwhahaha! Oh, sorry, channeling Jareth there:-) Please, please tell me what you think!
