Many of the characters within this story, and the universe they inhabit, are the intellectual property of Jason Katims Productions.

Roswell: Re-Imagined

Written by Horatio Jaxx

Chapter 29: Rampaging Lust

The next Monday morning, the primary topic of conversation at Roswell High School was Liz and Max's White Sands adventure. They were the targets of looks and whispers from most of the student body. Their weekend event had everyone believing that the two of them were a couple. Within the first two hours of school, they both had been inundated with inquiries about their relationship. Both Liz and Max brushed their association off as just a friendship, despite their feelings to the contrary.

Max and Liz saw one-another, for the first time, between their second and third period classes. They advised each other of their respective situations at home and traded information regarding Michael's and Maria's Saturday evening excursion. Max advised Liz that the outcrop at White Sands was not the one they were looking for. Liz reported to Max that Maria suffered no ill effects from her experience and was surprisingly nonplussed about the entire ordeal. Their talk was pleasant and mildly humorous up until Max suddenly changed the subject.

"I'm causing trouble for you, and I have no right to do that." Max quickly spoke up.

The event at White Sands brought into focus for Max the extent to which he was out of control when it came to Liz. He spent all of Sunday contemplating their association and stealing himself for the task of giving Liz the results of his deliberation.

"It's not your fault. It was my decision, Max," Liz countered gently.

"I could have got you killed, Liz," Max corrected with a somber expression.

"I'm fine, Max. Everything is okay," Liz insisted pleasantly.

"Everything isn't okay, Liz. Your parents are right. You shouldn't be around me," Max spoke up sternly.

"My parents are wrong, Max," Liz insisted in a pleading tone. "They don't know you."

"Liz, I'm not going to be the cause of trouble between you and your parents," Max asserted forcefully.

"Things will get better, Max," Liz implored with a look of distress. "We just have to give our parents a cooling down period."

"Knowing me isn't safe for you," Max declared with finality. "I need us to go back to the way we were before I saved your life."

"I don't want to be safe if I can't be with you," Liz tearfully pleaded back.

Max hesitated in response to Liz's last appeal and then turned and walked away. Liz did not want to accept that decision, but the absence of any real relationship with Max denied her any way to undo it. Her hope had always been that Max would eventually act on his feelings for her. In the past she encouraged that with every meeting, with every look and with every word she spoke to him. The thought of losing all access to him was something that she did not want to consider. The events at White Sands played no part in her feelings towards him. Liz was every bit as hopeful that Max would take her into his arms as she had ever been.

Max's affinity for Liz was equally as strong at that moment. However, it was his concern for her well-being that ruled his every decision regarding her. Max knew that he could not alter who he was, and he believed that his future would someday be drastically affected by that fact. He feared that every close relationship he had would be negatively impacted by that event, if and when it happened. This concern, more than anything else, made the thought of a relationship with Liz something that needed to be avoided for her sake.

Over the next two weeks, Liz endured Max's indifference to her in silence. When they passed in the hall, he barely did more than glance her way. In their biology glass, he did everything he could to stay apart from her, and he avoided situations that would cause him to speak to her. In the cafeteria he continued to maintain his distance, but it was a situation related to them that caused everything to change. When that came to light at the start of the third week Liz saw her way out from beneath Max's shun.

LINE BREAK

Immediately after their expedition to the White Sands Missile Range, Michael and Maria found it increasingly difficult to be anywhere near one-another without experiencing feelings of discomfort. They did not know how to act in each other's presence, and they were desperate to know how the other was feeling. This was particularly bothersome for Maria. The sight of Michael looking at her gave her fears that he was probing into her thoughts. On two occasions she challenged him on this with an abrupt question.

"Are you in my head?" Maria roared at a whisper.

Both times Michael responded with an emphatic, and defensive, "no," with equal deference to amplitude.

It was not until the first Friday after their White Sands adventure that Michael and Maria began losing their constraint with regards to one-another. Their paths crossed in the hall, unexpectedly. They were accustomed to seeing each other at specific locations and times, and they went through their daily school rituals on the lookout for these crossings. When Maria appeared in the hall outside of Michael's art class, he was taken very much by surprise. He knew she should have been on the far side of the building, ensconced behind a desk in her geometry class.

Maria was equally surprised to see Michael in the hall. She knew he had a class there at this time, but she expected him to be in that classroom and not outside of it. The halls were nearly empty by then. Last minute arrivals were scrambling to get to their respective classrooms before they could be considered late. Maria gave no thought to the time. She was under assignment, by her teacher, to retrieve a triangle and a protractor from one of the drafting classrooms. The sight of Michael rummaging through his locker caused her to hesitate. When he returned her look, she froze altogether. They stood there for all of five seconds, staring at each other. Everyone else in the hall had scurried away by the end of that time. Suddenly, Michael's ardor for Maria could no longer be constrained. He quickly closed his locker and rushed over to her. She caught her breath at the sight of his sudden approach. He took her by the hand and then turned and set off down the hall, pulling Maria along behind. She gave no resistance and made no complaints. Michael turned a corner and hurried halfway down the next hall to the eraser room. He pulled the door open with one hand and nearly tossed Maria into the room with the other. He immediately followed her in, pulling the door shut behind him. The instant they were secure behind the door, Michael grabbed Maria about her waist and pulled her into his embrace. She, in turn, threw her arms about his neck, and they began kissing with wild abandon. Several seconds later, Michael lifted Maria off the floor, spun her about and then pinned against the wall. They kissed and re-kissed. After more than a minute of kissing, they transitioned to smooching each other's necks, shoulders, ears and chest with their lips. They panted and moaned as they ravaged one-another within the limits of their situation.

"How long do you have?" Michael questioned in between smooches.

"I have to get back to geometry," Maria panted back as she clung about his neck. They continued kissing for thirty seconds more before either spoke another word.

"I have to see you," Michael huffed as he pressed himself against her and caressed her neck with his lips.

Maria moaned in response to his passion before puffing out the words, "I know."

"When," Michael whispered after another few seconds of fondling her neck with his lips?

"Tomorrow, after work," Maria responded as she wrapped her right leg around his left and squeezed into his grasp. "I'll pick you up," she finished seconds later.

"No," Michael exhaled a second later. "I have to help Max with his jeep."

"When," Maria whispered an instant before grasping Michael's head in her hands and kissing him hard upon the lips for three seconds?

Michael returned her kiss and then shifted his lips down onto her neck. He smooched and caressed her there for another five seconds before breaking away in a huff.

"Tomorrow night, nine o'clock, I'll meet you in front of the school."

"Okay," Maria exhaled at a whisper.

Maria kissed him again on the lips and then pushed away.

"I have to go," Maria whispered as she moved toward the door.

Michael nodded his head in agreement. Maria backed up to the door and grasped the knob while she gazed upon Michael. After a few seconds of longing stares, she turned the knob and pushed the door open just wide enough to stick her head through. She peaked out into the hall and saw no one there. She then straightened her attire, took a last look at Michael and then hurried out of the eraser room and down the hall. Michael waited several seconds before making his exit as well.

Michael and Maria rendezvoused as scheduled and spent two hours in the back seat of her car, at the Spring River Park and Zoo, wrapped in each other's embrace. The tight confines of the car made anything beyond heavy petting and kissing unworkable. This was frustrating to them both, but not altogether undesirable. Michael was reluctant to make any kind of commitment to Maria. And he feared a sexual relationship might lead to an accidental pregnancy. Maria was concerned along this same line, minus the prohibition on a commitment. However, despite that concern, they both knew that it was the Jetta more than anything else that was stopping them from engaging in sex.

Over the next week, Michael and Maria had daily rendezvous. The grounding of Max and Liz by their parents made these meetings far easier than it would have been otherwise. Their confinements created free time for them. They continued to make-out within the confines of Maria's car up to the limits that it would allow. There were no parts of their persons that the other was not allowed to explore, and there were several parts they chose to explore regularly, much to frustration of each. By the end of the second weekend, Maria knew she was out of control. She knew that she needed the help of someone else to keep her lust in check.

"I need your help," Maria confessed to Liz as she pulled her Jetta into a parking space outside of Roswell High School.

It was the Monday morning start of Max's and Liz's the third week of grounding. Liz had no idea what Maria had to tell her, but the seriousness of Maria's expression quickly engendered her interest and concern.

"Help with what?" Liz questioned with a startled look on her face.

Maria hesitated to answer for lack of knowing what words to use. Liz noted that with a look of surprise and curiosity.

"I'm having a problem with Michael," Maria carefully phrased.

"Michael Guerin?" Liz blurted out in shock. "What did he do?"

"It's not that serious," Maria shrugged off in response to Liz's reaction. "Well, it is kind of serious, I suppose," she corrected after a second of thought.

"Well, what did he do, Maria?" Liz questioned in a voice heavy with concern.

"The thing is, Liz," Maria began defensively. "I don't need your help so much for what he's done. This is more about what I'm doing."

"So, Michael isn't doing anything. It's you?" Liz asked with a look of total confusion.

"Well, it's me and him," Maria corrected with a shake of her head.

"What did he do, Maria?" Liz demanded more than questioned.

Maria was rattled a little by the tone of Liz's expression. She hesitated only long enough to recompose herself and then gently gave her answer one word at a time.

"Michael and I are having trouble keeping our lips off of one-another."

"What?" Liz screamed in complete shock.

"We've been making out," Maria clarified a second behind.

"You've been having sex?" Liz rifled back with surprise.

"No," Maria corrected with a shocked expression. "But I kinda need your help in that."

"You want to have sex with him," Liz leaded for Maria.

"It's chemical," Maria responded in an excited tone. "When I'm around him I just lose control."

Liz was stunned and excited by this confession. She could not help but grin at the exhilarated expression on Maria's face.

"How long has this been going on?" Liz eagerly inquired.

"Ever since White Sands," Maria answered back.

"You're kidding," Liz countered with a grin.

"On the drive back, we stopped for some food," Maria explained with a thrilled expression. "Then we got to arguing and the next thing I knew, I was in his lap trying to suck the lips off his face."

"Oh my God," Liz shouted out with a laughed.

Maria spent the next few seconds silently grinning.

"You have to help me with this, Liz," Maria pleaded when her laughing stopped.

"Me," Liz questioned with a bewildered expression? "What do you want me to do?"

"You need to keep me grounded," Maria insisted as she grabbed Liz's arm and shook it. "You need to remind me that I'm too young to be a mother or to have stretch marks."

Liz continued to grin at every word that Maria spoke.

"I have another year of high school to do," Maria continued to implore. "I don't want to walk across that stage sporting a baby bump."

"I don't believe this," Liz blurted out and then began to laugh even louder.

"You have to be my abstinence coach," Maria insisted with exaggerated desperation.

"Your, what," Liz grinned back?

"You have to do this for me, Liz," Maria insisted after grabbing Liz by the arm with both hands.

"Okay, okay," Liz agreed after a moment of sober introspection. "But on one condition."

"What's that," Maria questioned with a look of curiosity?

"You have to tell him to sit with you at lunch or you'll stop seeing him," Liz answered with a straight face.

Maria quickly discerned the motive behind that and gave Liz a stern look as a result.

"This isn't about Michael," Maria pointed out with a look of comprehension. "This is about Max."

"You can't let him get away with it," Liz quickly countered. "He wants to be with you, but he wants to keep it a secret. Maria, you can't let him ignore you in public, or sit with his back to you in the cafeteria. You deserve better than that."

Maria took a moment to consider Liz's words and then responded with an upbeat, "Okay, I do deserve better."

After a smile of agreement with a nod of their heads, Maria and Liz exited the car and went into the school. Maria gave Michael her ultimatum straightaway, before the start of first period class. Despite the demand, she continued to keep their past trysts a private affair. Liz, however, did not feel inclined to be equally as secretive. There was one person she wanted to know about Michael and Maria, Max. She believed their relationship could be a game changer for them, and she was anxious to try it out. To stay within the boundary of his indifference, Liz continued to say as little as possible to Max. But when she saw Max and Michael together in the hall, Liz took the time to walk by and call out, "hi Michael," with a hint of a grin.

"What's that about?" Max questioned Michael regarding Liz's new familiarity with him.

"It's nothing," Michael shrugged off before walking away quickly.

Max instantly detected that this was not the truth and pulled Michael into the boy's washroom for a private discussion.

"What's going on, Michael and don't tell me nothing," Max sternly queried after leading Michael to the far wall.

"Okay," Michael exclaimed in response to Max's insistence. "I've been kind of seeing Maria, off and on."

"You and Maria," Max questioned with a stunned expression?

"It just happened, Max," Michael retorted with an annoyed inflection.

"How long has this been going on?" Max questioned with disbelief.

"It started when we went to White Sands, and then it kind of took off a week later," Michael explained hesitantly.

"It kind of took off," Max parroted back.

"Yes, Max," Michael bellowed back with an annoyed inflection. "I like her. I don't know how. I don't know why. I just do and I'm having trouble controlling it."

"Michael," Max partially pleaded. "You have to stop seeing her."

Michael took a moment to ponder that directive as he pouted.

"Okay, maybe," Michael replied indecisively.

"What does that mean?" Max challenged with stern tone.

Michael paused to physically act out his feeling of frustration with a toss of his hands in the air and a turn of his head. When he turned back to face Max and gave his explanation.

"She says she won't see me anymore if I don't sit with her at lunch."

"So, you're not sitting with her?" Max quickly queried back.

Michael briefly paused to consider the question before responding in an angry voice.

"No, Max, I'm not going to sit with her at lunch."

Max was not completely convinced by his answer. But he accepted it anyway.

At their lunch hour, Michael was the last to arrive in the cafeteria. And true to his word, he walked past Maria and Liz, and sat down opposite Max. He took note of Maria's disheartened expression as he did that. After a couple of minutes at the table with Max, he reversed this decision with a shake of his head and a toss of his hands.

"Don't do it, Michael," Max quickly insisted.

"What's it going to hurt, Max?" Michael quickly challenged back.

"You're the one who told me that I shouldn't become involved with Liz," Max exclaimed at nearly a whisper.

"Well, that was before she knew. Now she knows." Michael responded an instant before standing up with his tray. "Besides, Max, everybody knows that there's something going on between you and Liz. Trying to hide it just makes you look like a dork," he finished in a soft voice.

Michael took his tray over to the small round table where Maria and Liz were sitting and stopped just behind one of the two open chairs. He stood there just long enough to huff out a breath of air and to give Maria and Liz an exasperated look. They, in turn, gave him smiles of satisfaction. Michael then put his tray down and sat down in the open chair. A minute later, Max followed his lead and took one of the open seats at the round table for six. Half a dozen students noted their move with curiosity. Not least among them was Kyle Valenti.

"Now, was that so hard?" Liz questioned with a grin.

Max answered with a modest, "no," and then turned his attention to his food.

At that moment, an echo of Isabel's thinking reverberated across the room and slammed into the thoughts of Michael and Max.

You two have got to be kidding.