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 32: Passions of the Night

It was the Saturday evening before the week of Spring Break. Liz had gotten a one week and one day reprieve from her grounding, effective as of that day. There were several things that went into bringing that about. The Spring Break from school was one of them. Nancy, far more so than Jeff, was feeling guilty about Liz sitting out the week at home. There was also the fact that Liz's grades at school had returned to their normal heights of excellence. Unbeknownst to Nancy, that was entirely due to the social interaction occurring between Liz and Max at school. Liz found it easier to concentrate on her classes because of their new informal connection. There was also the matter of the random search of Liz's room the Tuesday just past. Liz took great offense to the invasion of her privacy. The resulting argument, hurt feelings and resentment, on top of the fact that no drugs or evidence of same were found put Nancy and Jeff in a penitent mood. And then there was the matter of Maria being home alone for the evening and in need of some company while she completed a book report. Jeff relented to the one-week suspension of the grounding, put forth by Nancy, without any need for persuasion from Liz.

"So, why aren't you and Michael out doing whatever it is you do on Saturday nights?" Liz questioned shortly after settling in for her evening stay.

"A Sheriff Deputy ran us out of Spring River Park last week," Maria confessed with a shake of her head.

"You're kidding," Liz laughed. "Spring River Park, is that where you've been going?"

"Yeah," Maria confirmed with an exaggerated look of bewilderment. "Where else?"

"Nothing," Liz replied with a nod and a smile.

Maria and Liz were situated at the dining room table with books, pens and paper in front of them, along with slices of pizza and soft drinks.

"Plus, I want to get this book report done so I can enjoy the rest of the week," Maria reported as she scanned the open book in front of her.

"Okay," Liz acknowledged with a hint of surprise.

"Okay, what?" Maria challenged.

"I'm just surprised that I'm the one here and not Michael," Liz explained behind a restrained grin.

"I know," Maria laughed. "I told Michael I was going to Albuquerque with mom just to keep him away."

"Why did you do that?" Liz asked with a look of surprise.

"Liz, I have the whole house to myself," Maria answered with a shocked expression. "This isn't the Jetta."

Liz and Maria openly laughed at this and then there was a knock at the front door. Maria went to the door and opened it. To her surprise, it was Michael standing on the other side. She could think of nothing to say at that moment and stood staring for a couple of seconds with a look of confusion. Michael noted that his unannounced appearance had made her speechless and stepped through the doorway ahead of being asked. Maria moved back to the center of the living-room with a stunned expression on her face. Liz had by then risen from her chair and was standing just to the right and a step back from Maria.

"Hi, Liz," Michael softly greeted with a glance her way.

"Hi, Michael," Liz answered pleasantly.

"What are you doing here?" Maria questioned with a shocked inflection.

"I watched your mom leave," Michael gently replied after locking his gaze into Maria's eyes.

"You were watching my house?" Maria questioned back with more than a hint of alarm.

"I was kind of in the neighborhood," Michael replied hesitantly.

"So, you're stalking me," Maria queried with a look of astonishment. "You're a stalker."

"I just wanted to see you off," Michael responded defensively.

"My mom left over an hour ago," Maria rifled back. "What were you doing all that time, spying on me?

"I went to the store, alright" Michael quickly answered with irritation in his tone. "I needed to get something."

Maria had some idea what that meant and caught her breath. She and Michael maintained a fixed stare on one-another through several seconds of silence. At the end of that time, Liz spoke up to fill the quiet.

"We were just working on a book report for school."

"I think we're done," Maria suddenly announced without breaking her visual connection with Michael.

Michael too was holding eye contact on her. What they were not saying was evident in their expressions. Liz noted this only too clearly and suddenly remembered her promise not to leave Maria alone with Michael outside of the Jetta.

"No, I think we have some more to do," Liz tentatively contradicted.

"I've got it, Liz," Maria countermanded with authority as she continued to look upon Michael.

"Yes, but I think I should coach you on something before going," Liz slowly returned with extra emphasis on the word coach.

Maria sharply turned her head towards Liz at the end of that remark and responded to it with a blunt statement.

"Liz, get out."

"Okay," Liz responded with an amused expression.

Liz quickly gathered up what few things she brought with her and hurried out the front door, tossing out a goodbye as she went. Maria and Michael paid no attention to her as they continued to hold their stares. A few seconds after Liz shut the door behind her; Maria took a deep breath, let it out with an audible blow and then spoke the thought she was thinking.

"Tell me you brought protection."

Without saying a word, Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a string of five condoms. Maria took one look at them, raced over to Michael, took him by the wrist and pulled him through the house and into her bedroom. Late that night, she sneaked him out the back door as her mother was entering through the front.

LINE BREAK

"So, how was your evening," Liz questioned Maria with a large smile.

It was the next morning and the first meeting between Liz and Maria that day.

"I told you not to leave me alone with him," Maria complained with an exaggerated expression of disbelief.

"Maria, you told me to get out," Liz countered with a look of shock.

Liz and Maria were in the back of the Crash-Down preparing for their workday.

"You were supposed to protect me from myself," Maria complained halfheartedly.

"You almost took my head off, Maria" Liz protested with a grin.

"If I could have done it by myself, I wouldn't have asked for your help," Maria replied in an exasperated tone of voice.

"You know what," Liz began with a large smile. "I'm out of it. You and Michael are going to have to work it out on your own."

Liz and Maria went through the remainder of the day happily grinning about the events of the night before as they traded looks and innuendos. This good humor did not last long after that morning for Liz. Maria and Michael were nearly inseparable for the next five days. Liz felt too out of place to be with Maria when she and Michael were together. That, plus the sight of other couples sent Liz into a mild depression, and what made that even worse was the fact that the person she most wanted to be with was resisting his feelings for her.

When Saturday morning came around a rumor regarding a Rave was gaining a lot of momentum within the teenage population of Roswell. These types of reports were common and often turned out to be false, but the strength of this rumor grew stronger as the day progressed. By late that afternoon Maria was intrigued to the point of excited. She had never been to a Rave before and was eager to attend this one, if it was in fact going to be. What made this even a more a doable activity was the prospect of Michael being her escort.

Raves had a notorious reputation for violence, drugs, alcohol and sex. They often ended with Sheriff Deputies raiding the event and arresting several of its attendees. It was for that reason that Raves were highly secretive events. The would-be attendees of these events had to negotiate their way through a maze of riddles that only a trusted few were given the starting point for. As the night wore on the location of the Rave became more widespread through word-of-mouth advertising. There were not many young ladies who would attend a Rave alone. And when they were unescorted by a date, they often went in groups.

Late that Saturday afternoon, Maria put the offer of a night of music and excitement to Michael. To her surprise he declined in favor of their usual evening of kissing and heavy petting in the back seat of her Jetta.

"This only happens once every two or three years," Maria complained with a look of astonishment.

"Yeah, and for every Rave that actually happens there are ten that turn out to be hoaxes," Michael complained back. "Who wants to go to a silly party in some abandoned building anyway?"

"I do," Maria bellowed back.

They disputed the idea for several minutes more. Once it became obvious to Maria that Michael was not about to entertain any part of her wishes, she angrily cut their evening short with the promise that she and Liz would attend the Rave without him. Michael was confused by her reaction but not at all angry. The minds of women were a total mystery to him, and he had no idea what was so important about a Rave. In his mind those events were about a bunch of strangers listening to loud incomprehensible music while under the effects of alcohol and drugs. He thought making out in the back of her Jetta was a far more entertaining way to spend the evening. With her absence for that activity, Michael felt he had no choice but to seek out his only male friend, Max.

"What are you doing here," Max questioned testily as Michael walked up the driveway to his house. "Shouldn't you be off somewhere with Maria right now?"

"She's mad at me," Michael confessed dryly. "And why should you care? You're grounded."

Max was in the process of affixing a new radiator hose to his jeep when Michael arrived.

"Not anymore," Max dryly answered back. "Mom and dad cut me loose earlier today. I tried calling you at home, but you weren't there."

"What can I say, Max," Michael complained sarcastically. "My daddy isn't rich. I don't have a cellphone."

"We could have taken a hike through the next search area," Max retaliated with a hint of exasperation. "But no, you were out chasing Maria," he grumbled aloud. "What happens when it all falls apart, Michael?" He questioned softly with a stern look. "What happens when we have to leave?"

"I'm sorry, Max," Michael gently answered back. "I took a time out to have a life."

"That's just it, Michael," Max mumbled under his breath. "I'm not sure we have a life here."

"I know, Max. I know," Michael whispered back. "Apparently I'm not made of granite like you."

Max ignored the comment as he went back to tightening the clasps about the new radiator hose. Moments later the task was completed, and Max backed away from the engine.

"So, what did you fight about?" Max asked respectfully.

"There's a rumor about a Rave and she wanted to waste the night looking for it," Michael responded

"She wanted you to take her?" Max asked more than stated.

"It's a waste of time, Max," Michael retorted with a dubious inflection.

"Not according to Isabel," Max corrected as he closed the hood of the jeep. "She says it's in that abandoned soap factory building."

"She sure about that?" Michael asked with a look of surprise.

Max noted the concern on his face and turned his full attention to it before answering.

"That's what she said, why?"

"Maria said she was going to look for it with Liz," Michael reported to Max with a point.

Max stopped to ponder that report.

"We've got to go find them, Max" Michael instructed two seconds later.

Max agreed to that without a second of thought. After a few minutes of preparation, they were on the road and on their way to the abandoned soap factory. Max's prohibition against escalating his relationship with Liz was no match for his concern for her well-being. The reputations that the Raves gave him reason to worry. He knew that the odds were against any harm coming to Liz, but he wanted to be there to make sure that would be the case.

LINE BREAK

Maria had no trouble in convincing Liz to go out with her to search for the Rave. Liz was in the need for some distraction from her thoughts. The return of Maria's company was a welcome sight, and a Rave was a notorious event that most teenagers in Roswell felt compelled to experience as a rite of passage. At a quarter before ten o'clock at night, Liz and Maria were rolling towards the abandoned soap factory. Their search was over. The sound of music and people could be heard from nearly a block away.

Maria parked her car nearly half a block away from the building. She and Liz then got out of the vehicle with more than a little apprehension. There were other people moving towards the building and they shortly joined in with the wave teenagers searching for the source of the loud Rock Music.

The building was dingy and decrepit. There were no locked doors or barred windows to block anyone's entrance, and there were no lights attached to the building to illuminate any part of the structure. There was a string of Christmas lights guiding the way into the building, and there was a glow of light from within beaming out through the cracks of the porous building. Maria and Liz made their way through to the interior of the building and found a large room with better than one-hundred people inside. A rock band on top of a makeshift stage was playing music. A dozen work lights were attached, haphazardly, about the perimeter of the room. Numerous electrical extension cords strewn about the sides of the room connected the lights to a generator in a connecting room behind the stage.

The onlookers to the band were dancing and gyrating to the music with ecstatic enthusiasm. More than a dozen Styrofoam coolers, situated at the back of the room, supplied the occupants with libations of all kinds. Liz and Maria moved about the perimeter of this excitement with a feeling of enjoyment at being a part of the event. They clung to each other's hand and gazed at the event with bright smiles and wide-eyed amazement. This went on for better than ten minutes and then, suddenly, Liz's amusement was gone. Michael stepped in front of them, and Maria released her hand.

Liz knew at that moment that she was alone. She watched as Michael led Maria away, hand in hand, toward the far side of the room. She could see how happy Maria was to see him and how willingly she followed his lead. It was at this moment that Liz took notice of the numerous couples within the room. She was suddenly depressed again and the expression on her face clearly showed it. Suddenly she felt a hand move into hers, and she looked over her right shoulder to view its owner.

"Hi," Max announced softly with a hint of a smile.

"Hi," Liz responded with a clearly visible smile.

She turned towards him and gripped his hand tighter as she gazed into his eyes. Max responded to the affection in her look with an even greater smile. After a few seconds of gazing into each other's eyes, Max glanced about them for a place that they could go. He noted a vacant patch of floor behind a stack of empty crates that were obstructing a view of the stage. He led Liz towards it with a pull of her hand. She followed willingly, eagerly. He came to a stop in the vacant space and then he turned to look at Liz face on. He locked his gaze onto her eyes, and she did likewise. Slowly, he brought his hands up and cupped her head between them. Liz moved in closer until there was no space between them. She then tilted her head back and pushed up on her toes in anticipation of what was to come. Max leaned forward towards her as carefully as he could, and then they kissed, and they kissed, and they kissed some more.

Max and Liz enjoyed the Rave and each other up until the moment that the Sheriff Department raced in to stop the party. At least a dozen Deputy Sheriffs swarmed into the abandoned soap factory from all sides. They immediately began arresting anyone they could get their hands on. They gave no thought to the ones that got away. They were only interested in making token arrests to discourage future events. Max, Michael, Liz and Maria quickly found one another and agreed to leave as couples. Michael and Maria made it through the thin line of Deputy Sheriffs and raced off in the Jetta. Max and Liz made it to their vehicle as well, but that was as far as they got. Immediately after starting the vehicle and putting it into gear, Sheriff Valenti stepped out from behind another vehicle and barred their path.

"Hi, Max. Hi Liz," Sheriff Valenti greeted placidly.

Jim had taken note of the jeep shortly after his arrival. He knew who it belonged to and took a position nearby to meet Max when he returned.

"Hi, Sheriff Valenti," Liz responded somberly.

"Hi," Max greeted an instant behind.

"I hope you two weren't drinking or consuming any illegal substances," Jim inquired pleasantly. "Because, then it would be illegal for you to be driving that vehicle."

"Oh no," Liz quickly reported with a shake of her head. "We haven't been drinking anything."

"Well, unfortunately, Liz, I'm not going to be able to take your word for that," Jim advised with a hint of a smile. "You're at an illegal event where alcohol is being consumed, you're underage and you're on private property. I'm going to need you both to come with me."

"Yes, sir," Max agreed reluctantly.