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 39: At First Glance

For Max, Isabel and Michael it felt as if their world had been turned upside down. They were suddenly considering the possibility that there were many more of them. And they had become very serious about the question, why are we here? Finding four more teenagers like themselves and experiencing the added power their collective mind provided, had them believing that a drastic change in their lives was coming. For Max and Michael this development effectively stalled their relationships with Liz and Maria. The free time they had been spending with their girlfriends was now all but gone. Over the next two weeks, Liz and Maria saw very little of them.

Max and Michael began using more of their spare time searching the wilderness to the southwest of Roswell. The merge gave them reason to believe that the outcrop they were looking for was somewhere in that general direction. But they still did not know precisely where or how distant it was. The fact that they had a direction to concentrate on made Michael even more persistent about the search. Max was not a hard sell on that. He had questions that he wanted answered. The first among these was the question, am I free to fall in love with Liz?

Max was not alone in his desire to resolve the conflict between his personal life and his secret one. The physicality in Michael's relationship with Maria made that answer an immediate concern for him as well. Despite his reluctance to engage in sex with her, ideal opportunities were difficult for the two of them to let slip by. This intensified search gave him reason to see less of Maria to the point that their relationship was now platonic if not nonexistent.

Another motivating factor behind the search for the outcrop was Jason and Aaron. They too wanted to find this location that was haunting them. And the experience of the merge between the seven of them encouraged them too. Max's jeep was the ideal vehicle for the search, and these occasions were perfect for the four of them to cement their newly attained bond. Jason and Aaron also had romantic relationships with individuals who were not like them that they were distancing themselves from. Their common cause and concerns added to the strength of their bond with Max and Michael. They also went searching through the wilderness in conjunction with Max and Michael but in a separate vehicle. The exercise was an opportunity for the four of them to further cement their association.

Liz and Maria took note of the marked change in their relationships with Max and Michael. Over the two weeks from the date that this new behavior began, they made numerous inquiries of Max and Michael about what had changed between them. They both were convinced that something major had occurred to cause this change in their behavior. The leading supposition was that they had found the outcrop that they were looking for. That thinking was supported by their disappearances over the weekends. The answers they kept getting back to their calls for a tryst were we're busy right now and I'll call you later. These repeated dodges forced Liz and Maria to take desperate action.

"What's happening?" Liz questioned sternly and with a stare of determination.

"What do you mean?" Isabel queried back blandly.

Liz and Maria came across Isabel at a neighborhood park where many of Roswell High's students went to play sports and hang out. They were not expecting to see her there. Isabel had been far less visible to them than Max and Michael. This appearance was somewhat of a surprise to them. With their newly acquired free time, Liz and Maria had run across all of Isabel's usual associations on numerous occasions. She, however, was never with them. For Liz and Maria, this accidental meeting was an opportunity they could not pass up.

"What's going on with Michael and Max," Maria clarified with a defiant look.

"Hey, if you two can't keep up with your boyfriends, how's that my problem?" Isabel responded with a snobbish inflection.

"We just want to know why they're being so distant with us," Liz almost pleaded a second behind. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah," Maria huffed at the end. "Did they find what they're looking for out in the desert?"

Isabel was sympathetic to Liz's question and the way that it was expressed, but it was the temper in Maria's inquiry caused her to be a little peeved.

"No," Isabel bluntly responded.

Isabel saw no reason to give them any more than that. She had no real animosity towards Liz and Maria, and she even empathized a little with their situation. But she could think of no reason to give them hope. And she was determined not to give them any information regarding what was happening in Max and Michael's lives.

"Come on, Isabel," Liz entreated again. "We just want to know if we still have boyfriends."

Liz's gentle appeal had once again struck the bull's-eye with Isabel. Her empathy for her was evident in the reluctance that was clearly seen in her expression. After several seconds of hesitation, she gave Liz and Maria her reply.

"Look, I don't have anything against either of you. In fact, in another universe I would probably even like you. But this is never going to work, and I think you should prepare yourselves for that."

"So, something did happen?" Liz challenged with a stunned expression.

"No one is trying to hurt you," Isabel quickly explained. "… either of you. But you have to understand that we're dealing with something that's bigger than the two of you, and that has to come first."

"So, we're supposed to just disappear?" Maria queried harshly.

"I'm sorry," Isabel softly reacted with a shake of her head. "I know Max and Michael like you. They wouldn't have become involved with you if they didn't like you a lot. But we don't know what's ahead for us. And I think that maybe you should prepare yourselves for the fact that whatever happens, it won't involve the two of you."

Maria was taken aback by that statement. Liz, however, was angered a little by something she read in it.

"You're not trying to protect us," Liz retorted with a stern inflection. "You're trying to protect yourself from us."

Isabel's immediate reaction to that accusation was to give Liz a momentary angry stare. And then she replied to it with more than a little defiance.

"This is dangerous for us," Isabel began with a half step towards Liz. "This is our lives that we're trying to protect. I'm sorry if it's interfering with your infatuation, but what you need to understand is that you know more about us than anyone else. Nobody is a greater threat to us than you two."

"We would never do anything to hurt any of you," Liz declared in a near weeping tone.

Isabel paused to absorb Liz's impassioned declaration. At that moment she could not help but believe that Liz meant every word of what she said.

"I'm sorry, Liz," Isabel imparted remorsefully. "I'm just worried for me, Max, Michael …" She hesitated to stop herself from mentioning any more names. She quickly recovered to add, "… and my parents."

"I know, and I understand," Liz insisted wistfully. "I just wish I knew what to say to convince you and Max and Michael that Maria and I have a vested interest in what happens with all of you. And that we don't want to be protected from these feelings. Because being pushed away hurts even more."

Isabel had no response to that. Her regard for Liz grew with each new statement she made, and at that moment she had nothing but fond feelings for her. After a long pause she responded in a soft and compassionate voice.

"I'll tell him. I'll tell them both."

Isabel gave them both a brief look of sadness and then turned and walked away. Liz and Maria watched as she walked over to the sidelines of the soccer field. A game was in progress and dozens of people were watching it from there. Maria noted that she came to a stop next to the attractive blonde girl that they pulled her away from for their talk. What caught Maria's attention about her was the fact that she had never seen her before.

"Who's that?" Maria questioned Liz as she held her attention on the little blonde.

Liz gave Isabel's companion a brief study and then answered with a nonchalant, "I don't know. I've never seen her before."

Maria's curiosity was motivated by the fact that she had never seen Isabel with a girlfriend who was not Sara Lange, Allison Frazier, and Emilie Porter. What made the little blonde even more curious was her association with Isabel. Liz gave no thought to the little blonde until Maria made an interesting comment.

"For someone who is as secretive as she is, it seems awfully strange that she's making new friends."

Liz gave that statement a brief thought, and then she gave the little blonde a new look. What she and Maria did not know was that Isabel had no secrets from this new friend and that she was another telepath like Isabel, Max and Michael.

LINE BREAK

Since the merge at the abandoned soap factory, Isabel had all but abandoned her association with Sara, Allison and Emilie. Instead, she began spending the bulk of her spare time with Tess Harding. The fact that she knew someone of her gender that she could be herself with was liberating for Isabel. She had envied Max's and Michael's association for years. There companionship looked normal and was accepted as such by all who knew them. Up until Tess, all of Isabel's female friends were people she regularly lied to.

Tess was equally eager to spend her spare time with Isabel. But her motive behind that was slightly different. She had known Julie Kessler for much of her life. And for the bulk of that time, they shared between them the secret of their peculiar abilities. The close association between them changed when Julie recently became romantically attached to a boy that she knew at Goddard High School. When Julie began spending most of her spare time with him, Tess was left all alone. The separation was assisted by Tess's opposition to close relationships with people who were not like them. It was Tess's and Isabel's mutual stance against romantic entanglements which brought them closer to each other than to anyone else. For Isabel and Tess, each was the bond that the other needed.

"Who are they," Tess questioned shortly after Isabel returned to her side.

"That's Max's and Michael's girlfriends," Isabel reported glibly.

Tess held her attention on the soccer game racing back and forth in front of them as she maintained this conversation. Isabel seemed more amused by the spectators than the game.

"What did they want with you?" Tess asked out of a curiosity.

"They wanted to know what Max and Michael were doing," Isabel explained with an inflection that said their query was annoying. "You ready to leave yet?" She asked after a huff.

Isabel had very little interest in sports, and this soccer game had been boring her from the moment that Tess led her there. She was also concerned about returning her mother's car at the promised time.

"Wait," Tess responded an instant behind the request. "I just want to watch a little more."

Tess had no particular interest in the game either, but there was a player on the field that she found exceedingly attractive. After another few minutes, a score was made, and the game went into a lull as the players began positioning themselves for a kickoff.

"Can we go now," Isabel questioned with exasperation.

"Okay," Tess responded without diverting her attention from the attractive soccer player.

Isabel had just turned away from the field when Tess drew her attention back to the field with a question.

"Do you know him," Tess questioned with a point.

"Who?" Isabel inquired as she examined the boys in the general direction of Tess's point.

"Him," Tess re-identified with a point, "with the gray and red shorts."

Isabel took notice of the person that Tess was speaking of with a look of surprise and then responded to Tess's inquiry.

"Yeah, I know him. Why?"

"Just curious," Tess responded with an offhanded inflection. "He's a really good athlete."

Isabel took comfort from the mode of Tess's response and visibly relaxed because of it. She then completed her answer regarding the soccer player's identity.

"I suppose he is," Isabel reported with indifference. "He plays baseball, basketball and football for Roswell High. His name is Kyle."