Jeremy slept for only an hour before he woke up crying. As she reached down to pick him up, she found out why he was so upset. "Somebody needs a changing." Her teary-eyed son nodded.
A few minutes later, his beautiful hazel eyes were dry, and he had on a fresh diaper. With Jeremy on her hip, she walked into the kitchen and poured him a small cup of juice. Most of the time, like clockwork, he would want juice after he awoke.
His chubby little legs wiggled on her stomach and back as he reached for his sippy cup. Once it was in his grasp, he settled down and drank it quietly. However, once he got his fill, he started talking and spoke in a way that only a mother or father would be able to understand.
Listening to him only half-heartedly, she returned to the living room and turned on the TV leaving it on low; it soothed Liz to have the drone from the television in the background. She didn't have cable; it was luxury she couldn't afford.
Technically, she couldn't even afford the home she lived in. When she began looking for a place in Seattle, she circled a few apartments that were in her price range, along with one home; it was a one-bedroom, one level, no backyard, and right across the street from a burned down section of town.
Mom had seen the places she was circling and spoke to Dad, without her knowledge, and told him that she couldn't let their daughter and grandson move into any of the apartments or homes she was looking at. After much discussion, they said they'd help her look for a place away from the section of town she was searching in.
When Liz tried to argue with her parents about not needing their help in getting a place, they quickly pointed out the benefits of their assistance. The major selling point was the many connections they had in Seattle. Mainly Logan Cale being their closest family friend.
She had met Cale once at a dinner she got dragged to when she was fifteen. Alex would have been more interested in Logan than her. Logan mentioned his love for computers, which was Alex's domain. Liz knew the basics, but her love was science, not technology. Logan was a nice enough guy, but she would have had more fun organizing her sock drawer.
Liz had no idea how Mom and Dad became friends with him. Mom only said that they met over similar interests; that was as much as Mom mentioned. Although, what a computer whiz and restaurant owner had in common she wasn't sure.
She picked up a fence that went in front of the stairs. Mom gave them to her when she and Jamie moved out. Her parents had them up with her at the Crashdown; they couldn't risk her falling down the stairs of the apartment.
Leaving Jamie alone for a moment, she went to the basement stairs and fit the fence in front of it. While the entryway to the basement had a door, it didn't lock, and Jeremy opened everything he could reach. Without a lock, it was as good as leaving the door open. Could she have had the locksmith fix that door too? Yes, however, it would have cost her more money to have it fixed, and he would have stayed for much longer then he originally had.
Walking back into the living room she looked at the spot where she left her son. He wasn't there. "Jamie?" She looked behind the playpen and couch, nothing there but dust bunnies she missed when she cleaned. "Jamie."
Irritated and a little worried, she left the living room and went into the front hallway. Working on climbing the stairs leading to the second floor, she found her missing child.
"Hey you little monkey." She quickly climbed the couple of stairs Jeremy managed to ascend. Swinging him up into her arms, he squealed in delight.
"Looks like we're going to need another fence." Liz playfully tickled him under his chin.
Jamie shook his head quickly. "No!" He giggled.
"Yes." She smiled and carried him back down to the first level. A sea of 'No's' from Jamie followed her 'Yes.'
The bedrooms upstairs weren't livable yet. For the next couple of weeks, maybe even months, she and Jeremy would be sleeping in the living room. When her parents and their Seattle buddy confirmed that the house was hers, she went up and checked the place out. During that first trip, she saw which rooms were in need of a lot of work. The upstairs area was the major fixer upper.
When she came back to Roswell, she didn't tell Mom or Dad about the huge mess. If she had, they'd have insisted she get a hotel or stay in Roswell with them till the house was cleaned. But she didn't what that; she needed to leave her parent's home and take care of her son on her own.
As Liz bent to put Jeremy on the couch, a heavy knock rattled her front door. Standing straight she glared at the door for a moment. Who could that be? She knew it wouldn't be her parents; they weren't coming up for at least another day if not a couple days.
Picking Jeremy back up, she placed him in his playpen. Slowly she made her way to the front door. Could it be sector police? Living in Roswell and the fact that her parent's owned the building they worked and lived in didn't cause police, sector or otherwise, to stop by unannounced.
Another loud, impatient knock vibrated the door. Standing in front of the door, she peeked through the peephole. The imposing figure on the other side stared at the door with frustration and a little anger. Well, they weren't known for their patience.
Smirking, Liz unlocked the door and swung it open. "What are you doing here?" She playfully teased. "Thought you were trying the staying put thing?"
"Tried it, didn't exactly work out." He smirked back. "'Sides, you were da only thing keeping that cornball town worthwhile."
Liz smiled genuinely at the man staring back at her. "I missed you too, Rath. Come on in."
"Thanks Sweetness."
TBC