Disclaimer: I do not own any part of this series. Nor am I the intellect behind Bennie's fic Conspiracy.
Summary: Liz always knew a return to Roswell was in the cards. Five years after she left, Fate plucked that one from the deck. AU inspired by 'Conspiracy' (details inside).
Author's Note: Title for this chapter is from the song "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous.
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Lie beneath the stars at night (Promises, swear them to the sky)
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This was my story. No, our story.
It's one of refugees, who fled from devastation and settled in a small desert in New Mexico.
It's one of aliens who came to a little planet called Earth in search of nothing but a bit of air, a sip of water, and a place to rest.
And it's one of a human who found her home among them.
My journey to this understanding was a long one: I ran, doubting my place; I returned, determined to protect the memory; and then I stayed, having discovered that what I hunted for was in Roswell all along.
I helped protect them from an outside threat, and in the years since that first encounter Safeguard's Roswell office has expanded in cooperation with Antarian security. I've moved from my single apartment to a shared apartment to a small house. I've seen my best friend give birth to a daughter, and encouraged my other best friend to work on his music for pleasure even if he could never make a profit from it.
We also dealt with further government questions, a precarious blade hanging overhead. My field office was not always full of the most useful or trustworthy people. Tension between Antarians and humans occasionally spiked under outside pressure. The healing energy caused me to develop abilities of my own, after a terrifying transition period during which I had to seclude myself under Larek's supervision at Safeguard headquarters.
But through everything, my mother was there to offer comfort. My father always had a cup of tea and a listening ear. Maria and Alex would distract me with youthful remembrances and outrageous antics. I found Michael an oddly stable presence with whom silence provided a sense of peace, a space needed to get the tracks of my mind re-aligned.
And Max was there, always: laughing when I stumbled into the doorframe of our new apartment and later, as we slid on socks in our brand-new, still-empty house; tears in his eyes as he held me, early in my change, as electric sparks burned my skin from the inside out; helping set up my offices for Safeguard and in our living space, for my research through the university on desert flora and fauna; shoulders tensing and relaxing as we discussed having children, tighter than springs as I was in labor, soft and tender as he held our boy the first time.
Roswell grew and changed with us. I stepped up with my peers to be a community member and leader, as the older generations eased the reins into our hands. I felt pride as they placed their trust in me, honored to know my value in our community.
This was a story of a people who created a home somewhere new, in some ways different, but in all the important details exactly what we all needed.
My name is Liz Parker Evans. And I am happy.
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Extras and A Final Note
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Title-Taken Song List:
"Song of Los" by Apparat
"Bones" by MS MR
"Control" by Puddle of Mudd
"9 Crimes" by Damien Rice
"Keep the Streets Empty For Me" by Fever Ray
"Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous
Other Songs Inspiring the Author:
"Save Yourself" by Sense Field
"Believe" by Cher
"Now's the Only Time I Know" by Fever Ray
"One Thing" by Finger Eleven
"Remain Nameless" by Florence + The Machine
"Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons
"Wonder" by Lauren Aquilina
"Babel" by Mumford & Sons
This story has been in the works for a few months, in between classes and work and my original-story writing. Hopefully the time and effort I put into shaping this story showed. I want to give another shout-out to Bennie, without whose work this idea would never have been sparked into a full story. If anyone can put us in contact with each other, I would greatly appreciate it.
I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing. Feedback of all sorts is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for continuing through to the end.
~ Sweetbriar