xtremeroswellia

Author: X_tremeroswellian

Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish they were mine...Oh, and any and all references to Mr. Raddish are my tribute to Kara and Emily, who created him and write a wonderful series of fics called "Roswell Elementary" that everyone should read.

Author's Note: I began writing this back in February, and it was based off a few early spoilers for the rest of the season that I read back then. After watching "Tess, Lies and Videotape," I realized that this story falls into place with that plot. Here's the rundown. Let's just say that in T,L and V, Max and Tess kissed but Max didn't get any visions. Liz still saw them kiss. Max went to Michael's apartment and he and Michael still fought but didn't end up finding a video camera, although for this story we'll say that Michael went ahead and kicked Max out of his apartment. Shortly afterwords, Max and Liz break up and Max starts dating Tess. This story picks up about two weeks after the M/L break up, and there is much tension among the six of them...

Spoilers: Up through Tess, Lies and Videotape, the rest is just my guess of what could have happened in the season finale, but didn't.

Dedication: To Sarah, Majik Karma, Mel, Linda and Abs for all the feedback! :)

Feedback: Please...and be critical if you feel the need...I can take it.

Special Thanks to: Majik Karma, who helped me work out the entire plot of this story by listening to me ramble on about it for three hours straight over the phone one night. :)

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty | Twenty-One | Twenty-two | Twenty Three | Twenty Four | Conclusion

"The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have."

-Ring Lardner

You Were Meant For Me (Part 4)

Alex had left his parents' door open a crack, just in case. It was still dark when he heard the noises. He pulled the pillow over his head, trying to drown it out, but quickly discovered he couldn't.

Alex groaned and rolled onto his side, forcing his eyes open and squinting at the clock. It was 4:05 a.m.

He lay awake in the darkness, listening, trying to decide where the noises were coming from, and what they were. Finally, with a sigh, he heaved the blankets to the end of the bed and swung his legs over the side. Since Liz, Maria and Michael were there, he'd chosen to sleep in his clothes that he'd changed into after bringing Liz over.

Alex stumbled to his feet and out the doorway. He paused in the hall, listening closely. Only silence surrounded him. He tiptoed to the living room, where Michael and Maria lay on the pull-out bed, sleeping. Then he turned back. He heard the sound again. Definitely coming from his room. He pushed the door open.

Liz was faced away from him, staring out the window as she sat on his bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. He could hear her crying. He moved across the room until he was standing behind her.

"Liz," he said softly.

She turned at the sound of his voice. Her face with streaked with tears, and her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. "I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly.

"No, it's okay. I was awake," he lied. He sat down next to her on the bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just--everything," she replied, turning back to look out the window.

Alex moved his eyes to where she was looking. Her eyes were locked on the stars, and in particular, the v-shaped constellation.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"For what?" he asked in surprise.

"For everything that's happened. For getting you into trouble with Valenti, and the FBI, and, well, just all of it. For sticking you in the middle of this huge mess."

Alex draped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, if you and Maria are in a big mess, I want to be in the middle of it with you. That's what friends are for," he reminded her.

Her head dropped down, and she fought the tears threatening to spill again. "You almost died tonight because of me."

Alex swallowed hard. "That wasn't your fault, Liz."

"But it was," she insisted. "If I hadn't been moping around over Max, you wouldn't have asked me to go see a movie to try and cheer me up and you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place."

"Look, I've been moping around over Isabel, and the movie was to cheer both of us up, not just you."

"Right."

"What? You're saying you wouldn't have gone to see a movie to help cheer me up if you hadn't been just as bummed about Max?"

Liz looked up at him. She knew he was joking and she managed to smile.

His eyes turned serious. "Besides. You saved my life tonight, Liz."

She looked away. "Max saved your life tonight."

"But it was your connection with him that saved me. If you hadn't been there, I'd be shiskabob."

She shuddered. "Don't say that," she whispered.

His arm tightened around her slightly. "Sorry." He drew in a deep breath. "Liz, I just have to say that if Max Evans can't see what an idiot he's being, than he doesn't deserve you."

"Thanks, Alex. But I think the idiot here is Isabel."

He grinned. "We're a sorry pair, aren't we, Parker?"

She nodded in agreement. "That we are."

Alex sighed and pulled her into a hug. "You know, this would have been so much easier if we'd fallen for each other instead of the Evans'."

Liz smiled and hugged him back. "Yeah. Too bad we had to fall for Czechoslovakians."

He laughed. "No doubt. But I guess there's a reason for it, huh?"

They let go of one another, and turned to stare out the window, at the V-constellation again. "Yeah. I hope so," Liz answered softly.

"Do you think there's anyone out there...you know, waiting for them to come home?" he asked.

"I know there's at least two," she whispered.

Alex swallowed hard and nodded. Then they sat together in silence as they waited.

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Maria woke up alone.

She was conscious enough right away to realize she wasn't in her bed at home, but on the hide-a-bed at Alex's house. The events of the previous night came crashing back into her memory and she sat up, blinking and looking around.

She'd cried for a good hour last night, wrapped in Michael's arms on the bathroom floor, and then he'd gently picked her up and carried her effortlessly to the living room. He held her and comforted her as she had him only a few weeks ago, and then she'd fallen asleep in his arms. But now, he wasn't there. Must have left sometime during the night, she thought with a sigh.

"Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny-side up?"

The voice startled her and she turned to see Michael, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, holding onto a carton of eggs. She stared. "What are you doing?"

"Making breakfast," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Scrambled," she answered, still reeling from the shock.

Michael turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Maria to stare after him. She shook her head. I must be dreaming, she thought. She rose slowly to her feet and moved into the doorway, just peeking inside. Sure enough, Michael was standing at the stove, fixing breakfast. She watched him for a moment. He seemed more calm than she'd ever seen him. He looked very at ease, just standing at the stove, cooking her scrambled eggs.

As if he felt her presence, he turned to her with a slight grin. "You can come in and watch me if you enjoy it so much."

Maria couldn't help smile as she stepped into the kitchen. "Okay." She jumped up onto the counter next to the stove, something she'd done many times as a child, and then she watched him.

Every now and then, he'd glance over at her, give her that famous half-smirk, half-smile that she adored. "I had no idea I was so fascinating," he commented.

"Yeah, well. A man in the kitchen cooking me breakfast has always been one of my fantasies," she joked.

Michael met her eyes as a flicker of sadness passed over them. "What?" he asked.

"I was just...remembering something." She sighed. "When I was six, the year before my dad left...I was just remembering how he used to cook breakfast for me and my mom on Sunday mornings. He made these really great pancakes, I mean, world-famous, and he added cinnamon and sugar to the batter. Then we'd all sit at the dining room table together and eat breakfast and talk for hours."

Michael suddenly had a wave of sadness wash over him, and was surprised to realize that it wasn't his own. It was hers. He reached out and touched her arm. And images burst into his mind.

*Maria, age 7, crying as her dad drove away

*Maria, age 8, staring out the window, wondering when her dad was coming back

*Maria, age 10, sitting outside on her doorstep, daydreaming about coconuts as she waited for her mom to come home. 10 year old Michael came up and sat down next to her, and the two of them just sat in silence.

*Maria and him at the nookie motel in Texas, discussing their families

*Maria, feeling sad at the father-daughter camping trip as she sat with Liz and Mr. Parker

He pulled his hand away from her arm. "I'm sorry," he said immediatly.

Maria blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"I just-I saw some things, when I touched you. It happens sometimes when things get intense. I didn't mean to do it." He turned back to the stove, trying to focus on cooking the eggs.

"Michael," Maria said slowly. "What exactly did you see?" Her heart started pounding. What if all he saw were images of the two of them together? That was sure to send him running in the opposite
direction in a hurry.

"Just some flashes of you...thinking about your dad."

She sucked in a breath. "Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Invading your privacy."

"You didn't mean to do it," she said, shrugging and jumping down off the counter.

"What is that smell? Is Maria cooking?" she heard Alex say.

Maria smirked as Alex and Liz walked into the room. They both stopped and stared at Michael at the stove, cooking.

"Morning," Michael acknowledged them without turning around.

"Thank God you're the one cooking," Alex said to Michael with a laugh. "I didn't want to die of food poisioning this early on a Sunday."

"Funny," Maria commented, shooting him a look.

Alex held up his hands in mock surrender. "Not the death glare!" He hid behind Liz, who shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Maria smiled at Liz. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Liz assured her, giving her a questioning look. She didn't know Michael had spent the night. She wondered what was going on with her best friend.

"You guys like scrambled eggs?" Michael asked, turning to face Liz and Alex.

"As long as I'm not the one cooking them, sure," Alex agreed with a grin.

Michael grinned back at him. Then he looked at Liz. "Liz?"

"Um, yeah. Scrambled eggs would be great. Thanks." Liz bit her lip and sat down at the table. This was strange. Stranger than usual. And yet, she thought, as Michael handed her a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, and sat down next to Maria, it was kind of comfortable at the same time. Sort of like it was meant to be. But Liz couldn't help feel sad as she gazed at the two empty chairs at the table.