Roswell Fic: Matters of Trust (11/11)
Nov. 11th, 1999 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xtremeroswelliaAuthor: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. The song "Where Are You" is by Wilson Phillips, and is also not mine. I can't remember which album of theirs this song was on, sorry.
Rating: R for language, violence, adult situations, and sexual content
Spoilers: Up through "Blood Brothers" and some for the book series by Melinda Metz.
Author's Note: This is the conclusion of this story. Thanks to everyone who has read this long story and sent me feedback. Let me know what you think of the ending...Maybe I'll do a sequal. :)
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Conclusion
Matters of Trust (Part Eleven--The Conclusion)
Liz woke up with a major headache and she felt sick to her stomach. The first thing she realized was that she was no longer on the beach, but in the passenger seat of a car. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring out the window at the sun rise.
She rolled her head to the side and recoiled in fear when she saw her uncle Charlie in the driver's seat of the car. He glanced over and smiled at her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up, Lizzie."
"How did I get here?" she asked, her head throbbing.
"I brought you here."
"Where are we?" She looked out the window. All she could see for miles was desert.
"We'll be there soon, Lizzie. Don't worry."
"Where are you taking me?" she demanded. When he didn't answer, she reached for the door handle.
"Don't even think about it," he said, locking the door quickly.
"Let me out," she said, tears filling her eyes.
"I'll get you out after we've spent some quality time together."
"Stop the car! Let me out now!"
He hit her so hard she hit her head on the window. Liz felt the blood from the cut above her eye flowing down her face. She blacked out.
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Max felt a sudden, stinging pain in his temple. He raised his hand to his head.
"Max, what is it?" Isabel asked, glancing at him from the driver's seat.
"I--don't know," he whispered. Then he lost consciousness.
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Liz was standing in the middle of a ring of fire. She coughed and held her hand up to shield her eyes from the flames. "Somebody help me!" she screamed.
"Liz!" a voice screamed back.
"Max!"
"Where are you?"
"Liz!" another voice shouted.
She listened closer. There were more voices, calling her name. "Maria!"
Michael reached her first. "Liz, don't move!" he warned.
"Where is everyone?"
"They're all here somewhere." Michael took a deep breath and leapt through the flames to where she was standing. He shed his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Close your eyes!"
Liz did as told and Michael picked her up and leapt over the flames.
"Michael! Liz!" Isabel shouted, running over to them. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Liz?" Michael said anxiously.
She looked up at him. "I'm okay."
Suddenly she was engulfed in Max's arms. She buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly and met Michael's eyes. "Thank you," he mouthed.
Michael nodded and wrapped his arms around Maria.
"Liz, this is a dream," Max said, pulling away and looking at her. "Where are you?"
"Somewhere in the desert. Uncle Charlie kidnapped me. I think he used chloroform because I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick and I had a splitting headache."
Max leaned his forehead against hers. "We're going to find you, Liz, just hold on!"
Suddenly the earth began to rumble. "Max, I think the car's stopping!" she cried.
Isabel, Michael, Alex and Maria looked on in horror.
"Hold on, Liz! We're on our way!" he shouted.
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Liz woke up as her uncle was stopping the car. She was gripped by terror. She unfastened her seat belt. This is not going to happen again, she thought. He might have been able to hurt me when I was a child, but I'm not a child anymore. I can fight him now.
Uncle Charlie turned off the engine and smiled at her. He reached out to touch her face, but she shoved his hand away. "No!" she said loudly.
He frowned. "Don't be difficult, Lizzie." He reached for her again.
"I said no!" she shouted again, shoving him.
His eyes were flashing as he ciezed her wrists and slammed her back against the door. She fought not to black out. If she blacked out, it was all over.
He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand. "No! No!" she screamed.
Uncle Charlie reached beneath the t-shirt she'd been wearing as pajamas.
"No!" she screamed. She kneed him in the groin. He yanked his hand away so fast, her shirt tore and his fingernails raked against her leg so hard it drew blood.
Liz sat up and yanked on the door handle but it wouldn't budge. "Damn it!"
Uncle Charlie was quickly recovering from his injury.
Think, she commanded herself. Her gaze fell upon the tire iron under the seat. She reached for it just as he reached for her. Liz raked her nails down Charlie's face with one hand and grasped onto the tire iron with the other. She slammed it against the passenger window, shattering it.
Liz tore herself from his grasp and twisted her body until she was facing the window and began to pull herself through, ignoring the pain from the cuts on her hands from the broken glass. She was halfway out the window when he grabbed her thigh.
Liz screamed and swung the tire iron around, hitting him on the shoulder as hard as she could. He yelled in pain and she hit him again, this time, over the head, but not as hard. Charlie collapsed onto the seat with a low groan. He was unconscious.
Liz finished pulling herself out the car window, falling to the ground amidst the glass. Then she began to cry.
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"Oh, my God! There she is!" Maria screamed, staring out the window. Isabel had barely stopped the jeep when Maria leapt out the back and ran to her, followed closely by Alex. Maria let out a shriek as she got closer. "She's hurt! Max! Michael, Isabel! Liz is hurt!"
Liz shook her head and reached for Alex's hand. He quickly slipped his arm around her waist, unsure of how badly she was injured. He helped her to her feet, but very carefully.
"Liz! Are you all right?" Isabel asked.
She nodded and her eyes met Max's.
He stared at her. He took in the dried blood matting her hair against her bruised face, the fresh blood on her hands, arms and legs from the cuts from glass and Charlie's fingernails, her eyes which were red from crying, and then his gaze trailed down to her torn t-shirt, and for a long moment, Max couldn't even breathe.
Liz saw him struggling. "I'm okay," she said shakily. "I'm fine, Max."
Maria was crying. "What happened?"
Liz hugged her and Maria cried harder. "I'm okay, Maria."
"What did that bastard do to you?" Michael demanded, looking in the car window at the man who lay unconscious and bleeding. Even in that state, he looked better than Liz.
"Did he--?" Alex couldn't even finish his question he was so angry.
Liz pulled away from Maria and met Alex's eyes. "No. He tried. We struggled. I knocked him out."
"Thank God," Isabel whispered, near tears herself. She hugged Liz and then stepped back from her, waving her hand over Liz's shirt, and instantly repairing it.
"Thank you," Liz said softly. Isabel nodded.
Michael looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes. I'm okay."
He nodded and moved to inspect the car.
Max swallowed hard and stepped up to her. He couldn't stop staring at her. His eyes filled with tears as he reached out to touch her face. "Liz, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you." His head dropped as the tears fell from his eyes.
Liz shook her head vehemnantly. "No, Max. You did. All of you. I wouldn't have been able to get away if it hadn't been for you guys. You made me strong, Max. You gave me the strength to fight back."
Max raised his head to look at her. Tears stained his cheeks and hers, as well. Liz stepped forward and threw her arms around him, holding onto him tightly. Max hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "God, Liz, if he had...if he had..."
"Shhh, it's over. I'm okay, Max." She buried her face in his chest.
Max stroked her hair and they held each other for another minute. Then he pulled away. He closed his eyes and touched her face. The bruises and cuts and dried blood faded away. Then he opened his eyes and touched her arms. He healed the cuts there as well. "I wish I could heal the hurt here, too," he whispered, placing his hand over her heart.
"You already have," she whispered back, reaching up and touching his cheek gently. "You already have, Max."
"Uh, guys, I don't think he's going to be unconscious much longer," Maria said nervously, watching as Charlie began to stir in the car.
"All right. Time to decide. Liz?" Michael said, turning to her.
Liz took a deep breath, and reached for Max's hand. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand tightly. A smile started to form on both their faces. "I have a plan," Liz said. Max smiled down at her.
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His head was throbbing as he awakened slowly. What the hell happened? he wondered. Then he remembered. Lizzie hit me. That bitch!
He tried to push himself up but quickly discovered he couldn't move his hands. "What the hell--?" he tried to say. But a gag in his mouth prevented him from speaking.
He opened his eyes and found himself facing three very pissed off guys, and two girls who didn't make him feel that he was any safer with them.
"So you thought you could take her and get by with it?" Alex demanded, glaring at him.
Charlie watched him, his eyes widened in horror as Alex walked around to one side of him.
"You thought you could drug her, kidnap her, and drag her into the middle of the desert to what? Rape her? Kill her?" Maria demanded, walking until she stood behind him.
Charlie was becoming very afraid.
"And with us sleeping in the same room, no less," Isabel said coldly. The look in the girl's eyes sent shivers down Charlie's spine. She moved to the other side of him, opposite Alex.
"We would never let you hurt Liz," Michael growled. "She's a part of my family, and nobody, NOBODY gets by with trying to hurt my family!" He moved a bit to the left and kept his eyes locked on Charlie.
"But now that we have you, and you can't hurt anyone, the question is, what do we do with you?" Isabel asked.
"I say we kill him," Max said darkly.
Charlie's eyes widened and he stared at Max as Max stared at him. There was no hint of humor in the young man's eyes, nothing to suggest he was kidding.
"Drive him off a cliff, cause an explosion like we did the last time," Alex said cooly.
Charlie turned to look at him. This can't be happening. Not really.
"Yeah, we burnt up Peterson so badly, they couldn't even I.D. him," Isabel said, a smile curving on her lips.
Charlie's eyes widened even more. This young woman truly frightened him.
"We could do that," Maria agreed, walking around so Charlie could see her. "Or we could chop him into one inch pieces like we did Masterson and feed him to the coyotes," she said, turning the sharp butcher knife over in her hands. She smiled as she watched the growing horror on the man's face.
Max smiled and nodded. "Or we could keep him underground at our meeting place and torture him to death."
Charlie protested through the gag.
"We take care of our family," Michael said lowly, his eyes piercing needles into Charlie's.
Charlie swallowed hard. His eyes widened as Liz walked up between Max and Michael.
"My protectors," she said, placing one of her hands on each of their shoulders. Max and Michael both smiled at her. She kissed Michael on the cheek and then turned and pulled Max's face down to hers until their lips touched. When the kiss ended, their eyes locked and they smiled at one another.
Then she turned her head and stared at her uncle, her eyes darkening. She stepped forward. "You have two choices, Charlie. Are you listening?"
He nodded quickly, his eyes remaining wide open.
"You can either leave New Mexico, and swear to me that you will never, ever come back. That you'll never contact me or my parents, or ever tell anyone about what happened out here. Or--" she motioned to Max, Michael and the others. "--I let my friends decide what to do with you."
Their eyes locked. "It's your choice, Charlie. I'm giving you a choice, even though you didn't give me one. But I have all the power now. I am in control. I can destroy you if I want to." She removed the gag from his mouth.
"Then why don't you?" he choked out.
"I don't need to. I don't have the need to hurt people like you do. I have these people as my family. They love me despite what you did to me." She felt Max interlace his fingers with hers. Michael did the same with her other hand. "I win, Charlie. I walk away with something you can never have," she said, holding up her hands, clutched tightly in her friends' hands.
Charlie stared at her for a long moment. His eyes lowered.
"Make your choice," Michael commanded.
"Or we'll do it for you," Max added, on the verge of losing control. Liz sensed it and squeezed his hand.
"I'll leave."
"And?" Max pressed, the anger edging into his voice.
"And never come back."
"If you come back, we will kill you," Isabel whispered, staring into his eyes.
His eyes widened again. "I won't come back. I swear."
"Untie him," Liz said, nodding.
Michael stepped foward and yanked the man to his feet. He untied the ropes and shoved him away.
Max grabbed Charlie from behind and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "And if you ever even think about touching her again, I will know it. And I will track you down, and I'll make sure you're not able to hurt another woman for the rest of your life. And when I'm through with you, you'll only wish I had killed you." He shoved Charlie away from him, barely able to stop himself from using his powers to make the man stop breathing.
"Get in the car and drive away," Liz commanded.
Charlie hurried to the driver's side and then stared at her. "Lizzie," he said.
She turned to look at him. "My name is Liz," she said cooly. Then she took Max's hand, and they walked back to the jeep, followed by Alex, Isabel, Michael and Maria. Liz climbed into the passenger seat and Max climbed into the driver's seat, letting go of her hand only long enough to start the engine. Then he grabbed her hand again, squeezing it tightly.
Liz looked into the rearview mirror. Charlie was staring after them. Then she arranged the mirror where she couldn't look into it. Max glanced over at her. "No more looking back," she whispered.
Max squeezed her hand again and she turned on the radio.
"Where, where, where
Where are you?
You don't have to look out anymore
You don't have to look out that window anymore
You can come back to yourself
You can come back to this world..."
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"You kids sure you'll be all right by yourselves? I'd be glad to come along," Larry, the ranch owner said, gazing at the six teens in front of him.
"We'll be all right," one of the guys said, smiling at his friends. "We'll look out for each other. Right, Isabel?"
Isabel smiled back. "Right, Alex."
"You kids be careful!" he called after them. He stared as they lead the horses away by the reins. Never in his whole life had he seen six people their age so close.
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Michael looked at Maria and then at the large chestnut horse. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, sensing her nervousness.
"It's just a matter of trust, right?" she asked, swinging herself up onto the saddle.
He smiled as he did the same on the back of his own horse. "Right," he agreed.
They watched as Alex and Isabel swung themselves up onto their horses.
Max and Liz smiled at one another as they mounted their horses last. Liz reached out her hand and wove her fingers through Max's. They lead their horses to a trot. Liz squeezed Max's hand tightly for a moment and then let go, leading her horse to a gallop.
She felt, rather than saw the others do the same. Max's horse ran along side her own. She smiled. They all rode seperately, but they were all very much together. Liz smiled as she saw the rainbow up ahead. The storm was finally over.
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. The song "Where Are You" is by Wilson Phillips, and is also not mine. I can't remember which album of theirs this song was on, sorry.
Rating: R for language, violence, adult situations, and sexual content
Spoilers: Up through "Blood Brothers" and some for the book series by Melinda Metz.
Author's Note: This is the conclusion of this story. Thanks to everyone who has read this long story and sent me feedback. Let me know what you think of the ending...Maybe I'll do a sequal. :)
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Conclusion
Matters of Trust (Part Eleven--The Conclusion)
Liz woke up with a major headache and she felt sick to her stomach. The first thing she realized was that she was no longer on the beach, but in the passenger seat of a car. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring out the window at the sun rise.
She rolled her head to the side and recoiled in fear when she saw her uncle Charlie in the driver's seat of the car. He glanced over and smiled at her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up, Lizzie."
"How did I get here?" she asked, her head throbbing.
"I brought you here."
"Where are we?" She looked out the window. All she could see for miles was desert.
"We'll be there soon, Lizzie. Don't worry."
"Where are you taking me?" she demanded. When he didn't answer, she reached for the door handle.
"Don't even think about it," he said, locking the door quickly.
"Let me out," she said, tears filling her eyes.
"I'll get you out after we've spent some quality time together."
"Stop the car! Let me out now!"
He hit her so hard she hit her head on the window. Liz felt the blood from the cut above her eye flowing down her face. She blacked out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max felt a sudden, stinging pain in his temple. He raised his hand to his head.
"Max, what is it?" Isabel asked, glancing at him from the driver's seat.
"I--don't know," he whispered. Then he lost consciousness.
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Liz was standing in the middle of a ring of fire. She coughed and held her hand up to shield her eyes from the flames. "Somebody help me!" she screamed.
"Liz!" a voice screamed back.
"Max!"
"Where are you?"
"Liz!" another voice shouted.
She listened closer. There were more voices, calling her name. "Maria!"
Michael reached her first. "Liz, don't move!" he warned.
"Where is everyone?"
"They're all here somewhere." Michael took a deep breath and leapt through the flames to where she was standing. He shed his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Close your eyes!"
Liz did as told and Michael picked her up and leapt over the flames.
"Michael! Liz!" Isabel shouted, running over to them. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Liz?" Michael said anxiously.
She looked up at him. "I'm okay."
Suddenly she was engulfed in Max's arms. She buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly and met Michael's eyes. "Thank you," he mouthed.
Michael nodded and wrapped his arms around Maria.
"Liz, this is a dream," Max said, pulling away and looking at her. "Where are you?"
"Somewhere in the desert. Uncle Charlie kidnapped me. I think he used chloroform because I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick and I had a splitting headache."
Max leaned his forehead against hers. "We're going to find you, Liz, just hold on!"
Suddenly the earth began to rumble. "Max, I think the car's stopping!" she cried.
Isabel, Michael, Alex and Maria looked on in horror.
"Hold on, Liz! We're on our way!" he shouted.
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Liz woke up as her uncle was stopping the car. She was gripped by terror. She unfastened her seat belt. This is not going to happen again, she thought. He might have been able to hurt me when I was a child, but I'm not a child anymore. I can fight him now.
Uncle Charlie turned off the engine and smiled at her. He reached out to touch her face, but she shoved his hand away. "No!" she said loudly.
He frowned. "Don't be difficult, Lizzie." He reached for her again.
"I said no!" she shouted again, shoving him.
His eyes were flashing as he ciezed her wrists and slammed her back against the door. She fought not to black out. If she blacked out, it was all over.
He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand. "No! No!" she screamed.
Uncle Charlie reached beneath the t-shirt she'd been wearing as pajamas.
"No!" she screamed. She kneed him in the groin. He yanked his hand away so fast, her shirt tore and his fingernails raked against her leg so hard it drew blood.
Liz sat up and yanked on the door handle but it wouldn't budge. "Damn it!"
Uncle Charlie was quickly recovering from his injury.
Think, she commanded herself. Her gaze fell upon the tire iron under the seat. She reached for it just as he reached for her. Liz raked her nails down Charlie's face with one hand and grasped onto the tire iron with the other. She slammed it against the passenger window, shattering it.
Liz tore herself from his grasp and twisted her body until she was facing the window and began to pull herself through, ignoring the pain from the cuts on her hands from the broken glass. She was halfway out the window when he grabbed her thigh.
Liz screamed and swung the tire iron around, hitting him on the shoulder as hard as she could. He yelled in pain and she hit him again, this time, over the head, but not as hard. Charlie collapsed onto the seat with a low groan. He was unconscious.
Liz finished pulling herself out the car window, falling to the ground amidst the glass. Then she began to cry.
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"Oh, my God! There she is!" Maria screamed, staring out the window. Isabel had barely stopped the jeep when Maria leapt out the back and ran to her, followed closely by Alex. Maria let out a shriek as she got closer. "She's hurt! Max! Michael, Isabel! Liz is hurt!"
Liz shook her head and reached for Alex's hand. He quickly slipped his arm around her waist, unsure of how badly she was injured. He helped her to her feet, but very carefully.
"Liz! Are you all right?" Isabel asked.
She nodded and her eyes met Max's.
He stared at her. He took in the dried blood matting her hair against her bruised face, the fresh blood on her hands, arms and legs from the cuts from glass and Charlie's fingernails, her eyes which were red from crying, and then his gaze trailed down to her torn t-shirt, and for a long moment, Max couldn't even breathe.
Liz saw him struggling. "I'm okay," she said shakily. "I'm fine, Max."
Maria was crying. "What happened?"
Liz hugged her and Maria cried harder. "I'm okay, Maria."
"What did that bastard do to you?" Michael demanded, looking in the car window at the man who lay unconscious and bleeding. Even in that state, he looked better than Liz.
"Did he--?" Alex couldn't even finish his question he was so angry.
Liz pulled away from Maria and met Alex's eyes. "No. He tried. We struggled. I knocked him out."
"Thank God," Isabel whispered, near tears herself. She hugged Liz and then stepped back from her, waving her hand over Liz's shirt, and instantly repairing it.
"Thank you," Liz said softly. Isabel nodded.
Michael looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes. I'm okay."
He nodded and moved to inspect the car.
Max swallowed hard and stepped up to her. He couldn't stop staring at her. His eyes filled with tears as he reached out to touch her face. "Liz, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you." His head dropped as the tears fell from his eyes.
Liz shook her head vehemnantly. "No, Max. You did. All of you. I wouldn't have been able to get away if it hadn't been for you guys. You made me strong, Max. You gave me the strength to fight back."
Max raised his head to look at her. Tears stained his cheeks and hers, as well. Liz stepped forward and threw her arms around him, holding onto him tightly. Max hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "God, Liz, if he had...if he had..."
"Shhh, it's over. I'm okay, Max." She buried her face in his chest.
Max stroked her hair and they held each other for another minute. Then he pulled away. He closed his eyes and touched her face. The bruises and cuts and dried blood faded away. Then he opened his eyes and touched her arms. He healed the cuts there as well. "I wish I could heal the hurt here, too," he whispered, placing his hand over her heart.
"You already have," she whispered back, reaching up and touching his cheek gently. "You already have, Max."
"Uh, guys, I don't think he's going to be unconscious much longer," Maria said nervously, watching as Charlie began to stir in the car.
"All right. Time to decide. Liz?" Michael said, turning to her.
Liz took a deep breath, and reached for Max's hand. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand tightly. A smile started to form on both their faces. "I have a plan," Liz said. Max smiled down at her.
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His head was throbbing as he awakened slowly. What the hell happened? he wondered. Then he remembered. Lizzie hit me. That bitch!
He tried to push himself up but quickly discovered he couldn't move his hands. "What the hell--?" he tried to say. But a gag in his mouth prevented him from speaking.
He opened his eyes and found himself facing three very pissed off guys, and two girls who didn't make him feel that he was any safer with them.
"So you thought you could take her and get by with it?" Alex demanded, glaring at him.
Charlie watched him, his eyes widened in horror as Alex walked around to one side of him.
"You thought you could drug her, kidnap her, and drag her into the middle of the desert to what? Rape her? Kill her?" Maria demanded, walking until she stood behind him.
Charlie was becoming very afraid.
"And with us sleeping in the same room, no less," Isabel said coldly. The look in the girl's eyes sent shivers down Charlie's spine. She moved to the other side of him, opposite Alex.
"We would never let you hurt Liz," Michael growled. "She's a part of my family, and nobody, NOBODY gets by with trying to hurt my family!" He moved a bit to the left and kept his eyes locked on Charlie.
"But now that we have you, and you can't hurt anyone, the question is, what do we do with you?" Isabel asked.
"I say we kill him," Max said darkly.
Charlie's eyes widened and he stared at Max as Max stared at him. There was no hint of humor in the young man's eyes, nothing to suggest he was kidding.
"Drive him off a cliff, cause an explosion like we did the last time," Alex said cooly.
Charlie turned to look at him. This can't be happening. Not really.
"Yeah, we burnt up Peterson so badly, they couldn't even I.D. him," Isabel said, a smile curving on her lips.
Charlie's eyes widened even more. This young woman truly frightened him.
"We could do that," Maria agreed, walking around so Charlie could see her. "Or we could chop him into one inch pieces like we did Masterson and feed him to the coyotes," she said, turning the sharp butcher knife over in her hands. She smiled as she watched the growing horror on the man's face.
Max smiled and nodded. "Or we could keep him underground at our meeting place and torture him to death."
Charlie protested through the gag.
"We take care of our family," Michael said lowly, his eyes piercing needles into Charlie's.
Charlie swallowed hard. His eyes widened as Liz walked up between Max and Michael.
"My protectors," she said, placing one of her hands on each of their shoulders. Max and Michael both smiled at her. She kissed Michael on the cheek and then turned and pulled Max's face down to hers until their lips touched. When the kiss ended, their eyes locked and they smiled at one another.
Then she turned her head and stared at her uncle, her eyes darkening. She stepped forward. "You have two choices, Charlie. Are you listening?"
He nodded quickly, his eyes remaining wide open.
"You can either leave New Mexico, and swear to me that you will never, ever come back. That you'll never contact me or my parents, or ever tell anyone about what happened out here. Or--" she motioned to Max, Michael and the others. "--I let my friends decide what to do with you."
Their eyes locked. "It's your choice, Charlie. I'm giving you a choice, even though you didn't give me one. But I have all the power now. I am in control. I can destroy you if I want to." She removed the gag from his mouth.
"Then why don't you?" he choked out.
"I don't need to. I don't have the need to hurt people like you do. I have these people as my family. They love me despite what you did to me." She felt Max interlace his fingers with hers. Michael did the same with her other hand. "I win, Charlie. I walk away with something you can never have," she said, holding up her hands, clutched tightly in her friends' hands.
Charlie stared at her for a long moment. His eyes lowered.
"Make your choice," Michael commanded.
"Or we'll do it for you," Max added, on the verge of losing control. Liz sensed it and squeezed his hand.
"I'll leave."
"And?" Max pressed, the anger edging into his voice.
"And never come back."
"If you come back, we will kill you," Isabel whispered, staring into his eyes.
His eyes widened again. "I won't come back. I swear."
"Untie him," Liz said, nodding.
Michael stepped foward and yanked the man to his feet. He untied the ropes and shoved him away.
Max grabbed Charlie from behind and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "And if you ever even think about touching her again, I will know it. And I will track you down, and I'll make sure you're not able to hurt another woman for the rest of your life. And when I'm through with you, you'll only wish I had killed you." He shoved Charlie away from him, barely able to stop himself from using his powers to make the man stop breathing.
"Get in the car and drive away," Liz commanded.
Charlie hurried to the driver's side and then stared at her. "Lizzie," he said.
She turned to look at him. "My name is Liz," she said cooly. Then she took Max's hand, and they walked back to the jeep, followed by Alex, Isabel, Michael and Maria. Liz climbed into the passenger seat and Max climbed into the driver's seat, letting go of her hand only long enough to start the engine. Then he grabbed her hand again, squeezing it tightly.
Liz looked into the rearview mirror. Charlie was staring after them. Then she arranged the mirror where she couldn't look into it. Max glanced over at her. "No more looking back," she whispered.
Max squeezed her hand again and she turned on the radio.
"Where, where, where
Where are you?
You don't have to look out anymore
You don't have to look out that window anymore
You can come back to yourself
You can come back to this world..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You kids sure you'll be all right by yourselves? I'd be glad to come along," Larry, the ranch owner said, gazing at the six teens in front of him.
"We'll be all right," one of the guys said, smiling at his friends. "We'll look out for each other. Right, Isabel?"
Isabel smiled back. "Right, Alex."
"You kids be careful!" he called after them. He stared as they lead the horses away by the reins. Never in his whole life had he seen six people their age so close.
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Michael looked at Maria and then at the large chestnut horse. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, sensing her nervousness.
"It's just a matter of trust, right?" she asked, swinging herself up onto the saddle.
He smiled as he did the same on the back of his own horse. "Right," he agreed.
They watched as Alex and Isabel swung themselves up onto their horses.
Max and Liz smiled at one another as they mounted their horses last. Liz reached out her hand and wove her fingers through Max's. They lead their horses to a trot. Liz squeezed Max's hand tightly for a moment and then let go, leading her horse to a gallop.
She felt, rather than saw the others do the same. Max's horse ran along side her own. She smiled. They all rode seperately, but they were all very much together. Liz smiled as she saw the rainbow up ahead. The storm was finally over.
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-07 02:29 am (UTC)I'm so glad Liz stood up for herself in the end and took back her control over the situation. Very empowering. Great fic, girl.
And is that a sequel I see posted beneath this?
Hmmm......
*runs to read*
no subject
Date: 2008-04-07 02:50 pm (UTC)It is a sequel--but I should warn you, it's not finished. :/