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xtremeroswelliaAuthor: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
Rating: R for language, violence and content
Author's Note: 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! :)
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. :)
Feedback: Please...and be critical if you feel the need...I can take it.
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
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
You Were Meant For Me (Part 20)
Alex supressed a yawn as he waited for Liz to unlock the door to her family's apartment. Her movements were slow and lethargic as she opened the door and carelessly dropped her purse onto the floor just inside the doorway, and her suitcase next to it.
He set his duffle bag and guitar case down next to her stuff and closed the door, worry furrowing his brow.
Liz hadn't slept the night before, and she had flat out refused to eat anything all day today. Her face, which had drained of all color when she made the connection between her grandmother and the alien necklace, had remained colorless since then. She literally looked like death warmed over.
Alex fought a wave of exhaustion as he headed for the refridgerator and swung it open. He rifled through the contents, finally pulling out some lunch meat and cheese, and grabbing the loaf of bread off the counter. He quickly made two sandwiches, and carried them over to the couch where Liz had dropped down and was now staring at the wall.
He tried to hand one to her, but she shook her head. "Liz, you need to eat."
"Not hungry."
"You need to eat anyway." Alex sat down next to her and held the plate out.
"I don't want it."
"I don't care. You need to eat. You're going to make yourself sick." He held it out insistently. "Please," he added quietly.
Liz finally looked at him, her normally expressive brown eyes looking dull. Then she took the plate from him. After staring at it for a moment she took a bite of the sandwich and frowned. "It tastes funny."
Alex took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "Mine tastes okay."
She sighed and set the plate on the coffee table. "Thanks."
The telephone rang. When Liz made no move to pick it up, Alex rose to his feet and picked up the receiver. "Parker residence."
"Alex?"
"Yeah...And this is...?" He waited.
"It's Michael. We need to talk."
Alex frowned and glanced over his shoulder to Liz, who hadn't moved. "About--?"
"Not over the phone. Are Liz's parents home?"
"No," he said slowly.
"Can we come over?"
"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea right now."
"It's important."
Alex hesitated, looking back at Liz again. "It can't wait for awhile?"
"Not really."
"All right," he said with a sigh. "I assume this means all of you, right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't bring Tess," Alex said, a touch of warning in his voice.
"We won't."
Alex hung up the phone and moved back over to the sofa. "Liz?"
"Hmmm?"
"Michael and...the others are on their way over. He said it was important." He watched her carefully to try and gauge her reaction, but to his surprise, she didn't have one. "Liz? Did you hear me?"
"Yes."
He decided to try a different tactic. "Liz, whether or not she was your real grandmother doesn't matter...she loved you. You loved her."
Liz finally met his eyes, her eyes tearing up again. "I know."
"What are you going to do?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea...I don't even know where to start. I mean, if she was an...an alien, then that means one of two things. One is that--my dad was adopted. The second one is maybe I was...adopted." Liz put her face in her hands.
Alex shifted closer to her on the couch, putting one arm around her shoulders. "We'll figure it out, Lizzie," he said quietly.
When she took her hands away and looked at him, tears were on her cheeks again, but a small smile played on her lips. "You haven't called me that since we were in sixth grade, Alex."
He smiled back. "What can I say? I tried to sound grown up, but we both know that's not true. I admit it...I want to be a 'Toys R Us' kid."
Liz laughed and then laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks." There was a long moment of silence. Then, "Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"What if...if I was adopted? I mean...my real parents...how would I find them?"
"If you were adopted, and what you want is to find your real parents...I'll help you track down the adoption records. We'll find a way." He kissed her forehead. "It'll be okay."
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Maria waited outside the Parker's apartment door anxiously beside Michael. Max and Isabel were right behind them. A moment later, the door opened and Alex appeared, looking very tired. He looked at Michael, and then her with a wary eye. "Come in."
Maria didn't hesitate. She walked inside the familiar apartment and spotted Liz on the sofa, curled up in a somewhat defensive posture. She sat down across from her in one of the Parker's Lazy Boys. "Hi," she said softly.
Liz's gaze flickered to her face and Maria was startled by the haunted look in her eyes. "Hey."
Never had she been afraid to talk to Liz before. But now butterflies were flying in her stomach like crazy and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She watched as Michael moved to stand beside her chair, and Alex returned to his place on the couch next to Liz. Isabel and Max both lingered nervously by the door.
"What's going on?" Alex asked, rubbing his forehead as though he was trying to get rid of a headache.
Maria glanced up at Michael, who was looking down at her. "We have some news," she said finally.
Alex looked at her expectantly.
"Um...Where do I start?" she wondered aloud, closing her eyes briefly.
"The beginning would be nice. And keep in mind some of us haven't slept in awhile, so anytime you want to start would be just fine."
Maria looked at Alex, stunned by the coldness of his voice.
"You don't need to be defensive, Alex," Michael said quietly, staring at him.
"Let me," Isabel said softly, stepping forward. She moved across the room and tentatively sat down next to Alex on the sofa. "Tess is an FBI agent."
Alex gaped at her, and even Liz turned to look at her, shock on her face.
"She was brainwashing Max and me to try and find out who we really are."
"Oh, my God. Did you--?"
"No, at least...I don't think so," she said hesitantly. "We don't remember much from the past few weeks."
Alex blinked and shook his head. Then he moved his gaze to Maria. He stared at her. "Wait a minute...you were just trying to get proof, weren't you?"
She nodded her head slowly. "Michael and I started to suspect her awhile ago. So we came up with this plan. I would get close to her and try to find out as much about her as I could."
"It was actually Sheriff Valenti who got the proof," Michael admitted.
"Sheriff Valenti?" Alex repeated.
"He, uh...broke into her apartment and dusted for fingerprints. Then he ran them through the national FBI database and matched them to one Special Investigator for the FBI. He warned us that Max was danger," Maria added.
"And where...is she now?" Liz spoke up, her voice quiet.
"She left town after Michael and I confronted her."
There was a long moment of dead silence.
Maria watched as Alex looked over at Liz, and Liz shook her head at him slightly.
"Liz," Max whispered. "Can we talk for a few minutes...alone?"
She looked up at him, met his eyes for a brief moment, and then nodded. She stood up and headed down the hallway, Max following her.
Maria bit her lip as she glanced over at Alex. He stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. He smiled at her and then held his arms open.
Maria rose to her feet and threw herself into his arms, her eyes filling with tears as she buried her face in his shoulder. She had missed him so much.
Alex squeezed her tightly and whispered in her ear. "I'm glad we didn't lose you to the dark side." She supressed a laugh and smiled broader as he kissed her forehead. Then he pulled away from her and nodded his head at Michael before turning to face Isabel.
Maria was surprised to see how nervous Isabel appeared as she sat on the sofa, watching every move Alex made. When he held his arms open to her, Isabel's own eyes filled with tears and she rushed into his embrace.
Now all they had to do was wait for Liz's reaction.
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Max closed Liz's bedroom door behind them and waited as Liz sat down on her bed. She stared down at the floor, her face pale. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Liz," he repeated, moving to sit down next to her. "I can't even tell you how sorry I am...I don't...I don't even remember hardly anything about what's happened since she came here." He paused, looking over at her. "The last thing I remember...is being with you...out on your roof that night."
Liz looked at him, her eyes clouded with tears. She stood up and moved away from him. "Max, I'm not ready to...deal with this right now."
He hung his head and stared at the floor. "I can't even imagine how hard this has been for you."
"No, you can't," she said softly, brushing a tear away.
Max closed his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you. You have to know that. I just...wasn't in control of what was happening. The last thing I would ever want to do is cause you pain, Liz," he whispered.
"I know that, Max. In my heart I know that," Liz whispered back. "But I need some...I need some time right now...to think."
"I won't rush you," he promised. He stood up and moved to the door. "I just want you to know that..."
"I know," she said. She turned to face him and their eyes met. Then she followed him out the door as they walked back to the living room where the others were.
Max met Michael's eyes and nodded. Then he looked at Isabel. "We should go home now. Mom's probably worried," he said.
Isabel stood up and hugged Alex again. Then she moved across the room to where Liz was lingering in the hallway, and she hugged her. Liz was taken aback, and met Alex's eyes. He gave her a small smile and then she hugged Isabel back.
"Thank you," Isabel whispered, pulling away to look at her. "For helping me the other day at school. For keeping her away from me."
Liz nodded, managing to give her a smile. "You're welcome."
Isabel walked away from her, and followed Max out the front door. Michael lingered for a moment, looking at Maria.
"I'll see you later," Maria said to him.
He nodded and followed Max and Isabel, closing the door behind him.
Maria sat still for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Alex stood up and yawned. "You know, I could use some fresh air. Mind if I step out on your roof for a bit?" he asked Liz.
She shook her head and watched as Alex headed towards her room, shutting the door behind him.
Liz remained standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall. She looked across the room to Maria, biting her lip.
Maria met her eyes and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you tell me that you and Michael suspected her?" Liz asked softly.
"Because I knew if I told you that we thought she was brainwashing Max and Isabel, you would want to be part of it...and it was too dangerous. I didn't want you and Alex involved. I didn't want you to get hurt," Maria said honestly.
"I thought you hated me," she whispered, wiping away her tears.
Maria's own eyes filled with tears. "I could never hate you, Lizzie. You're my best friend in the world."
At her words, Liz started to cry, and at the sight of Liz crying, Maria started to cry as well. Maria stumbled towards her and held her arms out as Liz walked into them, hugging her tightly. A moment later, another pair of arms came around them both, and Maria looked up into Alex's warm eyes. Then she slid one arm around his waist and hugged him, as well. "I love you guys," Maria choked out, pressing her face into Liz's shoulder as she cried.
"I love you, too," Liz and Alex said at the same time.
The Three Musketeers were back together again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Call when you get home and let us know you made it," Alex told Maria as he escorted her to the Parker's front door a couple hours later, after the three of them had had one of their famous ice cream talks.
"I will," she promised. She smiled at him and he smiled back and then kissed her forehead. "See you later."
"Bye." Alex watched as she headed down the stairs. Then he closed the door, locked it, and turned back to Liz, who was curled up on the couch again. She looked a little better than she had a few hours ago. Her face had regained a bit of its color and her eyes didn't look as lifeless as they had.
He wasn't sure about her, but he felt about 100% better, knowing that Maria was still his friend, and that Isabel and Max were back to normal. Or, at least halfway. He had seen the haunted look in Isabel's eyes and it tore at his heart. He wanted to kill Tess for doing that to her...for doing it to all of them. He hoped that they could all find their way back to one another.
At least Tess was gone, and the FBI was out of Roswell again.
For now.
Maybe if the six of them could really pull together this time, something like this wouldn't happen again.
"Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you say anything to Maria about your grandmother?" he asked softly. "I mean...I understand why you didn't bring it up to the Czechoslovakians yet, but..."
"I'm just not ready to deal with it right now, Alex. Not until I talk to my parents, and find out whether or not they're really my parents. I need some answers first. Is that wrong?" she asked, biting her lip and looking up at him.
Alex wished she had told Maria, but he shook his head in understanding. "No. It's not wrong."
"I wanted to tell her, but..."
"I know."
They stared at the picture of Claudia Parker on the wall in front of them as silence fell between them.
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Michael stared out at the lake below Buckley Point and sighed. He sat on the hood of his car, leaning his head back against the wind shield. What a mess things were. He wasn't sure what had happened between Liz and Max, but Max had been very silent on the way back to the Evans'.
Isabel had sat up front in the passenger seat next to him. In all the years he'd known her, never once had he seen her so vulnerable. It was just...scary.
He thought about Alex and Liz's reactions to finding out that Tess was FBI. He was glad that Alex and Maria had made up. He just hoped Liz and Maria would, too.
Michael looked up at the sky, surprised when the sunlight was suddenly blotted out by a dark cloud. A slight breeze rustled over the cliff and he shivered, feeling the chill all the way to his bones.
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Ring, ring!
"I got it this time," Liz said, giving Alex a slight smile as she rose to her feet and picked up the telepone receiver. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I made it home safely," Maria told her.
"Good to hear...is your mom home?"
"No, not yet. She should be home soon, then." There was a pause. "Oh, wait. I heard the door open, I think she just walked in. Hold on a sec, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Liz turned to face Alex, who was flipping through the television channels with the remote. She smiled when she saw that he stopped it on the Cartoon Network because Scooby Doo was on. She heard some noises over the line. "Maria?"
She heard the sound of breaking glass and then a short scream.
"Maria!" Liz said into the phone, her voice rising in panic. She looked back at Alex, who was on his feet and at her side an instant later.
"Liz Parker, I assume?" a voice said.
Liz's heart thudded in her chest. "Who is this?"
"Who do you think?"
"Tess," Liz whispered.
"Very good. Now here's the deal, Ms. Parker. Meet me at the cave on the Mescalero Reservation in one hour or you'll never see Ms. DeLuca alive again." The line went dead.
The phone slid out of her hand and landed on the floor with a resounding thud.
"Liz?" Alex reached out and slid an arm around her waist as she swayed on her feet.
"Tess has Maria..." She met his eyes.
"Oh, my God," he said, his voice barely audible.
"She said...if I don't meet her in the cave..." Liz pulled away from Alex, suddenly gaining a surge of energy from her anger and hatred for Tess. She hurried to the door, slipping her feet into her shoes and grabbing her car keys. Then she threw her arms around Alex and hugged him. "Go stay with Max and Isabel. You'll be safe there."
He removed her arms from around his neck. "If you think I'm letting you go to that cave alone, you've got another thing coming."
"It's too dangerous, Alex."
"I'm going with you. Deal with it," he said, glaring at her.
Liz took a deep breath. "Then let's go before it's too late."
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.
Rating: R for language, violence and content
Author's Note: 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! :)
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. :)
Feedback: Please...and be critical if you feel the need...I can take it.
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
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
You Were Meant For Me (Part 20)
Alex supressed a yawn as he waited for Liz to unlock the door to her family's apartment. Her movements were slow and lethargic as she opened the door and carelessly dropped her purse onto the floor just inside the doorway, and her suitcase next to it.
He set his duffle bag and guitar case down next to her stuff and closed the door, worry furrowing his brow.
Liz hadn't slept the night before, and she had flat out refused to eat anything all day today. Her face, which had drained of all color when she made the connection between her grandmother and the alien necklace, had remained colorless since then. She literally looked like death warmed over.
Alex fought a wave of exhaustion as he headed for the refridgerator and swung it open. He rifled through the contents, finally pulling out some lunch meat and cheese, and grabbing the loaf of bread off the counter. He quickly made two sandwiches, and carried them over to the couch where Liz had dropped down and was now staring at the wall.
He tried to hand one to her, but she shook her head. "Liz, you need to eat."
"Not hungry."
"You need to eat anyway." Alex sat down next to her and held the plate out.
"I don't want it."
"I don't care. You need to eat. You're going to make yourself sick." He held it out insistently. "Please," he added quietly.
Liz finally looked at him, her normally expressive brown eyes looking dull. Then she took the plate from him. After staring at it for a moment she took a bite of the sandwich and frowned. "It tastes funny."
Alex took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "Mine tastes okay."
She sighed and set the plate on the coffee table. "Thanks."
The telephone rang. When Liz made no move to pick it up, Alex rose to his feet and picked up the receiver. "Parker residence."
"Alex?"
"Yeah...And this is...?" He waited.
"It's Michael. We need to talk."
Alex frowned and glanced over his shoulder to Liz, who hadn't moved. "About--?"
"Not over the phone. Are Liz's parents home?"
"No," he said slowly.
"Can we come over?"
"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea right now."
"It's important."
Alex hesitated, looking back at Liz again. "It can't wait for awhile?"
"Not really."
"All right," he said with a sigh. "I assume this means all of you, right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't bring Tess," Alex said, a touch of warning in his voice.
"We won't."
Alex hung up the phone and moved back over to the sofa. "Liz?"
"Hmmm?"
"Michael and...the others are on their way over. He said it was important." He watched her carefully to try and gauge her reaction, but to his surprise, she didn't have one. "Liz? Did you hear me?"
"Yes."
He decided to try a different tactic. "Liz, whether or not she was your real grandmother doesn't matter...she loved you. You loved her."
Liz finally met his eyes, her eyes tearing up again. "I know."
"What are you going to do?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea...I don't even know where to start. I mean, if she was an...an alien, then that means one of two things. One is that--my dad was adopted. The second one is maybe I was...adopted." Liz put her face in her hands.
Alex shifted closer to her on the couch, putting one arm around her shoulders. "We'll figure it out, Lizzie," he said quietly.
When she took her hands away and looked at him, tears were on her cheeks again, but a small smile played on her lips. "You haven't called me that since we were in sixth grade, Alex."
He smiled back. "What can I say? I tried to sound grown up, but we both know that's not true. I admit it...I want to be a 'Toys R Us' kid."
Liz laughed and then laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks." There was a long moment of silence. Then, "Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"What if...if I was adopted? I mean...my real parents...how would I find them?"
"If you were adopted, and what you want is to find your real parents...I'll help you track down the adoption records. We'll find a way." He kissed her forehead. "It'll be okay."
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Maria waited outside the Parker's apartment door anxiously beside Michael. Max and Isabel were right behind them. A moment later, the door opened and Alex appeared, looking very tired. He looked at Michael, and then her with a wary eye. "Come in."
Maria didn't hesitate. She walked inside the familiar apartment and spotted Liz on the sofa, curled up in a somewhat defensive posture. She sat down across from her in one of the Parker's Lazy Boys. "Hi," she said softly.
Liz's gaze flickered to her face and Maria was startled by the haunted look in her eyes. "Hey."
Never had she been afraid to talk to Liz before. But now butterflies were flying in her stomach like crazy and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She watched as Michael moved to stand beside her chair, and Alex returned to his place on the couch next to Liz. Isabel and Max both lingered nervously by the door.
"What's going on?" Alex asked, rubbing his forehead as though he was trying to get rid of a headache.
Maria glanced up at Michael, who was looking down at her. "We have some news," she said finally.
Alex looked at her expectantly.
"Um...Where do I start?" she wondered aloud, closing her eyes briefly.
"The beginning would be nice. And keep in mind some of us haven't slept in awhile, so anytime you want to start would be just fine."
Maria looked at Alex, stunned by the coldness of his voice.
"You don't need to be defensive, Alex," Michael said quietly, staring at him.
"Let me," Isabel said softly, stepping forward. She moved across the room and tentatively sat down next to Alex on the sofa. "Tess is an FBI agent."
Alex gaped at her, and even Liz turned to look at her, shock on her face.
"She was brainwashing Max and me to try and find out who we really are."
"Oh, my God. Did you--?"
"No, at least...I don't think so," she said hesitantly. "We don't remember much from the past few weeks."
Alex blinked and shook his head. Then he moved his gaze to Maria. He stared at her. "Wait a minute...you were just trying to get proof, weren't you?"
She nodded her head slowly. "Michael and I started to suspect her awhile ago. So we came up with this plan. I would get close to her and try to find out as much about her as I could."
"It was actually Sheriff Valenti who got the proof," Michael admitted.
"Sheriff Valenti?" Alex repeated.
"He, uh...broke into her apartment and dusted for fingerprints. Then he ran them through the national FBI database and matched them to one Special Investigator for the FBI. He warned us that Max was danger," Maria added.
"And where...is she now?" Liz spoke up, her voice quiet.
"She left town after Michael and I confronted her."
There was a long moment of dead silence.
Maria watched as Alex looked over at Liz, and Liz shook her head at him slightly.
"Liz," Max whispered. "Can we talk for a few minutes...alone?"
She looked up at him, met his eyes for a brief moment, and then nodded. She stood up and headed down the hallway, Max following her.
Maria bit her lip as she glanced over at Alex. He stood up and walked over to where she was sitting. He smiled at her and then held his arms open.
Maria rose to her feet and threw herself into his arms, her eyes filling with tears as she buried her face in his shoulder. She had missed him so much.
Alex squeezed her tightly and whispered in her ear. "I'm glad we didn't lose you to the dark side." She supressed a laugh and smiled broader as he kissed her forehead. Then he pulled away from her and nodded his head at Michael before turning to face Isabel.
Maria was surprised to see how nervous Isabel appeared as she sat on the sofa, watching every move Alex made. When he held his arms open to her, Isabel's own eyes filled with tears and she rushed into his embrace.
Now all they had to do was wait for Liz's reaction.
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Max closed Liz's bedroom door behind them and waited as Liz sat down on her bed. She stared down at the floor, her face pale. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
She didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Liz," he repeated, moving to sit down next to her. "I can't even tell you how sorry I am...I don't...I don't even remember hardly anything about what's happened since she came here." He paused, looking over at her. "The last thing I remember...is being with you...out on your roof that night."
Liz looked at him, her eyes clouded with tears. She stood up and moved away from him. "Max, I'm not ready to...deal with this right now."
He hung his head and stared at the floor. "I can't even imagine how hard this has been for you."
"No, you can't," she said softly, brushing a tear away.
Max closed his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you. You have to know that. I just...wasn't in control of what was happening. The last thing I would ever want to do is cause you pain, Liz," he whispered.
"I know that, Max. In my heart I know that," Liz whispered back. "But I need some...I need some time right now...to think."
"I won't rush you," he promised. He stood up and moved to the door. "I just want you to know that..."
"I know," she said. She turned to face him and their eyes met. Then she followed him out the door as they walked back to the living room where the others were.
Max met Michael's eyes and nodded. Then he looked at Isabel. "We should go home now. Mom's probably worried," he said.
Isabel stood up and hugged Alex again. Then she moved across the room to where Liz was lingering in the hallway, and she hugged her. Liz was taken aback, and met Alex's eyes. He gave her a small smile and then she hugged Isabel back.
"Thank you," Isabel whispered, pulling away to look at her. "For helping me the other day at school. For keeping her away from me."
Liz nodded, managing to give her a smile. "You're welcome."
Isabel walked away from her, and followed Max out the front door. Michael lingered for a moment, looking at Maria.
"I'll see you later," Maria said to him.
He nodded and followed Max and Isabel, closing the door behind him.
Maria sat still for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Alex stood up and yawned. "You know, I could use some fresh air. Mind if I step out on your roof for a bit?" he asked Liz.
She shook her head and watched as Alex headed towards her room, shutting the door behind him.
Liz remained standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall. She looked across the room to Maria, biting her lip.
Maria met her eyes and rose to her feet. "I'm sorry."
"Why didn't you tell me that you and Michael suspected her?" Liz asked softly.
"Because I knew if I told you that we thought she was brainwashing Max and Isabel, you would want to be part of it...and it was too dangerous. I didn't want you and Alex involved. I didn't want you to get hurt," Maria said honestly.
"I thought you hated me," she whispered, wiping away her tears.
Maria's own eyes filled with tears. "I could never hate you, Lizzie. You're my best friend in the world."
At her words, Liz started to cry, and at the sight of Liz crying, Maria started to cry as well. Maria stumbled towards her and held her arms out as Liz walked into them, hugging her tightly. A moment later, another pair of arms came around them both, and Maria looked up into Alex's warm eyes. Then she slid one arm around his waist and hugged him, as well. "I love you guys," Maria choked out, pressing her face into Liz's shoulder as she cried.
"I love you, too," Liz and Alex said at the same time.
The Three Musketeers were back together again.
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"Call when you get home and let us know you made it," Alex told Maria as he escorted her to the Parker's front door a couple hours later, after the three of them had had one of their famous ice cream talks.
"I will," she promised. She smiled at him and he smiled back and then kissed her forehead. "See you later."
"Bye." Alex watched as she headed down the stairs. Then he closed the door, locked it, and turned back to Liz, who was curled up on the couch again. She looked a little better than she had a few hours ago. Her face had regained a bit of its color and her eyes didn't look as lifeless as they had.
He wasn't sure about her, but he felt about 100% better, knowing that Maria was still his friend, and that Isabel and Max were back to normal. Or, at least halfway. He had seen the haunted look in Isabel's eyes and it tore at his heart. He wanted to kill Tess for doing that to her...for doing it to all of them. He hoped that they could all find their way back to one another.
At least Tess was gone, and the FBI was out of Roswell again.
For now.
Maybe if the six of them could really pull together this time, something like this wouldn't happen again.
"Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you say anything to Maria about your grandmother?" he asked softly. "I mean...I understand why you didn't bring it up to the Czechoslovakians yet, but..."
"I'm just not ready to deal with it right now, Alex. Not until I talk to my parents, and find out whether or not they're really my parents. I need some answers first. Is that wrong?" she asked, biting her lip and looking up at him.
Alex wished she had told Maria, but he shook his head in understanding. "No. It's not wrong."
"I wanted to tell her, but..."
"I know."
They stared at the picture of Claudia Parker on the wall in front of them as silence fell between them.
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Michael stared out at the lake below Buckley Point and sighed. He sat on the hood of his car, leaning his head back against the wind shield. What a mess things were. He wasn't sure what had happened between Liz and Max, but Max had been very silent on the way back to the Evans'.
Isabel had sat up front in the passenger seat next to him. In all the years he'd known her, never once had he seen her so vulnerable. It was just...scary.
He thought about Alex and Liz's reactions to finding out that Tess was FBI. He was glad that Alex and Maria had made up. He just hoped Liz and Maria would, too.
Michael looked up at the sky, surprised when the sunlight was suddenly blotted out by a dark cloud. A slight breeze rustled over the cliff and he shivered, feeling the chill all the way to his bones.
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Ring, ring!
"I got it this time," Liz said, giving Alex a slight smile as she rose to her feet and picked up the telepone receiver. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I made it home safely," Maria told her.
"Good to hear...is your mom home?"
"No, not yet. She should be home soon, then." There was a pause. "Oh, wait. I heard the door open, I think she just walked in. Hold on a sec, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Liz turned to face Alex, who was flipping through the television channels with the remote. She smiled when she saw that he stopped it on the Cartoon Network because Scooby Doo was on. She heard some noises over the line. "Maria?"
She heard the sound of breaking glass and then a short scream.
"Maria!" Liz said into the phone, her voice rising in panic. She looked back at Alex, who was on his feet and at her side an instant later.
"Liz Parker, I assume?" a voice said.
Liz's heart thudded in her chest. "Who is this?"
"Who do you think?"
"Tess," Liz whispered.
"Very good. Now here's the deal, Ms. Parker. Meet me at the cave on the Mescalero Reservation in one hour or you'll never see Ms. DeLuca alive again." The line went dead.
The phone slid out of her hand and landed on the floor with a resounding thud.
"Liz?" Alex reached out and slid an arm around her waist as she swayed on her feet.
"Tess has Maria..." She met his eyes.
"Oh, my God," he said, his voice barely audible.
"She said...if I don't meet her in the cave..." Liz pulled away from Alex, suddenly gaining a surge of energy from her anger and hatred for Tess. She hurried to the door, slipping her feet into her shoes and grabbing her car keys. Then she threw her arms around Alex and hugged him. "Go stay with Max and Isabel. You'll be safe there."
He removed her arms from around his neck. "If you think I'm letting you go to that cave alone, you've got another thing coming."
"It's too dangerous, Alex."
"I'm going with you. Deal with it," he said, glaring at her.
Liz took a deep breath. "Then let's go before it's too late."
