"Trading Places"
"What Now?" |
Part 1 by Rachel |
Disclaimer: I don't own the show Roswell, nor the characters. Pathetic, isn't
it? Summary: Takes place right after the season finale. It's mostly from Max's point of view. He falls asleep only to wake up to a very different Roswell. People are acting weird, like they aren't the same people they were only before. Category: Max/Liz Rating: PG-13 Authors Note: This is sorta an alternate universe, only not. Max is just about the only constant. Also I spelled Isabel as Isabelle on purpose. You'll find out later. |
Max walked into his room feeling very worn out. After Liz had left, he
tried to follow her on foot to make sure nothing happened to her. He never found
her walking back. He figured she had hitched back because he saw her cleaning up
at the Crash Down when he got back. She looked really sad and he wished he could
have gone in and comforted her. But he couldn't. Not after the way she said that
he already had a destiny. One she wasn't a part of. Right now Max couldn't think straight. He decided to sleep on it. He'd figure out everything tomorrow. Max kicked his shoes off and crawled into his bed. He didn't even bother to change. Didn't matter right now. Nothing did. Except Liz. He still couldn't believe how upset she was. How upset he made her. Sleep. If he could just get to sleep everything would be better. Max woke up with the sun glaring in on him. Why hadn't I bothered to close the blinds, Max wondered. Max glanced at his clock. 5:30 A.M. He figured there wasn't any point in trying to go back to sleep so he got up and started to change. He had a pounding headache and made a mental note to get aspirin as soon as he was decent. About ten minutes later Isabelle came bounding into his room. "Morning sleepy." "What? Isabelle, it's 5:45 on a Sunday, what are you doing up?" "Same as you. I couldn't sleep. I've actually been up since four so I made breakfast. Why don't you come down before it gets really cold?" Max just shrugged. His sister had never made breakfast when she couldn't sleep before. But it fit perfectly with the strange week he was having. Max followed his sister into the kitchen. She already had their meals ready, down to a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk for both of them. "Geese Isabelle, you went all out." "I needed something to do. Plus I figured you needed something nice after yesterday." "Thanks," Max mumbled and looked down at his food. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, both the sweet and the really spicy kind, and Tabasco sauce and sugar to boot; basically the perfect breakfast for them. Pity he didn't feel like eating. On any other day he would have stuffed himself, but all he could think about was why he had let Michael convince him not to go after Liz. Isabelle was staring at him with a concerned expression, so Max decided that he should at least eat some of it. He picked up the Tabasco sauce and dumped it on his eggs. He then took a tiny bite. Too hot. That was weird, Max thought. "Maybe if you hadn't put as much of that on as Liz had you could still eat it," Isabelle said jokingly. She then saw the hurt expression of Max's face and realized that it was too soon to mention former soul mate. "I'm sorry Max. I really didn't mean to mention her. Tell you what, why don't we go over to Michael's or just for a drive or something. Something to get your mind off...you know what." "Thanks Isabelle, I think I will go for a drive. But by myself if it's ok with you?" "Yeah Max, just be careful. I don't need you to start obsessing, and I know you will, and get in a car accident." Max started to leave, but Isabelle caught him again. "And Max? Liz does love you, as unlikely as that seems, she does." Thanks for rubbing it in my face, Max thought. But from the look on Isabelle's face, she was genuinely trying to make him feel better. Max walked out to his car and drove off. He really didn't know where he was going; he just needed to go someplace that was not here. He had been driving a while when he started to get really hungry. Duh, you didn't eat breakfast, he thought. Max used his growling tummy as an excuse to go into the Crash Down Café, but he knew that he really just wanted to make sure Liz was okay after what had happened. He walked into the Crash Down and immediately sat down in the booth by the window, making sure he wasn't in Liz's section in case she was working. He didn't think she was, but you never know. As soon as he had sat down, Liz came up to him and slid into the booth right across from him. She didn't have her waitress uniform on, so she wasn't working. She looked extremely worried, like he was supposed to be here already and she thought he was hurt. "Max I really need to talk to you if you'll let me," Liz said trying not to sound desperate. "Of course," Max said slightly confused by the way Liz was acting, but really relieved that she wasn't running full speed away from him. Liz got up and Max followed her. She walked out of the Café and straight toward his Jeep. "Mind if we drive somewhere that's else?" "Sure," Max said still a little confused by her behavior. What was up with her? Max thought. "So...where to?" "I dunno, why don't we just head out into the desert until we come to a place that looks like a good place to talk." Max nodded and steered the Jeep out of Roswell. Don't think, just drive. If you keep driving Liz can't run off, Max told himself. He was getting twitchy with Liz sitting there. She was pretending not to stare at him, but he'd turn his head to glance at her every so often and see a worried expression on her face for about a second. Then she snapped out of it and smiled at him, then turn her head. What the... He eventually came to a place where there was an overhang that would give them shade. He had driven onto BLM land, so he knew they wouldn't get into any trouble as long as they left the Jeep on the road. "How are you doing?" Liz asked finally looking Max in the eye. "Fine, and you?" Max was really confused by her behavior. He should be asking if she was ok after what happened to her. Why was she acting terribly concerned about him? "Good. Why don't we go over there?" Liz said pointing to the over hang. Max followed her and they sat down in the shade under it. "So...what did you want to talk about?" Max asked. He was a little unsure of how to act. He didn't want to upset Liz and send her off into the desert to hitchhike back into town again. "About how you're feeling. I know you were really upset yesterday at the cave. And I just wanted to know that I still love you. No mater what she said." That's good to know, Max thought, but shouldn't I be saying this? "Look, Max, yesterday never should have happened. We're all human. That's for sure. Which means even though some of us were aliens, that's no longer the case. A new life; a new fate, right?" "I guess so." "Max, I love you. I always have and I think I always will. I just can't think of having to leave you." He noticed that Liz was beginning to tremble slightly. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. They sat there for a while like that. A little while later Liz looked up at him, "Max?" "Yeah?" "Are you upset with me?" "What? Why would I be upset with you?" "Because of yesterday. I was totally out of line." "It's like you said, yesterday never should have happened. So don't worry about it." Max then leaned down and kissed Liz. A little while later Liz pulled back from their kiss. "Max, maybe we should head back. People might be worried about us. And Max? Don't worry about anything. I'm not ever going to leave you. No matter what she said," Liz then walked off towards the Jeep. Max sat on the ground looking at her for a while. He was very confused by the way she was acting. Liz turned around with a puzzled look on her face so Max got up and followed her over to the Jeep. "So where to?" Max asked getting into the driver's seat. "I was thinking that we should start by heading back to Roswell. Then we can decide." "Sounds good to me." Max then turned on the Jeep and headed back to Roswell. Back in Roswell, Michael had wandered into the Crash Down. He saw Maria and walked up to her. "Hey." "Hey, how are you?" "I'm good. About the other day, don't you think you were a bit harsh? I mean just 'cause Agent Pierce got it doesn't mean it'll happen again." "Yeah, but I really don't feel like risking it just now. Maybe when I know that everything's safe. But not just now." "But that's the thing Maria, it'll never be safe. For all we know I could get run over by a car when I leave here. You could get sick again and be in a place where we can't heal you. We don't know. And I know about this thing between you and Alex. But that's over. It's dead over. Let's just pretend that that message was never received. Please?!" Maria just looked at him with a sad expression on her face. Liz and Max had walked in soon after Maria and Michael had started talking. "What's up with them?" Max said pointing to Maria and Michael. "They're probably doing what we just did. Getting our relationship figured out, that is." Max smiled at her coyly and sat down in a booth and immediately pulled her down after him. Liz cozied up to him. They heard Maria tell Michael to talk to her about something later, and then Michael walked up and asked if he could sit with them. Michael sat down looking a little exasperated. "You okay?" Liz asked. "Yeah. You know how there's the inevitable bumps in every relationship? Well we just hit one the size of Everest," Michael explained. "What happened?" Liz asked. "She doesn't want me to get too close 'cause she's afraid of one of us getting hurt; namely me." "Want me to talk to her?" "Could you? I'm guessing that you two fixed the kinks out by the way you guys are snuggling." Both Max and Liz blushed. Liz then said, "I just got one question. If you really want her back, why are you just sitting here? Go sit over in her section, order something, and leave a big ol' tip." Michael grinned at Liz's last remark. "So what, now am I supposed to give you big ol' tips too?" Max asked speaking for the first time since Michael sat down. "Well, you don't have to make them bigger, but they better not get any smaller." Max grinned at Liz. I can't believe I almost lost her; lost this, Max thought to himself. Michael grinned at the two of them. "I'm gonna take Liz's advice and leave you two alone. And a little advice for you two: get a room." Michael made a big Cheshire Cat grin then walked over and sat down at a table in Maria's section. Liz started to get up as Max grabbed her arm. "And where are you going?" "What Michael told us to do...get a room." Max's eyes went a little wide. Then he followed her up to her apartment above the Crash Down. |
Index | Part 2 |