Author: Anne
E-mail: [email protected]
Category: M/L
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Roswell or any of the characters. I have no affiliation with the WB television network or the author Melinda Metz.
Author's Note: This takes place after Max is seen kissing Tess
by Liz.
Beginning Again
CRASHDOWN - AFTER SCHOOL
Max and Michael and Isabel are having an impromptu meeting in
order to discuss their fears regarding the obvious animosity
between Max and Liz and what that could mean for them.
Michael: "Well, Maxwell, do you still feel so sure that we
can trust them?"
Max: (irritated) "I don't know why you have to keep after this."
Isabel: "Max! Those two will hardly even look at us. Can
you blame us for being a little worried?"
Max: (repentant) "I guess not, but I don't know what you
expect me to do about it."
Michael: "The question is, what are they going to do about us?"
Max: "You know they won't say anything, Michael."
Michael: "No, I don't know that. Not anymore. And, neither do you." (leaves)
Isabel: "He's right, Max. We don't know what they might decide to do. They just act like they don't even know us."
Max: "I know, Is. The thing is, I don't think there's anything we can do about it except wait and see."
Isabel: "That's a lot to ask when it's our lives at stake."
Max: "Maybe you would have better luck approaching them than I have had with Liz."
Isabel: "What do you mean?"
Max: "Why don't you see if you can find a way to hang out with them or something . . ."
Isabel: "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Max: "I'm not sure. Why don't you come back here after closing and see if you can talk to them. Maybe they'll be more receptive to you since you're a female."
Isabel: "I don't know, Max."
Max: "Try . . . please."
Isabel: "O.k." (unconvinced)
CRASHDOWN - JUST AFTER CLOSING
Maria and Liz have just finished cleaning up and are sitting down
in a couple of chairs they have dragged over in front of a dart
board. The girls are absolutely beat . . . as much from working
that night as from the emotional stress they've been under
lately. Ignoring 3 aliens in your immediate vicinity as if they
weren't there was downright exhausting. They are facing the wall
and have their backs to the front door.
Maria: "I am sooooo glad your parents are out of town."
Liz: "Me, too." (doesn't really sound like she cares one way or the other)
Maria: "You know what we need tonight, Liz?"
Liz: "I can't imagine . . ." (sighs)
Maria: "We need to go out dancing and just forget all about this alien abyss we've both been sucked into." (gets up)
Liz: "I don't know, Maria . . ." (throws a dart and comes very close to the bullseye)
Maria comes back into the room with a beer for each of them and hands one to Liz who looks at it and then Maria questioningly.
Maria: "Trust me, Liz. This is exactly what we both need tonight. It's time to turn over a new leaf. You and I are going to go out and have fun tonight if it kills us."
Liz: "The way I feel right now, it just might." (tries the beer and throws another dart . . . this time she hits the bullseye)
Maria: "I know it'll be a little strange at first, but at least we won't be sitting here pining."
Liz: "Well, there is that, I suppose. Can we at least rest for 10 minutes first?"
Maria: "Oh . . . no problem . . . besides, we need to
finish these and our game." (gets up and turns on the
jukebox: Shania Twain's "Honey, I'm home" comes on)
"The car won't start--it's falling apart
I was late for work and the boss got smart
My pantyline shows--got a run in my hose
My hair went flat--man, I hate that..."
Liz: "Wow. We really are turning over a new leaf. Shania
Twain?"
Maria: "It's the message that's important here, Liz."
Liz: "Oh . . . I see. (not really seeing at all)
"...Honey, I'm home and I had a hard day
Pour me a cold one and oh, by the way
Rub my feet, gimme something to eat
Fix me up my favorite treat..."
Liz and Maria join in the song at this point.
"...I broke a nail opening the mail
I cursed out loud 'cause it hurt like hell
This job's a pain--it's so mundane
It sure don't stimulate my brain
This job ain't worth the pay
Can't wait til the end of the day
Honey, I'm on my way
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!"
The song ends and the girls have finished not one but two beers
and their game. All of a sudden from behind them, they hear
someone. Both girls drop their heads over the backs of their
chairs to see who is invading, but at this point not really
caring very much. Their upside down inspection reveals Isabel.
Liz: "I know I locked that door." (picks her head back
up and throws another dart)
Maria: "Looks like we need better locks." (grins at Isabel)
Isabel just rolls her eyes and smiles relieved that they aren't going to jump down her throat.
Isabel: "Shania Twain? You two really are in a mood aren't you?"
Maria: "Can you blame us?"
Isabel: "No. I suppose not. (sighs) Can I join you?"
Maria: "Sure. But you might want to avoid the alcohol since it seems to have such a pronounced affect on your . . . well, whatever."
Isabel: "I promise to stay sober, if you promise to leave me out of the bashing."
Maria and Liz look at each other and then back at Isabel.
Maria and Liz together: "Deal."
Isabel: "What are you up to tonight?"
Maria: "Why, are you spying?"
Isabel: "Ouch. No, I'm not spying. I just thought maybe I could hang out with you."
Liz and Maria look at each other again (incredulous).
Liz: "You? Want to hang with us?" (perplexed)
Maria: "Do you really expect us to believe you don't have something better to do tonight? (totally bewildered but too tired to examine the situation very closely)
Isabel: "Let's just say I'd like to spend some time in the company of other women tonight."
Maria: (brightening) "Well, you've come to the right place."
Liz: "Maria's singing tonight, but we're going dancing first. Meet us back here in half an hour and we'll go."
Isabel leaves to go home and change.
Isabel walks into Max's room 20 minutes later dressed to go out.
Max: "Where are you going dressed like that?" (alarmed)
Isabel: (shrugs) "They're going dancing."
Max: "Dancing?" (worried now . . .)
Isabel: "It gets worse. They're also drinking."
Max: "No way." (thunderous)
Isabel: "Way. See ya." (Retreating)
Max: "I'll drive you." (gets up to go after her)
CRASHDOWN -
Maria and Liz have spent the last half-hour getting dressed up
to go out dancing and drinking still yet another beer. They sit
back down in their chairs to resume their dart game and wait for
Isabel to return. Before she sits down, Maria puts another Shania
Twain song on the jukebox. This time it's "Man, I Feel Like
a Woman."
"I'm goin' out tonight--I'm feelin' alright..."
Liz: "Again? Maria, I don't think I can turn over a whole
new leaf in one night."
Maria: "Would you relax and let me guide you into an
evening of non-pining?"
"The best thing about being a woman
is the perogative to have a little fun and . . .
Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy--forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts, short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild--yeah, doin' it in style..."
Liz: "Next you'll be telling me we're going country- line
dancing!"
Maria: "I hadn't actually considered that, but . . ."
Liz: "Forget it!"
Maria: "Come on, Liz. You gotta be willing to try something new."
Liz: "I did that. Just look where it got me. Sitting here getting drunk with you."
Maria: "Cheers." (They clink their bottles together
a little too hard and burst into a fit of giggles.)
"The girls need a break--tonight we're gonna take
The chance to get out on the town
We don't need romance--we only wanna dance
We're gonna let our hair hang down..."
Isabel and Max have just let themselves in the locked door and
stand there waiting for the girls to notice them. Isabel clears
her throat after the song ends and two heads fall over the backs
of their chairs . . . again. The upside down view produces not
one Evans, but two.
Liz: "Damn, I know I locked that door."
Maria: (to Isabel) "What's he doing here?"
Isabel: "Relax. He just gave me a ride. He's leaving, right Max?"
Max: (looking at Liz in total disbelief) "What? Yeah, I'm going."
Liz: "I suppose it would defeat the purpose if he stayed, wouldn't it, Maria?"
Maria: "You're darn right it would. See ya, Max."
(Max leaves hesitantly. He decides right then and there that he's going to need help tonight and goes to look for Michael.)
AT MICHAEL'S
MAX: "MICHAEL, YOU HAVE GOT TO COME WITH ME."
MICHAEL: "HAVE TO?"
MAX: "You didn't see them." (rubbing his forehead with one hand and looking a little distraught) "They have on these . . . outfits, they're drunk, and they're listening to Shania Twain!"
Michael: "You're kidding."
Max just looks at him.
Michael: "You're not kidding." (Shakes his head.) O.k. I'll go, but I don't know what you think we're gonna do."
Max: "We're gonna keep them from getting hurt."
Michael: "Sounds to me like they're bent on getting into trouble. Shania Twain?"
Max: "Yeah. The funny thing is, I sent Isabel over there tonight to kinda check up on them and see what's going on. Now, it's like she's one of them." (shakes his head, totally confused)
Michael: "Sounds like we better get going."
AT THE NIGHT CLUB
Maria and Liz and Isabel are dancing the night away. On the dance
floor the girls are having a blast. Alex and the band are already
there setting up for the last set of the night when Maria's due
to sing with them.
Michael and Max are sitting in the back unobserved so far and
just keeping an eye on their girls. Both are wearing pretty grim
expressions at this point in anticipation of all the trouble that
could be coming. Between the three of them, they had the
attention of every male in the club. Maria finally notices the
guys in the back but doesn't let them know that she's aware of
their presence. She goes up to the DJ and requests "Let's
Get It On" by Marvin Gaye just to be onrey.
When Isabel and Liz hear the song that's coming on they send up a
cheer, just as Maria returns with Alex in tow. She's grinning
from ear to ear, but doesn't tell the others what she knows. As
the song progresses, the girls are really getting into the music
and making quite a scene.
Max and Michael both look like they'd cheerfully kill every other man in the room. Max is watching Liz. She's so graceful and . . . sexy. He swallows very hard and tries to think about something else . . . anything else.
Michael is watching Maria with the same intensity. The song
finally ends and the two sit back and breathe deeply. The girls
sit down and the band comes out on stage. Alex signals Maria that
it's almost time. She gets up and walk onto the stage.
Maria: "Hi. I'm Maria and we're going to do a special song
for you guys tonight. Before we start, I'd just like to dedicate
this to my best-friend, Lizzy, and to the love that just won't be
denied." (Liz still doesn't know that Max is there.)
She starts singing "You've got a way with me" by
Shania Twain.
"You've got a way with me
Somehow You got me to believe
In everything that I could be
I've gotta say -- you really got a way..."
Isabel goes to dance, but Liz turns away every request. She just
sits there wondering if she'll ever be able to love anyone again.
She's alone at the table. Maria makes eye contact with Michael
and he realizes for the first time that she knows he's there. She
sings the song as if she's singing it just for him. He's
absolutely enchanted. He can't take his eyes of her.
"You've got a way it seems
You gave me faith to find my dreams
You'll never know just what that means
Can't you see . . . you got a way with me
It's in the way you want me
It's in the way you hold me
The way you show me just what love's made of
It's in the way we make love..."
Max finally gives in to the overwhelming desire to be close to
Liz and walks up to her and asks her to dance. She looks so
surprised to see him that he can't help but smile at her
expression. She's so beautiful. She just stares at him for a few
seconds before she registers that he's waiting for her to do
something. She gets up and he takes her hand and leads her out
onto the dance floor. He holds her close as the song continues .
. .
"You've got a way with words
You get me smiling even when it hurts
There's no way to measure what your love is worth
I can't believe the way you get through to me
Oh how I adore you
Like no one before you
I love you just the way you are . . ."
Max and Liz finish the dance and he pulls back a little to look
at her and see what she's thinking. She touches his cheek and he
leans down and kisses her sweetly.
Max: "I'm so sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"
Liz: "I think I just did."
Max: "I love you, Liz."
Liz: "I love you, too."