Author: Linda
E-Mail: [email protected]
Rating: PG-14
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. I'm just borrowing 'em. I promise to return them the way I found 'em. ;-)
Summary: Post Heatwave- The six Roswell High kids become
closer and realize through good times and bad, that no matter
what they go through, it really is, "the six of them against
the world". They go to Mexico for winter break, learn more
about the aliens they came from, and all with the FBI and a
certain sheriff, one step behind them. Or is there someone
closer...
The Six of Us Against the World (Part 17)
It was late, but Max couldn't sleep. He paced the room he had
been given. It had been three weeks now, three weeks in which
they had been holed up here, knowing every second, that he was
only a few hours away from Liz. Yet he couldn't even let her know
he was okay, or where he was!
He understood Jordan's reasons. It would be dangerous to all of
them, Isabel and Michael too, if Max tried to go back to Roswell
before they found out who was really the stalker.
He had promised Jordan, Isabel and Michael that he would stay
away from Roswell, knowing that some of Jordan's people were
there watching and trying to discover who the stalker was.
But Max wanted to go to Liz. Ever since he had found out that he
was here to stay, and that it was okay for him and Liz to be
together, he'd wanted, no needed to go to her.
And he suspected Michael and Isabel were feeling the same way.
For he would see the same wistful look in their eyes when they
looked down the mountain, to the valley below, and to Roswell,
somewhere beyond.
To know they were all so close, and yet couldn't even let Liz,
Maria and Alex know they were okay...Max didn't know if he could
keep that part of his promise. Jordan had told him to trust him
that he had a very good reason why they couldn't let the three
humans know where they were yet. The whole town had to believe
that Max, Michael and Isabel were gone. Especially, the stalker,
Jordan had emphasized.
When Max asked him what it would matter, if they told their
friends, since they knew they could trust them with their lives,
and had, Jordan had just shook his head and said to trust him for
now. That he would explain it all to them soon.
Max knew Isabel cried at night when she thought of how they had
left their parents. She knew their mother would be sick with
worry. Max frowned knowing this too, and knew how hard it would
be on her and their dad. He hated having to run like that, but he
knew that his life, and the lives of Michael and Isabel would
have been over, if the sheriff and the FBI had had any
reason to take him in and "question" him.
But now he was getting stir crazy. Sure, the three of them had
met many of their people, and the humans who had come to accept
these aliens, but he needed to go home. Now that he knew for sure
where that was, he and Michael and Isabel needed to go home.
The door opened and Max stopped pacing. Michael came though the
door and then closed it silently behind him again.
"Sorry, Michael, I don't have a sleeping bag here," Max
tried to joke.
"Yeah, well, Maxmillian, you're so funny I'm in stitches!"
Michael snapped.
"Michael?" Max frowned.
Michael sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm getting stir-crazy
hiding up here. I want to go get that bastard myself! I hate
having to lie low like some coward!" he said and started
pacing, himself.
Max nodded and went to the window. No sense in both of them
bumping into each other pacing.
"Can you believe it, Michael? We are home. And that it's
okay for us to think of our futures here on earth?" Max
asked aloud, still amazed at all they had learned.
When Michael remained silent Max turned from the window. "Or
are you still wishing there was another world you could go to, to
get away from Roswell?" Max wondered.
Michael stopped pacing and leaned back against the wall near the
door. "You know, Max, the funny thing is, I always wanted to
find our real home, so that I would have a family too, and a
better life than I have in Roswell. But, now I've found out that
my family is here. That you and Isabel are actually my real
family," Michael said in amazement.
He still couldn't get over it, and still got a little choked up
thinking about it. He swallowed, then continued. "And now I
don't need to go anywhere else to find home. But I tell ya, Max,
I still want out of Roswell," Michael added.
Max cleared his own throat, knowing how much it meant to them all
to know they were a real family, and how especially important it
was to Michael. He smiled at Michael's last words. "I don't
blame you there, brother," Max agreed.
The word brother slipped out naturally, and surprised both of
them. They looked away, trying to be casual, and were relieved
when the door opened again.
"Why is it my room is always the popular one?" Max
teased.
Isabel came into the room and waved Max's words away. "I've
been thinking, Max. There has to be some way we can let Mom and Dad
know we are okay at least." Isabel said and started her own
pacing.
Michael was glad he had backed up against the wall, seeing as
how Isabel was flying around the room like a tornado. He smiled
remembering how Jordan had said she reminded him of his sister,
their mother. He wondered if their mother had been a firecracker
like Is.
"And Alex, Liz and Maria, they must be going crazy too,"
Isabel added as she paced.
"Yeah. I know," Was all Max said. "But we promised
to trust Jordan. That he had a good reason for not letting anyone
in Roswell know what's going on," Max tried to convince
them, hoping it would convince him as well.
"Well I don't like it!" Isabel said and stopped pacing
suddenly and sat on the edge of the bed. All the steam went out
of her, and she slumped her shoulders in defeat.
Max went over and sat next to her. He put an arm around her.
"I know, Is. I don't either. None of us do."
Michael watched the two and wished he could go comfort Isabel,
like a brother should. But he wasn't used to being a brother, a
protector, like Max was. So he stayed where he was.
But as if Isabel could sense Michael's feelings, she went over to
him and put her arms around him.
Michael automatically wrapped his arms around Isabel, but was
startled.
Max almost chuckled at Michael's look, but new how important this
was to them. For Michael to really accept that he had a real
family.
"I'm so glad that things turned out the way they did,
Michael. I've always thought of you as my brother, but now it's
real." Isabel smiled and stepped back again.
Michael put his hands in his pockets, but there was a smile in
his eyes as he nodded, acknowledging Isabel's words.
He glanced over at Max, and they shared a smile as well. No words
were needed. They never had been.
A knock at the door made Max sigh, and Michael and Isabel laugh.
The door opened and Jordan stood in the door way.
"Do you three always have this habit of deciding you need to
have a heart to heart, in the middle of the night?" Jordan
sighed with a smile.
They followed Jordan into the living room, and he watched at the
three sat on the couch, as if ready to take a stand against him
if they had to. He smiled. Rebellious teens never changed. No
matter what genetics they had.
Jordan sighed. It was time to let them know what he hadn't told
them. What he had found out almost right after he had brought
them here. He had had his suspicions from the beginning, but they
had been confirmed almost right after they had come up here.
Alex paced Liz's room as she packed, and Maria sat on the bed.
"No. This is crazy!" he stated. "You don't know
for sure if you're pregnant! Let alone running away like this, in
the middle of the night!" He tried to be the rational one.
For neither Liz nor Maria were rational right now.
"Alex. She healed me," Maria stated, running one of her
scents under her nose. She was beyond scared now.
"Well, what if when you make--you know, contact, physically
with the Czechoslovakians, it like changes you? Maybe it has
nothing to do with being pregnant. Come on, Liz, you said
yourself, you are on the pill, and that it's probably not
possible for humans and aliens to have children."
"Yes, but, Alex, how do we know that a pill would work in a
case like this? Oh my God. Think of the possibilities here. We
have NO CLUE what this will do to Liz. Will she have a birth like
a normal human? Will it be a slow justation period, like with
humans? Or will she just all of a sudden blow up real big and
hatch something?" Maria said, getting all excited again.
Liz tried not to laugh at the images Maria was creating, but then
she stopped when she realized that it could all be true. They had
no idea what to expect. Maybe it would kill her. Maybe they had
defied nature by doing what they had done, and she was going to
pay. She just hoped Max never knew. He would never forgive
himself if she died because of what they did.
Liz's hands were shaking as the closed the suitcase, and
straightened. "Alex. I can't wait around to find out what's
going to happen or not happen," she explained in her most
rational voice.
Alex looked at her in frustration. He was supposed to watch over
them. How could he do that if Liz left? And what was going to
happen to her?
"Alex. I'm not worried about me. Alex, what if I am carrying
a baby? A half-alien baby. What do you think Sheriff Valenti and
the FBI would do when they found out I was pregnant? Who would
they know I was with? Alex, they would want to get their hands on
me, to get my baby. I can't let them know I'm pregnant! Don't you
understand! I have to go. Now!" Liz whispered urgently.
Alex saw Maria's bags beside her and sighed. "Okay, I'm
going with you guys," he said in defeat.
"No," Liz said and knew Alex would argue. She stepped
closer to him and put a hand on his arm. "Please, Alex. I
need someone to stay here, cause I know Max will be back if he
can, and he won't know where we've gone. I need you to be here to
tell him where to find us if and when they do come back."
Alex knew this made sense. One of them needed to stay behind to
tell Max, when their friends returned. For not one of them wanted
to believe for a minute that they were gone for good.
And if one of them had to go with Liz, to watch after her, it
should be Maria, who would know more about the female stuff.
Alex nodded in defeat and put his head down.
"Alex, please try to understand. I am trusting you with
something very important. You are the only one who can tell Max
what's going on. And we will need them, when they come
back." Liz bit her lip to hold back a sob of fear. She
didn't want to alarm Alex anymore than they already had. If he
knew just how terrified she was, not knowing what to expect, or
what could happen, he'd never let them go.
"But what's to stop the FBI from questioning Alex and
getting our whereabouts out of him?" Maria suddenly asked.
"FBI? Why would they care?" Alex frowned in confusion.
He couldn't think straight with all that they had hit him with.
"Alex, Valenti and the FBI are going to think we went to
join Max, Michael and Isabel. They will know that you are the
only one who we would tell," Maria explained slowly, realizing
that Alex was in shock as they had been earlier.
"Which is why I am not telling Alex where we will be,"
Liz said
Now both of them looked at her in confusion.
"I am going to leave some clues with Alex. Things that only
Max knows, that will help him put together what they mean, in
order to find us," she explained.
"Brilliant!" Maria grinned.
Alex shook his head. "No! I have to at least know where you
two are! What if you need me? What if--" Alex took a deep
breath. None of them wanted to say it aloud, but it might happen.
"What if they don't come back? If they can't? How will I
find you?" Alex asked with fear in his eyes.
"Alex. Maria will come for you if that happens. But we have
to give them a chance. They said they would be back if they
could, and I believe them. I trust Max completely, and know that
some way, some how, Max will get back here," she vowed in
determination.
Seeing her total belief in Max, Alex relaxed a little. "I'll
do it, but you tell me where you are the first sign of
trouble!" He made them promise.
Maria and Liz nodded and Alex watched as they climbed out the
window, down into the alley below, and silently drove off into
the night, in Maria's mom's car.
He knew that they wouldn't have that car for long. He knew that
they would change cars somehow, as soon as they could.
Alex watched his two best friends as they drove off, and he knew he had never felt this helpless or frightened before in his life.