AUTHOR: Caren-a believe-it-or-not Professional writer

EMAIL: [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: *Not my characters...I use the characters with the utmost respect and admiration for the people involved with them, including, but not limited to, the author of the Roswell High series, the publishers, the WB, and all its affiliates.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and you shall recieve.

CONTENT: PG-13...don't know why. It just seems like that's appropriate

SPOILERS: Possibly by coincidence.

SUMMARY: The secret almost out, the group frantically tries to retain their sanity, and go to each other for support...maybe more?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Send me feedback. I love criticism. Good, or bad. I can
take it

The Awakening--Part one: The Sleepover

“Oh God, not again!” Liz Parker’s eyes grew wide as she saw the flashlight reflected in her mirror.

With her parents away on vacation, she was alone in the house. Alone, and scared half to death. This was the third night in a row someone had been watching her. Every night this week she had been followed home from school, and earlier this afternoon she had been chased by a black van. This was getting too weird. Someone was stalking her.

Someone...or something.

Liz forced herself to remain calm, looking frantically from the window to the door, trying to plan what she would do next.

She grabbed her keys and sprinted out the door, wanting to be anywhere but there. She ran as fast as she could, not shaking the feeling someone was watching her, not wanting to look behind her for fear of what she might see.

As she rounded the corner of Lake and Sunset street, she hit something hard. She looked up at the shadow that loomed above her, part of her fearing for her life and the other part just beyond caring. She sobbed slightly and hung her head, not wanting to run anymore. The chase was over.

"What are you doing? Liz, what’s wrong?” Micheal looked down on her like she was either crazy, or a monster.

“Micheal, uh. There was someone outside my house.”

“Liz, your house is on a main road, there’s always someone outside.”

“Uh, yeah. But this was different. It's really freaking me out. And with someone following us and my parents out of town, I'm kind of jittery. Maybe I'm just paranoid.”

“C’mon.” Micheal held out his hand, helping her up.

She had cowered in front of him, before she recognized him, not looking up, accepting whatever danger she had imagined. This was bad. For someone to just give up like that, she must really be scared. She shouldn’t be left alone.

Who knows what she might do. He could stay with her, but Max would be really pissed if he stayed alone with her, no matter how innocent it was. There was only one place to take her now. Liz stood up and fainted right into his arms.

“It’s getting too much for her. She’s starting to fall apart.” Micheal pitied Max, and envied him at the same time. Max was looking at Liz like he was in pain. Sometimes he wished he had someone he loved that much. “Maybe we should call Maria," Micheal said, wondering why Maria had immediately come to mind right after he thought of Max and Liz.

Shrugging it off, he looked at his best friend. Max couldn’t keep his eyes off Liz’s sleeping form, so worried he was shaking. “If she keeps going like this...Max..." Max looked up, feeling like he was a hundred years old. "I don’t think she can take much more of this. There are people watching us, chasing us. It’s time to leave Roswell, before...”

“I won’t leave her here alone.”

“If we leave no one will bother her, she’ll be able to get back to normal.”

Normal...without him. Would she be able to get back to normal? Max wondered. If he had to leave, would she be able to recover? Or would it kill her, as it would kill him, to be apart?

“Max?” The faint whisper caused both boys to jump. Each lost in their own thoughts, they had forgotten she was there. She looked so weak, so tired. It’d been days since she had slept. Max knew this, because he had Micheal watching her at night since they started being followed. Micheal never slept at night anyway.

“I’m here, you’re safe. You fainted, that’s all. Look, Liz, it’ll be all right. Micheal will take you home and you can call me if you need...” He looked into her eyes, and couldn’t finish. He wouldn’t be able to sleep unless she was safe, unless he could see for himself.

Liz looked into Max’s eyes. “Can I stay here tonight, Max? I’d feel better.”

Micheal grinned to himself. So, this is how it was going to happen. Finally...how could two people who needed each other so much be in such denial? Where was Maria, anyhow, maybe he should get her. Liz might want her there. He’d get her, for Liz’s sake. Only for Liz’s sake. He had nothing to do with it. Nothing!

“Please Max, I just want to feel safe.”

“Sure, Liz, you can stay here.”

The night was a long one for Max. He sat in his chair all night, staring at Liz sleeping, watching her breathe, making sure she was ok.

There was nothing he would have liked more than to just hold her all night, but he was afraid to touch her. Afraid of what it might do to him.

He may start wanting to kiss her even more, and everything was already messed up enough. Staring at her, he knew he could never leave her like this.

She was so innocent, and yet so strong. She had been through all the interrogations, all the accusations, and she showed no signs of wear...until now.

The sun started to rise. He quietly moved to the side of the bed. “Liz, you have to wake up now.”

Her eyes opened slightly. “Max? Where am I?” Safe, that’s all that matters, she told herself. You’ll always be safe with Max. She smiled up at him, before realizing where she was. “Max, thanks for letting me stay here. I slept better than I had in weeks. But your parents are going to be awake any minute. I’ll see you at school.” She climbed out the window. She dropped to the ground and ran towards her house, only to be stopped by...

“Kyle?!? What are you doing here?”

“That’s funny, I could ask you the same thing. You just jumped out of Max Evans’ bedroom window.”

“I was just getting the History...I mean, Biology notes and I didn’t want to wake up his family.”

Kyle Valenti knew this to be a lie. He had followed Liz and Micheal to Max’s house last night, had notice that Michael had come out, but Liz hadn’t. He watched as the light went out and Liz still didn’t come out. From there he had drawn his own conclusions. “Hmmm, ok. Well, I was just on my way to your house to see how you are. You’ve seemed kind of...stressed...lately.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of schoolwork to do lately. I’ve been kind of falling behind.”

Kyle felt a chill run through him. Too many nights sneaking into Max Evans’ room at night keeping you from studying? He took a deep breath to calm himself, fearing his rage may get transferred to Liz instead of where it belonged: Max.

He couldn’t help hating Max. He had some hold on Liz he couldn’t understand. She was blinded by him. Whatever he did to her that day in the Crashdown Cafe was posessing her, turning her into someone he didn’t know, someone he didn’t like.

She couldn’t stay like this. Everyone had noticed the changes in her; her eyes were puffy like she hadn’t slept in weeks and she had been falling behind in school, which was not like her at all. It had to stop, and he would have to save her. Whatever Max Evans was, his hold on Liz had to be destroyed.

By whatever means necessary.

“You spent the night with him?!? You slept in Max Evans’ bed?!?” Maria’s voice rose about two octaves. She hadn’t been so excited since...she didn’t even remember when.

“Maria, keep it down. It’s bad enough I ran into Kyle on my way home. I don’t want the entire world to know. Truth is, nothing happened. I just slept.”

“Where did you sleep? In the bed? Where did Max sleep?” Maria’s eyes flared with intensity. This was juicy stuff.

“I slept in the bed, and I don’t know where Max slept. I was pretty much unconscious the entire night. One thing I remember is he kept coming over to the bed and...”

“And?...And?...Liz...And?”

“I’m sorry, Maria, but does that guy look like he’s watching us?” She motioned to a tall man in a dark suit. He was carrying a briefcase and looked very commanding. By his side was the new guidance counselor, and the principal. They seemed to be looking for someone, and they were staring straight at her.”

“Liz Parker?”

Liz and Maria both whirled to see Sherriff Valenti with another man, looking down at her with eyes filled with suspicion. Both men were very intimidating, and Liz wondered why they wanted to talk to her.

“We need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

Liz sat in the guidance counselor’s office staring at the grate on the wall. Max and I were once there, spying on the the new teacher/guidance counselor. Just being able to look at somewhere she had a memory with Max in made her think of him, gave her a little courage. And courage seems like exactly what she needed.

“Liz, we have reason to believe Max Evans isn’t like other kids. Do you know what I’m talking about?” Sherriff Valenti looked at her with a combination of friendliness and dominance, like she would wilt at the sight of him.

Just thinking of Max made her smile. She nodded. “He’s different from other guys. He’s caring and sweet, and has never hurt anyone before. How many guys can you say that about in this school?” Not even your own son, she thought.

“Liz, listen. Max may be putting you in danger. If he really is...”

“Stop the witch hunt, Sherriff. Max would never hurt anyone. Whatever you have against Max, making him out to be this demon out to conquer the world isn’t helping anyone. Max is a guy...not some monster you made up to give yourself something to do around here, someone to blame. Give up the hunt, Sherriff, your prey isn’t what you think. Now if you’re done, I think you’ve wasted enough of my time, and I’m late for class.”

Liz stood and walked out the door, not turning back to see the look of shock on the sherriff’s face. That couldn’t have been Liz Parker! She seemed so different, so defensive. This is Max Evans’ doing, he thought to himself. He’s infected Liz. That boy is more than he seems, and I’m going to expose him, and then I’m going to get rid of him.

That night, Maria, Micheal, Max, and Liz went out together. “Safety in numbers,” Max had said. Isabel had a date, of course.

They were calmly driving home from a movie, when they were surrounded by the constant chopping of helicopter blades overhead drowning out the radio as the copters went back and forth along the desert, as though someone were searching for something. Up ahead, there was a road block, manned by almost a dozen rifle-weilding soldiers.

“Turn around, Max. Come on, let’s get out of here!!”

“And where are we going to go, Micheal? They have us surrounded!” Maria looked around frantically. They were all searching for an escape, but found there was none. They were cornered.

They were led roughly into a room and left there in the sweltering heat. Sitting on the hard floor, the only comfort they had was in each other. Liz held Max’s hand tightly, while Maria rested her head on Micheal’s shoulder.

“Get UP!”

They slowly rose to their feet, turning towards the man who had barked the order. Micheal stiffened with anger, and Maria squeezed his hand to calm him.

Sherriff Valenti walked in following the man. He looked calmly at the group, assessing their condition, trying to see who would be the first to crack. His eyes met Maria’s, and she looked away with obvious fright.

He took a step towards her, and Micheal stepped between them. He stared the sherriff straight in the eye, a silent challenge.

“Sherriff, is there some reason we’ve been taken against our will, against the law which you’re supposed to represent, and put into this sweat shop for the past two hours?”

The Sherriff turned towards Liz. She had gotten some guts in the past few weeks. She acted like a lioness. But who or what was she protecting?

Valenti motioned to one of the guards, who came forward and grabbed Max, who struggled fiercely. The others were herded into a corner and kept there by three large guards. Max was tied into a chair facing the group. The agent stood above him, and looked at the group with pure venom.

“Max...I brought you here, all of you, to learn the truth. I know something’s strange about you, Max. I know you did something to Liz Parker after she was shot. I know you’ve affected her in other ways. Now you have no one to hide behind. Now, I want the truth...what are you, and where do you come from?”

Max was paralyzed by fear. Not fear for himself, but fear for the others. If he admitted the truth, the others would probably meet the same fate as he expected. He couldn’t crack. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He sounded calm at least.

His face stung from the officer’s fist. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He could feel his cheek already starting to swell and wondered how long it would be until they decided to use hot pokers. His eyes met Liz’s, who was struggling frantically and screaming at the sherriff.

“I’ll ask you one more time, what are you and where are you from?”

“What are you going to do, Sherriff, have me tortured?” Max knew the sherriff would stop at nothing to know the “truth” about Max, but he wasn’t going to get it from him this way, or any way.

Outwardly, Max stayed strong through the beatings. Inwardly, his concern and fear grew. Would they stop if he told? He didn’t know, but he had to do somthing to stop them.

The interrogator turned to the group. “You want to help him? Tell us what we want to know and we’ll stop this.”

None of them breathed.

“Max, tell us what you are and where you come from.” The sherriff looked at him, covered in blood and slouching from pain and exhaustion, and started wondering if his obsession with Max Evans had gone too far. But there was no turning back. He knew his badge and his lifestyle was at risk here, unless he got a confession. It wouldn’t be much longer he knew. One of them would crack soon.

Liz stood watching the sherriff, never hating anyone so much in her entire life. Through this, Max kept his secret, and she would not tell, even if it meant getting beaten herself. She looked at Maria, who buried her face against Michael’s chest, sobbing loudly. Micheal’s eyes met hers, a single tear running down his cheek. Suddenly she and Max looked at each other, a silent connection, a plea for help.

“You’re an alien and I know it!!!” The sherriff was enraged and frustrated. He hated Max Evans, he hated the fact that no one believed him, and that he couldn’t prove what he knew to be true.

“You want an alien so badly, Sherriff, turn around.”

The Sherriff whirled at the sound of Liz Parker’s voice. He took a step towards her, expecting testimony he knew would confirm his suspicions about Max.

“You want an alien, here I am, Sherriff.”

Max looked up weakly, barely able to lift his head through the pain. “Liz...what are you...”

“You can’t protect me any more, Max. No more lies. I’m an alien.” She looked at the sherriff, her eyes revealing nothing about the lie she told.

The sherriff looked taken aback, but decided it made sense. How Liz had been healed...no, healed herself, the day of the shooting.

Maria looked at him, her face streaked with tears. “I’m the alien, Sherriff. I healed Liz and brainwashed everyone into suspecting Max.”

The sherriff looked confused. It made sense that Liz would be an alien, and yet, Maria made sense, too. And all this time he had suspected Max. He turned to Max. He was bruised, bloodied, and weak from the “interview”. When he entered this building before he had been so sure, but now he doubted everything he thought.

“Or Sherriff, maybe you’re the alien, and we’re all earthlings?” Oh, God, even Micheal’s was starting to make sense. The sherriff was confused, and tired. He’d never felt so tired in his life. Everything was making sense, and nothing was making sense. He walked towards the officers guarding the group.

“Uh, Sherriff.”

Sherriff Valenti looked around to the interrogator who stood a few feet away. The officer pointed towards the Sherriff’s hand. The sherriff looked down, his palm was covered in a silvery glow. The interrogator stopped to call backup, and ordered the camp to be terminated and the sherriff to be captured for studies. The group was set free with the instructions that they would never be able to tell anyone what had happened in the desert that night.

“Think of it this way,” the officer talked cheerfully to the group as they helped Max struggle into the car “Now you all can share a secret only you can know, and a secret is what binds a group together... forever.”

Back to The Max and Liz Project Fanfiction Archives