Title: Silent Night
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: A short fic; Liz and Max go out to the desert together to watch a
meteor shower.
Author Name: Liz
Email: [email protected]
Category: M/L
Author's Note:
The desert was perfectly still.
Silence filled the void of the night, creeping into every crevice of every
rock. And it was dark, a deep black darkness that even the desert creatures
chose to escape. No light illuminated the endless sand dunes except for the
dim glow of the moon and stars. But it was a cloudless night, a clear
ice-cold night.
But then it was all disturbed, all at once, the stillness and the cold silent
dark.
A car was approaching the spot, the spot that seemed to shimmer under the
moon's light. To anyone else the spot would not appear to be anything
special--just another step in the miles and miles of neverchanging sand. But
to him, it meant everything.
He stopped the jeep right before they reached it. For a moment, his eyes
remained locked on this spot, taking it all in, remembering. And then he
turned his head, and looked at her.
She was absolutely glorious tonight, more beautiful than he had ever seen
her. Her perfection took his breath away, made his heart beat faster and his
mind turn to mush.
She was staring out too, transfixed by some unseen object somewhere out on
the sands. He wondered if maybe she felt it, too, the power of this place,
the air that seemed charged with electricity.
And finally she looked at him, her big brown velvety eyes locking with his
own, and in that glance he knew that she understood. She smiled at him, that
special smile that no one else knew, that reassured him and made everything
alright.
They both exited the car, so perfectly in sync that it made him smile.
He grabbed their things--bags and blankets and jackets, tossing the load over
both shoulders easily. Once again, she marveled at his strength. The
graceful movement of his arms, the way the steely hardness of his tooled
biceps shifted under his skin. Her eyes traveled up to his face. He was
staring right back at her, a silly lopsided grin forming on his lips. She
felt her face growing warm. He'd seen her staring again. But sometimes it
was just so hard to resist....looking at him, at how perfect and handsome he
was, every part of her being ached for him. She ached for his touch, and to
be with him.
He was shifting things around, transferring the load from one shoulder onto
the other, now carrying everything easily with one hand. He held out the
other to her, strong fingers outstretched. She smiled softly, placing her
tiny hand in his.
It felt safe here, the rough skin of his hand caressing her own as their
fingers entertwined. Max was her home, the only place she felt safe anymore.
The thought was scary, yet wonderful all at once. She loved him, she knew.
But sometimes the absolute force of that love overwhelmed her.
They walked together, steps landing softly on the ground at the same time,
arms swinging gently between them. And then they were there, at his special
place, and somehow she knew where this was, and something of what it meant to
him. She felt it, in the air, something undescribable but yet tangible.
Their hands untangled, and he was unloading their things, spreading blankets
and pulling out the containers of hot chocolate. But all she could feel was
cold, cold where his hand had been before but was now absent. It was a
strange feeling, like something important was missing from her. She wondered
what it would be to go without his touch for days, years. Surely she would
never make it.
And suddenly, the warmth was back, and she knew that he was pulling her down,
holding her hand. She smiled. It was so wonderful, to be here with him,
alone. Privacy was something they rarely got, time to just be with each
other and no one else. It was always something, some quest or journey the 5
of them would be on, running from someone or discovering some secret. In her
heart, she hated it. Each piece of something they found, every bit of
information about their home...it brought her closer to losing him. It was
something that plagued her now, thoughts of living without Max. Wondering
what she would do if he was to ever leave her, to leave Earth for his home
and his family. Would she ever survive?
She could feel him looking at her, his intense gaze burning the side of her
face, and she turned to face him. He looked concerned, worried. She was
sure that he could sense her pain, and her frustration.
She smiled for him, trying to reassure him as well as herself.
Maybe they would never go home. Or maybe the others would, and Max would
stay with her. Or even take her with him.
She knew it was wrong to hope that he never found out the truth, and it was
selfish, but it was a wrong hope she couldn't rid herself of. She just loved
him too much.
"Liz, I'm not leaving you."
His voice startled her, shaking her deeply. They hadn't even spoken since
he'd picked her up earlier, and the smooth barritone of his voice struck a
chord in her heart.
"Wh...what do you mean?"
She searched his eyes. Had he really heard her thoughts? Did he know that
she was silently praying for?
"I know you're scared, Liz. I can feel it. You're scared that we're going to
leave and you're going to lose me. But I couldn't leave you."
She felt a wave of reassurance wash over her. He sounded so sincere. Maybe
he wouldn't ever leave her. Maybe she had nothing to worry about.
"But what if you find something Max? What if you find out where your home
is, and you could go there...are you telling me now that you would pass that
up without a second thought?"
He looked a little thrown at her question, and she felt the familiar pang of
worry stab at her again.
He was thinking, perhaps too long, trying to find the perfect words for what
he wanted to say.
"I would love to find out the truth about..everything. But..Roswell is my
home. You are my home. And I would really love to stay. As far as
something happening....we'd figure something out, together. But I would
never go anywhere without you."
A small tear fell from her eye. It was everything she'd ever needed to hear
to still her fears. She'd just needed the man that she loved to tell her
that he loved her enough to stay with her, no matter what happened.
"Thank you."
It was all she needed to say.
He squeezed her hand tighter, then glanced at his watch.
"Almost time."
She grinned.
"Good."
They settled back together on the blanket, covering up with another two.
Liz settled on his chest, snuggling herself against him tightly, warming
herself and him.
She could hear his heartbeat underneath her, steady and reassuring.
He placed his arm carefully around her, almost afraid of the contact, but yet
needing to touch her. Holding her, cuddling against her for warmth, was like
heaven to him, and he wondered how he would ever leave here.
She snaked her arm around his waist, wrapping around him and grasping his
hand tightly.
"I love you Max," she whispered lovingly.
He stared at her, staring at the sky.
"And I love you."
The sky burst into brilliant light, and they both stared at the falling stars
from the heavens, wrapped in the safety of each other's arms.
END