Title: Subject: A1
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: Future fic. The aliens never came to Roswell, and Liz is married
to Kyle.
Author Name: Liz
Email: [email protected]
Category: M/L
Author's Note:
Part 1
She walked down the empty corridor briskly, the sound of her heels echoing
dully throughout. Her eyes always looked directly ahead of her, never to the
side. Never did she feel the need to look over her shoulder. She was
brilliant, confidant...maybe even too much so.
She reached the door and came to an abrupt stop, whisking the small plastic
card that had been securely clutched in her hand through the slot in the
wall. There was a series of beeps, and a bright laser scanned her face
quickly before the door finally slid open. Without hesitation, she stepped
into yet another brightly lit hallway, this one filled with various doctors
and scientists, milling around and talking quietly among themselves.
As she walked through them, she never stopped, never spoke, never even paused
to look or smile at anyone. Not that they even noticed. She had always been
a no-nonsense, kept-to-herself kind of person. She believed it was what had
gotten her to the top, and she didn't intend to give that up.
Nearing the end of the hallway, she prepared her card again, barely stopping
to swipe it and wait for the retinal scan. The door buzzed as it opened,
slowly, this time to a softly lit, warm looking office. She walked inside
and the door slid shut behind her, softly clicking as it locked into place.
She stood there, silent for a moment, peering around the room. Painfully
neat, furnished only by a huge mahogany desk and two leather armchairs.
After a few more moments of scrutiny, she sighed. Her shoulders hunched
slightly and she threw her purse and coat down haphazardly accross one of the
chairs, plopping herself down in the other. Dropping her head into her
hands, she took a few deep, calming breaths. She was so tired. This job,
this life, was killing her.
She loved it, but it was just beginning to be so overwhelming. Sometimes it
felt like if she went on another day, she would just fall over and never get
up again.
There was a sudden shuffling noise from behind her, and she jerked her head
around, gasping when she spotted her intruder.
"Kyle!"
He grinned at her, taking large steps over to her, stooping down and placing
his arms around her gently.
"Surprise?"
She laughed a little, nervously.
"Yeah...guess you could call it that."
He squeezed her shoulders a little, and kissed her cheek softly. She looked
at him for a moment, gazing into his soft eyes, and then looked away.
Staring at the wall, she could feel his eyes on her, studying her.
"Liz?"
His voice was softer than before, and that all-too-familiar tone of worry
could be heard.
She sighed again, more softly, but still carefully avoided his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes began to sting, and the sensation of pressure flooded her face. She
fought desperately to hold back her tears, to hold back the sobs that were
choking her.
"Uhh..nothing."
He was still staring at her; she could feel his worry, boring tiny holes in
her face.
"Please. Just..tell me."
He paused, taking a deep breath. She could hear his voice shaking slightly,
and she knew that he was hurting. She was hurting him.
Guilt stabbed at her heart.
"You never talk to me anymore, Lizzie. I'm worried about you."
She smiled softly at her name, his pet name for her.
"I'm sorry Kyle. I've just been...stressed. Lately, things have just been
so hectic."
He nuzzled against her softly, his short whiskers scratching her skin lightly.
"I've missed you."
She was hit with another wave of pressure, and she closed her eyes against
the tears that seemed closer than ever.
"Me too," she whispered.
He kissed her neck and her jawbone, tracing a path up to her cheek and
accross her eyelids, then finally to her lips.
She did not open her eyes as she kissed him, allowed him to slide his tongue
into her mouth, let him explore her. She just let herself get lost in him,
in the feel of him, in the way he made her feel. Safe and loved and...okay.
When he broke away, his face still touching hers, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Thank you, Kyle."
He smiled against her skin, placing one last featherlight kiss on the edge of
her lips.
"Anytime, baby."
He stood then, fiddling with a strand of her long, silky hair before
beginning to back away.
"Tonight. Me and you. Dinner. Talking. Deal?"
She smiled again weakly, ducking her head as a tiny tear slipped from the
corner of her eye. Quickly swiping her hand accross her face, she looked
back up at him. He had that look again, that worried/concerned/hurt look
that he seemed to be wearing a lot lately. She wished that he would just go.
She didn't want him to see her like this.
"Deal."
He grinned at her, blowing her a kiss before turning and pressing the button
that opened the office door. As he slid through the door and it began to
close again, she could almost still hear his whispered words, lingering in
the room.
"I love you."
The door clicked shut, and the dam of tears broke free.
Part 2
"Dr. Valentini! Dr. Valentini!"
Her name echoed down the hallway, chasing her. She spun around on her heel,
looking decidedly irritated.
A petite blonde girl was running torwards her, white soft soled shoes making
a soft squishing noise on the tile. Liz fiddled with her purse while she
waited, rather impatiently, for the girl to finally reach her.
Finally she was by her side, clutching one side and panting deeply. Liz
glared at the girl, who was obviously painfully out of shape despite her size.
"Valenti. It's Valenti."
The younger woman stared at her blankly, until she just gave up the effort.
"Well? What is it you wanted?"
The girl smiled apologetically, drawing in a final deep breath and averting
her eyes.
"I have news for you. From Mr. Davies."
Her voice had dropped to a low, secretive tone that was dangerously close to
a whisper. Liz only stared at her, tapping her foot lightly.
"And?"
"Oh, yeah..umm...he wouldn't tell me, but he said he wants you in his office,
ASAP."
Liz sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"I'm sure you meant A.S.A.P."
The girl's sunny grin grew wider, and Liz found herself wanting to vomit on
her clean little Keds.
"Oh, yeah! You know those....umm...adjectives! Get me every time."
Her hand dropped from her forhead, resting limply at her side. She was sure
that if she looked at this little bimbo another moment, she would lose
control of herself and slap her.
Without another word, she walked around her, staring ahead as she headed to
her boss' office. Making a mental note to herself to one day mention to him
that he needed to stop hiring his whores as secrataries.
"Acronyms, asshole. Acronyms."
She pressed the call button beside the door, standing tall even though there
was no one around to see. Not feeling even the slightest bit nervous as she
waited, even though this was the first time 'Dr. Dave' had called her to his
office like this.
A few minutes passed before the buzz finally sounded, and the man's loud,
booming voice shot out at her.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Elizabeth Valenti, sir."
Another pause, and then his voice again, a bit quieter than before.
"Just a moment."
A few seconds later there was another buzz and the door slid open, revealing
her boss, sitting behind his desk in his plush leather desk chair.
"Come in."
She hesitated slightly before she stepped into the room, grimacing as her
heels sunk about a half inch into his deep carpet.
"Have a seat."
In her mind, she tried to analyze his voice, to gain any sort of clue as to
why she was there right then.
He stared at her as she crossed the spacious room, then perched on the edge
of the first chair she came to.
When she was finally down he settled back, clasping his hands over his
stomach, his chair creaking lightly.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here."
She nodded briskly, glad that he was going to get to the point quickly.
"I'd like to ask for your help with something."
She held her breath for a moment before releasing it, resisting the smile
that threatened to creep up on her. So this was a good thing. Her boss
was...asking her for help. Out of the all the scientists in the lab, he was
asking her.
"What with, exactly?"
She took the opprotunity to settle back into her own chair, relaxed only a
little as she sunk into the deep cushions.
"Well, as you know Dr. Valenti, at this lab we study...mysteries, I guess you
could call it. Abnormal things...miracles even."
She nodded again.
"We look for proof where there usually is none to be found."
His stare grew even more intense while he paused.
"Elizabeth, we have proof. Real, concrete proof. Of something that before,
not even we could hardly imagine...or understand."
She let out a shaky breath, that familiar nervous-exciting feeling creeping
up on her that science had always given her.
"Of what? What do we have proof of?"
It was then that she saw it...his smile, very small, but it was there.
"Extra-terrestrials. Aliens."
Her eyes widened, and she slumped back a little.
"Wh..what do you mean?"
"We have one, Doctor. Here. In our lab. We have an alien."
Part 3
Liz could feel herself shaking as she let his words wash over her and sink
into her mind. She could feel his eyes, questioning, wondering what she was
thinking. She wished she could tell him...she wished she knew.
All of her life, ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to be a
scientist. Ever since she had stepped into the biology lab and smelled the
smells, looked at the neat marble tabletops and learned all there was to
know, she'd thirsted for more.
But she'd also loved the stars. Each night, after everyone else had gone to
bed and she was alone, she had crept out onto her rooftop and stared at the
stars. They had always been such a mystery, such a beautiful puzzle, that
she wanted to learn about.
Which all led to her decision....to work for the FBI. It was all she had
ever wanted...it let her have her love of science and her love of the stars.
Her love of the unknown.
She worked in the special cases unit--well, headed it actually. The only
person above her was Dr. Davies, a loud man with a kind heart but a weak spot
for cheap, dumb prostitutes. He'd been married 3 times but never for more
than 3 weeks. Women were his obsession.
Her unit studied anything unexplained, anything related to the paranormal.
At times her entire job sort of reminded her of X-Files. She was sort of
like Dana Scully. But Kyle wasn't exactly her Mulder. Unless Mulder had
ever worn a sherrif's star and fought for the right of Roswell's citizens.
But she didn't think so.
Kyle was very supportive of her job, and most of the time they talked about
things..about the things they both wondered about, things they wanted to
know.
If there had really ever been a crash in Roswell. If aliens really existed.
If they walked among them each day.
His dad and his grandad had lived their entire lives chasing a dream, a dream
that one day she hoped to prove to be reality. For Kyle, for herself. She
wanted...needed to know. And now, she had the chance.
She was looking back at Dave again, who was still staring at her and waiting
for some sort of response.
Finally she smiled at him, grinned happily as she had not done in days. Her
time had come, and she would not waste a moment.
"When can I see it?"
Once again, she was heading down the hallway, but this time she was not
alone. And this time, for perhaps the first time ever since she'd started
this job, she felt a wreck. Her palms were sweating, her legs were
trembling, her mind was racing. All she could think of was that for the
first time, out of the thousand times she'd walked this same corridor, she
was heading torwards the answer to all of her questions. In a matter of
minutes, she would be looking upon the face of a miracle. Her miracle.
She realized that they were stopping, at a door she'd never before seen, and
he was swiping his card through, staring ahead as she bright beam scanned his
eyes, as the door opened. Her heart rate grew even faster and for a moment
it seemed as if her feet would not do as she wanted. They were glued to the
floor, filled with lead. She willed herself to calm down, to walk, to hurry.
When she caught up with him, he was stopping again, this time before a clear
glass door that led into a room that was filled with humming, blinking
computers. She was amazed by the sight, by something that had apparently
been ready for this for almost as long as she had. Which was her entire life.
When the glass barrier opened and she was finally inside, she allowed her
eyes to close for a moment. There was such a rush of emotions, one as she
had never known before, that threatened to knock her over. This was
everything, and it was all happening so quickly.
She felt his hand on her shoulder and she forced her eyes open, her vision
filled with his caring face.
"Are you okay?"
She only nodded, looking at him for a moment before darting her eyes
elsewhere, searching the room desperately for what she so longed to see.
And then she saw it...him.
The room was filled halfway by a huge, clear glass box, empty save a toilet,
a sink, and a bed. A glass cage. There were no bars or doors or locks, but
it was a cage.
Something seized her heart as she stared, wide-eyed, at the figure curled up
in the tiny cot. She felt the pressure again.
A step forward, and she was so close, close enough that when she breathed,
small clouds of fog formed on the glass. Her gaze never wavered from him;
she studied him, analyzed him...felt him.
She did not know what was happening to her, but she could suddenly feel
something so powerful as she looked upon the shivering creature. She felt
pain, horrible, intense pain, that she knew was not her own. Somehow she
knew that it was his, although she could not understand it.
Her fingers brushed the glass, splaying across it, pressing lightly as she
waited.
And then the form began to stir, very slowly. A dark head raised from the
white sheets, facing away from her. Long, tan arms unraveled from around
him, and then his legs. He was like a flower opening, budding, coming alive.
Finally he turned, almost as if in slow motion, to face her. He came into
her view and her breath caught, making her head spin.
His dark eyes caught hers and she stared, lost inside the pools of emotion,
swimming inside him.
He walked to her, small, unsure steps upon bare feet, his eyes never breaking
the stare that seemed to transport so many unheard words.
Standing before the glass, now directly in front of her on the opposite side
of the wall, she could see his smile. Tentative and shy, but glorious.
He raised his hand as well, placing it against the glass where her palm
showed through, matching the two.
She smiled as she stared at their hands, touching but yet not, his fingers
longer than hers but still so similar. As a solitary tear fell from her eye
she did not bother to wipe it away. She would give anything to keep forever
the contact that they held between them. The contact that they held, even
between the 5 inches of glass that separated them.
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