Title: When The Worst Happens
Author: Jenn
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, would I really be writing this? I didn�t
think so. Roswell and all its characters belong to Melinda Metz and the
United Paramount Network. Brendan and Jason are another story. I�m still
working on that. LOL.
Category: Mi/L mostly.
Rating: R for now.
Author�s Note: This is Post-Departure with a few twists.
Dedication: I want to dedicate this to DMartinez, SilverSky,
Peachez4MaxEvans and MoonBaby19 who have written some of the most
awesome Polar fics out there. It�s because of them that I am now a definite
Polarist. I want to thank them for inspiring me to write this.
Summary: Just when Liz thought she had gotten her life back
together, a tragedy strikes that could prove to ultimately be her breaking
point. Who will save her from herself before it�s too late?
********
AN: This part takes place the same day as Part 10, only later in the
day.
Part 11: Making Peace With Myself
Liz sat anxiously on the couch in her living room. She was awaiting Max�s
arrival. It was 3:58 and he was supposed to arrive at 4.
She had called him the previous night and asked him to come over.
~�Hello?�
�Hi Max.�
�Oh hey Liz. Ava�s not here.�
�Oh I know. She�s out with Izzy and Kyle. I called to talk to you
actually.�
�Is everything okay Liz,� he asked with honest concern.
�Yeah. Max nothing�s wrong. I just wanted to know if you could come over
tomorrow so we could talk,� Liz replied confidently.
�Uh sure,� he said, his voice laced with uncertainty. �How�s 4 o�clock
sound?�
�That�s fine. I�ll see you tomorrow. Bye Max.�
�Okay. Bye Liz.�
Liz hung up the phone and slid down the wall, drawing in a shaky breath.
�Yeah. I�ll see ya tomorrow Max.�~
So now here she was staring at the clock, awaiting his arrival. Deep
breaths Liz. Just remember to take nice deep breaths, she told
herself.
She had been eyeing the clock since 3:30. To her, time had seemed to slow
to a snail�s pace. And with every minute that went by, her anxiety grew. But
she knew this moment had been a long time coming.
A knock had startled Liz out of her thoughts. She dashed toward the door
to let Max in.
She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror, plastered on a fake smile,
and proceeded to answer the door. �Hi Max. Come on in.�
Max peeked his head in and glanced around cautiously. It was as if he was
looking for someone.
Liz caught on to what he was doing. �No one�s here,� she explained. �Micheal�s
working downstairs and Ava�s hanging out with Maria and Ashley.�
He nodded slowly and made his way into the apartment.
They sat down opposite each other; Liz occupied her previous seat and Max
sat in the recliner across from her.
�So what did you need to talk to me about?�
Liz fidgeted nervously. �Oh, um, I just wanted to clear a few things up.
We�ve needed to talk for a long time and it keeps getting put off.�
Oh that talk. �Yeah we kinda did didn�t we. Listen Liz I-�
She knew full well what Max was planning on saying. So she beat him to the
punch line. �Max before you tell me that you never meant to hurt me, which I
happen to know is what you�re gonna say, let me save you the trouble. I know
that you never meant to hurt me by falling in love with Ava.� She let out a
heavy sigh. �She technically was your destiny after all,� she finished
quietly.
Max hung his head sadly. How�d did things ever get so messed up? �Liz
you know I never and I mean never believed in that destiny crap. It was
never an issue between us. It was always you. Whenever I said I loved you I
meant it.�
Tears pooled in Liz�s eyes. And that may have been true but it wasn�t
enough for us in the end. �I know that Max. It�s kinda ironic isn�t it. You
fought so hard against it and yet you still fell victim to it.�
His tear filled eyes met hers. �Liz, I�m sorry for the way things worked out.
I�m sorry for Tess. I�m sorry that I was such a bad boyfriend. and I�m sorry
that things turned out the way they did.�
Neither of them ever actually used the words �slept with� and �Tess� in the
same sentence. To this day, they still found themselves unable to do so. That
�slutty wench� as Isabel had so appropriately nicknamed her, would forever
be a sore spot with the group.
She shook her head. �Despite how much it hurt Max, I�m not. You�re the best
thing that�s ever happened to Ava. You know full well that with everything
you�re sorry for, my sister�s not on that list. And somehow, she was able to
put that light in your eyes that I never did or could.�
Max noticed the way she skirted the whole Tess issue. He was amazed how
easily she brushed it aside despite the fact that Tess was technically her
sister�s identical. �But it was never my intention to hurt you. I just. God. I
just saw Ava and I fell hard.�
She knew he was being honest. �I know. But that�s the price we pay. And
while it still hurts sometimes, I think I�ll recover.� She smiled slightly
through her tears.
�Liz you deserve more credit than you get sometimes. If it had been me in
your shoes, I probably wouldn�t have stepped aside as you did.�
�I had no choice Max. It was either Ava�s happiness or mine. I chose hers
because she�s never had an easy break until she was adopted by my parents.
And compared to her I had everything. Who was I to stand in the way of
true love?�
Max winced at what he thought was an implication that he had never loved
her. �I loved you Liz.� Just not as I should�ve.
�Yes, for a time you did Max. But that was puppy love. That was nothing like
the love you and Ava share. What we had wasn�t always real. I think
sometimes ours was a marriage of convenience, so to speak. But we did have
some good times. And I�ll never forget them. Seeing you and my sister
together convinces me that despite the pain, there is someone out there for
me.�
Yeah there is Liz. His name is Micheal. �I�m just sorry that I wasn�t
always there for you like I should�ve been. As a friend, I failed you.�
�No you didn�t Max. It would�ve been awkward. But I�m a lot better now. I�ve
got my life back together. And no matter what, you�ll always be one of my
best friends first and foremost. Like we promised long before we got
together.�
Max stood up and hugged her. �So are we okay now?�
She smiled up at him. �Yes we are Max. Yes we are.�
And with that, a friendship was reborn.
**TBC**
[Prologue][1][2][3][4]][5][6][7][8] [9][10][11][12]
