Title: When The Worst Happens
Author: Jenn
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, would I really be writing this? *Shake
your head no* 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?
********
Part 4: Let The Games Begin
Maria pushed the back door of the Crashdown open and trudged upstairs,
Ashley in tow. She opened the door to the Parker Apartment. �Hello
anybody here?�
�Maria is that you?� She recognized the voice as belonging to Max.
�Girlfriend is that you?� She asked humorously. Ashley turned to her and
mouthed �Girlfriend?� to her.
�I�ll explain later.� She whispered in response.
Max quickly ran up to her and engulfed her in a hug. �Maria! How are you?�
Despite everything, he was genuinely happy to see her.
She smiled at him. He was the only one besides Liz and Kyle that she kept in
touch with. Although she talked to him and Kyle more than she did Liz. �I�m
good Max. You?�
�I�m all right. It�s good to see you. I just wish it wasn�t under these
circumstances.� He said sadly.
�I know.� She said as she ruffled his hair affectionately. Nancy and Jeff
had been like a second set of parents to her for as long as she could
remember.
Ashley didn�t want to interrupt the reunion but he felt a little awkward just
standing there. �Aren�t you goin ta intraduce us, Ria?�
�Oh yeah. Max this is Ashley. Ashley this is Max.�
For a moment, Max eyed Ashley carefully. There was something familiar
about him. He couldn�t quite put his finger on it. But he did notice one thing.
He looks so much like Micheal. It�s creepy. Well minus the piercings and
tattoos that is.
Ashley felt a pair a eyes on him and chanced a glance at Max. He looks
familiar. Where have I seen him before?
Max snapped out his stupor and stuck out his hand. �Hey man. Nice to finally
meet you.� He emphasized the word meet with a smirk because he had
tried for months to get Maria to come visit but she wasn�t having it.
Ashley shook it. �Same hea. Ria�s told me a lot bout you.�
�She didn�t tell you anything embarrassing right? Cause if she did....� He
asked half joking. But the other half of him also knew that Maria had a
tendency to open her mouth about anything and everything at all. He loved
her, and she was a great friend, but she babbled a lot.
�Max that�s enough. I didn�t say anything about anything embarrassing.� She
said trying to stop him before he shot his mouth off.
Ashley turned back to Max with a smirk on his face just to get Maria all
riled up. �We hafta talk lata.� Maria shot him a look of death. He would have
to pay for that later. Not dat I mind. He thought
mischievously.
Max mirrored Ashley�s grin. �Sure. We just can�t do it when Ria�s around. I
don�t know about you, but I value my life.�
�Aye you don�t live wit her.� He tried to hold back his laughter. He knew
Maria was still in the room.
Max patted him on the back. �My condolences man.�
Maria shot both of them a look of contempt. �Boys you�re treading on
dangerous ground now. Max I suggest you cut it out. Cause I know some
stories that will have Ava teasing you into your next life.� Max caught the
double meaning of her words. And Ashley did too. Well at least what it would
mean to him. She can�t possibly be referring to what I think she is. But if
she is, I think I finally found them. Maria turned to her lover and jabbed
him in the chest with her finger. �And you mister, will be sleeping on the
couch when we get home if your not careful.�
Max cringed on Ashley�s behalf. �Ouch.�
�Max.� Maria warned.
�Sorry. I swear I won�t do it again.� He said while failing to hide his
smirk.
�Okay now, where is everyone?�
�Izzy and Kyle are in the Livingroom. Micheal�s somewhere. And Liz and Ava
are in Liz�s bedroom. Asleep I think.�
�Okay.� She said as she walked into the Livingroom. The first person she laid
eyes on was her brother, sitting in the recliner along side the couch. But he
didn�t notice her. He was too busy watching Isabel sleeping silently next to
him. That is adorable. I wonder if Ashley does the same thing.
�Kyle.� She whispered. �Kyle.�
He turned to her with a smirk on his face. �Well if it isn�t my little sister.�
He said as he enveloped her in a hug. �How are you Ria?�
�I�m okay ya big lug. You?�
�I�m good.� He smirked.
�How�s Izzy?�
�She�s good too.� He said with absolute adoration in his eyes.
�Where�s Spaceboy?�
Ashley was silent through the whole exchange. Girlfriend? Spaceboy?
What is this?
�He�s in his room.�
�His room?�
�Oh yeah. He stays over here a lot so we all refer to the guest room as
Micheal�s room. Jeff and Nancy,� He stopped for a second to regain
composure. This was going to be hard on all of them. �started calling it his
room first. It kinda stuck because he�s here all the time.�
Maria saw the pain flash across his features for a second. This was going to
take a long time to recover from. Jeff and Nancy had been like parents to
everyone. They knew the kids had secrets but they never pressed for
information out of any of them. They respected their need for secrecy. Just
as the Evans� did. Jeff had been like the father she never had, Well until
now. before Amy had married Jim. Nancy had always been the voice of
reason, making her see the light whenever her and her mother fought. They
were such good people. It made no sense why they would be the ones to die
so needlessly.
�If you say so. I�m gonna go see how he is.� She said as she left all three men
in her wake.
Kyle turned to Ashley. �Sup man?�
�Nada. You?� He said as his shook his soon to be brother in law�s hand. But
they don�t know that yet.
�Not much.�
They had met before when he went with his father and step-mother to go
visit Maria in New York. It was just after his little sister, Tasha, was born.
After spending a few days with him. He decided that Ashley was good for
Maria. He had never seen so much light in her eyes before. She seemed
freer, happier. But of course he had given him the big brother talk, even
though Ashley was older than him.
�What are your intentions with my sister?� He asked honestly.
�Well I don�t plan on hurting her. I love her.� The look on Ashley�s face said
he meant every word.
�Just see that you don�t. I don�t give a shit who you are or whose kid you are.
If you hurt Maria. You. Will. Regret. It. She�s had enough to deal with in the
past.�
�I won�t. I promise.�
�I trust that you won�t. You seem like a good guy. But remember what I
said.�
�I will.�
The Guest Room; Micheal�s Room.
She walked in just to hear the ending of �Viva Forever� by the Spice
Girls.
His back was to her. She guessed he was in deep thought about something.
Most likely the situation at hand. But she needed to announce her
presence.
�Hello Micheal.�
�Maria.� He retorted softly in acknowledgment of her presence. It was a
few moments before he actually turned to face her.
When he did, Maria could see that Liz wasn�t kidding: he had changed A LOT.
His hair was back to its former state of spikiness, only a bit shorter than
before with subtle blonde highlights. Both of his ears were pierced. And
when she glanced at his face she noticed that he had the look of a very
broken man in his eyes, which she didn�t expect. Well she kinda did but it
still hurt her to think, I did that to him. But the biggest change of all
was the fact that he was so built. Damn Spaceboy looks good! Not
that he was lanky or anything before, it was just that he wasn�t as lean as
Max. Liz had told her that to release frustration, rather than blowing
things up or taking it out on his walls, he would work out. And it was
definitely noticeable under the white T-shirt he was wearing. It
hugged him in all the right places. He had very nice biceps which were
very visible. And he now had a six pack that could easily rival Kyle�s.
She had also seen that he now had a tattoo on his left bicep: a small heart
that was broken in two with the word Spaceboy across it.
�Micheal, you look good.� She found it hard to speak as she met his eyes. He
looked so lost.
�You do too. Ria.� He said solemnly, as he gave her a once over. She had that
I-can-take-on-the-world look about her. She stood before him in a black
tank top that said Babygirl in rhinestones, a pair of black bellbottoms that
clung to her curves perfectly and black high heel boots. And he could hear
hints of a New York accent in her voice. He long hair was swept up in a
ponytail with some loose tendrils around her face. She was wearing a name
plate that said Ashley�s Babygirl. He could also see that she had her tongue
pierced.
She decided to break the uncomfortable silence. �I know we have some
things to talk about but I...�
�Now is not the time nor the place Ria. We�ll discuss everything later.� He
declared defiantly. She could hear a bitterness in his tone.
She nodded in agreement. Okay who are you and what have you done with
my Spaceboy? Wait a minute, he hasn�t be my Spaceboy for a long
time.
�Okay fair enough. How are you doing?�
He looked her dead in the eyes. She could see unshed tears threatening to
spill over. �I�m okay I guess. But Liz...�
�Liz what, Micheal?�
The tears finally slipped down his cheeks. �She�s taking it so hard. I don�t
understand why everything always happens to her. It�s just not
fair.�
She crossed the room and put her arms around him. �I know Micheal. It isn�t
fair. But we can�t change it.� She said as tears pooled up in her own eyes.
�They�re,� She sniffled. � they�re gone.�
He broke down. �But, you didn�t see that lost look in her eyes Ria.� He cried.
�She was so lost. She closed herself up to everyone. She�s only 17. She�s
done nothing to deserve this. And Ava just turned 16. This is wrong.� He
sniffled. �Just wrong.� He added softly.
Maria remembered that gentleness in his voice. It was reserved solely for
her. In the old days at least. Memories flashed through her head of the old
days all the time. It seemed like another lifetime. It all seemed so long ago.
Looking back on it, Micheal really did love her. But she at some point just fell
out of love with him. Yet, now, she continued to hold him like she used to. If
only for that moment. I should at least give him this. If only for a few
seconds.
For a moment, Micheal pretended to forget that she wasn�t his anymore and
relished in the fact that her arms were around him. He could pretend for
that one second that she still loved him. And it felt good. He missed her
touch so badly. He missed being loved so much. Then reality set back in and
he dislodged himself from her arms, a look of pain flashing through his
eyes.
She knew why he had pulled back. �Micheal I�m sor-�
�Save it. Sorry doesn�t change anything. Like I said: We�ll. Discuss. This.
Later.� He said as he angrily wiped the tears from his face. �There�s more
important things to worry about than my feelings right now.
�But..�
�But nothing.� He abruptly cut her off.
She gave him a look of contempt. She was about to open her mouth when she
was once again cut off.
Another obviously male voice drifted into the room and interupted what was
sure to soon develop into a fight. �Baby, you in dere?�
�Yea sweetie. Come here.�
If Micheal didn�t know any better, he could swear that the guy who just
walked in could pass for his brother. Well isn�t that just hysterical. Add
insult to injury much Ria? He thought cynically. Maria gave the guy a small
pec on the cheek and took his hand in hers. He could see the look of love the
other guy gave her as she smiled up at him adoringly. So this must be
Ashley. That�s it. There�s no way I�ll ever get her back. This looks like
they�re both in it for the long haul. At least he�ll take good care of her.
�Micheal this is my boyfriend Ashley. Ashley this is Micheal.�
�Hey.� Was Micheal�s response.
�Wut up.� Was Ashley�s. Yep, definitely a New Yorker. Was Micheal�s
thought.
Meanwhile Ashley was thinking other thoughts as he looked at Micheal. It
can�t be? Could it. No. It�s just not possible. He couldn�t be here. They never
said anything about it. He�s here. I finally found him. Maria interupted his
train of thought.
�Micheal where is Liz?� She asked as she clutched Ashley�s hand
tightly.
�She�s asleep in her room. So is Ava.�
�How they doin�?� Ashley asked in true concern.
He shook his head sadly. �Not good. Not good at all.�
Maria turned to Ashley, �Baby I�m gonna go check on them.�
�Aight. I�ll be hea.�
As soon as she exited the room, Ashley tried to strike up a conversation
with Micheal.
�So seriously, how are they?�
Micheal glanced at Ashley waringly. �Like I said this is hitting them really
hard. It�s gonna take a long time for them to get over it. Especially
Liz.�
Ashley noted the soft look in Micheal�s eyes as he spoke Liz�s name.
Interesting. �You care about her a lot, don�t you?�
�Yeah I do. She doesn�t deserve this after all the shit she�s been
through.�
Okay Ashley thought. Time ta change da topic. Like
yestaday.
�What�s da deal wit Ria?�
Could we not get into this shit again. I�ve had enough for one day.
�What do you mean?� Micheal asked impatiently.
Aight, I obviously asked da wrong question. But I might as well stick wit
it. �What went down wit you two?�
�It�s complicated.�
�I got time.� He said as he took a seat at the desk.
�I really don�t want to discuss it. I might say some things I�ll regret
later.�
Ashley could sympathize to an extent. He had a girlfriend that was with him
for three years that just up and left one day without a word. He felt for
Micheal. The pain in his eyes shone through every time he looked at Maria.
He wanted to know what happened. He had heard Maria�s version. Now he
wanted to hear Micheal�s. And not only because he was curious of the
situation. Now that he found who he was searching for, for most of this life,
at least; he wanted to know every bit of information about his life. He
needed to know everything.
Who does this guy think he is? �Why do you care?�
�I just do.� If you only knew Rath.
Liz�s Room
Maria pushed the door open carefully. She didn�t want to wake either girl up.
But Ava was already awake.
She stretched out in the chair by Liz�s bed. �Maria? Is that you?�
�Hey Ava. How are you?�
�I�m okay I guess. Considering the circumstances.�
Maria looked at Ava. She too had changed. Her hair was now long and a soft
shade of brown. She didn�t look like a little �hoodlum� anymore. And she no
longer seemed as timid as she once was. Everyone went on without me.
Maria thought sadly. She decided that she�d put all hard feelings she had
for Tess aside and treat Ava like she should�ve in the beginning. Besides, Ava
had just celebrated her 16th birthday no more than two days ago. What a
present huh?
She slowly bent down in front of Ava. �I know this is gonna be hard sweetie.
But I promise I�ll be here if you need me.� She was startled as the girl
reached out and hugged her. �Thanks Maria. That means a lot.�
�I know we haven�t gotten along too well in the past but I promise that will
change.�
�Thank you, Maria.� Ava said as tears welled up in her crystal blue
eyes.
Maria felt her own eyes begin to water once again. �You�re welcome,
Ava.�
They were interupted by a soft knocking at the door.
Ava�s head shot up, �That�s Micheal.�
Maria felt a twinge of jealousy again. She resented the bond that they all
shared. At least when Alex was here, she wasn�t alone.
Without either of them saying a word, Micheal slowly opened the door. He
first laid eyes on Maria, and she caught his hard gaze. But she noticed a
change in his demeanor when he saw Ava. �How are you Av?� This was a side
of Micheal that she wasn�t used to seeing on a regular basis. He used to only
act like this around her. She again felt a twinge of jealousy tug at her heart.
I�ve missed so much. He had finally opened up. Just not when she was
around.
�Aight. I guess.� Ava responded despondently.
�C�mere.� He commanded softly as he opened up his arms to her.
Maria watched as she quickly stood and went to him. He hugged her tightly
as she began to sob.
She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Liz was beginning to
stir.
Before Liz even opened her eyes, Ava sensed she was awake and whispered
to Micheal. �Go to her, she needs you.� Even though it hurt that Liz seemed
to need Micheal more, she understood. And she also knew that Micheal would
take good care of her. He would never let her down. He had been let down
too many times. And he was good at learning from others� mistakes. These
days at least.
Micheal pushed past Maria and sat next to Liz on the bed. Maria eyed the
exchange carefully.
Liz slowly opened her eyes. The first person she saw was Micheal. He gently
cupped her cheek. �How are you?�
She leaned into his hand while covering it with her own. �I honestly don�t
know Micheal. I feel like I�ve been hit with a train.� She sniffled.
He put his arm around her when she sat up a bit. Somehow it ended up that
she was sitting in between his legs with his arms around her waist. She
instinctively curled into him. She looked so lost.
�Av?� Liz questioned still seeing her sister standing in the doorway with her
arms wrapped around herself.
�Lizzy?�
�Come here.� Liz said as she patted the bed.
Ava sat down on the edge of the bed. Liz motioned for her to come closer.
When she did, she was promptly pulled into an embrace by her
sister.
Maria watched as Micheal held both girls protectively. While the girls held
each other tightly. She felt she was intruding on the moment so she made an
excuse.
�I�m gonna go find Ashley.�
Only Micheal acknowledged her statement. He nodded slightly. So she left
the room.
Once outside, she sunk to her knees in the hallway. She let out a sob. She
began to cry. Ashley saw her and was in front of her in an instant.
�Baby, was wrong?� He asked as he reached for her hands.
She looked up at him. �Liz didn�t even notice I was there. It�s like she
doesn�t need me.� She cried.
Ashley pulled her to him. �Don�t think that way baby. She needs ya. She�s
just very emotional right now. Give her some time. I promise.� He said as he
attempted to wipe the tears from her beautiful face.
�You�re probably right. I love you, Ash.�
He smiled. He never got tired of hearing those words uttered from her
mouth. �I love you too baby. I always will.�
He helped her up. �C�mon let�s go see what your bro is up ta.� He draped an
arm around her.
She nodded and grasped the hand that he had around her waist.
�Okay.�
They walked into the Livingroom only to find Kyle and Isabel asleep in each
other�s arms. So Ashley sat down on the recliner and pulled Maria into his
lap. �Sleep love.� He told her. �It�s been a long day. An� we got some rough
ones comin�.�
She smiled sleepily as he uttered the word �we�. In their relationship, it
wasn�t even just her or him it was always them. They did things together as
one. Not separately. As was the case with her and Micheal. But, truth be
told, Micheal was the furthest thing from her mind as sleep overtook
her.
Meanwhile...
Both Ava and Liz had drifted off on Micheal as they sat on Liz�s bed. He
didn�t mind. Not at all. They needed their rest. The next few days were
going to be the hardest of all. He knew that firsthand. Which is why
thoughts of Maria drifted into his mind as dreamland began to take over
him. And this was only just the beginning of what was to come. The road
ahead was paved with surprises, with the biggest one of all being for
him.
**TBC**
[Prologue][1][2][3][4][5]
