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: I�m writing this part with the idea that Micheal is the oldest of
the Pod Squad. He�s almost 19. Ashley is 21. Max, Isabel, and Kyle are all 18.
Maria�s just barely 18. Liz is 17. And Ava is the youngest at 16.
Part 7: I Thought Time Healed All Wounds
Ashley cautiously entered the park. He didn�t know what to expect from this
supposed meeting. What can you expect when a face from your past calls at
two-thirty in the morning to rehash the sorted details of your former
life?
A dark haired man crept out of the shadows towards him. He wasn�t startled
in the least. �Okay, I�m hea. What�s going on?�
�You came.� The man stated as he nodded his head in an almost bowing
gesture.
Ashley nodded in return. �Yea Captain Obvious I�m hea.� He remarked
sarcastically as his arms crossed his chest. �Now can ya tell me what dis is
bout?� He asked impatiently. �My fiancee is gonna wonder where da hell I am
at 3 o�clock in the morning.� I hope Ria don�t wake up while I�m gone. I�ll be
if she does.
Still the same after all these years. �You always were the impatient
one. Weren�t you Narim?�
Ashley closed his eyes in remembrance and smiled slightly. �I haven�t been
called dat in years.�
The man�s pursed lips curled into a smile at the comment. �Feels good doesn�t
it?� There are some things I miss about the old life.
�It feels aight. But we�re gettin off track. Now care ta tell me why we�re
hea?�
�It�s time.� He said solemnly.
His eyebrows arched in question. �Time fo what?�
�Time to tell them who we really are.�
�Yea and don�t you think dat they gonna ask mad questions when we do?�
Ashley asked slightly agitated. As much as he wanted to let them know who
he was, he was afraid of what they�d say. Or what they�ll think. Micheal
and Ava will expect that I want something from them. That�s the way they
are. That�s the way they�ve always been.
�They will. But we will answer them.�
�But what about da ones we can�t answer?�
�Like what?�
Ashley threw his hands up in a mixture of aggravation and defeat. �Like
where da hell is Akyra? Rath, er, Micheal and Ava will be furious when we
tell them dat we have no idea where she is. How do we tell them that we
have no idea where the Queen of Rilos is? How they gonna react? Huh? And
they gonna ask why da hell we got separated like we did. And I don�t know
bout you, but those are answers I don�t have.�
He ignored the second question, deciding to concentrate on the more
important of the two. �We will find Akyra.� He retorted
determinedly. I will find my sister. No matter what, I will bring her back
to Rath. Even if it�s the last thing that I do.
Ashley�s hazel eyes clouded over with anger. He acts like dis is child�s play.
Like Akyra�s down da block or somethin. �Oh yeah Akien. How do ya
suppose we go bout doin that? Huh? Do ya have some great plan? Is that
it?�
Akien shook his head. His blue-green eyes showed a great deal of
determination. He wasn�t going to let his sisters down again. He was
never going to let his sisters down again. �No. I have faith. My sister
will be found.�
�Well I hope faith is enough ta get us through dis time. Otherwise we�re
screwed.� Royally screwed.
�It will be Narim. All we need is time.�
****
Two Weeks Later:
Ava had finally gone back to school. She decided that she needed a
distraction from all the pain. And that was only possible by being with her
friends. She was attempting to get on with her life. But her sister however,
was a different story.
It was pretty much obvious to everyone that Liz wasn�t really living her life
anymore. She was merely going through the daily motions. She hadn�t gone
back to school. Nobody would let her; not that she really wanted to anyway.
They didn�t feel that she was ready to yet. So after some talking, arguing,
and even some screaming with the principal, they worked out a system in
which one of them would always be with Liz. Most of the time it was Micheal.
A good many of his teachers came to the Parker apartment to teach him
anything he missed. That was another change. Micheal had moved in with Liz
and Ava permanently. It made sense really. He was saving as Ava had
put it, �mad cash�. And in the event that Ava decided to stay over Max�s, he
was there with Liz.
Not that, that was of any real comfort. Liz wasn�t very active at all. She
spent most of the last few weeks in her bedroom. Except for using the
bathroom, taking a shower, or eating what little she did eat, she rarely left
her room.
In the past three weeks, Liz had uttered no more than three words at a
time. And when she did speak, it was to either Ava or Micheal. It seemed
like the old Liz was gone for good; having been replaced by a empty,
heartbroken version of herself.
No one knew what to do for her. They had gotten together and discussed a
few things that could be done. Maria said that they should simply let her
know that they were there for her if she ever wanted to talk. That she
would come to them when she was ready. Ashley, Ava, and Max went along
with her argument. Isabel suggested that they could try and dream walk her
into �waking up�. Micheal and Kyle strongly disagreed with her. They said that
when Liz did snap out of it, she would feel that her privacy had be invaded.
Which would only cause a rift in the group when unity was an absolute
necessity.
Micheal had argued that they should just leave her alone. That pushing or
hounding her would do no good. That if they left her to her own vices, she�d
eventually snap out of it. �She just needs time to grieve. Can�t we just give
her that?� He had pleaded with them. They eventually agreed.
But Micheal would soon learn that his suggestion had been the worst of them
all. That the group would come to collectively regret leaving Liz
alone.
****
At 10:30 at night, Micheal was awoken by sobbing. He knew exactly where it
was coming from. That was the one good thing about the position of his
room. It was in between Liz�s and Ava�s; so he could always tell when if one
of them was upset, which one it was.
He didn�t even bother getting dressed. He waltzed just into Liz�s room in a
pair of baggy flannel pajama pants and nothing else.
Liz sat in the corner of her room staring at her mirror, or rather the
pictures that surrounded it. There were pictures of everyone up there. But
the good bulk of them were of either her with Max or her with her parents.
Most of them were of Max either way.
Micheal had tried numerous times to get Liz to get rid of those pictures.
They fought over them plenty of times. It usually ended up in one or both of
them getting upset.
~ �Liz I�m telling you, you�ll feel a lot better if you just take them down.�
He said while motioning to the myriad of pictures surrounding her mirror.
�No. I. Won�t.� She shot back in anger.
�Why not?� He prodded.
�Because...because..�
He cut her off, �Liz you�re not even grasping at straws anymore. He�s with
your sister. He�s in love with your sister. He�s engaged
to your sister. He�s not coming back.� He said as he grabbed her arm gently
to pull her towards him.
She resisted the urge to cry at his words. �Neither is Maria.� She retorted.
Micheal let go of her as if he just been burned.
A wave of anger and hurt washed over him. �That�s not fair.� He yelled as
unshed tears pooled up in his eyes.
�Why not Micheal. That�s not exactly grasping at straws either. She�s with
Ashley. She loves Ashley. And she�s marrying Ashley in
two months.� She spat back with venom in her voice.
Every word she spoke, albeit the truth, felt like a knife straight through his
heart. And it caused the tears in his eyes to finally spill over.
�Do you know just how much of a bitch you can be sometimes.� He
yelled/sobbed.
She hadn�t noticed how upset she had really gotten him till she looked in his
deep brown eyes. �Good going Parker look what you did now. How cruel am I?�
Micheal�s defenses weren�t what they used to be. He let her see his
emotions frequently. It was too hard to put up his �walls� anymore.
�Micheal I�m...�
�Save it Liz. At least I�m acknowledging the fact that she�s not coming back
to me. She never will. I�m learning to accept it. But it�s kinda hard when you
keep throwing it back in my face. Are you done rubbing it in? That. She.
Doesn�t. Love. Me. Anymore.� He accented every word by raising his voice
just a little higher than before.
�Max is NOT coming back! He�s with AVA! He doesn�t love you anymore. Get
over it.� He instantly regretted his words as he looked at her. Good job
Guerin. Way to make things better.
Liz sunk to her knees in tears. A sob escaped her small lips. She could barely
breath she was crying so hard. Micheal hadn�t meant to get her so upset. He
never meant to get upset over something so stupid. She had too much shit in
her life. It was his job to protect her from it and he failed
miserably.
He crawled over to her and pulled her into his lap. He rocked her back and
forth, rubbing her back and muttering �I�m sorry.� like it was his new
mantra. �I�m so sorry.� He said over and over as tears cascaded down his
face.~
~ �I don�t understand why your torturing yourself like this. You�ll never
get over him if you don�t allow yourself too. At least take them down and put
them somewhere for now.� He pleaded with her as she sat on her bed in
tears.
�I c-c-c-can�t. I don�t w-w-want to.� She sobbed.
�I can�t understand why. He�s not worth it. He�s not worth your tears.�
Micheal said as he gently brushed the tears off her cheeks.
He grasped her chin and forced her to look at him. �You deserve so much
better than him. You will get better than him. You�ll become that
world famous biologist you�ve always wanted to be. You�ll marry that wealthy,
good looking guy. You�ll have the 2.5 kids, and a house with a white picket
fence. It�s what you deserve.� He said sincerely.
�And what about you?� She questioned as she place her hands atop his on her
face. �What do you deserve?�
He never answered the question. He didn�t want to tell her what he thought
he really deserved.~
****
Micheal walked over to her and gently placed her in his lap. She threw her
arms around his neck and sobbed. He rubbed her back gently. She needed
him to be strong for her. It felt good to be needed so much by someone
other than his �family.�
�It�s okay Liz. I�m here. I�ll always be here.� God damn you Max. How could
you leave her like this.
Liz crawled out of the safety of his arms and went back to the window sill.
She watched the rain falling slowly outside. �I just want to be whole again.�
He heard her whisper softly as she wrapped her arms around herself. �I
just want to be loved again.�
All he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and never let her go. He
wanted to keep her safe from all things bad in the world. But that was a
wish Micheal would never see granted. He couldn�t conceal her from the
universe as he desired. It just wasn�t possible.
He watched as she crawled back into her bed and slowly drifted off to
sleep. It wasn�t unusual to him. Many nights, he would sit by her bed and
watch her sleep. He would be there to comfort her when she awoke from a
nightmare. He would get her a glass of water in the middle of the night when
she needed it. It was therapeutic to him. Taking care of her was helping him
slowly but surely, get over Maria. In fact, he was beginning to think he was
over Maria. He just needed to be loved. Hell he just needed to be
needed.
�Micheal, go take a walk. It�s my turn.� Ava said as she passed Liz�s room.
Once again, he was standing there keeping guard over her.
�No, I�m okay.� He insisted; but the circles under his eyes and the fact that
he looked so tired said otherwise.
�Micheal go.�
�And do what?�
She dashed into her room and rummaged through her sock drawer until she
came up with a twenty dollar bill. �Well we seem to be running low on
cigarettes, why don�t you go get us some more.�
�Why can�t you?�
�Because genius, I�m only 16. You�re almost 19.� She was right. Micheal would
be nineteen at the end of the week. But besides that he needed a break. He
had been running himself ragged the past two weeks. He would watch over
Liz non-stop. He managed the Crashdown five days a week. And he went to
school, when he could. He needed a breather even if only for a few
minutes.
She felt like he was trying to play Super Man. It felt as if he was trying to
atone for Akyra. That by protecting Liz, he�d be making up for losing her.
Deep down, he�s still the same. He�s still Rath through and through. Still
blaming himself for something that was beyond anyone�s control.
�Fine.� He muttered. �What do you want?�
�Newport Light 100�s�
�Newport 100�s it is then.� He growled as he stomped down the back
steps.
�Take the car.� Ava shouted to him.
He glanced at the keys sitting on the table by the door. The keys to Liz�s
Explorer.
�No it�s okay. I�ll walk.� I need to think.
****
Micheal trudged down to the gas station at the end of the block. Why am
I here? I should be home with Liz and Ava. He thought silently.
He walked up to the counter an waited for the attendant to notice that he
was there.
�Can I help you?� The elderly man asked as he eyed Micheal
waringly.
�Yeah, can I get two packs Newport Light 100�s and one pack of Newport
100�s.�
The man retrieved what Micheal asked for and then asked, �Can I see some
ID?� He wasn�t quite sure this kid was 18.
�Sure.� Micheal said as he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and
pulled out his license. Yes, he, Micheal Guerin, had a full driver�s license. He
handed it to the guy.
The guy looked at the ID, then at him, then at the ID again. �Okay. Here you
go.� He handed the ID back to him. �That�ll be nine fifty.�
Micheal handed him the 20 Ava gave him before. The man took it and handed
him his change. �Have a good night kid.�
Micheal looked at him skeptically. �Yeah you too.� Good night my
ass.
****
Meanwhile...
Ava wanted to check on her sister. She had felt that something wasn�t right.
She didn�t know why, but she just did.
She tip-toed over to Liz�s side. Everything seemed fine. Liz was sleeping
peacefully for once.
Ava readjusted Liz�s blanket. It was falling off her. But something didn�t
seem right still.
She walked over to the other side of the bed. She checked the window. All
locked.
She turned to face her sister. It seemed odd that both of Liz�s hands were
under her pillows. Liz never slept like that. Alarms began going off in her
head.
Panicking, she moved Liz in attempt to get a look at her wrists. She was
terrified of what she would find.
She pushed Liz slightly and pulled her arms out from under the pillow. She
didn�t find what she had expected to. Liz hadn�t cut her wrists. She was just
sleeping.
Ava sighed. I�m just being paranoid. She fixed Liz�s comforter over her
slight frame.
In the back off her mind, something still seemed off to Ava. She sat down
aside Liz on the bed.
Her attention was suddenly drawn to the medicine bottles on Liz�s night
stand. She picked one up; sleeping pills.
It was no secret among the group that Liz was taking them. She had been
since before their parents died. They were the only things that kept her
sleeping through the night. They curbed her nightmares.
But what did seem weird was that there were only 10 pills left in the bottle.
There should�ve been 15. Liz only took one a night. And the prescription was
for 30 days. Which dictated that there should have been 15 in the bottle.
Why were there five missing?
The reason for the missing pills suddenly dawned on her. She dropped the
bottle and screamed. Her eyes widened in fear. She grabbed Liz by her arms
and attempted to wake her.
�Liz! Liz! Wake up!� She screamed as she shook her sister. �No! Don�t you
dare do this to me!� She cried.
Liz didn�t move. Ava checked for a pulse. Liz had a faint one and her heart
was still beating. There was still time. She scrambled for the phone and
dialed 911. �Yes! I need an ambulance at the Crashdown Cafe! My sister
overdosed on sleeping pills! I can�t wake her up! Please! Hurry!�
****
Micheal was on his way home when he heard the ambulance. It wasn�t an
uncommon sound in Roswell. It didn�t phase him at all.
�I guess someone got hurt.� He said to himself as he shrugged his
shoulders.
Suddenly his cell phone went off. He retrieved it from his pocket and looked
at the caller ID. It read 555-4444 Roswell General Hosp.
Who the hell would be calling me from Roswell General? He thought to
himself.
Then it occurred to him: SOMETHING HAPPENED. He flipped the cover and
raised the phone to his ear. �Hello?�
�Micheal.� It was Kyle. He sounded serious. �I�m at the hospital.�
�I know why?� Please don�t say what I think you�re gonna say.
�Well there�s been an accident.� He said gravely.
Micheal ran a shaky hand through his hair. �Is everyone okay?� Please say
yes. Please say yes.
�Micheal, it�s Liz.�
He inhaled deeply and released a breath quickly. �I�ll be right
there.�
He took off in a run. All the while hearing the Kyle say �It�s Liz.� over and
over.
**TBC**
[Prologue][1][2][3][4]][5][6][7][8]
