Knowing Your True Love's Heart

Summary: A follow up to the fic "Timelines". Takes place 2 months later.
Altra-Max comes to the real Roswell.
Background: Just be sure and read Timelines. Timelines begins immediately
after Balance, so nothing on the show after the Balance actually occurred in
this world.
Category: M/L
Rating: PG-13
Author: Anne
E-mail: [email protected]
Disclaimer: They're not mine. The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda
Metz, the WB, Jason Katims, and all the wonderful people who we all love for
starting this wonderful story. I'm just borrowing them! The songs used in
this fic are "The Background" by Third Eye Blind, "Mystery" by Indigo Girls,
"Deep Inside of You" by Third Eye Blind, and "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage
Garden (aka the song used in EVERY fanfic! It's so perfect though. I
couldn't think of anything else that would be better!). I don't own them.
You know the drill.
Dedication: Well, this is for Linda, 'cause she challenged me to do this,
like, 2 or 3 months ago, and I'm just now finally starting it! Here you go
Linda! I hope you and everyone else likes it! And I'm sorry if it gets
confusing...I'm going to try and keep the 2 Max's straight, but it'll be
hard.

Knowing Your True Love's Heart

Part 1

Liz Parker studied her reflection in her mirror. It was nearly six-o clock,
and her boyfriend would be there any moment to pick her up.

Liz sighed. She wanted to look perfect for him tonight. Liz knew Max
Evans. She knew him better than anyone else, even his best friend Michael
and his sister Isabel at times, and she knew that Max would think she looked
good no matter what she looked like, but Liz wanted to blow him away
tonight. It was a special night for them, and she wanted everything to be
perfect.

Tonight was Liz and Max's two-month anniversary.

For two months, Liz and Max had been together. Officially together. And
Max hadn't gotten scared, or tried to run, or anything. In fact, since the
accident, Max hadn't seemed to want to let Liz out of his sight, not that
she minded or anything. They spent as much time together as humanly
possible, and sometimes even more than that. They had even shared some
dreams.

Liz had never been happier in her entire life.

"Oh you set up your place in my thoughts,
Moved in and made my thinking crowded."

Liz's thoughts were interrupted by a soft rapping on her bedroom door. She
couldn't help but smile. Even his knock was gentle and loving.

"Come in." Liz turned to face him as Max entered her room. He came in and
stopped dead in his tracks, as he stared at her.

"Wow…"

Liz blushed. Apparently she had succeeded…

Max shook himself back to reality and produced a single red rose from behind
his back.

"For you," he smiled, "Happy Anniversary, Liz."

"Max…" Liz breathed, "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"No, you're beautiful." Liz blushed again. "I love you, Liz."

Max leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips, gentle and lovingly.
That's the way Max always treated her, gently, every action filled with love
and tenderness. It made Liz love him so much that her heart ached.

"Come on, let's go." Max said, enveloping her hand with his, and leading her
out to the jeep.

"So what is love then,
Is it dictated or chosen
Does it sing like the hymns of a thousand years
Or is it just pop emotion"

Max treated Liz to a wonderful dinner at a Mexican restaurant, with tacos
and enchiladas, and strawberry daiquiri's to top it all off.

Liz watched Max from across the table, smiling and laughing alone with him.
It had been a night out of her dreams: she and Max alone together,
completely wrapped up in each other. Nothing else mattered. His eyes were
constantly worshipping her, and she knew, without a doubt, that hers were
doing the same to him. Her life was beautiful as long as he was in it, and
Liz couldn't imagine anything disrupting what they had. Everything
was…perfect.

Liz couldn't help but wonder though, how she got so lucky, to have Max as a
part of her life. No, wait, to have Max as her whole life. He was amazing,
beautiful, attentive, loving, gentle, and he was all hers. What did she do
to deserve him? Sometimes it seemed like he had been picked up and carried
across dozens of galaxies, just to be put here for her. But why?

"I could go crazy on a night like tonight
Summer's beginning to give up her fight
And every thought's a possibility
The voices are heard but nothing is seen
Why do you spend this time with me
May be an equal mystery"

Max was watching Liz as well, watching her face light up as she smiled and
laughed, responding to whatever it was that he had just said. He couldn't
even remember anymore. It didn't matter. All that mattered was her. She
was beautiful, vibrant, and full of life. And she was all his.

Max couldn't help but ask himself what had possessed him to break up with
her two months earlier. He had been such an idiot. It didn't matter now,
though, because they were together, and nothing was going to destroy what
they had now. He loved her, and she loved him.

What had he done to deserve her? He had never, in his life, expected to
have her. Not being different, the way he was. He had always expected to
live out his life alone, with no one to hold, no one to love. But he didn't
have to fear that anymore. He had her… And he loved her with all his heart.

"We're standing at opposite poles
Equal partners in a mystery."

Part 2

Music: The Balance-Third Eye Blind

Everything is quiet since you're not around
I live in numbness now in the background
I do the things we did before
I walk Haight Street to the store
And they say where's that crazy girl
You don't get drunk on red wine and fight no more
I don't see you anymore since the hospital
The plans I make still have you in them

Max Evans lay sprawled out on his bed, arms crossed under his head,
listening to music, and allowing his thoughts to drift off to dangerous
places. He had lost himself again, his mind reaching back to another time.
He was lost in thoughts of her… In his mind's eye he could still see her
laying there beside him, her face lit up in a bright smile, her hair shining
in the sunlight which came streaming through his bedroom window.

Then you come swimming into view
And I'm hanging on your words
Like I always used to do
The word they used so lightly
I only feel for you
I only know because I am way back down
In the background

It was amazing, the way music could sing it's way right into Max's heart.
As the music claimed, Max just couldn't let her go, to the point where it
was as if her ghost was following him around. He saw her everywhere he
went: at school, around town, at his home. He couldn't escape for her, and
truthfully, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. All he knew was that he wanted
Liz Parker back in his life.

Words they come and memories all repeat
I lift your head while they change the hospital sheets
I would never lie to you
No I would never lie to you
I felt you long after we were through
And the plans I make still have you in them

'Cause you come swimming into view
And I'm hanging on your words
Like I always used to do
The words they use so lightly
I only feel for you
I only know because I'm way back down
In the background

Max couldn't help but wonder where she was right now. Was Liz thinking
about him? Waiting for him? Wishing she was with him? Was she tortured
like him? Going from one sleepless night to the next wondering if she would
ever see him again?

Or had she forgotten about him? No. That wasn't a possibility. He and Liz
had something special between them. It was something so powerful, she just
couldn't ignore it. Somewhere out there, wherever Liz Parker was, she had
to be thinking about Max Evans.

"Hey Max?" Isabel poked her head into his bedroom.

"What do you want, Is?"

"Listen, we're going out with Maria and Alex. You should come."

"No thanks." He replied shortly.

"Max…" Isabel sighed before he cut her off.

"I don't belong there, Is. You have Alex and Michael has Maria, and I'll
just be in the way. I'll end up spending the whole night thinking about
Liz, and wishing she were there."

"Max, you're doing that anyways. At least if you come with us, you're
getting out. It's not good for you to just stay locked up in your room like
this." Isabel threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"Isabel, will you just leave me alone?"

Isabel stared at him for a long moment before gently pushing on. "Max…you
need to let her go. Liz is gone, Max. She's not coming back. The sooner
you realize that the better. You need to move on with your life, as it was
before she showed up."

Max remained silent, refusing to even meet his sister's eyes.

"Fine, Max. If you want to lay here and waste your life away it's fine by
me. I'm going to go out and have some fun with my friends. I'll see you
later."

Max waited until he heard the door shut behind her before whispering. "I
can't let her go…not yet."

"Something's wrong you withdraw
And I'm not strong like before
I was deep inside of you
I can't go nowhere
I burn candles and stare at a ghost
Deep inside of you
And some great need in me
Starts to bleed
I've lost myself there's nothing left
It's all gone deep inside of you
Deep inside of you."

Max slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He had one
picture of her, of the two of them together. Maria had taken it at the
Chinese place, the night that he had lost her.

All the control and reason that he usually prided himself on slipped away as
he stared at her face, and a single tear somehow managed to fall down his
cheek.

Isabel was right. He had let his life grow empty without her in it, but he
couldn't help it. He loved her. He loved her with all his heart. And he
missed her. And she was still out there somewhere, walking around in some
other Roswell, right on top of this one.

Suddenly, Max began to wonder… If she was still out there, then maybe he
could find her! He slipped his finger down over her face, and tried to
concentrate on her, on Liz. He tried to find her, to feel her presence, and
he concentrated on being there beside her.

Max's head dropped down to his pillow, as he slipped into a trace-like
state.

Go to Part 3-4