DISCLAIMER: Liz, Max, and all the rest of our crazy cast are owned by Jason Katmis and UPN

CATEGORY: Max and Liz of course

RATING: PG-13. It�s real emotional, though.

SUMMARY: Takes place after �Ch-ch-changes�. Liz attempts to starts a new life in Vermont. When a tragedy strikes, one that her newfound powers can�t do a thing about, she learns that there�s a large difference between �being normal� and �being human�.

AUTHOR�S NOTE: This idea came to me while rewatching �Leaving Normal�. I thought back to an old Superman issue by Dan Jurgans entitled �Face To Face With Yesterday�, so it�s partially based on that story.

Max looked up at her with soulful eyes. Liz couldn�t help but smile. As badly as he had hurt her, it was nowhere near how much it hurt her to be away from him.

�Call you?� she asked him. �Max, I haven�t picked up a phone since they brought me here.�

Max shook his head.

�Not on the phone,� he informed her. �In here��

He tapped himself on the head.

�I felt you inside my mind,� he said. �Contacting me. Reaching out for me. God, you were so scared.�

�Still am,� she whispered. �Can we go somewhere and talk?�

Max nodded.

�You�d better get dressed first, it�s a little cold out,� he told her, and turned the opposite direction.

Liz sighed, climbed out of bed, and tapped him on the shoulder.

�Max?�

He turned around to face her.

Liz slowly moved her hand an inch away from her hospital gown. With a soft glow, the gown started to change. It�s molecules rearranging until it was transformed into a red sweater, jeans, and a brown jacket.

Max stared at her in awe. It wasn�t the first time he ever saw someone do that. Heck, he had altered his own clothing in that way before. But to see Liz do it�it still took some getting used to.

�You ready?� she asked him.

�Yeah,�

Max and Liz walked through the town, until they came to a water fountain. Liz sat down and looked at her reflection in the water.

�So, you want to talk about it?� Max asked her. He waited a moment for her to answer.

�Not really,� she replied. �But I think I have to��

Only a week ago, Liz had first entered the room at the academy. She entered her room to see a girl waiting for her.

�Hey,� she greeted her with a smile. �You�re �new girl�, right?�

�Uh, yeah,� Liz said, putting her bad on the ground. �You�re�my roommate, right?�

�Yeah. Louise,� she introduced herself.

Louise went over and looked at the tag on Liz�s bag.

�Elizabeth Parker,� she read. �Ok, Beth, welcome to the academy.�

�Actually, it�s Liz,� Liz corrected her.

�Liz?� she asked. �Pft, �Beth� sounds better.�

Liz sighed. Louise was�different. She reminded her of Maria a little. Only more outgoing.

�You ready to have some fun?� Louise asked her.

Later on, the two were eating in the lunchroom. Liz watched her shovel down food.

�So, why�d your parents send you here?� she asked her.

�Oh, they didn�t,� Liz assured her. �I decided to enroll here.�

�Ew why?� she asked with a disgusted look.

Liz couldn�t help but laugh.

�Is it really that horrible?�

�Nah, but I don�t know why anyone would choose to be here,� she continued. �For example, no guys.�

Liz looked downward, sadly.

�Is that why you�re here?� Louise asked her. �Some guy break your heart?�

�It�s complicated,� Liz replied.

�Girl, you�ve just described every single date I ever had,� she informed her. �If a guy isn�t complicated, he�s either dead or an alien from outer space.�

Liz grinned.

�What�s that smile about?� she asked.

�I�m from Roswell,� Liz answered.

�Oh, so he�s probably the later?� she asked.

�Nah,� Liz replied again. �He�s about as human as I am.�

�Yeah, well, you don�t need him,� Louise assured her. �Come on, after a week here, you�ll forget all about him.�

Liz didn�t think so.

�You�re probably right,�

�I spent the next week hanging out with her,� Liz told Max, with a sad look. �I�you could say that my life felt normal for the first time in years.�

Max felt a hole burst in his heart at her words. Her life hadn�t been �normal� since he had entered it. Since he brought her into his life. He was afraid that it was too late for her to escape it anymore.

Still, Max pushed his fears deep down inside. Liz needed him now. And he would do everything in his power to help her get through this.

�Then, one night something happened�� she continued.

Liz had been lying awake in bed. It was probably around midnight. Everyone was asleep, or so she thought.

Suddenly, Louise walked over and started to shake her.

�Come on, Beth,� she said. �You awake?�

�That�s a rhetorical question, right� she asked, slightly annoyed. �I�m awake now.�

�Well, come on and get dressed,� she encouraged her.

After Liz threw on some clothes, the two girls snuck out the window.

They had taken Louise�s car, and had been driving for twenty minutes, until they reached a small boathouse at the edge of town. Slowly, they opened the door. What Liz saw made her mouth fall open in shock.

Dozens of teenagers filled the room, both male and female. She heard music blaring, and saw people dancing and drinking. Liz turned to Louise in surprise.

�Some party, huh Beth?� Louise asked her. �Everyone from school�s here.�

�But I thought�� Liz asked, perplexed. �I thought this school was only for girls?�

�Yeah, that�s the thing?� she informed her. �A bunch of guys snuck on the grounds a couple months back. You know the think in those old 80�s summer camp movies? Sneak into the girls rooms and take stuff? Well, we caught them, and made them a deal so to speak. Since then, everyone�s snuck over here once a week to party.�

�Is that allowed?� she asked again.

�Heck no, so we�d better not get caught,� she replied. �God, stop being such a wussy and have some fun.�

�I�m not a �wussy�, I just�don�t think it�s a good idea,� she continued.

Louise quickly grabbed a cup from a nearby table and filled it partway with beer.

�Here, drink this,� she said, handing it to Liz.

Liz held her hands in from of herself in protest.

�No way,� she argued. �I don�t drink.�

�Well, you do now,� she said, handing it to her. �Go on, drink.�

�No,� Liz repeated.

�Don�t be a wimp, come on,� Louise urged her on.

Sighing in frustration, Liz gave her an evil look. Then she slowly raised the glass to her mouth.

She froze. Images of Max Evans blowing up streetlights and spray painting glowing hearts on walls flooded her mind. She definitely did not want that happening to her.

Unfortunately, she didn�t have much choice. At that very moment, someone bumped into her, causing her to lunge forward and swallow some of the contents of the glass.

�There, now that wasn�t so bad, was it?� Louise asked. �How do you feel?�

Liz didn�t answer. Mostly because she couldn�t hear her very well. To Liz, her voice was distorted.

As was the entire room.

�Beth�are�youuuu�all�right�.?� Came her voice at last.

Liz looked at her with a goofy smile

�Swell,� she said, drunkenly. �I�m fine, Maria. How�re you?�

Louise looked at her, confused.

�Who�s Maria?� she asked.

Liz burst into laughter.

�You�re funny Maria, hehehe,� she continued. �Hehehehehe ho ho hou!�

Liz did a small pirouette in the middle of the floor.

�Ok, no more booze for you, missy,� she said. �Why didn�t you tell me you couldn�t hold your liquor?�

�Aliens can�t drink, remember Maria? They get all�wacky� she said, knocking on Louise�s head. �Hello�McFly?�

�Ow,� she exclaimed. �Oh, I get it. You�re joking. You�re from Roswell, so you think you�re an alien right?�

Liz put her hand on the radio for a moment. No one noticed her hand glow.

Then she walked away. A moment later, it blew a fuse.

�OK!� one of the guys yelled. �Who poured beer on my boom box?�

�Wish Max was here,� Liz said. �We�d go dancing.�

Louise took another beer and started drinking.

�Someone broke the radio, remember?� she said.

Liz didn�t listen. Instead, she just took an invisible partner and started dancing in circles. She hummed a waltz to herself.

Whenever she danced near someone, they lost their balance and fell. Most of them were too drunk to realize where the force that hit them was coming from.

Meanwhile, Louise kept on drinking.

�It�s funny, but I remember everything that happened,� Liz commented. �I know Michael remembered everything too when he was drunk, but his reaction was different than yours. I acted the same way that you did, but I��

She noticed Max�s guilty expression.

�You lied about not remembering, didn�t you?� she asked him.

�It was less embarrassing that way,� he told her, with a small smile. �I didn�t want you to think�less of me.�

Liz smiled at him.

�Well, at least I started to clear my head sooner than you did,� she continued. �By the time we left��

Hours later, the two girls stumbled out of the building, almost falling over.

�I�I think I�m drunk,� Liz muttered.

�Correction,� Louise answered her. �You are drunk. Come on, get in the car.�

Liz shook her head.

�No, I think I�m fine now,� she reassured her. �I�m sort of clearing up. You�d�better let me drive.�

�No way,� she responded. �No one drives this thing but me.�

They got in the car and started driving.

�Louise, slow down!� Liz asked her, as the car raced down the street.

�Slow down?� she replied. �Are you crazy? We have to get back before the sun goes up.�

�You just ran a stop sign!� Liz noted for her.

She was becoming more worried by the moment.

�You�re drunk, you�ve gotta pull over,� Liz begged.

Louise turned towards her, an angry look on her face.

�Listen��

At that moment, the car went in the oncoming lane. Right in the path of a truck.

�LOOK OUT!!!� Liz screamed.

Louise tried to pull back into the right lane, but it was too late. The truck crashed into them.

Liz, acting purely on instinct, put her arms over her head. A shimmering field of green energy surrounded her, and protected her.

Louise, on the other hand, had no such protection. The car spun into a nearby ditch, where Liz crashed through the front window.

MAAAAAXXXXXX! she thought, and she crashed to the ground.

When she hit the ground, her shield disappeared and she lost consciousness.

Liz opened her eyes, wondering where she was.

�Good, you�re awake,� the doctor told her, walking into the room.

Liz sat up in the hospital bed, noticing her head was bandaged.

�What--?� she asked. �Where am I?�

Rhetorical question, she soon realized. She was in the hospital.

�You�ve been out for eighteen hours, Ms. Parker� the doctor told her. �I have to say, you�re lucky to be alive. You were in a bad car accident.�

Liz thought for a moment, then shot out of bed.

�Louise, is she all right?� she asked suddenly.

The doctor merely bit his lip, and didn�t answer.

�Where�s her room?� she asked.

Sadly, the doctor pointed out the door to a room across the hallway. Climbing out of bed, Liz slowly walked over to the door.

What she saw made her heart freeze on the spot.

Louise was still unconscious, lying on the bed. She was surrounded by half a dozen machines, connected to her. She was on life support.

�Oh god,� Liz whispered. �She�s�?�

�In a coma,� the doctor said, walking up behind her. �As I said before, you were lucky.�

Not lucky. Just stronger�her powers had saved her life. She should have tried to�

�Is she going to be ok?� Liz asked him.

The doctor�s silence was her answer.

Liz continued to stare at the water, trying to forget.

�Liz, it wasn�t your fault,� Max reassured her. �There was nothing you could have done.�

�I should have drove, I was in better shape than she was,� Liz reminded him.

�How do you know that?� he asked her. �You can�t be sure you were sober. You know what alcohol does to us.�

Max paused, mentally scolding himself for his choice of words.

�Me. What it does to me,� he corrected himself. �Liz, please don�t punish yourself for this.�

�I saved myself, Max,� she informed him. �If I had extended that field just a little bigger, over her, then maybe she wouldn�t� I wasn�t thinking. I was just so scared.�

Liz closed her eyes, and a tear started falling down her cheek.

Then, she felt a warm hand placed on top of her own, squeezing gently.

�I know how you feel,� Max told her. �I know exactly how you feel.�

TO BE CONTINUED�