Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and
producers of Roswell
Spoilers: After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is
successfully rescued,
and Michael was the one who broke up
with Maria.
***
You will never know true happiness
until you have truly loved,
and you will never understand
what pain really is
until you have lost it.
-
Unknown
***
By the end of the weekend it had been announced that school
had been re-opened. This pronounced a
large problem for Michael, Liz and Maria.
Each had classes, which now had to be sped up since the students had
missed so many days due to the water main break. Michael more than anyone couldn’t afford to miss another class;
at least that was Mr. Kent’s opinion, Michael’s guidance counselor.
Michael tried to convince Isabel that it was all right; he
didn’t care if he missed a couple of classes.
The situation with Max was top priority. But Isabel refused to allow any of the three to miss any school
because of Max. “People would get
suspicious,” she had argued. Finally
Michael, Maria and Liz agreed with Isabel and went back to school.
The only set back in Michael’s mind was Isabel’s desire to
include Jesse in the bedside schedule.
Michael hackled at the idea.
“Why? He didn’t want anything to
do with us before, why now? What’s
changed?” Michael asked tersely.
“Michael you can’t expect to pull shifts at work, go to
school and still have time to come here for hours on end!” Isabel snapped. “Jesse wants to help and I think we should
let him.”
After almost breaking out into a huge argument, Michael once
more gave in. By the time Michael was
about let the disagreement break out into a full-scale argument, Liz and Maria
had arrived and put in their two cents worth. In the end it was three against one
***
When they had returned the trio was bombarded with questions
and the exacerbating amount of sympathetic glances and apologies for Max’s
disappearance. It drove them up the
wall and they were tiring of all the lies and trying to remember what they had
said the day before. They hoped they didn’t
have to keep this up for long.
“His parents must be going insane,” Jenny, a bubbly blonde
from Liz’s Chem. class commented as Liz was walking through the cafeteria lunch
line up. Liz smiled politely and
shrugged. “I guess,” was her only
response.
Liz and Maria buried themselves in extra-curricular
activities and hoped to avoid unwanted conversations. After a few days, Liz and Maria figured if they pretended they
were fine the other kids would stop hassling them. It worked, but for one flaw in their logic.
“So how about Friday night?” Tommy, the star center for
Roswell High’s basketball team inquired.
Liz was at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected it.
Just as she was about to reply with a rude remark, Kyle showed up. “Buzz off Henderson!” barked Kyle, pushing
the lanky 6 foot 2 inch senior down the hallway.
Liz let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you Kyle. I can’t
believe that just happened!” she laughed, pretending to gag as she locked arms
with Maria as they walked to homeroom.
“All to happy to help m’ladies,” Kyle replied cheekily, as he
also followed along.
***
However, as life seemed normal on the surface, the group of
friends worried about Max. Michael had
somehow gotten a heart rate monitor in the last couple of days to keep an eye
on Max’s pulse. He seemed to be getting
weaker, his pulse thready. Finally
Michael called several into the Granolith chamber: Isabel, Maria, Jesse and Liz.
It was the middle of the night and it was storming
outside. Droplets of rain fell lightly
as they paired off and drove to the cliff peak. But as time wore on, the five had arrived at the hidden cavern
and it was a torrential downpour.
“I think it’s time we stop playing around,” Michael
announced firmly. “It’s been days since
we’ve heard from Tess and I have my doubts about her even getting here. If she’s even trying.”
Isabel frowned. “We
need to wait a little longer. Just let
me try to get in touch with her one more time,” she pleaded. “She said in our last meeting that things
were almost ready.”
“No!” Maria cried.
“You’ve tried for the past couple of days. We can’t risk Max’s life on the word of a lying, conniving
murderer!”
All eyes fell on Liz.
The petite brunette shook her head.
“I don’t know guys. I mean if
there were some actual plan to help Max, but we don’t even have that,” Liz
sighed. “Michael, what are you planning
on doing? I mean, is there a plan?”
Michael clenched his teeth and shook his head
frustratingly. “No, but what else can
we do?” he exclaimed. “His heart rate
is dropping and we can’t wait here forever!”
“Then what do you propose we do?” Jesse challenged. “Are
you going to drop him off at the hospital?
Hmmm, maybe you could drop him off on the Evans’ doorstep? I’m sure they’ll be relieved.”
Michael had had just about enough of Jesse’s cutting
comments. He offered nothing, and
agreed with nothing. Jesse knew nothing
about their situation, or Michael’s continuing internal debate over the right
decision. He finally had enough. Michael lunged at Jesse, but Maria and Liz
held him back. “What do you know?”
Michael growled. “The only reason
you’re here is because of Isabel.”
“And that’s the only reason I need, Michael!” Jesse
smirked as he wrapped his arms around Isabel’s shoulders.
Isabel pulled away and put up her hands, signaling the two
men to stop. “Look we need to decide!”
Isabel shouted tensely, her eyes glanced between the two men.
Tension filled the stale room. No one moved. Every
muscle stiffened like waiting for the pin to drop, but before anything else was
said Max sat up gasping for air and then crumpled into a heap on the ground.
“Max!” Isabel screamed as she rushed to her brother’s
side. Her trembling hands hovered over
his chest and forehead, unsure of just exactly where she should place them.
Isabel looked up hopefully at Jesse, who stood grimly at Maxwell’s
feet, while Michael studied the heart monitor.
Max’s heart rate was erratic, with many high peaks and valleys. She looked over at Michael, who had Liz
hovering beside him, wanting to be at Max’s side, while Maria held her
back. “What is it?” Isabel whispered as
she watched Max’s chest begin to rise and fall.
“He’s breathing again,” Michael smiled in relief.
Everyone let out a shout of joy. Isabel slowly released the air within her as she had been holding
her breath for some prognosis. “Oh,”
she sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I can’t believe it.”
Michael had learned a lot over the past several days about
heart rates and some of the anatomy of the human body. He’d hoped most of it would apply, which it
seemed to. Their bodies seemed to
function with the same meta-physiology a full-blooded human would, with the
exceptions of powers and other little known factors.
Suddenly Michael watched the line on the heart monitor
weaken and become unstable. He grabbed
Max’s wrist and felt for a pulse. It
was faint. Though Max had begun
breathing again, his pulse seemed slower and weaker than ever before. His face drained of what color it had
left. Michael looked at Liz, Maria and
lastly Isabel. Now it was his blood that
drained from his face.
“What?” Liz cried anxiously. “Is something wrong?”
Liz pushed Michael away from Max and held his face in her
hands. “Max?” she whimpered. “Don’t do this. Please…what’s wrong?”
Michael dropped his head.
“I can’t find a pulse.”
Isabel’s eyes widened and her hands fell limply to her
side. “Maybe you made a mistake?” she
said softly, almost in a daze.
“Try harder!” Maria yelled, pacing behind Liz whose head was
resting on Max’s chest.
The high pitch screech of the Max’s heart flat lining seemed
to fill the stark, sterile white room.
Everyone fell silent and all things seemed to be frozen in time. This was not happening.
~ * ~
Isabel watched as Michael lifted Max’s lifeless body into
his arms and carry him quickly out into the entrance way and through the narrow
tunnel. “Maybe I’m wrong,” Michael said
quickly, seemingly in despair. “If we
could just take him to the hospital…”
Liz and Maria followed him next, while Isabel just sat still
beside the blankets, which had just a few minutes ago, warmed her brother. Her chest began to hurt and she couldn’t
breathe. “Max,” she gasped, finally
able to utter something in the sheer silence of the room.
Her hands gripped the blankets that lay in front of
her. Isabel’s thoughts wandered to
their first day of school; the day the Evans’ adopted them; their first
celebratory birthday party. Once more
she found her voice. “Max! Max!” Isabel cried out, her voice strangled
by the unnoticeable tears. “No!”
She closed her eyes as the turmoil and disbelief overwhelmed
her. Isabel didn’t even feel Jesse’s
arms embrace her; rock her. She didn’t
hear his voice whisper comforting words.
Isabel reached out into the darkness with all the will and power she had
within her, searching for some sign of her brother. Instead the couple was awakened from their grief by an
illuminating light, which filled the now lifeless room. It shook as if its foundations were being shifted
from within.
***
The shimmering light pierced every crack and crevice within
the dark, dusty cliff peak cavern. Liz,
Maria, even Michael were stopped by the wonder. Michael’s heart began to pound when he realized that Isabel and
Jesse were still in that room. If
anything had happened to Isabel, Michael knew there was nothing else for him
here.
At that moment, he couldn’t even fathom why he even held
Max’s lifeless body in his arms. He’d
obviously made the wrong choice, believing and trusting Tess one last
time. It had cost him everything he
loved.
“Isabel!” Michael cried out. “Isabel!”
He looked at both Liz and Maria who seemed disoriented. Michael placed Max’s body gently on the
rocky soil as he approached the Granolith chamber one more time. “Isabel,” he repeated once more.
A woman’s figure approached him within the blinding white
light. “Isabel, you’re okay,” he
murmured, placing his hand on his chest.
Michael stood up and reached out to the faceless woman and
was about to take her hand when he realized that it wasn’t Isabel. The light faded in the box-like room and he
was stood once more in the hidden cavern of their birth. Liz and Maria came up behind him to face
this stranger, whether friend or foe.
“Who is it Michael?” Maria asked as she came upon the entrance to the
chamber.
There was no response.
As the woman’s face came into view, all who stood there were stunned into
silence. There in the Granolith chamber
stood Tess.