One Moment More Saga Pt1, Ch4
~4~
Separation
“Calm down Tess. Getting this upset can’t be good for the baby,” Valenti pleaded. He had spent the last half hour watching Tess pace back and forth in his living room like a caged animal, mumbling frantically to herself and calling Max on his cell phone over and over. It was worrying him. She was like a daughter to him and it was difficult for him to see her in so much pain and knowing there wasn’t anything he could do to help. He was about to say “to hell with it” and go after Max himself.
“What the hell’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he care about his son? He’s dying damn it!” Tess yelled and then clutched her stomach. “The least he could do is call and let me know where he is.”
“Get a grip. I’m sure he has his reasons,” Michael growled in disgust. “You don’t know, maybe it took him longer to track down Leanna, or worse, he found her and things got ugly.”
Although he was worried about him, Michael was getting sick of sitting around waiting for Max. Having to watch Tess flip out was grating on his last nerve. He had very little tolerance or sympathy for her lately. Her and Max’s irresponsibly was the reason he was being force to leave Maria. He'd finally found where he belonged only to have to give it up. Saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing he ever had to do. No, he wasn’t a big fan of the Max and Tess.
She shook her head and glared at him. “Then you should’ve gone with him instead of letting him go off by himself. You’re his second in command. It’s your job to protect him.”
“I had things to take care first…some loose ends to tie up. You and Max kind of sprung this on us. Besides, he’s not alone.” He shot back at her and watched as the implication of his last statement hit its mark.
Of course he wasn’t alone. He was with her. She surmised. Defeated, Tess wearily sank down onto the couch. This was not working out the way she had planned. Years of preparation, months of actual work put into this, all to be destroyed by one human girl who thought she could take what didn’t belong to her in the first place. She was the perpetual thorn in Tess’s side.
“Calm down, okay.” Kyle said as he sat down next to her and put his arm around her, letting her head rest on his shoulder. “Max will be here soon…I’m sure.” He whispered softly to her and then kissed her head.
Michael glanced over at Isabel in surprise hoping she’d caught that unusually intimate scene between Tess and Kyle. But instead he got no response from her. She had been quiet since they arrived at Valenti’s house, remaining sullenly against the door frame of the kitchen, looking a million miles away. He was worried about her. He knew she didn’t want to leave earth any more than he did. Even more than Max, she always seemed entrenched in her human existence. She loved her life on earth with her parents, school, and volunteer work. After Alex died she became more anxious to leave her alien side behind. But Max refused to let her, going as far as to blackmail her to make her stay in Roswell.
Michael walked over to her and put a supportive hand on her shoulder. “How are you holdin’ up?”
“Not so good,” She answered and then continued coldly. “I had to make the video to my parents without Max-had to explain in the simplest terms that the children they’ve raised and loved for eleven years are now leaving and never coming home to them, all without Max.”
He scratched his eyebrow and offered, “They’ll be okay. I’m sure.” He didn’t know what else to say to her. Loving parents were a foreign concept to him.
She ignored what he said, instead focused her attention on Tess. “This isn’t right. Something feels strange about all of this but I can’t put my finger on it.”
He nodded his head. “I know what you mean. But we don’t have much choice do we.”
“We could commit treason. You know, refuse to go with them.” She smiled wryly.
“Could you really live without Max in your life?” He knew her too well. The thought of a life without Max and Michael was unthinkable. They were her family just as much, if not more then the people who raised her.
Resigning herself to the inevitable, she let out a frustrated sigh and looked toward the front window. The sky was starting to turn pink with the first light of morning.
“Well time is running out.” She pointed to the window. “We need to find him or we’re going without him.”
“Yeah but where do we look? It would take too long to drive to Las Cruces, if he’s even still there, which I seriously doubt he is.”
Under her breath she replied, “If I know my brother, there’s only one place you need to look.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There’s just one thing that I need to say
before I close my eyes and walk away
There’s just one thing that I need to feel
Before I walk away against my will
There’s just one thing that I need to hear
Before I walk away for the last time
There’s just one thing that I need to see
Before I take this chance and set us free
Don’t forget me
Don’t regret me
Don’t suspect me
Don’t neglect me
The memory of this still reminds me of you
The memory of this still reminds me
The memory of this still reminds me of you
That is where you'll find me
Don’t Forget Me by Way Out West
Just a little more time…
That’s all he wanted. Was it too much to ask for after everything they’d been though together and meant to each other? So much time had been wasted apart. So many hurtful words that he wished he could take back. All the things he wanted to tell her and share with her. But as the pale light shown through the window he knew it wasn’t meant to be. Time wasn’t a luxury for them. It had run out.
His throat tightened as he held Liz close to him. He watched her slow even breathing and the look of peace that was finally on her face. In the short time after they’d made love Liz slept fretfully, whimpering and crying out his name. Even in exhausted sleep she was tormented. But now, thankfully, looking down at her beautiful face, she seemed oblivious to what he was about to do. He wrestled with the decision about whether or not to wake her to say goodbye or just leave. In the end, he knew it would better to just leave. One look into her eyes would be enough to change his mind and stay with her, ultimately letting his son die. No it was better this way.
He pulled the thin blanket that was covering them over her exposed arms and smiled sadly. Max felt as if he was being torn in two. He never thought he would ever get the chance to be with Liz not after everything they did to each other. But he didn’t regret making love to her for a second. It was the single most perfect moment of his life. Nothing could or would ever compare to it. And it was a memory he would take with him till the day he died.
“I love you. Never forget that, please.” He swallowed back a sob and then kissed her forehead, memorizing the softness of her skin against his lips. Another small significant detail he would keep with him forever.
Max didn’t want to move and leave the sanctuary he’d found. Not only was it hard emotionally to move but also physically as well. He was unusually weak and his body still seemed to be pulsating. This wasn’t like before. He immediately cringed at himself for even making a comparison. There wasn’t one. It was like night and day. One was about loneliness and self pity and the other about loss, desperate longing and unquestionable love. But he couldn’t overlook the difference in the way he felt.
Closing his eyes, he forced himself to let go, to break contact with her. His legs felt unstable and heavy as he stood up. He quickly glanced down to make sure his stumbling hadn't caused her to wake up. Even though every cell in his body wished she would so he could see her smile up at him one last time. But she only frowned and curled up her body, making the small blanket fall away from her torso, exposing her beautiful arms and breasts to him. He couldn’t help but sigh over her perfection. Her warm skin still glowed slightly with an almost florescent sheen and her hair lay in a silky mass across the pillow and down her neck. Her lips were swollen and red from all the hungry kisses last night. She was so stunning, even more so then before. Another image added to his memory that he’d never forget.
Gently he kissed her shoulder and then pulled the blanket back over her to keep her warm. He found his boxers and jeans and pulled them on. But he was shaking so badly, that he had trouble getting his boots on. So he sat down on the bed next to her and did his best to get his feet in them without waking her. With each task, he tried to prolong his departure as much as possible, stretching the minutes out till the very last. But with his shirt in hand, the finality hit him and a sudden feeling of sorrow gripped his insides. This was it.
He tenderly stroked the side of her face, pushing a stray strand of hair away. His body began to tremble as he focused on her face. This was so hard and it hurt so much. “I don’t want to leave you.” He pressed his lips against her cheek, his voice quivering as he whispered. “Please forgive me.”
Just then he heard a faint knock on the window behind him. Max turned around quickly to find Michael pushing it open. He glanced at the shirtless wide eyed Max and then at the half naked Liz on the bed. With understanding painted on his face he looked up at Max again, and without questioning or judgment in his tone, he declared flatly, “It’s time to go.” He quietly shut the window and walked away.