Roswell Series: Before I Knew You: Fic 13: Fear (4/4)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. The dialogue and scenes that you don't recognize are mine, the rest belongs to Jason Katims, the WB, Melinda Metz...etc, etc, etc...Don't sue. The song "Fear" is by the goddess of music, Sarah McLachlan, and appears on her albums, "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy," and "Mirrorball." One comment~ when "Fear" was played during the Pilot of Roswell, at the end of the episode, it credited the version as being the one on "Mirrorball," which is inaccurate. The version played in the Pilot is actually from, "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy." "Mirrorball" is Sarah's live album.
Rating: R for violence, language and situations
Author's Note: This is the eigth story of my "Before I Knew You" series. I'd read the other seven first.
Spoilers: Pilot and for the rest of my series.
"...But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
Here in this lonely place
Tangled up in our embrace
There's nothing I'd like better
Than to fall
But I fear
I have nothing to give..."
Fear (Part 4-The Conclusion)
Liz sat cross-legged on her bed, looking down at her geometry notebook. She was making a feeble effort to concentrate on how to work proofs when her bed suddenly bounced and she looked up.
Maria DeLuca was standing on her bed, staring down at her with a determined look in her eyes. She was already dressed for the Crash, and she was wearing a pretty green outfit with lots of make up and designs on it. If it had been anyone else but Maria, the costume would have looked ridiculous, but somehow she pulled it off and managed to look great.
Uh oh, Liz thought. She recognized the look in her friend's eyes and realized she was about to catch hell.
"Before I got to this idiotic Crash Festival, I want to know everything. And if you don't tell me the truth right now, I'm going to go to Valenti myself and tell him everything I know."
"What do you know?" Liz asked carefully.
"Well," Maria stepped off her bed and stood on solid ground. "Uh...I-I know that Max was in the diner that day, and I know that he went up to you when you were shot, and like, did something to you." She paused and then looked Liz right in the eyes. "And I know that the one person in the world that I thought I could completely trust, is lying to me."
Liz saw the flash of pain in Maria's eyes, and recognized the waver in her voice and realized she wasn't far off from crying. She thought about all the times when she had needed someone to talk to, how Maria had always been there for her, had always taken her side no matter what the circumstances. She was a good friend...the best friend she'd ever had, along with Alex. And she also knew that Maria wasn't kidding when she said she'd go to Valenti. She had to protect Max.
And there was only one way she could do that right now.
Liz moved her books aside and scooted forward on the bed. She took a deep breath. "You have to promise me that you are not going to flip out."
Maria looked at her like she was crazy. "Flip out? Hey, it's me."
"Close the bedroom door," Liz said quickly.
Without a word, Maria closed the door and locked it, and then turned to face Liz, her arms folded across her chest. "What's going on?"
Liz stood up. "You're right...about that day at the Crashdown...I was shot."
"I knew it!" Maria cried. Then she stared at Liz. "But...how is that possible?"
"Max healed me," she said quietly.
"How?"
Liz could tell her friend was turning over every new age healing technique in her brain, trying to come up with the most likely treatment that had saved Liz's life. "Sit down."
"Uh-uh. You're stalling."
"Maria, trust me. You should sit down." Liz had known Maria for a very long time, and she knew that she'd be freaked out, if only for a brief period of time, when she found out the truth.
She finally perched on the edge of Liz's desk. "Okay, shoot." She grimaced. "Bad pun."
"He's an alien."
Maria started laughing. "Right." She laughed harder, doubling over and clutching her stomach as she snorted. "An alien. Max Evans."
Liz waited patiently for her to calm down, and when she did, and saw how serious Liz was, her face grew pale.
"This is a joke, right?" She walked over to Liz's closet and pulled on the doors. "Alex is in here hiding and you're playing a practical joke on me." When she opened the closet doors and saw no one was inside, she shook her head. "Alex, come out from under the bed!"
"Maria, Alex isn't here. He doesn't know." Liz waited again.
Maria turned to face her, edging towards the door. "This isn't funny."
"It's not supposed to be." Liz took a deep breath. "It's true, Maria. He was in the 1947 crash and he was in some sort of like...incubation pod. When his parents found him, he was out wandering in the desert, and--"
At that second, Maria raised her hands to her mouth, screamed, unlocked the door and bolted.
Liz sighed and then ran after her. "Maria!" She raced down the stairs of the Crashdown and out the front door. She finally caught up with her at Maria's car. "Okay, Maria, just calm down, okay? He saved my life, he didn't hurt me."
"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod," Maria was muttering as she fumbled for her car keys and unlocked the door.
Liz sighed again and climbed in the car as soon as Maria had unlocked it. She looked over at her friend, her face was pale and her hands were shaking.
Maria started the car and pulled onto the road.
Liz wondered if Maria even knew where she was headed.
"Liz, Liz, what happened to you? You were on this whole like, valedictorian path. You were on your way to be like, this world renowned scientist, and I was gonna be your wacky friend. I can't be a wacky friend to someone who's already wacky. It'd be like repititious--"
"Maria, you're babbling," Liz calmly pointed out.
"I think I've earned the right to babble, all right? So just deal with it."
Liz looked out the window and recognized the jeep as it drove by going the opposite direction. He hasn't left town! she thought excitedly. "Oh my god, Maria! That's them! Cut a U-ie!"
"Cut a U-ie?" Maria repeated, shaking her head in shock.
"Maria!" Liz said urgently, turning around to look at the jeep.
"Who are you? I mean--"
There was no other choice. Liz grabbed the steering wheel and turned it sharply to the right as Maria shrieked. "Oh, my god! You're a crazy person!"
"Maria, I am not! Please, just catch them!" she pleaded.
"Catch them? Liz, we're in a jetta!"
Liz could see them up ahead and she grabbed onto the safety bar on the door and held on as Maria sped up. She watched as they turned down an alley and then Maria pulled in behind them.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Maria muttered.
Liz and Maria simataneously climbed out of the car and headed down the alley, towards the jeep where Max, Michael and Isabel where getting out and walking towards them now.
"What are they doing here? No, don't tell me there's three," Maria said, shaking her head and moving closer to Liz's side.
"Well..." Liz trailed off.
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
Then they were standing face to face with them. "Maria knows," Liz admitted quietly.
"Unbelievable," Michael muttered, a look of utter disgust on his face.
"Look, I promise I won't tell anyone," Maria said, not looking at him.
Michael moved forward and Maria moved so she was standing behind Liz. "Get your car out of the way now."
"I really do't think that you should try to leave. It's just gonna show people that you're guilty." Liz mentally kicked herself. That hadn't come out quite like she'd meant it to.
"Guilty of what? Saving your life?" Michael demanded, glaring at her.
"Michael," Max warned, stepping forward.
"Look, I think I have an idea here. If we can just all work together here, maybe we can throw Valenti off," Liz interrupted, not wanting to be the cause of a fight between Max and his best friend.
"We're not together. Our lives are at stake, not yours," Michael said harshly. "Now move your car." He was glaring at her and Liz had never felt so hated in her life. All she wanted to do was help. Didn't he understand that?"
"Michael, this can't last forever. This secret. And I don't want it to," Max said softly.
Liz saw the hurt in his eyes, and remembered the waves of loneliness she had felt from him when he'd reversed the connection between them. It was almost unbearable for her to think anyone could be that lonely. Especially someone as wonderful as Max Evans. She was going to protect him, or do her hardest to try. "Look, I can't change what happened. But if your run, Valenti is gonna know it's you. You'll be proving it for him."
"She's right," Max agreed.
"I should've known you'd side with her," Isabel muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Isabel, I'm not on anyone's side, all right?" Max looked over at her, the hurt in his eyes deepening.
"Well, get on a side, Max, because time is running out!" she snapped.
Liz watched as Max seemed to fight an inner struggle, his eyes saddened. Finally, he turned and spoke directly to her. "She should move her car."
She stared at him, desperately wanting to talk him out of it, feeling as though her own insides were being torn apart.
Then Max turned to Michael and his sister. "I'm turning myself into Valenti."
Liz's mouth dropped open, and she was about to protest when Michael, looking as shocked as she felt, turned to him. "Max, we said we were leaving."
Isabel shook her head, looking more upset than Liz had ever seen her. "Max, I can't leave without you." She met her brother's eyes and then with a sigh and a look of barely-tamed anger, she turned to Liz. "What's your idea?"
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Alex wandered around the Crash Festival, listening to the music and watching as the people danced and partied. Usually he looked forward to this festival. But usually he didn't wind up going alone.
He wasn't even sure why he'd come this year. He knew Liz had made plans with Kyle to meet here. Not that she'd have paid attention to him even if she hadn't been meeting Kyle. She'd been virtually ignoring him for the past week. Anytime he tried to talk to her, she gave him the brush off. And Maria had been so angry and upset about the whole Liz thing all week, he didn't figure she'd even want to come to the festival tonight.
Alex sighed and re-adjusted the alien head of his costume. It was a stupid costume and he felt like a dork wearing it and walking around alone, but it wasn't any worse than what anyone else was wearing. At least he wasn't sitting at home bored.
"Nice mask, Alex," a voice said.
He stopped and looked. Isabel Evans had spoken to him. Wait--how did she know that it was him with his costume?
Who cares? Don't miss your chance to talk to her, he told himself.
Alex pulled off the mask and quickly caught up with them. "Isabel, hey." He did a doubletake when he realized who was walking with Isabel. "Maria?"
Maria laughed nervously. "Hey."
The girls kept walking, as if not wanting to be bothered. "Uh, nice cones," he said to Isabel, who smiled briefly and continued walking.
Alex stopped following them and stared after them.
Nice cones? Had he really just said that aloud? To Isabel Evans?
And what was Maria doing with Isabel anyway?
He frowned in confusion and shook his head. Then he turned around and walked the other way. First Liz was acting weird and ignoring him, and now Maria was hanging out with Isabel. Something was definitely wrong here.
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Alex walked back to his car a little while later. What a waste tonight had been. He remembered last year, when he, Liz and Maria had all gone to the Crash Festival together and they'd had a blast. Apparently they'd both forgotten about it. He pulled his car keys out of the costumes pocket and started to unlock the car door when he heard the sound of squealing brakes.
A second later a scream pierced the air. "Maria!"
He froze, recognizing the voice instantly. Liz.
"Oh god," he said as he raced through the lines of parked cars, weaving his way to where he'd heard the scream. "Please be okay, please be okay."
Alex finally came to the clearing of cars, and his heart nearly stopped as he saw Maria lying on the ground, someone in a god-awful costume kneeling over her, a hand on her neck. He ran over. "What's going on? What are you--what are you doing?" he demanded, about to grab the guy's arm.
The guy wearing the costume stood up suddenly and shoved him backwards, hard. Alex toppled over onto the ground, the wind being knocked out of him.
"What happened here?" Sheriff Valenti demanded, hurrying over and kneeling down next to Maria. He touched her throat, searching for a pulse. "Are you okay?"
Maria sat up slowly, blinking her eyes. "Yeah, I think so."
Alex stared at her, and then looked up at Liz, who was also staring at her.
"There he goes! Sheriff, there he is! There's the guy who went up to her, that's him!" One of the Sheriff's deputies said urgently, pointing to the guy who was running into the crowd.
Valenti stood up. "Watch the kid." And off he ran, after the guy who had been kneeling above Maria.
Alex rushed to Maria's side and put an arm around her. "Can you stand up? Should I call an ambulance?"
"No...I'm all right," Maria said quickly, looping her arm around his waist and allowing him to help her to her feet. She was shaking like a leaf.
"What happened?" he asked.
Maria threw a glance at Liz and then shook her head. "I--I don't know...I don't--I don't remember."
Alex saw the silver handprint on her chest. "Uh-Maria?"
She looked down and gasped, her eyes widening. She started to sway on her feet and Alex pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. It's okay," he murmured. He looked over her head to Liz who was watching him. He thought he saw a bit of guilt in her eyes, but a second later it vanished and was replaced by concern.
"Maria! Are you all right?" She hurried forward and Maria left Alex's arms and stepped into Liz's. Liz hugged her tightly, but wouldn't look at him.
Alex frowned and then looked up at the deputy who was holding Max Evans by the arm. He realized then that Max was in handcuffs, and his frown changed into a look of pure shock. Max Evans was being arrested?
"Alex, can you take Maria home?" Liz asked, still not looking him in the eyes.
He blinked. "Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"
"No--I just--I want to go home," Maria insisted.
"Yeah, sure, I'll take you home. Let's go." He slid his arm around her waist and then looked back at Liz. "Liz, do you need a ride?"
"Uh...no. I'm going to get a ride from Kyle," she said vaguely. She turned and walked away.
Alex stared after her for a moment. Then he turned his attention back to Maria. "Let's get you home. Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, thanks." She leaned against him and closed her eyes as he helped her over to his car.
"I'll give you a ride to pick up your car tomorrow," he offered.
"That'd be great."
"Maria--what happened?"
"I told you...I don't know."
She wouldn't look him in the eyes either.
Yep, he thought. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
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Liz stared up at the sky and saw the shining silver stars. She hoped that one day she wouldn't have to keep the truth from her other best friend, but for now...
Now she had to keep Max and Isabel and Michael safe. And she'd already involved Maria. Now Maria was in danger, too. She had to keep Alex out of harm's way. She owed him that much. Maybe one day they wouldn't have to worry about throwing Valenti off track and Alex could know the truth. Maybe the six of them could become one big happy family.
She looked down over the crowd from where she was standing on the hill and watched as the people cheered as the re-inactment of the 1947 Crash took place, throwing the fake alien bodies out of the ship.
Liz suddenly felt sick to her stomach and she looked away. How could they cheer about something like that?
"Hey," a voice said behind her.
She turned around and smiled as Max walked up to her. "Hey."
He reached up and she held perfectly still, watching his eyes as he moved a strand of hair out of her face.
"Oh," she said softly.
"You had a...uh..."
"Hair thing. Right. Thanks."
"Sure." Max stared at her and their eyes locked. He moved away, but just a very small fraction of an inch. "Liz, it's not safe. I mean, for you and...and me to...it's not safe."
She shook her head. "I don't care." And she didn't. Safety be damned, Max had saved her life and she wasn't ever going to forget that.
He smiled, a tiny smile, but one that made her heart leap. "Liz, I really, really wish that this could be something, you know...more. But it can't. We're just...."
"Different," Liz finished. Max might be an alien, but he was more human than most people she knew. Differences just didn't matter.
"Yeah," he agreed. He stepped away from her. "I'll see you at school."
Liz watched as he started to walk away, and suddenly something hit her. "Max!"
He turned to look a her.
"I never got to thank you. For saving my life." She met his eyes and he smiled again.
"Thank you," he whispered softly. Then he walked away, down the hill and disappeared into the crowd.
Liz watched him go, suddenly filled with renewed hope.
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Liz looked down at her journal and scratched the pen across it.
It's September 24th. I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
She put her pen down and hugged her journal close to her, smiling as she looked up at the stars. She had a feeling this year was going to turn out to be more interesting than she ever could have imagined.
~Fini~
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. The dialogue and scenes that you don't recognize are mine, the rest belongs to Jason Katims, the WB, Melinda Metz...etc, etc, etc...Don't sue. The song "Fear" is by the goddess of music, Sarah McLachlan, and appears on her albums, "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy," and "Mirrorball." One comment~ when "Fear" was played during the Pilot of Roswell, at the end of the episode, it credited the version as being the one on "Mirrorball," which is inaccurate. The version played in the Pilot is actually from, "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy." "Mirrorball" is Sarah's live album.
Rating: R for violence, language and situations
Author's Note: This is the eigth story of my "Before I Knew You" series. I'd read the other seven first.
Spoilers: Pilot and for the rest of my series.
"...But I fear
I have nothing to give
I have so much to lose
Here in this lonely place
Tangled up in our embrace
There's nothing I'd like better
Than to fall
But I fear
I have nothing to give..."
Fear (Part 4-The Conclusion)
Liz sat cross-legged on her bed, looking down at her geometry notebook. She was making a feeble effort to concentrate on how to work proofs when her bed suddenly bounced and she looked up.
Maria DeLuca was standing on her bed, staring down at her with a determined look in her eyes. She was already dressed for the Crash, and she was wearing a pretty green outfit with lots of make up and designs on it. If it had been anyone else but Maria, the costume would have looked ridiculous, but somehow she pulled it off and managed to look great.
Uh oh, Liz thought. She recognized the look in her friend's eyes and realized she was about to catch hell.
"Before I got to this idiotic Crash Festival, I want to know everything. And if you don't tell me the truth right now, I'm going to go to Valenti myself and tell him everything I know."
"What do you know?" Liz asked carefully.
"Well," Maria stepped off her bed and stood on solid ground. "Uh...I-I know that Max was in the diner that day, and I know that he went up to you when you were shot, and like, did something to you." She paused and then looked Liz right in the eyes. "And I know that the one person in the world that I thought I could completely trust, is lying to me."
Liz saw the flash of pain in Maria's eyes, and recognized the waver in her voice and realized she wasn't far off from crying. She thought about all the times when she had needed someone to talk to, how Maria had always been there for her, had always taken her side no matter what the circumstances. She was a good friend...the best friend she'd ever had, along with Alex. And she also knew that Maria wasn't kidding when she said she'd go to Valenti. She had to protect Max.
And there was only one way she could do that right now.
Liz moved her books aside and scooted forward on the bed. She took a deep breath. "You have to promise me that you are not going to flip out."
Maria looked at her like she was crazy. "Flip out? Hey, it's me."
"Close the bedroom door," Liz said quickly.
Without a word, Maria closed the door and locked it, and then turned to face Liz, her arms folded across her chest. "What's going on?"
Liz stood up. "You're right...about that day at the Crashdown...I was shot."
"I knew it!" Maria cried. Then she stared at Liz. "But...how is that possible?"
"Max healed me," she said quietly.
"How?"
Liz could tell her friend was turning over every new age healing technique in her brain, trying to come up with the most likely treatment that had saved Liz's life. "Sit down."
"Uh-uh. You're stalling."
"Maria, trust me. You should sit down." Liz had known Maria for a very long time, and she knew that she'd be freaked out, if only for a brief period of time, when she found out the truth.
She finally perched on the edge of Liz's desk. "Okay, shoot." She grimaced. "Bad pun."
"He's an alien."
Maria started laughing. "Right." She laughed harder, doubling over and clutching her stomach as she snorted. "An alien. Max Evans."
Liz waited patiently for her to calm down, and when she did, and saw how serious Liz was, her face grew pale.
"This is a joke, right?" She walked over to Liz's closet and pulled on the doors. "Alex is in here hiding and you're playing a practical joke on me." When she opened the closet doors and saw no one was inside, she shook her head. "Alex, come out from under the bed!"
"Maria, Alex isn't here. He doesn't know." Liz waited again.
Maria turned to face her, edging towards the door. "This isn't funny."
"It's not supposed to be." Liz took a deep breath. "It's true, Maria. He was in the 1947 crash and he was in some sort of like...incubation pod. When his parents found him, he was out wandering in the desert, and--"
At that second, Maria raised her hands to her mouth, screamed, unlocked the door and bolted.
Liz sighed and then ran after her. "Maria!" She raced down the stairs of the Crashdown and out the front door. She finally caught up with her at Maria's car. "Okay, Maria, just calm down, okay? He saved my life, he didn't hurt me."
"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod," Maria was muttering as she fumbled for her car keys and unlocked the door.
Liz sighed again and climbed in the car as soon as Maria had unlocked it. She looked over at her friend, her face was pale and her hands were shaking.
Maria started the car and pulled onto the road.
Liz wondered if Maria even knew where she was headed.
"Liz, Liz, what happened to you? You were on this whole like, valedictorian path. You were on your way to be like, this world renowned scientist, and I was gonna be your wacky friend. I can't be a wacky friend to someone who's already wacky. It'd be like repititious--"
"Maria, you're babbling," Liz calmly pointed out.
"I think I've earned the right to babble, all right? So just deal with it."
Liz looked out the window and recognized the jeep as it drove by going the opposite direction. He hasn't left town! she thought excitedly. "Oh my god, Maria! That's them! Cut a U-ie!"
"Cut a U-ie?" Maria repeated, shaking her head in shock.
"Maria!" Liz said urgently, turning around to look at the jeep.
"Who are you? I mean--"
There was no other choice. Liz grabbed the steering wheel and turned it sharply to the right as Maria shrieked. "Oh, my god! You're a crazy person!"
"Maria, I am not! Please, just catch them!" she pleaded.
"Catch them? Liz, we're in a jetta!"
Liz could see them up ahead and she grabbed onto the safety bar on the door and held on as Maria sped up. She watched as they turned down an alley and then Maria pulled in behind them.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Maria muttered.
Liz and Maria simataneously climbed out of the car and headed down the alley, towards the jeep where Max, Michael and Isabel where getting out and walking towards them now.
"What are they doing here? No, don't tell me there's three," Maria said, shaking her head and moving closer to Liz's side.
"Well..." Liz trailed off.
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
Then they were standing face to face with them. "Maria knows," Liz admitted quietly.
"Unbelievable," Michael muttered, a look of utter disgust on his face.
"Look, I promise I won't tell anyone," Maria said, not looking at him.
Michael moved forward and Maria moved so she was standing behind Liz. "Get your car out of the way now."
"I really do't think that you should try to leave. It's just gonna show people that you're guilty." Liz mentally kicked herself. That hadn't come out quite like she'd meant it to.
"Guilty of what? Saving your life?" Michael demanded, glaring at her.
"Michael," Max warned, stepping forward.
"Look, I think I have an idea here. If we can just all work together here, maybe we can throw Valenti off," Liz interrupted, not wanting to be the cause of a fight between Max and his best friend.
"We're not together. Our lives are at stake, not yours," Michael said harshly. "Now move your car." He was glaring at her and Liz had never felt so hated in her life. All she wanted to do was help. Didn't he understand that?"
"Michael, this can't last forever. This secret. And I don't want it to," Max said softly.
Liz saw the hurt in his eyes, and remembered the waves of loneliness she had felt from him when he'd reversed the connection between them. It was almost unbearable for her to think anyone could be that lonely. Especially someone as wonderful as Max Evans. She was going to protect him, or do her hardest to try. "Look, I can't change what happened. But if your run, Valenti is gonna know it's you. You'll be proving it for him."
"She's right," Max agreed.
"I should've known you'd side with her," Isabel muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Isabel, I'm not on anyone's side, all right?" Max looked over at her, the hurt in his eyes deepening.
"Well, get on a side, Max, because time is running out!" she snapped.
Liz watched as Max seemed to fight an inner struggle, his eyes saddened. Finally, he turned and spoke directly to her. "She should move her car."
She stared at him, desperately wanting to talk him out of it, feeling as though her own insides were being torn apart.
Then Max turned to Michael and his sister. "I'm turning myself into Valenti."
Liz's mouth dropped open, and she was about to protest when Michael, looking as shocked as she felt, turned to him. "Max, we said we were leaving."
Isabel shook her head, looking more upset than Liz had ever seen her. "Max, I can't leave without you." She met her brother's eyes and then with a sigh and a look of barely-tamed anger, she turned to Liz. "What's your idea?"
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Alex wandered around the Crash Festival, listening to the music and watching as the people danced and partied. Usually he looked forward to this festival. But usually he didn't wind up going alone.
He wasn't even sure why he'd come this year. He knew Liz had made plans with Kyle to meet here. Not that she'd have paid attention to him even if she hadn't been meeting Kyle. She'd been virtually ignoring him for the past week. Anytime he tried to talk to her, she gave him the brush off. And Maria had been so angry and upset about the whole Liz thing all week, he didn't figure she'd even want to come to the festival tonight.
Alex sighed and re-adjusted the alien head of his costume. It was a stupid costume and he felt like a dork wearing it and walking around alone, but it wasn't any worse than what anyone else was wearing. At least he wasn't sitting at home bored.
"Nice mask, Alex," a voice said.
He stopped and looked. Isabel Evans had spoken to him. Wait--how did she know that it was him with his costume?
Who cares? Don't miss your chance to talk to her, he told himself.
Alex pulled off the mask and quickly caught up with them. "Isabel, hey." He did a doubletake when he realized who was walking with Isabel. "Maria?"
Maria laughed nervously. "Hey."
The girls kept walking, as if not wanting to be bothered. "Uh, nice cones," he said to Isabel, who smiled briefly and continued walking.
Alex stopped following them and stared after them.
Nice cones? Had he really just said that aloud? To Isabel Evans?
And what was Maria doing with Isabel anyway?
He frowned in confusion and shook his head. Then he turned around and walked the other way. First Liz was acting weird and ignoring him, and now Maria was hanging out with Isabel. Something was definitely wrong here.
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Alex walked back to his car a little while later. What a waste tonight had been. He remembered last year, when he, Liz and Maria had all gone to the Crash Festival together and they'd had a blast. Apparently they'd both forgotten about it. He pulled his car keys out of the costumes pocket and started to unlock the car door when he heard the sound of squealing brakes.
A second later a scream pierced the air. "Maria!"
He froze, recognizing the voice instantly. Liz.
"Oh god," he said as he raced through the lines of parked cars, weaving his way to where he'd heard the scream. "Please be okay, please be okay."
Alex finally came to the clearing of cars, and his heart nearly stopped as he saw Maria lying on the ground, someone in a god-awful costume kneeling over her, a hand on her neck. He ran over. "What's going on? What are you--what are you doing?" he demanded, about to grab the guy's arm.
The guy wearing the costume stood up suddenly and shoved him backwards, hard. Alex toppled over onto the ground, the wind being knocked out of him.
"What happened here?" Sheriff Valenti demanded, hurrying over and kneeling down next to Maria. He touched her throat, searching for a pulse. "Are you okay?"
Maria sat up slowly, blinking her eyes. "Yeah, I think so."
Alex stared at her, and then looked up at Liz, who was also staring at her.
"There he goes! Sheriff, there he is! There's the guy who went up to her, that's him!" One of the Sheriff's deputies said urgently, pointing to the guy who was running into the crowd.
Valenti stood up. "Watch the kid." And off he ran, after the guy who had been kneeling above Maria.
Alex rushed to Maria's side and put an arm around her. "Can you stand up? Should I call an ambulance?"
"No...I'm all right," Maria said quickly, looping her arm around his waist and allowing him to help her to her feet. She was shaking like a leaf.
"What happened?" he asked.
Maria threw a glance at Liz and then shook her head. "I--I don't know...I don't--I don't remember."
Alex saw the silver handprint on her chest. "Uh-Maria?"
She looked down and gasped, her eyes widening. She started to sway on her feet and Alex pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. It's okay," he murmured. He looked over her head to Liz who was watching him. He thought he saw a bit of guilt in her eyes, but a second later it vanished and was replaced by concern.
"Maria! Are you all right?" She hurried forward and Maria left Alex's arms and stepped into Liz's. Liz hugged her tightly, but wouldn't look at him.
Alex frowned and then looked up at the deputy who was holding Max Evans by the arm. He realized then that Max was in handcuffs, and his frown changed into a look of pure shock. Max Evans was being arrested?
"Alex, can you take Maria home?" Liz asked, still not looking him in the eyes.
He blinked. "Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"
"No--I just--I want to go home," Maria insisted.
"Yeah, sure, I'll take you home. Let's go." He slid his arm around her waist and then looked back at Liz. "Liz, do you need a ride?"
"Uh...no. I'm going to get a ride from Kyle," she said vaguely. She turned and walked away.
Alex stared after her for a moment. Then he turned his attention back to Maria. "Let's get you home. Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, thanks." She leaned against him and closed her eyes as he helped her over to his car.
"I'll give you a ride to pick up your car tomorrow," he offered.
"That'd be great."
"Maria--what happened?"
"I told you...I don't know."
She wouldn't look him in the eyes either.
Yep, he thought. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
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Liz stared up at the sky and saw the shining silver stars. She hoped that one day she wouldn't have to keep the truth from her other best friend, but for now...
Now she had to keep Max and Isabel and Michael safe. And she'd already involved Maria. Now Maria was in danger, too. She had to keep Alex out of harm's way. She owed him that much. Maybe one day they wouldn't have to worry about throwing Valenti off track and Alex could know the truth. Maybe the six of them could become one big happy family.
She looked down over the crowd from where she was standing on the hill and watched as the people cheered as the re-inactment of the 1947 Crash took place, throwing the fake alien bodies out of the ship.
Liz suddenly felt sick to her stomach and she looked away. How could they cheer about something like that?
"Hey," a voice said behind her.
She turned around and smiled as Max walked up to her. "Hey."
He reached up and she held perfectly still, watching his eyes as he moved a strand of hair out of her face.
"Oh," she said softly.
"You had a...uh..."
"Hair thing. Right. Thanks."
"Sure." Max stared at her and their eyes locked. He moved away, but just a very small fraction of an inch. "Liz, it's not safe. I mean, for you and...and me to...it's not safe."
She shook her head. "I don't care." And she didn't. Safety be damned, Max had saved her life and she wasn't ever going to forget that.
He smiled, a tiny smile, but one that made her heart leap. "Liz, I really, really wish that this could be something, you know...more. But it can't. We're just...."
"Different," Liz finished. Max might be an alien, but he was more human than most people she knew. Differences just didn't matter.
"Yeah," he agreed. He stepped away from her. "I'll see you at school."
Liz watched as he started to walk away, and suddenly something hit her. "Max!"
He turned to look a her.
"I never got to thank you. For saving my life." She met his eyes and he smiled again.
"Thank you," he whispered softly. Then he walked away, down the hill and disappeared into the crowd.
Liz watched him go, suddenly filled with renewed hope.
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Liz looked down at her journal and scratched the pen across it.
It's September 24th. I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.
She put her pen down and hugged her journal close to her, smiling as she looked up at the stars. She had a feeling this year was going to turn out to be more interesting than she ever could have imagined.
~Fini~