ROSWELL on PLANET-SF

Chapter Nine

"You know," Kyle rested his elbows on the kitchen table in his house. "It's been almost a year since Alex was killed."

"I know," Maria sighed. "It's still so hard. I think about him everyday."

"Me too. I can't believe it's been so long. Sometimes when I'm here alone I just can't help thinking about her and what she did." He shook his head, disgusted. "I know it wasn't my fault. It's taken me a long time to believe it, but I finally do."

"I'm so glad!" Maria reached across and squeezed his hand. "I knew you would sooner or later."

"Thank you." He looked at her through the tops of his eyes. "I really wanted to thank you for everything."

"Me?" Maria pointed to herself. "Why?"

"These past few months of spending time with you have been great," he blushed. "I mean, I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't had someone to talk to about all this."

"You don't have to thank me Kyle," Maria wiped at a tear. "We're friends, that's what friends do."

"We didn't used to be friends." He winked.

"But we are now. Practically family." She rubbed her stomach. "You will so be Uncle Kyle. The cool football playin' Buddha teachin' Uncle Studly that she always wants to hang out with!"

"She?"

"I think she. She feels very feminine to me." She nodded. "I won't find out for sure for a while."

"A girl?" Kyle mused. "Any names?"

"What do you think about Summer?"

"That it's right around the corner?"

* * * *

"Where's Bret?" Max asked walking into the kitchen. Isabel and Michael were already seated at the Evanses' table.

"You told me to get rid of him, so I did," Isabel shrugged. "I bound and gagged him and stuck him in the basement."

"Okay," Max looked to Michael and only received another shrug as an answer. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, Max. I really did that." She laughed. "God. He's actually out with dad."

"Our dad?"

"Yup. He took Bret to the golf course. They're playing golf. Finally, he has someone who willingly wants to play golf with him."

"Okay." Max sat down and delivered nearly the identical story of Liz that he had told Michael a few days earlier.

"So, why are you complaining?" Isabel looked to Michael. Once again, a shrug.

"See, you're both missing the point. That's not Liz. Nothing about that was Liz-like. Shit, she doesn't even remember it." Max splayed his hands flat on the table. "Her shirt was off and she doesn't have a clue."

"She just sat there naked?" Michael finally spoke.

"No, before she snapped out of it I put it back on her." Max felt his ears turning red. "I just don't understand. I don't want things to go like that. I want her to actually be there, you know."

"Wow." Isabel looked at her brother. "What the hell is going on?"

"She said she was going to see her doctor, but I doubt she will. She thinks it's no big deal." Max shook his head. "I don't know what to do about it. Sooner or later, it's going to progress."

"That's like rape, Max," Isabel said.

"I don't know about that..." Michael pulled his top lip down with his teeth.

"Sure it is, Michael," Isabel shot back at him. "If she has no idea what's going on, it's rape. Plain and simple. She's not making a decision for herself."

"I kind of agree with you," Max looked to her. "Not all the way. I mean, she was pressuring a little before all the real aggressiveness started. She wants to."

"Uuhh!!" Isabel slapped the tabletop. "Are you insane? Do you hear what you're saying? This girl of your dreams, your future, is out of her mind and you want to take advantage of her?"

"No! That's not what I was saying. I will not have sex with her until I know for damn sure that she is Liz Parker and not Tess!" Max's voice rose as he stood from the chair. He looked down at the table and then closed his eyes before sitting. "Damn it!"

"Tess?" Isabel looked to Michael who looked away. "What are you saying?"

"I don't know."

"You think she's like possessed by Tess?" Isabel narrowed her eyes at him. "All the stuff from before, what she said and the shirt? Do you really think that?"

"I don't know." Max took a deep breath. "When I'm with Liz, all I see or feel is Liz. When I'm away from her, it's Tess. Not so much my son, I think she's turned him. Our connection is severed, about to break. But Tess is strong."

"She couldn't do that." Isabel looked to Michael. No response. "How could she do that?"

"Do you still think she was behind your dreams?" Max asked.

"Yeah," Is said. "Damn her! I hate her. What can we do to fix it? Should I dream walk her? Should we talk to her? Should we tell her what we think?"

"Yes and soon," Michael said. "I'll do it. Tomorrow."

"You?" Max raised his eyebrows at him. "Don't you think this might be a little personal?"

"I don't want her to hear anything from you about sex and Tess." Michael pursed his lips together. "I don't want to see her hurt by something stupid that you wouldn't mean to say, but would anyway. She's my friend."

Max, surprised by his friend, did not argue.

"Should I dream walk her?"

"I don't think it'll hurt. Can you do it tonight?" Max asked. "Or will Mr. Bret be sneaking into your room again?"

"I don't think it will be a problem," Isabel blushed. "Are you going to see her tonight? Are you going to tell her I'll be in her dreams?"

"Yes and no," he smiled. "Did I mention anything about a big darkness that I'm feeling all around?"

"Can't anything ever be easy for us?" Isabel sighed. "Tell me about the big bad darkness..."

* * * *

"What is on your mind tonight, Guerin?" Maria rubbed the back of his neck. "You've been spacey all night. No pun intended."

"Got a few things on my mind." He relaxed into her arm. "How late can I stay?"

"Midnight, can you believe that?" Maria looked at the clock across the room. "Mom's out with the Sheriff and said she'll be home by midnight and would like to pass you on her way in."

"How sweet."

"You should be counting your lucky stars you're even allowed in the house at all. Without a chaperone, no less." She continued to rub his neck feeling the tension. "So are you going to tell me what's on your mind or am I going to have to pry it out of you?"

"It's Liz, actually." Michael sat up straighter. "Have you noticed her acting a little strange lately?"

"Liz? No. Why? Did something happen with Max?" She got defensive.

"No. Max thinks she's not really acting like herself. Has she said anything to you?"

"As far I as I knew everything was perfect." She rested her free hand on her stomach. "It's so hard to believe that a itty bitty baby is in here. Can you believe that we're actually having a baby?"

"Sometimes, no," Michael shook his head. "If someone would have said when we hooked up that a couple of years down the road we'd be having a baby I'd laughed them off the planet. I never even thought I'd still be on this planet!"

"But you are and I'm so glad you stayed," Maria wiped a tear away smiling. "You know, I can't even watch stupid Long Distance commercials without crying anymore?"

"You are so beautiful." Michael looked into her eyes and cupped her chin in his palm. "I could never leave you. I will never leave you."

"You better not," she whispered. "I don't think I could live without you. I wouldn't want to."

Michael embraced her and inhaled the scent of her hair. His eyes were wet, but she'd never see that. He hugged her until he heard her breath become shallow. He let her sleep in his arms until Amy came home at midnight and told him to be careful on his way home.

* * * *

Liz pulled on her bottom lip as she watched Max open up his bedroom window. She sat cross-legged on his bed, his pillow on her lap.

"Why don't you come sit next to me?" She patted the mattress next to her. "I'm getting lonely."

"Uh...sure." He proceeded with caution and sat next to her. At once her arms were around him and her lips were on his. He pushed her away keeping his hands on her shoulders. "Hey. I thought you wanted to look through course catalogs tonight?" He motioned to the stack of catalogs and pamphlets on the end of the bed. "Summer classes at the U?"

"Fine," she sighed and laid down on her stomach and began leafing through a course description booklet. Max laid next to her and snuck a kiss. "Hey!"

He winked at her.

For the next twenty minutes they laid side by side flipping through the booklets and pointing things out to each other. Liz had kicked her slip-on shoes to the floor and began to run her bare foot over Max's calf. She set down what she was looking at and scooted closer to Max, stretching her body against his.

"I need a break," she said softly and ran her hand along his bare thigh to just below the cuff of his shorts.

Max rolled over on his side and looked in her eyes. Was it Liz?

She continued to run her hand along his thigh, each time going higher and higher under his shorts. Her eyes were closed. Max tried to even out his breathing, but with each movement of her hand found it harder and harder. He looked to her face and moved his head in closer to meet her lips.

"I love you Liz," he said softly between kisses. As her fingertips teased the stretched material of boxer shorts, Max rolled halfway on her and braced her face in-between his hands and pushed his mouth to hers.

Her hand slid inside his boxer's and Max gasped. He kissed down her neck to the straps of her halter and then pushed it up with both hands exposing her. His mouth explored her chest while his hands unsnapped her denim shorts. Using both hands she unfastened his shorts and pulled them down to his thighs, his boxers followed. Her hand stayed on him. Cupping. Rubbing.

Sweat was forming on his brow and dripping on her stomach as he unzipped her shorts and pushed them down revealing a blue cotton triangle. Kissing below her belly button, he ran a finger under the waistband and felt her quiver then tense.

"What are you doing?" Liz yelled and fought him off with her hands. "Max?"

He sat back and looked at her, mouth gaping, sweating. She looked down at her bare breasts and pulled her shirt down. Tears were streaming down her face as she stood up and fastened her shorts. Max pulled his shorts up and stood, watching her. She was trembling as she put on her shoes.

"Liz?" he whispered.

"What do you think you were doing?" she cried at him.

"No, wait." He reached for her arm, barely grazing it.

"Don't touch me!" She saw her purse on the floor and scooped it up and headed for the door.

"No, wait!" Max reached for her and caught her arm turning her around to face him.

"How could you do that to me?" She reeked of fear.

"I didn't..."

"How could you do that when I was asleep?" she yelled her voice faltering. She pushed him away from her and ran from the room and to the front door with Max on her heels. "Leave me alone!"

"No, no, no!" Max followed her outside. "You weren't asleep Liz!"

"Go away!" She ran down the front yard and disappeared into he night.

Max collapsed on his knees in his front yard; fists beating the ground.

* * * *

Liz Parker did not sleep that night. She cried. Crying was the only thing she could do. When one side of her pillow became too wet, she flipped it over. She had never felt so used in her entire life. How could Max have done that to her while she was asleep? She'd never trust him again. All the trust and confidence she had built up in him since Tess left was shattered. She wanted to desperately call Maria and tell her what happened, but it was too late and she didn't want to wake her. She'd call her in the morning and deliver the story of Max the asshole.

* * * *

Max laid face down in the grass, head resting on his arms for what seemed like eternity. He didn't hear anyone approaching, only felt the jab of a foot in his side.

"What are you doing?" It was Isabel with Bret.

Max looked up at her and she knew it was bad. She told Bret to go wait inside and sat next to her brother, alarmed. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I fucked up." He sat up and rocked back and forth. "It's Liz."

"Liz? Why? What'd you do?" She leaned back resting her weight on her arms and crossing her legs in front of her.

"Tonight we were going through all the college stuff in my room and she got a little, you know, frisky."

"Oh shit."

"And we stopped right away and then a little while later, her shirt was up, my shorts were off, hers were down and she freaked out." His eyes opened wider. "She was yelling at me, she said she was asleep. She accused me of doing that to her while she was asleep!"

"Oh Max."

"She wasn't asleep, Is." He shook his head vehemently. "You know I would never do that. She was awake. One hundred percent awake."

"I told you-"

"I know. I should have listened, but I didn't and I have to fix it. She probably hates me right now!"

"She said she was asleep?"

"Yeah, she asked how I could do that to her when she was asleep. She was crying and looked so scared." He brought his hands to his face. "She wasn't asleep Is. She started it and I thought it was her. I know it was her. It was so innocent and then I...I progressed and so did she."

"Call Michael, tell him what happened so he'll know when he talks to her tomorrow."

"She was scared of me. I could feel the fear rolling off her." He hit the ground with a closed fist.

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STORY OF LINES:
2 - FULL CIRCLE

CHAPTER TEN

WRITTEN BY BECKY W

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