ROSWELL on PLANET-SF

CHAPTER THREE

Liz Evans had made the final decision the night before but decided against telling anyone until she had completed it. A couple days before Halloween, Liz dropped out of the Masters program. She felt the weight being lifted from her shoulders as she walked from the school to the jeep. A job application she had submitted a few weeks prior had resulted in a job offer. Liz had accepted it the afternoon before. She was going to work for the Roswell Department of Health. It wasn't something she had always yearned to do, but for now, it seemed like the right thing. The money was decent, more than Max made actually, and the hours weren't bad, about the same as she spent in school. The bonus was she'd be free nights and weekends to spend with her husband and daughter, no homework, no studying.

Liz had figured out a while ago that her family was the most important thing to her. School? She could take it or leave it. She didn't want to be busy doing homework all the time and miss out on Sloane growing up. She was excited that Sloane had finally revealed a power and it was the power to heal. Not a day went by that she didn't think of her dreams from years earlier and the visit from Max of the future. Sloane was to be the warrior. She shook her head every time she thought about that. She had no idea how this sweet little girl with the power to heal could become a great warrior. Great enough to save the world.

She waited for Max at home, Isabel had taken Sloane shopping and to a movie. They'd be home after dinner. She needed a little time to explain to Max why she had given up her dreams. He got home close to four and knew something was wrong the second her looked at her.

"What?" He set his briefcase down on the floor and walked to her.

"Hi," she smiled and patted the spot next to her on the couch. "Sit."

Max took a deep breath and sat down, he looked at her expectantly. "So, what's going on? Where's Sloane?"

"She went to a movie with Isabel and nothing is wrong. At least I don't think so. I got a new job."

"Why? Now we're never going to see you." Max whined and Liz cringed, she hated it when he whined.

"No, Max. It's not exactly like that. I'm going to work days and be home on nights and week-ends with you and Sloane."

"School?"

"I quit," she smiled when she said it and knew that she had done the right thing. "I quit the Masters program and I start a week from Monday at the Department of Health."

"You quit?"

"I had to, Max. I feel like all I ever do is schoolwork and if I were to get my Masters and then get a job in research, I'd never see either of you. I don't want to miss out on anything."

"I can't believe it." Max shook his head. "All you've dreamed about, everything you've wanted to do."

"What I want to do is spend time with my husband and daughter. That's it, plain and simple. I did what I know was right."

"You didn't think you should tell me about it first, we could have discussed it?"

"I know what you would have said, stay in school yada yada yada. I didn't want to hear it. Max, I know what I did was the right thing. In my heart I know that."

"Are you going to make more than me?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Not much, Max." She kissed his cheek as she lied.

* * *

The day before Halloween Max Evans was walking out of the Principal's office after school. He smiled to himself thinking that every time he went in to see his boss, his palms began to sweat and he got knots in his stomach, although it wasn't the same principal that he had in school, it was nevertheless 'the Principal's Office'.

As he rounded a corner in a deserted hallway, he was slammed to the ground. His briefcase flew open; papers scattered on the floor. He landed on his ass, a body in his lap.

"Mr. Evans!" It was Lindy Franks on his lap looking surprised, but smiling. "I'm so sorry!" She put her hand to her mouth but didn't move.

"Lindy," Max stuttered her name feeling like a schoolboy. "I'm sorry I didn't see you," he moved causing her to slide off his lap onto the floor. He stood then extended his hand to her. She smiled and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet and in an exaggerated motion she fell into him crushing her body against his. She still clasped his hand in hers, her other hand rested on his chest. She looked into his eye's making no attempt to move. "Uh…" He let go of her hand and took a step back.

"Sorry," she started to walk by him then stopped and began to brush off the
back of his black pants. "You got all dusty."

"It's fine, Lindy." He stepped away from her. "Thank you." He knelt down and began gathering the spilled papers after refusing her offer to help.

"Okay, well. Have a happy Halloween," she smiled and walked back down the same hall from where she came.

Max felt the flush on his face. He gathered his things, took a deep breath and walked nervously through the empty halls and to the parking lot. He let out a breath he had been holding when he got in the jeep. Come on Evans, he thought to himself, you act like you're running away from the FBI, she's only a seventeen year old girl. A very pretty, seemingly aggressive, seventeen year old girl.

As he drove home to his wife, a feeling of guilt washed over him.

* * *

Michael answered the door and let Liz and Sloane inside. Sloane was dressed as a butterfly. Shimmering wings of iridescent fabric graced her back. Black ball antennae attached to a headband on her head. Her long almost black hair was in a braid hanging down her back. A black leotard, tights and shoes completed the ensemble.

Leia stepped from behind Michael and waved at the two Evans females. She was dressed as her namesake. Her dirty blond hair was twisted into two huge buns on either side of her head. She wore a white dress with a belt, an illuminated plastic light sabre in her hand. She smiled so sweetly it made Liz wonder where the wild child from her condo had gone.

"Is Maria ready?" Liz looked past Michael.

"She's not going," he sighed, "She's sick."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's been feeling bad for the last few days and this morning she woke up with a fever and now she just feels like shit. So, she's taking tonight off."

"Oh," Liz nodded. She looked down momentarily, she had hoped that she and Maria would've had time to talk tonight. "Well, ready to go?"

Each holding their respective daughter's hand, they strolled down the street. As they went from house to house, Leia held Sloane's hand s they walked to doors for candy.

"I'm sorry," Michael dug his hands in his pockets.

"For what?"

"That I didn't tell Maria that I met you for lunch that day."

"Oh." Liz said.

"I didn't do it on purpose, I just didn't think about it. It was just lunch."

"Yeah. She seemed a little pissed."

"I know," he frowned. "I heard all about it and I wanted to apologize for you getting it first. It was my fault."

"I'm sure she's just stressed. You know, with school and everything."

"Yeah," he watched his daughter putting on a dramatic re-enactment of a light sabre duel on a porch. "She asked if there was anything going on between us."

"Oh." Liz the scholar.

"I mean, I like you Liz. We're friends, good friends. But I would never think of you that way. I don't think I could. I mean I really don't think it's possible."

"Me either," she let out a silent sigh of relief. "I can't believe she really thought that, honestly." Liz shook her head as they walked to the next house, the girls leading hand in hand.

"I know," he smiled. "I mean it's you. It's not that you're not attractive, you are. It's just you're Liz. Max's Liz."

"You don't have to explain to me Michael, I know what you're saying. I've only talked to her once since Leia spent the night at our place. Are the two of you really okay?"

"We're great, really. She's amazing," his gaze drifted in front of him as he watched his daughter kneeling down on the sidewalk tieing one of Sloane's shoes. "After all this time she goes to school. I mean she's in these classes with kids right out of high school and here she is with a six-year old and old man at home. It's got to be hard for her."

"I know it's hard for her."

"She just amazes me. Going to school, taking care of the house and everything, being an excellent mother to Leia. Leia, she can be a handful," he smiled. "She's a little active, sometimes. All that energy."

"Oh yeah," Liz nodded.

"Hey, where's Max tonight? I know he gets into the Halloween thing. I thought he might come."

"Oh, Max didn't feel like it tonight, he's tired. He's grading his midterms and said he was going to bed early."

They walked further down the street following the girls as Liz told him about quitting school and going to work for the Department of Health. He laughed about them both being city servants now. They watched the girls as they ran back towards them still holding hands. Each of them holding new green glow sticks, smiling and laughing.

"So," Michael pointed towards Sloane. "That little butterfly saves the planet, huh?"

After another hour they returned to the Guerin/DeLuca residence. Liz declined the offer to come inside, but didn't hesitate to give both Michael and Leia a hug good-bye. Michael held his daughter's hand and led her inside. Maria was sitting on the couch, waiting. She took Leia from her father and helped her get ready for bed. Michael was waiting on the couch when Maria returned after Leia had been put to bed with a candy-coated grin.

"Did you have fun with Liz?" She sat cross-legged on the couch.

"I had fun taking my daughter trick-or-treating if that's what you're asking," he sighed.

"Good," she coughed. It didn't sound real to Michael.

"Okay, what is making you like this?" He ran his hands through his hair. "Let's go in the bedroom, okay?" Maria nodded and followed him. She sat on the bed; he sat on the other side. "What's up with all this Liz shit?"

"You just seem to be getting too close."

"Too close?" He laughed and it wasn't a pleasant sound. "How could you ever think that I would cheat on you?"

"I didn't say you were necessarily cheating, Michael." She shrugged. "Just that you two might be getting too close."

"As close as you and Kyle?"

"Kyle?" She laughed.

"You and Kyle are super close," he nodded. "You two go out to lunch, talk on the phone and do all sorts of things that I'm not included in."

"Yeah, but Kyle's like my brother."

"And Liz is married to the only brother I've ever known."

Maria opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it and closed it.

"See? Do you hear how stupid it sounds? Shit Maria, it's Liz. Your best friend for, like, ever. Do you honestly think that either of us is capable of hurting you like that?"

"I'd hope not," she absently tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Liz and I are friends. We're good friends. The reason for that is you. If it wasn't because of you, I don't know if we'd ever have been friends. Nothing is going to change that."

She nodded and scooted closer to him "I'm sorry. I just feel like we never have enough time for each other, but you can make time to go out to lunch with her."

"She had a break between classes. If you had a break, I'd meet you." He sighed and looked into her eyes. "Will you ever believe how much I love you?"

Maria nodded slightly and leaned in to kiss him. He cupped her face in his palms slipping his tongue in her mouth. She moved closer and straddled him. Her arms reaching around him, pulling him to her. "I love you Michael."

Michael nodded. "I love you Maria." He motioned for her to move and stood up. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped his T-shirt off. Kicking his boots off and unzipping his jeans, Maria sat silently watching him, never tiring of his sculpted body. Most of the lankiness had disappeared over the last few years; muscles cropped up on his biceps and stomach. He smiled when he caught her looking at him. She blushed.

"You can stare if I can stare," he said coyly as she lifted her shirt over her head. She undid her bra and shook her chest at him. He laughed and bent down low; pushing her back on to the bed, her knees hanging over the side.

He went to her breasts first as he normally did, he loved her breasts. Feeling her nipples get hard under his touch enthralled him. He looked to her face and into her eyes. She'd always be the Maria he loved. The one he never meant to fall in love with. The one he tried to push away. The one who made him feel alive. The one who made him want to live. The one he stayed for. They were bonded and no one could ever break that bond. He vowed nothing would ever come between them, no matter how small. His life was in that house, that night.

"I love you," he rested his chin between her breasts.

"I know you do, Michael." She smiled sweetly at him. "Sometimes my confidence factor is zero."

"I know that feeling."

She ran her fingertips though his hair; he closed his eyes and smiled. "Why don't you come on up here for a while?"

He obliged and met her mouth for a kiss that sent electric shocks through his bloodstream. He wasn't sure if he had ever wanted her more than he did at that moment. He plunged inside of her, waves of passion; waves of love overwhelmed him. He felt lightheaded as she clawed his back. He wanted to explode; he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs how much he loved her.

"It's you, Maria." He panted, pushing hair away from her face. "It's always been you."

His body trembled on top of hers, using every bit of energy he had, he held back. He didn't want it to end yet. When he felt stability, he rocked against her and exploded. Stunned, he looked to her.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Caught you by surprise, too?"

He nodded and nuzzled his head in between her breasts. "I can't hold back with you Maria, I can't hold back anything."

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STORY OF LINES:
6 - THE BEAT GOES ON

CHAPTER THREE

WRITTEN BY BECKY W

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