Reality Revealed (CC,M/L,MATURE) Ch 15 26/10/14 [WIP]

This is the place where fics that have not been updated in the past three months will be moved until the author asks a mod to move them back to an active board.

Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators

User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Reality Revealed (CC,M/L,MATURE) Ch 15 26/10/14 [WIP]

Post by KatnotKath »

Story Title: Book 2 - Reality Revealed
Author: KatnotKath
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just borrowing the characters.
Couples: M/L with CC
Rating: MATURE
Summary: Taking up where Dreams and Reality left off so you might want to read that first, is Liz pregnant, what will this mean for the group, how are they going to deal with it and is there more that they still don't know?
AN: I was intending on trying to get some more of this ready before trying to start posting, but since someone posted asking about it on my author's thread, I decided, perhaps against my better judgement to go ahead and post...I hope it's okay, and I'll do my best with trying to keep to regular updates this time.


Chapter 1

A eerie silence fell over the room. No one spoke – they were all too shocked by the suggestion made it seemed. Then, finally Maria spoke, her eyes wide and hands flailing around as she turned on her friend. “WHAT? How can you be? You said you’d never…” The words which had come unbidden to her mouth died mid sentence as she realised what she was saying but her meaning was clear enough…

Flushing deeply, Liz swallowed as she looked back at her friend. “I didn’t lie to you Maria, honestly…” She tried to convince the other girl, turning pleadingly to her friend, all self-conscious thoughts flying her mind for the moment. “We haven’t done it, not really…”

“I don’t understand…? What does that mean…?” Isabel looked from one to the other repeatedly, searching for an explanation.

Her initial worry about Maria beginning to abate, Liz now felt silent, looking increasingly uncomfortable as she thought about what she had said. “I…uh…”

“In those dreams…” Max supplied softly as he slid his arm around her, looking around at the others. “W-we didn’t stop…t-they went all the way…” He admitted, shaking his head as he thought about what a mess he had made of things. So much for Isabel and Michael saying they didn’t mean anything…

“But…” His sister closed her eyes as she took in what he had said, clamming up quickly at a look from Michael, realising just how close she just came to spilling the beans…

Under the circumstances, no one really noticed her slip up though, or didn’t pick her up on it anyway… They all seemed too stunned by what was being suggested – which, considering it should have been impossible, probably wasn’t so surprising…

Maria in particular was having trouble coming to terms with it all. “S-so you mean you think that what happened in your dreams was real…?” She questioned hesitantly, looking from Liz to Max, and then back again. It just didn’t compute, they were just dreams after all…

Her friend nodded silently, swallowing and biting down on her lip. “Yeah…” She responded in little more than a whisper, a part of her still struggling to believe she had suggested this in the first place. It fit with the translation though, and her symptoms when she thought about it…

Then, as everyone sat there, Liz seemed to pale, all colour draining from her face in a way similar to when they had been at the cave. The difference here was that she didn’t faint though, but instead brought a hand to her mouth rapidly as she rose from the sofa. “I think I’m going to be sick!” She announced with a groan before rushing out of the room.

***

“LIZ! Are you okay…?” Max knocked repeatedly on the door to the bathroom having followed his girlfriend as she fled the room. By the time he reached the door however, it was locked, and while he could of course solve that in a matter of seconds, he didn’t want to ignore her right to privacy… “Liz…?”

There was the sound of the toilet flushing, followed by a weak voice. “I’m okay…”

Unfortunately, the sound of retching which followed seemed to belie that statement, and Max’s brow furrowed in concern. “Liz…” He called softly, his hand hovering on the doorknob, fighting the impulse to go barging in there…

“Come in if you want…” A small voice seemed to read his mind, as there was a temporary lull in the sounds coming from the bathroom.

That was all he needed, as Max immediately waved his hand over the lock and pushed it open, walking in and moving immediately over to where his girlfriend was leaning over the toilet.

Looking up as she heard the door open, Liz sent a weak smile in his direction, but it disappeared a moment later as her stomach again seemed to swell up and she was forced to lean over once more.

“Liz…” Max whispered softly, kneeling down next to her and reaching to hold her hair out of the way, using one hand to rub her back gently.

A few minutes later, it seemed as though the nausea had passed, at least for the moment. Liz flushed the toilet quickly, and then sank down gratefully on the now closed seat, her head bowed and breathing heavy…

Still with his arm around her, Max looked on with concern. “How are you feeling…?” He asked gently, earning a small smile as his girlfriend looked up.

“I could ask you the same question…?” She responded weakly, her tone jovial although the meaning entirely serious. It was after all, no small thing they were talking about…

“A bit shocked, but that’s not important now!” Max waved away her concerns with his hand, reaching to push her hair back from her face and look into the eyes of his dark-haired angel. “Seriously Liz…how are you feeling…?”

His girlfriend sighed as he repeated his question, shaking her head as she turned her head to meet his eyes. “A little better…I just don’t seem to be able to keep anything down…” She shrugged and offered him a weak smile of reassurance. “It’s okay though, honest…nothing I can’t handle…”

Nodding silently, Max shook his head as he spoke again. “It’s a lot to take in…”

“Yeah…”

He hesitated about saying anything else.

As always though, it seemed Liz knew exactly what he was thinking as she looked up at him. “Max…?”

He met her gaze and swallowed. “I just…I have to ask…” He trailed off a moment before continuing. “A-are you sure…?”

The young brunette looked back at him, her eyes full of emotion as she shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about that while I’ve been here…” She commented softly, running a hand through her hair and pushing it out of her face. “It sounds crazy I know, but…” She swallowed nervously, unsure how to put this next. “I-it makes sense too…well, kinda…”

It was true of course, the thought might sound fanciful, but put the translation together with the content of the dreams, her tiredness and the sickness, not to mention the other small symptoms that had been assumed to be thanks to the tummy-bug, and well…she was right…

Knowing this deep down, Max nodded as he listened to her response, reaching now to draw his girlfriend into his arms and as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. It’s okay…it’s okay…” He whispered softly.

***

Why did none of you think of this?” Maria questioned as she paced back and forth in the living room. She had wanted to follow Liz out of the room originally, but Alex had stepped forward, convincing her that it was probably best to let Max and Liz have a little time just the two of them, and encouraged her to sit back down…

The former she had done, the latter well…she just wasn’t in a sitting mood… Having said that though, she knew she was being unfair to Isabel and Michael as she questioned why they hadn’t realised…

Of course they hadn’t realised, why would they? It wasn’t as though they knew what to expect, the dreams had been yet another one of those Czechoslovakian things that they knew nothing about. “I-I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean that…” She apologised softly as she stopped her pacing to look around at them. “There’s no reason for you to have thought that, I know that really, I’m just…shocked, I mean this whole thing is kind of scary……” She bit down on her lip.

Isabel and Michael squirmed a little in their seats as she apologised, feeling increasingly guilty not only because they hadn’t yet told their respective boyfriend and girlfriend about the dreams they had shared, but also because they had specifically reassured Max, to say that they were just dreams…

Isabel shifted in her seat uncomfortably, hesitating, before speaking. “W-we should have thought about it…” She commented softly, shaking her head.

Her boyfriend turned to look at her in surprise. “Why, I mean it’s not as though this has happened before to know what to expect, and human logic dictates it’s not possible…that all assuming of course that Liz is right, this could just be one big false alarm…”

His words were of course true, but at the same time they didn’t fool anyone in the room… Now that the suggestion had been made, it seemed as though everything was falling into place, and no one had any doubt really about the truth in the situation…

Swallowing again, Isabel glanced over towards Michael, silently apologising, before shaking her head slowly. “T-that’s not exactly true…” She admitted in a low voice, swallowing as both Maria and Alex turned to her and she became prime centre of attention… It wasn’t ideal, and it might already be too late, but she couldn’t lie anymore, and besides, they owed the others this much…

“What do you mean?” Maria shot a look at her friend.

“She means that we had the dreams – Isabel and I…” Michael stepped in, his voice little louder than a whisper as he looked over at his girlfriend. “But nothing happened with us you know, it’s not like we had feelings for one another or anything…” He tried to smooth things over by explaining, but from the look on Maria’s face, it was going to take a whole lot more than that…

Isabel knew what he was doing of course, but she knew Alex and Maria deserved more than that… She wouldn’t make it out to be smaller than it was, because that wasn’t fair… “W-we were scared guys…they were really vivid, and there was a time when I thought I might be pregnant…” She looked down, not wanting to meet Alex’s eyes and see the hurt look she was sure would be there…

“But she wasn’t!” Michael added quickly, fully aware of the furious look his girlfriend was giving him. “Isabel wasn’t pregnant, so we didn’t think that Liz could be…”

“Why didn’t you tell us? Did you mention it to Max and Liz?” Maria’s voice was full of hurt as she glared at her boyfriend and it was only too obvious she was trying to hold back the tears.

“Yes, we told him!” Isabel nodded repeatedly in response to the question. “We told him all about it when he and Liz started having the dreams, but since nothing had happened to us, we told him it was just a dream…” She bit down on her lip and swallowed. “As for why we didn’t tell you, we just didn’t want to upset you…we were freaked enough ourselves, it just seemed the right thing at the time…”

Alex, who had listened in silence to this point, now nodded. It might not have been the best in the long run, but he guessed that he could understand that… Not that he wasn’t hurt by their deception of course, and he would have hoped she felt able to tell him anything, but still…

Sliding his arm around her shoulders, he pulled his girlfriend into his side, reaching with his other hand to take hers and then squeezing it in a reassuring manner. “It’s okay…I understand, and you weren’t to know…” He paused a moment before adding. “But you should have told us…”

Michael was trying to do his own bit of apologising, as he looked over at Maria. “Can you ever forgive me…?” He questioned in a most un-Michael-like manner. For once, not even he could claim that he had done the right thing with hindsight, and he couldn’t deny he was worried about the fallout. He always had been – that was why it had been kept secret in the first place….

His girlfriend looked up at hi,. “You hurt me, you should have told me, and you should have realised that I would have dealt with it!” She told him in a horse, trembling voice. “It’s worse that you hid it from me, that you lied!”

She was right of course, had they admitted it from the start, maybe there would have been some tense moments, but keeping it secret had made it a hundred times worse…

Michael sighed and shook his head. “I know, and I’m sorry…” He told her, leaning over to try and kiss her lips somewhat hesistantly, moving slowly so that if, as he feared she might, she wanted to pull away she could… He wasn’t a jerk, and he didn’t want to act like one…so he, they had made some bad mistakes…but he was trying to put it right…

Looking up again, Maria didn’t pull back from him as their lips met. The kiss was chaste enough, no one really in the mood for anything else likely after what had come out, but the meaning was enough…he was forgiven… “Just please…don’t keep secrets from me like that again…” She whispered softly, allowing him to draw her into his arms.

Michael nodded silently. “I won’t…”

***

“Is everyone okay…?” Max questioned as he and Liz walked back into the room. No one was speaking, and it took little to guess that something had happened… Maria was wrapped in Michael’s arms, and Isabel was in a similar position with Alex… Not one of the couples said a word, and while it was entirely possible this was all because of him and Liz, somehow he doubted that…

Finally, Isabel looked up, drawing back from her boyfriend slightly to face her brother. “W-we told them…about the dreams…” She admitted softly, noting half-absently that Liz didn’t seem surprised. She assumed that Max had told her about them by now, perhaps even when they were upstairs, but of course the details were unimportant. The things that mattered was that everyone knew…

“A-are you feeling better now chica?” Maria turned her attention back towards Liz, taking the opportunity to change the subject, not wanting to dwell on what was past.

The brunette shook her head softly, biting down on her lip. “Oh you know…so-so…” She shrugged. “You might have gathered from recently that I haven’t been able to keep much down recently…” She gave a wry smile. “Guess we know why now…”

Another awkward silence followed her comment, before Isabel then spoke up. “You think it’s morning-sickness then…?”

She nodded. “Y-yeah…I guess so…” Liz trailed off, thinking again of the implications of all this. “Although a better name for it would be all-day-sickness…”

Her attempt at joviality went down like a lead balloon, and pulling her in towards his side, Max led her gently towards the spots they had just vacated on the sofa.

Maria was silent again for another few moments, watching her friend as she sat down, trying to read the expression on her face. She just couldn’t believe this was happening…

“You guys okay…?” Isabel looked towards her brother and his girlfriend.

Liz looked up weakly. “Do we have a choice…?” She swallowed and shrugged, shaking her head. “It’s just a shock…you know…”

Her friend nodded knowingly… If anyone could understand, it was her… It had been bad enough when she and Michael had the dreams… Those few days when she thought that it might actually be true had been some of the worst of her life – she had been so scared about what she might be going to have to face, and worst of all, she was terrified she could loose Alex over it…

At least Liz and Max had one another, but she imagined it didn’t make it any less scary a proposition… “You guys are going to be okay you know…and you’re not alone in this!” She stated softly, causing Liz and Max to both respond with a grateful smile. “Thanks…that means a lot…”

“Of course you know that there’s one thing that you guys are going to have to discuss…” Alex commented, his voice soft and low as he broached the issue that everyone must know was coming…

Liz nodded and swallowed, already knowing what was coming… She shot him a look which seemed to plead for a moment, which caused Alex to nod slightly, allowing her to finish it…

“The brunette seemed to pale for a moment, working up the courage and then spoke again. “We have to work out what we are going to tell our parents…” She pointed out softly, her words hanging in the air…
Last edited by KatnotKath on Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:59 am, edited 29 times in total.
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, things have been hectic recently but I’m back with another chapter :)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

tequaithsy - maybe they're talking it calmly because it's still sinking in... And as for it making sense, logically no, it shouldn't be possible, but her symptoms do fit, which was where the making sense came in...
Ellie - thanks for reading hun
X-mag - I think the passage they translated seemed to suggest that feelings have to exist too. Michael and Isabel don't feel like that about one another, so they didn't get pregnant... Alex and Maria have accepted it yes, because they believe them when they say they don't feel that way about one another, and while they're upset, I think it's more about the fact that they didn't tell them than what happened. The fact is that we don't usually have much control over what we dream, we might be able to control what happens at times, but more often than not it's subconcious control so can you really blame someone for their dreams...
Sternbetretacher - I think perhaps Maria, who was the most likely to be hitting, I think is more worried about Liz than anything, so her focus isn't on Michael so much although she is upset...
kittens - you know what, I think you're right lol
Flamehair - I think it's something to do with the feelings that people have - the way that dreams can become reality is if the feelings are there too, and for Michael and Isabel, they weren't...for Liz and Max, well, that's another matter as I'm sure we all know lol
nibbles2 - how much of what they've been through has made sense...? We're talking about a group, half of which are aliens, I'd say the unlikely seems more believable suddenly in that situation. I know there are other possibilities, but her symptoms are classic, and the passage (which I'm beginning to think wasn't as good as I hoped) has lead their thinking in that direction...
ultimatepickupline - well I guess we'll see, but not right now...sorry, hope that doesn't disappoint
Amanda - Thanks for taking a look at the story hun. I'm behind on all my reading at the moment, not to mention writing, but I'll hope to catch up on yours soon too. Glad you like the story, thanks for reading.

Okay guys, I accept that maybe my choice of words for the deciphered passage wasn't the best, but I did try, and I thought that Liz's interpretation of it fitted pretty well. She and Max have been having very repetative dreams, that most people knew were for a reason... Her symptoms, if suffered by a non-virgin, would certainly raise questions I imagine. Fainting, sick, quaesy, dizzy, tired - these sound like pretty classic signs of pregnancy to me although I haven't actually been through it, so maybe I'm wrong...

Guys I’m sorry if this isn’t living up to expectations and disappointing you. I had the idea for this series of fics, and wrote the rough versions years ago now. My more recent fics are probably very different, but I’m trying to edit and improve as I go along.

Anyway, I just hope some of you will continue to enjoy this. This next chapter might come across as something of a filler, in which case I’m sorry about that but it’s the best I can do and, given the fact that I seem to have so little time for writing at the moment, I decided to go ahead and put it up. Hope it’s okay…

~Kat~


Chapter 2

“Max…” Liz hesitated as she looked across at her boyfriend as they sat in the car.

He turned immediately towards her, pausing as he was about to pull out onto the road as his deep amber eyes focused on her in concern. This was all so…weird…every part of him wanted to reject the situation, to say it wasn’t possible and yet… “Are you okay…really…?” He questioned softly, reaching out to touch her hand.

The young brunette offered a weak smile and nodded. “I was about to ask the same thing…” She joked.

Her boyfriend nodded slowly. “I think I’m still in shock…but yeah, I’m okay…” Pausing, he swallowed and took another moment before looking back at her again. “What about you…?”

“I’m fine…” She offered a weak smile, trying to make light of the situation. “Pregnant and sick aren’t the sam-“ She broke off as she realised what she had said, the words sticking in her throat as they echoed over and over in her head.

“Liz…it’s okay….I promise that we’re going to work this out…” Max threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand gently as a show of support. Right at that moment in time he hated himself so much… If this were true, which he had little doubt it was despite the fact in all reality it should be impossible, the one thing he felt certain of was that it was his fault… Had it not been for him, Liz wouldn’t be in this state, and this wouldn’t be happening…

“Max…?” His lapse into silence had not gone unnoticed by his girlfriend as she continued to try and get her head around what was happening.

“S-s-orry…I was just…thinking…” Her forced himself to try and refocus, knowing she needed him right at that moment as he again squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay…”

With these words, it seemed that both had run out of things to say for the moment as they pulled back out onto the road and continued along in silence for a few more minutes…

“H-how certain are you…?”

Liz swallowed and bit down on her lip. “P-pretty sure…” She responded awkwardly. “I-I’ll still take a test of course, and I know it all sounds crazy, but I just…”

“know…” Max finished for her and nodded, glancing over towards her as he stopped at a set of lights. It was hard to explain he knew, but there was a part of him which felt the same… It should be impossible, and yet, already he was turning his thoughts to what happened next because as much as he knew it shouldn’t be possible, he also knew it had happened… The moment that Liz had said it, he had known…

His girlfriend swallowed again and nodded silently. A part of her wanted to cry out that this couldn’t be happening… They hadn’t even slept together properly for goodness sake, and yet deep down, denying it became harder with every second… Her sickness last week they had assumed was the stomach bug which was going around at school, and the tiredness and fainting had been put down to the lingering effects of that bug – to her having done too much, too soon – but as soon as she had seen the translation, she had realised… It hadn’t occurred to her, because logic said it wasn’t something she should even be considering, but the three things put together were classic symptoms of morning sickness…

She would take the test because she knew it made sense to make sure, but she already knew what it would say…

“So…what are we going to say…?”

His question seemed to hang in the air as he turned the conversation back to the very subject he knew had to be faced… They had played it down earlier, said that they would work it out, but while he had intended to wait a few days at least, now he was alone with her, he knew the two of them needed to talk about it…hard as it was, it was the next step…

“Nothing…” Liz responded simply, turning away from him and lapsing into silence for a moment. “I mean, not yet…” She added quickly although didn’t look back at him.

“Liz…?”

She shook her head, turning back to meet his gaze. “I’m nearly eighteen, my birthday is in about a month, we’ll tell them after that…”

Max could sense there was an underlying reason, more than just nerves, behind her words. “Why, what difference will a month make, other than making them think we’ve been hiding it, which we will have… Surely it would be better to tell them as soon as possible Liz, I know it’ll be hard bu-“

“They’re going to tell me to get rid of it…” The brunette interrupted softly. She closed her eyes and bit down on her lip. “They’re going to try and make me have an abortion, and forbid me from seeing you…”

“You don’t know that…”

“Y-Yes, I do!” She cut him off before he could go any further, shaking her head again. “I know my parents, they’ll never accept this, they’ll say that I don’t have to ruin my life and they’ll make me go to a clinc…” Trailing off, she drew in a somewhat ragged breath and swallowed again. “I-If we wait, and I’m eighteen, they can’t do that…and if it comes to it, I can move out legally…”

Max listened in silence as she spoke, watching the way her eyes filled with tears, yet she struggled not to cry, sensing how hard this was for her to voice. She was basically saying they might throw her out, which he didn’t want to believe but…”

“P-please Max, just lets wait another month…” Her voice was so small as she pleaded with him now, reaching for his hand again as she threaded her small fingers through his larger ones, just needing to know he was there…

“Alright…if that’s what you want…” Max nodded slowly, tightening his hand around hers. He hesitated another moment, and focused on the road as he pulled to the side, parking across the road from the diner, before turning back to the sweet, beautiful young woman who sat beside him. “Liz…I know you’re probably really scared right now, and in no way am I going to claim that I’m not, because I am… I don’t have any more idea how to deal with this than you, and I’m no more prepared, but I promise you, I’m going to be here for you, whatever happens, I’m not leaving…” He paused again and then, slowly, reached out to graze his hand against her shirt which covered her abdomen. “We’ll make this work…we’ll get through this together, I promise…”

**********

“Hi honey, did you manage to get your project done…?” Mr Parker called out as he saw his daughter come through the door to the diner.

Liz stopped and turned awkwardly to face her father. “What, oh yeah…I think we got most of it done…” She responded, faking a smile.

“Glad to hear it…” Her father responded in a similar fashion as he studied her for a moment, his smile replaced slowly by a frown as he took in the unmistakable lines on her face. “Sweetheart, are you okay…?”

Biting down on her lip as she heard the concern in his tone, Liz forced herself to nod. “Yeah, I’m fine dad…just a little tired I think… Maybe I’m still not completely over that bug from last week…” She suggested vaguely, searching for an out from this conversation. The longer she stood there, the more nervous she felt, knowing everything that her parents were still in the dark about, pretending that everything was still normal…

She had become experienced at lying to her parents over the last few years, and it wasn’t something that she was proud of, but this was something quite different… Most of the time it was a case of saying she was going to Maria’s to study or something when she really wasn’t. It had been little things, nothing too major, but this was huge…

Here she was wanting to make them believe that everything was fine and dandy, when the simple truth was that everything had changed. In one single day, her whole life had been turned upside down, with far reaching consequences which, if things were as she suspected, would affect the rest of her life…

And to not tell her father as he stood there asking her if she was okay was so hard… More than anything she just wanted to throw herself into his arms, to be held like the little girl she once was, to hear him tell her that everything would be okay and that he loved her… For one moment, she was overwhelmed by the desire to turn back time, to make it so that none of this had ever happened, but she knew it wasn’t possible…

What had happened had happened, and they had to move forward from there…

Jeff looked far from convinced as he listened her her excuse, noting the look in her eyes which seemed to suggest that she was a hundred miles away in her mind. “If you’re sure…” He responded slowly, reaching out to touch her arm.

His daughter nodded and swallowed, but couldn’t help flinching back as he touched her. “Y-yeah, I’ll be fine dad, I’m sure all I need is a bit of extra sleep and I’ll be right back to normal…” She assured him awkwardly.

“Alright honey….but I hope you know I’m only asking because I care… Me and your mother both…we just want what’s best for you and I hope you know that…”

“Sure dad…” She began to back away from him. “Well, I guess I’ll head upstairs…I’ll see you later…” With this, she turned and, before her father had any chance to say anything more, fled from the diner, leaving him to watch her back as she disappeared from the room.

Slipping up the stairs, she was thankful to avoid running into her mother as she headed into her room, pushing the door closed tight behind her as she turned and leant against the door. A moment later, her legs buckled beneath her as she slid to the floor, wrapping her arms around her body as she buried her face in her knees and closed her eyes. “How are we going to do this…?” She questioned herself softly, silent tears of fear running down her cheeks.

**********

All Max could think about as he drove home was what a mess this was… He should have known from the day he started having those dreams that something was very wrong, and more than that, why hadn’t he known what was going on when he had connected with Liz after she fainted…

None of it made any sense, and he just didn’t know what to think… They were having a baby… Yet they hadn’t had sex… As far as he knew, Liz was still a virgin, which could pose problems on its own he was sure. No one would believe that they hadn’t slept together though, and their parents were going to be so angry…

The look on his girlfriend’s face as she spoke about what her parents would do haunted his mind as he negociated the familiar roads which led from the Crashdown to his house.

There was a part of him which was exceedingly happy – how couldn’t he be, if Liz was, as they suspected, having his child…? But then there was a huge part which felt guilty for feeling even a little bit happy because he knew what a mess this whole situation was.

This whole thing had the potential to ruin the rest of their lives… It could take away everything they had worked for, and it was all because of him…

It wasn’t like in a normal situation – they hadn’t been irresponsible or taken a risk, they had no idea that this could happen and it wasn’t fair… Their choice had been taken away in the matter, and the only thing he could think was that it was his fault…

How would they be able to deal with this, what would they do? How would their parents react, what would people say…? There was just so much to consider, and at the moment, all he could think was that it shouldn’t have happened…

“I love you…” He whispered into the air as he turned the corner onto his street, slowing the car to almost a crawl now, delaying the seemingly inevitable meeting with his sister when he arrived home. He knew she was going to want to speak to him, and he understood that, but right at this moment in time, he didn’t think he could talk about it. He had tried with Liz, but other than that he was still trying to get his head around things and he just needed time…

Afterall, what could he say? Liz thought she was pregnant, and a virgin… They thought she was going to have a baby…his baby… He and Liz were going to have a child… The thoughts seemed to go around and round in his head, but as yet they didn’t quite seem to connect. It was almost as though it was happening to someone else, and he still wasn’t sure it was real…

She’s pregnant… She’s having my baby… We’re having a baby… Liz and I are having a baby… The words continued to run in his head as he parked the jeep on the drive and got out. Locking up, he moved on up the path to the house, letting himself in and closing the door behind him.

“Max…?”

He turned and looked around as he heard his sister’s voice, offering a weak smile as he moved to join her. “Hey Izzy…did Alex and the others get back okay…?”

“I think so…he dropped me off a little while ago, haven’t heard anything from him yet but he had Maria to drop off too you know…” Isabel responded, humouring her brother’s obvious attempt at delaying any questions which might be about to come…

“Good…Well, I think I’m gonna get an early night...” Max moved as though to go past her, although stopped as she stuck out a hand to stop him.

“Max…”

“I’m okay Izzy…”

“Are you…” She studied his expression closely, her eyes wide with concern as she stood in front of her brother. “Max, if you want to talk to me you know I’m here don’t you…?”

Her words caused a flicker of a smile from her brother as he nodded, grasping and squeezing her hand gently. “Thanks sis…”

“Oh come here…” Holding out her arms to him, Isabel pulled her brother into an embrace, wrapping her arms more tightly around him as felt her shoulder become damp from silent tears which had slipped from his eyes… “It’ll be okay Max, we’ll work this out I promise…”
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys *waving nervously from behind my computer*

I know I've been a no show for waay too long. Even when I've been bad at updating, I've rarely left it this long and for that I'm really sorry. I'm just having a really bad time at the moment RL-wise... Work is crazy, I'm tired and weary. Writing really isn't flowing a lot at the moment, and I'm going to be honest, my motivation had been pretty much non-existant recently. I have been forced to take a break from rps I'm in, because I just don't have time, and while I had hoped the break would get my mind back into writing, I'm not too sure it's worked... I am trying though, honest, and whether you believe me or not, I feel terrible for leaving everyone waiting like this and I hope not to leave it this long again if I can at all help it.

Thanks for the feedback as always though, just so sorry to keep you waiting...

tequathisy - maybe it has yet to hit them fully, or maybe it's just a case that they recognise that Liz and Max do not need people freaking at the moment, this is hard enough as it is, they need all the support their friends can give them...
Flamehair - thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it
nibbles2 - I think with something like this most women/girls would say they 'know' to an extent...I wasn't trying to make her out to be a 'seer', and as for her parents, a lot of people believe they know how their parents would react about something... Mine, I believe they would have been supportive, but at the same time insist I had to deal with things, I had a friend when I was at school who at one time thought she was pregnant though, and was sure her parents would throw her out... I hope it didn't come across as too much, I was just trying to write as I thought she would view it...
LoveIsForever - thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed D+R, I know it took a long time to finish, and this isn't exactly moving fast either, but it always helps to hear that people have enjoyed it. As you say, it's a messy situation, with everyone having a lot to deal with, shall we see how they're doing a couple of days later?

I'm going to be frank and say that I'm still not completely happy with this chapter, but it's about the best I can do at the moment and since I've been working on it for ages, that doesn't seem set to change, so apologies, and I hope anyone reading this story, including any lurkers, will enjoy the new part...

Kat



NB: Please note, anything in italics in this chapter is supposed to be written as a diary entry...

Chapter 3

“Well…I guess it’s official…” Liz commented shakily, looking down at the small stick in her hand and pretend that it wasn’t trembling as she took in the thin blue line in the centre of the window.

Standing a little way back, Maria’s eyes were wide as she looked back at her friend. “T-they can be wrong you know…” She suggested desperately, perhaps less willing to accept what she was seeing than her friend even…

That did give Liz a cause for a smile, however small, but it was brief and short lived. “Anyone would think you were the one who just saw her life change forever…” She commented in a falsely light tone as she looked over at the other girl, drawing in one slow breath after another as she fought not to completely lose it… “Besides, I know it’s true…I already knew what it was going to say really, we just needed confirmation…

“You were still hoping though…” Maria’s statement was simple and clear… She already knew the answer…

Closing her eyes, the brunette in front of her let the stick drop freely onto the bed in front of her before turning away, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective manner. “Of course I was…it’s not exactly planned after all, right…?” She shook her head and cupped her hands over her mouth as she thought about it all…

“You okay…?” Maria stepped forward quickly, reaching out to wrap her arms around her friend.

That small gesture was all that it took to cause the remainder of Liz’s composure to fail, as her lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears. Everyone seemed to think that she was coping so well considering, but in truth the only reason she was coping, was that she had been clinging onto the hope that this was all some big misunderstanding… Deep down of course she had known, but still she had hoped…hoped that her whole life wasn’t about to change…

It wasn’t as though they had been irresponsible, or stupid, it wasn’t as though they had a choice in this, and there was a part of her that while she recognised that it was their love which had caused this, couldn’t help thinking that it was so unfair…

Everything they had worked for was about to be turned upside down, and why – through no fault of their own… They hadn’t chosen to have the dreams, they hadn’t been controlling what happened in them…

“Liz…?” Maria looked at her with wide eyes, full of concern.

“S-sure…why wouldn’t I be…” She swallowed and bit down on her lip, closing her eyes as she pulled back from her friend. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what her friend was trying to do, on the contrary, she appreciated the support she was offering immensely, but right at this moment in time, she wasn’t sure she could deal with trying to reassure someone else, when she didn’t know herself how she was going to handle this.

“Chica, you don’t have to be strong for me you know…? I know that you’ve been trying to put on a cheerful face for Max, to make him quit beating himself up over this, but-“

Liz interrupted before she could finish. “What do you want me to say Maria…? That it’s not fair, that I’m terrified…?” She swallowed and looked down, bringing her hand to rest on her stomach. “Max and I have never slept together, I’m a virgin for goodness sake, and yet there’s a baby growing in here…” Another pause followed as she attempted to keep her voice from breaking before continuing again. “…and I know that it’s been created out of love, and that it’s special, and I know we’ll love it more than anything, I can’t imagine doing anything else, but at the same time I’m scared…”

“Of course you are…and there’s nothing wrong with that…” Maria rested a hand on her shoulder gently as a sign of support. “Having a baby is scary at the best of times, and this is way more complicated than in a normal situation. It’s thrown everyone, it’s affecting you more than anyone else, and it’s only natural that you would be scared about it…”

“Oh G*D Maria…I’m having a baby…” She murmured the words as she closed her eyes, but they still didn’t seem to compute…

Logically it was impossible, it was crazy to even think it, and yet at the same time, she couldn't deny the truth any longer - it was real…

“Have you told your parents yet…?” The question that had been left unasked for some time was finally voiced, and the look on the brunette’s face as she opened her eyes and turned to look back at her friend seemed to tell give all the answers needed… “I know it’s hard, but you’re going to have to eventually you know…”

Liz nodded silently and swallowed, not answering immediately. “I know…” She finally murmured, shaking her head again as she began to pace the room, her face directed away from her friend deliberately to hide the traces of tears which had begun to sneak down her cheeks. “I just hate that I’m going to disappoint them so much you know…?”

“You won’t, don’t think like that, th-“ Her loose curls bounced on her shoulders eagerly as she shook her head repeatedly.

“Yes, I will!” The response which interrupted was short and definite, because Liz couldn’t see it any other way… She swallowed, moving over to the window to look out onto the balcony. “They want me to go to Harvard, to be a world renound scientist, they want me to make something of my life, not to have fallen into bed with by boyfriend at the age of seventeen and got pregnant!”

Maria frowned at her response. “That’s not what happened though!” She protested.

A half hearted laugh followed. “And what am I supposed to tell them then Maria… That it was an immaculate conception?” She bit down on her trembling lip, trying to hide the way she was physically shaking now. “I don’t somehow think they would believe that even if I told them do you?” She shook her head and sighed. “Besides, I can’t… I can’t tell them what really happened, so it doesn’t matter… They’re going to believe what they’re going to believe, and that’s going to disappoint them…I’m going to disappoint them…

As she had gone on, Liz’s voice had become softer and increasingly shaky. She had always loved seeing her parents proud faces when she did well in something, and now, she knew she was going to see something quite different, and she hated it!

Not knowing how to respond to that, Maria didn’t even try, as she moved up behind her friend once more and returned to the original issue… “I know it’s going to be hard, but you can’t keep it a secret forever you know…and it’s only going to be worse the longer you wait…”

“I know…” Raising her hands to cup around her mouth, Liz responded simply for there was really nothing else to say… “I’m going to tell them soon…just not yet…”

“How soon?”

“After my birthday…” She broke off for a moment, pausing briefly before pressing on to explain. “Mom and dad have just planned so hard for my party, I want to give them that, I don’t want to spoil it for them…I want them to be proud of me again…” She swallowed and bit down on her lip. “And besides, after that, they can't do anything about it either...”

Her words hung in the air as the other girl fell silent and then looked at her friend. “What do you mean...?”

Closing her eyes, the brunette shook her head again. “They won't want me to have it, I know they won't...” She paused a moment after voicing the true reason behind the delay, her nails digging into her palms as she stood there before speaking again. “I'm going to have this baby Maria...they're not going to stop me...”

**********

“Want to talk about it…?”

Max barely even looked up as his sister came into the room. “Talk about what...?” He questioned with little enthusiasm, his eyes remaining fixed on the page in front of him, a page which he had already read about ten times...

Isabel frowned at her brother as she dropped down on his bed in front of him causing the mattress to bounce noticeably from the impact..

“Is can we do this later...I have a ton of work to do...” Max now finally looked up.

Isabel however, it seemed was unwilling to give up so quickly as she reached forward and, without warning, closed the cover of his text. “Max! This is important!”

“Well so is my work...” Max responded in a low and firm voice.

On this occasion, his position as leader held no sway with his sister as she ignored his request to leave it, and simply looked back at him through probing eyes. “How can you go on acting like this?” She demanded in an agitated tone.

“Like what...?”

Her lips thinned, her gaze hardening. “Do you really need for me to tell you?” She paused a moment before continuing. “You're acting as though nothing has happened...as though everything is just hunky dory and Liz isn-”

“Izzy please!” The sharp tone of interruption was short lived as Max's voice softened, taking on an almost weary edge... “Please...I don't want to talk about this right now...”

“So when are you going to want to talk about it, when Liz is ready to give birth?” His sister made no attempt to hide her opinion of the way he was acting. With Liz of course he had been nothing but sweet and supportive from the little the other girl had said, but she couldn't help thinking that it was only a matter of time as he continued as he was, a ticking time bomb... She opened her mouth, about to say more, but stopped abruptly as she caught sight of her brother...

He looked as though he was about to cry...

The observation shook her perhaps more than anything else, because he just didn't cry... Or not in front of anyone anyway, he was always the really strong one of the group, the leader... More than once they had told him that he didn't have to hide his feelings from them like that, but his response had been limited, and there had been no change...

So to see him cry was a big thing... Isabel had seen him cry when they were younger of course, but that was a long time ago, in the past, and this was now... “Max, are you okay...?”

Her brother hardly seemed to hear her question as he closed his eyes, muttering over and over, “I've ruined her life...I've ruined her life...”

“Who, Liz? Of course you haven't!” Isabel rebuked the statement fervently as she reached out towards her brother. “Max, look at me, don't do this to yourself!”

“I thought you wanted me to talk about it...” He responded softly with a wry smile.

Isabel narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “You know full well that I didn't mean for you to blame yourself!” She responded shortly, shaking her head repeatedly and then sighing. “Max, I just think you need to talk about what's going on, that you need to stop bottling up your thoughts, but in now way, shape or form, do I want for you to blame yourself for this!”

“Liz is pregnant isn't she? Who else am I supposed to blame...?” Max looked back at her questioningly.

His sister couldn't help noting the lost look in his eyes. She sighed and shook her head. “How about the crazy people that created us...?” She suggested as a throw-off, intended to hopefully bring about a smile and even maybe a laugh...

Unfortunately, Max was in no mood for either as he simply bit down on his lip. “Say what you like, but it's because of who I am, however you look at it Izzy, Liz wouldn't be pregnant if it wasn't for the fact of me being a freak!”

“Freak? Less of that if you please!” Her retort was playful, still attempting to try and draw him out, but the look in her eyes was full of very real concern.

“I'm sorry...” Max offered her a weak smile but she knew him well enough to be aware it wasn't real...

“Don't be sorry, just stop blaming yourself for this...stop beating yourself up over it!” Isabel squeezed his hand gently with her smaller one now as she looked back at him and spoke softly again. “You didn't ruin Liz's life Max... And if you want to talk about it all being because of who you are, how about this -she wouldn't be here if you weren't who you are, she'd be dead...for nearly three years...”

Those words certainly hit a nerve as her brother swallowed and looked down. “Perhaps...or maybe they would have saved her...”

Considering everything that both the couple had said about the day at the diner in the past, Isabel couldn't find it in her to believe him... “Do you really believe that?” She challenged him softly.

“Maybe I misunderstood...maybe I overreacted though... Maybe-”

“Maybe you saved her life...” Her words hung in the thick air for a moment.

After a moment, Max nodded. “Okay, but that doesn't mean she should be going through this at the moment, and it's all because of me that she is!” He swallowed again and could swear she saw his lip tremble. “Me saving her wasn't conditional... She didn't have to be with me, she didn't have to be pulled into all this...”

As he trailed off, Isabel waited a moment, trying to work out how to word this next. Finally, she responded. “No, you're right, she didn't have to, but she chose to... Doesn't that tell you something?”

“She's pregnant...”

It felt as though she were banging her head against a brick wall but Isabel wasn't about to give up that easily, and, after a moment's thought, she decided to take another tact. “Yeah, she is...” She paused a moment, allowing him to think about that for a moment before going on. “She's pregnant, and you two haven't even slept together – that baby is made of nothing but love, don't you see that...? It's a tiny life, that's been created from the love the two of you share...”

Max blinked. “we had no idea you know...we just didn't know...”

Nodding, Isabel again squeezed his hand as a show of support and reassurance. “I know Max, we all know...”

**********

Each day is just the same, over and over it seems...nothing every happens, it's a small town and I'm a small town girl... Pretty boring really, I wish something would happen to liven it up...

It seemed amazing, to think how thing had completely changed since then, Liz thought to herself as she sat with her diary open at a random page. It had fallen open at one of the entries she had made before she shooting, and she couldn't help reading...

It seemed like a million years ago – less than three actually, but her view on life back then seemed completely alien now if you'll excuse the pun...

Life had been so uncomplicated, boring even... Everything was so simple, and she had known exactly where she stood in everything. She had grown up in Roswell, knew the town inside out, and couldn't wait to go away for college.

She wanted to be a world renown scientist, to travel and learn...

Her life had consisted of school, working in the Crashdown for her parents, and hanging out with Alex and Maria. A typical teenage girl perhaps...

And then, in the space of a single day, everything she had always believed and known had been thrown up in the air. She had almost died, and in doing so, she felt as though she had come to life...

Max had saved her life, and shown her things she could never have even dreamt of before... They'd been through so much over the past few years, and she liked to think they were stronger for it...

Would that be the same with this...?

The question preyed on her mind as she sat there and, reaching for a pen, she turned to the end of her diary, searching for the next blank page and smoothing the paper carefully before putting ink to paper.

Everyone says that I'm coping so well, but am I really? I'm so scared, I'm not ready for this at all... I love Max, of course I do, and I'll love this child, but it's way to early... Are we really ready for this? Can we do this? We've faced so much in the past, and I want to believe this is going to be the same, but I just don't know...

She went on to elaborate on her feelings and emotions, quoting specific examples of things that people had said or done, or things she had thought, as she proceeded to pour out everything which had been filling her mind onto the sheet of paper in front of her.

The words flowed more freely as she continued, and the page filled up quickly, line after line, word after word, and with every line which was filled, she felt herself opening up further, releasing more, owning up to her feelings, and discussing, albeit with herself, something which she had been trying to avoid...

And, whether she expected it to or not, it did help... Just to see the words down there, to be able to say whatever she thought, and felt, without worrying about what someone would think - it was freeing, in a way...

When she could write no more, she set her pen down, and silently read back through the expression of her thoughts. She would perhaps have written even more when she was done, except that the hour hand on her clock caught her hand as she was about to reach again for her pen. Eleven... It was getting late, and she was tired...

Closing the book, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of her bed, padding over to the window, and then out onto the balcony, taking the time as always to secrete her diary away in it's hiding place, taking extra care to make sure no one would be able to see the stone which guarded her precious book, before returning to her room and climbing back into bed.

Despite her tiredness though, sleep wouldn't come it seemed as she lay there... Perhaps it was that her mind was still going over everything that had happened, that it was too busy, and she was too preoccupied. Perhaps it was the worry, or concern... But for whatever the reason, although she pulled up the covers high, and closed her eyes, she couldn't sleep, and after lying there for some time, she reached to one side, picking up the phone which stood on her bedside table and dialling a number she needed no prompting for...

The phone was answered on the third ring and she settled back against her pillows again now with a small smile. “Hey...Max...Is this a bad time...?” She listened for a moment to his response and then smiled softly. “I just needed to talk to you...”
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys, I'm back...

Some of you know that I've not only been having writing issues with writing block, but also technical issues in the form of a broken modem on the computer. Unfrotuinately, these things, combined with work being continually busy, putting in long hours and now a sick relative who's in hospital and I'm worried about, are playing havock with my writing mood and believe it or not, I am sorry about that. I'm not updating half as regularly as I would like, and I'm not deliberately leaving you hanging.

That said, I'm going to be honest, this story is the one I find the hardest to write most of the time. The original rough versions of this series were written on paper years ago now, and I'm struggling to reconcile how I wrote then, and the ideas I had, with the ideas I have now. I was rereading the original Reality Revealed last week, and there's nowhere near as much depth as I would like, not to mention gaps and omissions which I'm trying to fill in as I type it up. So although the story is written, believe it or not the chapters for this often take longer than my other fics combined. I am trying though, honest...

I know I say it every time, but THANKYOU for the feedback you guys leave, it's seriously such a boost. I thank sincerely anyone who's taken a moment to post, and only hope anyone else reading is enjoying the story too.

Flaimhair - Thanks :) I'm glad you liked it.
Natalie36 - I promise, no shouting...at the moment anyway :wink:
Isabelle - Thanks for reading. Isabel and Max - I thought it was about time they chatted and I'm so pleased you thought it worked well. I wasn't sure if it was too repetative when I was writing it... As for Alex and Isabel and Michael and Maira - I'm struggling to work out how to put this without basically quoting a conversation I think might happen in the chapter after this so maybe I can do it by asking a question - why did Liz get the flashes from Max? I know Michael got them from Maria like Max did from Liz, but I don't remember Alex or Maria getting their own... It's a question which people have offered many answers for I know in discussion threads, but I'm trying to think as basic as I can get - what makes Liz different from the other humans?
xmag - Hey, thanks for reading. I don't know whether I'm saying this very well, but maybe it's not the having of the dreams that is what shows the love, but the results... With Isabel and Michael, there were none, with Liz and Max there were. And if so, maybe they should be asking more not why Alex and Isabel didn't have the dreams, but why Liz did...?
LoveIsForever - Well let's see shall we? Thanks for reading

Okay guys, I don't feel completely happy with this chapter, maybe it comes across as repetative, or a filler, and if it does that I'm sorry, I'm trying to get back into the mindset I used to be in for this fic, but my muse is refusing to cooperate. You've all been waiting though, and I don't want to leave you waiting any longer, so I hope it's okay and that anyone reading this will be enjoying it.

Kat


Chapter 4

“Hey Chica!” The grin on Maria's face evaporated quickly as she neared the gate and caught sight of the look on her friend's face as she leant against the wall. “Liz...?”

The brunette turned, the look in her eyes as she opened them showing surprise, not having heard Maria's approach. “Oh Maria, hey...” She smiled softly, pushing back from the wall as she greeted her friend.

Despite the obvious best efforts made to maintain a cheerful front, Maria couldn't ignore the look she had seen on her friend's face only a few minutes before. “Hey...you okay...?” She questioned softly, reaching to put a hand on the other girl's shoulder.

“Sure, I'm fine, why would you think otherwise?” Liz swallowed and faked another smile, looking around as though incredibly interested in the students who were milling around.

“Liz please, don't block me out...”

Closing her eyes, Liz swallowed and shook her head. “I'm fine Maria, honest...” Another weak smile followed, and then an attempt at changing the subject. “So how was your date last night?”

For every trick she might use, Maria had a defense though. The two of them had been friends since they were little more than babies, and in truth she could probably say she knew Liz better than she knew herself. One thing was for certain, she certainly wasn't okay! To call her on it was not the best way to approach this though, it would only increase her defense she was sure, and that was the last thing she wanted. “Oh it was okay, nothing much to tell...” She responded shortly with a shrug. “How about you, how are those plans for the party coming along?”

“They're coming...” The brunette closed her eyes briefly, an action which didn't escape the notice of her bubbly friend.

Maria frowned as she watched her again for a moment, hesitating about saying more. Perhaps it was best to let it lie for the moment, she found herself questioning her original thoughts on the subject. Perhaps she just needed time...

Or then again, perhaps she needed to talk about it freely! Her resolve began to strengthen once more as she caught sight of the far-off look in her friend's eye. “Liz...”

“I'm okay Maria, really...”

“And my Spaceboy is going to be the Valedictorian of the class!”

The flippant comment caused the second of the girls to look down awkardly, shying away from the pressing gaze of her friend.

“Liz...?” Maria continued to press.

The brunette swallowed and shook her head after a moment. “I'm coping...school helps you know...?” She commented with a wry smile, running a hand through her hair as she again leant back against the wall. “It gives me something to do, other than thinking about all this...”

“Oh Chica...”

“I-I'll be okay, really, just sometimes it becomes a bit much...” Liz offered by way of explanation. “Believe it or not I was fine until mom started bringing up the party this morning...” She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly in one long breath before looking back at her friend again. “She was asking me who was coming, and then it turned into a tale of how proud she was of me, and I couldn't help but thinking that she wouldn't be for long...”

“You don't know that, m-” Maria tried to protest but was cut off mid sentence.

“Yes, I do!” Biting down on her lip, Liz shook her head repeatedly. “Look what happened when your mom found Michael in your room that morning, and that was nothing compared to this!”

It was true of course, that couldn't be denied, but still Maria tried to make light of it, refusing to let her friend cotninue with this defeatest attitude. “Yeah, and he made such an impression on her that she doesn't even remember what happened now...” She commented, shaking her head after a moment. “Of course that's not necessarily a bad thing...”

Despite everything, Liz laughed at this comment. “You know I wish I could have seen Michael's face when she walked in...” She chuckled in amusement as the image played in her mind, before a more serious expression settled once more on her face. “Look Maria, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I have to face facts, my parents don't want a teenage mom as a daughter, you know that as well as I do, they're going to be angry, and disappointed, and that's all down to me...” Pausing to take in another breath, she toyed with a stray section of hair between her fingers.

“Well some would argue not quite all down to you...” Max commented as he walked up behind the two girls. He might only have heard the last couple of words, but he was going to take a stab and guess that he knew what they were talking about. “And that's even more true than it would be normally you know...” He added with a wry smile as he slid right up behind Liz and slid his arms around her waist, dipping his head to nuzzle her neck for a moment.

As had no doubt been the intention, a ghost of a smile lit up the brunette's face as she leant her head back into the chest of her boyfriend. For a moment, none of the stuff with her parents mattered, she could hardly even remember the conversation she had with her mother that morning, and in all honesty, she didn't care. All that was important was that here and now...her and Max, the two of them...or more correctly perhaps the three of them...

Not for the first time, her thought of the baby caused another smile to pass over her face. She might be scared, and worried about what was happening, but there was another side to it too, a side that already loved the baby growing inside her womb... “I don't mind...” She whispered softly, and she meant it...

“So how's my baby anyway...” Max leant over to whisper in his girlfriend's ear after enjoying the simple pleasure of seeing her smile for a few moments, reluctant to spoil the moment. This was pretty close to perfect, if you forgot about the fact they were at school of course, but Liz was here, in his arms, and for him, that was heavenly...

“You guys need to find a room!” Maria pretended to complain as she looked from one to the other, and took in the picture the two of them formed just standing there together like that. They looked...right...in a way she wasn't sure anyone else could. She and Michael fought like dogs, and Isabel and Alex had had their moments, but Liz and Max, well, she couldn't help thinking they belonged together...

Maybe that was why they had shared the dreams...? She wondered to herself, but didn't dwell on the subject. There was a part of her that was angry Michael hadn't told her about the dreams he had shared with Isabel of course, she was sure Alex was feeling exactly the same from the opposite side, but Michael had told her it didn't mean anything, he had apologised over and over for having kept it secret, told her that he hadn't wanted to risk loosing her, that he was scared of hurting her and, for all his faults, she believed him...

“Oh Maria, I'm hurt!” Max looked up to grin at the feisty girl. “There's nothing wrong in me saying morning to my girlfriend is there?”

“How about saying hi without tongues though, it's disgusting!” Michael commented as he joined the group, earning himself a jab from his own girlfirend.

“And you and your fine lady are so discrete right...?” Alex threw back as he and Isabel arrived now. The girls, with the exception of Maria, whose face had gone a dozen shades of red, giggled, and Max shot the lanky guy a thankful look.

“Of course Michael's right in some ways, maybe school isn't the best place for this...?” Isabel commented more tactfully as she glanced at her brother and his girlfriend. A couple of months ago they had seemed nervous about even holding hands at school now...well...obviously not...

“Yeah, sorry Isabel, you're probably right...” Liz murmured softly as she stood more upright, putting a little distance, albeit reluctantly, between her and her boyfriend.

Max felt a tug of loss in his heart as he saw her step away, and reached out on impulse for her hand, threading his fingers through his as he tugged at it gently to bring her back to his side with a smile.

Liz smiled as she slipped in next to him, allowing her mind to drift somewhat as the others chatted about this and that, offering an odd word now and again, but mainly just letting the conversation continue without her, enjoying the simple pleasure of being with her friends, as she half listened to the conversation going on around her.

The slightly distant look in her eyes didn't escape Maria's notice, but she didn't call the brunette on it this time, simply trying to include her in the conversation, and draw her out a bit without saying anything directly.

No one really got very far though, and the conversation was cut quite short as the bell to signify the start of the school day rang.

“It can't be that time already can it?” Maria objected, sidestepping slightly to avoid Michael's hand, and sending him a look which seemed to say he wasn't out of the dog-house yet...

“Come on, we'd better get going...” Max commented to Liz, squeezing her hand gently as the group responded they'd see the two of them at lunch and the couple headed off together.

***

“Don't hate us Maria, please...”

The curley-haired girl turned, surprised to see that Isabel had followed her down the corridor towards class. “Oh hey Isabel, sorry, I didn't realise you were there...” She commented non-commitedly.

Her tone caused the tall blond to chew on her lip for a moment. What if she was going to make this worse...? Finally though, she reached out, catching the arm of the other girl and causing her to not only slow, but stop now. “If you need to hate someone Maria, don't let it be Michael...” She commented softly.

“I don't hate you...and I don't hate him...” Maria responded after a moment's silence. She shook her head slightly and looked around as though checking to see if they were alone. “Really, I don't... But you both hurt me and Alex...”

The simple words made Isabel look down. “I know...” She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. “I wish I could take it back, we both do, but we honestly did what we though was best, I know you might not believe it, bu-”

The second of the girls held up a hand to stop her. “Please Isabel, don't...” She paused a moment and shook her head again. “Michael's said it all and more... He says that he didn't want to upset me, to risk loosing me...”

“He's telling the truth...” The response came before she had any chance to think about it, but it didn't matter, she knew she was right... “He loves you Maria...”

The barest hint of a smile passed across Maria's face for an instant, but then it was gone, she swallowed. “I know, I love him too, that's one of the things which makes this hurt so much though, and I know he's sorry, but that doesn't change what you did, and I just need some time, can you understand that...?

The taller of the two girls nodded slowly. “I guess...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push, I wasn't trying to get to you really I wasn't, I was just trying to help...”

“I know...” Her lips turned up in the smallest, yet most genuine of smiles. “Thanks Isabel...”

“You're welcome... You know I know we haven't been the best of friends in the past, and I've been pretty awful at times, but please believe me when I say if you ever need someone to talk to, about this, or anything else...” Isabel trailed off awkwardly. This wasn't exactly a position she was accustomed to...giving comfort...

“I'll remember that...”The two girls stood silently for a few minutes, and then, as a number of students pssed by on the way to class, they were reminded of the time and with a few words split, each going their own way as they headed down the corridor with a last wave.

***

“So how are you feeling really...?” Max questioned, drawing Liz off to one side before they reached the classroom. He knew they had to be getting to class of course, they couldn't afford to be late, but after the way she had seemed with Maria, there were just a few things he needed to ask first...

In truth Liz had barely been aware of which direction they were going in until her boyfriend pulled her to one side. “W-what are you doing?” She questioned as they slipped to the side.

Max ignored her question, instead repeating his own.

She looked at him for a moment, before turning away awkwardly. “I'm fine...”

“Liz please, don't shut me out!” Max caught a hold of her arm, causing her to look back at him and felt tears filling his eyes as he caught sight of the lost expression she bore. “Baby...?”

Liz looked from side to side quicklu, fearful that he had been heard.

“It's okay...no one's about, and even if they were, it's just a pet name, right...?” Max reassured her softly, reaching out to touch her hair.

A hint of a smile danced in her eyes as she nodded and swallowed. “Right, of course...” And then it was gone...

“Baby if you're so unhappy about this, we don't have to go through with it, just say the word, it's your decision...” Max couldn't believe he was saying that, it felt like it was tearing a hole in his heard just to think about it, but to see her like this was worse...

The brunette's head shot up sharply at this, her brown eyes shining with the beginnings of tears as she looked back at him. “NO, no Max, I don't want that...” She shook her head and sighed. “Maybe it's just hormones, there are times when I feel over the moon, and then others when I-”

“Feel like the world is falling apart...?” Her boyfriend frowned as he squeezed the hand he still held in his. “I don't want to make you do this Liz...”

“You're not...” She paused a moment, hesitating before saying anything more. “I want this Max, I do...” She glanced around nervously before placing her hand on her stomach. “I love you, I love this baby, our baby... I just keep thinking about telling my parents...”

He nodded in understanding. He had been thinking the same thing in truth. “We're going to make this work Liz, I promise you...”

“I know...I couldn't do this without you though Max, you know that don't you?”

Her voice sounded so small, causing him to pull her into his arms on impulse, pressing his lips against the top of her head gently as he whispered, “I know...and you're not going to have to, I'll be here, I'll always be here Liz, I promise you that...”

His promise hung in the air and they stood there for a few minutes, before breaking apart as the bell again rang, reinforcing the urgency of getting to class, and they hurried along the corridor together towards their biology class.
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys! I'm back! Better late than never right?

x-mag - I addressed your feedback privately some time back as you'll know. But hopefully this next chapter might at least go som e way to show you I'm not trying to belittle Michael and Maria. I believe that their love is just as important, just I'm not as good at writing them as I feel I am with Liz and Max, and consequently although my fics feature all couples, they tend to focus on the dreamer side. I just hope this next goes a little way to restore the balance because I don't believe that Liz and Max were destined and Michael and Maria weren't - that's not what I've been trying to show here...
Sternbetratcher - thanks for reading and sticking with me, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story, even if I am erratic at updating...
ultimatepickupline - You're right, it does sound pretty crazy doesn't it. I feel pretty sorry for them, even if I did put them in this situation. I think the basic jhist is that they're both terrified of how their parents would react. I think Max is thinking more of Liz than his parents right at this moment in time though.
Isabelle - I think you're getting a little of what I've been trying to explain, yeah, Max and Liz have shared a 'connection' on two occassions. Michael and Maria, and Isabel and Alex haven't... I'll explain a bit more later, but I like the way you're thinking :wink: I think Isabel's come a long way already though, you might be pleasantly surprised. Remember, while this is first season as far as cannon events, those events have happened over a couple of years, all the more time to get to know Alex and open up to him.
Asbetha - Thanks, glad you like it.
OnceUpon - Not really soon, but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway.
AuroraBee - welcome to the story, and thanks for the encouragement :). It's just with having written the original version some years ago now it can be difficult to combine my ideas and writing now, with what I have written on paper. I'm glad you like it so far though, thanks for reading.
LoveIsForever - Nice to know it's been missed, although I'm sorry to have been missing for so long. Hope this will make up for it.

I wish I could tell you it's going to get better in regards to updates, but next month at least is likely to be somewhat sparce since I'm trying to do Nano again, and with an original story at that, so my time for the fics on here might be somewhat limited, not to mention my erratic work hours, and of course I'm supposed to be beginning to learn to drive (yes Isabelle, I'm going to do it, I promise...). I'm trying to work regular writing back into my schedule, but I'm not going to promise anything right now except that I will update when I can. Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate every response, and whatever you might think, it does help! Thanks so much for your patience, sorry to keep you waiting. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter.

Thanks

Kat


Chapter 5



As the end of the day bell began to clang, Michael pushed back up from his the post he had taken up leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed on the door in front of him even as streams of escaping students filled the hallway.

“Maria!” He called out as he caught sight of the curly haired blond exiting class, forcing his way through past other students as the headed towards her.

His girlfriend seemed not to hear or, if she did, made no move to show it as she continued on her way to the offer.

“Maria…” Michael shouted above the dim, struggling to approach from the side as the constant stream of students continued to push him back.

Still nothing…

Driving forward once more, his hand slipped through and closed around her arm, and causing her to turn as he finally stepped through to join her.

“Not now, I really have to get out of here Michael, I have a shift at the Crashdown less than half an hour…” The feisty blond attempted pull her arm from his grasp, turning as though to leave once more. She just wasn’t ready to talk right now…

Her boyfriend however, was less than willing to take no as an answer it seemed as he tugged her back towards him. “Maria, please!” He looked into her eyes as he spoke again, oblivious to the activity around them. “Maria please, we need to talk!”

Biting down on her lip, she shook her head again, hating to see him like this. Wrenching her arm away from him however, she clenched her fist, refusing to let the look in his eyes get her on this occasion. “No Michael, not right now…please, I can’t…”

“I can’t stand you hating me like this…” His voice sounded hollow, broken, so unlike himself…

Michael’s words made her stop, looking up, as though stung by the thought. She swallowed, considering for a moment before speaking again. “I don’t hate you Michael, don’t you see, I could never hate you…” She shook her head and sighed, lowering her voice now as she continued, becoming aware that they were hardly in a private spot. “But I need time… You and Isabel, you—“

Michael shook his head repeatedly at her words. “Maria, I promise you, nothing happened, I don’t love Isabel, I love you…” He gestured towards the closed door of the eraser room questioningly.

No one could question the sincerity of his words, but for Maria, that wasn’t the issue… She shook her head sadly as she looked back at her boyfriend. “Don’t you get it though Michael, that isn’t the point…” She paused a moment before continuing, “I know that you say you love me, and I love you too, but that doesn’t change what happened…” She made a move to leave once more

“But nothing happened…” Michael reached out again, grabbing her arm once more, unwilling to let her go just yet as he looked back at her, searching for any chance he could see to put this right.

It wasn’t enough though. He and she had been through so much and she had thought that he could share anything with her, but Maria couldn’t help thinking that despite everything that had happened, everything they had shared, he still hadn’t told her… She had tried to be understanding, to be accepting, and when with Liz and Max obviously she realised this wasn’t the important thing right now, but right now, with just Michael here, she couldn’t…

She lowered her voice further, conscious of the fact they were in the middle of the corridor, as she spoke again. “You had the dreams though Michael, and you hid that from me…” She bit down on her lip, looking away from him now, unable to meet his gaze. “You didn’t tell me Michael, I can’t just forget that, I’m sorry, I just need some time…”

Her words hurt, but Michael knew he deserved them… She was right afterall; he hadn’t told her about the dreams, he had been too scared of loosing her because of them, and now, it looked as though he might be doing the same from not having done so… He released her arm abruptly, murmuring, “I’m sorry…” as he did so… “If I could have stopped it…”

“I know you’re sorry, but and I’m not saying you wanted the dreams, but whether you wanted them or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me, you hid it from me Michael, it doesn’t matter that nothing came of, I can’t just forget that…”

The spiky haired rebel closed his eyes, affected in a way which was most unusual for him, running a hand through his hair in desperation it seemed as he opened his eyes once more to look back at her, his gaze serious and long. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Maria, if I could go back and do it over, I promise I would have told you…”

“Would you though…?” She questioned of him, close to tears herself now. She shook her head and looked down, unwilling to meet his gaze, almost afraid of what she might see. She wanted to believe him, of course she did, but yet… She swallowed, trying to get a grip on herself as the corridor emptied around them and she asked, “Would you have told me Michael, because everything I’ve heard tells me that you wouldn’t…“

Michael was silent for a moment, but as Maria turned to leave now, believing she had her answer, his reaction was purely instinctive as he stepped after her, catching his girlfriend’s arm once more and causing her to turn, his lips capturing hers before she could say anything as he poured every ounce of the feelings he held for her into that one kiss.

As he finally pulled back now, it was Maria’s turn to be silent as she blinked, bringing a finger to her lips, tracing the outline in a dazed fashion.

“I’m sorry Maria… Sorrier than you could ever imagine…” Michael spoke slowly, carefully articulating each word as he searched for a balance of sensitivity which anyone knew wasn’t one of his strengths. He just needed her to understand, to believe him…to forgive him…

“I know that Michael, b-“ She started to speak, but was cut off as Michael interrupted once more.

“Please, let me finish…” He looked at her, waiting until she nodded her accent, before continuing. “I should have believed in us more, I should have given you more credit, but I was just scared, scared to loose you, scared that you might blame me.” Michael shook his head. He wasn’t good with words like this, everyone knew that…. “Please Maria, I love you…please, give me another chance…”

The plea was heartfelt, perhaps made more so by the fact it was so unlike him, and maybe that was the reason it struck Maria so hard. Swallowing, she was silent for a moment, and then, slowly, she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his gently, and then more earnestly before pulling back to whisper in his ear “I love you Spaceboy…”

Wrapping his arms around her, Michael pulled her towards him once more, holding her close for a moment as he pressed his lips against hers once more, promising, “I won’t let you down again Maria…I promise…”

Maria smiled softly as she pulled back, looking around as she realised they were alone, the other students all gone. “Come on, lets get out of here…” She held out a hand towards him as the two of them headed away, leaving the corridor silent and deserted…

**********

“Are you okay…?” Alex looked down at his girlfriend who lay on the sofa as he returned from the kitchen carrying some drinks.

To say that he had been surprised when she turned up at his house after school would have been an understatement; they hadn’t exactly been spending much time together in recent days, but nor was he going to turn her away.

Things were still…difficult… He had tried to be understanding of course, tried to accept and move on, but while he was managing a lot better than Maria, there was still a part of him that was hurt and Isabel knew it… She had tried to give him time, just as Maria had suggested, but she needed him…

Looking up from the book she was pretending to pour over, Isabel offered her boyfriend a weak smile and a nod. “I’m fine Alex…I just wish things could be simpler you know…” She sighed and shook her head. “I wish I could go back and change things…”

Although she didn’t elaborate on which things, her message was clear. Alex shook his head, reaching to rub her shoulders, working some of the tension out of her tight muscles. “It’s in the past Izzy, let’s leave it there…” He suggested softly as he continued the gentle massage.

Isabel responded with a grateful smile as she looked up into his eyes, a long sigh slipping from her mouth as she felt his fingers on her shoulders. She knew he was right, perhaps that was the best way to look at it, it was in the past, they couldn’t change it, and there was going to be plenty to deal with in the near future considering Liz and Max’s situation without dwelling on what had to be her biggest mistake....

When she looked back now, she wasn’t sure she really understood why she had been so desperate not to tell him… She had said that she was scared she would loose Alex over it, and it was true at the time, but a part of her wasn’t sure she could actually believe she had considered that a possibility…

Of course hindsight was always a wonderful thing. If you could have that view first, you’d never step a foot wrong… Unfortunately, that wasn’t real life… Closing her eyes, she drew in a few deep breaths before speaking once more. “I know I hurt you though Alex, and I’m just so sorry… I should have told you, I should have trusted in us, but I was just…scared…”

Scared… The admission made Alex start a moment before responding. Most people would have said that Isabel Evans was never scared, she was always smart, and confident, and cold… ‘Ice Queen’ was her nickname at school, and it had been chosen well in the minds of most…

Alex knew better though. He had seen behind that front, he had loved the gentle, sweet, vulnerable girl beneath… “Fears can be irrational at times…” He finally commented, shaking his head as he continued slowly, each word thought through carefully as he phrased what he wanted to say. “Of course I wish that you had trusted in me enough to share what you were going through Izzy, but more than the fact that it hurt me that you hid it, it hurts to know that you were hurting yourself, struggling to deal with something, and I couldn’t be there to help…” Lowering his head, his lips dipped to capture hers gently, teasing and probing, a kiss designed to show he forgave her. “I’m not going anywhere Isabel…not without you…I promise…” He breathed softly as he pulled back.

Pushing up, his girlfriend turned in her seat so that she was facing him, a soft smile in her eyes and on her face, relief and…love…as she drew him back around the side of the sofa to her side and then, as he sat back down, leant towards him and whispering before their lips met once more in another searing kiss, “I love you Alex Whitman…”

Her boyfriend grinned as he wrapped his arms around her, closing the remaining distance between them as his lips touched hers.

**********

“How long until you get off…?” Max stretched to lean further over the counter in order to talk to his girlfriend while she worked.

Forcing herself to focus on what she was doing, Liz didn’t look up until she was done, setting the soda down in front of the customer who had ordered it and taking the money offered, ringing up the sale and then handing back the change. Only then did she look back over at Max, taking a moment to glance at the clock to check the time even as she did so. “Another half an hour…”

Max nodded and smiled. Originally of course Liz shouldn’t have been working at all, only unfortunately one of the waitresses rostered that night had called in sick and Liz, as the daughter of the owners, had been called to attention… He could have just gone on home, but after the look in her eyes at school, and the conversations they had shared that day, Max didn’t want to leave his girlfriend at that moment in time. They needed some time together – not a desperate need as it had been a couple of weeks ago, but an emotional one…

So after hearing that she was only doing half a shift, he had suggested they still go out as intended only later…a suggestion which had met with eager approval…

“I need to pop into the back just for a moment…watch the till for me…?”

Blinking, Max nodded, jolted from his thoughts as his girlfriend spoke to him. “Of course…”

“Thanks…” Liz smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron, leaning over to brush her lips against his cheek ever so briefly, and then slipping away, disappearing through the door which led into the back.

Good to her word, she was only gone a few minutes, returning almost in the blink of an eye it seemed as she resumed her position behind the counter and moved to deal with a new group of teens who had just entered with the greeting, “Good evening, welcome to the Crashdown, what can I get you?”

As his girlfriend continued to move up and down the counter, back and forth, Max’s gaze followed her slim figure, a look of adoration in his eyes. She was beautiful. And wonderful, and there wasn’t a day went by he wondered at the fact she wanted to be with him…

Of course he wouldn’t have blamed her for deciding otherwise after this latest complication… He bit down on his lips as he thought about the baby they now knew was growing inside Liz’s womb. His thoughts on it were still so complicated… Happy, worried, terrified and guilty just to name a few… If Liz truly wanted this baby, he of course did too, but he couldn’t help questioning if she was just saying she did because it was what she felt she had to do, and he didn’t want to force her to do anything…

“Penny for them…?”

He blinked sharply, his girlfriend’s face coming into focus in front of him. He had been do busy thinking that he hadn’t noticed her approach. “W-what, oh, nothing…”

Considering the far-away look in his eyes, Liz very much doubted that this was true, but she didn’t push it for the moment, simply nodding as the conversation moved on.

“Are you just about ready to go…?” Max turned his attention back to the present now, noting that she had removed her uniform, replacing the turquoise and silver minidress and apron with jeans and a red t-shirt, as he glanced at the time. Just after seven…

The petite brunette nodded, reaching behind her head to pull the band from her hair, long silky brown locks tumbling over her shoulders once more as she looked back at him. “Yup, I think I am, you?”

Picking up his glass, Max downed his remaining drink in one before turning back, offering her his hand. “Okay, how about we get out of here…?”

She grinned, taking the hand offered as her fingers closed around his, the simple contact causing her skin to tingle for a moment as she looked back at him. “Sounds like the best idea you had all night!”

**********

Across town, a big black car with tinted windows drove up a deserted driveway closely followed by a small removal van. A tall bald-headed man stepped out of the car, coming around to open the door for a younger petite curley haired blond dressed in jeans and a white t-shit. She climbed out and looked around eagerly.

“Where do you want us to start Sir?” One of the removal guys approached as the others moved to open the back of the truck.

“Just get everything inside thanks…we’ll deal with moving things around later…” His response was polite but his weariness was obvious it seemed as he headed up the drive and unlocked the door. Leaving the keys in the possession of the moving guys, after offering a brief warning and saying they had his number if it were needed, he turned to the teenager behind him. “It’s getting rather late, how about we go find something to eat honey?”

She turned sharply, almost as though having been jolted out of her thoughts and nodded. “Oh sure Daddy, that sounds great…”

Grabbing their coats from the car, the pair headed down the driveway, arm in arm, and disappeared into the night…
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys, I'm back, and not before time I know...

Thanks for all the feedback

nibbles2 - I'd have thought Maria could worry about the possibility of her getting the dreams herself and ending up pregnant too...seems to be able to work the other way around too. I think everyone is going to be nervous, but right now they probably just need to concentrate on what is, and not what could have been... Isabel and Michael have had their dreams some time ago and nothing happened, and I'm asuming that they're not continuing, so maybe it's a one time thing...?
Flamehair - Well I'm glad you enjoyed both of them, thanks for reading :)
ultimatepickupline - perhaps...who knows?
mirae01 - thanks for reading, here's more
Ti88 - Thank you for the encouragement you've offered me, I really appreciate it because yes, as you say, I've been uncertain about this one for some time. I'm glad you think that I'm covering the couples okay, I don't want to be thought of as belittling the others, that is not my intention by any means. I just find the other couples harder to write for. And as for the girl...is she Tess? - well I guess you'll have to read to find out. Thanks for reading.

I know, an update on Christmas Eve is probably not what you'll be expecting from me, and if I say it's actually after midnight, so is actually Christmas Day here I might have you asking what's happened to me, but I've been working on trying to get some updates ready for this week for a while, and finally they're done. So I really want to put them up, with wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you enjoy the new part.

Kat


Chapter 6

Alone time, together…time to talk… Liz bit down on her lip, chewing nervously, glancing occasionally over at her boyfriend, who in turn looked back at her, allowing his attention to veer from the road for a few seconds only before focusing straight ahead.

The brunette smiled softly as she watched him, resting her head back against the seat in a weary fashion.

Her apparent tiredness didn’t escape the notice of the young man beside her. “Hey…are you sure you want to do this at the moment, that you don’t just want to get an early night…?” He questioned of her softly, moving from the gearstick to her hand for a moment, squeezing it gently. “Just tell me and I’ll head back…”

29/11/07

Liz’s eyes fluttered back open as he spoke, her body straightening in her seat as she pulled herself into a more upright position, shaking her head. “N-no, it’s fine…” She responded softly. It wasn’t going to get any easier she knew, the longer they waited, the more difficult even perhaps… She was tired, there was no denying that, but that was hardly new… For the last month or more she had been struggling to stay awake at times, and it wasn’t because she was staying up late…

“Are you sure…?” Max asked again as he brought the car to a halt now, turning to look at her. “Is waiting another night really going to make that much of a difference?”

“Is waiting another night really going to make it any better?” His girlfriend retorted with a weak smile. She shook her head after a moment. “Don’t you see Max, I’m tired tonight, but I’ll probably be tired tomorrow too, and the day after that…” Letting out a deep sigh, she continued softly. “If we delay, all we’re doing is putting it off for one more day, maybe we want to pretend that this isn’t happening-“ Max opened his mouth to respond to this, but she held up her hand. “P-please Max, let me finish…”

He gave a silent nod.

“Maybe we want to pretend that this isn’t happening sometimes, that’s completely understanding, but it is, and we both know that… I believe that we can get through this, but there are some things we need to discuss, and some of them really shouldn’t wait…”

Max listened in silence as she finished, before leaning forward to wrap his arms around her small frame and pull her in towards his body. “Okay, we’ll go and talk, but if you find you want to go back, all you have to do is say you know…

Nodding, she pulled back for a moment whispering, “Thank you…”

For a short while, the couple sat there like that, arm in arm, locked together, each drawing strength from the other but both knew they couldn’t stay there forever, and with some reluctance, they broke apart.

“Come on…” Max whispered as he climbed out and came around to open her door, holding out his hand towards his girlfriend with a reassuring smile.

Returning the smile, abeit it a weaker one, the petite brunette took the hand he offered as she climbed down.

Without another word, the two of them picked there way across the desert floor and began to climb the trail which led to the cave. One step, two step th- Liz’s foot slipped suddenly, calling her to cry out in distress as she scrambled to regain her footing.

Max turned sharply as he felt a tug on the hand he held, even as she cried out, his other hand shooting out to grab her arm in order to steady her. “Okay…?” He questioned softly, his dark amber eyes looking deep into her chocolate ones.

Drawing in a deep breath, she took a moment to regain her composure before nodding silently, trying not to look down and think about how far she could have fallen.

Waiting until he was sure, Max remained where he was, watching his girlfriend carefully, a small smile lighting on his face as the light wind which had sprung up blew a section of her hair into her face, hiding it from him. Without a thought, he pushed it back, hooking it back behind her ear with his finger which then trailed down her jaw bone as he took in her beautiful face once more and then, on impulse, he leant forward to capture his lips in hers for the briefest moment.

As they pulled apart once more, the smile on Liz’s face had grown and as Max squeezed her hand again gently now, she nodded and indicated they should go on.

Without letting go of her hand, Max nodded and turned, continuing to pick his way up the rocky path until he stopped just in front of the cave mouth Looking back, he motioned towards the opening, upon receiving a nod of confirmation from his girlfriend, inched his way inside.

***

A few moments later, a soft light illuminated the cave inside as Max lit the lamp and then moved to unroll the blankets which lay nearby. “Here…” He opened one up, walking up behind Liz to slip it over her shoulders as he saw her shiver in the cool air.

The brunette teenager turned with another soft smile, her hands touching his, albeit briefly, as she reached back to pull the blanket around herself properly.

Laying a second blanket on the ground, Max knelt down and motioned to her to join him, sliding his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side as she did so.

Again the couple were silent, still, thinking perhaps of the last time they had been here, or of the vivid dreams which they had shared and had resulted in so much…

Again it was Max who broke the silence, as he looked down to his girlfriend who was curled up at his side. “Private enough for you…?” He questioned softly.

Private was one word for it, Liz thought as she looked back at him. There probably wasn’t another person around for miles, unless they were following them… That last caused her to shiver again, prompting a questioning look from her boyfriend as he felt her shudder beside him. “Liz…”

“It’s okay…” Drawing in a deep breath, she then exhaled slowly as her head dropped onto his shoulder.

A silence reigned once more, but this time it was different. Where before it had been comfortable and easy, there was a tension in the air as each began to consider what had to be said…

“So…” Max broke off without saying anything more.

It seemed his mood was catching, as Liz too struggled to find the words she was seeking. “I-“

As she stopped, the two of them looked at one another, and within moments were in fits of giggles. Unfortunately, the joviality of the situation couldn’t last, as the real life issues and their situation began to press once more on their minds.

“Are you warm enough…?” Max questioned softly. He wanted to say so much more, but how…

“I’m fine thanks…” Liz swallowed, biting down on her lip as the two of them continued to dance around the subject.

“I’m sorry…”

Looking up, she shook her head. “You don’t have to be…”

“I got you into this mess though…”

“No, we found ourself in this situation…” Smiling softly, Liz placed a hand on top of his. “There’s a difference…”

“Yeah, that we didn’t sleep together, that we never-“ Shaking his head, Max fell silent once more. Why did things have to be so complicated, they had been going so well, and now…this…

“Do you love me?”

He blinked at the question, completely taken aback, but there was no hesitation in his answer. “Of course I do…”

“Well I love you too, and we’re going to love this baby…that’s what we need to hold onto okay?”

Max nodded as he looked back into the warm brown eyes of the woman he loved so much. It wasn’t that simple, he knew it wasn’t, but at the same time, the way she had said it and made it sound so just made him love her even more. She was so strong, so loving, so-“

“Max…”

Her voice drew him away from his thoughts quickly as he directed his attention towards her once more.

Liz hesitated. This was so hard… It wasn’t meant to happen like this, they were supposed to find their right time, make it perfect…but that was being taken away from them… Closing her eyes, tears clung to the edge of her eyelashes.

“Liz…?”

His voice was full of concern and it was that which forced her to go on. “I’m a virgin…and I’m pregnant…”

The words were spoken in little more than a whisper, but their effect on the atmosphere was electrifying as the thing they had been tiptoeing around for so long was brought into sharp focus.

“My parents are going to force me to go to the doctors as soon as they know Max, and we can’t hide this forever…” Liz knew she was as much to blame for their having put it off as he, having been the one to insist that they wait to tell people mostly because she was scared of what they would do. The idea was to wait until her birthday and then tell them…and that wasn’t far off now. With every day which passed, they were a day closer, and the issue became more pressing.

The idea of going to the doctors wasn’t ideal of course, far from it, but everything about the pregnancy, with the exception of conception, had been pretty normal, and as Max had said when Michael objected, he didn’t know enough about what was happening to care for Liz, he wouldn’t put her in danger in that way. So instead, they would be careful, try and act normal…and a pregnant virgin wasn’t going to help that of course…

Max swallowed. “M-maybe I could use my powers…” He suggested after a moment’s consideration.

“Or maybe you could use something else…” Liz’s cheeks flushed, she couldn’t believe that she was saying that…

“Liz I-“ He broke off and tried again. “I don’t want to force you into something…”

“You’re not…” Her response was soft and gentle yet firm as she shook her head. “But I don’t want this to be taken from us, that moment…I’m not saying that I would have expected it to happen so soon, but I don’t want to miss out on it…please Max…” Leaning forward, her lips met his, pressing, teasing, beckoning with every taste. “I love you Max…”

As she spoke however, Max pulled back sharply, shaking his head. “I love you too, but do you really think we’re ready for this…”

“Do we have a choice…?”

He sighed and shook his head. “That’s exactly what I mean though, I don’t want you to feel you have to…”

A finger pressed to his lips caused him to fall silent once more as the brunette once again spoke out. “but I want this Max, honest, I really do…” Her fingers intertwined with his as her gaze met that of her boyfriend.

And they sat there like that, almost frozen, until Max again spoke, slowly nodding as he looked back at her. “Alright, but not here, not now…it should be special…something to remember…”

“And it will be because it’s with you…” Liz looked at him pleadingly with a gaze which delved deep into his eyes.

“I just want everything to be perfect for you, not like this…” He gestured around with another shake of his head. “It’s n-“

“It’s you and me…what more do we need…” His girlfriend pressed softly as she buried her face in his chest. This wasn’t like her she knew, but this was something she needed, something she had dreamt about for so long, and she didn’t want to miss it… “Show me how you love me…” She whispered softly as he finally gave in and drew her into his arms, his lips seeking out hers, as they kissed and cuddled, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair as she drew away now and kissed his neck, before their lips met once more in one, and then another searing kiss, each more passionate than the other as they touched and caressed, and slowly forgot about the world outside as they gave themselves to one another that night, freely, willingly and openly as they shared the love which had created a life which would forever join the two of them…

***

“I love you…” Max whispered between kisses later as they lay next to one another under the covers. Hooking a finger under a section of hair which had fallen over his girlfriend’s face, he pushed it back over her ears with a smile, leaning forward again to press a kiss gently against her forhead.

The brunette smiled softly as she leant her head back against his chest with another sigh. “I love you too…” She murmured in little more than a whisper as her fingers intertwined with his.

Bringing their joined hands to his lips, Max smiled back as he pulled her closer, running a hand slowly down her arm.

The gesture was so simple, so…perfect…. Liz let out a sigh of contentment as she lay next to him, for the moment thinking of nothing except the two or rather three, as she thought as her other hand rested on her stomach, of them there that night. There was a part of her that was terrified, no denying it, but at the same time, she knew they would get through this, that they would manage, because, when all was said and done, they were together thoughout, together always… In Max she had found her other half, and she never wanted to le him go…

And earlier it had been wonderful, and sweet despite everything, it had been about nothing and no one except the two of them, and while maybe they had no choice in the matter really, there was no feeling of being forced, or rushed. It had been gentle, loving and…perfect…just as a first time should be. Max might have hesitated at first, saying that wasn’t the time, or the place, but when it came down to it, surroundings vanished in their minds, and the only thing which mattered was that they loved one another, and that made everything right because they were together…

Looking down, Max smiled, burying his face in his girlfriend’s silky brown locks which were strewn over his chest. There couldn’t be a more wonderful sight he was sure, he thought as they lay there in silence. It had been a night more pefect than he could ever have imagined. In all that time when he had mooned after Liz, never once imaging that he would ever have a chance to get to know her, and now they were lying here, together, and there was no other way to put it than to say she completed him. She was his angel, and he never wanted to leave her side.

Soon of course the couple would have to get their things together and head back to Roswell, but for the moment, they would linger, enjoying the moment of the two of them alone, two halves of the same whole it seemed, on a night they would no doubt remember for the rest of their lives together…
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Reality Revealed (M/L CC MAT Seq) Ch 6 24/12/07

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey guys, I'm back

Thanks for the feedback, hope anyone reading this story is enjoying it.

Flamehair - Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it
Natalie36 - Thanks for reading
maxandlizforever - Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it
Ti88 - Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you will do the same with this. I hope I'm not oversimplifying things too much in this, the orginal version was written years back now, and I admit my way of looking at things might have been through rose coloured spectacles. I'm hoping that I've managed to inject a bit more reality into this as I'm editing and adding though. As for breaking up, who said anything about breaking up? And Tess, well you never know. You're right that they won't want Liz going to the doctor (although she's still just a minor when she's saying that I believe), but then again they don't know what is different and not, and she still had normal blood after the car crash in the series presumably.. I guess it depends on what their priority is, maybe they'll decide to cross that bridge when they come to it. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to let me know your thoughts, I really do appreciate it.
keepsmiling7 - Are you sure you want to see that? I have a feeling it might not be pretty...
mirae01 - You flatter me, but thanks anyway, I'm glad you think so :)

This is another story I struggle with adding to I have to admit, but I'm still pressing on, and while I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, I am trying my best. I hope everyone reading is enjoying the story. Here's the new chapter.

Kat


Chapter 7

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lizzy, happy birthday to you…” Liz awoke, her eyelids flickering, to her parents stood at the foot of her bed, singing.

“Happy birthday sweetheart…” Nancy smiled softly as she saw her daughter stir.

While she knew they were only trying to do something nice, the sight of her parents didn’t exactly fill the birthday girl with joy. Supressing the urge to groan, the brunette returned a weak smile as she reached for her robe where she left it the night before and then, tying it around herself under the covers, pushed into a sitting position. “Thanks mom…dad…”

“Happy birthday Lizzy…” Jeff grinned as he leant forward to give his only daughter a kiss.

Liz accepted the kiss with little comment, a slightly far away look in her eyes throughout. If her parents noticed it, they didn’t say, but then they probably just put it down to excitement about the big day.

“Eighteen, my little girl is eighteen…you’re all grown up now…” Nancy commented, a tearful edge to her voice.

Her daughter swallowed, biting down on her lip. That was more true than they realised of course… “Yeah…I guess so…” She finally responded after what seemed like a long silence. How she wished that they wouldn’t make such a big deal of this, it would make things so much easier…

Perhaps sensing her discomfort, her father nodded. “Alright, well we’ll let you get up and get dressed…” Jeff glanced over at the clock realising that time was moving on. “Breakfast will be ready in the diner when you are…”

“Okay…thanks…” Despite best efforts, her response was somewhat distant for Liz’s thoughts were elsewhere now as she thought over what the day would bring…

Nancy certainly didn’t seem to notice though as she leant over to hug her daughter and instructed, “You’d better hurry, I’m making you a full breakfast and it’ll be on the table in about ten minutes” With these words, she slipped out of the room after her husband, leaving her daughter alone.

“Okay…thanks…” Liz repeated her response in an almost dazed tone before pushing back the covers as they left her alone, and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she slid on her slippers before slowly padding through to her bathroom to have a wash.

Her eyes were still half closed as she stepped under the warm spray a few moments later, turning slowly around to feel the water running down her face. She couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t seem quite real… It seemed strange, almost dream-like… Sometimes she could hardly believe everything else that was happening, which was hardly surprising considering she supposed.

It was real though, deep down she knew that, as crazy as it seemed, as impossible, as unreal…this was really happening and now she had to deal with the difficult issue of telling her parents… Even the thought of it was enough to make her hold her breath as she ran soapy fingers through her hair, massaging the foam into her scalp. How was she going to do that…?

The answer was she didn’t know… She had run the conversation over and over in her head time and time again, and still she didn’t know. She had practiced, she had even felt that she was ready for a second, but when it came down to it, now it was here… She leant her head back, allowing the warm spray to rinse the shampoo from her hair as she closed her eyes once more. Perhaps they could wait a little while longer, just until tomorrow perhaps, allowing her parents, and herself, to enjoy just one last day in ignorance…

As she stepped into the kitchen a short while later though, the dream and all resolutions which had come with it were washed away and replaced by stark reality as her stomach seemed to begin to churn uncontrollably once more at the first smell of the cooked breakfast her mother was cooking up.

Urgh…maybe waiting wasn’t such a good idea… Struggling to keep a straight face, she made her way over to the table, wishing her father a good morning and accepting the kiss he gave her before taking her seat behind one of the mats as she prayed silently that she might be able to get through this.

“I hope you’re hungry…” Nancy greeted with a bright smile.

Liz looked over briefly to where her mother, looking so eager, was stood behind the cooker, she responded with false enthusiasm, “Oh yeah, starving…” However hard it was, she was determined that she wasn’t going to spoil this day. Her mother had obviously been thinking a lot about it, and besides, she knew when she told them that there would be looks of disappointment and she didn’t want that on her birthday – was there something so wrong with that?

Of course the truth would leave her and Max both pretty much blameless, but since it was something which they could neither tell, nor would ever be believed if they did, the outcome of this was pretty predictable. Her parents would be disappointed, people would accuse and point fingers, and they’d have to just sit and take it… The thoughts which streamed through her mind caused the brunette to worry her lip, struggling to keep even a hint of a smile for the benefit of her parents…

“Honey, are you okay…?” Mr Parker questioned as he caught sight of her pensive look.

Realising that she had better try harder, Liz forced something more of a smile and nodded in what she hoped was an enthusiastic manner. “Sure, I just didn’t sleep that well last night, I guess I’m still a bit tired…”

“All excited about your big day…?” Nancy guessed as she approached the table, a plate in each hand.

“Something like that…” Her daughter responded awkwardly, trying not to breath too deeply as the air was filled with the fumes from the cooked breakfasts. As a plate was put in front of her though, it became clear that any efforts would be ineffective as the scent of the food filled her airways and she felt a sudden need to throw up. Clamping a hand over her mouth as the contents of her stomach rose into her throat, the teen immediately bolted from the table without a word and didn’t even bother heading upstairs but instead ran into the nearby restaurant rest room.

“Honey, are you okay…?” Mrs Parker’s worried voice drifted through the door from where she stood outside rapping gently on the door. She looked at her husband in question but Jeff was no more clued up than her it seemed. She turned her attention back to the restroom in which her daughter was locked. “Sweetie, how about you unlock the door and I can come in…?”

No answer…

On the other side of the door Liz knelt on the ground, leaning over the toilet seat and breathing heavily after just having emptied her stomach. Her mouth was dry and tasted horrible, the bile in her mouth burnt and quite honestly, she wished she had never got out of bed.

“Honey…?”

With a groan, she reached for some tissue, wiping her mouth before rising slowly on somewhat unsteady legs for fear of them collapsing under her. As she was about to unlock the door, the sound of a car engine caught her attention and she turned to peer out the small window of the toilet.

Max… The sight of the jeep right now was like a breath of fresh air in a stale closet. It was…wonderful… She allowed herself a small smile, but all too soon reality again intruded as her mother’s voice again came from outside the door and was this time joined by a second of her father…

“Sweetheart… Lizzy…? Honey what’s wrong…?”

Closing her eyes, the teenager counted to ten and leant over the sink to get a mouthful of water to clear her throat. If asked she would have said she was getting herself ready, but the truth was that she was simply playing for time. This was one conversation that she didn’t want to have. At the very least she had wanted to wait until tomorrow, but she simply couldn’t lie, not again…

The decision had been taken out of her hands it seemed, but still she wasn’t ready…

“Sweetheart, please, open the door…”

The sound of her mother’s increasingly desperate voice was enough to tell Liz that she simply couldn’t put this off any further and, after taking a deep breath, she reached to open the door.

As she was met by looks of concern on the face of both her mother and father, the teenager felt herself breaking down once more. How could she do this…? Biting down on her lip, she swallowed nervously. As they both beckoned her into their arms however, she shook her head, remaining aloof.

“Lizzy, what’s wrong sweetheart, you’re worrying us…w-“

“I’m pregnant!” Liz interrupted as her mother tried to coax. Simple, straightforward, no padding it out. There it was, had been said, the news was out… During the stunned silence that followed, she didn’t bother to wait but instead slipped past her parents somehow, grabbing her bag from the back of the seat which she had hung it on earlier and then making for the exit as fast as her legs would carry her. They’d have to discuss it later of course, but that was later, and right now, she needed to get out of there…

As she emerged onto the street Max was just climbing out of the vehicle, presumably to come in and collect her, but one look at her face told him everything it seemed and without exchanging a word he was back behind the wheel in seconds. Another minute to get the engine running and then, even as her parents emerged through the back door, the teens headed down the road away from the diner leaving Mr and Mrs Parker with no choice but to simply stare after them as the jeep continued around the corner and disappeared out of their sight…

***

“What do you mean you just told them?” Maria blinked, not quite believing what she was hearing as the group entered the cave one by one. She hadn’t known what to think when her friends had turned up on her doorstep that morning and announced they were heading up to the cave instead of going to school as intended. It was just not what she would have expected from the couple.

Of course from the look on Liz’s face, it was the last thing she had expected either. The petite teen stood in silence with a slightly stunned look on her face as she leant her head against the chest of her boyfriend. She had barely said a word on the drive over, perhaps because the events of the morning were continuing to play over and over inside her head as she berated herself for how it had turned out, going over and over how she might have done things differently, how she could have avoided telling them…

Max’s expression meanwhile, was grave as he looked around at the group and then turned his attention back to Liz as the arm which sat around her shoulder tightened, pulling her deeper into his embrace in an attempt to provide what comfort he could. They had been talking about this, on and off, for several weeks now, but still, now that it was here it was…big… He had hated seeing the look on his girlfriend’s face as she emerged from the diner that morning and more than anything he wished he could wave a magic wand and make everything better once more.

And he couldn’t… There was nothing he could do right now to make things right. He was helpless in all of this, stuck as another victim of circumstance some would say, and if there was one thing he hated it was being a victim…

Neither he nor Liz reacted well to not being in control, and right now, that was exactly what was happening… All the well laid plans, the carefully thought out explanations were suddenly pointless, because life, as it was so apt to so, had taken over and taken the plunge for them…

In truth, he hadn’t known what to do when Liz had come out of the diner looking as she was. Well, he hadn’t known what to do except get out of there of course… He hadn’t bothered asking questions, simply waited until she was buckled in, and then put the jeep back into gear and pulled out onto the road. In fact, they were already a number of blocks away before either teen had exchanged a single word with the other.

They were scared kids, there it was, the truth and reality… They weren’t ready to deal with this, they weren’t ready for a baby… And yet, they were having one, and while neither would admit as much to the other right now, it was terrifying…

“I didn’t have a choice Maria… The smell of the food had made me throw up, how else was I supposed to explain it…” Liz barely even looked up as she spoke, her tone low and voice small…

“Stomach virus…?”

“It wouldn’t have done any good Michael…” Max responded as he looked over to see his friend slip through the cave opening and step into the main cavern. He shook his head. “Afterall, we’d only have been giving an excuse to then come clean in a few days anyway…”

“It’d have just made it worse…” Liz echoed his sentiments although a part of her wished she had just made up something.

“I’m surprised it’s possible for it to be worse…”

Michael’s sullen response caused his girlfriend to shoot him an angry look this time. “And you’re really helping aren’t you?”

He pressed his lips together and refused to comment.

“Come on guys, please…”

“Well what did you expect when you called us out here…?” Michael interrupted and scowled at Max..

“Excuse me? Liz and I never said that we wanted you to come out here with us, you guys were the ones that decided that…”

“Well what else were we going to do Max…” Isabel stepped in now to try and calm things down. The tension in the cavern was becoming particularly thick and she for one felt that they could do without an explosion from anyone involved… If nothing else, it was the last thing that Liz needed right now, and the brunette was probably the most important person in all of this afterall…

“You didn’t have to come up here though Isabel…really…” Liz broke her silence once more as she looked around at the others. “That wasn’t why we went to Maria’s house…”

Her best friend held up a hand to silence the burnette. “I know chica…we all do, but we want to be here…” She assured her friend softly, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder.

Returning a weak smile, Liz sighed before burying her head in her hands. The truth was that she and Max had just gone the first place which occurred to them after leaving the Crashdown. They didn’t feel they could go to school, and so dropping off at Maria’s house had seemed like the logical next step. What they had intended to do once there wasn’t really something they had given much thought to, but certainly once they had decided they hadn’t expected the others to follow them up to the cave.

Even being here was a bad idea they knew of course. Skipping class was a bad idea, it drew attention where they didn’t need it, but on this occasion they didn’t have a choice… Both Max and Liz knew that they wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting through the day without loosing it in some way, that they needed to spend time together, and that worrying about class was the last thing that was going to help right now.

So here they were. After the announcement that they weren’t going to school, Maria had been quick to insist she’d go with, soon followed, perhaps not so surprisingly, by Michael who had dropped by. The latter of course was never eager to attend classes, so perhaps this was just another excuse for him. Whatever the reason, the two of them had made their decision, and as Maria had called Isabel and Alex to tell them they weren’t going to be in class, the last couple in the group had quickly made the decision that they too would skip.

It would of course be more difficult to explain the absence of all six than it would be two of course, but the support offered by the rest of the group was difficult for the couple in question to refuse, not to mention the fact that they knew better than to argue with such stubborn individuals…

“Hey…none of that!” Alex scolded softly as he stepped away from his girlfriend to approach Liz. “Come on, it’ll be okay…”

“I’m sorry you guys, I know I really messed this up…”

Max opened his mouth, about to respond, but was beaten to it by Maria as she jumped in like a firecracker with a sharp shake of her head. “Sorry about what, you have nothing to be sorry about!”

“Yes there is… I messed up, I should have done better…” There was a sad look in Liz’s eyes as she responded. “It hardly went the way that I had planned and in case you guys were wondering, I think that you can safely assume that the party tonight is off.”

“Well maybe we’ll have to have a party of our own…?” Isabel suggested softly, looking over hopefully, searching for some glimpse of a smile. She might not always be the most sensitive of people, but she had grown close to these people and she didn’t like seeing Liz so down even if it was understandable.

The suggest failed to bring the intended response however, as the young woman in question continued frown, a pensive look on her face as her gaze remained fixed on the ground.

“Lizzie…” Alex reached to touch her hand, causing his friend to raise her head and, as she did so, there was no missing the scared look which haunted her eyes. “Hey, you know this is going to be okay, right…? Whatever happens, you’re not alone in this Lizzie, we’re not going anywhere…”

Biting down on her lip, Liz swallowed as her gaze fell once more and she pulled her hand from his, reaching up to run it through her hair as she turned and began to pace back and forth in an agitated manner. “I know that, and I’m really grateful, don’t get me wrong, it’s just…” She trailed off temporarily as the lump in her throat grew so big she couldn’t get past it and it was a few moments before she could continue.

Those few moments seemed like hours to all those in the room but especially Max as he watched his girlfriend, longing to go to her, and yet at that moment, feeling unable, frozen on the spot by the knowledge that he had caused her to be so unhappy… He hated this…

“I-I just didn’t want it to happen this way, and not today…not today…” The brunette broke down as she finally turned back to the group, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

For her boyfriend, it seemed like a switch had been flung and as her first tears fell, he was at her side instantly, pulling her deep into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her small frame and whispering gentle reassurances in her ears as he brought her to sleeping bags which were strewn on one side of the cave and coaxed her to sit with him there. “It’s okay Liz, it’s going to be okay, I promise you, we’re going to get through this…” He kept up his commentary, rubbing her back gently as her cries continued.

Liz gave no response except to clutch his shirt tightly in a hand which she balled into a fist as she buried her face in the chest of his shirt, the fabric below growing wet from the torrent of tears which she found she could no longer hold back.

Falling silent now, Max drew one of her hands with his to bring them to rest, in a very deliberate manner, one over the other on top of her stomach.

From Maria’s view, the effect on Liz was instant as her friend’s cheek twitched briefly and then she closed her eyes. The lines of tension on her face fading now, her cries softening and waaning as the tear tracks on her face began to dry and the flow of tears faded, the expression on the brunette’s face was more serene now and since there was a matching expression on Max’s face, it seemed obvious to the rest of the group that a connection had been formed between the two.

Michael opened his mouth, perhaps about to say something, but a single look from his girlfriend made him remain silent, and silence prevailed in the small cavern.

“Did you see that…?” Max whispered as he broke the silence.

His girlfriend nodded slowly as she lifted her head to look up at him with traces of dried tears still in her eyes. “Yes…I saw it…” She finally dared to whisper.

“Saw what?” Michael looked between the two but the couple were too lost in one another to reply it seemed and his brow furrowed with a look of frustration.

“Chica…?” Maria too pressed, although for her it wasn’t so much finding out what they had seen but checking that her friend was alright. She was no longer crying of course, but that didn’t change the fact that a moment before she had been.

Liz blinked, her eyes clearing now as she looked around at the rest of the group with just a hint of a smile, her first of some time as she responded, “The baby…we saw the baby…”
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Reality Revealed (M/L CC MAT Seq) Ch 7 10/03/08 AN 23/03/08

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey Guys, I'm back! Sorry for the delay.

Thanks for all the feedback

Natalie36 - :) And yeah, I think Max avoiding Jeff would be a wise idea...unfortunately I'm not sure that he'll go along with that...
Flaimhair - I thought it was sweet too, glad you're agree. I think shocked is an understatement when it comes to the parents.
Isabelle - Yeah, life never is easy is it? I know maybe the skipping class maybe wasn't the smartest thing, but it seemed like it would be something they would do, I'm glad you seem to agree. As for boy or girl, I think that'll remain as an unknown for the moment (assuming that they don't know either) sorry...
Ti88 - Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not going to say that it's all going to be roses and champagne, because truth be told, it's not my style to be unrealistically positive and wash over all the issues. However, I do think that Liz and Max being together, and the support the others would offer in such a situation, would go a long way to making things work. With people who support you around, it's amazing what you can do and get through...

Okay guys, so I know that this is way overdue, but I'm trying my hardest really. I couldn't seem to get this to a stage where I was happy, and still not sure it's there, but I don't want to leave you waiting any longer so I guess I'll go ahead and post it. Hope it'll be okay.

Thanks to anyone reading, hope you enojoy the new part.

Kat


Chapter 8

“Do you want me to come in with you…?” Max questioned softly, looking over at his girlfriend as the jeep pulled up across the road from the Crashdown a little after dusk that evening.

Glancing over towards the dimly lit diner, Liz tried to force back the increasing feeling of dread in her stomach as she contemplated the upcoming encounter. She felt sick, and for the first time in a while, she didn’t think that it had anything to do with the baby growing in her womb. “I-I think you’d better…” She finally responded after another moment of consideration. This was quite possibly the worst way it could ever have turned out considering… So much for all her consideration, and careful planning. It was hard to believe in some ways that it had been said, just thrown out as it had been…it was a mess…

Far from oblivious to her distress, Max slid his hand over hers, squeezing gently as he tried to lighten the mood. “Yeah, wouldn’t want them to miss out on throwing me out would we…”

Although said in jest, as soon as the words had come from his mouth, the teen knew that it was too close to the truth. It was very likely that Mr and Mrs Parker were going to tell him he was never to approach their daughter again, and really, could they be blamed if they did?

Biting down on her lip, Liz closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath before stating, “They throw you out, they’re throwing me out too – if you leave I’m going to, because we’re in this together…right…?” All suggestion of levity was gone from her tone as she opened her eyes to meet his gaze.

Her boyfriend nodded. “Of course… “ Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close, leaning in towards as he gave her a brief, gentle yet tender kiss.

Turning her head in towards his chest as they pulled back, she nuzzled his shoulder, “Hmmm…” She could just stay there, with him, forever… Maybe they didn’t have to worry about parents and other people, maybe it could just be the two of them, frozen in this moment in time, together, forever…

But that wasn’t how it worked and the couple knew that only too well. After sitting for another few moments, while he would happily have stayed there another few hours at least, Max forced himself to pull back and sit up, gently squeezing fingers of his girlfriend as he gestured towards the building opposite. “Ready for this…?”

Ready…? There was nothing she felt less if she was honest, but they had spent the last five hours or more delaying and it could be put off no longer. The brunette nodded nervously, shooting a terrified glance over at the diner. “Not really, but here goes anyway…

And with those words, the couple climbed out of the car and then cross the road hand in hand as they prepared to face Liz’s parents…together…

*****

“Hello…” Liz’s brow creased in puzzlement as she let them into the deserted diner. It was no where near late enough for her parents to have closed on a normal day, but it would seem that they had done exactly that.

Perhaps they had closed up because she hadn’t come home, wanting to locate her…? Glancing around, the teen half expected for her parents to be laying in wait, ready to jump out at them.

However, as the couple made their way through the diner, they gained no response to their calls.

“Mom…dad…?” She frowned as she began to mount the stairs, taking them one at a time, pausing every couple to listen for any sounds… “MOM?”

Max could see that she was becoming increasingly agitated, and he couldn’t say that he didn’t understand why. It had been bad enough contemplating the upcoming conversation, but now that worry was being replaced by something much more serious. Logic of course said that they were likely just out looking for their daughter, but after everything that the group had been through, it was only natural that other things might be considered too…

“MOM?”

Max placed his hand on the small of her back in an attempt to provide comfort as they continued, finding that the upstairs too was in darkness. It seemed that the apartment, just as the diner had been, was deserted…

“I guess they’re not here…” Liz commented softly she flicked on the lights and looked around before moving into the living room/kitchen area. She was relieved to find that the spare keys, and her parents coats were all missing, consistent with them being out of their own accord.

“Guess not…” He nodded as he hung in the doorway. “Do you want me to stay until they get back…?”

His girlfriend hesitated a moment before opening her mouth as though to respond. Before she could say anything however, a door slammed downstairs and the couple hurried down the stairs to see what, or who, had caused it.

Jeff and Nancy met them at the foot of the stairs. “Oh honey, thank goodness you’re okay, we were so worried…” Mrs Parker addressed her daughter, stepping forward to pull the brunette into a hug.

“We got a call from school to say that you didn’t turn up today…I assume ‘he’ had something to do with that!” Jeff’s tone was sterner and as he turned on Max now, the look in his eyes was angry, hard and completely unwelcoming.

“No, it was my decision not to go in…I just couldn’t face it, not after this morning…” His daughter jumped to explain as she pulled back from her mother, turning to her father with pleading eyes.

“Mr Parker, please, I-“

“I don’t want to hear it!” Jeff interrupted the teenager with a glare. It was obvious that he was angry, understandably so, and the last thing he wanted right now was to listen to excuses.

“DAD!”

“Honey…” Nancy attempted to intervene between father and daughter, having a feeling that this wouldn’t end well, but neither took any notice.

“You are not welcome here Max, nor do I want to see you here in the future, do you understand? Get out!” Mr Parker’s tone was almost eerily low, speaking of the slow burning yet intense anger and rage that he felt towards the teen.

Max however, didn’t care whether he was welcome or not. He wasn’t going anywhere, not unless Liz told him to do so… Glancing over at his girlfriend, he offered her a nod of reassurance to say he was staying.

“Max…”

“No dad, don’t, this involves him too, I need him, don’t send him away…” Liz attempted again to reason with her father, her voice taking on an increasingly desperate tone now. This couldn’t be going much worse…

“You need him?” Her father’s tone was incredulous as he looked between the couple before reaching out, his hand closing over his daugher’s wrist as he pulled her away from the delinquent. “You need him like a hole in the head!” He looked back at Max, insisting. “I want you out of here, NOW!”

“NO!” The reply came short and clipped as Max declined to back down “I’m not going anywhere Mr Parker, not as long as Liz wants or needs me here…” He remained where he was without moving.

“DAD!” Wrenching back from her father Liz backed up, rubbing her wrist with her hand as she returned to her boyfriend’s side.

Watching her with concern, Max slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezing them gently as they faced her parents together now, refusing to shy from their gaze.

“Get your hands off her!” Mr Parker growled at the young man in front of him, anger and fury burning in his eyes, saying once again. “Get out!”

“No!” This time it was Liz who spoke up, trembling as she faced his anger full on. “No dad! If Max goes, I go!”

Jeff could see the determination in her eyes of course, but right at that moment in time it didn’t matter as he shook his head firmly, making another grab for her arm. “You’re not going anywhere young lady!”

Darting back further into her boyfriend’s arms, his daughter voice shook as she responded, “You can’t control me anymore! You can’t say where I’ll go or where I won’t because I’m eighteen and I’ll go where I like!” It was the last thing she wanted to say, really, this was completely NOT the way she had wanted things to go, but she didn’t seem to have any choices left. “If you want Max to leave dad that’s fine, but if he goes, I go too!”

Her ultimatum was met with a moment of silence before Mrs Parker broke her silence protesting, “What do you mean go sweetheart? You wouldn’t. l-”

“Try me!” Her daughter interrupted as she and her father faced down, both refusing to back down. Neither said a word, although the looks exchanged spoke yarns until:

“Then go!” Mr Parker finally responded not without some amount of mixed emotions. He couldn’t welcome that boy though, not after this, and Liz, his beautiful baby girl, how could she have gotten into this situation, how could she not see that it was just… She had to see sense! He shook his head silently, eyes full of sadness as the remainder of the scene played out in front of him.

Against the expectations of her father however, while her eyes filled with tears, Liz didn’t plead with him to allow her to stay, or to change his mind. Instead, she looked up at her boyfriend through tear filled eyes, speaking in a soft, low voice so filled with emotion. “Come on…”

Max looked back, from Nancy to Jeff, but while the first was in a similar state to her daughter, the latter still refused to budge.

And so it was, that the couple headed back through the diner and out the door, stopping only as they reached the jeep at which point Max drew his trembling girlfriend deep into his arms, feeling her whole body shake with the sobs which wracked her body. “It’s going to be okay, I’m here Liz, I promise you, we’re going to be okay… We’re going to be okay…” His arms tightened further around her small frame with the reassurances, pressing his lips to the top of her head whispering, “I love you Liz, you hear me, I love you…”

Lifting her head from his chest, the brunette attempted to choke back her cries as she looked up. “I-I knew that it would be bad considering, b-but…” She broke off, further tears streaming down her face as she shook her head. However bad she had imagined though, it had been a hundred times worse. Her father was never going to accept this…

Placing her hand on her head as she buried her face once more in his chest, all Max could do was to continue offering what reassurance he could. “It’s okay, I know it seems bad right now, but we’ll work this out, I promise Liz, I promise…” He spoke in soft, tender tones, hoping against hope that he was right although at this moment in time the truth was he couldn’t see how. To tell Liz that just wasn’t an option though. She needed him to be positive and that was exactly what he would be…

“How, how could this ever work out?” Liz challenged between sobs, shaking her head once more in despair. “He’s never going to change his mind, he’s never going to come round to this…I-I’ll never be able to go home…”

The sound of her broken voice was like a knife in Max’s heart as he listened but as she said the last, the words just seemed to flow as he assured her. “You’ll always have a home with me, I swear baby, I’ll never leave you…” With this promise he held her in silence for another few moments before easing her over to the passenger side, opening the door and helping her into the seat. He paused shortly to check that she was okay, and then moved back around to the driver’s side, slipping behind the wheel quickly then turning the key in the ignition before pulling away from the kerb a few moments later.

**********

Isabel was laid on her bed, a geometry book open in front of her when she heard an engine in the driveway and by the time Max entered through the front door she was already half way down the stairs.

“Max!” She continued towards him, her eyes drawn immediately to the figure he carried in her arms. “What happened?”

Somewhere along the ride it seemed, exhaustion from all the crying had overcome Liz and Max hadn’t liked to wake her when she was seemingly sleeping so peacefully. Instead, he had carefully lifted her out of the car, and now didn’t respond to his sister until he had safely deposited the young brunette on the sofa, removing his jacket to provide some kind of cover as he leant over and kissed her forehead.

Watching the scene without a word, Isabel knew without being told that things hadn’t gone well. She knew they had gone back to the crashdown intending to speak to the Parkers of course, but the plan certainly hadn’t included Liz coming back with her brother and such an event couldn’t be insignificant she felt.

Drawing his coat a little further up and smoothing her hair, Max finally stepped back from his girlfriend to face his sister once more. Pressing a finger to his lips, he pointed towards the kitchen and then moved in that direction, glancing back briefly to check that his sister was following.

Only once they were inside, with the door to the lounge closed, did they again speak.

“Max…?” Isabel looked at her brother questioningly, knowing that there was no need for her to say more.

He shook his head, raking a hand through his hair as he went over what had happened in his head. “Where are mom and dad, are they still out?” He questioned after a moment of consideration.

His sister nodded briefly. “Yeah, they decided to stay at a motel in town…” Had things gone to plan, they would have been home in fact, but she had received a call only about half an hour to say that the conference their parents had been attending had overrun. As it happened, it was pretty good timing…

Max couldn’t help being relieved. At least that was one less thing to worry about. His parents would still have to be told of course, they could hardly keep a baby a secret, but one set of parents in one night, especially considering how it had gone, was enough.

“Max, what happened at the Crashdown…?”

“You don’t want to know…” He shook his head. A cry from the other room cut him off before he could say anymore as the two of them flung open the door and moved back into the lounge.

“Max…” Liz burrowed into her boyfriend’s arms as he arrived back at her side. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Pressing a finger to her lips, Max shook his head as he interrupted, wrapping his arms around her once more.

What had happened at the Crashdown? Isabel found her questions multiplying by the second as she watched the couple with increasing concern. From the look on their eyes, asking further questions might not be the best idea at the moment though, and, realising this, she decided to focus on something else to keep herself busy. “How about I get you guys something to eat, if all you’ve had are the sandwiches we had at lunch you must be vamished…”

“Thanks Izzy…”

Max nodded gratefully and, taking that as a yes, his sister disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing a short while later bearing a large plate of sandwiches. “It’s not much I’m afraid, but it’s the best I can do without having to cook…” She apologised as she set the plate down in front of them.

“T-thanks Isabel…b-but I’m okay…” A little more in control of her emotions now, Liz shook her head apologetically. It wasn’t that she wasn’t appreciative, but she really didn’t fancy puking her guts right now, since eating tended to result in that…

“You have to eat something!” Immediately her boyfriend’s protective concern raised it’s head as he picked one up and offered it to her. “Come on, just try one, you must be hungry by now…”

Pushing his hand away, she shook her head once more. “Really, no, I think I might just try and lie down a while, get an early night if that’s okay…?”

At the intimation that she would be staying the night, Isabel raised an eyebrow at her brother, who simply shook his head with a gesture which seemed to indicate he would explain shortly. Holding out a hand towards Liz, he murmured something about sorting out the guest room before slipping out.

*****

A short time later, Isabel set a cup of cocoa down in front of her brother as he sat back down on the sofa. “Liz all settled?” She questioned softly as she claimed the seat next to him.

He nodded. “Yeah, she seems to be sleeping at the moment at least…”

His sister nodded silently, taking a moment to pick up her own cup before speaking again. “She seemed really upset…” Talk about stating the obvious…

Max closed his eyes and shook his head. “That’s an understatement Izzy, and the worst thing is, there’s nothing I can do to make it better…” Clenching his fist, he punched arm of the sofa to let out some of the pent up emotion which was swelling up inside.

“Want to tell me what happened?”

He turned back to look at his sister. “Not really, but I’m going to have to do so soon enough so you might as well know now…” He paused a moment before forcing himself to continue. “Mr Parker wanted me to leave, and when Liz gave an ultimatum, that if I left she left, he called her on it, told her to leave…” Glancing down, he watched his hand as he clenched and flexed his fingers over and over. “Her dad was so angry Izzy, not that I blame him, but he wouldn’t let me say anything…”

“And what would you have said?” Isabel shook her head slowly. “Honestly Max, I don’t know that you could have said anything because it’s not like you can explain how it happened can you? Much as I don’t want to say it, if Mr Parker was angry, I don’t see that anything would change that…”

Max nodded, raking his hair back from his face. She was right of course, and he knew it, but it didn’t make it any easer… He just wanted to make this all better, and the truth was that he couldn’t, and well, he wasn’t good not being in control… “I wish I could click my fingers and put this all right…”

She shook her head at his mutterings, placing a hand on his shoulder in response as she offered the best advice she could think of at short notice. “Well, unfortunately things don’t work like that Max, but you will get through this…I suppose all I can say is to just take it one step at a time okay?”

One step at a time… He nodded silently. Good advice… Taking a sip of his drink, he glanced at the clock before turning back to his sister as he stood up. “Well, I think maybe my next step is trying to get some sleep before speaking to mom and dad tomorrow…night Izzy, and thanks…”
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Reality Revealed (M/L CC MAT Seq) Ch 8 14/05/08 AN 07/11/08

Post by KatnotKath »

Hey everyone,

I'm back...even if not with the chapter hoped for...

It's NOT an authors note though :wink: :D

Honest truth, this is complete filler and I'm sorry to put it in but I just couldn't write anything else... Not sure it's my best, but hopefully it's better than nothing...

Merry Christmas and thanks so much for all the feedback

Natalie36 - Hopefully I'll be coming back with that one next time, I do know, just I'm having trouble picturing exactly how I want the scene to go...
keepsmiling7 - parents parents, what trouble they always are. To answer a question, yes the Evans are next, but not right now... hope you'll enjoy what I have though...thanks for reading and for the bumps, sorry for the delay :D
LoveIsForever - Thanks for reading, sorry to not answer your question in this one but I hope it won't prevent you reading on and hopefully enjoying what I have to offer.
MaxLizDreamer - Welcome to the new story then, glad to have you with us :wink: I'm glad you like the twist, it's something which came to me a loooong time ago - when I was still watching Roswell on TV possibly, and wouldn't leave me alone. It was actually the storyline that started me writing Roswell fanfic (can you believe that? lol) and there's a lot further to go so I hope you continue to enjoy the ride :D As for the guest room - consider the possibility of Mr and Mrs Evans arriving back, sticking their head into Max's bedroom to check on their son and seeing a second body - can you say fireworks? I think whatever they would rather, this is a whole lot safer... Besides, they haven't actually slept together remember, and I'm not sure Liz would be comfortable in Max's room.
cjsl8ne - Another new reader, welcome and thanks for reading :). Glad you're enjoying the story, and whilst I'm not going to give anything away re the Evans, I will say this - this isn't one of those bed of roses pregnancy fics, it's not my style! Hope that won't put you off though...
Isabelle - no, no offscene packing, and very impulsive yes. But it was just how I saw it happening - she was virtually in bits, not sure that she would have had the composure to think rationally and go up to pack things, she just wanted to get out of there. I guess that Isabel can lend her a few things to put her on and do some 'adjustments' but as you say, of course that won't do forever. They'll work something out though I'm sure, and on another note, I agree with you, Mr and Mrs Parker do love Liz, they are only trying to do what they believe is best for her, but as we all know, parents ideas and children's don't always match up...
Flamehair - Thanks for reading, the understanding note and good wishes for my Uncle, I really appreciate them and I know he does to. He managed to keep his leg and recently moved into some new accomodation so the outlook is a lot better than it was this time last year. I hope you enjoy the new chapter
Janetfl - Thanks, I'm glad you enojoy the story. Tension seems to be my thing at the moment I'm afraid... As for Tess, she will come in later, I won't say any more than that at the moment.
angeleyes - Thank you so much.

Okay everyone, it's not the chapter hoped for, but I'm trying to slowly get myself back into my writing any way possible, and this story was a priority to get something out for. I've done my very best, edited and edited, and now I'm saying stop! Apologies if it doesn't meet expectations, but hopefully the next will be better. I just didn't want to leave you any longer after such a wait. My sincerest apologies and thanks for understanding.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

~Kat~


Chapter 9

“Night Izzy, and thanks…” Max turned and headed up the stairs away from his sister. His intention to sleep however, it seemed, was to go unrealised for the moment at least as less than ten minutes later his bedroom door banged open and an unexpected visitor entered without warning.

“Izzy, how many ti—“ Max broke off mid way through his tirade as he realised that it wasn’t his sister. His brow furrowed in surprise. “Michael, what are you doing here…?”

“I’ll give you a free guess Maxwell…” Michael scowled as he dropped down heavily onto the bed, bouncing on the mattress and dropping his head against the headboard.

Instantly the manner of the older of the boys became slightly less welcoming… “Liz and I are handling this Michael…”

“Yeah, and a real good job you’re doing of that…” His friend returned in a scathing tone, making it clear that he was less than impressed by any of this.

“I know this isn’t the ideal, but—“

“Ideal? Ideal? Maxwell you passed ideal way back when… This isn’t just not ideal, it’s a darrnright disaster!” Michael was in no mood for understatements it seemed and with every word, his voice rose a few notches in volume. “Are you officially crazy?”

“Michael!” Isabel and Maria joined the boys now and if looks could kill those the latter gave her boyfriend would have been murderous for sure.

“Look, what Liz and I do is our business, and yes, this is a mess, this is the last thing any of us want, but we are trying to make the best of it here and right now that means getting some sleep if you don’t mind…” Max;s tone was taut and he made no effort to hide his displeasure at the unexpected intrustion.

“Actually yeah, I do mind, I mind that you and your girlfriend don’t seem to think there is anything wrong with the amount of attention that you are drawing to us!” His friend was in no mood to back down or take a hint. “Don’t you get it Max, this is bad with a capital B and you had to make it even worse with tonight’s little fiasco!” The taller of the two boys fumed loudly.

“Of course I get this is bad Michael, but what was I supposed to do tonight, leave, let Mr and Mrs Parker force Liz into having an abortion, or leave her out on the street after they told her to leave…?” Max wasn’t usually one for shouting or even getting angry for that matter, but when he felt strong enough about something…

And as his friend was about to find out, this was one of those times…

*****

“You can’t do this!” Liz heard Michael’s thunder at Max from what sounded to be down the hallway, perhaps in one of the other bedrooms. Trembling, she curled up tigher under the covers hugging her legs to her chest as she lay in a foetal position. Drawing the blanket up over her head, her eyes closed, trying to block out the nightmare of an evening which had happened and attempted to fight back the floods of tears which seemed to come in a never ending stream.

“So tell me what other option we have…go on, if we’re handling this so badly why don’t you tell me how you would do it better?” Her boyfriend returned and she heard the floorboards creek as someone, she guessed at him, moved towards the stairs most likely heading for the bedroom she found herself in. “Exactly, you can’t! Ideal or not, the Parkers had to know and much as it might simplify things we couldn’t exactly have kept the baby hidden away in a bottom drawer you know…I believe said child might just have some objections…not many, but a few…”

The sound of the door opening never came however.

“This isn’t funny…” Michael’s angry voice boomed through the house and Max’s response which followed was no less vocal, the anger audiable in his tone as he responded now. “Who’s laughing?”

A muffled comment came from Isabel at this point, presumably scolding the boys, or perhaps reminding them that the girl who lay at the centre of the comments was likely to be sleeping because the argument seemed to take on a more muted tone when she was done and, in the relative calm that followed, Liz found herself slowly drifting in and out of an unexpectedly peaceful slumber.

The next thing she knew she was waking to the creak of the bedroom door as it swung open not to reveal Michael, or Max as might have seemed likely, but Maria. The curly haired blond seemed to hesitate, perhaps worried about disturbing her friend, but after a motion from the brunette to show that she was in fact awake, she moved quicklyfrom the doorway, closing the door firmly behind her as she moved over to the edge of the bed,. “Hey chica…”

“Hey Ria…” Liz turned and raised a hand in greeting, attempting to offer a weak smile.

“Do you want me to switch the light on…?” She pused a moment and gestured towards the switch but the words soon died in her mouth as she saw her friend shaking her head.

“It’s okay, I’m good… What are you doing here…you should be at home!” Liz stated in a falsely firm manner.

“Nonesence, after Isabel called there was no way I was going to stay home with you like this!” The blond dismissed her quickly with a shake of her head.

“I’m fine…”

“Well you don’t look it… “ Her friend had no compunction in stating.

The brunette gave a wry smile. “Thanks, you really know how to make a girl feel good about herself..” She attempted to joke but perhaps unsurprisingly the effort fell flat as her best friend considered to look on with eyes full of worry.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that…” Maria forced a smile but her tone grew more serious as she continued. “Seriously though, you look tired chica…have you managed to get some rest at all…?” She questioned softly with concern as she noted the unusually soft tone of her voice, her hand pushing back stray sections of hair from the other girl’s face in a caring manner.

Closing her eyes briefly in gratitude at the tender touches, Liz then shrugged non-commitedly, murmuring.. “I guess, a little…” It’s not really that clear, I think I’ve been fading in and out…” The admission came not without some reluctance, only too aware that Maria was already worrying and hating to give her further cause to do so.

“Oh Chica…” The blond sighed and shook her head, pausing a moment before joking gently with a weak smile. “Well from all that I’ve heard you’ve had an eventful evening…”

Her friend swallowed and turned over to look away, avoiding the gaze of the other girl for she knew if she looked at her, she would cry. “You could say that…” Her voice was tight with emotion as she buried her face in the pillow to muffle any further comment.

Maria looked at her for a moment, wracking her mind for something to say…something, anything that could make Liz smile. “You okay…?” She winced inwardly as soon as she asked the question. What a stupid thing to ask - Of course she wasn’t, anyone could see that…she just hated seeing her friend like this… Liz was supposed to be the collected one, the one who she could turn to in a crisis, who was in control and always knew what to do or say, not the one who fell apart…

Liz closed her eyes, hiding her face in the covers as she struggled to stifle a sob. “I’ve been better…” She stated in a stilted tone, still refusing to meet the eyes of her best friend..

“Oh Lizzie…” The other girl too was close to tears by this time as she leant forward, drawing the brunette up from the bed and into her arms. “Come here chica, it’ll be okay, we’ll work it out…”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so mad…I-I mean I knew they’d be upset b-b-but…” It was clearly a struggle to get the words out, as the girl fought to keep control of the sobs which threatened to take over her whole body.

Maria pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her friend as she shook her head. “Hey…hush…It’ll be okay… We’ll work it out okay…” The blond continued to rub her back in a reassuring manner, searching for something to say, in order to make things even the slightest bit better.

Liz however, wasn’t in the mood to accept the reassurances, having been hit full pelt by reality earlier in the evening. She shook her head sadly, pulling back from Maria’s embrace. “How can this be okay, even a little bit, how can this work out when it’s such a complete and utter…”

The brunette broke off at this point, unable to continue as she dissolved into tears, completely overwhelmed by the intensity of her distress. In the prevous weeks she had thought long and hard about what she was going to say, how the conversations which had taken place that day would go… But none of her contemplations had prepared her for the actual thing.

Despite knowing that it wasn’t likely, she supposed, subconsciously, she had been holding on to that tiny hope that her parents, although mad initially, would grow to understand and accept her decision, that they might even support it eventually. It would have taken time, of that she was certain, but she had hoped…

But now that hope had been destroyed, and with it, all semblance of the belief that things would be okay. She had tried to be strong, to take this in her stride, she had tried to believe that things would work out and to cling onto the positives of the situation, but now, simply put, she was done in!

Emotionally and physically exhausted, the teen collapsed in her best friend’s arms and barely even registered it as Maria’s arms were later replaced by those of her boyfriend as he slipped into the room and moved to her side.

Releasing her hold on her friend, Maria glanced over at Max, checking that he was okay with her, before standing up and slipping out of the room, giving the couple their privacy as she left them alone…

**********

“Mmmmm….” Liz’s eyelids fluttered and as she realised she was fully clothed a look of questioning passed over her eyes. It took a few moments for her to realise where she was as recollections of the evens of the evening same streaming back and she registered where she was. “Max…?” She opened her eyes and looked up to find his deep brown eyes staring right back at her

“Hey…” Her boyfriend gently smoothed her hair which his hand.

“W-what time is it…?” The brunette questioned as she lifted her head from its position on his lap and pulled herself into a more upright sitting position. The last thing she remembered was sitting there with him, she must have fallen asleep.

“A little after midnight…” Max supplied softly, his brown eyes fixed on her delicate frame as he watched her every move. “How are you feeling…?”

His reply came with a shrug of her shoulders and in tone which showed little conviction it seemed. “A little better…” She ran a hand through her hair, pushing the locks back from her face as she turned to look at him. “Sorry, I just…”

The look in those beautiful doe eyes was enough to make him weep. Max shook his head, pressing a finger to her lips as he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. “Don’t…you don’t need to apologise in the slightest…” He assured her in little more than a whisper as his hand reached for hers.

Feeling him squeeze her hand, his girlfriend offered a weak smile, squeezing it back in a show of affection. “I’ve kept you up though…” She protested softly, pausing a moment before continuing. “You should have woken me and told me to move, you must be completely stiff and utterly exhausted…”

“It’s fine…” Max repeated with a small smile and shake of his head. The latter part of what she was saying was true of course, but he would say quite honestly that it had nothing to do with having been sat for the last few hours watching over her whilst she slept.

In fact, the truth was that the time spent like that had been some of the most restful hours he had experienced in a long while… For who could fail to relax when they had such a beautiful angel asleep in their arms…?

But he was exhausted, there was no denying that… Everything that had happened was taking it’s toll on him just as it was his girlfriend though; how could it not…? This would affect and change the rest of their lives, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly, and however much he was told not to, the young man in question, in his mind, bore all the responsibility and blame for what had happened. Such feelings of guilt would be a heavy burden for anyone to bear, and the result was that he was both physically, and emotionally worn out…

He would never admit this to Liz of course. In his mind, as it went, she had enough to deal with thanks to him, without him adding his own worries... And so, he continued to mask the tiredness he felt, as he gently drew his girlfriend back into his arms, wrapping his arms around her in a protective, comforting manner and placing a kiss on her forehead. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for Lizzy…nothing…okay…”

The brunette raised her head to look up at him. She nodded after a moment, but wasn’t quite ready to give up. “You should get some rest though…” She insisted, offering reassurances that she would be fine.

“Max gave a slight smile and a nod, but wasn’t about to leave just yet… “Only if you get some too… Try and sleep some more okay, and if you need me, I’m right down the hallway…” He assured her softly as he cupped her face in his hands and leant over once more to kiss her once more, this time gently, on the lips. ‘Love you’… He mouthed the words silently.

“I will…” Liz couldn’t help smiling at his sweet gesture and comments, her hand lingering, declining to let go until a few more minutes than were necessary had passed as he rose to his feet now and she echoed his sentiments, mouthing the silent words

Max backed up towards the door, his eyes never leaving her as he lingered in the doorway. “Oh, Izzy put a t-shirt on the side for you to use if you want…” He gestured and commented as an afterthought, the item catching his eye just as he was about to leave.

“Thanks…” She smiled softly and nodded, rising from the bed as she padded over to the chest of drawers he had indicated, retrieving said garment from the top. The teenager clutched it to her breast briefly and looked over towards the door. “I’ll see you in the morning…”

He smiled and nodded. “Yeah…sleep well…”

“You too…” She watched as he slipped from her sight, closing the door behind him to leave her alone. Holding the shirt in her hand for another moment, she seemed to look right through it as the events of the evening flew through her mind. Raking a hand though her hair before enhaling deeply, she swallowed and turned away. Silent tears began to trace a path down her cheeks, her fingers moving slowly to unbutton her waistband and pull down the zip of her trousers as she began to get undressed.

**********

“Morning Max…” Isabel greeted him softly as she entered the kitchen to find him sat alone at the table. If she was surprised to find him there considering it wasn’t yet six, her tone didn’t let it show.

Her brother turned his head to look at her. “Oh hey Izzy… You’re up early…” He commented, raising a hand in greeting before gesturing towards the stove, offering. “Coffee’s just brewed if you want some…”

“Look who’s talking…” The tall blond raised her eyebrows in amusement. “I thought you’d still be fast asleep…” She continued as she crossed the floor and grabbed a cup from the drainer.

The smile on Max’s face faltered slightly. “I woke up, couldn’t get back to sleep…figured I might as well get up…” He responded in a matter-of-fact manner, nursing his own cup in his hands.

His sister filled her cup from the pot, added two spoonfuls of sugar and a squirt of tobasco sauce and then turned to watch him for a moment. She couldn’t help thinking there was a far-away look in his eyes, a look of weariness and exhaustion. The teen frowned and shook her head. “Did you get any sleep last night…?”

“A couple of hours…” Max waved away her query and tried to reverse the conversation. “How about you…?”

Isabel however, wasn’t to be manipulated. “I slept fine, but that has nothing to do with this…” She held his gaze for a moment with a long, serious stare. “Have you slept at all recently…?”

“What, oh sure…” Max nodded but not before a moment’s hesitation and that hesitation was not missed…

“Let me guess a couple of minutes here and there…?” His sister was not going to be palmed off on this occasion and she had a feeling she knew the answer…

After considering a moment on whether to try and buff it out, Max shrugged in resignation. “Something like that…” He admitted softly with a nod of his head. “It’s not that I don’t try you know, I just…I have so much on my mind, and my mind feels like it’s going a mile a minute…” He pushed back his chair and moved over to join her at the coffee pot, reaching to fill his cup once more.

“You’ve had enough of that!” A deliberately placed hand created an obstical and his sister’s words allowed no misunderstanding.

The teen frowned and tried to brush her out of the way. “Izzy quit it!”

“No! Max, don’t you get it! I know why you’re not sleeping, and it’s understandable, but you have to get it too, you have to rest…” She shook her head stubbornly.

“I have too much to think about, I-“

“You need to sleep! You need to rest!” Isabel’s stern expression soon softened into one of concern. As her brother was about to be reminded, when needed she could give as good as she got, and when she was determined about something there was no telling her no…

“You don’t get it! I have to much to work out, things to arrange, I can’t let Liz down…”

Isabel shook her head once more, her tone turning into a pleading one now as it took on an air of desperation and she tried a different tact. “Actually I do, I get it more than you would believe, but there’s something you need to get, and that’s that you are not going to be any good to anyone, whether it be Liz or anyone else, in this state!” She stated, giving ‘cruel to be kind’ a go. “You’re exhausted Max, completely worn out and done in… Go to bed, try and get some rest and we’ll work out the rest later…”

She smiled softly when done and placed a hand on his. “I know it’s not easy, but I’m not saying this to be bossy, be your pain of a sister.” The teen paused a moment to let her words sink in. “I’m worried about you Max, and I’m not alone in that… I know this is rough on you and there’s likely plenty still to go through and sort, but I think more than anything right now your body needs some sleep, so go and get that, and everything else can be dealt with later…”

Despite himself, Max smiled at his sister. “Thanks Izzy…”

She shook her head. “No need to be thankful Max, I’m your sister and your friend, and you and Liz have to remember, you’re not alone in this…” She pushed him towards the door gently, retrieving the cup from his hand. “Now, go, sleep, that’s an order!”

“What about Liz?” Her brother wasn’t quite ready to give in as he held his ground in the doorway to the kitchen.

“As you well know she’s not likely to be up for hours after the night you two had yesterday, but even if she does I’m sure she can manage for a few hours in my company without you!” Isabel responded, an edge of teasing returning to her voice as she stepped forward, apparently intending to forcibly remove him from the room if necessary it seemed.
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
User avatar
KatnotKath
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1130
Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:54 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Reality Revealed (M/L CC MATURE) Ch 9 27/12/08 [WIP]

Post by KatnotKath »

Hi guys!

Long time no see huh?

I'm so sorry to have let this fall into D & B. It wasn't my intention I promise. I had actually had it on my list of things to work on the week that it was pruned from the normal forum, I was intending on putting up an author's note and hopefully updating a couple of days later. I missed the date by which I was supposed to post by about two days though, and once it was in D&B, it was really difficult to find the motivation to work on it I have to admit so the other fics got priority instead. I know, I'm making excuses, but I really hate being this unreliable in posting. I just have so much going on at the moment,m at work and at home. I recently moved and am still trying to get settled in, and I'm doing crazy hours at work most weeks thanks to a really huge project I've been working on. My writing has been taking a major backseat, which is something I'm now trying to rectify.

So, I can't respond to feeback I'm afraid, because I don't have a copy of it, but I do thank anyone who was reading before, and who might read now. You guys, the readers, are what have kept me going on this without a doubt, so thanks.

This isn't compeltely the chapter I had in mind, but it's close. My original draft had a further scene but I wrote this out in one stint last night (I really couldn't believe it), and somehow I just thought it should end as it does. Maybe I'll put the next scene in the next chapeter, maybe not. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy the story. And just for your information and to cover myself, I haven't had one of these appoointments myself so I'm hoping it's remotely realistic and acceptable lol.

And I'm done babbling now, I promise. Hope you all enjoy the new chapter, I'd love to hear what you think.


Kat





Chapter 10

“Miss Parker?” A slightly too perky receptionist read the next name off her list and looked out into the waiting room.

“You ready for this…?” Max glanced over at his girlfriend with a squeeze of her hand.

The brunette swallowed and took in their surroundings in silence for a moment before giving a stiff nod as they moved forward. The adverts showing pregnant women’s bellies and birth control all seemed too bright and ‘loud’. The walls of the small surgery felt almost as though they were closing in on her and for the first time in her life she could almost say she felt claustrophobic.

Sensing her distress, Max wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they continued along the corridor indicated, tightening his hold around her small frame as he wracked his brains for something to say. Afterall, it wasn’t as though he didn’t share her feelings…

Of course some of the rest of the group, well one particular member actually, had been even more vocal about his dislike of the decision to consult a doctor. Michael had in fact used some very colourful language if he remembered rightly as he tried to dissuade them from this course of action.

Which was understandable, Max admitted, but it wasn’t as though they had considered this carefully. So far, from what they could gather things seemed normal – but that wasn’t to say that they would stay that way. It was a risk, and a big one at that he admitted, but the fact was that he didn’t have the necessary knowledge to deal with this alone and he wasn’t about to put Liz and the baby in danger because he might not recognise when something was wrong!

So, against the wishes of his friend, they had made this appointment and here they were…

His gaze dropped once more to the silky haired brunette next to him as they paused in front of a door. This was it… He reached out towards the handle.

“W-wait…” Liz whispered softly, her hand coming to rest on his as she drew it away again. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and doleful as her upper lip trembled. It didn’t take a genius to see that she was scared.

“It’s going to be okay…” Her boyfriend squeezed her hand again, more tightly this time, attempting to provide the reassurance she so needed even as he ignored the pounding in his own heart. “I promise Liz…it’ll be fine…” With these words, he held her gaze for a few more moments before again reaching towards the door.

This time, she made no move to stop him and they entered the room quickly to be greeted by a slightly chubby but pleasant enough looking white coated doctor. “Miss Parker…?” He stepped forward, extending a hand towards her in greeting. “I’m Dr Linden”

“Yes…” Swallowing hard, Liz forced herself to answer as she shook his hand. “This is m-y boyfriend Max Evans…” She began to fidget with the hand Max held after a moment, her gaze not quite meeting that of the doctor.

Perhaps sensing her reluctance, the doctor nodded, offering another smile before extending his hand towards Max in turn. “Nice to meet you both…” He paused, allowing the teen another few moments to collect herself before moving on as he gestured towards the examination bed. “Alright then, lets get started… Would you like to take a seat Miss Parker…”

“It’s Liz…” She gave a weak smile as she moved across the room, one hand still holding tightly onto Max’s.

“Alright Liz, I’ll remember that…” Jed Linden smiled back as he picked up an examination pad and approached them. “Okay…now I understand that some of these questions might seem a little embaressing for you, but I assure you they’re quite routine and there’s nothing to worry about…” His tone was soft and manner calming as he did his best to put the young couple at ease.

“Okay…thanks…” Liz swallowed once more as she boosted herself up onto the bed, her legs swinging back and forth in a slightly nervous manner as she waited for him to continue.

The doctor studied his papers for a moment “Alright, so I just need to check a couple of details here first of all… “ He explained before going on. “Your full name is Elizabeth Claudia Parker…?”

He waited for her to nod and then continued. “And you’re eighteen…?”

“Yes…”

Max couldn’t help note how small her voice sounded at that moment in time and his heart went out to her, wanting more than anything to spare her from what was obviously quite an ordeal.

Dr Linden nodded. “Uhuh… Can I ask when you had your last period?”

“About two months ago…” Liz felt her cheeks flush as she responded, her gaze dropping low as she fought to avoid the eyes of both her boyfriend and the doctor. Oh wouldn’t she like the earth to just open up and swallow her right at that moment in time… She couldn’t think of a time when she had been so embaressed…

And it was set to get worse. “You’re sexually active?”

Even thought she had known the question was coming, it still caused Liz to start, her skin burning now as she tried to ignore the feeling of mortification which she was experiencing at that moment.

If it made it any better, Max too was clearly embaressed, as shown by the shade of beetroot that his ears were turning as he tried to look at anything but the two other occupants in the room.

“I’ll take that as a yes…” Jed gave a small smile as he noted something down and then moved swiftly on. “Alright, so I understand that you believe you may be pregnant…?”

Another nod.

“I’m assuming you have seen a gynocologist before?” He glanced from Liz to Max. “Well, I assume she has anyway…”

His attempt at levity fell somewhat short of the mark, but it did seem to cut the tension in the room somewhat and he was relieved to see the young couple noticeably untense a few notches. “I’m sorry if you’re finding this difficult, but I just need to make sure I have all the correct details okay?” He made another attempt to ease their concerns as he continued after a nod from the teens. “Okay, Liz, if you could lie down a moment I can see about taking a little look here…”

Not without some amount of reluctance, Liz swung her legs up onto the bed and lowered her head against the flat, lumpy pillow. The blood pounded loudly in her ears for a moment before settling back into the background as she forced herself to focus once more on the guy above her.

“That’s great…see, no need to worry…” The doctor offered constant words of encouragement as he moved closer, first lifting her top to touch her tummy in a few places, making a couple of notes, and then proceeding to lower down making sure to let her know what he was doing at all times. “I just need to get a bit better look…can you spread your legs a little more…?”

Max averted his eyes during the examination, not only for the sake of his embaressment but that of his girlfriend too. This was rather…private…

In fact, he had been about to suggest waiting outside at first, but one look at Liz had told him what her answer would be and instead he stayed at her side, hand held tightly throughout it all as he tried to think about anything except the examination currently going on.

“Alright, this might be a little cold…” Even as the warning ended there came a shudder from his girlfriend as her grip on his hand tightened. Max automatically glanced over briefly before averting his eyes once more., his ears turning an even deeper shade of pink if that were possible.

“That’s a good girl…you’re doing really great here Liz! Don’t you think so Max?” Dr Linden grinned wryly at the look on the young man’s face. He was impressed that he had stuck it out so long to be honest, plenty of older guys would already have bailed he was sure. “Okay, just a few more seconds Liz…that’s lovely…super… And….done…” He moved back to allow her a few moments to straighten her clothes and such as he added a few more notes to his pad.

Smoothing down her skirt, Liz sat up thankfully as she turned to face the doctor once more, smiling gratefully at her boyfriend, threading her fingers through his and squeezing his hand tightly as they waited for him to continue. She was so thankful he had been there…as bad as it was, it would have been ten times worse alone she was sure.

“Alright Liz just a couple more questions, then I’ll take a blood test to confirm the pregnancy and we’re done okay?” The doctor told them with a smile, adding briefly. “You guys are both doing great, you know that?”

His response was a couple of weak smiles and he pressed on, aware of their discomfort. “Okay, so I hate to have to ask this, but did you two use any protection?”

“Y-yes….I did…” Max stammered awkwardly, trying to take a bit of the heat away from his girlfriend on this occasion.

“You’re not on the pill Liz?” Much as he hated to press her, he needed to have these details clear.

“No…we-el…yes…but I—“ The brunette closed her eyes, biting down on her lip as she thought about how this must sound. “I-I was on it…not for contraceptive reasons but for regularity and flow...” She cringed, aware how uncomfortable this must be for Max. “I sometimes forget to take them though…and it wasn’t as though we planned it…”

Dr Linden pretended not to notice the mortified look in her eyes as she trailed off as he continued to put forward a professional face. “Okay…and are either of you likely to need to be tested f—“

“NO!” Max jumped in instantly as he realised what was coming, his head shaking firmly to allow no room for misunderstandings.

“Alright Max… I’m sorry to have had to ask those questions but we just need to be sure… We need to know whether to watch out for complications and such I’m sure you understand…” Jed tried to smooth things over with the couple even as he reached over to grab the things he needed to take the sample.

And a few minutes later, it was all over. “Okay, well as far as I can see everything looks normal at the moment. Assuming that the test comes back positive, which I think you’re right and it will, I’d like you to make another appointment to come and see me in a month’s time. We’ll do a scan then to confirm how things are going and help set due dates and such.” He paused a moment, realising something had to be checked. “This is all of course if you’re wanting to continue with the pregnancy…?”

“We are!” The young couple made no hesitation as they answered together, each with a nod and a smile, their earlier nerves finally beginning to subside with the end of the embaressing questions it seemed.

He smiled and then nodded. “Alright then, well I guess I will see you guys in a months time…” He held out his hand to them both in turn once more. “Congratulations…”

His words were rewarded by matching smiles from the young couple as they shook the hand he offered. “Thanks…And thank you for fitting us in at such short notice…” Liz commented, torn as to whether to say more or not. It wasn’t really necessary, and yet… “My normal doctor is a friend of the family…and my parents aren’t exactly thrilled about this…” She shrugged awakwardly.

Jed waved away her explanation. “Not at all, and don’t feel you have to explain, it’s my job and I’m only happy to be able to help.” He paused briefly before adding. “It may be none of my business, but you two both seem like good kids and I’m sure you’re parents will come around…just give them a little time… He smiled again and nodded. “If you ask to make another appointment as you leave, I’ll contact you with the results of the test in a couple of days and if it’s not necessary you can just cancel it okay?” Crossing the room, he opened the door for them. “You two have a nice day…”

The two nodded their thanks once more, turning back towards him again before heading out the door and down the corridor.

The new appointment didn’t take long to set up and a few moments later saw Max and Liz sat in the jeep which was parked opposite the surgery.

“Max…” Liz broke the brief silence which had fallen over the vehicle.

He turned to look at her pausing in his intention to start the engine. “Yeah?”

“Are you sure we should have done this?” She ganced down at her currently flat stomach and then back at him. “I mean what if the tests come back with unusual results…they mig—“

“Look, your blood and cells are as normal as they were before according to the samples we’ve taken ourselves…” Max placed his hand over hers in a reassuring manner. “It’s a risk, yes, but I think it’s a bigger risk that something could go wrong and I wouldn’t know about it and I’d never forgive myself if that happened!” He placed his second hand over her stomach with a smile. “I’m not going to let anything happen to either of you…I promise!”

The brunette looked unconvinced at first, but she couldn’t deny the truth in his words. He wasn’t trying to scare her she knew, but the truth was that lots could go wrong, not because of alien complications or anything like that, but quite simply because they were teenagers, because she was young and small and her body hadn’t yet finished developing. All of those things had the potential to cause issues, and Max was right, they weren’t equipt to deal with that. And they had done some tests of their own at least… The frown on her face began to falter as he continued, drawing strength and reassurance from his words and touch. “I love you Max Evans…”

Her boyfriend grinned as he looked down at her, cupping her chin in his hand as his lips decended on hers. “And I love you Liz Parker. I always have and always will, and I’ll always be there for you, for both of you…I promise…”

As he finished, their lips came crashing together with a sudden sense of need and desire as the young couple wrapped their arms around one another, their embrace so intricate that it almost seemed as though they were merging into a single being, their lips dancing over one another for what seemed for a long moment to be a never-ending kiss.
My fics:

Dreams and Reality
Reality Revealed
Family Connections
When Love and Loss Collide
When Friendship and Love Combine - New!
If Only...
The Important Thing
Home for Christmas
I Knew Him Before (PB fic)
Love Always...
The First Time Around - New!
Locked