Falling (AU, M/L Teen) Complete

Finished stories set in an alternate universe to that introduced in the show, or which alter events from the show significantly, but which include the Roswell characters. Aliens play a role in these fics. All complete stories on the main AU with Aliens board will eventually be moved here.

Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Hunter, Island Breeze, Forum Moderators

User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/10/2010

Post by greywolf »

Vickie was one of only three female law enforcement officers in Lincoln County so she'd done more than her share of interviewing young girls who have been physically assaulted. Oftentimes – particularly if it was violent – they had a difficult time dealing with male officers which was why she volunteered to assist even when she wasn't on duty. In fairness, Lincoln probably had less than it's 'fair' share of forceful rapes – at least in comparison to the big city – but even here sexual exploitation of a different sort was not uncommon – and it was harder to prosecute. A significant percentage of the young girls who were sexually exploited had self-esteem issues. Some guys just seemed to sense that in these girls – to prey upon their absence of self-worth. It wasn't strictly speaking forcible coercion – but it was coercion nonetheless. The guy would push them for sexual favors and these girls – oftentimes with weak egos and poor support networks of friends or family – would give in. They would let the guy do what he wanted as the price for what little affection they could convince themselves they were getting from the boy. If not technically rape, it was little better – and these latter girls were some of the hardest to counsel. It was almost as if they believed they deserved to be exploited.

As they readied themselves to enter the cabin, Vickie wondered which situation was going on inside. Certainly the girl – Liz Parker – was not emotionally mature enough for any such relationship, and the record of the boy – physical assault and especially escape from custody – damn few young teenagers were able to do that – suggested that he was a very assertive young man who might well have pressured this young girl into doing something she wasn't ready for – even if he hadn't physically forced her. His connection to a homicide years ago was – very disturbing.
'What kind of a ten year-old kid commits a homicide – even if it is justifiable?'

At the academy they'd emphasized a couple of things. Physically, it wasn't all that difficult to kill someone. Emotionally, it was. Much of their training and several seminars had been devoted to the use of lethal violence. Most homicide deaths occur in a fit of anger – simply because people capable of cold-blooded killing were so very rare. Except for a few sociopaths, even hardened criminals shrink from killing another human being. Even when the person had it coming – even police killing perpetrators in self-defense – it was hard and a lot of law enforcement people required some serious counseling even in justifiable homicides. Just how a ten year-old kid had brought himself to do that – unless he was a sociopath, Vickie wasn't sure.

What she was sure was that there was serious risk in this bust – and he was right to get back-up. The fact that she might be able to help with Liz Parker's emotional state afterwards was perhaps an added bonus. But Vickie knew she couldn't think of that right now. The building entry was the most dangerous part of any arrest and they were at the door now. She saw Cole look at her and mouth the question, “Ready?” She nodded – her firearm at the ready- and as he ducked in the door he went in behind him – her going left as he went right.

“Police Officer – freeze right where you are...”

Vickie quickly scanned the rest of the cabin. There was just one other room – a small bathroom/shower area with an open door that showed it empty. After verifying the absence of other threats she turned her attention back to the bed – where there appeared to be a sexual assault in progress.

“Let me see your hands...,” shouted Cole.

Vickie had a different perspective than Cole. Cole was standing at the foot of the bed – she could see the faces of the two in it. That's when her opinion started to change. She could see the uncertainty in the boy's face as he suddenly considered the physics of that request. It was a sort of deer-in-the-headlights sort of look as the girl put her hands in the air – above her head – and he realized that were he to do the same thing the entire unsupported weight of his torso would be lying on top of hers. The look was a mixture of uncertainty – embarrassment – and as his eyes looked at the girl pleadingly – concern.

The look on the girl's face, however, was one of grinning amusement as she seemed to sense the thoughts that appeared to play themselves out across the boy's face. As he reluctantly raised his hands – while supporting as much of his weight as possible on his elbows – his eyes widened with concern as his weight compressed her breasts and forced the girl harder against the mattress. The girl – on the other hand – the girl's face went from amusement to a gentle smile and a deep sigh as the skin to skin contact increased in amount and intensity.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cole – realizing what had happened when the boy had raised his hands his face had taken on a deer-in-the-headlights look not altogether unlike that of the young man in the bed – no doubt figuring he was aiding and abetting an assault.

“OK, you …. keep your hands in the air and roll off her – RIGHT NOW! Are you alright Miss?”

Vickie saw the look on her face – this young Miss Elizabeth Parker – just that one fraction of a second of remorse at the parting before the resignation had set in.

“I'm fine officer, said Liz.

"You - slowly slide out of the bed and on to the floor - keeping your hands visible at all times," said the officer.

Vickie could tell from the tone that Cole was embarrassed – embarassed that he'd put that young girl through that – not that the young lady seemed to have minded it in the least.

"Liz wasn't expecting company. I'll go quietly, but you need to step out and give her a chance to get dressed," said Max.

The change in the young man's face had been like night and day. He'd gone from embarrassment and uncertainty to protectiveness -the only common denominator being his concern for the girl.

"THAT is not going to happen," said Cole. Vickie knew that was the book response – the one they had been taught – but in this case she also knew it was the wrong tack to take. There was no uncertainty in the boy's face now at all. Their was no yielding in what he was demanding – which at face value wasn't a particularly unreasonable demand at all. Unfortunately Vickie knew where this was headed – she'd seen any number of male officers get into an I'm-more-macho-than-you Alpha male contest over something like this, and with the book to back them up, no one would blame them - and with his recent run-in with the internal review board, she had no doubt that Cole would do everything by the book. She mentally shook her head, waiting to see the escalation start and wondering just how bad it would get. This situation could fall apart very quickly.

But Cole just shook his head – and then sighed in resignation.

"Vickie, please come in here and take care of the young lady. This gentleman is going to let me handcuff him and take him out to the patrol car while you check her out and let her get dressed."

"You aren't going to make him go outside half-naked?" demanded Liz.

Vickie choked back a chuckle when she saw the possessive look on the girls face – then almost lost it again when she saw the flustered look on Cole's face.

"I suppose not. You there - toss your clothes over here - keep your hands visible while I check them. If they are OK I'll give them back to you and you can get dressed. Then we'll handcuff you and get you out in the patrol car.”

Vickie watched Cole quickly feel the pockets of the young mans's clothes making sure there were no weapons in them – and then tossed them back to him. He hurriedly dressed and lay on the floor. Cole handcuffed him – under the watchful eyes of Liz Parker – then helped him to his feet and took him outside.

When the door closed, Liz Parker looked at Vickie.

“Is it OK if I get up?”

“Slowly, with your hands held high, please.”

Liz Parker let her feet slip off the mattress and using one elbow brought herself to a sitting position. In doing so the sheet slipped to the floor. It was obvious the young lady didn't have a weapon. She was wearing nothing but her panties and what appeared to be three or four hickies on her breasts. As Vickie's eyes took in the bruising, the girl's eyes twinkled and she bent her head slightly to the side – with a look that bespoke of something midway between embarrassment and amusement.

“I think it's pretty obvious what's been going on. Was force involved? We can take you to a medical facility – get you examined – get you the morning after pill if you need it.”

“Force? No. I had to give Max quite a bit of encouragement at first – he's always been sort of shy – but I certainly didn't force him. And once we got past the first part he certainly was doing his fair share. Of course, our parents are going to go ballistic – but I don't care. This has been the best week of my life – and I don't need a clinic. I don't think I'm that close to my fertile period.”

“I'm sorry, but I think you are a little young for this sort of activity – even if it was consensual,” said Vickie, trying to temper her disapproval with the professional non-judgmental attitude she'd been trained to use. “Going to a clinic for an examination – perhaps some testing for sexually transmitted diseases – I think that might be a good idea. Post coital contraception still might be a good idea. I know some teen moms – it isn't all that glamorous.”

“I told you no. Even if I was pregnant – I wouldn't do that to Max's child. As for sexually transmitted diseases – he was a virgin and so was I. It's not like either of us had anything for me to catch.”

“Liz, I'm sure that this seems – well, very grown up and everything to you now, but there is a reason that society does its best to convince young ladies to not become sexually active until later in life. That's why they make the age of consent in this state seventeen years. Now since you and Max aren't more than four years of age difference nobody i8s going to prosecute you – but that still doesn't make you deciding to have sex with Max a smart thing to do, and I think if you were more mature you'd realize that – and realize that you should be checked over.”

“Society is going to tell me what is and isn't a smart thing to do, Officer Benning?” asked Liz, reading Vickie's name off of her nameplate. “Is this the same 'society' that paroled a child rapist – the one who kidnapped me? For five minutes as this person who had 'paid his debt to society' had me captive he explained to me in great detail what he was going to do to me – I have nightmares about that still. But the worst nightmares weren't those – they were about Max on a mountain bike throwing his body at that man – both of them tumbling over a cliff – thinking that Max would have died for me – and I never even showed him how much I cared for him. Or last week in Colorado when someone drugged me – Max saved me again from being raped and from being killed – and society made a plea bargain with the guy who did that to give him three years – IS THAT the society that is trying to tell me what is smart and what isn't, Officer Benning, because I have little trust in that society and quite al ot in my love for Max.”

Vickie recoiled from the intensity of the girl's eyes – they seemed to bore into her soul. She blinked several times and started to reply,” ...I didn't say that society was perfect, Miss Parker..,”

“Now that's funny, do you know that my teachers have always called me the ' perfect Miss Parker,' ever since first grade..? They called Max 'emotionally immature,' when they were being kind, 'socially retarded,' when they weren't. But they didn't notice that Max was always there when I needed him – always looked after me even when I didn't treat him all that well, he kept the bullies away and kept me from harm most of my childhood and never asked for a thing in return other than to be my friend. He was a better person than I was – a better human being than I was – and society didn't even know - let alone care. Well I care, Officer Benning. You may doubt my love for Max or his love for me – but I know that both are real,”

Liz Parker looked at the closed door where she could here Cole reading Max his rights, and smiled.

“I think your friend out there is sort of like Max – he was a little flustered – maybe not the most suave guy around – probably a little shy even – but someone you can count on to be there when you need him. After this week, Max knows he can count on me to be there for him no matter what things life throws at us, and I know he'll be there for me – but then he always has been....”

Five minutes later, Cole brought the patrol car up beside the cabin with Max in the back. Vickie quickly loaded Liz in the back – next to Max.

“Is she going to be alright in there with him? I mean - ...”

“She'll be fine. It doesn't sound like Max would ever do anything to hurt her and – well, right now she's promised to be on her good behavior.”

“Her good behavior?”

“Yeah, well this week in the woods turns out to be less Max's idea than Liz's.... I'll follow you in to the station in the pickup and we can finish up the paperwork there, OK?”

“Great, Vickie. Thanks for your help with this.”

“Anytime... Say Cole...”

“Yes?”

“There is a movie coming to Mescalero Saturday that I'd really like to see. You on duty that night?”

“N-n-no...” he said, trying not to stutter on a two letter one syllable word, “... would you like some company?”

“That'd be nice..”

“How about dinner beforehand?”

“Yeah – I think that would be great.”

'Maybe,'
Vickie thought, '...Liz Parker is right. Maybe the shy ones are the hidden treasures...'
Last edited by greywolf on Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/12/2010

Post by greywolf »

It was 9:30AM in Carrizoza NM and Robert Hamilton was leaving the Lincoln County Sheriff's department to talk to the Honorable Jeramiah Parsons, presiding, the Twelfth Judicial District Court. It wasn't just that the Sheriff's office had called him first – only fair since he had given them the tip – but Holloman AFB was an hour closer to the Sheriff's office than was Roswell. That's why, despite the fact that two sets of frantic and joyous parents were still enroute, while Mr. Hamilton had already interviewed the two teenagers. Not about their week in Pine Lodge – that was important only in that it solved the question of where the heck the bodies went – they hadn't been there to begin with – no, what the NTSB wanted to know was about what Max and Liz had seen on the aircraft and the circumstances under which they had left the aircraft back in Albuquerque.

Strictly speaking, the NTSB had no particular interest in Judge Parsons at all – but when the only judge in the county asks you to stop by to talk to him – and the message is passed by the county sheriff – stopping by to talk to him actually becomes a pretty high priority issue in Lincoln County. It was that sort of a county.

Judge Parsons was actually only 63 years old, but he'd lived his entire life in the Southwest. Between the sun and wind and winter snow, his wrinkled skin had taken on the appearance of tanned leather over the decades. He might have easily passed for eighty. He met Bob Hamilton at the door and quickly ushered him in to his chambers.

“Mr. Hamilton – glad to meet you, sir. Have a seat.”

“Uh – thank you Judge. If you don't mind me asking you...”

“Why did I ask that you come see me? The answer to that is simple, Mr. Hamilton. Within the hour the parents of those two youngsters will be here to see them, and I'll be making the decision about giving them bail, just releasing them to their parents, releasing them on their own recognizance – although that seems a little unlikely – or just keeping them in custody. I'm not really inclined to do the latter either, unless I hear something from you that I'm not expecting to hear.”

“Something from me?”

“Yes. After reading the arresting officer's reports and talking to both of the arresting officers, well, it's an unusual sort of case. In fact if those young people are telling the truth – and we certainly can't disprove anything they say as of yet, they were sort of dumped off in Pine Lodge by the driver of the car that picked them up as they hitch-hiked out of Albuquerque. Dumped in Pine Lodge in the middle of the night – in that impressive thunderstorm – they needed shelter and broke in to that cabin out of necessity. They claim they tried to call out several times from that pay phone but that the lines were down – and the telephone company confirms that there were some outages there. Whether or not they were sufficiently – aggressive – abut getting to the phone once service had been e-established – there I have my doubts. They seem to have found more interesting activities than trying to call their parents – at least the last couple days they were up there. But overall, my inclination is to speak to them sternly about their actions – insist that they make restitution with their own earnings for the food they consumed – and pay a rental fee of $45 per day for the use of the cabin – and release them to their parents. Before I did that, however, I wanted to consult with you and make sure that they had no culpability in the plane crash itself.”

“No, Judge. Nothing about the crash was their fault. While I would appreciate you keeping it to yourself until the final report is published, I can give you enough information to understand that Miss Parker and Mr. Evans did nothing wrong. As best we can reconstruct – the copilot made some ill-advised changes in the seating to enable them to safely carry more baggage than would fit in the baggage compartment. He failed to resecure the seats, however. Two teenagers. Those things we knew before interviewing the According to Miss Parker and Mr. Evans, they tried to explain that their seats were loose and got told to shut up and sit down by the copilot. Complaining to the pilot, they were told to shut up and sit down or leave – or they would be charged with interfering with an aircrew member – which as I'm sure you know is a federal offense. What the two of them didn't know was that the pilot had apparently brought some illegal firearms on board – which explained his reluctance to let the maintenance people back on board to check the seats I suppose. Had the two complied with his demand to sit down – well, if not for the thunderstorm likely nothing would have happened. The seats would have stayed in their track by gravity – and the pilot could likely have secured them properly once they got to Roswell. Fortunately for the two kids they got off – or else they would have wound up sucked out of the aircraft along with the loose seats after the midair collision opened up a hole in the fuselage.”

“So what you are saying is that – had they taken the only other course of action open to them – they would have wound up dead.”

“Well, I suppose they could have gone to the gate – complained to the agent.... I doubt that would have been very effective though. The pilot was one of the more senior pilots on the line. The kids were afraid they would have just gotten themselves in trouble, and I can't honestly say that I know that wouldn't have happened. Certainly, if I'd been their parents I would have rather they gave me a call to come to Albuquerque rather than hitch-hiking. It might have saved us a few hundred man-hours searching for their bodies while they were safely tucked away in that cabin.”

“I'm not sure the parents will be as understanding about them being 'tucked away in that cabin' for a week, but it does leave me in a peculiar position. I can hardly criticize them for leaving the aircraft rather than staying in it and dying now, can I?”

“I wouldn't think so, Judge, no...”


“Would you want any charges brought against them for not calling in sooner? I'm reasonably sure that they could have gotten a call through a day or two sooner than they did – had they not been otherwise occupied.”

Hamilton shook his head. “Your honor, there were so many screw-ups involved in this on the part of the pilot and copilot – to try to hold two teenagers who were only passengers responsible for any of this??? Lord, there is more than enough blame to go around over this without involving those two at all.”

“Well, thank you for your information Mr. Hamilton – that's a help for sure.”

“Judge, I know it's none of my business, but what are you planning on doing with them?”

“Well, as I told you, I'm inclined to just hold them accountable for restitution as far as the breaking and entering are concerned. I talked to the owner of the cabin – he says there really wasn't anything in the cabin of value. The fact that they spent a week their together – that's something I'm going to have to talk to the youngsters about with there parents present. I rather imagine that will be an unpleasant experience for all six of them.”
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/12/2010 (2)

Post by greywolf »

It was 10:15 AM at the Twelfth District Court and the Honorable Jeramiah Parsons was about to go dispense justice – Old West style – on a couple of city kids from Roswell. The clerk had informed him that the parents of both of the youngsters had arrived and he had already instructed the bailiff to bring the two teenagers from the Sheriff's office to the courthouse. He was a little surprised – and pleased – to see that Ranger and Law Enforcement Specialist Vickie Benning was accompanying them. Judge Parsons motioned for the bailiff to take the two into the courtroom and wait for him. The parents were already there.

Judge Parsons liked Officer Vickie Benning – her volunteer efforts at counseling had helped a lot of the abused and exploited young women in the county – and her testimony about this particular case had been most helpful indeed. Judge Parsons, frankly, was an old fashioned sort of guy and his immediate inclination had been to hold the Evans kid responsible for the actions that no doubt had occurred in that cabin. Vickie's discussion with him had gone far toward convincing him that Miss Elizabeth Parker shared at least equal culpability – if not more. Of course, other than the breaking and entering and consumption of foodstuffs the justice system had very little it could prosecute these young teenagers for – the sexual assault laws of the state were pretty plain about that. The state of New Mexico was willing to come down hard on an older person – or someone in a position of authority over another – seducing or intimidating the junior person into intimacy. It was far more reticent to brand a couple of young kids playing doctor as sex offenders. Absent a difference in age – and the implied maturity – , or the use of physical force it was relatively hard to determine who was victim and who was victimizer. Of course, this case was far more than that. Nonetheless, these two – especially the young Miss Parker – were clearly out of control.

The judge, of course, had a way to handle that. If he declared the two to be delinquents under New Mexico Code, they could be made wards of the court for disciplinary purposes. Although they would continue to live with their parents, that would be contingent on them keeping in their parole officer's good graces and ultimately his good graces. He could – through the terms of their release - specify that they attend
separate schools – not be allowed to date. He would have – in effect – all of the control that their parents would normally have – except in his case enforceable by the actions of the police and the parole officer. If the parents could not – or would not – rein these two in, he certainly would do that. At least that was his plan. But it was obvious that young Officer Benning wanted to talk to him again first, and he respected her opinion so the kids and their parents would just have to wait a few minutes.


He motioned her in to his chambers.

“So, Officer Benning, I take it you have been doing that research you were talking about?”

“Yes, your honor. I contacted the arresting officer on the charges in deferred adjudication on Max Evans.”

“Was Miss Parker telling you the truth?”

Vickie Benning sighed and shook her head in the affirmative. It turns out what she was telling me wasn't even the half of it, your honor. I spoke to Officer Jim Blair and – well, he basically said that he screwed up. The story – when he finally got it – was that apparently Liz Parker was at a dance – somebody drugged her with GABA.”

Judge Parsons grimaced with distaste, shaking his head. He'd seen a case or two where the drug had been used. His personal opinion was that anybody caught with the drug in their possession ought to be horse-whipped, although the laws of the state of New Mexico of course didn't allow such a thing.

“Go on....” he told Vickie, already not liking where this story was going. If the Parker girl had been drugged and raped last week – well perhaps intensive counseling was going to be needed. He'd seen it happen before – rape victims so devastated that their sense of self-worth was entirely gone and they retreated from all social interaction. Of course, that sure didn't square with the girl being the aggressor in this case. This problem was way too much social interaction.

“Well, it started as an argument with Max. He didn't trust this guy and she danced with him anyway – then disappeared from the dance floor. Max apparently went looking for her. He got panicky when he couldn't find her – ran from floor to floor – implored women to check the womens restrooms and shower areas for her – and finally he pulled the fire alarm.

Despite being drugged, Liz had somehow been resisting her assailant. The guy eventually slugged her and started pouring tequila down her throat to get her under control. He must have been at least partially successful because he had most of her clothes off. Then the fire alarm rang. Officer Blair thinks that at that time the guy made a conscious decision to kill her. They can't prove it it was forced and of course she didn't remember, but somehow her belly was bruised like she'd been hit and a fifth of tequila got poured in to her.”

“I'm not surprised she can't remember it – I'm rather surprised she survived that combination.”

“Well, that's because Max found her. She had probably stopped breathing and he started giving her mouth-to-mouth. Officer Blair came by and found Max with his lips locked on this young comatose half naked girl and Blair ordered him off her. Max apparently was too panicky about her condition – he tried to explain – Blair admits he didn't believe him – anyway Max got stun-gunned – multiple times. Blair still feels like hell about that – but anyway once Max was unable to resist it became obvious that Liz wasn't breathing. Fortunately there were fire department guys and EMTs there because of the false alarm. Anyway, that's how Max wound up with the sexual assault booking – that's been dropped by the way – also how he wound up in the jail ward. The last stun-gun shots were to the base of his skull – Blair said the kid just wouldn't go down. He wound up unconscious and pretty out of it even after he woke up – but not out of it enough to keep him from escaping from the jail ward – climbed out an air vent – and find the guy who attacked Liz. That's the only really frightening thing about Max...”

“In what way?”

“Well, Blair said he was just taking the guy apart. The other kid was bigger – older – and Max was still impaired from his previous stunning. None of that mattered. Blair was pretty certain that if he hadn't gotten there in time he'd have killed the guy. As it was, Blair had to stun him again.”

“A second time?”

“Apparently more like fifth or sixth – the kid doesn't go down easily according to Blair. But Max had pointed them to the right guy – and even though Liz didn't remember doing it, she had about a half gram of the guys skin under her fingernails. They checked his gear and found some of the drug – but then the feds and the Colorado AGs office got involved and cut the kid a deal for giving up all of his local distributors. Three years – two in juvey.”

“Well, it's plain to see where Miss Parker might feel her cynicism about the justice system is justified. It's all well and good to speak about the greater good for the public at large when you aren't the victim of the crime that is being bartered away. But why do you say the young man is frightening?”

“Well, as Blair described it – it had to do with the boys intensity. He talked to the chaperones and – well it's just dort of strange. The boy really has been shy – not antisocial really – more just asocial. He comes across as intelligent but shy. Liz Parker was always one of his few friends, and everyone sort of thought that she was just looking out for him – sort of her personal charity case. But the girl seems to get herself in a lot of trouble – no that's not fair either – maybe it would be better to say that she's just a trouble magnet. Remember that Little Abner. character – the one who carried his own storm cloud around with him? Something like that.

She has always been quite the prim and proper – well, according to Blair her science teacher called her the teacher's pet in every class she was ever in. The 'perfect Miss Parker' they call her. But anytime one of these disasters strikes, Max somehow is there to bail her out and it's like he is a completely different person. I saw something of that – I think – during the arrest. It's like he's some sort of a multiple personality. Shy and retiring until Liz is threatened – then determined and even deadly. What that young girl said about her kidnapping - about the justifiable homicide - apparently that was true. Blair checked it with the Roswell sheriff's office. He was willing to throw himself off a cliff to take the kidnapper with him - it was only dumb luck he survived at all.”

“So what are you saying, Officer Benning? That we should worry about the young man's impulse control? Or that the young lady's lack of impulse control is justified because she owes the boy her life and was just paying off her debt?”

“Yes to the first maybe....no to the second....well, I guess I just don't know what's fair or right with the two of them. I have a hunch that if anything he's gotten more protective of her since they spent the week together. He looked ready to take on Cole Ferguson over protecting the girl's modesty one minute – then he was as cooperative as could be when Cole agreed to get out and let me do the search. Actually, they both are just – unbelievably intense when it comes to protecting the other. In fact, it really seemed like Liz was going out of her way to make sure that she got the blame for the week in the cabin.”

“So you think that she felt she had to do this to repay him for saving her life?”

“I don't know what I think. This didn't really seem like an obligation to her. Heck, if they were five years older though....”

“You'd think that they were in love...”

“I know they are too young....”

“Yes they are. This isn't back in territorial days. Back then a child became a man when he was old enough to earn his own way. A girl became a woman when she was old enough to bear children and help her husband. Young teenagers getting married were a fixture of the frontier – and even in the early days of the colonies. Throughout most of the 19th century, the minimum age of consent for sex in most American states was 10 years. In Delaware it was only 7 years. In fact, as late as 1930, twelve states allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry with parental consent. We are more enlightened now, but I'm a bit of a history buff and it was surprising how many of these marriages stayed together. Of course, divorce was uncommon then and a lot of people married early and died young. Average life expectancy in the American colonies back then was only twenty-five years – I guess you didn't have much time to spare if you were going to get your kids raised before you died.

No, that sort of arrangement isn't required now – but that doesn't necessarily mean those two aren't in love. In fact if they both have changed – and both are putting the needs of the other one first – it's entirely possible they are in love. None of which helps us much in this case, however, since it is in the best interest of society that we discourage such early commitment. Even if these two are capable of loving each other – I'm afraid it's a precedent we can't tolerate in this century.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Well, not what I originally expected to. I think I need to discuss this with the parents first – both pair of them. Obviously the upbringing of these kids wasn't quite as haphazard as I had lead myself to believe. Before I go getting probation officers involved, I think I need to see how much support and guidance these two are going to be able to get from their own parents. Would you please step in to the court, Officer Benning, and ask the bailiff to send Mr. And Mrs. Evans and Mr. and Mrs. Parker in here. I'd appreciate it oi you were here too when I talked to them.”

“Sure thing, your Honor.”
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/13/2010

Post by greywolf »

As Officer Benning stepped to the door to the courtroom and opened it, Judge Parsons looked toward the seating area of the courtroom. There were two couples there – each huddled about their children – a young man and a young girl who – despite returning their parents affection affection never quite managed to let go of each others hand.

“Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Evans – Judge Parsons would like to see you in his chambers before the formal hearing get's started.”

Parsons watched the couple hug their daughter once more before turning toward the door to his chambers – saw Mrs Parker pat Max Evans affectionately on the shoulder as she went by – Dianne Evans giving Liz Parker an affectionate hug as she went by. In a few seconds the two couples were in his chambers and he motioned them to the chairs of the conference table before Vickie Benning returned. As she closed the door he got one last look at the two subjects of this hearing – still standing in the courtroom – still holding hands.

“None of us have met before today,” said Judge Parsons, “ … but we appear to have a similar problem. All five of us are responsible – to a greater or lesser degree – in seeing that those two in that courtroom become responsible adult citizens. I have been in this business for over thirty-four years and – God willing – will continue to do it for three more years after which time I intend to retire. In that thirty-four years I have acquired considerable experience and expertise in handling delinquent children – chronic truants with poor educational achievement and questionable values – and I have handled great numbers of children from broken homes that have ranged from poorly socialized to frankly sociopathic. I have also seen poor little rich kids who were self-centered and indulged ridiculously by their parents – including one young lady – and I use the term advisedly – who I am quite certain made false accusations against her arresting officer. In fact, it would utterly amaze you were you to realize the number of errant kids I've seen in the course of that thirty-four years. Two straight A middle schoolers from good homes getting themselves in this particular jam – that I will admit is a new one for me. Ladies and gentlemen – we have a problem that we all need to discuss. Mr. Parker...?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“Since it appears that your daughter and this young man spent a week together - sleeping together - I guess it's traditional that we give the father of the young lady the first chance to speak. I might warn you, however, that your daughter has been very open in admitting that she was at least as culpable in this matter as young Mr. Evans is – if not more so.”

Jeff Parker looked genuinely confused. “Well sir, I am not just too sure how I feel about it – not yet anyway. You see only twenty-four hours ago my wife and I – and Philip and Diane – were sitting around with Max's sister and three of Max and Liz's friends planning a memorial service. On top of that, I don't think that either my wife or I have gotten ten hours sleep since we got the call about Liz being drugged. When we heard what Max had done for her – hell, I guess there isn't anything I wouldn't have done for him. I had a speech all planned to tell him how much I appreciated what he had done – what he had done so often - to keep Liz safe.

Then when the girl at the counter announced that the plane had gone down – that the people on the scene said there were no survivors – it was like our whole world was destroyed. Nancy and I cried ourselves to sleep every night – doing a lot more crying than sleeping at that – staring at the ceiling and seeing images of my little girl's body – lying broken out on the desert somewhere being eaten by scavengers – all our hopes and dreams for her – just gone.

To tell the truth I'm not really sure how I feel about Max and Liz being in bed together. I know how a father is supposed to feel – but I guess I just haven't had time to adjust yet. I know how I would have felt those nights laying in that bed staring at the ceiling though. If you would have given me a call in the middle of the night and told me that Liz was safe in some warm bed in Max's arms instead of being dead with some vultures picking at her remains, I would have said thank God that she and Max were OK.

Maybe sometime in the future I can work up some righteous indignation about Max doing this with my daughter – maybe I'll be able to work up some anger about her as well. I just don't know. But the way I feel right now, Judge..? I'm just happy to have Liz back – happy to have them both back... I just can't think of anything else right now besides that...”

“Well if nothing else, Mr. Parker, I can sympathize with your problem – and I'm hardly the only one. I was talking to a young man from the National Transportation Safety Board just an hour or so ago. Max and Liz disobeyed the flight crew of that aircraft when they wouldn't take their seats and taxi out after boarding and demanded to be let out of that aircraft.. Technically that's a federal crime – interfering with the duties of flight crew members.

The problem is that your daughter and Max Evans were right in their assessment and had they actually entered that aircraft their dead bodies unquestionably would have wound up laying on the malpais forty or fifty miles from here. Even the feds are smart enough not to take that case to court – particularly since it would appear that the aircrew were themselves at fault in far more numerous and serious ways. And yet the fact remains – it is difficult to countenance the sorts of actions that these young people engaged in. "

“Your honor, If I may...?”

“Go ahead, Mrs. Evans.”

“If we were to take where this all went wrong … it would be the decision to hitchhike from the Albuquerque airport to Roswell. What they should have done was to give us a call and we'd have driven up there to pick them up. What they did was decide they could hitch-hike back home – a trip that if it hadn't been for that storm would have taken just over three hours. It was a foolish decision – but not necessarily an unreasonable decision. I don't justify what they did in Pine Lodge once they were stranded there – but absent the two of them being marooned in the same cabin – well, I don't think it would have happened.”

“I would be inclined to agree that it was a foolish decision – I might disagree about it not being unreasonable though. I'd hate to tell you of the cases I've seen involving young girls hitch-hiking. That – to me – sounds like a very unreasonable risk.”

“Not to Liz,” protested Nancy. “Max had just saved her from one assailant – and he wasn't even the first. Her experience had always been that if she was with Max she was safe. Right from the very first time they met. I can't say I even blame her for feeling that way.

I remember – God, I'll always remember – that day when that man grabbed her and took her away. If you ever want to feel helpless, Judge, try chasing a car driven by a pedophile who has kidnapped your only child. I ran until I fell in exhaustion – knowing all the time there was no chance of catching him – no chance of getting my little girl back. Max got her back. It wouldn't have occurred to Liz that she was in danger – somehow Max had always protected her. I imagine she just felt he still would.”

“And Max would have gone right along with her,” said Philip Evans. “First of all, she's about the only one that Max would have felt comfortable with. She always did treat him better than his other classmates – taking the time to help him with his social inadequacies. Of course Max would have gone with Liz.”

Diane nodded. “When we thought he'd been killed his sister told me – Max really didn't care about that science fair. He was just going up there to be near Liz – to be there for her in case she needed him.”

“Yeah,” said Jeff Parker, “... I can't believe that Max would have let her hitch-hike alone. Once she said to do it – he would have gone along with her almost automatically.”

“So,” said Judge Parsons, “...that gets us down to the fact that there was a thunderstorm that wasn't forecast – the same reason that those two aircraft wound up colliding – the same thing that caused the mudslide – the same thing that cut off vehicle traffic – and for a time power – and for an even longer time telephone service.

So when the driver has them get out of that car – in the middle of a driving rainstorm – they now have their choice of getting hypothermic and dying or finding shelter where they can. Then to avoid going hungry they eat all the food in the place.... One thing I am going to be demanding by the way is that those two pay restitution to the owner of that cabin – both for the food and for the lodging...”

“How much is it?” asked Philip, taking out a checkbook.

“It's not going to be that easy for them. THEY will have to EARN the money themselves – not have their parents pay for them...,” started the judge.

“Oh, this is Max's money – although one of us will have to cosign,” said Philip. “Diane got patents on the kids' science fair projects. The rights to them have been signed over to a couple of companies that can use them – they got a pretty good advance on the future royalties.”

“I've got Liz's check book right here,” said Nancy.

Judge Parsons tried his best to keep a straight face. 'On any other case, I'd probably find this surprising. Somehow on this one it just sort of fits...'

“I'll have my clerk get you a detailed list of the foods and replacement costs and mail them to you when it's ready – along with the cost of repairing the broken lock and a $45 a day rental fee. If they can't pay it all at once, they can pay it in installments.”

“That shouldn't be a problem,” said Nancy, “... and if Liz is mostly responsible, she ought to pay for the room. Her patent is considerably more lucrative than Max's.”

“Maybe we ought to let them decide that,” said Diane. “It's their money, after all.”

“Well, getting back to the happenings AFTER they got to the cabin, that's what concerns me more than a few hundred dollars,” said the judge. “What are we going to do about that?”

“What CAN we do about that – now that it's already happened,” asked Diane.

“Well, nothing, really of course, but what I meant, Mrs Evans, was what do we do about their actions in the future.”

“That's more complicated than I think you know, Judge,” said Nancy. “My daughter and Max, it would appear, are engaged.”

“Oh my goodness,” said Vickie Benning. "I saw the ring myself – and I didn't even consider what it meant that she was wearing it on that finger.”

“Max made it himself,” said Philip. "It started out as a friendship pendant that Max gave Liz some years ago – apparently Max had the time to rework it into a ring during the week they were together.”

“Oh, dear,” said Judge Parsons. “I think even profanity fails me. Are you going to allow that?”
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/14/2010

Post by greywolf »

“I don't think any of us are truly comfortable with that, Judge,” said Diane, “...but neither of us are really comfortable with what will happen if we try to tell them they aren't engaged either. That particular contract is a very personal one. Today it isn't even all that binding to most people – but I'm afraid it is to those two. The son who came back to me today isn't really the same person who left a little over a week ago – or maybe he is and I'm just now seeing a side of him that was always there but I never knew about. His sister tells me that he has always loved Liz – right from the first when he saw her registering for third grade.”

“And I can tell you,” said Nancy, “... that Liz is absolutely serious about that ring. Heck, she was serioue enough about it when it was still a friendship pendant dangling around her neck. Despite what her teachers have always said, she really hasn't always been the perfect girl. She's made mistakes – been childish and petty at times – even to Max. But she's serious about this, Judge. When she told me about it – well I could tell by the look in her eyes. If we fight her over this we are going to force her to make a choice between us and Max. It's not a choice I feel comfortable forcing – because I seriously doubt that we would win.”

“Same with us,” said Philip.

“But you can't honestly think that this is best for them... being engaged?”

“It wouldn't have been our choice, Judge, but it's the reality we have to deal with,” said Jeff. “I plan on inviting Max to go camping this spring – emphasizing to him as the father of his intended bride that I expect that they will take things real slow – no more cabins in the woods together. Could be they'll lose interest in each other – but I doubt it. If we push them though – well, it didn't work with Romeo and Juliet - what were they thirteen? Their parents tried to separate them. It didn't turn out well. I don't think either Nancy and I or Diane and Philip want the Montague and Capulet roles in this little drama that suddenly is playing out here. If I could turn back time - sure I'd rather that Max and Liz hadn't been thrown into this situation. You asked me at the start of this how I felt about Max and I told you that once the shock wears off I might be able to work up some righteous indignation at Max – and maybe Liz too. Maybe I still will, your honor, … but what I won't be able to do is to hate Max. I can't hate him because I don't believe that Max would ever knowingly do something to hurt my daughter.

I'm not too sure just what did go on between them this last week -and to tell the truth, I really don't want to know. Whatever actually happened physically I'm sure it was more than I would have wanted to happen. Given a week together – knowing you've escaped death by the narrowest of margins.....- they're good kids, Judge, but they are only human. But I can tell you this , your honor, Max has been Liz's protector and her champion and her friend for years. Whatever happened – however much the two of them got carried away – it wasn't like what nearly happened when Liz was drugged. Nobody was exploiting anyone. Whatever happened between them certainly wasn't Max forcing himself on my daughter. So whatever happens I can't blame Max for this any more than I blame Liz. Even if I could, your honor, I couldn't hate Max anymore than I can my own daughter – she loves him too much.”

“She obviously thinks she loves him, Officer Benning's report made that clear. Whether or not that opinion will reflect reality in the years to come – that may be a totally different thing. You know I stopped doing marriages about ten years ago. Legally I CAN do them, but the job doesn't REQUIRE me to do them. The reason I stopped was that the job DOES require me to grant divorces, and the percentage of marriages ending in divorce in this country is 45%. It would just break my heart to see these promising young people I would marry with such great hope go their separate ways – often separating with a hatred that tore apart the children they had managed to create in the few years of happiness they had together. And that was for the average marriages. Do you people know what the divorce rate is for teen marriages? Over 60% end in failure. And they won't even be old enough to marry for years. Do you truly think that their love could possibly last? Do any of you honestly think that your children will be able to beat those odds?”

“I don't know, your Honor,” said Nancy, “... but I do know that Max has somehow always been there for Liz – keeping her safe and protecting her – even against some pretty steep odds.”

“And Liz has been the one person who has seen past Max's superficial flaws – who even more than his parents saw the true Max underneath – who understood the kind of person our son really is. I guess the answer is that we don't know – we won't really know until that time gets here,” said Diane. “But I'm fairly certain that if we tell our son to take back his ring – or the Parker's tell Liz to give it up – that we are not going to like the result.”

“Leaving aside the fact that I'm sure the local school board would have a conniption fit if a middle schooler were seen walking around the campus with an engagement ring – and the questionable example it would set for the other middle school students – you are all aware, I hope, of how long it will be before these two could legally marry – even if the relationship did hold together that long? They would need to be eighteen years old. Do you actually expect this young couple to content themselves with – well, with merely hand-holding – not to get too indelicate here – for that period of time?”

“I think we are – realistic – about that, your Honor,” said Jeff. I've already decided that I will be inviting Max along on our spring vacation camping trip. I plan to get him alone and tell him – man to man – that they need to take this slowly – to be sure. We can't pretend their time in the cabin didn't happen,” said Jeff, acknowledging to himself that he wasn't altogether sure if anything actually HAD happened last night, Lizzy today just had a happy glow that seemed to suffuse her, “...but even though I am going to make sure that he understands our concerns – no, Judge, realistically if this does hold together – I really doubt that the relationship will stay platonic until they are eighteen. Id it doesn't – well, Nancy and I are still going to love our daughter...”

“... and we'll still love Max as well,” said Nancy soberly.

The other two parents nodded gravely.

“Well,” said Judge Parsons, taking a deep breath, “...before we go into open court with this – perhaps we ought to have the two perpetrators of this escapade in here where I can speak to them and see what sort of assurances I can get from them personally. Officer Benning – would you be so kind as to go get our young friends?”

Vickie nodded, and went to the door. Seconds later she was motioning Max and Liz into the increasingly crowded conference area.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/15/2010

Post by greywolf »

“Miss Parker, Mr. Evans, please be seated. I am Judge Parsons – and shortly I will be making a decision on the initial disposition of your case. Although you have some of the same rights as adults – and Officer Benning has indicated that these rights have been described to you – under the laws of the State of New Mexico it is recognized that full adult rights and adult punishment may not be appropriate in the case of minors of certain age as specified in New Mexico State Code.

When a law enforcement officer comes in contact with a juvenile suspected of a delinquent offense, the officer can forward a citation or report and, if necessary, take the child into detention. Obviously, that has happened to both of you or you wouldn't be here. Within 24 hours of booking, a Children’s Court Judge reviews law enforcement affidavits for probable cause. In this country I also have the position of Children's Court Judge. If it is my decision that either of you should be detained, I will file a petition to that effect, and a Detention hearing will be scheduled within a timely manner – no later than 48 hours from this time.

In the interim, you would be referred for evaluation to one of the eighteen youth detention facilities in the state – the most likely one in the case of you, Miss Parker being the Sandia Cottage facility, since the closer Mesilla Valley facility is only for males. Subsequent to such an evaluation it may be determined that it is appropriate to release you to your parents, with or without ongoing supervision by the juvenile probation and parole officers in your local county, a consent decree may be negotiated with your parents to allow the juvenile justice department to assume responsibility for you for custodial restraint, you could be charged with delinquency and a Delinquency Petition hearing would be held.

If such a Delinquency petition were sustained, the judge hearing that case would have the option of placing you on probation or commit you to one of the juvenile justice detention centers such as the New Mexico Girls’ School and the Camino Nuevo Youth Center.

I am telling you this not to intimidate you,” which was somewhat of a white lie actually, “... but to make it clear that this hearing is your last chance to avoid at least 48 hours of evaluation. My determination of whether or not detention for evaluation is warranted does not prejudice your rights for trial under these charges or in any subsequent Delinquency petition – but it does constitute a significant fork in the road as to where you go today. I have been talking to your folks – getting some idea of both the kinds of people that they are – and the kinds of people they think the two of you are. I am now going to ask the two of you some questions to try to ascertain for myself what I believe to be the best course of action. Do both of you understand that>”

Ten days ago Max would have been peeing his pants – but not today. He was no longer a child – he was a young man. His parents knew his secret and accepted him – Liz stood by his side – her hand grasping his – and she loved him. As intense as this social situation was – the knowledge of his parents acceptance and love – the knowledge that he and Liz were soulmates let him face even the judges intimidation with calmness.

[Don't worry, Liz. We'll get through this … somehow]

A few months ago she was the ' perfect Miss Parker,' a silly girl desperate to avoid getting a 'B' in science. A little over a week ago she had been so insecure about Max's affection that she'd publicly insulted him on the dance floor because he wouldn't dance with her himself – but not today. She was no longer a child – she was a young woman. Max was hers – and always would be. She'd felt his love and even tasted his passion – the knowledge that she and Max were soulmates even let her face the judge's intimidation with calmness.

[I know we will, Max. Exactly how I;m not just sure – but get through it we will]

“I understand, your Honor,” said Max.

“I understand, your Honor,” said Liz.

The judge picked up a law book and started to read aloud.
“Criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree consists of all criminal sexual contact of the unclothed intimate parts of a minor perpetrated: 
(1)     on a child under thirteen years of age; or 
(2)     on a child thirteen to eighteen years of age when: 
(a)     the perpetrator is in a position of authority over the child and uses that authority to coerce the child to submit;  
(b)     the perpetrator uses force or coercion that results in personal injury to the child; 
(c)     the perpetrator uses force or coercion and is aided or abetted by one or more persons; or 
(d)     the perpetrator is armed with a deadly weapon.
Whoever commits criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second degree is guilty of a second degree felony for a sexual offense against a child and, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978, shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of three years, which shall not be suspended or deferred. 
Sexual contact for purposes of this statute is defined as the unlawful and intentional touching of or applying force to the intimate parts of a minor or the unlawful and intentional causing of a minor to touch one's intimate parts.  For the purposes of this section, 'intimate parts' means the primary genital area, groin, buttocks, anus or breast.”
Now according to the report from the arresting officer, at the time of your apprehension it would appear that both of you were engaged in such touching. Was any force or coercion involved in this touching?”

“No, your Honor,” said Max.
“No, your Honor,” said Liz.

“Let me read another statute:
Sexual contact perpetrated on a child thirteen to sixteen years of age is unlawful when the perpetrator is at least eighteen years of age and is at least four years older than the child and not the spouse of that child.
Do you two both understand that this sexual contact of a minor is regarded as a serious offense in this state – and that the reason that you are both not facing felony charges is solely due to the fact that the two of you are within four years of the same age?”

“Yes, your Honor,” said Max.
“Yes, your Honor,” said Liz.

“The fact that this contact was not illegal per se, because of this exemption, does NOT mean that the state of New Mexico approves ofs uch behavior by children of your age, nor does it mean that you cannot be charged under other provisions of New Mexico State Code – including the delinquency provisions – Do you both understand that?”

“Yes, your Honor,” said Max.
“Yes, your Honor,” said Liz.

“OK you two, I'm going to ask some more questions – and under the law neither of you need to answer them – but if you don't I can practically guarantee you are going to be held over for further evaluation. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, your Honor,” said Max.
“Yes, your Honor,” said Liz.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/16/2010

Post by greywolf »

"Very well, then, Mr. Evans, Let's return to the issue of force. Under a number of court rulings the actual application of force really isn't necessary, merely the threat of force. Miss Parker is aware that several years ago you rather abruptly terminated the life of a man. Snuffed him out quite quickly - in her very presence. More recently, you not only broke out of jail to assault someone - but it appears likely that had a policeman not been present to physically intercede, you might well have killed that person as well. I suppose it wasn't really necessary for you to USE force to get Miss Parker to not resist - not when Miss Parker knew what you were capable of...."

"Your honor, I object," said Diane Evans. "...you are badgering my son and..."

"I am aware that you and your husband are lawyers, Mrs. Evans, "... and as lawyers I'm sure you know full well that the courts have granted juvenile court judges broad discretion in detention hearings like this one. Your son and this young lady have - it would appear - engaged in activities that the state of New Mexico does not generally believe appropriate for individuals of their age. In doing so they have arrogated to themselves the presumption that they are mature enough to handle such activities. If that is the case, then certainly they are adult enough to answer their own questions."

"I am NOT afraid of Max," said the raven haired girl, as her eyes burned in to the eyes of Judge Parsons. "Nothing in the world could ever make me afraid of Max," she said. Max felt her love for him flow through the hand that she was clutching tightly in hers. "Even when I didn't understand how much he cares - how much he's always cared - I knew he would never hurt me. Even when I was petty and angry -when I know that I hurt him.... when I tried to hurt him because I didn't understand how his shyness kept him from showing his love for me ... I've never once feared Max. And I certainly don't fear him now. Don't blame this on Max - I knew what I was doing and there was no threats or fear involved."

Judge Parsons fought to keep his face neutral, especially when he saw Vickie Benning looking at him with obvious disapproval. She'd told him that Liz had been more than forthcoming about having initiated this, and obviously wondered what he was up to.

"Was it love, Miss Parker? Perhaps it was merely a misplaced sense of gratitude. This poor little lost child who you had been helping all these years - who had saved your life several times. Perhaps you thought you simply owed him a good time? "

"Your Honor, I object to....," started Nancy Parker.

"Your objection is also noted and over-ruled. The parents will cease interfering with the questioning or I will have Officer Benning escort all of you back to the courtroom and continue questioning these two alone. If you wish to remain present you will not interrupt again, is that understood?"

"Yes..." said a scowling Nancy Parker. Actually, Vickie Benning didn't look all that pleased either.

The judge turned back to a frowning Liz Parker.

"Or was it merely adolescent hormones, Miss Parker? Were you just curious about what it would feel like? Did YOU exploit this naive young man that you had been charitably spending your time with all these years? Were you the one that chose to satisfy YOUR prurient desires by preying upon a naive and socially inept young man?"

"You don't know a damn thing about what sort of a person she is," said the young man by her side, his eyes burning with anger as he took in the judge.

"Liz and I have both made mistakes - I've hurt her and I've hurt my parents because I really didn't understand - because I didn't believe that she could love me or they could love me as much as they do. But even when we made mistakes - even when we hurt each other - it never would have happened if I'd only understood. She has been my best friend for most of my life - she still is - she always will be. I guess it really doesn't matter what you think of her. I know Liz - and I know better than that."

Judge Parsons looked at four parents glaring at him while holding the hands of their mates, Max Evans glaring at him while holding Liz Parkers hand, and Vickie Benning glaring at him. 'Well,' he told himself, '...if we just had Cole Ferguson here holding Vickie's hand, this scene would pretty much be complete. Of course, I'm not sure we'd have room....'

"You could be held in contempt of court for that look, young man," said the judge. "...of course the court, on this occasion, certainly warranted your contempt. I was rude and cruel and inflammatory and entirely unfair - and that was nothing compared to what the gossips in a middle school or high school will say about the two of you - certainly behind your back, and possibly right to your face if young Mr. Evans isn't there to intimidate them - and maybe even if he is.

One of the measures of maturity is one's ability to control ones impulses - but in this case that begs the question. If these two are mature enough to understand their actions - if these actions were the well reasoned actions of two people mature - despite their ages - who truly love one another - well than I personally can't see that being the business of the great sovereign state of New Mexico. If, on the other hand, these were the ill-considered actions of two children without the impulse control to rein in their emotions - then until they mature these two need to be protected from their lack of control and society too needs to be protected..

Max has shown he is both willing and capable of killing - of actually taking a human life. That is a rare ability. Most people can not do that – and certainly not at his age. In someone making a reasoned decision to protect someone who is innocent from great harm that is a necessary - even laudable -ability that, as frightening as it is, this society should value. The same ability in someone lacking the maturity and wisdom to separate actual threat from simple anger would be a hazard both to society and even to those who love him.

Mature people know how to control their passions - oh, not totally, perhaps - passion should always be part of the love between a man and a woman. But that is really the issue here.

If what transpired in that cabin happened between a boy and a girl - then it was wrong - because a boy and a girl are too immature to unleash such passions - too unable to handle the inevitable consequences when the innuendos and slanders and crudities come their way - as these things will inevitably come. They are too unable to handle their own mistakes and mis-communications as well. In such case, the outcome for the two children involved and for society will inevitably be poor, and those two are best handled as delinquents - children unable to control their own passions who must be restrained in their own best interest - as well as the interest of society at large.

If what transpired in that cabin was – on the other hand – a young woman and a young man – mature enough to control their passions despite their relative youth - making a conscious and deliberate decision that they care for each other and deciding jointly to share their passion with one another – then my default position would be that their actions would not and could not be juvenile delinquency for these people - whatever their calendar ages – are not truly juvenile.

Now Miss Parker, if I were to agree to let your parents make restitution and then drop the breaking and entering charges, ignore the arresting officer's report of finding you and Mr. Evans in somewhat of a state of dishabille – and settle everything by having you simply hand the ring on your left hand back to Mr. Evans and agree that you would not accept it back from him until you were near the legal age for marriage - eighteen years of age – would you give me your word to do so?

I ask you this because I can tell you ahead of time that you wearing that is quite likely to provoke more problems – with teachers and principal and school boards that will find some way to make their displeasure known that people they regard as children should do anything as provocative as wear an engagement ring as a visible token of a love that they will never believe you are mature enough to have. Rumor and innuendo and snide comments will be difficult enough, but wearing that will guarantee that the gossips and the shrews and most especially the self-anointed defenders of morality will attack you. That some idiot on the school board will try to make an issue of this goes without saying.”

Liz looked at her parents and Diane and Phillip. She could tell that they agreed with the conclusions of the judge – their eyes told her it was OK – that they'd understand -that perhaps they even thought it was the better course of action.

Liz looked at Max – feeling his love flow through their connection. He didn't have to tell her. She knew that - ring or not – he would never doubt her love again. She sensed his silent approval if that was the choice she made. But it simply wasn't a choice she could make.

“I'm sorry, Judge. I threw this away once in a fit of pique – had to spend four hours looking for it on my hands and knees in the dark. I could survive the scraped knees again I guess, but what I couldn't survive is the feeling that I would somehow be rejecting Max. I know he'd know that wasn't the case – that he wouldn't blame me – but I'm not ashamed of anything we did and I'm certainly not ashamed of being engaged to Max. If other people can't handle that – well that doesn't really change how I feel.”

“Very well, Miss Parker. Officer Benning – would you please escort the parents in to the courtroom and return. I have a few more things to say to these young people before I give my formal verdict.”

It took a few minutes for things to settle down but finally only Judge Parsons, Vickie Benning, and Liz and Max were in the judge's chambers.

“We'll go out to the courtroom and formally complete the hearing in a few moments – I simply wanted to give you some advice. First of all, you will be released into your parents custody and I would advise you, Mr. Evans, to get in contact with the New Mexico Fifth District Court as soon as possible. I'll tell Justice Hernandez to expect a call from you. It would be in your best interest to get the adjudicated cases put to rest as soon as possible. While I find it difficult to fault someone beating in the face of someone who attempted to rape and kill someone he cares about that still is not something that society is willing to accept. Given the circumstances, however, I will stick my neck out somewhat and reassure Judge Hernandez that you do not appear to have an impulse control disorder and that I think there is little to be gained by trying to make some sort of an example of you. Besides, the man has a particular hatred of rapists. I'll be surprised if you get more than a couple of weeks of community service. Secondly, I do expect the two of you to make restitution for the groceries you consumed and a fair rental for the cabin. I'll have my clerk send the amount to Mr. Evans once the value of the foodstuffs has been determined along with the address of the cabin owner to whom the check should be sent. I'll trust the two of you to divvy up the costs as you see fit and pay them to the owner.”

“Thank you, judge,” said Max, looking somewhat puzzled.

Liz looked equally puzzled. “But - I'm still not giving up the ring.”

“Your choice, Miss Parker. For goodness sake, seeing as how I indicated that I considered you mature enough to make the decision about whether or not to take Mr. Evans to bed, you certainly can't have supposed that I would have made your hearing outcome contingent on whether or not you gave up that ring?”

“I suppose I did...”

“What I told you was true – publicly wearing the ring will no doubt add a measure to the scandal this episode will cause among your schoolmates and certainly the school administrators – but I scarcely expected you to give up your ring. You were a little girl when you threw it away the first time – and it sounds like the remorse was almost instantaneous even then. I seriously doubt that ring is coming off the hand of the young woman you have become any time soon – at least not until another one goes on.

But you both do appear to be observant people and I doubt that you failed to notice your parents opinion of my proposal. Are you aware what truly fine parents the two of you have and how lucky you are to have them?”

Liz nodded.

Max replied,”I wasn't for a long time. It took Liz to show me.”

“This is happening way too fast for them. A day ago they were grieving their dead children – right now they believe they have those children back. They don't. They have a young man and a young woman back – and while the joy of your survival will – I'm sure- never really fade, just as society itself really isn't ready for you two to be a couple, neither are they. Not really. Not yet at least.

It's clear you love them – as clear as it is you love each other – but the sort of intimacy that there has been between you recently – well, let's just say that if had been your parents that had interrupted you this morning rather than Officer Benning and Deputy Ferguson – I doubt it would have been handled quite so professionally. They need time – all four of them do – to adjust to the fact that their children have serious emotional commitments – and it'll be longer still before they will be comfortable with their children being committed sexually.

I can't tell you not to engage in intimacy – that's the advantage and the problem with being mature, You make your own decisions and you live with the results. But I can tell you that if your parents are forced to confront openly the intimacy of their children – well they simply aren't ready for that yet. They are going to want to see a whole lot of hand-holding before they are going to be comfortable with anything other than perhaps a simple kiss between you. They'll love you anyway, of course, but discretion in how you act around your parents would be a kindness – take it from someone who has two grown daughters and a grown son and who has had to make that adjustment himself,” said the Judge with a smile.

Max and Liz held each others hand, “We will, your honor.”

“Last but not least – with mature people I don't use threats – they respond better to a carrot sometimes. The legal age for getting married in this state – with parental consent – is sixteen. If you can behave in a matter that convinces your parents that you are fully ready for that step – well, come back with their signatures when that time comes and – I haven't done a marriage in ages, but I could probably remember the words. You two spend that time caring for one another – being good to one another – and convincing your parents you really are ready – I'd be happy to marry you quietly – discretely – and perhaps you'll have a better chance of keeping the intimacy level down to where your parents will be more comfortable if you realize it isn't going to have to be until you are eighteen. So convince them that you are ready and I'll be honored to make it official for both of you. Now get back out there with your folks – I need to pull on some robes and come in and give my formal findings. Good luck to you both.”

“Thank you, your Honor,” said Liz, kissing him softly on the cheek. Max shook the judge's hand – then escorted Liz back into the courtroom.

Justice Jeramiah Parsons took his judicial robe off the hanger and looked up to see Vickie Benning grinning at him.

“You old Pooh Bear – and I was about to shoot you for the way you were talking about those two.”

“Well, we needed to resolve your concerns about young Mr. Evans impulse control. I certainly didn't want to involve either the parole people or incarcerate Mr. Evans in a youth facility if I could avoid it – good grief, the young man escaped from an actual jail while still half unconscious. He would have given those amateurs no end of grief.”

“Don't make excuses – you are just an incurable romantic – that's all.”

“Well, Emily and I did get married at sixteen – it can work if you are mature enough - and love one another enough – and I think those two have a good shot at it. Speaking of romantic – have you gotten Cole Ferguson to invite you out yet?”

“No... but I invited him. We're going out to dinner and a movie Friday. Liz Parker assures me that the shy ones are rare jewels – they just need a little polishing to bring it out.”

“Good for her and good for you. I thought you told me that your mother said you shouldn't ask the guy, though.?”

“Yeah, well that was the same mother who told me I shouldn't go in to law enforcement,” laughed Vickie.

Parsons chuckled. “Well, you think we ought to go out and get those two couples - or rather those three couples – on their way back to Roswell?”

“I think we should,” said Vickie, as she opened the door for the judge. He nodded and stepped into the courtroom.....



It was high noon in Roswell New Mexico and Alex was feeling really weird. It had started with that crazy dream last night. It had been bizarre – but beautiful – and he'd awakened feeling the best that he'd felt since the aircraft crash – possibly the best he'd ever felt. He'd come crashing down almost immediately. It was only a dream and he'd instantly felt guilty that he'd found joy – even in a fantasy – when Liz and Max were not only dead but their memorial service was not even completely planned.

Alex had been feeling weird even before he'd gotten the phone call inviting him to lunch – the sense of deja vu from the dream being almost overpowering. Alex was a logical person though, and the fact that their memorial service planning had sort of been interrupted yesterday – I mean it was only logical that Isabel would want to get together to finish the planning – only a coincidence that it was so much like that impossible dream. He spotted her a half block from the Crashdown and hurried to catch up with her and open the door for her to enter.

“Oh, Hi Alex. Thanks for meeting with me.”

“My pleasure, Isabel. Are Maria and Michael coming to lunch with us too?”

“Uh – I think not. Last I heard Maria was grounded and Michael was sort of persona non grata around her. It's a long story, and I'm not sure it's mine to tell. No,” she said, sliding in to the rearmost booth – the one that people wanting privacy and generally slow service took, “... it's just going to be you and me.”

“Your folks and the Parkers aren't going to be here either?”

“I told you – they are off to Pine Lodge to bail Max and Liz out. They got their calls from the Lincoln County Sheriff's office...,” she said, looking down at her watch, “...almost two hours ago. With any luck, all six of them will be getting home before we get done eating. I told you that in the dream...”

The menu fell from Alex's hand and fluttered to the ground and his eyes grew wide with what appeared to be terror. “You.... came into my dream?”

“Yes.”

“How much of that dream,” Alex asked, visibly shaken, “... was true. Are you really...”

Isabel looked around the room nervously, then grabbed the ketchup bottle. She closed her eyes and concentrated momentarily and the ketchup changed to a mustard color – then changed back.

“It was all true,” she said, “...I really am – I guess – part alien.” Her heart was racing watching his reaction – wondering if he'd run from her in terror.

Alex shook his head slowly. “Not that, silly,” he said, a worried look on his face. “I meant the part about you loving me...”

Isabel's smile seemed to light the room...
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:33 pm, edited 4 times in total.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/16/2010

Post by greywolf »

Judge Parson's words did prove to be somewhat prophetic. Apparently the social dynamics of small towns hadn't changed a great deal in the 47 years since he and Emily had themselves become engaged. Perhaps it was even worse for Liz Parker, because Emily's engagement ring hadn't appeared on her hand at the end of a week when the entire town had learned they had spent alone together. Sometimes human nature isn't all that pretty, and many students – and even parents of those students – who had envied and even resented the faculty always seeming to gush over the 'perfect Miss Parker,' saw this as their opportunity to make themselves feel better by dwelling on her human frailties. Indeed, they largely ignored the contribution of Max Evans in this situation. The situation as it was widely rumored to have occurred demonstrated that 'the perfect Miss Parker' was as human as the rest of them. Shy Max they had pretty much figured was always a human being somewhat flawed by his shyness and early upbringing. For most of those critics who thought of him at all, they thought of him as almost a victim – a simpleton who had been used by a girl not nearly as perfect as she had always pretended to be.

Of course, if you were a student it was probably in your best interest to be cautious with whom and how loudly you shared your gossip-mongering. Somehow guys who impugned Max and Liz in the presence of Michael or Alex – or even Kyle Valenti – seemed to develop more than their fair share of black eyes and bloody noses somehow. Girls making similar comments in the presence of Isabel or Maria seemed to suffer similar damage, and although the gossiping continued in some quarters – there were few comments to Liz Parker's face – if only because the hand belonging to that face was all too often enfolded in the hands of Max Evans – even when she assisted him in a week of community service ordered by Judge Hernandez – before he expunged Max's record.

There were still loudmouth parents of course. Mrs. Troy demanded that her daughter NOT be paired with “that girl” in laboratory – a serendipitous good to come out of the whole mess. She chose to pair with someone equally inept at lab – succeeding the first day in accidentally setting her wonderbra on fire over a bunsen burner – fortunately with no serious injury. Liz went back to partnering with Max.

The school did make some tentative efforts to demand that Liz at least and possibly Max attend an alternative school – but backed off fast after the first meeting with mamma-bear Evans. If the woman was not yet totally convinced that it was appropriate for her son and this young woman to be as close as Judge Parsons had implied they were, Diane at least acknowledged that that was certainly the way they seemed to be heading. She fought for Liz as she would have fought for Isabel – which is to say very vigorously indeed. Even before the school district's legal counsel told them they had no choice – even before Judge Hernandez threatened a restraining order against the school administration – the principal had given in.

As Judge Parsons had predicted, there was indeed one idiot on the school board that wanted to make an issue of Liz and her engagement ring – and to rail against her as a 'scarlet woman who should not be permitted to infect her licentiousness on the other students of Roswell Unified School District.' Few people other than the tiny clique of religious zealots that had helped elect the man even listened – and even they stopped listening shortly after a picture appeared on a social website of the man – thirty years younger and totally drunk – caught in flagrant delicto. He claimed that the photo had been photoshopped – that it really wasn't him – but even his own supporters didn't believe him. Even PETA worked for his ouster – his only defenders an ultra-libertarian group from out of state who argued that if the ewe wasn't objecting, they didn't see what the problem was. The lesson – had he been aware of it – was a simple one. Don't mess with someone whose sister can read your dreams and who has a boyfriend who can track down your old high school drinking buddies on the internet and post the ancient photos they provide. The recall petition passed by an overwhelming majority.

So in the end, the controversy lasted a few months and then the tempest in the teapot gradually blew itself out – to be replaced by the next small town scandal to come along.

Max and Liz did pretty much what the Judge had suggested – both with their parents and with the public at large. They didn't talk about the missing week – didn't confirm and they didn't deny. Liz wore her engagement ring without commenting on it – and she and Max walked hand-in-hand with no public show of affection other than that. When they said good night – usually under the at least the casual eye of a parent – they contented themselves with a quick kiss – and for the first several months on the cheek at that. What they did an hour later when they joined each other in Liz's dream-orb was certainly somewhat more passionate, but even there they were taking their time. And even if they hadn't been, who would have known? Izzy was spending her nights in a dream-orb – but it certainly wasn't Liz Parkers.

Oh, their day times weren't completely passionless. They took long walks in the desert and - even if their parents pretended to themselves that they were only looking for new fossils – they really knew better. But they also knew their kids were handling this about as well as it could be handled. So maybe there was some passionate kissing going on – and maybe in their irregular visits to the pod chamber – it even went beyond that. The point was that neither Diane nor Philip could deny that Liz Parker was very good for their son, and neither Nancy nor Jeff could deny that Max was very good for their daughter.
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/16/2010

Post by greywolf »

It was almost five months later and Marcus Rudman, PhD and his wife Abby were about as thoroughly frightened as they had ever been in their entire lives.

The message had come to their Albuquerque home almost three hours ago. It had been a young woman's voice telling them that their daughter was just fine, but that if they ever wanted to see Alexis Rudman again they'd better get to suite 703 in the Las Vegas Hilton and see Sheriff Jim Valenti immediately. They'd hesitated only long enough to call the cellphone number for the head chaperone of the senior trip – who'd confirmed that Lexie had disappeared that morning – and they'd taken the first flight from Albuquerque.

The couple practically sprinted up to the first cab in line after their arrival at McCarran airport – only to see another couple converge on the same cab from the other end of the building.

“I'm sorry, that's my cab..” shouted Professor Rudman.

“This is an emergency...” said the Professor Frederick Hanover, his eyes widening with sudden recognition.

“Look, Fred...” said Marcus Rudman, “.... I really don't have time to argue with you over this. We have a family emergency and need to get to the Hilton.”

“Well Emily and I have a family emergency and we also need to get to the Hilton, so you'll just have to find another taxi,” said Professor Hanover.

“Will you two quit it!” said both the women simultaneously. “We'll all fit, let's just get in.”

Ten minutes later all four of them barreled out of the taxi and in to the hotel. They went straight to the elevator and pushed the button for the seventh floor.

“What was the suite number – seven hundred and four?” asked Professor Rudman.

“Seven-0-two, dear,” said Abby.

“But that's where we are going,” said Emily Hanover, “...our son Doug has disappeared, and we need to talk to a Sheriff there.”

“Alexis has disappeared too,” said Abby.

“It must be a mass kidnapping of students...” said Emily.

The two couples pounded on the door and Jim Valenti opened it, shaking his head.

“First of all, I didn't call any of you and I have nothing whatever to do with this. I just came here to a law enforcement convention, and those two talked me in to bringing Kyle along, then talked my into bringing the two of them to keep Kyle company, and if I wasn't a total idiot I'd have guessed they were up to something even before they warned me you people were coming – about five minutes ago.

I have had nothing to do with this from the very beginning and I'm on my way to an impromptu bachelor party some of my old friends are giving – and since I'm the guest of honor I'm not going to get involved in this... talk to those two.”

The Rudmans and the Hanovers followed the direction that the Sheriff had nodded and saw the two boys and one girl sitting in the kitchenette of the suite.

There was no real question who the man had meant by 'the two of them.' One of the boys was a young teenager - himself clearly confused – who physically resembled his Sheriff father. The other two were about the same age – but they were clearly a twosome. The two were sitting there with amused expressions on their faces, the boy's right hand softly caressing the girls left hand which – improbably – was wearing an engagement ring.

“What is the meaning of this,” Professors Rudman and Hanover blustered almost simultaneously. The teenage couple seemed unperturbed.

“The meaning of this,” said Liz, “... is that Doug and Lexie are going to be married in about thirty minutes and Max,” she looked over to the smiling young man holding her hand and smiled, “... being the soft-hearted romantic guy that he is, insisted that we give the four of you a chance to be there and celebrate their love and join in their happiness. Me, being the more practical one of us, insisted that I wasn't going to let you spoil their happiness, so I needed to speak to you first – to get you to promise not to try to stop their marriage or to argue with each other before I let you know where the marriage is going to take place.”

“Marry? His son???? Preposterous..”

“My Doug and … his daughter? That's absurd.”

“See Max, I was right...,” the girl said to the boy. “We are SO out of here...” with that Liz got up and started moving toward the door. The smiling boy shrugged his shoulders at the four parents and got up to go with her.

“Sheriff, I demand that you stop them..,” said both Professor Rudman and Hanover simultaneously.

“Uh-uh,” said Sheriff Valenti. “I'm almost two states out of my jurisdiction. Besides, those two don't stop nearly as easily as what you probably think they do. I'd use a lot of caution or you may wind up with a close encounter of the worst kind with something you aren't expecting. At a minimum, watch the fiberglass fingernails on Liz there and if you insist on fighting with those two … don't ever say I didn't warn you.”

Liz and Max were nearly at the door when cooler heads – or at least more reasonable ones – started to prevail..

“Miss... please, just give us a minute,” begged Abigail Rudman.

“Yes, please.....” agreed Emily Hanover.

Both women gave their husbands withering stares – and sure enough both appeared to wither right there in front of everyone. After a couple of short but intense whispered conversations the men nodded a grudging acceptance and Marcus Rudman said, “OK, you win. Take us to our children.”

“Oh, I'm afraid it isn't quite that easy,” said the young man with a smile, reaching out for the young girls hand and intertwining his fingers with hers. “Liz and I are about to walk out this door – and trust me you will NOT be able to follow us – unless both of you are willing to make a promise right now.”

“A promise?” said both professors.

“A promise that none of you are going to do anything to interfere with the marriage – that you are going to be polite and respectful to your child's chosen mate – and that you are going to welcome them in to the family,” said Liz.

“Sheriff, do I have to put up with this?” asked Frederick Hanover.

“You damn sure do, dear,” said Abigail. “I swear, if you foul up our son's wedding or do anything to drive him or Alexis away, you'll need more than a sheriff to help you when I get done with what I'm going to do to you.”

“Marc, that goes double for me. You will agree to abide by the young man's terms, or the entire universe's supply of lithium deuteride is going to hit the neutron flux...”

“Yes dear...”

“That's not all,” said Liz. “Part of the deal is that the two of you are going to have to work together,” she said, looking at Dr. Rudman and Dr. Hanover. “I mean fossil fuel won't last forever and while Doug and Lexie's plan may get us by for a few decades, we're sure you don't want your great-grandkids to grow up in a world without fusion energy, so the two of you have to quit sniping at each other and start some serious collaboration.”

“Great-grandkids? I mean Lexie's not...is she?” said all four parents - their eyes suddenly widening.

The girl appeared to roll her eyes skyward. “Pregnant? No, of course not. But they are getting married - it's just a matter of time,” she said, looking at the young man with a broad grin, “a girl's gotta plan ahead you know.”

The words seemed to have some special meaning for the young couple because he pulled her close and returned her smile – blushing just a little.

“So what's it to be?” asked the smiling self-assured young man. “Meet our terms? Or be left behind?”
Last edited by greywolf on Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:39 am, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
greywolf
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2000
Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 12:08 am

Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/18/2010

Post by greywolf »

Twenty minutes later the young couple, the two older couples, and Kyle Valenti were at the Elvis Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip. As they stepped inside they saw Lexie and Doug whose eyes went wide with surprise. Max quickly reassured them.

“You two are starting something very special. Liz and I wanted you to have your family here to share your happiness and to show you that they approve of your choice.”

Liz shrugged. “It was Max's idea. I never thought he could pull it off. But then – Max can surprise you sometimes,” she said with an adoring smile.

“Liz,” said a smiling Lexie, “... I need a maid of honor...”

“I'd be honored,,,”

“Max...?” said Doug.

“Likewise...”

“And your friend?”

“I'm sorry, this is Kyle Valenti,” said Max.

“Kyle, could I impose upon you to be a groomsman and usher the parents in?”

“Sure...”

“I can be another bridesmaid," volunteered a young blond haired girl – the daughter of the Elvis impersonator who was going to officiate at the wedding. Within minutes the families were seated and the service had commenced.

When 'Elvis' asked if there was anyone present who had just cause why Lexie and Doug should not be lawfully wed, the mothers of the bride and groom looked severely at their husbands – but the two chose to behave. Pretty soon the groom was kissing his bride and everyone seemed to be exceptionally happy. The Elvis impersonator stepped to the podium and the lights dimmed and he started to sing.

  • Love me tender,
    love me sweet,
    never let me go.
    You have made my life complete,
    and I love you so.

    Love me tender,
    love me true,
    all my dreams fulfilled.
    For my darlin' I love you,
    and I always will.

    Love me tender,
    love me long,
    take me to your heart.
    For it's there that I belong,
    and we'll never part.
    love me tender love me true all my dreams fulfill for my darling i love you and i always will
    Love me tender,
    love me dear,
    tell me you are mine.
    I'll be yours through all the years,
    till the end of time
    love me tender love me true
    all my dreams fulfill for my darling I love you ----and I always will
So Lexie danced with Doug, and their parents danced with each other, and Max danced with Liz, and Kyle even danced with the blond-haired girl.

“Your dad is really good at impersonating Elvis … and he really looks like him,” said Kyle.

“He's good at imitations,” said the girl, “...and I guess he actually met Elvis once back when they filmed 'Viva Las Vegas' here, so he knows how to copy him – right down to his mannerisms.”

“Gosh, he doesn't look that old that must have been ..what? In the mid seventies?”

“Mid sixties, actually,” said the girl. “Dad is older than he looks...”

The girl put her head down on Kyle's shoulder as the Elvis impersonator started the second song and Lexie danced with her father while Doug danced with her mother and Liz and Max just danced over in the corner by themselves.
  • Wise men say only fools rush in
    But I cant help falling in love with you
    Shall I stay
    Would it be a sin
    If I can't help falling in love with you

    Like a river flows surely to the sea
    Darling so it goes
    Some things are meant to be
    Take my hand, take my whole life too
    For I can't help falling in love with you
Somehow - while the river was flowing surely to the sea - Kyle's pheromones and body language started signaling to the girl and hers to him and apparently neither of them could help their midbrains from falling in love. Some things apparently were truly meant to be.

Eventually the last dance was danced and the last song was sung and the newlyweds – Alexis and Douglas Hanover – were sent off in a limousine – thanking both Liz and Max for both being maid of honor and best man – not to mention actually getting their families to attend and accept the marriage.

Already the senior Rudman's were making plans to move back to California – Professor Rudman to go back to Lawrence Livermore and collaborate with Professor Hanover on solving the fusion problem. Of course, it'd be closer to CalTech and the newlyweds too. Pretty soon there were just the four young teens and the Elvis impersonator.

“So where are you from?” the girl asked Kyle.

“Roswell – Roswell New Mexico,” he replied.

She smiled. “That's funny... I've got relatives there.”

“You do?”

“Uhuh..., I've never met them though. Say, would you three like to go see a show?” she asked. “I can get us tickets to anything.”

Somehow Kyle couldn't quite bring himself to say goodnight to the young lady so early and go back to be a third wheel with Liz and Max in the hotel room. so while her father called it a night and went home, the two couples went to a show.

It was the most sought-after show in Las Vegas – and restricted to adults at that - but the maitre' d smiled at Kyle's date as if she were royalty and accepted the two dollar 'toke' as if it were two thousand and soon the four of them had the best seats in the house.

While Liz and Max watched the show hand in hand the young lady looked into Kyle's eyes and he looked in to hers …. and in just a few seconds she'd decided to move to Roswell.

The girl hadn't exactly had what you'd call a happy life. She'd spent seven years as the only child of a single mom growing up in a trailer in Bishop California. It had been a hard and somewhat lonely life – her only companion a mother who seemed to be continually spaced out. Finally she'd found the orb kicking around her 'mother's' closet and when she'd connected to it and read the mission log an awful lot of things had become clear.
  • It was nobody's fault – not really. Space is large and by the time the automated Antaran confederation scoutships had detected the radio waves from Earth – signaling the development of a technical society – Earth's technology had advanced massively. The plan was an ancient one – to bring viable genomes from the intelligent life of the developing world and modify them – to encourage the development of empathy. Dreamwalking, telekinisis, and telepathy were common side-effect of that technique – as was molecular manipulation and the related healing that occurred when the molecular manipulation and empathy combined. Sometimes precognition and mindwarping as well.

    Yes, the confederation had done what it could - but space is vast and they had started late - and the technology of this young race was developing at a frightening pace. When the scoutships detected the emissions from the nuclear pile under Stagg field they knew that time had almost run out. Lacking the activation of the empathy gene, long term survival of the race was unlikely. They rushed the four embryos to completion as quickly as possible - a gift to the new race to help them avert their own thermonuclear immolation.

    But by the same token, a nuclear armed race without that empathy – if it did survive - was a potential disaster if it developed FTL drive. For that reason, no FTL ship could be risked in the rescue mission. The chances of these 'Earthlings' reverse engineering it was too high. They had expanded their technology massively in their two "World Wars" which was why they were now on the threshold of nuclear capability.

    So it had been an ion-drive vessel that had been squirted through the wormhole – and just bad luck all around that the field of the ion drive had been hit by the electromagnetic pulse of the Nagasaki blast. With their engine destroyed, the saucer had drifted helplessly in space for another year while the Earth completed it's orbit before blundering in to the Earth's atmosphere in September of 1947. For the entire year, the Guardian's had been outside the magnetosphere – the shield that protected Earth from the effects of cosmic radiation and solar wind. Without the magnetic field of the ion drive or the protection of the magnetosphere itself, the Guardian's had no protection at all. Their thiophene-based brains were fried.

    Worse yet – there would be no rescue mission – not for a couple millenia. The rules were clear – if the assistance in developing empathy didn't work – or even if it didn't yet have time to work, once a nuclear weapon was really used in warfare, the entire sector would be quarantined for 8 half-deaths of Iridium 192 – call it two millenia. Too many sentient lives had been lost establishing that rule to ever forget it. No, the best chance for survival of the human race had – in the end – come down to two criminally insane Guardians and four embryos tumbling to the desert in Roswell New Mexico a full year after the end of WWII.
Yes, from the orb the girl had found out where the mission had failed - and other things as well.

To begin with, her mother wasn't really her mother – or even female for that matter – but rather a Guardian - an artificial life form that shapeshifted – and HE was literally 'spaced out' from the radiation the ship had taken when it had been marooned in Earth orbit for a year outside the magnetosphere..

Both of the organic artificial life forms called Guardians had their thiophene-based brains addled by that experience – so much so that they were barely able to get the pod chamber up and running after the crash before they were captured by the government. Of course the drugs and confinement they'd experienced at the hands of the FBI hadn't done their thiopene based brains any good either.

In fairness to the government, both of the shapeshifters could have been considered criminally insane at the time – their radiation damage largely destroying their original mission coding. In fact, only one shapeshifter had even returned to the pod chamber when the failing stasis chambers had signaled that they had to hatch the now six-year old sized embryos. Even that one had been so damaged it grabbed the first child it saw - the girl - and then retreated to obscurity in Bishop – leaving her two brothers and sister abandoned in the deseret.

Once the girl discovered the orb, things had gotten better for the girl though.. With the help of the electronic artificial intelligence that was the orb, she'd managed to reprogram her mother – now her father – in what amounted to safe mode with a very limited operating system.

OK, so he wasn't real bright and tended to be fixated on Elvis Presley – at least he wouldn't hurt anyone and he was happy enough doing Elvis imitations – apparently he'd actually met the King once back in the 1960s. It had taken her longer to track down the other Guardian and reprogram him in safe mode. The guy was still some kind of weird, but since he was a movie producer in Hollywood that really didn't make him stick out much.

That was the best that she or the orb AI could do until and unless they ever made contact again with Antar, and since that wasn't scheduled to happen for a couple millenia, it'd just have to do. Still, he wasn't real bright and it wasn't what you'd really call an enjoyable life – at least it hadn't been – until that evening when she'd danced with Kyle.

“You know,” she said, looking in to his eyes, “... I could get used to having you around. I think I'll talk my father in to moving to Roswell.”

“That would be wonderful,” said Kyle. “Do you think you could really talk him in to it?”

“Oh yes,” she said with her eyes twinkling, “...you'd be surprised how persuasive I can be when I set my mind to it. Do you want to dance some more, Kyle?”

“Yeah, that'd be great....”

Three minutes later they were out on the dance floor in each others arms. He looked down at her and she looked up at him and …. it was like they could see into each others souls. Kyle slowly brought his lips to hers – knowing somehow they were welcome there. She deepened the kiss and it took his breath away and somehow he knew – right then – that she was the one he would always love. Eventually he came up for air and they clung together – both catching their breath.

“This,” said Kyle, “... is totally crazy. I love you – to the depths of my soul – and I don't even know your name.”

“Tess,” she said, as her lips found his again.



It would be some minutes before Kyle was able to think rationally again. When he finally could think his thoughts were these. 'Tess Valenti – it has a nice ring to it...'

Tess looked into his eyes - hearing his thoughts and mistaking them for her own - and thought the same thing.


Tess and her 'father' did move to Roswell, a few weeks later - of course that's another story entirely.....
Last edited by greywolf on Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:45 am, edited 4 times in total.
Locked