Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 45 - Completed - 09/30/2020

This is the place to post all your General Roswell fanfiction. Any Canon fics, which pick up directly from any episode of the show and that focus on Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Isabel/Alex or Isabel/Jesse, Kyle/Tess, or all the couples together! Rule of Thumb: If Max healed Liz in the Crashdown in September 1999, then your fic belongs here. If it picks up from the show in any way, it belongs here.

Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, jbangelo, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Forum Moderators

keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 39 - 09/08/2020

Post by keepsmiling7 »

please ...................come back and take care of this.....
User avatar
Parker1947
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 642
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Always Tomorrow - Chapter 40 - 09/10/2020

Post by Parker1947 »

Doom set in over the rooftop, and the helipad as a clearly wounded Grace Evans Guerin laid close to death, as a gloating monster looked down with glee as he challenged her distraught father and husband “Pity,” Khivar smiled as he looked down his wounded victim as he couldn’t help but slap Max with his words “Zan, you actually had a good one here. She was obviously willing to pitch up a fight. It goes to show that when you marry the right woman, they give you heirs that mean something” he smiled as he looked over with a degree of distrain and disgust at Michael as if to say Too bad you couldn’t have done the same. “Unfortunately, someone had to die, and it wasn’t going to be me…” he smiled as he took the advantage of the shock, and trance like state of Max, Michael, and Jake and walked past them and pulled the other gun he had as a backup and pulled it on the pilot.

“Oh, and thanks for the transport?” Khivar giggled as he instructed “Fly,” as he added “Get me out of this place or you will be joining the sadly departed Agent Stevens and Zan’s daughter here…” he smiled as he turned back at the shocked gang. “I would have loved to stay here and chitchat because I do always hate to kill and run, but places and people to see…” he smiled. “So, gentlemen, it’s been as they say, real, and Rath I’ll say hello to Elizabeth when I see her…” and then the doors closed, and moments later the helicopter took off.

Inside the helicopter, Khivar looked down at the ground and fell into a laughing fit and then he took the little control he had in his pocket, and pushed the red button, and he heard blasts, and fire starting…

As the hospital burst into flames, as bombs had been planted all over the place… as the helicopter got higher and higher, but before it could get to the sky, he heard as a strike hammered the helicopter… “Son of a bitch” he got out before it burst into flames, and fell down to the ground..

Leaving a fiery wreck, and Khivar dead…

But the fatal strike couldn’t be celebrated even though it had come from a devasted and furious Max… who hadn’t thought at any time about any potential ramifications but only aimed before thinking as he aimed his green energy at the plane, and it burst into the flames…

As he turned as Jake was frantically on his knees by a barely conscious Grace… “Stay with me…” he said.

Grace Max said softly as he broke out of his trance. Gracie. All he could see as he spotted his injured daughter was the two year who had gotten him out of his depression and made him want to live during the worst time in his life, when he lost his soulmate, and was left with this memory of her, and yet each day he got up because of Grace. Grace allowed him purpose, and someone to concentrate until the miracles of all miracles occurred and he got back her mother. Still, Grace was a living memory of those years, and how he would not be here if wasn’t for her, and that meant he couldn’t now lose her, just when Grace had everything to live for… History can’t be that sick can it, that it would be willing to repeat itself, and this time with a permanent result.

“Daddy…” Grace whispered as she fought to stay conscious. “I am sorry…”

“I love you, and you’ll come through and be stronger than ever…” Max whispered as he grabbed her hand as Jake took her into his arms as she clearly needed the support. Turning to face his friend, “Michael?”

The hospital was burning in the background, but none of them cared. “I called 911, and they are on the way, helicopter transport, although the flames were a dead give away…”

Knowing they didn’t have time, they placed a cold Grace on the ground as Max took his hands and tried to slow the bleeding from the gun shot near the heart, which Max could thank god that it hadn’t been a clear shot… otherwise there wouldn’t have been no saving her and still he knew her condition wasn’t easy to recover from, as he tried with all might to will his daughter to continue to fight for them.

“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have come…” Grace whispered as she felt like she was tailing off as Jae was feeling faint like there was some faint light she needed to follow. “I love you…” she whispered. “Eva…”

“That doesn’t matter,” Jake murmured. “I love you. You were the only one I ever loved. All you need to do is, yes, hold on okay. Think of Eva. Our daughter needs her mother…” he whispered Please no, not again. I cannot do this again he desperately prayed. “You can’t let her face life with you. She needs you. I need you to hang on…”

“Elizabeth” Grace whispered as she felt time running out… as she knew whatever her father was doing, was not working, and there were limits to what gifts that her father did have…

“We don’t know…” Max said to a clearly distraught Michael. It was clear that Grace was barely hanging on, and the longer it took for the paramedics to get here, the less chance she had, because as much as Max wanted to poof and save the day, he also knew he couldn’t because it would leave too many questions, even if Khivar was now dead, but Elizabeth was still missing in action and they didn’t know what that meant…

“He wanted to blame Elizabeth…” Grace whispered and was barely coherent. “He had it all planned,” she whispered. “I was stupid to think he wouldn’t know or catch on. That my disguise was good enough. They used me. They wanted to blame her, for my death…”

“He didn’t succeed,” Max said simply as they waited for the paramedics to arrive… as they prayed that Grace would pull through, and for Elizabeth wherever she was… “And now he’s dead too” he answered softly. “So, don’t make his day by dying on us, okay, Gracie, you need to hang on” as Jake took off the wig and her flowing brown hair came out, and all Max could see was a day that had started all this…

September 18, 1999 when his soulmate was collapsed on the floor due to a gunshot, and the brown hair was gathered on the floor, as her eyes were closed, as he pleaded for her to open them for him, as he began this whole saga…

“Grace, stay with us…” he pleaded as he remembered saying those words to Liz on that day.

“Elizabeth,” Grace whispered as she lost consciousness as they knew they had no where to go because the hospital below was burning out of control and soon it would be up here on the roof, and the hospital would go crashing to the ground.

And yet they knew Elizabeth was still missing…
keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 40 - 09/10/2020

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Can you save Grace???? And find Elizabeth!
User avatar
Parker1947
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 642
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Always Tomorrow - Chapter 41 - 09/12/2020

Post by Parker1947 »

The fading words of “Bitch,” were all Elizabeth could hear as she ran for her dear life. Repeating events of yesteryear, as she prayed this time, they would have a different result. Thankfully, she was not drugged. Therefore, she still had her wits about her as she ran through the woods, and saw that it was nearly dawn, and the early summer light was starting to peak through the trees, and she also prayed desperately that it would aid her ability to stay ahead of her captors. As she was doing this, back at the hospital, an unconscious Grace was loaded onto the medical transport., and the three men who cared deeply about Grace got in with her because there was very little choice because the flames below them were out of control as the crews were now on the ground, and trying to battle them, but they all knew the sad truth that the hospital wasn’t going to win this fight. Max could only pray that Khivar would not win his final battle and take his daughter from him, as Jake sat next to his wife and held her hand and they prayed as they flew to Roswell…

In the woods, a long ways away Elizabeth meanwhile had managed to kill the vehicle they had been driving in with her powers, as she used her hands that were easy to unbound and she did some zapping of the undercarriage of the vehicle to make the transmission start to fail, and once they had, she had whipped off her blindfold, and hit the henchmen with all her might, and even choked one of them until they unconscious, and slumped back against his seat, but not dead because I didn’t want another death on my conscious she muttered herself she used her powers to burst out of the doors, and made her flight.

The one she hit came conscious almost immediately as she had suspected that it wouldn’t be enough of a head start, but she hoped it was enough to get going, and because she wasn’t practically naked, and actually had shoes on, it made her have traction in her face to get enough of a head start. Of course, none of them knew what happened or that Salazar was now dead. All Elizabeth cared about was trying to survive and pray this day had a different outcome and history would not repeat itself.

“You really think you can get away from me?” came the curses from her pursuer…

I am certainly going to try she mused to herself because the alternative was too bad even if she didn’t think torture was what Khivar wanted with her unlike Nicholas who had taken too much delight in ordering her to be destroyed all so that he could present someone broken back to her father as his greatest victory.

Keeping him on this earth and not giving up the Granolith had been the one that got to Nicholas the most of all Elizabeth remembered him venting at her, when she had been sober enough to listen They didn’t even want it, why couldn’t they give it to me? he would vent. But Elizabeth knew her family did not want to give Nicholas the win. But instead, Nicholas had been forced to be stuck on Earth as a babyface teenager when he wanted back on Antar, and wanted back where there was real power and instead he had to be a lacky for Khivar on Earth so, yeah, he had a vendetta and had laid in wait to be able to get his revenge on Michael for allowing Courtney to sacrifice herself.

Elizabeth did not blame her father. She just did not understand how she could break and become so weak. Because she had, she only proved Nicholas right, in that she was weak, and it had given him a victory, in allowing him to use her all these years instead of fighting to make something of herself again.

The pain had been immense. But the pain was now over, and she had to fight to live. So, that she could home to her family, and home to her boys. Drew and Mick stuck in her mind, and even Emily, and Belle and knowing she didn’t want them to have to take on the battles that she, Grace and even Jake had to deal with, because she wanted the newest generation to have their own battles that didn’t belong to the past.

She just prayed she had a chance as tried to blast a tree down to prevent her pursuer from making any headway in finding her as she hid behind a bushy bush and took a deep breath. It was August, so the morning air was warmer than the night had been and she got up, and continued climbing and thanked Max for giving her a lesson in keeping her defenses alive, which gave her half a chance at keeping ahead of these morons.
Imagining her parents, and her children, it made her continue to battle on. Finally, she saw a clearing ahead of her, and then a cave, and she ran in and made a rockslide to try to cave herself in, to keep her attackers out.

Finally, she had a chance to stop. To look around, and see the dark cave, and hoped she had a chance to come out of the darkness.

Her pursuer saw the rockslide but did not figure she did it, so he ran past the cave, and continued going.

Sitting and waiting to be attacked. No attack did come, and so she knew she had been successful, so it allowed her a chance to lay down against rocks, and to think, and formulate a plan, and yes, to dream.

Of maybe going home again… She desperately wanted that dream to come true.

Would it?


*


While back in Roswell, chaos was unleashed as Grace was rushed into surgery as soon as they got to the hospital. And hours later, she remained in surgery, and they took it as positive that meant something, well, positive because otherwise they would have come out and told them, so they along with the group that had former in Max’s home was now at the hospital. The whole clan was, no matter the hour. They had called in the troops, and the small children were sound asleep in chairs nearby or on grandparents, using the comfort of their of their bodies, to sleep as Belle was herself asleep on a couch that had been pulled and placed into the waiting room, which was now taken over by the massive Evans, Guerin clan, and it’s many branches.

Beth had been petrified when she had received the call from Max when he arrived at the hospital upon his arrival. She nearly fainted but Maria kept her upright. None of them wanted this to their reality even though they suspected that Grace and her little caper would have dire results, but none of them had expected this.

Max, Michael, and Jake also had to take time to talk to the authorities about their activities up north. The NTSB was now involved and searching the carnage of the helicopter wreck, and they had to the instant relief of the gang found two bodies. Max felt guilty for causing the pilot’s death but he would never feel sorry for the other death, but the positive identification of the bodies were in progress, and the group hoped that their prayers would be confirmed, and Salazar would be dead.

None of the authorities knew how to classify it. Early word was likely engine trouble. Which was true Max would mutter himself. But far from the whole story Jim had to do his part, and he was already getting heat given how close he was to the parties involved, so he had to allow the federal authorities do their investigation, and yet he had to do some fudging of the facts. So, far none of the three had been taken away in handcuffs, and none of them knew if it was likely. Max felt guilty for the pilot’s death, and only that, as he planned to set up a trust fund for the children of the man who had died ridding them of Khivar, but Jim had to place Jake on a temporary leave until the investigation sorted itself out.

Jake took the suspension because was not going anywhere now that his wife was in the hospital. As they waited and prayed that they could keep Belle out of it. Fortunately, with the destruction of the hospital. There was little evidence tying the teenager to the hacking of the surveillance cameras. Not that the thirteen-year-old cared as she guiltlessly slept on the couch as they received word about Grace.

And plus, they did not know where her sister. Elizabeth being MIA was the biggest wildcard in all this. Because there had been no patients in the facility at the time of the fire, and the only body they found was that of Agent Stevens before she could turn to ash. Which mean, no one had any clue as to where Elizabeth was…

Her family knew it was more sinister than that because she was not merely taken to another facility. She was kidnapped yet again. Maria did not know if she could go through the uncertainly again. Last time nearly killed her. And to know her daughter was missing, well, it was eating at her, and for her and Michael to also worry about their daughter-in-law, and have a few worries too about Belle, it meant for a hellish time.

But at least she had didn’t have a child near death so any worries for the moment was tempered with worry about Grace as she looked over and saw the worry on her friend’s faces because this was the second time they had to face it, and this time, the encounter was too close.

Max was in misery as he grabbed his wife and took her in for a high as they both wished for good news. Just the door opened, “I understand Grace is married. I am looking for her husband?” said a doctor and Max was reminded once again that he and his wife were no longer next of kin, because their daughter was married, and her husband had the responsibility.

“That is me,” Jake said stepping forward. “Jake Guerin”

“Do you want to talk in privacy?” asked the doctor.

“No, we’re all family Dr….”

“Dr. Radford,” said the doctor. “Your wife is part of our medical program, and she works at this hospital, so I am familiar with Grace. She’s talked about you often…” the doctor murmured. “But this can be sensitive times…”

“As I said, we’re all family. This is in fact Grace’s mother and father; Max and Beth Evans” Jake said introducing Max and Beth to the doctor. “So, any information told to me can be told to them, or anyone who might be here… we’re all a very close family.”

“Beth Evans, you’re a doctor?” Dr. Radford asked. “I didn’t make the connection between you and Grace…” she commented. “Despite her keeping her name for her studies?”

“Yes,” Beth admitted. “I have my own practice, but I have privileges here for any of the emergency cases” she sighed as she grabbed her husband’s hand. “Our daughter wanted to stand on her own in her studies, and didn’t want any comparisons, and since her marriage, it has been easier, but still, our daughter is her own person?”

“Yes, she is…” Dr. Radford nodded. “And a very remarkable one at that so you both should be vey proud of the daughter you raised”

“We are,” Beth murmured as she glanced over at her husband who nodded and knew that Max was responsible for the woman, their daughter was today. It had been him who had taken on the burden all those years to care for their daughter. She had only had a little time with her daughter before she was grown up, and married, and an event like that made her miss those years even more…

“So, doctor, how is our daughter?” Max asked as he knew his wife still felt a lot of guilt about the years he had missed, and the state of her memory which made parenting Grace to be a challenge at times. Still he had known Beth and their daughter had become close despite the absence for much of her life. So, as he looked at the doctor and hearing her talk about his daughter in positive terms, he hoped that meant good news “I hope you have good news for us?”

“Yes, I do” Dr. Radford nodded. “Grace has made it through surgery,” she said the instant relief of her family “She is currently in ICU as we speak. It’s still touch and go, but thankfully she was able to make it through with relative ease, but in cases of gun shot wounds, there are always complications to look out for…”

“Thank you, doctor,” Jake murmured with instant relief “When can I see her?”

“You are welcome,” smiled the doctor but a frown came on her face, and Jake caught it.

“What is it?” Jake murmured.

“Before you see her there is something, I should tell you, and maybe we should talk in private if you don’t mind?” Dr. Radford asked.
Max looked at Beth who shrugged, and Jake also looked worried and Dr. Radford. “It has nothing to do with her chances of survival… It’s another sensitive matter and it’s better we go over it with her husband”

“Okay,” Jake nodded as he walked with the doctor.

“What was that about?” Max asked his wife.

“I have no idea,” Beth only shook her head and hoped it was nothing too unfortunate because the last thing they needed was a new complication.


*


Meanwhile Belle was asleep on the couch and she was in a dream world. She was imagining winning a scholarship to a computer camp the following summer and her parents being so proud of her, instead of discouraging her computer pursuits and then she was in the woods, she was startled and almost woke up with a start, but stayed conscious to keep with the dreamscape, No fair, it was such a good dream too she mused to herself, and the she heard a echo of a words, “Belle… Belle…”

Whose there? she called out into her imagination and then she saw a cave, and a caved in pile of rocks.

“It’s me,” came a command, and Belle was startled when she recognized the voice.

“Elizabeth?” she whispered in almost disbelief.

“Yeah it me,” Elizabeth spoke. Sorry for interrupting your dream, but you need to figure out where I am, and come find me, or get me some help, because I sort of made a mess and cannot get myself out it.

“What did you do?” Belle asked.

“Made this slide in, and now I can’t get out…” Elizabeth muttered. “So, yeah, get me out of here?” she sighed. “So, will you please wake up and find me…” she asked. “Unlike last time, you have the tools to find me this time?”

Belle took in the sights, and then she woke up with a startle. “Is that a dream or what?”

Then she opened her laptop that she had brought with her, and like almost she was commanded, her fingers started typing on goggle maps, and she found a location. “Unreal.”

“What?” Maria said as she noticed her daughter was awake.

“Mom, Dad, we have to talk…” Belle muttered as waking up with such a startle that it made her disoriented…

“What is it?” Maria asked as she summoned Michael over, as they faced their thirteen-year-old.

“I think I saw Elizabeth, and I think she’s telling me where we can find her?”

“What, where…” Michael asked with a sense of immediacy. “Is she hurt?” he asked as he did not want to encounter a scene like last time.

“No, what, no, I don’t think so” Belle murmured as she tried to recount her dream to her parents and still it didn’t make sense because it wasn’t like she could see her sister “I didn’t even see her, but I heard her, as I only saw rocks…”

“What do you mean?” Maria asked.

“I was dreaming something totally unrelated, and then suddenly I am somewhere in the woods, and I hear Elizabeth’s voice commanding me to bring help. She says she is in some cave, and she’s caused a slide in to stay safe, and now she cannot get out…”

“Oh god,” Maria muttered as both she and her husband remembered that Isabel was known to be pulled from a dreamscape into something today unrelated so what her daughter was describing did not seem farfetched. “New Mexico is full of caves, and especially around here…”

“She told me I had the tools to find her, unlike last time” she said shuddering at the mere memory of the last time her sister had come to her, and she thought she had a lead into getting her sister home without the pain inflicted on her, but it led to a false lead, and to a lot of pain and suffering.

“When I woke up, almost like I was being possessed, I knew where to look” as she showed the computer screen to her father.
Michael knelt down and looked, “I know the place, and it’s very secluded. Lots of woods, and then there are caves…”

“Do you think you can find her?” Maria asked.

“I hope so…” Michael murmured as he asked his daughter to transmit the information to him which she did, and he accessed it on his own phone.
“This is doable…”

“I don’t want to leave Jake,” Maria murmured because she didn’t want to leave their eldest in his time of need, and she was curious why the doctor had been so anxious to talk to his son alone, when she knew the rest of the family wanted to know, and also deep down she knew she didn’t want to be there if they walked into the same situation as they had seven years ago…

“I’ll take Isabel and Kyle…” Michael said as he took his wife’s hands and smiled as they both prayed that this meant that this was getting close to this being over… as they kissed, and Michael stepped back and went to brief his father-in-law, and his best friends who gladly jumped.

Although naturally Max stayed with Beth and Maria as the waited for Jake to return. The smallest of the kids eventually went home with one of their grand grandparents. Because Liam had to go and get ready for his final exam in the on-line course, he was taking over the summer once he was forced home instead of taking in person classes. Belle went with him because she had to register on-line for her classes. Liam was due back on campus the following week for the start of the new semester and Belle had classes to start within days. Michael and Maria took it as encouraging that their thirteen-year-old was concentrating on school for once and not on trying to get around it. They knew once back from their honeymoon Colin and Sue would do the same, as it was a bit of normal in this insane world.

Max and Beth stayed siting down and holding each other hand firmly with the wish that this would be soon over, and their daughter could come out of this. “So much of this has happened before?” he commented as he glanced at Maria.

“I know,” Maria muttered What is with our lives. A bunch of reruns of old nightmares. “When will it be over?”

“Hopefully soon,” Beth murmured as Jake came back looking shellshocked. Max and Beth both got up from where they sat and approached their son-in-law. “What did Dr. Radford tell you?”

“Grace is pregnant,”
Jake said in amazement to the shock of the parents. “Three months they think, three months they think…”

“Oh god,” Maria whispered a baby she mused to herself. This keeps on going as she broke out of her mind, and could see her son was ransacked by the news because of the added responsible it meant, and the extra worried Parenthood is always about the worries “The baby?”

“They didn’t know until they started the operation, because obviously I didn’t know to warn them” Jake murmured as he thought of his last conversations with his wife, and even the one in the hospital. “I don’t even think Grace knew because I don’t think she would have done this if she had known…”

“No, Grace wouldn’t have made such a risky move if she had known,” Max asked as he placed confidence in his daughter because just like the past, this kind of thing seem to pop out of thin air in the most extreme of situations. “Yeah, the baby?”

“It still with us,” Jake murmured in amazement once again. “It was close, but the baby is still viable, but they will have to do more testing in the coming days, to make sure everything stays that way…” he murmured. “They weren’t exactly sure the age of the fetus, due to the circumstances, but they are confident that all is normal?”

“Oh god,” Max whispered as if it was one more sign that this world was finally righting itself even if it was a hell of a time for them, and for Jake and Grace to bring another child into the world, and especially given the circumstances but then he glanced over at his wife who only nodded and remembered when she was told she was pregnant, while in the hospital and recovering from a nearly deadly crash.

“Mom, it’s a boy,” Jake murmured as if in shock.

“Oh god,” Maria murmured as she took her son to her arms for a massive hug, as they were all truly emotional as they prayed for Grace, the baby, and their whole family, and for Elizabeth, and that made this nightmare was finally close to being over as Max took Beth into his arms…


*


Grace felt like she was floating. But unlike last time, she was not seeing dearly departed friends of her parents who were trying to persuade her to live, but this time she felt weightlessly, but numb like it was a new world. Then she felt the pain come over her as her eyes fluttered open, and she concentrated on the walls around her and it came all flooding back of scenes of her youth, and nightmares of recovery that seemed endless at the time, but paled in comparison to what was to come. “Not again,” she whispered as she had thought she had spent enough time in a hospital as a patient in her lifetime and she didn’t need one more experience, as she felt a warm pulse in her hands, as she twitched a bit, and then wiggled, and then she looked and saw Jake sound asleep against her bed, as if it was being used as pillow. She felt the weight of guilt as she looked around and did not know the world she was waking up to, “Mmm…” she thought as felt the pain. “God, Jake?”

Jake stirred at the sound as he looked and saw his wife’s eyes opened and he quickly sat up straight. “Grace…”

“Why do I feel like shit?” Grace asked.

“Because you do look it,” Jake could not help but laugh. “You will never know how much I wanted to hear that voice again?”

“You too,” Grace murmured as she glanced around the room as she still felt groggy and not in control of what she was seeing “Where am I?” she asked softly as she struggled to finger out the new lay of the land, because all she knew was it was a new day, ”What day is it?”

“Sunday,” Jake asked. “You slept through yesterday…” he murmured as instant relief to see her eyes opening “You’re at Roswell Memorial”

“And?” Grace asked as her mouth felt dry, and Jake seemed to know, and grabbed the glass and gave her some ice chips, and the taste of the cold water was a shock to her throat, but she gladly took it.

“And what?” Jake asked.

“What happened?” Grace asked.

“What do remember?” Jake asked softly. “Do you remember that Salazar is dead?” he asked even though they were still waiting for confirmation of the identification, but he was confident the monster was dead.

“I…” Grace murmured as her brain was struck by a flash of memories of a fight, as she felt the punching, and heat of a blast, as she looked down at her hand and it was wrapped. Bang… she heard in her head and felt the instant pain, and the feeling of falling “I was shot, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Jake said softly as he nodded. “They were able to remove the bullet,” he assured his wife. “No complications, mostly…”

“Mostly?” Grace asked.

“We can talk about that in a moment,” Jake said softly as he knew it was no subject to immediately leap into “I am simply happy you lived because I wasn’t sure there for a moment if you would. Grace, you scared me. To see you taking on that madman as we arrived in the helicopter, and then to hear the gunshot, and to know there was nothing we could do?”

“Dad?” Grace asked.

“He helped, but there wasn’t much he could do…” Jake said. “Except wait. You don’t know how hard it was for them, for your mother and father to wait to hear if you would come back to us?”

“Sorry,” Grace murmured.

Jake nodded.

“Elizabeth,” Grace asked softly as she felt the pain from everything starting up, and she sat that she was hooked up to a morphine drip, but she didn’t want to take advantage of it until she didn’t have a choice.

“We have more pressing issues to talk about” was all Jake said in response as he batted away her question about his sister.

“What do you mean?” Grace asked.

“Grace, did you know you were pregnant before you made that dangerous move to go the mental hospital and take on Salazar?” Jake asked bluntly but as softly as he instantly could see that her shock at his blunt question was genuine, and that she had not known. Oh god, what a way to lay the news on her, you asshole… “I am sorry, I didn’t know if you knew?”

“Oh god, what…?” she croaked.

“Yeah, you’re pregnant” Jake murmured as softly as he could, with tears coming down his face. “We’re pregnant. Grace, we’re having another baby…” he murmured softly as he took his wife’s hand and grasped it. “Eva is going to be a big sister?”
keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 41 - 09/12/2020

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Grace found out some interesting news.....
And we need to go find that cave and get Elizabeth to safety!
User avatar
Parker1947
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 642
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Always Tomorrow - Chapter 42 - 09/15/2020

Post by Parker1947 »

I am pregnant Grace said as the words whooshed through her brain like a freight steamer, and she had no way to be able to grasp the idea because it had come out of thin air to her, as it didn’t make any sense. Not that they hadn’t had active sex life, but with Eva only one, well, they had decided to wait another year or so before trying for more, and yet Eva had come before they had been ready, but this didn’t seem real, and she could remember no signs whatsoever to believe this could be real, but she knew in her heart, it was.

Should not she have known that she was pregnant? she asked herself because that was the question, she felt that was coming from her husband as he stared at her, but she had not. She had felt queasy at the hospital in recent days, but she figured that was because of the circumstances, but now, she wondered.

Still the words didn’t compute in her brain as she thought back seven years to waking up in the hospital in Connecticut to be told that she had been pregnant, due to her unwanted encounter with Tommy Ellis, and having lost the baby. A pregnancy she discovered too late, and she hadn’t really wanted and the conflicting emotions that had come from knowing she had lost the baby, and then she thought back twenty one years to when her mother woke up in the hospital to be told she was pregnant with her sisters, Alexandra and Carrie. Her mind a blank, and memories were gone, and she had to be live for the babies inside her, and how it had to have been confusing for her mother not to have anyone there for her…

Now she was waking up and told the same words, and this time she had someone holding her hand. Someone who loved her and wanted her. “The baby,” she whispered… “Is it…”

“Fine, so far” Jake said softly. “They didn’t know until they started to operate, and because you were losing so much blood despite your father’s efforts, they had to quickly take you in before the necessarily tests…”

“Really?” Grace asked as she felt where the baby would be…

“Yes,” Jake said softly. “It might need future tests but as far as they can, he is hanging on”

He Grace whispered.

“Yes,” Jake nodded. “It’s a boy. They couldn’t tell for sure, but they think you’re 12-14 weeks…”

“Oh god,” Grace murmured. “I didn’t know, I swear otherwise I wouldn’t have taken this risk…”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Jake said softly. “Before, I am sorry. It’s just so much a shock you know to be told that news, and to know what you have just been through, so it came out as accusation and I am sorry about that…” he said softly.

“Yeah,” Grace nodded because it became real for her to know how easily he could have lost her, and to know there was a baby, and to know her Dad could have, if he had know, had lost her mother and her sisters in the crash. It became real, and it made her feel regretful. “I wish I had known.”

“You do now,” Jake smiled. “And we can protect our daughter, and son in the future…”

“Eva?” Grace asked.

“At your grandparents, Jeff and Nancy” Jake smiled. “They took over for your other grandparents because your parents have been spending so much time here at the hospital. Christopher is now over at your other grandparents place.”

“God, I wish I wasn’t such a bother” Grace asked softly.

“I love you,” Jake murmured. “I want you to be a bother as long as you’re still alive to give me a run for my money. You came too close Grace, and I do not want to go through this again. I thought I had already had my opportunity to risk losing you. I didn’t need a second run of it…”

“I know you didn’t Grace nodded. “I didn’t relish it either, you know, waking up in the hospital with you by my bedside,” she said softly as she remembered seven years ago, and a scene very similar except at the time they had taken vows, and they barely were a thing, despite both of them having feelings for the other. “It’s too Deja vu for my liking…”

“So, let’s not repeat it, okay?” Jake murmured as he leaned in for a small kiss, which she gladly gave. “Unless it’s to bring one of our children into the world, okay?”

“I promise,” Grace mumbled as the whole situation seemed too like it happened before. “You may have told me but Khivar is dead, right?” she asked softly “The bastard’s gone, right?”

Jake was about to give an answer when there was a bulldozing nature of the door bursting open and an overpowering voice snap away both of their attentions. “So, did you tell her?”

“Elizabeth,” Grace asked shocked as her sister-in-law and dear childhood friend came back into the room and into her life. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she looked at her husband who only laughed at the change of fortunes.


*

Twenty-four hours before…

The drive to the wooded area was full of emotion for Michael as he sat in the car as Kyle drove. Neither wanted him to risk crashing it because of the state of his mind. Isabel sat in the same car and hoped they were repeating history and going to a scene of a horror show. You can only go through that once, and none of them wanted a rerun of that moment in time. “Are you okay?” Isabel asked her friend as she could see the run of emotions within Michael on display.

“I am,” Michael nodded. “I just want to get there already…”

“We’re almost there,” Isabel assured her friend because she knew how much it was eating him inside because of past events, and not knowing what they were ready for.

“Khivar is dead,” Kyle said hopefully.

“Yeah,” Michael muttered. “A good stroke there for Max, but still he leaves hell of a nightmarish legacy…” he sighed. “I don’t want to think of what he might have done or organized before he did leave this earth in a puff of ash…”

“You won’t know until you see her,” as they finally reached the clearing that the cave was near, and if the coordinates were right, which meant they were within feet of where Elizabeth might be… Woods were in the background.

“A pretty spot?” Isabel commented. “We might want to come back here camping one day…”

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Michael muttered because he had a hard time believing that their luck could be turning. They had already come way to close with Grace, and now to know had no idea what condition his daughter would be, when they found her, if they found her that is, he muttered to himself because this was all too much. “We don’t know what are going to find?”

“Seeing this place Michael, it tells me that this is a very different situation” Isabel smiled as she glanced around and they spotted the cave, and the cave in… and knew they had found their spot. “There, that is how Belle described, right?” she asked. “A cave, with a cave in?”

“Maybe,” Michael said, unsure.

“Think positively, okay?” Isabel asked of her friend. “You won’t know, but something tells, this is going to be a vastly different outcome than what happened seven years ago she said hopefully because for once this all seem to be ending, and the pain was lessening even if it was still there…

“Yeah,” Michael muttered as he was not ready to put the past away and he had too many worries to think that this could end up any way good for them. Because it had not until this point. Still though his friend wanted to grin and bear it and hope this was different.

But for Michael, “hope” gets you far until it does not get you any further….

Hope gets you far, until it does not…

“Elizabeth,” Michael called…


*


Inside, Elizabeth had fallen asleep because she let the tiredness overwhelm her and take her to the dreamland, as she dreamt of her family, and most of all her two boys. She wanted to see their tiny faces again.

She had something to live for, and she was not going to sink into despair again. Nicholas had taken too much from her, and she had fought back, and she did not want to go down that road again.

So, she slept and imagined a world that had her home with her kids, and celebrating the goodness of life, and being loved.

Finn was always in those dreams. She did not know the role he had in her life, but he was always there…

So, she did not immediately hear the shouts of her father calling for her… Still enough of the tone of the voice started to register in her brain and she started to wake up, but groggy enough not to know what was happening.

Then she remembered that she was in the cave after barricading herself after breaking away from her captors. “Elizabeth,” she heard… and then her name coming from a female voice, and she knew it was her aunt, Isabel.

“Dad,” she called out…


*


“Michael, I hear her,” Isabel called to Michael as he and Kyle were starting to lift the boulders that were bigger than they first appeared, and it was taking a lot of effort to get rid of them, but the more they did, the more the sound was coming from behind them.

“Elizabeth,” Michael yelled.

“Daddy,” Elizabeth called.

Hearing those words made everything more important for Michael, and suddenly the weight of the rocks was not insurmountable. It was possible to get rid of these barriers, and to have his daughter back. Because this was the past, it was now, and it was about the future…

“Come on, let me help” Isabel said as they were getting somewhere, and soon they were left with only smaller boulders, and finally Michael was just flicking them and crushing them with his powers, and finally there was a opening, and Isabel offered to go in because she could squeezed through while the guys made the hole bigger or bust through it completely. “Let me do it?”

“Fine, go,” Michael muttered as Isabel squeezed through into the open spot, and dusty and dirty but through, she got up.

“Elizabeth,” she called into the cave and had a good look around and saw almost a serene place, and so different from what they had face before, as she breathed a sign of a relief when she saw the twenty-three-year-old come running at the sound of her voice. “Oh, thank you god…” she whispered because deep insider she always had worries like Michael that they were walking into nightmare, once again. But no, this time, it was completely different.

“Isabel,” Elizabeth said with relief pouring down her face as she ran into her aunt’s arms. “I got myself into a tight one here?” she admitted as she felt safe in Isabel’s arms, and knew this was having a different ending.

“But you’re safe?” Isabel asked.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “This was my hiding spot when I got away from those creeps. Unfortunately to hide, I caused a slide in… and when I went to go out, well, I didn’t have enough power to get through.”

“Don’t worry your father and uncle are almost through it,” Isabel smiled as she did a quick assessment of the girl. “You’re alright, right?”

“Perfect,” Elizabeth confirmed as she looked down. “It’s only dirt and grim from running once I got free, but I promise, I am not letting them beat me again…”

“Michael, she’s fine” Isabel called through the hole at Michael who finished the finally rocks with plenty of power and came bursting through just minutes later after hearing Isabel’s assessment. “Daddy,” she screamed as she ran into Michael’s arms and tears came to Isabel’s eyes as this reunion was what they dreamt for seven years ago, and had been denied, and now Michael was achieving it.

The hold Nicholas and Khivar had one them was vanishing before their eyes as he still stood and held his daughter. “Sweet pod”

“That was always an odd nickname, you know?” Elizabeth laughed at the something small and Michael cherished the ribbing coming from his daughter because for so long he had to live without and he would never regret it ever again because he now knew how it was to lose someone you love, and sometimes you don’t get the miracle. This time he did, and he was going to cherish it

“We’re an odd family,” Michael conceded as he embraced his daughter as he felt the cloud starting to lift from over their heads, “We’ve all have had our unique elements to us?”

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Elizabeth smiled as Michael took led her and Isabel out of the cave as Isabel smiled at her husband as they left the cave, and she grabbed his hand and kissed him. “Let’s go home.”


*


They didn’t go straight home, because on the way, Elizabeth decided to stick with her wish to straighten out her life and told her father and aunt she wanted to go to see Grandpa, and turn herself in, and figure out where the latest developments left her… In the car, Isabel sat in the back with Elizabeth who now had her father’s jacket on her because it was starting to get chilly. “Have you told her?” Kyle asked as he drove.

“Told me, what?” Elizabeth asked from the back seat as Isabel could only smile at her husband’s obvious ploy to get the truth out in the open.

“Nothing,” Michael said because he did not want to get into either discussion but knew it would be unavoidable because of how close Grace and Elizabeth had been, and how Grace had risked everything for his daughter.

“Dad, please, tell me” Elizabeth asked. “I don’t want anymore secrets.”

“Tell her Michael…” Isabel murmured. “She needs to know because she will find out soon enough, and it’s better that it comes from us…”

“Yeah.” Michael knew his friend was right, because it was better to come from him rather than someone else. An authority figure or someone else entirely and so he began with the easiest of the revelations, despite the unknown finality of any legal risks. “First of all, Khivar is dead” he revealed.

“Crap, what, wait, backup, he’s dead…” Elizabeth asked as she murmured as her brain tried to process that the evil left this earth “I don’t get it, how?”

“A long story,” Michael murmured. “Max did it, but only because we had no choice otherwise, we would have allowed to go off and inflict more harm, because we don’t know what he was planning with you…”

“Me either,” Elizabeth muttered because had not know what the plan was had been, and that had been eating at her. “All I know is he liked that I was a killer…”

“Yeah,” Michael muttered as if he could forget that would be the burden for his daughter to get over but then he was one too, and he mostly forgot about that so he hoped that meant something for his daughter in the long run. “He was probably going to use your abilities to advance his evil” he sighed because the mere idea of using his daughter’s abilities to bring about pain was more than he could bare. “If only Agent Stevens was smart enough to know what she was delivering to him?”

“Agent Stevens?” Elizabeth asked.

“She’s dead,” Isabel muttered. “Khivar killed her…”

“Oh god,” Elizabeth murmured as this recap was overwhelming her as she did not how to process it. “I don’t know what to say…”

“None of us do,” Isabel confirmed. “Agent Stevens was talking to Grace when Khivar showed his face…”

“Oh god, shit, what, Grace” Elizabeth asked horrified. “What do you she was talking to Grace?” as she thought of her childhood friend. “Are you serious. Please tell me that Grace is okay?”

“She is now,” Kyle said softly as the burden of the last hours were weighting on them and even then, they would not know until she woke up if she was going to be alright. “But for a moment there we weren’t sure,” he sighed as he glanced through the mirror at his wife who cringed.

“What happened?” Elizabeth asked softly because she could not fathom any of this.

“There is no other way to say except to say that Khivar shot her,” Michael admitted as he knew how his daughter was going to react to the news and as he predicted. Elizabeth’s eyes went wide, and terror was on her face. “Just as we were arriving to help out the situation” Michael admitted as he would never get out of his head, the sound of the gunshot as the doors were opening and they were racing out of them, and the power that shot had on them, and especially none more so than his son and Grace’s father.

“Oh my god. What, do you mean to tell me that Grace has been shot?” Elizabeth asked horrified at the mere suggestion of more harm for her friend. “How serious?”

“It was serious, but she’s starting to recover, but she’s in the hospital at the moment” Isabel said to reassure the girl. “Your brother is frantic, but she’s hopefully going to be fine.”

“Oh god,” Elizabeth muttered as pure horror seeped into her face as she though of the grief that her brother must be feeling because she knew how much he loved Grace, and how they had been a match made in heaven, as she prayed heaven wouldn’t take her friend, for real, this time. “I knew her showing up to protect me was going to backfire on her. She should have left it to me…”

“Neither of you should have been in that situation. Agent Stevens was clearly out of her league in what Khivar had planned, and neither of you should have been. Thankfully we were able to get to Grace in time, and now we have gotten to you, so Khivar didn’t win this time, and he’s dead and we won’t have to worry about him, every again” Michael declared. “You have a chance…”

“Do I?” Elizabeth asked. “Or do the authorities see me as a fugitive because I was unaccounted for?”

“We don’t know,” Kyle admitted because he knew the was burden on his father to have to figure out. “At the moment they are trying to determine what is happening, and the hope is that once they identify the bodies, then, they will see it was him, not you…”

“But that was his plan, wasn’t it?” Elizabeth asked. “To use me as a fall guy?”

“Probably,” Michael sadly asked.

“So, I am screwed?” Elizabeth asked.

“Let’s hope not,” Isabel as they continued to drive in silence as the depth of the events in question was seeping in on the frighten twenty-three-year-old, as she didn’t know what she was returning to.


*


While she wanted to go the hospital, Elizabeth felt that she should be an adult for once and show up to the police station and turn herself in, and she did that as Jim was truly grateful to take his granddaughter into his arms before taking her into his office. Because Grace was still unconscious, Max hearing that Elizabeth had been located came over and acted as her attorney while Jim took her statement.

“Max, I am sorry” a guilty Elizabeth muttered. “I told her to go home to Jake and Eva, and so this is all my fault” she asked as she and Max had a moment before Jim came in to take her statement. “This is all on me?”

“No, it’s on my daughter in that she made this decision. You are not at fault for her going there and staying,” Max murmured. “Salazar is the one who made the shot,” as he chose to use his earth name in case they were overheard. “As we have seen numerous times that my daughter is her own person, and she’s going to do what she wants.”

“Still this is my battle…” Elizabeth asked. “It should have been me…”

“No,” Max shook his head. “It was on neither of you because it didn’t start with you Elizabeth. It did not even start with my daughter. It started years before either of you were born, and it shouldn’t have bled onto any of you,” he muttered because he knew it had begun with the original generation and they carried the guilt and the burden that it had been turned onto their children, when it should have been their battle to take on. “So, no, it shouldn’t have been your battle to take on. It was on me; it was on us…”

“Still,” Elizabeth asked.

“You have a chance Elizabeth and you should take it” Max asked.

“Not if they put me away because of this. Wouldn’t this be Khivar’s greatest win?” Elizabeth asked.

“He failed. We won” Max said. “It’s over…”


*


Back to present time…

“Out on bail, waiting for them to figure out what my status is?” Elizabeth said honestly with her trademark laugh to go along with the brutal assessment of her life, as she was followed into the room by Grace’s mother and father, and Michael and Maria as Belle came in last as Grace could see everyone had smiles on their faces, and the tears weren’t about angst, but in happiness. “Now that my deal with Agent Stevens is up in a poof smoke” she smirked and thought more about her choice of words. “Sorry, but I mean I didn’t have much love for the agent given where she delivered me into, but I guess, I don’t wish her dead…”

“She’s dead, right?” Grace asked.

“Yes,” Max nodded. “She wasn’t a bad woman,” he sighed because he had a lot of conflicting opinions on the dead agent she did a lot of damage or she didn’t see what was before her very eyes he muttered until it was too late he sighed as he glanced at his daughter and was reminded once again how lucky they had gotten.

“Daddy…” Grace murmured softly as she glanced at her mother and her father.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Max said softly as he looked at Grace with pride, and Beth looked at both with lots of love, and pride too. “I hope I have said that for the last time?”

“I hope you have too…” Grace admitted. “How did you get here…” she asked as she focused on her friend.

“What can I say, my Dad and sister are my heroes” Elizabeth smiled with lots of love at her father and younger sister who looked uncomfortable with the attention. “Without them, I might still be in that cave or dead…”

“You saved yourself, honey” Michael said.

“I should have done that seven years ago and then maybe none of this would have ever had happened.” Elizabeth

“The past is what it is, for good and for bad. But it also means that it is over,” Max said with a smile. “All we can do is look into the future, and know we’re all smarter than we were then,” she sighed as she glanced around the room and knew that things were different, and the past was what it was, in the past. “It’s over,” he could not help but say to the room. “We might have fallen down, but we got up, and we won’t let the future defeat us,” he softly as he took his wife’s hand and knew back in the beginning, he wouldn’t have had this chance. “Khivar is dead. And it’s all over…”

But what did it being over, mean?

None of them could hazard a guess as the door open once again and this time Finn came in and Elizabeth smiled when he came in and took her hand as they all continued to talk and visit, as Grace took in having her family all back together again…




*



Author's Note: Thank you again for your interest in this story. The threat might be over, and we are coming up to the end. But there is some fun drama left, worthy of it's own story, but I short formed it, in a rolling epilogue of sorts over several chapters as we find how they find a way forward, and how complicated tomorrow might be...
Last edited by Parker1947 on Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 42 - 09/15/2020

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Glad Khivar is gone for good.
Now what's in store for these young families?
I hope some happier times.
User avatar
Parker1947
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 642
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Always Tomorrow - Chapter 43 - 09/18/2020

Post by Parker1947 »

It being over allowed them a chance in the days to come to see how resilient they all were as Grace and Jake were able to see how resilient the newest and the littlest Evans Guerin was as the doctors would determine that Grace’s unborn baby was perfectly healthy as he could be determined before birth, and she and her husband had the faith to think that their son would be alright when he did come out into the world.

Jake ultimately was allowed back to work after a month long suspension that he had spent with wife, daughter, and family as they got used to the fact that Khivar was now dead while Grace herself would take a leave of absence from the medical program until after the baby was born so she that she could fully recover, as she counted her lucky stars that it hadn’t been worse. All she had was an injured hand that thankfully had use to it, but was burnt, and needed time to recover. She didn’t know how she would have lived with herself if the baby had been affected by what she had done, but still, she had her husband and her daughter, and she gladly took the fortune that she had gotten as she started to leave the past where it belonged, behind them and plus she needed to show appearances within her recovery so that it didn’t look as immediate as it was.

While at the same time, Salazar’s body was positively identified and therefore the world took notice of a small town in New Mexico. For more than being about myth of aliens. Because a dead drug dealer trumped all, and the department was getting credit for the demise of such a terrible man even though they had nothing to do with it. Max came to a new deal with Lisa in that Elizabeth would serve the terms of the original deal. 18 months but have her remanded to Roswell Memorial psych ward where she would get in patient treatment, and be able to see her family, and that meant her kids, once a week during the course of the treatment assuming that is what she wanted, and she wasn’t sure yet if she wanted to put her sons through it but she knew she needed to be apart of their lives.

Max also cut a deal with the FBI who were remorseful for much of Ava’s conduct, and how she treated Elizabeth, and they came to a deal with Max on a sizable settlement that would allow Elizabeth, and the boys to be comfortable for years to come.

But most importantly the deals she made with the authorities. It allowed her immunity from any other charges, as they would be declared time served once the treatment completed.

She would still be on probation, but she would be allowed to be around her kids and her treatment won’t be used against her in any attempt to modify custody, or to take it back once she had satisfied the terms of her deal and if she proved to be a suitable caregiver for her kids. So, today, a week after the incident, it was the day she was supposed to turn herself in for treatment. “Are you ready?” Finn asked as she picked up her bag that she had packed with all her new clothes now that she was committed to her new life, whatever that meant.

“Yes,” Elizabeth nodded as Finn was driving her as she looked down at her arms that had less tattoos on them as the day before she was released from a special treatment where her tattoos were removed or all the ones who had bad memories attached to them.

She kept only one. The Phoenix on her back. Because she figured that meant something. That she was rising from the ashes.

She felt like a new person. She knew she was a new person. While the tattoos might be gone, still, she had the memories associated with them, but she was no longer allowing them to define her, as she was given a new life, and was planning on taking it on.

She did not know what it meant for her and Finn, but she was not pushing him away anymore. She walked downstairs and saw Drew running towards her. “Hi handsome?”

“You, going?” Drew asked as school for him was starting the following day and Elizabeth wished she could be here to see it but knew she would have other first days of school in the future if she got better.

“Yes,” Elizabeth murmured. “But I’ll see you very soon, but your grandparents will be here for you and your brother, and so will your Daddy” she said as she looked over at Finn who nodded because since she had been home. She finally sat down the four year old and told Drew in kidlike terms that Finn was his biological Dad, and the boy took it remarkably well, and Finn was accepting responsibility for his son, and therefore he and both boys were becoming closer by the day. Elizabeth felt al lot of relief in seeing the bonding taking place, and knew that the boys would be well taken care of while she was gone…

Because she knew was coming home once treatment was over. When she did, she would be entering a whole new life. She did not know exactly what it meant, but it was an exciting chance, and she could not wait for that day.

“Daddy, you are going to help Mommy, right?” Drew asked.

“If she wants me too,” Finn smiled. “Why don’t you go and find your brother, and when I get back, we’ll go the park, and try your pitching arm?”
Drew jumped up and down and ran off…

“Thank you, Finn,” Elizabeth murmured as she leaned into kiss Finn, who gladly took it. “You’re being too good to him” she sighed because the rush of feelings felt good and freeing from her past, and the fear and unknown that she had spent these past seven years under, and just knowing she had Finn here, was something she didn’t want to lose.

“They make it easy because both he and Mick are everything that is right. So, you know, I only see you in them Elizabeth. I don’t see anything that may have happened in the past, or how they came to be…” Finn murmured as she took her hands into his own and glanced into her eyes “So, take this time concentrate on the future…”

“Thank you for being you…” Elizabeth smiled. “You will never know much I appreciate it.”

“Concentrate on yourself, and we’ll be here when you come home” Finn murmured whatever it means for us, I will take it as it comes

Elizabeth murmured as Belle came downstairs. “You ready for school tomorrow?” As, the last week had thawed the relationship between the sisters. Less friction was evident as Belle enjoyed having an older sister again, and she did not feel resentful anymore. Belle had taken her sister’s advice when they had gone shopping with Maria for a new wardrobe, and Elizabeth was encouraging her sister’s computer pursuits but with the proviso that she stayed on the right side of the law, and not to do anything extreme.

“As I will ever be,” Belle smiled. “Landon is coming over and we’re talking about an exclusive computer club we’re planning on starting up”

“Landon, huh?” Elizabeth laughed as in the back Michael groaned because the last thing, he wanted to deal was his thirteen years interest in boys after just getting over the hump that was her cyber crimes.

“He’s only a friend,” Belle assured them all.

“That is what Jake once thought about Grace,” Elizabeth laughed as she looked over at Jake who held onto Grace’s hand despite it being still in a cast, as she was still recovering, and over at Finn who laughed. “Or even me, so you be good, okay?”

“I promise,” Belle smiled. “I’ll see you next Sunday, right?”

“You better,” Elizabeth murmured. “You need to be teaching me today’s damn technology. I am too much in the dark about a lot of things, it seems.”

“It’s pretty easy,” Belle laughed as Elizabeth hugged her mother and father. “You get a handle of it…”

“I will be alright,” Elizabeth assured her mother and could see her mother was full of conflicting emotion. “This is a different…”

“We know,” Maria smiled as she damper down her worries. “We’ll be there as soon as they allow us too…”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Elizabeth nodded. “I am ready Finn,” she said as she walked out the front door and promised to herself that she would be walking back into the house when treatment was over.

“Landon, huh?” Michael turned and stared at his daughter.

“Don’t start, okay?” Belle muttered as they all laughed as Jake led Grace to the backyard where Eva was with a newly returned Colin and Sue who couldn’t believe all the drama that they had missed while they had been on their honeymoon.

As the business of every day living continued to start over…


*


Two months later,
October 31



And the everyday business of living continued as the days went by. Elizabeth’s treatment was moving along and she was getting better each day, and she felt like she was taking control of her life, and she was able to see her family often, and especially her boys who did eventually come to the hospital. Drew and Mick took it with ease, and didn’t care about the atmosphere they saw their mother in, and she thought Drew almost seemed relieved to see his mother getting stronger, and he was loving school, and showing all the stuff he was learning to his mother, and the drawings he was creating.

He and Finn were remarkably close. Finn made it a priority to stop by and see the boys as he finished up his law degree, and was looking for jobs, and interviewing, and one job came up in Max’s office, and he was in final interview for that one, as Max had been impressed by Finn, and the last seven years had taught him to make his family a priority, and so he didn’t hesitate to take on help, even though Evans stayed as the primary name on the firm.

As the fall continued, it bled into October, and now it was Halloween. The twins 21st birthday. Max made sure to get off work early, and knew Beth was taking the day off from her practice because she had been volunteering at Christopher’s Halloween party at school.

She had for weeks been working on his costume. He was still in his Harry Potter phase, and Beth had created a homemade costume for their son, and he was taking the boy out trick and treating while his mother stayed home and rested because the baby was due within weeks. She did not think it was coming until after Christmas, but Max was not sure, because he had this sense that it would be early.

Everything about them was fast, and early, despite their circumstances. Still today was an anniversary of sorts because 21 years ago she had given birth to the twins under unreal and unfathomable conditions. Max still winced to know what Beth had to take on alone, while he also wished he could have been, and he missed it, so he tried to make the day special each year, and this one was one of the more important days.
And with this one being number 21. It was a little more than any other even if said twins were out of the house, and away dealing with their own pursuits. “Hello beautiful,” he smiled as he walked into the kitchen and smiled when he saw his wife who lit up when she saw Max. “How was the party?”

“Successful. Christopher’s friends loved his costume,” Beth smiled as he saw her husband walking into the kitchen and immediately saw what he wanted to give her. “Oh my god, Max you shouldn’t of” he smiled as he saw the white roses in her husband’s hands. “Max, they are simply beautiful.”

“Beautiful for the beautiful,” Max said as he gave his wife the flowers, and leaned in for a kiss, and touched her stomach, which he always did.

“Were you always a smooth talker?” Beth asked said with a laugh as they both exchanged a much more heated kiss.

“Yes,” Max murmured. “Today is special. You know that I always think it’s dream to be with you, but since this is the 21st of these days for you, well, I thought, why not make it extra special” he sighed. “Beth, I can’t imagine how it was for you on this day back then…” he winced at the knowledge he had gained over these years, and to know she was newly awake after a prolonged coma, and didn’t even have her memory, and that she had to start completely over, with two babies to feed, and to support. It should never have happened, but at least she was strong enough to make it to this day, twenty-one years ago.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I lived through those days,” Beth said as she looked up at her husband with love, and knew she was blessed and that she had been able to capture something unexplainable with Max, and she would never regret this day for as long as she would live, and she hoped they had many many years together “I think I did it to be able to make it back to you again”

“I had thirteen years without you, and it was a living hell, and I never want to experience that ever again,” he sighed as they spent the rest of the day together, and when he got home from taking Christopher hunting for treats, he found her frowning as she was texting something on her phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Beth smiled as she put away her phone as she concentrated on her husband as Christopher ran upstairs to start sorting his candy. “How was the hunt?”

“All I can say is that your son like to hunt for all the best candy?” Max smiled. “He knows which house to target” he laughed. “That boy of us even has the plan down on paper…” he smiled. “He knows where to go first, and who to skip?”

“He gets it from you,” Beth smiled as Christopher was very much like his father, down to his looks, and demeanor, very unassuming. “You have always known that it’s best to operate under a plan, because you never know what might happen.” she sighed as Max again as he couldn’t help mused, he also gets it from you too. Liz was always about her plans. Because, living by a plan is always better than the alternative because he knew sometimes he had gone off the cliff if something went sideways as he smiled but saw the frown on his wife’s face, and wondered what was up with his wife’s demeanor.

“Are you okay, is it the baby?” Max asked concerned.

“No, all is fine,” Beth said as she shook her head. “All it was, well, I was trying to get a hold of Carrie to wish her a Happy Birthday, because she had classes today, so I didn’t try calling so I have been trying to text, but I haven’t been able to reach her, which is very much like her because I haven’t gotten much of a rise out of her in weeks, not since everything happened with Grace. She and Alexandra were very present in communicating until they knew Grace was safe, and then it started to trail off, and while she talked to Alexandra frequently. Carrie was becoming scarcer in reaching her…”

“Well it’s her birthday, so she’s probably she is partying with friends or even Justin” Max asked as because they knew their daughter liked to party much more than her twin sister. “I looked at her tracker location before I left the office, and she was still there…” he murmured although since Khivar was vanquished, the need to monitor the kids wasn’t as consuming and therefore everyone had a little more freedom.
Albeit with some conditions attached for the younger of the kids. But the older ones got more latitude, but Max was known to check it on occasion. After all. Once you were bitten, you were known be careful.

“You’re right, it’s her birthday” Beth smiled as she leaned in for a kiss and her put her worries aside. “Want to watch a movie?”

“I have a better idea,” Max smiled as he took a box out of table and gave it to Beth. “This is for you…”

“Max, you didn’t” Beth giggled. “It’s the girls’ birthday. I am not the one to get a gift?”

“Well Christopher gets candy. Grace has her baby on the way. The birthday girls’ have their day. So, why should you not get to celebrate the day too,” Max murmured as they kissed. “If only I could have been there…”

“You’re here now, and that counts,” Beth smiled. “For Grace, the girls, and Christopher and one day soon, this baby…” she said. “You didn’t, I love these” as she saw the chocolates. “They are tabasco flavored, right?”

“Of course, I know your cravings,” Max smiled as he exchanged a kiss with wife. “And this other one, I thought you could wear them to that fancy dinner we’re having this weekend” he smiled as Beth opened the small box, and gasped.

“Max, they are precious…” Beth asked. “They are too much…”

“Nothing is too much for a woman who gave me everything,” as Beth saw the diamond earrings. “I knew they would look marvelous on you…”

“You spoil me,” Beth whispered. How did I get this lucky?

“You spoil me everyday you come home to me and the kids,” Max murmured. “I am blessed every day you’re in my life because for too long I didn’t have you in it…” he said as he left the earrings in the box, and started to lead his wife upstairs when there was a boom of a front door swinging open, and Max musing to himself, of course we would be busted as they got a very clear look at their guest.

“Alexandra, what on earth…” Beth murmured as they spotted one of the birthday girls descending on her home as she came rushing in. “What are you doing here?”

“I came in for the weekend to celebrate my birthday with Graham and was going to call you tomorrow, but Graham ambushed me with quite the surprise,” Alexandra said in a rush of panting emotion. “I couldn’t even stop to phone Carrie because I wanted you the first to tell the news”

“Why,” Beth asked but silently Max knew…

“Mom, Dad, Graham asked me to marry him” Alexandra blurted as she shared the ring on the finger… “I said YES, of course,” she giggled full of happiness, and glow. “Guys, we’re getting married?”

“Oh my god,” Beth said as she glanced over with amusement at the shock and yet the look of being resigned on his face. “It’s gorgeous Alex,” Beth murmured as she got a look at her daughter’s engagement ring. “It’s simply beautiful.”

“Graham said it was his grandmothers,” Alex said as she looked over at Max and saw an unreadable expression, and did not know how to read her father, and usually she could. “Daddy, you’re happy for me, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Max murmured slowly but quickly as he was reminded once again that it was only seven years ago that he had met this young woman, and now she was getting married Where did the time go as he cursed Nicholas and Khivar for taking those first years away from him, but he had her now in his life, and he would always be grateful. “Congratulations. You are sure, you’re ready?”

“Of course,” Alexandra said batting the concern away. “I loved Graham since I met him first day at West Roswell High. I know he’s my one,” she smiled. “I don’t know what our lives will look like, but I know I want him in it…”

“I am happy for you honey,” Max murmured as he knew his daughter was happy, and that is all he wanted for his child happiness “Which is what I told Graham when he came to ask for permission, and my blessing…” he murmured to the giddiness in his daughter as he took his wife’s hand. Like Grace. Alexandra rarely let down her guard, so this unguarded moment was quite the sight the see. “I know he’s the right one for you. And he will make you incredibly happy, just like your Mom is my one in a million.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Alexandra murmured. “I hope our marriage is as happy as you and Mom’s…”

“We can only hope so,” Max murmured as there was a boom of the front door again, and they groaned. It is Halloween, what is with all the company? “What now,” and they looked with shock as they saw the other birthday girl.

As Carrie walked in and unloaded her bags. “Don’t say anything okay, but I am moving back home” she muttered. “Can I have my old room back or better yet Grace’s old room above the garage…” she said but without explaining anything, or receiving permission, she walked upstairs and disappeared behind her bedroom door, and they could only heard a slam of a door.

“What was that?” Max muttered out loud.
User avatar
Parker1947
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 642
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:34 pm

Always Tomorrow - Chapter 44 - 09/22/2020

Post by Parker1947 »

And the next hours didn’t give any answers to the confusion that reign in the house even as Alexandra tried to get her sister to talk but with no luck so she went home to celebrate her engagement with her fiancé, and left her parents to deal with their silent daughter who unlike her sister did not have something celebrate on her 21st birthday. And the next day wasn’t any easier as she didn’t explain anything except to move up to Grace’s old room, over the garage, and the only thing she said to enlighten her confused parents were that she and Justin were over, for good, and there would be no reconciliation.

All she said about school was that she needed time, and had arranged to finish a few of her classes for the fall semester on-line otherwise she was taking time to think over the direction of her life and she did not volunteer anything more even as Grace and Alexandra pulled their sister to Cow Patties for drinks on Sunday night. Before Alexandra had to fly back to school, she elected to crawl out from the glow of her engagement to figure out what was going on with her twin sister.

Carrie was down in the dumps about something. She just did not know why? Alexandra did not fail to notice that she was the only one who was drinking. Now that she and Carrie were official and did not have to hide their alcohol use. Grace had an excuse that she was pregnant, so she had a regular iced tea.

And Carrie was having one too. Which signaled to both sisters that there was something going on with their sister. “Not drinking? Alexandra asked her twin.

“I don’t feel like it” Carrie muttered.

“You always feel like it, so what’s up?” Grace asked as they both laughed but they did not get one from Carrie. “So, what’s up with you and Justin?” she asked because she knew they had not gotten any information since the summer about what was going on with Carrie and Justin, and that was surprising.

“Nothing, we’re over” Carrie muttered.

“Did he screw up again?” Alexandra asked surprised because she now recalled her sister had not commented much at all about herself in any text message which were becoming fewer and fewer over these last weeks.

“Nope,” Carrie said as she didn’t add anything of substance to it except to say, “We were just too different,” she muttered. “Once back at school we both realized that there was a side of us that we will never get,” she muttered as she was crying this time over the breakup because she had too many other things on her mind. “We mutually decided it was over.”

“So, where does leave you?” Grace asked.

“Rethinking my life,” Carrie muttered as she knew she was scaring her family. “That includes school…”

“You’re almost finished, so why now?” Alexandra asked and knew something was up with her sister because this was not the Carrie she knew. She had known her sister to be excited about graduating, it was all she could talk about all summer and now to stop, before the finish line, to Alexandra, it was very weird. To Grace too it was also strange because she could not imagine stopping when you are just months away.

“Well, I don’t have any choice” Carrie muttered as she got up and walked away, and went behind the bar and asked for her job back and told them that she could work any shift they wanted, and she would start the following week because they people booked all week to take the shifts. She just walked out instead of coming back to the table.

“What’s going on with her?” Grace asked.

“I have no idea,” Alexandra muttered. “She’s not talking to me either,” but she did not have time to figure it out because she had to catch her flight.

While Carrie just went up to her room above the garage and wanted to kick something but she didn’t because she was too rash, and she needed to carefully consider her options as she went into the bathroom and wanted to curse as she saw the half dozen pregnancy tests and that they were all positive.

“That shows me for sleeping with two guys with twenty-four hours.” Carrie muttered to herself as she knew she had not drunk anything at Cow Patties because she knew she was pregnant, and knew since being at school, and wanted the tests that she took when she got home to be wrong. But the tests all the same thing. And she could not ignore the fact I do not know who the father is of my baby

The idea she wanted to be a mother now, it confused her. She was 21 and not a teenager anymore, and she could not figure out what she wanted. Children young was what Grace and Jake seem to want, and she figured Alex might have a child or two when she was young now that she and Graham were getting married, but it hadn’t been on her radar, and now it was

She did not know how to respond.

But she got up the next day and continued to figure out what she wanted, as she met her mother for lunch at the Crashdown. Seeing her grandfather delighted at seeing her made her day. Therefore, I came home she told herself. To see people who loved me and wanted me to succeed.

“Your mother told me you were home,” Jeff Parker smiled at his granddaughter. “So, why are you not still at school?”

“Mental health week,” Carrie muttered because technically she did have the week off because her university gave the coming off for students to have a break mid semester.

“But you’re not planning to go back, are you?” Jeff asked.

“Nope,” Carrie muttered. “I am finishing the semester, on-line, but January might be a different story, but I have not gotten there yet because I need to think of some stuff in my life, and figured I could stay home and help Mom until the baby comes you know…”

“I think she and your father have it pretty together,” Jeff muttered because he did sense his granddaughter was overwhelmed about something and was only using her mother as an excuse to distract because she had seen it many other times with his other grandchildren.

“True, but the holidays are coming, and Christopher is a handful,” Carrie muttered. “So, it’s better if I stick around…” she smiled. “Dad is working, and can’t always be at home, and you never know what might happen in a day with Christopher around…”

“If you say so,” Jeff smiled at the excuses that his granddaughter seem to have on hand as a way to get out of what she was feeling “Your grandmother will be happy to have you home,” he smiled at it still amazed him to think he and Nancy were blessed with so many grandchildren, and now great grandchildren were coming, and given they had spent so many years without their daughter, she and Nancy would take it, no questions asked because they had Beth had been able to come to a relationship that had taken time but was rewarding to watch.

“Thanks Grandpa,” Carrie smiled.

“If you need any shifts,” Jeff smiled. “We could use the help around here…”

“Are you sure?” Carrie asked.

“Yeah,” Jeff nodded. “I want to spend more time with your grandmother and not be so tied to the restaurant, so I could use the help…”

“You still love it, don’t you?” Carrie asked as she could not imagine the family without the Crashdown.

“Certainly, but with you grandkids, and Grace and Jake adding another great grandchild,” Jeff admitted at the glow he felt at the knowledge that there was more little one in the world in a few months. “It would be nice to spend more time with them…”

“Oh,” Carrie asked as she did not want to be reminded of her own news.

“So, yes, your Grandmother and I would love to help around here if you want to give it and it will get you out of the house,” Jeff asked helpfully.

“Super, I think I’ll take it you up with you because I can’t start my other job for another week, so I could use something to do…” Carrie smiled and hugged her grandfather as her mother came in, and told her the news but had to go to the bathroom so it left her mother with her father.

“She’s troubled about something?” Jeff asked his daughter.

“Yeah,” Beth admitted. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ll get it out of her one of these days… she smiled. “You and Mom are doing, alright, right?”

“We’re fine,” Jeff smiled and hugged his daughter because it was a relationship earned over a lot of years, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world even if his daughter was lacking the memories of those younger years. Still they were able to create many more memorable ones over the years, and he treasured them.

“I am glad,” Beth smiled as her daughter came out of the bathroom a looking a little green and under the weather, “Are you okay, honey?”

“I am fine Mom,” Carrie lied.


*


It would take a few days before Beth was able to get her daughter to admit what was troubling her and it was a doozy when Carrie admitted she was pregnant, “I am pregnant,” came the words and that she did not know who the father was…”I wish I could say for sure, but I don’t know who it is,” although she would not admit to the other candidate other than Justin, and Beth suspected she knew, but she didn’t confront her daughter and wanted to wait until Carrie came to terms with the news on her own.

Of course, the family was shocked to learn the news. Grace and Alexandra suspected they also know but no one was talking about it spare Carrie’s feelings, and Max had to keep his protective instincts on hold to spare his daughter a tough time even though he and Beth would talk about it, and could feel slightly amused at the fact they were having another baby, while two of their kids were now pregnant, and one daughter was engaged.

“Where did our lives come to,” Max muttered as he and Beth watched a movie one night on television. Carrie had taken Christopher to the Crashdown for dinner, and they were home yet. “It’s pretty remarkable.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Beth smiled as she kissed her husband. “Carrie will get it together, one of these days she assured her husband. “You should stay away from trouble you know with her private life,” she laughed because now that it looked like Khivar was over, and life could return to normal, well, Max was getting back to his protective instincts, and that could mean trouble. “She’ll figure out what she wants” she murmured as they kissed. “We should leave it to her to figure out.”

“I hope so,” Max murmured as the days went by and before they knew, and it was December, and weeks before Beth’s due date. He was staying close to home most days, and Carrie was helping with Christopher to distract from her own life. Alexandra was due home any day now from school, for the Christmas break, and the whole family had something to celebrate. Elizabeth was getting stronger, and while she could not come home for the holidays, people could visit for longer periods during the Christmas holidays. The kids were planning sweet surprises for their mother.

Carrie on the other hand had mostly stayed away from discussing her personal life. And her family had largely respected her wishes although she knew her father wanted to say something, and if her parents knew, they knew to keep silent as she hadn’t mentioned the candidates for her baby’s father, but during a doctor’s appointment, the situation got more complex when she mentioned the possibility that she didn’t know who the father was because she couldn’t pinpoint down the moment that conception had occurred and the doctor revealed during the ultrasound that she was having twins.

Whoa she muttered to herself as the doctor advised against a DNA test until the babies were born because it would take time, and paternity could be complicated when you are involving multiples.

She went home and revealed to her parents that she was having twins. “It’s twins” Once out of sight. Max had enough and despite Beth’s efforts to keep a lid on his instincts, Max could not help it although he promised to wait when Beth pleaded him to respect his daughter’s wishes. Of course, once Serena discovered that Carrie was pregnant, which she had known but had kept from her son because had assumed that Carrie’s ex was the father. But when she overheard her sons talking about his encounter in the summer with Carrie, she alerted Beth, and they all knew the situation had changed.

Serena then confessed to her son that Carrie was pregnant. Matthew felt bamboozled about the news, and at the same time but was telling himself that Justin had to be the father because it had been only one night between him and Carrie. He figured Carrie would come to him if it was any one other than Justin, and told his mother such and Serena calmed down, for the moment at least and then Max finally caught up with Matthew at a Rogers family dinner that Max and Beth were invited to and confronted about his intentions about his daughter. While Matthew was able to keep his cool but once that encounter was over, Matthew realized that he could be the father, and that likely Carrie didn’t know, and so he decided, well, to go straight to the source and in mid December, he found Carrie at the Crashdown clearing a table before the dinner service. “When were you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Carrie muttered even though she knew and knew she could blame one of her parents, and probably her father for getting Matthew involved as he saw her one-night stand come into the Crashdown looking like he wanted to explode I understand that sentiment she muttered to herself. I felt it in the beginning.

“That your baby could be mine?” Matthew asked as it was now evident that Carrie was pregnant. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because there was no reason to tell you,” Carrie lied as she continued with the cleaning up the dishes and putting them in the bucket on the table.

“So, do you know it’s your boyfriends?” Matthew asked.

“Ex-boyfriend because we’re through” Carrie muttered as he forced Matthew to follow her through the doors of the back. “You wanted something,” she muttered as she was not ready to admit anything and was not prepared to…

Still processing the situation, and unsure how to respond, and yet he was here, and wanting answers from Carrie. “If you do not know if it is Justin’s, then you very well know then that I could be the father,” Matthew muttered as he had not expected to be in this position maybe I should given how I have conducted my life he muttered to himself but now he was here, wanting to know more. “Mom tells me it’s twins…” as he still felt shocked by that very development and the fact it had not been Carrie who told him. I had to find out from my own mother, of all people. It should have been reversed, not my mother who told me…

“Yeah,” Carrie agreed as she saw confusion on Matthew’s face, and knew she should be feeling guilty that it was someone else who told Matthew. Given the closeness of the families. One could not keep her pregnancy a complete secret, but she had tried anyways. She had hoped Matthew would have cared. But it was clear, he did, at least to a point. “Look, I don’t know if they are yours or not, as it could be, or could not be, and right now, I am not finding out.”

“Why not?” Matthew asked as he was shocked that Carrie would not want to find out.

“Because my doctor’s suggested that it is better, I wait until the babies are born to test them to know for sure, because it’s more complicated to assess the paternity of twins” she muttered. “Look, I know this complicates your life…” she sighed. “Which is why I did not tell you because I know how this changes everything. Fortunately, you can walk away you know, and I will not hold it against you,” Carrie murmured “Whether the babies are yours or not…” she acknowledged. “I am not asking anything from you because I have the support of my family, and I can support the babies myself.”

“What about school?” Matthew asked. “I hear you dropped out?”

“I didn’t drop out, I merely suspended things until the babies are born, and I haven’t decided what I am doing yet to be honest” Carrie muttered. “I am working here and Cow Patties” she admitted. “I will be full time here after the first of the year.”

“Can you do it alone?” Matthew asked as he could not believe that Carrie was thinking about doing this all on her own. He knew she would have her family to support her, but this was a big ask for someone, to take all on their own.

“Sure,” Carrie smiled. “Well, my Mom did it when her mind was a hell of a lot more fractured than mine is, right now” she sighed as she was developing a lot of respect for her mother’s situation as she faced her own. Yet she knew she was a hell of a lot more fortunate because she was not recovering from a life altering car crash and been robbed of her memory “If she could handle me and my sister for nearly fourteen years alone than I think I can do it myself…” she sighed as she checked to see if they had an audience. “And if you expect me to know once they are born, then you are going to be disappointed because I am not sure if I will find out when they are born…”

“Now I know you are crazy?” Matthew asked. “Are you sure everything is alright, did Justin hurt you?”

“Do not bring Justin in this okay,” Carrie muttered because she still felt guilty of how it went with Justin, and how she had hurt him. Justin had been someone special, and she had hurt him by complicating things, and that is why mutually calling it off had been the right choice for her. One of the only things I have done right.

Matthew did not understand and did not understand why she would not want to find out, at all. “Come on, I know why you would want to wait until the babies are born, but why the hell would you not find out?”

“Because you know my circumstances,” Carrie said simply “I do not know if it is possible to know given the genetics these children could be living under once, they are born. I know it would do a lot of good for you to know, or for Justin, assuming I tell him.”

“Justin doesn’t know?” Matthew asked, surprised.

“Nope, and I do not plan to” Carrie sighed. “We are different, and we are now over. Knowing would not change that, and therefore, he does not need to know”

“If they are his, shouldn’t he know?” Matthew muttered as he could not believe he was getting upset that she had not told Justin either of their potential shared parenthood.

“Why should I. Especially if I am not going to find out if they are his…” Carrie asked as she was tired of this discussion, and knew it had to be had. She was tired of drama. “Look, my family has lived through a lot of uncertainty these last years, and I am not about to give us any more angst. We have had more to last a lifetime, so take it from me, walk away…”

“What if I want to be there for you and the babies?” Matthew asked even if he did not know if he did want to be there for her, but he did not like being told to walk away and not allowing him to make the decision for himself.

“You are young Matthew,” Carrie said stopping the pacing she was doing. “You should take this chance at walk away, because I am giving you a chance to leave…” Carrie sighed because she was ready to go back on the floor. “I’m giving you the keys to walk away, no regrets, no expectations because sure we had great night, but that was all it is…” she sighed. “It was one night.”

“And if it led to something more?” Matthew asked.

“Then I will have something to tell the kids one day,” Carrie smiled. “I am not going to talk badly of it, but I am preparing myself to do this alone because I have learned relationships just don’t mix when you’re too different, and the world can’t know who I am, and I am not prepared for our differences to get in the way.”

“I know, you know,” Matthew muttered. “If you are thinking about your deep darkest secrets, but I am not Justin. I know who you are, and what you can do at the end of the day?”

“Maybe, you do, but it will still rain on your parade one day,” Carrie smiled. “Take my suggestion and walk away, but if you do want to stay then involve yourself, but you need to know what you’re getting into, because sure, they might be yours, and they also might not be yours at the same time but at the end of the day, I know what I am doing with my life…” she sighed up to a point. The pregnancy was the only thing she knew at this point. Everything was still a mess of the unknown. “You don’t, and therefore I don’t need the stress, okay?”

“Do you, because it doesn’t seem you do?” Matthew asked.

“I’ve said my piece, and the decision is yours” Carrie muttered as she stormed out of the kitchen as she went back on shift as felt the weight of the world. I should just walk away he muttered to himself. She is telling me to, and she wants to deal with this on her own, but… he mused as felt in a world of his own.

“My sister knows how to make an exit,” said a voice as Matthew whipped around and saw a very pregnant Grace Guerin laughing at him. “We are some family, we are” she laughed as she walked into the conversation that she could not help overhearing as she came into by the back way. “Don’t mind me, I was just coming for some of my grandfather’s famous tabasco pancakes.”

“It’s almost dinner?” Matthew asked as he checked the clock on the wall.

“The baby doesn’t know time, and he wants some pancakes, so I want some” Grace sighed “I understand you now know?” she sighed as she gave a knowing glance to Matthew.

“Do you all know?” Matthew asked a little wary because he had known that Carrie had a ridiculously small circle who knew every little secret, but he now was setting it firsthand.

“She won’t talk about it, but because yes, we are a small fraternity but a large one at that, so of course it’s not hard to figure it out,” Grace smiled. “If they were her ex’s than she wouldn’t be this down in the dumps” she hinted to Matthew who eyebrows rose. “She would still be with him?”

“She doesn’t know, and she doesn’t want to find out?” Matthew asked.

“Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing,” Grace sighed. “Look, I won’t say I would be doing what my sister is doing, because it is her body, and she can only do what she wants. Personally, I would rather know but then that is me…”

“She doesn’t know what it means because of youknow…” Matthew asked.

Grace could not help but laugh because of course it was the secret. The secret was always defining them and what they chose to do about it. She did not envy her sisters trying to deal with relationships when the person you loved did not really know. “You think you do but really you don’t even know half of it what it means to be who we are, and to have to live under the weight of keeping such a secret” Grace murmured. “Trying to live our daily lives under the weight of what people would think of us if they knew. I am lucky because my husband knows, and has always known, and knows what it means to be one of us” she sighed. “Certainly, you know, but you also don’t know too. Carrie does not need that stress right now when she needs to think about the babies. Maybe once they come, she will feel different and want to know, but you shouldn’t pressure her…”

“I don’t want to pressure her,” Matthew muttered. “But shouldn’t I know?”

“You should,” Grace allowed. “But sometimes we girls do not want someone who is only invested in them because it is their kid. If you want a chance with her than maybe try to prove to her that she can trust you, regardless of what might happen with the babies…”

“It’s a very big burden if they are not mine,” Matthew asked. “Taking on some else’s kids, and what if they are not mind, and she wants to tell Justin someday?”

“Then deal with it,” Grace advised. “If you want a chance with my sister…” she sighed as she sensed that deep down that Matthew truly did want a chance with her sister as she also thought of the risk that Michael had taken in raising Jake with Maria when they got together again once Maria was already pregnant, or what Finn was risking if he and Elizabeth made it work, and while they did share Drew, but there was little Mick. Of course, in Elizabeth’s case, the father was dead, and Justin is a good guy, still they did not know anything about the father of Mick, or if he had family. Sure, she should know, but it is not her place but her sister’s. “Which is all she’s asking is for you to think about it, and what it means to you…”

“Yeah,” Matthew acknowledged because he did know he had a lot to think about…

“All you have to do is prove to her that she can count on you, wherever the future might hold. My mother raised my sisters alone for a lot of years before my father came back into her life, and I am sure it was a lot of work, and to do it alone isn’t easy even when you have family which is the case for Carrie, but wasn’t the case for my mother” Grace advised. “We all want help, whether we’re asking for it or not?”

Matthew nodded as Grace nodded herself. “I think I’ll go and go some of those pancakes from my grandfather,” she smiled. “I know this is a lot on you, but even more is on my sister so you cannot truly blame her for choices she makes right now. Hormones are to blame. Sanity will return once the babies are born…”

Matthew sighed as he watched Grace walk toward her smiling grandfather, as the door swung open, he watched as Carrie watched him as she sighed herself, before closing and hiding Matthew from view.

In the front of the restaurant. Grace put in her order with her grandfather and noticed her sister in reflection, so she approached as she waited for the pancakes to be ready. Sighing, and thinking how she wished things would be easier but at least this issue was of the romantic kind which is hard to get my head around, that the danger is now gone, and this will our every day normal life as she approached her sister. “Give him a break you know…”

“I am,” Carrie muttered as she was not asking for her family’s advice, but knew Grace was going to give it too her. At least Grace was happy and. “I am not asking for him to be involved?”

“You are asking him to assume a lot,” Grace sighed. “Who knows what the future holds because none of us do, as it can change on a dime, and you shouldn’t give up on a good thing” she sighed. “We have certainly seen that life doesn’t give us guarantees.”

“Go back to your husband and daughter and leave me alone” Carrie laughed. “It’s all so easy for you…”

“No, it isn’t, even if it does look it, but it’s not” Grace muttered. “I am just giving you some advise” she sighed. “You can choose to take it or not…”

“Thanks,” Carrie muttered as she watched as her sister take the take-out container with her as she left the Crashdown, as she wished for it all to make sense…
keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Always Tomorrow (CC, Mature) - A Reunion's Endgame - Chapter 44 - 09/22/2020

Post by keepsmiling7 »

What's going on here????
Who's the father???
This is a real mess!
Post Reply