Deceptive Appearences (MATURE/ADULT) *Kyle, Tess OPEN*

[KatnotKath]

OOC: hope this works, tell me if you want me to change anything Isabelle

~Liz~

I feel Max’s arms tighten around me and just stay there for a few moments. My thoughts don’t leave the current problem of course, but still, even given all the problems and difficulties, being there with Max makes it just that little bit better.

I continue to think over, trying to consider possible approaches, but nothing I can come up with sounds remotely viable. So far the best thing we’ve come up with is the forgetting potion, which is very possible, but has complications and if at all possible I’d like to find another way.

I shake my head and am about to accept that I am just going to have to try and find a way round the possible side effects, when Max suddenly seems to pull away slightly. I look up, scared that I’ve said something to upset him but what I see clears that worry. There’s a certain look in his eyes…

“Wait, I think I have an idea…”

I’m more than willing to listen, given that I just don’t have a clue. I pull back and take a seat on a pile of boxes, directing my attention to Max as he begins to explain. It’s far from polished, but this idea is definitely the best we’ve had so far and it might just work… Well I hope it will anyway… As he finishes, Max looks at me, as though asking what I think. I nod slightly. “It might just work…” I say softly. We’ll need to iron out the details of course, but it’s definitely a start.

I can feel a wave of relief washing over me as we continue to discuss the idea. Each of us put in our little bits of ideas and soon we have something that seems like a viable plan. More time would of course be preferable, to plan and decide exactly what’s going to be said, but unfortunately we don’t exactly have that on our side.

Serena and Ainsling are expecting us to be heading for the Crashdown, not to forget that we’re supposed to be meeting the others for a meeting there this afternoon too. I can’t imagine that Michael is going to wait very long for the answers he wants so I guess this is going to have to do. I look over at Max. “Ok…well I guess we should be going then…” I just hope it’s not too obvious how nervous I am about all of this…

[isabelle]

*Max*

I nod, feeling a mixture of relief and worry. I'm glad we have a plan, although it's not exactly air-tight, yet. I'm really sorry I managed to endanger her this way but I'm so glad I'm finally sharing her secret as fully as she has shared mine. We're in it together, now. The only two in Roswell who know both secrets, the alien and the magical ones.

I put my arm around Liz's waist as the two of us emerge from the Eraser room. "I guess we're due at the Crashdown, then," I say, knowing that was one of the reasons we cut our planning short.

Serena and Ms. Brennan are waiting for us, needing further re-assurances from me that I'm not going to threaten them. Meanwhile, Michael is waiting to ambush me about our visit to Liz's box. He probably won't want to talk about it in front of Liz, anyway. And he definately can't start in front of Serena, since she doesn't know about us at all... I only hope he hasn't spread his panic to Isabel, yet.

Speaking of Isabel, I have to talk to her and let her know that the 'girl stuff' that was bothering me last night has all been sorted out, too.

The school is nearly empty as we head for the parking lot where I left the jeep. The kids all leave just about as quickly as possible and the teachers are rarely much slower. Our conversation stops as we walk, not wanting to be overheard by anyone of the few who might still be there. I'm rather wrapped up in the details of what I'm going to tell Michael. Trying to think of what he might think or say and how best to explain it all away. Liz is probably thinking the same thing.

In a few minutes, we're at the jeep and she's climbing in as I come around to the driver's side. "So, I guess we'll sit with Serena for a little while," I say aloud. "At least until Michael interupts..."

[KatnotKath]

OOC: not too sure about this one, hope it works

~Liz~

As we walk out of the eraser room, Ma slips his arm around my waist and I smile at the simple gesture. “I guess we’re due at the Crashdown then…”

I nod in response to his comment. As much as I really don’t want to face any of them at the moment, we can’t exactly skip out on the arranged meeting with Ainsling and Serena, nor later the one with the rest of the group… Boy that one should be fun…I hope we’ve got this solidified enough that when Michael asks we’ll be able to convince him we’re for real…

It’s a good plan, only it could do with more time to plan out exactly what we’re going to say, and time is the one thing we don’t have…

The corridor we’re walking along now is deserted…hardly that much of a surprise. It’s over half an hour after the end of school, and most students will have left mere minutes after the bell. School’s not exactly somewhere you class it as cool to hang about… Even most of those who got detention will just about have finished up and gone…

Passing out the main doors, we head over towards the parking lot in silence. There’s a lot we might like to talk about, but its too risky, even knowing that there aren’t many people about. The secrets we share are not small by any means, and we have to take every precaution we can to keep them…

Neither of us really seems to be concentrating that much on where we’re going, both pretty much caught up in our thoughts, but somehow I guess we do know where to go for a few minutes later we arrive in front of the jeep. I go round to the passenger side, climbing up and in as Max does the same on the driver’s side.

“So I guess we’ll sit with Serena for a while…at least until Michael interrupts…”

I sigh and nod. “Yeah, that sounds about right…” I am so not looking forward to seeing Michael now… He’s not exactly friendly at the best of times, and if he thinks I’m an enemy alien, or something like that, I dread to think of what he might want to do.

I shake my head. Why can’t things be simple for once…it’s not much to ask is it…?

As Max puts the jeep into gear, I look over at him. “Max…thank you…” I tell him softly, hoping that he’ll understand. I have so much to thank him for… He saved my life, he trusted me with his secret and he’s keeping my secret…but more than anything else…he loves me, just as I love him…

[isabelle]

*Max*


“Max…thank you…” Liz says softly as I start up the jeep. I look over and put my hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. So much has changed today but one thing hasn't. I still love her with all my heart. I will do everything I can to protect her and her secret, just as I've always tried to protect Isabel and Michael.

It's hard now, knowing that I have to protect Liz and her secrets from Isabel and Michael, as though they're the enemies. They aren't really, but they are a threat to Liz if I can't satisfy their curiousity. It's much the way we had to treat Alex until the party at the old factory. We need to keep them out of this as long as possible. Maybe someday we'll bring them in on Liz's secret the way Alex was eventually brought in on ours, but that's Liz's decision, not mine, and I completely understand the need to do it this way for now.

"Thank you," I tell her sincerely. That's all there is to say. We're in this together, now, and always will be. There's no need for her to thank me. She's the one who shared everything with me. I'm the one who's come so close to ruining it all, and could still ruin it if our plan doesn't work. But I'm going to do everything I can to assure that it will. There's absolutely no need to thank me. "I love you, Liz," I say, smiling.

After a long moment, I replace my hand on the steering wheel and start the drive to the Crashdown. It doesn't take long. In a few minutes we arrive at the cafe. I park on the street a few yards away. I take Liz's hand to help her from the jeep and keep it as we walk back towards the cafe. I scan the crowd through the windows as we approach, but I don't immediately see Serena or Ms. Brennan although I do notice Maria sitting with a stranger about Ms. Brennan's age.

"I don't see them," I tell Liz, feeling confused. I know they were going to meet us here and I expected them to be first, since Liz and I were delayed by our discussion and planning.

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

This isn’t going to be easy, I know that… If Michael and Isabel aren’t satisfied with the explanation we’ve come up with, that could be one major problem… I don’t want to think of them as ‘enemies’…because they’re far from that, but I just can’t tell them about this…not yet…

I’ve wanted to tell Alex and Maria for years… It would have been so much easier than trying to give all these excuses for the multiple absences Serena and I have built up over the years… ‘Family emergency’ is the usual explanation given to school, but of course that only works so far, and when faced with Maria and Alex it’s certainly not going to satisfy…

The problem is, by bringing them into this secret, I would be putting them in danger… Max, well as lame as it sounds, as much of an excuse, it’s just different… But my friends, I can’t put them in that danger… Knowing about Max and the others is enough now…my secret has to remain just that…a secret…until there’s no other choice…

We’re just pulling up across the road from the Crashdown at the moment. Max stops the engine and climbs out, coming round and offering his hand to me. I take it smiling and climb out to join him. Together, we cross over the street and hand in hand, we walk towards the Crashdown…

It’s only a matter of hours since I left here this morning, but things have changed so much… This morning I left trying to ‘hide’ myself from Max, now…he ‘sees’ me for what I really am… And the wonderful, amazing thing about that, he says he still loves me…

Nearing the window, I find myself checking out the crowds, searching not only for anyone I recognise, but of course for anyone that doesn’t fit… Max might never have realised it, but it’s something I do wherever I go…a technique Ainsling taught Serena and I to use a long time ago… It’s not foolproof of course, warlocks can look perfectly normal, but still, if there is someone that’s obviously not, it’s good to pick them out immediately…

A stranger at one of the tables catches my eye… I don’t know what to make of him, and I can’t say I’m delighted to see Maria talking to him… He’s exactly the sort of person I’d want to keep my eye on, and definitely not the sort my friends hanging out with really…

I’m hoping that I’m just over-reacting, and probably I am, but it does pay to be careful, I know that from experience…

It does also puzzle me that Maria’s sat with him given we were all supposed to be meeting here after…I’d have thought she’d be waiting for Michael, but then we are pretty late…and Michael’s still not here…

“I don’t see them…”

I turn to Max, wondering for a moment what he’s meaning but then it clicks. He’s right… In all the people I saw, the familiar figures from back at school were not two of them… I turn and scan the road. “Ainsling’s car’s not here yet…” I comment, trying to keep an even tone.

I don’t want to worry, because it’s probably nothing, but they did say they’d meet us here, and we did stop off at the eraser room to talk again before heading back here… I chew my lip a moment, deciding to give it another ten minutes or so. If I haven’t heard from, or seen either of them by then, I’m going up to my room and scrying for Serena…

Looking up at my boyfriend, I try to keep a smile on my face. “Maybe they got delayed…how about we go in and get a drink…?” I suggest lightly as we come to the door.

[isabelle]

*Max*

I nod at Liz's suggestion. "I thought it was going to be Ms. Brennan's treat, but I guess I can start us out." I grin. I don't understand how we could have gotten here ahead of Ms. Brennan and Serena, but there's no point in acting panicked about it. Gotta play it cool and normal, as always.

The little bell rings as I push the door open for Liz and we both step inside. There's an empty booth on the right side right near the Alien mural and head in that direction. Plenty of room for Serena and Ms. Brennan when they arrive. I know Ms. Brenna said she wasn't going to sit with us, but I'm willing to have her if she chooses and the girls don't mind.

"Hey Maria," I say to her as we pass the table. "How are you doing?" I don't know if I should ask about her new friend. I'd be happy to invite her to sit with us, but I figure that's Liz's call. If she wants to be free to make veiled references to 'witch' stuff, Maria's presence will make things difficult...

[Liz_Parker]

~*Serena*~


I smile at Ainsling and look down at my watch. Wow, I didn't think it was that late already.


"Much as I'd love to go and eat junk food, we're a tad bit late for meeting Liz and Max....and you know how Liz is sometimes".

[M]

~*AINSLING*~

Much as I'd love to go and eat junk food, we're a tad bit late for meeting Liz and Max....and you know how Liz is sometimes

Aware that Liz does worry- as would I, I start the car we've been sitting in for the last ten minutes and head towards the parking lot exit.

'Are you honestly trying to imply to me that the Crash has healthy food?' I joke. I do know Liz, but before we get there- are you sure you are ok? We can continue this talk later if you want.'

[isabelle]

I'm forwarding a post from KatnotKath since she still can't get to the internet from her home. I can post a reply later today although I guess I should wait on a Maria...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~Liz~

"I thought it was going to be Ms. Brennan's treat, but I guess I can start s out..." Max nods and grins, and I can't help smiling back. Of course I'm over reacting... I don't see why, or how we could have gotten to the Crashdown before Serena and Ainsling, but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation...right...?

I smile at him. "Sounds good...although if you're going to be a part of this, it might be an idea to start calling Ms. Brennan Ainsling outside school..." I know how much she hates us calling her Ms. Brennan, she ays it makes her feel really old...

Max pushes open the door, causing the bell to ring and holding it for me as I step inside. "Thanks..." I wait for him to join me and slip my hand into his as we head towards an empty booth.

On our way, we pass the table that Maria's sat at, and I can't help taking another look at the guy she's sat with... There's something wierd about him... I shake my head mentally, scolding myself. There might be good reason for me to be cautious, but I know I do at times get to be too much...


Its just I know most people in Roswell, and I definitely don't know this guy... Plus he has a certain look... Being near him makes me feel...I don't know...

Maybe I am over reacting, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather have people complain about that than the fact I'm lax...

At least this way, me and my friends should stay safe...

I smile at Maria as Max greets her, adding my own greeting. I want to invite her to sit with us, especially if it means it gets her away from this guy, but then he might just take the invitation to include him as well, and I can't imagine Ainsling and Serena being too happy when they turn up to find Maria, never mind a complete stranger...

I know that Ainsling said that she wouldn't sit with us, but I have a feeling that she will do... I know that she and Serena both want to get to know Max... I guess that's understandable...they're going to be concerned about what he now knows, and about whether or not he will keep it to imself as both he and I claim... But then I just hope they don't start firing
questions at him or anything...

I smile again at Maria. "Are we still on for later tonight...?" I check, referring to the plans which had been made by the six of us to meet up. Originally it wasn't for anything special, but I guess after the flashes I've been getting it could have to turn into something...

[Liz_Parker]

~*Serena*~


"I'm fine, really", I smile over at her and tuck my hair back. The longer we sit here the more Liz will be panicking over us, though given what we are, I don't think anyone would blame her.


"And no, the Crash doesn't have the best of foods, but hey, we own it for crying out loud", I laugh softly. "And I how would it look if a daughter of the owner of Crashdown was going to other not so healthy places?".