Author: roswellianprincess16 aka Selena
Rating: mature (there will be some tough situations handled in this fic, including violence, insanity, death)
Disclaimer: Roswell and its characters belong to its corresponding companies, ie. WB, UPN, SCIFI, Jason Katims. They are used for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended.
Coupling: Primarily M/L, light reference to CC couples.
Summary: Season 1, Beginning of episode Destiny. Max and Liz have escaped the government facility and jumped off the bridge. Within the water, they seperate, sending them both toward very different fates. What happens when Liz is tossed into a world of Max's nightmares? And what happens when she gets lost in her own?
Author's Note: Again, a large thank you to mmcherron aka lissalou72 for being a great, and very patient beta. We all know I need it. lol Thanks to Josephine, aka max and liz believer for the beautiful banner. The title is taken from lyrics to the song Imaginary by Evanescence.
This fic will in no way disturb the posting of my gazer fic at the AU thread. I will probably post on this twice a week. Mondays and Fridays. And yes... I will TRY and stick to schedule this time, instead of all sorts of crazy, sporatic posts.
And now... I present...
Paper Flowers
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
So I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can’t trust myself anymore […]
I’m going under…
Falling forever. – “Going Under”, Evanescence
Chapter 1:
The sharp sting of the cold water was her very first sense after the fall. It was practically numbing, the way it seemed to surround her and shut down her senses. Her brain was trying to register a thought. Swim. She had to swim. But, she felt so light, so weightless. She could simply close her eyes and float on the waters forever. Focus, she told herself, knowing very well that she might be getting hypothermia or suffering from a concussion. She had to swim and then check for any serious injuries. Then the events of the last few minutes played in her head, slowly, like a film scroll unraveling.
They had broken Max out of the government facility and she’d sped off in Maria’s Jetta. Her head had been in a thousand different places at once. She was trying to look over at Max, to touch him, to assure herself that he was alright and beside her. She was looking behind her, panicked, knowing they were only minutes… no seconds behind them.
She was stepping on the gas faster than she ever had. She was sure if they had to break suddenly, they would have gone flying out the windshield, seatbelts and all. Then, it was as if it all happened at once, the back window exploded into pieces with the force of the bullet. She turned the wheel in panic, sending them off the road. They had no choice now but to run.
But, where? She looked up, back onto the main road, and grabbed Max’s hand to pull him behind her. She would not let him go back there, to the nightmare that he’d just experienced. She just wouldn’t. They’d have to get through her first.
They ran onto the street, and the minute they did, the flash of bright lights were against them on both sides. She knew for a fact, this was what deer in headlights felt like. Stunned, and absolutely terrified. There was really nowhere to go. She grabbed onto Max as the agents began making their way towards them, flashlights and guns in hand. The fear of losing him began to hum within her. Could she live with herself if she failed in saving him? After he’d risked everything to save her?
She looked around frantically and went the only way she could. Up. She stepped up onto the ledge of the bridge and turned to look back at the approaching bodies. She couldn’t think, she just had to act, quickly. She looked down at the darkness below. There was no telling how cold the water was or how deep. It just looked like endless darkness. And she was willing to face it head on. She wrapped her hand tightly in Max’s and reached over, ready to say her last goodbye. She kissed him, and he seemed to reciprocate her fear. He knew the possibility of this jump. He squeezed her hand tightly, and she knew that had the situation been reversed, he would have done the same, without blinking an eye. So, she jumped.
And now, here she was, trying to find her way in the dark, freezing water to something resembling a shoreline. She couldn’t hear anything other than her own small splashing. Where was Max? Did he make it down safely? She squinted, trying hard to find a shape, a sign of life anywhere beside her.
“Max?” She whispered loudly, listening for any response. Then she felt the water begin to thin out. It was shallow. She stood, trudging over to the shore, dragging her heavy, wet clothes along. She remembered the very moment their hands separated in the water. They’d tried so hard to keep them together, fighting to swim up, while the force of their jump was pulling them down. Then, she’d blanked out.
She walked around, feeling some trees and the muddy ground beneath her. She turned away from the water toward the dark expanse before her. There was only darkness everywhere. Her eyes were adjusting, taking in shadows and silhouettes, but her heart was still thumping heavily in her chest. She heard the crackling of a branch in the distance. She turned her head sharply, trying to make sense of the shape.
“Max?” She whispered, hoping with all her might he’d made it safely. There was only silence. Then, she could hear the sound of leaves crushing beneath heavy feet. The sound was closer and the silence that followed it made Liz step back. Something was not right.
“Max? Is that you?” She whispered again, even softer this time, as if unsure whether or not she wanted to be heard. Then the lights sprung up, as if out of the pure darkness. She turned her head slightly, covering her eyes from the glare. Three men in suits stood only about ten feet away from her, their flashlights shining on her face, and their guns pointing at her from every direction. Then, another man stepped up from the shadows, his hand pressing firmly against his shoulder; an angry growl on his face.
“Well, well. What a marvelous surprise. I was seeking the alien, and instead I got the woman. Miss Parker, I presume. My name is Daniel Pierce, and I suggest we become well acquainted because you and I are going to be spending quite a bit of time together. Grab her.” He motioned to his men and she stepped back in a panic.
“What do you want with me? There is nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know!” She pleaded, wishing desperately that there was someone nearby to save her, anyone.
“Oh Miss Parker, I was under the impression that you were the smart one.” He said with a wicked smirk.
“What?”
“Collateral. With you in our hands, there is no way he won’t reappear. And when he tries to save you, I’ll get my hands on him, and he’ll never see the light of day again. And, frankly Miss Parker… neither will you.”
The men rushed toward her and grabbed her, each on one side, and one behind her, picking her up and dragging her along as she kicked and screamed.
“LET ME GO!” She yelled out when she felt the cold metal against the back of her head. Slowly, it all went back to darkness.
<center>***</center>
Max dragged himself out of the water, lacking the energy to move his legs in unison. One fell heavily behind the other, as he clawed through the cool, slick mud coughing up the water he had swallowed. He fell flat on his stomach, feeling the cool mud slick through his already wet clothes. He tried to even out his breathing, feeling the exhaustion overtake him.
“Liz….” He forced out, trying to lift his neck to look over. She had to be nearby, after all, he had only released her hand for a second.
“Liz? Are you ok?” He whispered, reaching over, to touch the cold muddy ground beside him. His eyes were beginning to focus in the dark, making out vague shapes as he searched for her. He forced himself to stand, despite the pure pain and exhaustion taking over his muscles. He stumbled at first, trying to gain his equilibrium, but feeling like he would tumble right back down. He started walking towards his left, where a faint light seemed to radiate. Perhaps, Liz had fallen further from him than the thought. He staggered over and noticed the large metal tunnel, which drained water into the river.
He climbed up and walked through it, meanwhile, trying to listen out for Liz or for their nearby enemies.
“Liz?” He called out again, a little louder, hearing his voice tremble. Was it fear? Or, was it just from his lack of energy? He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling, all he knew was that he had to find Liz. The world began to spin slightly, as his head seemed to lift off his shoulders. He was too dizzy to stand, and he continued forward toward an old truck, to sit down.
“Liz…” he whispered, waiting for an answer, and willing the spinning to stop. His legs ached. He was cold. And the pain in his chest was unbearable. He looked down at his chest, remembering the feel of the cold blade against his skin. The image of his own blood dripping down his chest made him shudder. His hands were shaking violently as he reached up to put them over his heart. But, it wasn’t the cut that was burning so deeply. There was a deeper pain threatening to take over him.
“Goooo….” He heard a muffled scream in the distance. He could barely make out the words; his head was too stuffy for anything to go through clearly. Where the agents nearby? Where they calling to each other, telling each other of their coordinates to come and take him back? He needed Liz.
“Liz, where are you….” He trailed off as the throbbing in his head intensified. He had to find her. He knew he had to find her. But, his body was calling out to him much louder than his own thoughts. And it demanded sleep.
By the time he opened his eyes again, the darkness that had surrounded him had transferred into daylight.
“Max… Max, thank God you’re ok. I thought you were hurt!” He tried to focus his gaze on the brown eyes before him. Things still seemed odd, fuzzy within the confused and groggy depths of his mind.
“Max, can you hear me?”
“Isabel?” He whispered as she came into focus, allowing him to make some sense of the moment. The sound of screeching tires suddenly erupted and Isabel turned her head quickly to look out. Her worried eyes turned back toward him, the dark brown depths looking as deep as the sea.
“We have to go. Now, Max.”
“Liz.” He whispered, as he turned, partially expecting her to be at his side. All he found was empty space. “Where is Liz?”
“I… we don’t know Max. We thought she was with you.”
A sudden image of her terrified face sprung into his mind, as the car swerved violently to the side and the back window exploded into a thousand shattered pieces of glass.
“We found the Jetta early this morning Max. The back window had been shot out. It was all we could find.”
His eyes widened. The river, she had to be back by the river. Hiding perhaps, or worse, hurt. He stood up quickly; gaining strength from places he didn’t know existed within him.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to get Liz.” He could hear his sister’s footsteps running close behind him.
“Max, you don’t know where she is!”
“We jumped off the bridge last night. She might still be near the water.” He ran through the metal tunnel, hearing the thudding of Isabel’s heels behind him.
They reached the muddy ground beside the river and he looked down, feeling the strong tug at his chest. The mark of his fingers still lay sprawled across the ground, and the river was quiet and calm. He reached up to his heart and placed his hand there, trying to calm the screaming pain within.
“Max?” He looked across the water to the other side of the river and at the large expanse of trees beyond it. On the ground lay a brown jacket, sprawled and covered in dirt.
“Do you see that?”
“Yea, it looks…” She strained her eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know, like an old shirt, or something.”
“It’s Liz’s jacket.” Isabel’s eyes turned to her brother’s face with a horrified expression lying within.
“No… you don’t think….”
“They have her. They’ve got Liz.”
<center>***</center>
Liz opened her eyes, despite the peaceful world she was enjoying within the realm of sleep. A bright light was shining on her face. Her body was responding by forcing her to awaken, to face the new day.
Her chestnut eyes opened slowly at first, surprised by the burning bulb before her. She closed them quickly in reaction, and then opened them again, trying to focus them more clearly.
“Ah, Miss Parker, finally you have decided to join us on this glorious morning.”
The voice caused a terrifying reaction throughout her body, the hairs behind her neck were on alert, and the danger was very close and very real. She looked around now, and realized that she could not sit up, as her hands were clawed within metal restraints. She tried moving her legs. So were her feet. She took a few deep breaths, feeling the panic begin to rise within her.
“You know, you have quite an interesting file. It says here that you have had first contact. In fact, in September of last year, something happened at your parent’s restaurant, didn’t it Miss Parker?”
“An argument got out of hand.” She hated the sound of her voice, small and whimpering, that seemed to bounce against the walls of the empty room.
“Then a gun went off.” He finally turned to face her, the face that had been concealed in the darkness the night before. Her eyes widened at the sight. She knew exactly who this man was.
“Yes.” She stated simply, unwilling to go into further detail. But, she knew her frightened, cautious eyes were betraying her words. The smell of metal increased as she tried breathing steadily through her nose, to focus on the sound of her beating heart. The fear was paralyzing.
“And you were shot.”
“No.”
“No?”
“I broke a bottle and I slipped and fell.” She repeated straight from memory, listening to Max’s fearful words run through her head at the CrashDown.
“Of course. The ketchup bottle.” He turned back around to face her, a wicked smile covering his face. His eyes were a dark blue and her own were transfixed on them for just a moment. This man was normal once. Just like her very own parents. Now, all she saw in his eyes was fear and anger.
“I had the paramedic’s check me, all I had was a small bruise from the fall.” She spit out quickly, trying to convince the man of a lie she knew he very well didn’t believe.
“You know, Miss Parker, the only way this is going to work is if you’re honest with me. Because, the truth is, I can be very good to you, or… I can make this stay a very unpleasant one. I wouldn’t want to have to do that. You seem like a smart girl, with a bright future. All I want is Max Evans.”
She swallowed hard, feeling the pressure of tears welling in her throat.
“There’s nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know.” She settled for the response she had given him the night before, when they had dragged her through the cold muddy ground by the lake.
“Your choice Miss Parker.” He titled his head quickly, and the sound of a door opening sent her heart racing a thousand miles a minute. She heard the hurried shuffle of feet and then suddenly, there were people surrounding her, dressed in white. One of them pulled out a syringe, and squeezed some liquid out.
“No….” She whispered horrified. “No, please.”
“I guess I will have to do my own investigation. Cut her open.” Pierce stood on one side as the man in white stuck the syringe in her arm. She felt the heat of the liquid flow through her veins. She let the tears fall as an odd taste lingered in her mouth. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, and she let herself close them, enjoying how light her body felt, as if she were in water, floating.
First there was only darkness, but slowly, things began to take shape within her mind, as she recognized the muddy shore of the river. She lay back in the cold mud, not quite able to make out the size of the tree branches above her or the slow moving clouds in the shape of animals.
“Liz.” She heard his voice and tried looking up, despite the heaviness of her head. Max stood before her, panicked and shaking, as he kneeled to pick her up from the muddy ground.
“Max.” She stated slowly and smiled, letting her arms fall limp over his neck.
“You have to focus Liz. I don’t have much time.”
“We have all the time in the world.” She leaned back, taking in the bright sun. She closed her eyes and sighed softly.
“Liz! Listen to me! Where are you?”
“Near the river.” She stated wispily, feeling his grip tighten around her body.
“Liz please, we need to come get you. Where are you?” Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to think, the walls of the picture falling like cardboard around her. Suddenly, she was back in the cold room, the men in white above her. Her fear registered strongly and Max held her tightly, a mixture of anger and sadness looming in his eyes.
“Cut her open.” They heard Pierce’s voice in the background as the sound of metal clicking against itself sent both of their stares to the scalpel that was glowing in the fluorescent lights.
“Liz!” Max yelled. The urgency seemed to snap something in her as she turned to look at his anguished face.
“You’re safe now.” She said with a soft smile, as she placed her hand on his cheek, letting it linger.
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m coming to get you.” He said with angered determination. Then she felt the first stab of pain on her abdomen. Tears began to well up in her eyes. The burning sensation was enough to make her scream.
“You’re safe now.” She whispered again softly, feeling the high begin to wear off, and the reality of the pain settling in. He had been willing to risk his life to save hers. She wasn’t going to let him do it again. Then, as the blood began to slowly trickle out, she screamed, feeling the sting of the metal against her raw skin. Then Max simply disappeared.
