The Fall Of A King is a one part story, primarily Dreamer (M&L), though there’s a little Candy (M&M). It’s probably rated TEEN. After going without sleep for three days, Max seems to be edgy and irritable. But is everything what it seems? This is a Dreamer story, so a Dreamer plot and ending is guaranteed, whatever it might look like in the beginning.
Melinda Metz and the creators of Roswell, the TV series, Jason Katims, et al, deserve the credit for the characters from the TV show and for whatever mention, if any, there might be of any event that occurred on the TV show. For better or worse, all other characters and storylines are mine.The Fall Of A King
“Max, you’ve been up for three days straight without any sleep. Don’t you think that will wait… just until morning? Come to bed with me. I promise I’ll make it worth it.”
Posed on her knees on the bed, Liz smiled her most seductive smile and pulled her nightgown up over her head slowly and deliberately, swinging it momentarily above her like a lasso and letting it fly toward Max in a motion that lifted her breasts jauntily into the air. As she released the nightgown, she raised herself onto one knee, using her other leg to counterbalance her motion. Then she cocked her head and gave Max that pouty look that she had learned from Maria. It always got a smile out of Max… and usually a witty retort.
Max frowned and sighed heavily, and Liz fell dejectedly onto the bed on her stomach. Then she looked up at Max again…
“Max… what’s wrong with us? When we first got married, if I did that, I could’ve got ten push ups out of you… with both hands behind your head. Now I barely get a groan.”
Max shook his head… “I’m just tired, Liz. Like you said, I haven’t had any sleep for three days. All these codices and treaties and… and things that I have to attend to…”
“Well, I know, Max, but sometimes a little attention to other duties… more pleasant ones… can do wonders, you know? You need to stop being ‘The King’ for awhile and go back to just being mine…” Liz giggled and gave Max a seductive wink… “Go back to being my love slave.”
Max dropped onto the bed heavily and groaned. “Wake me up in a few days, Liz. That’s all I need…”
Liz put her hand gently on Max’s cheek and turned his face towards hers, but he was already asleep. With a sigh, she kissed him and covered him up. Then she turned out the light and went to sleep beside him.
As Max slept, jumbled bits and pieces of things he had heard tumbled randomly through his mind, sometimes becoming distorted and gaining unintended meaning. Max's sleep would be anything but peaceful…
Stop being the king…
What’s wrong with you, Max…
Attend to other duties…
Stop being the king…
What’s wrong with you…
You aren’t attending to your duties…
You’re a lousy king, Max…
What’s wrong with you…
If you can’t handle it, let someone who can…
I don’t know what I saw in you…
Stop being the king…
Max sat up in bed suddenly, perspiration beading on his forehead. He looked around and turned on the light. Then he shook Liz…
“Liz! Liz!”
“Huh? Max… What is it?”
“What did you mean by what you said a little while ago?”
“I don’t know… What did I say, Max?”
“You know, that I should stop being the king…”
“Oh…” Liz smiled and rolled back over. “Nothing, Max. Go back to sleep.”
Max shook Liz again. “No… it wasn’t nothing. You meant something, Liz. You said that I wasn’t attending to business.”
“Max, come on. You’re sleepy. You’re not thinking straight. Maybe being the king is too much responsibility, you know? Let someone else do… the work.”
Max stared at Liz, incredulous…
“So you do think I can’t handle it. You think I haven’t been a good king… I guess you think I haven’t been a good husband either!”
Liz groaned. “Give it a rest, Max. Go back to sleep."
“Why don’t you just shoot me, Liz… put me out of my misery. Save the kingdom! It’d be better off without me… isn’t that what you mean?”
Liz rolled over and looked at Max. “Maybe things would be better, Max. You’re no good to anyone like this. Let Larek handle the affairs of state for a while. Or Michael. You and I can go away and have a vacation somewhere… maybe on that planet with the hot springs.”
“And what, Liz? Just abandon my kingdom? Leave them without leadership while I cavort in some… alien hot springs?”
“Why not? You’re no good like this.”
“All right… all right! I get it! I totally get what you’re saying, Liz. I’m not needed. Larek or Michael either one could do the job better. Fine! Fine! Peachy! Yeah… maybe they’ll enjoy splashing in those alien hot springs with you, too!”
Max slipped on his pants and shirt and slammed the door behind him, as he walked out of the bedroom. Then he left the palace.
Twenty minutes later, Max drove up to Michael and Maria’s house, parked his Fan-Ji IV in the driveway, and knocked on the door. Michael came to the door.
“Max?”
Michael passed his hand over a sensor, turning on the light outside… “What are you doing here, Max? The sun won’t be up for hours. Did I miss a meeting? Did Liz kick you out?”
Michael laughed, but Max found no amusement in his joke.
“Can I stay here, Michael… just for tonight?”
“She did kick you out!” Michael said, amused. “The girl finally came to her senses!”
“What exactly does that mean, Michael?”
Michael chuckled. “Well… you know… Hey, come on in, Max. I was just having a little joke at your expense. Laugh! It was a good one.”
“Not from where I’m standing.”
“Ooh… touchy.”
“Yeah. For good reasons.”
“Who is it,” Maria called from upstairs.
“It’s Max,” Michael shouted back.
“Max?” Maria asked, appearing at the top of the stairs.
“I just need a place to spend the night,” Max said.
“Did the palace get repossessed,” Maria asked. “Max, you really should have remembered to pay the mortgage in between working on all the affairs of state.”
Max scowled. “Not funny, Maria. There’s no mortgage on the palace.”
“…Liz kick you out then?”
“What is this?” Max shouted, raising his voice unintentionally. “Is everyone on her side here? Can’t a guy just have some peace without being subjected to a lot of accusations and innuendo!”
“Max, you really need a cup of hot coffee,” Maria said, walking into the kitchen. “I’ll get one for you. Mellow out. The world won’t go away if you relax for a few minutes, you know.”
“Liz wishes I would… go away.”
Maria returned and handed Max the coffee…
“Well, maybe you’re not paying enough attention to her, Max… like the mortgage.”
“Oh, stop it with the attention stuff, Maria! I’m up to here with that crap already!”
“Hey, Max… watch it!” Michael cautioned. “I can’t let you talk to Maria like that… no matter who you are.”
“Do you think I should give up my throne, too, Michael? Do you, Maria? Because Liz does. She thinks I can’t handle the stress and the responsibility.”
“Well, maybe she’s got a point,” Michael said, “Liz always had a good head on her shoulders, Max, and she’s pretty perceptive. Maybe what you guys need is a vacation… together… away from all the responsibilities of the kingdom.”
Max groaned. “What is this? Did you and Liz get together to convince me to take her to that planet with the hot springs… Yxtiar or whatever it’s called?”
“I haven’t talked to Liz. But it sounds like a good idea. I could handle things while you’re away, Max… or Larek could. Hell, even Amy could!”
“Now EVERYBODY’S better suited to be king than I am! Is that it? Even Amy! I guess we could bring Kivar back, too! Okay… okay, I see where this is going. You’ve all cooked up a conspiracy against me. Liz thinks I can’t handle the responsibilities, and you want the throne. Is there anything else I should know about the people who used to be my friends?”
“We’re trying to be your friends, Max,” Michael replied. “You won’t let us.”
“With friends like you, who needs enemies,” Max shot back disgustedly, “I’ll stay in a hotel.”
Michael shrugged. “When you come to your senses let me know.”
Max turned and left Michael and Maria’s house, slamming the door a little harder than he intended to. Then he drove to the nearest hotel, where he spent the rest of the night… and the next day… and the next night. On the morning of the second day, Max woke up and looked around. Realizing what day it was, and the time, he quickly dressed and rushed to the CoruzAntar Royal Conference Center, where a meeting had been planned with others on the advisory board. He was already late.
Arriving at the conference hall, Max parked his hovercar and rushed to the room where the conference was going on. He opened the door and looked around. Everyone was there… Larek, Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Liz, Varec, Kyle, Jim, and six others.
“Sit down, Zan,” Larek said, motioning toward a seat nearby.
“My place is at the head of the table.”
“That’s what we need to talk about,” Michael said, “The agenda has been changed. Max, for the last week or so, you’ve been acting very strange. The Council has decided that it is in the best interests of the kingdom if someone else… steps in.”
Max looked at each face around the table, incredulous…
“You can’t remove a king, Michael. You know that.”
“There have always been ways to remove a king, Max. We’re just taking the civilized way. It may not suit you, but it’s a necessary action to preserve the kingdom.”
“I don’t believe it,” Max muttered, shaking his head. “Alex? Isabel? Kyle? Do you think I can’t run my kingdom anymore, too?”
Alex shook his head and looked at the others, and they shook their heads, too.
“Like Michael said,” Alex replied for them all, “You’ve been a loose canon lately, Max. You’re acting irrational, and it’s hurting the kingdom. There are matters to be handled… urgent matters of state… and you have lost the confidence of the Council. I’m sorry, Max.”
“Liz? You, too?”
“I’m… I’m sorry, Max. You know I can’t change what the Council has ruled. They’re right. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“We’re going to have you checked into a mental facility, Max,” Jim said, “It’s for your own good.”
“What mental facility,” Max asked, “There are no mental facilities on Antar. There’s no need for them.”
“There are facilities on Earth,” Jim said, “That’s where you’ll go… until you’re better.”
“In whose opinion, Jim? Huh? Who makes the decision that ‘Max’ is okay to leave the loony bin and mingle with normal people again? You? Michael? …Who’s taking over my throne?”
There was some throat clearing in the room and a lot of anxious looks between Council members, but all eyes eventually settled on Michael. Max nodded. “I should have known! You planned this all along, didn’t you! Get me out of the way and take over. Well, you should all be proud of yourselves. I guess your little coup worked. I’m sort of at a disadvantage here, since you’re all against me. Liz…?”
“It’s over between us, Max. I’m sorry. It’s not what I wanted, but I can’t take it anymore. I’m staying here. Mom and Dad are here… Maria’s here… Alex and Iz are here…”
“I loved you, Liz! I loved you! You’ve always been my life and my soul! How can you just throw me away? I love you!”
I love you!
I love you!
I love you!
“Max!”
I love you!
“Max!”
You’re my life, Liz. If you leave me, I might as well be put away. I can’t live without you, Liz. I love you!
“Max! Wake up! You’re having a nightmare.”
“Hm…mfh… Omigod… Omigod! Liz!” Max threw his arms around Liz and held her tightly, as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“That must have been a terrible nightmare,” Liz said soothingly, kissing Max’s face all over with gentle kisses.
Max nodded. “I dreamed I was acting like an ass, and I alienated everybody, and the Council decided to make Michael the king and send me to a mental health clinic on Earth.”
“Oh, Max!” Liz said soothingly. “That must have been horrible for you.”
Max shook his head and looked at Liz. “No… that was pretty rough, but there was something worse.”
“Worse than being overthrown by your friends and sent to a mental facility… on Earth?”
“Worse!” Max said, nodding emphatically. “I lost you, Liz.”
Liz closed her eyes and hugged Max tightly. “You’ll never do that, Max. I’m with you rain or shine… till the end of time. You just try to make me go away!”
“Never!” Max said, smiling and wiping his eyes. “I’ll never do that! Never go away, Liz! I love you!”
“I love you, too, Max. Always! Let’s go back to sleep, okay? You still need your rest. You haven’t had but three hours sleep tonight… That’s not enough for four days.”
Max nodded. “Come here, Liz.”
Liz smiled and leaned close. “I think you were trying to seduce me a little while ago… before I went to sleep.”
Liz smiled and giggled. “I was… but it can wait till you’ve rested, Max. I’ll still be here.”
Max nodded. “I know you will, Liz. You’ll be right here with me… in my dreams.”
Max placed a hand on either side of Liz’s head, and she smiled and put both arms around him, then they lay down together and drifted off to sleep.
Posed on her knees on the bed, Liz smiled her most seductive smile and pulled her nightgown up over her head slowly and deliberately, swinging it momentarily above her like a lasso and letting it fly toward Max in a motion that lifted her breasts jauntily into the air. As she released the nightgown, she raised herself onto one knee, using her other leg to counterbalance her motion.
“Is this where we were, Max?”
Max grinned. “This is where we were. And now we’re here…” Max grabbed Liz and smothered her body all over with kisses, as she giggled.
“I like this dream, Max. It’s delightful.”
“Because you’re in it with me,” Max said. “You make all the difference, Liz.”
“What do you plan to do with me now that you’ve abducted me, spaceman,” Liz asked coquettishly.
“I’m going to show you how many push ups I can really do,” Max replied with a grin.
**********
In the ethereal world beyond the physical realm, two people watched Max and Liz.
“I’m not sure we should be watching this, dear.”
“Hmmm… you may be right.”
“Don’t you think you were a little harsh on Zan… making him have that awful dream?”
“No. I was the king myself. I know the pressures. Max needs a vacation. I had to make him see what could happen if he continued to neglect his health.”
“Do you really think he would have gone so far?”
“No. He would have figured it out himself… but a little intervention in our son’s life, when he needs it, can’t be so bad.”
Max’s mom nodded. “It seems to have made them happy.”
“Indeed!”
Max looked at Liz. She was radiant… glowing. “You know, Liz… maybe we could take a week off and go to Yxtiar.”
“Who would run the kingdom?”
“How about Amy?”
Liz giggled then started to laugh. “Seriously?”
“Sure, I think Michael suggested it.”
“Well… she would certainly be up to it. Are you sure Michael suggested that?”
Max grinned and nodded.
“The kingdom may never be the same again, Max,” Liz said, giggling again.
“The kingdom has survived a lot, Liz. It will survive Amy. Now where was I?”
“Again?” Liz asked, smiling from ear to ear.
“There are advantages to dreams, Liz. You never get tired.”
Liz closed her eyes and smiled.
The End
But Max thought that he had been acting badly because of the nightmare he had... until he realized it had been a dream. Apparently, it had the right effect! 
But the good news is that any of the stories in the Altered Time series can be considered sequels to this. So if you want more Dreamer, Candy, and Stargazing fun, just read Altered Time: Destiny In The Stars, Life In The Stars, Children Of The Universe, The Four Faces Of Rath, or The Night The Dreams Died... and now there's Sliding Into Antar, the newest one.