Fleeing Roswell (AU, CC, TEEN)

[isabelle]

*Michael*

I really don't have time for this. Maybe Liz cares about this guy. Maybe Maria thinks 'we're all he has,' but I only care about getting ourselves out of here before the Feds lock us all up in laboratories.

"I never touched the guy," I growl at Kyle. "He came to help us and the FBI shot 'im."

"What?" Kyle shouts, incredulously, looking at the girls and then back at me and Max. "No. He was investigating Max. I know he was." His eyes widen and suddenly, he turns on Liz. "Why would the FBI shoot him? Why are they in my house?"

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

Maria’s obviously having no easier time than me holding back, and I see her walk over to Michael, grabbing his shirt and clinging to him. I swallow and force myself to look back at Kyle, knowing that I have to meet his eyes.

Kyle doesn’t take my reponse well, and proceeds to demand that I explain. I chew my lip nervously, my hand still wrapped tightly in Max’s. I look up at him, drawing strength from the love I see in his eyes despite the pain and exhaustion I know he is still feeling. I want to tell Kyle the truth, but I won’t…not unless he tells me it’s okay…

I shake my head at Kyle. “I-I can’t…I’m sorry…” I whisper softly, not really knowing what else to say.

Michael demands that Kyle gets out of the way, but he’s obviously not in the mood to co-operate and Michael’s response is of course to start threatening. I look over at Kyle again. “Kyle…please…just let us go…”

I don’t think he even hears me though, focused on what Michael has said, he begins to speculate on the situation, again mentioning his dad. It’s almost more than I can bear to keep quiet, but in the end Michael blows up anyway, confirming what I had feared all along. Now I wish I had been the one to tell him… Kyle at least deserved that…he didn’t deserve to find out like that…

I want to go to him, to comfort him, but I know I’m needed here…I’m torn, and in the end the decision is taken from me as Kyle jumps to the conclusion that Michael or Max was the one to kill his dad. Maria tries to explain that they weren’t, struggling against tears herself, and after Michael takes over, stating that Jim was trying to help us, it comes as little surprise to me that Kyle then turns back to me for explanations…

“Why would the FBI shoot him…? Why are they in my house…?”

Again I want to go over to him, to take him in my arms even…I hate that this has happened, that he’s being put through this… But that’s not my place anymore is it…? I’m not his girlfriend…and after all this, I doubt he’ll even want to call me his friend… I chew my lip again and force myself to look back at him, wishing more than anything that I could make this all better…

Having come so far, I don’t know that there’s much point in holding back, and in truth, I don’t know if I can lie anymore… I take a breath, considering for a moment and then, although I know that Michael might not like it, I begin to answer him. He deserves the truth… “T-they shot him because he was helping to rescue Max…and t-they’re probably at your house because they know who he was…” My voice comes out weak and strained as I try to give the answers I know he needs. Why did this have to happen…? We feared Jim for so long, but in the end he came through… He didn’t deserve this… Kyle doesn’t deserve this… His mom’s gone, his dad’s dead…what’s he going to do now…? I let out a choked sob. “I-I’m sorry K-Kyle…”

[isabelle]

*Kyle*

I listen to Liz's explanation, not sure what to believe. I don't want to think Liz would lie to me but she's been so weird since we broke up -- before that even, since September. It's hard to know what to expect from her, anymore.

"You're telling me that my dad was working against the FBI to 'rescue' Max. And now they're after me and you, too, all because of him?" I ask Liz. "My dad was shot, and he's -- he's -- he's dead, because of YOU!" I turn to Max for the last, nearly spitting the words out at him. Max flinches, but I don't allow him time for a response.

"What the hell are you up to, Evans? It's not drugs, is it? It's bigger than that. Is it the Mafia? Teen porn?" For a split-second, my mind freezes, wondering if Max got my Lizzy into porn. If I found the right website would I see her naked and sweaty and --

I cut that image from my mind, since I don't have time for it right now. Barely taking a breath, I continue, "And why would my dad help you? You have something on him? Blackmail? I know he'd never work against the FBI unless you forced him somehow."

[Roswell4ever1]

~Maria~

I don't know where it came from, but I've suddenly grown a backbone. I can't stand here and let Kyle put everyone down and jump to proposterous conclusions. I know he's hurting, but it's no excuse to blame others for what happened to his dad.

"Enough Kyle! Damn it, your dad chose to help. No one blackmailed him or forced him into anything. There is nothing illegal going on here. If you would have really listened, you would have heard Liz say that your dad was helping. He wouldn't have helped with something that was wrong or against the law. I know you're upset Kyle, but look around you. None of us are exactly having a picnic either so stop accusing people!" I took a deep breath. I don't want to be mean, I just want him to understand.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened to your dad Kyle. You have no idea how sorry I am. We all are. But we're telling you the truth. Your dad was a great man and I for one am proud to have known him. Please Kyle understand, none of us wanted this to happen. I really am sorry."

[isabelle]

*Kyle*

Out of nowhere, Maria starts standing up for Max and Michael, too. I stare at her. She still hasn't answered the question of WHAT Max was doing. Why the FBI is after him. I know I've asked at least three times. My dad would say it's time to ask a parrellel question and see if you get any hints of the answers to the one they're not answering...

"Okay, if all that is true, where do you think you're going? If the FBI is after you, you can't go to the cops. Where do you think you're going to hide?"

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

In truth it’s hardly surprising that Kyle doesn’t want to believe this, insisting that his dad would never have ‘helped’ Max. I squeeze Max’s hand as I feel him flinch at Kyle’s accusations, wishing more than anything we could just turn back time… Turn back time so that hadn’t been captured, which in turn would have meant that Jim would still be alive…

The Mafia…Teen Porn…? Kyle’s theories get more and more crazy to my ears and I shake my head about to reiterate my earlier words that his dad HELPED Max. Maria gets there first though, suddenly jumping in to insist that we hadn’t done anything wrong. She finishes saying that his dad was a great man, that she was proud to have known him and that she’s sorry.

I nod, silently echoing this as I did with my earlier words.

Kyle seems to think for a moment, and when he speaks again, his question is hardly one I would have expected… Another question about why the FBI, about what happened even, or how Maria, Alex and I are involved, but instead he asks where we’re going…

I look up at Max and then over to Michael. The truth – I don’t think we know… I chew the inside of my lip for a moment and then force myself to look back at Kyle. “We don’t know Kyle…but we have to leave Roswell… Please, try to understand that we never wanted something like this to happen… I’m really sorry about what happened to your dad…I will be forever grateful to him for helping to save Max…” I trail off awkwardly, not wanting to think about what might have happened… “I’m sorry Kyle…” I just don’t know what else to say… It’s not like it’s going to make anything better, but I guess it’s the most I can do…

[CandyDreamQueen]

<<<Max>>>

When Michael shouts to Kyle that his dad is dead, I could literally almost kill him in that moment. Liz and Maria were right about Kyle having a right to know about his dad an all, and now that he was here there was no way that we could avoid telling him, but this was not the way that I wanted to tell him. Actually, I was not completely sure how I wanted to tell him.

"You did it! You killed him! This is your fault!" Kyle shouts back to him.

"No Kyle, it isn't. They didn't do anything wrong." Maria says objecting. "Look, I'm sorry about your dad, but it isn't their fault. Blaming them won't bring him back."

"I never touched the guy, He came to help us and the FBI shot 'im." Michael says not too sympatric.

Kyle won’t believe him, and he starts to blame all of us. Me mostly, and of course Liz and Maria run to out defense, saying that Valenti’s death is not our faults. And the thing that really gets me is that for the most part Kyle is right. I am the reason that Valenti is dead. It may have started out that he was investigating me, but in the end I really believed that he wanted to help. And he died because of it.

"My dad was shot, and he's -- he's -- he's dead, because of YOU!" Kyle says voicing my thoughts completely. I can see the venom in his gaze. It’s enough to make me flinch. But before I can say anything else Kyle continues his rampage of questions.

"What the hell are you up to, Evans? It's not drugs, is it? It's bigger than that. Is it the Mafia? Teen porn?"

Mafia or teen porn? That’s what he thinks?

"And why would my dad help you? You have something on him? Blackmail? I know he'd never work against the FBI unless you forced him somehow."

"Enough Kyle! Damn it, your dad chose to help. No one blackmailed him or forced him into anything. There is nothing illegal going on here. If you would have really listened, you would have heard Liz say that your dad was helping. He wouldn't have helped with something that was wrong or against the law. I know you're upset Kyle, but look around you. None of us are exactly having a picnic either so stop accusing people!"

I was not expecting Maria to defend us so passionately. I am thankful for her words; she has no idea how much they mean to me. Especially since I myself am having a hard time determining that Valenti’s death is not my fault.

"Okay, if all that is true, where do you think you're going? If the FBI is after you, you can't go to the cops. Where do you think you're going to hide?" Kyle says, refusing to easy up.

“We don’t know Kyle…but we have to leave Roswell… Please, try to understand that we never wanted something like this to happen… I’m really sorry about what happened to your dad…I will be forever grateful to him for helping to save Max…” Liz trails off for a minute, and I can tell that all of this is making her really “I’m sorry Kyle…” she finishes.

Liz and Maria have been defending us like soldiers in a war, it’s time for us to start defending ourselves.

“Kyle, I know you have a lot of question, but the simple fact is, we can’t answer them. Maria’s right, what we are involved in…it’s not illegal, but it is dangerous, extremely dangerous, and it’s something that you don’t want to get yourself involved in. The best thing for you to do right now is to just leave. Just walk away and say nothing to the FBI about ever knowing where we are. Just forget about us completely. You’ll have a better life for it.” I look down at the ground, not liking what I have to say, but knowing that I have to say it, then I look back up meeting Kyle’s eyes directly.

“Because if you can’t leave Kyle…If you can’t just walk away and forget all about us, we have no choice but to take you with us.” There is no way that we can risk letting Kyle go if he has intentions of telling the FBI where we are. I know that Michael and the others aren’t going to like it, but it’s better to have him with us than to chance that he might give us away. And even though I gave him the option, I have a feeling there is no way that Kyle Valenti is going to just walk away from this.

[isabelle]

*Kyle*

Leaving Roswell. She's just leaving Roswell with Max. She's a sophmore for Heaven's sake. What about her parents?

Before I can ask, Max starts to explain some and ends up with a Threat! “Because if you can’t leave Kyle…If you can’t just walk away and forget all about us, we have no choice but to take you with us.”

"If it's not illegal, then why is the FBI after you?" I demand. "And I'll have you know that kidnapping is illegal. You can't make me go with you. I have a life here!"

Or do I? I wonder. My mom is in Texas somewhere. My dad is dead. What is my life now? I know it sure as hell isn't going to be some sort of captive or co-conspirator. "Liz. Maria," I say. "You can't let these thugs force you to go on the run with them. That's rediculous. Whatever you did, it can't be worth this. Let them try to flee if they want to try, but you don't have to be part of this."

[Roswell4ever1]

~Maria~

"No one's forcing us into anything Kyle." I say, much calmer now. "We're here because we choose to be. See what you don't understand, is that when we chose to be a part of this group, it wasn't with stipulations. I know you don't trust us Kyle and I can understand that. But these are the people we love. The people we trust. You can call us all thugs or whatever else you see fit, but the fact of the matter is, no one here is a bad person. No one here is out to get you. Whether you realize it now or fifty years from now, we're still your friends Kyle. We're just going through a tough time. We just want to be able to live our lives without being judged."

I wasn't just speaking for Max, Michael, Tess and Isabel. I was speaking for all of us. This is the life we chose, not because we had to, but because we wanted to.

We're lifers in this game. I just didn't want Kyle thinking he had to be afraid of any of us or suspicious. Michael's losing his patience and Max is already blaming himself. The last thing they need is Kyle's accusations. Not that I don't understand. I do. Kyle's been through hell but this is getting us nowhere and the longer we stand here, the more danger we're putting ourselves, and Kyle in.

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

When I’m finished, Max now speaks up and I look up at him, noting the shadows in his eyes. What did he go through…? I wish he’d let me in… I know he’s afraid to let me see, and he probably doesn't want to alow himself to see the again, but the nightmares aren't just going to go away, and however awful, however scary, I want to share it with him…I want to help him through this…

He starts off by trying to convince Kyle to leave, and forget all about us… He reiterates what Maria and I have said about ‘what we’re into’, telling him it’s not illegal, but it is dangerous…

And then, after everything Michael has said about keeping Kyle away, he throws in a shocker, saying that if Kyle can’t do that, if he’s going to go to the FBI basically, then we’ll have to take him with us… I understand his thinking of course, but to force Kyle to come with us…

I bite my lip. In truth I have to wonder if Max is right, if he really would be better to forget all about us, because what does he really have left…? A grandfather that’s old and senile and doesn’t even always know who he is…a father who’s dead and a mother who’s left… When it comes down to it, how do we know that the FBI are going to just leave him alone…? His father certainly worked against them in trying, and helping, to rescue Max… Who’s to say he’s going to be safe…?

Some of these questions have been going round in my head for some time already… Kyle might not be my boyfriend anymore, but I have known him all my life and I don’t want to see him hurt… I hate that this has happened to him, and as much as I know that Max is hoping for the other, I guess I’m kinda hoping he will come with us – although from choice would be preferable to forcing him of course…

In truth, I don’t know if there'’s really a question there though… Kyle isn’t one to walk away…but I guess we just have to wait...

He’s looking at me amazed. His next reaction is to ask again about the FBI, before then reminding Max that kidnapping is illegal. Then he tells Maria and I, they can’t force us to go, and even as Maria speaks up, telling him that’s not how it is, I find myself shaking my head too.

Despite the situation, I can’t help smiling as I listen to Maria’s response. She continues by saying that we’re still his friends, and as I stand watching her, I’m amazed by the strength she is showing here today.

When she’s done, I look back at Kyle. “I can’t stay when Max is going, Kyle…because the fact is, that home, it’s not Roswell anymore, not necessarily…it’s wherever he is… I’m not going with him because he’s forcing me…but because I NEED to, for me… It’s the right thing for me… I’m making this choice just as Maria is doing… If you can’t accept that, I’m sorry, but it is the truth… Max and Michael would never hurt us…”

I look back up at Max biting my lip and reaching for his hand which I squeeze. I love him…more than anything I can imagine…I love Max Evans…

I want to say more to Kyle though…Inside, I want to ask him to come with us, because more and more I think it’s the right thing to do, but what if I’m wrong…? What if Max is right, and he will be safe back here… He can have a normal life – as much as possible…why should he have that taken away from him...?