</center>Title: All alone in this world
Author: Midnight Magi (aka Bex)
Email: Bex_Bridge@hotmail.com
Website: www.indagator.co.uk
Distribution: Ask me first. I want to know where it's going.
Category: M/L & AE (stands for Aurora Evan's)
Rating: YTEEN
Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned Roswell it would have never ended with season three, and the storylines would have been a lot more different. Alas, until I achieve world domination, owning the rights to Roswell will have to wait.
Summary: This takes place a few eppy's after EOTW, a sweet, and yet strange, little girl comes into the Crashdown one morning and stays the day with the podsquad while she waits for someone. Secrets are revealed, tears fall, and true love, once again conquers all.
Author's Note: Thank god the dreaded sex scene of Tess/Max HASN'T happened yet, and never will in my universe. Also another thing, currently all my stories are WIP, I want to have at least one that completed[smile]. This is my first attempted at writing something that's highly emotional. If you're not in tears of happiness/sadness all at the same time by the end of this fic then I have failed in my mission.
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Part 1a
"MICHEAL you lazy ass spaceboy, the customers have been waiting for you to get those burgers done for the last 15 minutes! What the hell is taking you so long? Alien invasion that I don't know about?" Maria shouts into the kitchen.
"Well if you think you can do this any faster I'd like to see you try." Michael bites back.
Narrowing her eye's Maria sends Michael a stare that would kill birds in mid-flight. "Well if you want to switch places wearing my uniform and have to deal with grumpy customers be my guest."
Turning back around to the grill Michael mumbles something under his breath as Maria turns and heads over to one of the front booths to take the orders of some new customers.
Just as she's about to go back to the counter to give Michael the order the Crashdown door opens and in walks the most adorably beautiful little girl that Maria has even seen.
Only about five or six years old she toddles in heading for an empty booth in the back.
I glance behind the girl at the doorway and wait a moment for her parents to enter but no one does. Looking back down at her as she climes up into the booth's seat I can't help but find her cute little face so sweet. She's wearing a deep blue velvet dress with little selves that are trimmed with lace around the edges, shinny black buckle shoes, white little ankle socks with frills at the top and two small pink bows on either side of them. A light blue patchwork bag is hooked across her body setting off the whole look. Her face is the most startling thing though, like an angle's or in this case, a cherub's. Dark silky soft brown hair falls either side of her face down to just below her shoulders with a fringe that comes down to her eye brows, fair bronzey coloured skin, and for eye's two twin pools of rich honey that look so soulful, and almost withdrawn.
"Hi there little one." I say walking over to her booth. "Are you here all by yourself?"
Looking up at me with big curious eyes she pauses for a moment almost seeming to deliberate what to say. "I'm waiting for someone." She say's simply.
"Oh, Okay, well.. Do you want a ice cream or something?" I ask.
Her eye's light up at hearing the words 'ice cream'. She sits up in her seat nodding her head and says in an excited voice, "Yes, please."
Then a small frown crosses her beautiful features and she adds in a smaller quieter voice tinged with disappointment. "but I don't have any money."
I feel my heart almost breaking at seeing her blink back forming tears. "Don't worry, to all kids as cute as you it's on the house." I say with a smile, watching her eye's light up once more and I am rewarded with a hundred watt smile.
"So what flavor do you want? Huh?" I ask as I watch her begin to bubble with enthusiasm.
"Vanilla please, with strawberry's or strawberry sauce, if you can please." She says sweetly.
I inwardly cringe at her asking out of all the flavors for 'vanilla', what is the world coming to when a child doesn't ask for good old chocolate.
"Kay, I'll be right back in a couple of minutes." I say heading back over to the kitchen counter and absently wonder if Michael's done the damned burgers yet.
"Who's the kid?" Michael asks nodding to the little girl that's just withdrawn a coloring book from her bag and begins to color in it with five very sharpened down pencils.
"Dunno, I think her mum must have dropped off here while she's gone shopping or something round the town, she said she was waiting here for someone." I reply looking back at the small child.
"Dammit, what is it with parents, they shouldn't leave their kids alone like that, I mean look at her, she's practically a baby." Michael grumbles with a distant painful look in his eyes and I find myself wondering not for the first time how hard his childhood must have been growing up with Hank.
"Yeah, well, can you hurry up, I want to get her ice cream." I say trying to change the subject knowing it's hurting him thinking about this.
"Fine" Michael mutters, taking one last look at the little girl before turning back round into the kitchen.
Sighing I do the finishing touches to her ice cream by adding chopped up strawberry's and a large dollop of strawberry sauce on top of the vanilla. Her head pops up as I walk over to her with the ice cream and those lovely honey eyes shine with joy mixed with intense hunger. 'Ha, I vaguely remember getting that excited over an ice cream too when I was a kid.'
"Here you go, hope you enjoy it." I say chuckling as she starts to dig into the food the moment it is placed on the table with no delay.
I watch startled as she practically devours the ice cream and within a minute or two nothing is left of it and she gives me a quick half smile before licking her lips of the remained of the vanilla. Putting down my order pad I slide into the seat opposite her trying to hide my worried expression.
"Hey, I'm Maria." I say in a chirpy voice, "What's your name?"
"I'm Aurora." She says simply given me an unusual glance.
"So. Aurora, you seemed to 'really' like that ice cream. When was the last time you ate?" I ask trying not to make my question seem to probing.
She shrugs her body sending me a small smile, "Dunno." She mumbles. A small frown grows on my face at hearing this, but I try to hide it.
"Well, ok then, do you want anything else to eat maybe?" I ask plastering on a smile. "On the house again of course."
"Yes Please!" She squeaks.
"Ok then what'cha want?"
"Urm, Saturn Rings, Will Smith Burger, Blood-of-Alien Smoothie, Men in Blackberry pie." She begins to rattle off without even looking at the menu.
To say I was taken in surprise is an understatement, her knowledge of the Crashdown menu's alone was astonishing. "Ok, Ok, why don't we start with something small, how about a burger and fries? Then if you're still hungry we can see what else you want, coz I seriously doubt your little body can hold that much food." I say trying to suppress a chuckle at her pouting face.
"My auntie always said I eat more in one hour than she does in an entire day." She's say's smiling.
"Oh, and where's your auntie then?" I ask still chuckling.
The smile disappears from Aurora's face and she becomes very solemn. She sniffles a bit and says in a quite voice barely audible, "My auntie died a couple weeks ago."
The look of such gut wrenching sorrow that develops in her face makes feel so incredibly guilty at bringing it up, and I find myself desperately, more than ever wanting to see that sweet smile once again.
"I'm sorry." Picking up my pad I slide out from the booth and kneel down by her side. "How about I go get you your food now hey?" I ask hoping that will restore her smile, but fails to do so. Instead she looks up at me with her soulful eyes and with a trembling bottom lip mouth's the word 'Thanks' before going back to her coloring book staring blankly at the half coloured in picture mournfully.
Getting up I head back over to the kitchen where I spot Michael watching the interaction between me and the little girl. "Hey, spaceboy! Aren't you meant to be working?" I ask trying to make my voice sound mirthful, but am failing miserably.
"What did you do?" Michael asks in an almost sternful voice nodding his head towards the small little girl that now seems to have a gray stormy cloud of sadness hovering about her.
Letting out a defeated sigh I reply, "I put my foot in my mouth while talking with her." Looking back over to the booth she's in I feel my heart break at seeing her wipe a way a small tear that has escaped her eye, while continuing with less enthusiasm to color the page.
"I didn't mean to do it, I was just worried about the fact she seemed so hungry and I was trying to find out the last time she ate, then she quoted something about what her auntie used to say about how much eats. I asked where her auntie was thinking it might be her that's meant to be taking care of her right now, but it seems her aunt died two weeks ago. God she seemed so broken at that moment, and I wish I could retracted what I said so I didn't have to see such a melancholy face."
"Figures that within a couple minutes of talking to her that you'd reduce her to tears." Michael mutters in a harsh voice looking me straight in the eye. Turning back to the little girl he says in a quieter voice, "There's something about her, I can't quite place it, but she seems familiar to me."
"What do you mean? I've never seen her around here before, I sure as hell would remember a cute face like that, but.." I say letting the sentence drift off as I realise something puzzling.
"But What?" Michael asks irritated.
"She knew menu off by heart as if she'd been here loads of times, but I certainly have never seen her."
Michael scowls slightly at me before taking once last glance at the girl and turning back into the kitchen. A few hours pass and during it all the tiny child manages to consume more food than I could ever imagine someone so small holding, during all this time though no one has come in to collect her or check in on her which worry's me slightly. I don't have time to dwell on it since the amount of customers has been steadily increasing and behrly any spaces are left in the Crashdown.
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Max POV
'I can't believe Isabel's dragging me to the Crashdown, this is the last place I want to be right now after seeing Liz in bed with Kyle a few nights ago, well at least I know Liz isn't on duty this afternoon, Thank god for small miracles. I wouldn't be able to set foot in the place otherwise.'
Upon entering the Crashdown I find another reason to argue with Iz about why we shouldn't be here right now, the place is packed. It's no good though, Iz spots an empty booth towards the back and haul's me to it.
When we reach it though we're both startled to see it isn't empty at all, a small little girl is sitting in the booth drawing something, she's so petite that we didn't see her head above the back of chair. Her brown hair falls around her face obscuring it from sight as her little hands work attentively.
"Hey, kid. Is anyone sitting here with you?" Isabel asks eyeing the empty seat hopefully.
The small head tilts upwards and my breath catches at seeing the sweetest little girl staring back at me with an almost pensive expression at seeing us. The small girl stares at us for a few more moments with an unreadable expression, just as her gaze starts to make me uncomfortable she shakes her head and say's in a sad tone, "Nope, I'm here by myself."
"Oh, well, ok then, can me and my brother sit in these spare seats?" Isabel asks not really waiting for the little girl's response before sliding in besides her and I follow a few seconds later sliding into the seat opposite both of them.
"Ok, I'm starved, even for Crashdown food." She exclaims pouncing on the menu.
"Move over Max." Michael's gruff voice grunts as he appears on my right side.
"Aren't you meant to be working?" I ask.
"Nah, this is my break finally." He says looking at the child sitting next to Isabel.
"Hey Aurora, I'm Michael, a friend of Maria's." He says extending his hand over the table to the girl.
"Hi," She chirps. "I know who you are, Maria told me about you, you're an 'obnoxious moron'. what's 'obnoxious moron' mean?" She asks puzzled. I look up as I hear Isabel choking back laughter at what she said.
"I'm an obnoxious moron huh? Well when you see Maria next, make sure to tell her that she's..." He starts.
"Michael," I say intervening before this child hears a few words a child shouldn't hear. Grasping at anything to change the subject I pick at the first thing that pops into my head. "So how does Maria know her?"
"'Her' name is Aurora, she came in here early this morning and we made friends. Simple as that." Maria states after sneak appearing somehow with some Saturn fries.
"Here you go." She says placing them in front of Aurora.
"Thanks!" Her little voice replies sending her sweet smile in Maria's direction.
"No probs, I never knew someone so small could eat so much." Maria says with a chuckle.
"I'm was just hungry is all." She says with a pout.
"So when's your mom or dad gonna pick ya up?" Michael asks.
All expression disappears from a little face and it ends up with a solemn air to it. Then her eye's begin to shimmer with unshed tears as she says in a quiet voice, "I don't have a mommy or daddy anymore."
We're all silent for a few moments unsure what to say or do, but when I gentle sob escapes her little lips Isabel reaches over and picks her up in one smooth motion putting Aurora in her lap.
"It's ok, Max, Michael and I are orphans too." Isabel says in a soft voice laced with sorrow. Aurora looks up at her with a blank expression before giving a little shrug wiping one of her eye's with the back of her hand and then reaching out for her Saturn fries plucks one up and puts it in her mouth.
Maria leans over to Michael near his ear. "God, that must be terrible for the kid, to not only have an aunt you love die, but to also have your parents die as well." Maria whispers to him.
"My mommy and daddy didn't die." A little voice states in a cautious tone. Aurora looks Maria straight in the eye from across the table when Maria's head pops up at hearing this.
'Damn, Michaels right, I do have a loud mouth.' Maria groans inwardly and tries to not let Aurora's wounded expression and small grimace cut to deeply into her heart if she can help it.
"They didn't die, they left me on my own coz they didn't want me anymore." Aurora says, a slight tremble starts in her lower lip and chin.
If anyone at that table wasn't hit with the grief of her early statement, then they sure as hell was with her last statement as they sit there watching her burry her head in Isabel's shoulder.
I watch as a small wet patch of tears appears on Izzy's shirt and we all look around at each other helplessly at what to do..
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