Roswell Fanatics

~*Serena*~


I nod and stand up and gather my things. Sometimes I wish I had my real mother, sure, Nancy's ok and all....but it might actually be nice to hear someone say, "You look like or act like your mother".


Ainsling at least listens to us I guess. Not one of those people who ignores anything you have to say or whatever.


"So....I have a question for you. Have you ever been in love before?".

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

~Liz~

Max looks thoughtful and I know that he’s doing the same as me, trying to come up with a plausible explanation. Leaving Michael to come to his own conclusions is most definitely NOT a viable option… Who knows what he might come up with, but one thing I know for certain, he wouldn’t just let it go, and if he gets it into his head it’s enemy aliens or something like that…well, I really wouldn’t want to be in that position…even the thought of it is pretty nerve racking…and it’s not as though I’m completely helpless…

But anyway, the last thing I want to do is make them worry over nothing… Like me, Max, Isabel and Michael have enough on their plates without me adding to it unnecessarily…

I wish I could just come out and tell them, it would be so much simpler, but now is not the time to have such a conversation…of that I am sure…

I just don’t know what to say though…how am I going to get out of this one…?

“Well, this might be a really stupid idea… I don’t know… It’s the only think I’ve come up with so far…”

Max looks at me uncertainly and I nod for him to continue. He might as well, any idea is better than none, which I have right now… Nada, ziltch, basically, I haven’t got a clue…and even though I might look pretty calm on the outside, on the inside I’m this… I imagine a very small distance. …far away from a major panick. It’s enough that I’ve told Ainsling and Serena I told Max the truth, and they’ve actually accepted it…but I can’t imagine them being quite so understanding about Michael and Isabel, and I can’t blame them… So right now, I’m pretty much willing to listen to anything…

“What if I made another box that looked like yours? I could make it out of solid wood – which would explain why it couldn’t open right?”

I guess… I’m sure that I look doubtful, but I nod slightly non-the-less.

“Michael could even blow it up and see that there’s nothing there…” Max shrugs and frowns, apparently thinking of a major limitation to this plan. “I just don’t know how to explain the strap that we couldn’t open, or why you have it…”

Ah yes…the strap… I can definitely see the problem there… I haven’t got a clue what Max and Michael might have tried with their powers, but when those spells are active, it’s pretty much undestructable so that definitely would raise a few eyebrows.

“Unless I was using my powers to prevent him from opening the strap…like a contest…” He muses. It’s obvious that he’s still not really happy with the idea though. “But I don’t know how to explain why you would have this trick box…”

I shake my head. Unfortunately I have no more idea than him. I sigh. “I don’t know Max…” I say softly, resting my head in my hand. Why does my life have to be so complicated…?

“You could put the spell on the fake strap, too, and claim you’d found it. We could bring them the fake box and let Isabel try, too…” He furthers his idea, but I think both of us know it’s not really going to work. “But they’d be sure it was alien, some kind of clue, and I don’t want to give them false ideas about that…”

He shakes his head and I nod. “That would bring up the question of why I didn’t take it to them sooner as well…” I point out. “And as you say, why would I have the trick box…?” I think of something more. “Plus, if it were solid wood, I know it’s not light as it is, but it would be a whole lot heavier than the real box, and if he was with you, I don’t know if he would have held it too…”

“I’m so sorry Liz…”

I look at him and see the anguish in his eyes. I know that he’s trying to help, trying to make up for this… I can’t say I’m delighted about the fact he went breaking into my room anyway, but at least he told me the truth now, and I can’t say I don’t understand why he felt he needed to know… I sigh and shake my head, reaching out for his hand. “It’s ok…you didn’t know why I was lying…you felt you needed to know what you saw and I can understand that… I’m not saying that you and Michael breaking into my room would have been in my plans, but it’s happened, it’s not like we can do much about it now…” I bite my lip. “I wish I could tell them…I don’t want to make you keep this secret from Michael and Isabel, Max, but as much as I wish I could, now’s not the time…I’m sorry…” I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it back from my face and leaning back against the wall. There must be something we can say to explain it away…only question is what…?

*Max*

I look down at my shoes as Liz touches my hand and tells me it's okay, that she understands. It's great that she's not mad at me but I know this is my fault. If I could only have trusted her another few hours.... But going at lunch just seemed like the best time, since I knew she'd be at school ....

“I wish I could tell them…I don’t want to make you keep this secret from Michael and Isabel, Max, but as much as I wish I could, now’s not the time…I’m sorry…” she says.

I shake my head. "No, that's okay. We'll figure this out. I promise." I haven't the faintest idea how, yet, but we'll figure it out. I'm sure of it. And what Liz says about not telling Isabel and Michael is right. We kept Alex out of it for months although letting him in might have made things easier. Some things just need to wait for the right time and I know it's too soon to add Michael and Isabel to Liz and Serena's secret. Even Maria and Alex don't know. If anyone, they should be first, I would think...

"How about that thing like the shooting in September? Can you change the past? Alter Michael's memory? Maybe some forgetting potion or something?" I ask, hopefully. I don't really know what Liz can do yet, but I do know that someone changed things the day Liz got shot - I mean, the day she was stabbed. If we could do that, it might solve everything...

~*AINSLING*~
"So....I have a question for you. Have you ever been in love before?".

The yearning apparent in Serena's voice is not reflected in her eyes when I turn to look at her. Her face seems largely carefree, shuttered in its usual way, but without the telltale signs of youthful longing that seem to resonate in her question.
I just look at her a moment, thinking with a half smile. 'Have I ever been in love before?
I guess I don't really know. I've felt in love before. Once, when I was about 19 there was a boy who was everything to me. But he was older, and he ended up moving away. I thought I would die from the heartache and that no one in the world had ever felt the amount of pain I did. So I ate ice cream, and watched tv and generally hated the human race, and after a while I got bored and decided that he wasn't that great after all.
The thing is, I've never had a relationship in which the other person is so important to me that their happiness means everything to me, even more than my own happiness. I mean, well... I feel like that about you, but that's different, that's more like a parent, and I know it isn't half of how your mother would feel if she was here.
I think when I fall in love it will be like that, but romantic. I look at you and I'm constantly amazed at what amazing people you are, and I feel lucky that I get to know you, and see you grow, and know that you are going to be breathtaking in every way.
I hope someday I'll meet the right person, and fall in love, and have someone fall in love with me, but if I don't- well, I love, and I'm loved, and that's alot, more then a lot of people get.'

'Why do you ask? What's on your mind?'

OOC: formating when I get back from work. Not completely sure about this one Isabelle, tell me what you think and if you want me to change anything

~Liz~

“No, that’s ok… We’ll figure this out…”

I smile at his reassurance, but right at this moment I don’t have a clue how we might be able to do that…

I love him so much, and I hate that I’m going to make him lie to his friends, his family, but know that right now there isn’t another option. As I said before, now’s not the time, and that’s not going to change. I put myself, and my family, on the line here today… Had I been wrong about Max, who knows what the consequences might have been…

I knew that I wasn’t wrong, but that doesn’t mean I can do it again so soon… Despite everything that Serena said about me completely disregarding the rules, I still accept why we have to be careful…and I know that’s not going to disappear…

I have kept a secret from my two best friends for years… Maria and Alex, I would trust them with my life, yet I couldn’t bring them into this… Had it not been for the flashes last night, I’m not even sure that Max would be on the inside yet… I’ve wanted to tell him though, and it feels so right to be with him and know that I’m not ‘hiding’ from him anymore…

I walk over and lean against his chest, biting my lip. Things are never easy…that’s just not my life…

Suddenly he looks down at me, asking about the shooting. Can we change the past…? I shake my head. “No single witch has a power like that… We can’t go just changing the past for our own benefit…” I try and explain. “What happened in September…what I did…” I shake my head. “It was necessary, but it was also public… That incident as it originally occurred could have exposed magic to the world, and some ‘people’, far more powerful than me, on both sides decided that couldn’t be allowed to happen… The risk was too great, and together, they were able to do something…”

I look down at take a breath. I know Max is only trying to help, and it’s not like he really knows what I can do…the questions and suggestions he’s making sound pretty good to someone who doesn’t understand, until you get into the how’s and why.s

“Maybe some forgetting potion or something…”

This next suggestion Max makes is one that is possible, but it’s something I would only ever want to use as a last resort… The consequences could be unknown…especially given he’s not even human, and it’s difficult to control exactly what people forget… I might be able to do it, but then if it doesn’t work we would be in an even worse situation than before… I look back at Max, starting hesitantly. “A forgetting potion is possible, but it’s not easy, and it’s not something to use lightly… It could be dangerous, I don’t know what the consequences to your system’s would be given you’re not human…” I shake my head. “I don’t like the idea with playing with his head, I know that it might be our only option, and if it is I guess I’ll have to try, but I’d really rather find another way…” Not that I know what that would be…but still… I sigh and turn slightly to bury my head in his chest. “Why can’t things be simple…just for once?” I mutter half to my self, my voice somewhat muffled as I speak into his chest.

~*Serena*~


"I don't know. It just that it seems a lot of relationships don't work out anymore.....people think their in love then what do ya know....It's I don't care go away", I sigh and look out the window then back at her.


"Sometimes I'm scared to jump into a relationship because I don't want to end up one of those women that thinks she's in love, gets married, has a kid or two then the dad changes his mind and the women's left to take care of everything.....I wish we could bring mom back for like a day ya know? See how much diffrent life is with her instead of Nancy.".

~*AINSLING*~

I look at Serena appraisingly for a second. 'Serena what's this about? Is it about Liz and Max? Or love in general? Or is it really about your dad?
You know he was crazy about your mom, right?'

I look over at her again and she just shrugs non-commitally.

'what do you think would be different if your mom was still here?'

~*Serena*~


"Dad wouldn't be so caught up in Nancy that he just kind of acts like he notices us......", I shrug and lean back.



"I know Nancy tries but smoehow it's just not the same. Liz and I hardly have any memories of her, and the one Liz has, well....isn't exactly the best one", I bite my lip and look up at Ainsling.


"I want to be able to find love sure, but not the kid that Dad and Nancy have, they seem to just go through the motions and try to hard to be the perfect couple sometimes".

~*AINSLING*~

"I think your dad is caught in the middle. He's torn between how he felt, and probably still feels about your mother, and how he feels about you. He wanted you to have a mom, and he really cares about Nancy. He thought it would be good for all of you if they got married and tried to create a family. The problem is, I think a big part of him is still in love with your mom. He can't let her go. As a father or a man, he isn't sure what the right thing is.
And I know that Nancy loves you, she just doesn't understand most of the time. You are very different to her. she isn't sure where she fits- she knows she isn't your mom, but she is still supposed to act like it. She can't even begin to be a part of Magic, a huge part of your life, and she is afraid that most other things she tries you'll think she is trying to replace your mom. Ultimately you have lots of people who love you, they just really suck at showing it.
And as for romantic interests? You should give it time, it will happen naturally- but even when it does it isn't all wonderful. There is a lot of compromise involved. I think thats often the problem in those situations you were talking about, people aren't willing to compromise. You have to be ready to give every part of yourself and maybe not get very much in return, maybe get hurt. It's a risky venture, love. I hope that things work out with Liz and Max, and I think they will, but if they don't? Well, 'tis better to have loved and lost then never loved at all'"

I wink at her. "See I get the easy job, I don't have to worry about things like spoiling your appetite so I can feed you ice cream in the afternoon, and give you a break from your homework- Nancy doesn't get to do that, she has to be a serious parental person all the time. I know it's hard Serena, I know you miss your mom a lot, and that none of us can be for you what she was, but we all care about you a great deal, and want to help you however we can."

*Max*

I nod as Liz explains about what happened in September and why we can't repeat it for Michael. I remember now that she'd said that 'evil' forces were involved, working with the good witches... I don't really understand all that, but I know it sounds really big, bigger than Liz or even Ms. Brennan... To actually work with 'the other side...' It sends chills up my spine, thinking about it.

Unfortunately, the forgetting potion has other risks since Michael isn't completely human. I guess even magic potions are chemistry, drugs. Something we've always been very careful to avoid, not knowing how anything would affect us. Luckily, we've always had my powers to take care of infections or pain or other things like that...

I shrug then, biting my lip, trying to think up another plan. A long moment passes as a dozen thoughts race through my head, most of them just repeats of what we've already thought through or things that obviously aren't feasible, even 'though I wish they were....

"Wait. I think I have an idea...," I say.