When Friendship & Love... (AU,M/L,MATURE) C7 26/10/14 [WIP]
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:47 pm
Title: When Friendship and Love Combine
Author: KatnotKath
Rating: Teen/Mature
Couples: CC, M/L
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Roswell, none of the characters, or the locations, just playing with them a little if you please.
Summary: How different things could be? A look into the reality from Which Liz in When Love and Loss Collide came from. You might want to read that one first, although in reality (excuse the unintended pun) this is actually a prequel to that story so can be read separately too.
Author’s Note: No promises for very frequent updates, but I will promise to do my best. This story in its first form (unfinished) was my first and only Nano success. The reason for the unusual order of posting for the stories in this series is simple – I didn’t think that much about what had happened to Liz in detail until after people started asking, at which point I thought ‘I could write about that’. I’ll be honest and tell you that this isn’t finished in any form as yet, but I do have a good idea of where it is going so hopefully that will stand me in good stead. It’s going to be a rollercoaster, that much I can warn you, but I hope you’ll enjoy the ride!
Hi everyone!
Some of you may remember this having been up on the board before. Unfortunately it was a victim of Dead and Buried... So, I'm reposting all that was up, plus a new chapter over the next week. After that the updates will be less frequent but I'll do my best. The first couple of chapters might be a bit shorter than the rest, and it doesn’t start that quickly but I think they’re necessary to set the scene and I hope you’ll enjoy them.
~Kat~
Prologue
"Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man..." The sound of kids reciting the words of an old children's rhyme filled the air of a small garden on the outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico and a little girl continued jumping the skipping rope. "...poor man, begger man, thief!" The chanting abruptly ended as the small dark-haired girl in the middle stumbled at this point, catching her leg on the skipping rope and hopping away awkwardly to the side where she sat down on the floor to rub her ankle.
The other two children who had been turning the rope immediately dropped each end and ran over to check on the little girl. "Lizzy, are you okay?" Maria DeLuca's dazzling blue eyes were wide with concern as she knelt down next to her best friend.
Five year old Liz Parker turned her head up with a smile, reaching to tighten the brown ponytail which hung at the back of her head. "I'm fine Maria, I just lost my timing..." She gave a toothy grin as the blond offered her a hand up and jumped up and dusting off the front and back of her jeans which were covered in dust. "Come on Alex, your turn!" She declared as she moved quickly to take up one of the ends of the rope.
The lanky boy pulled a face, backing off. "I don't think so, skipping's for girls!" He responded standing to one side now that he knew she wasn't hurt.
"Why do you say that, because you can't do it?" Maria teased the third of the group, knowing full well that he would give in before long.
As always, her ploy had the desired effect, causing the little boy to immediately protest. "Can too, I can beat you usually!"
She giggled and stuck out her tongue. "Prove it then, it’s easy to say, harder to do!"
Her words were near enough to a challenge to ensure that he wouldn’t say no, and Alex didn’t disappoint. With a determined look on his face, he nodded. "I will!" And prove it he did, by managing to do a whole two extra jumps than Maria had managed on her attempt. He stuck out his tongue when he was done. "See!"
"Well...you're taller than me, it's easier..." The blond argued back. Each of the kids gave as hard as they got and after some playful screaming and shouting, the resulting discussion ended with all three of them laughing loudly as always… The kids could argue and protest, tease and laugh at one another perhaps, but it was all in good humour, and no one would ever think to suggest that the three of them weren’t the best of friends.
"Liz, your daddy's here!" Mrs DeLuca's voice broke into their circle as she appeared at the door. There could be no doubt that Maria was her daughter. She had the same fine blond hair and blue eyes. She had short hair, so the curls weren't noticeable, but if she allowed her hair to grow it would be full of loose curls just as that of her daughter.
Maria pouted. "Can't we have a few minutes longer mommy?" She pleaded, grabbing hold of her friend's hand to try and keep her where she was. It couldn’t be time for her to go, not yet… “Please, just another ten minutes…?”
Her mother smiled in amusement. It was always the same.... She looked over and shook her head firmly, showing that on this occasion there would be no delaying. "No, Liz’s daddy’s here already...now come on, it's getting late anyway and you should be getting washed up ready for tea... Alex, I think your mommy should be here soon too!" Amy beckoned to the children and ushered them on in front of her as they went inside.
"There's my girl!" Jeff Parker grinned as he saw the three kids trample inside together as usual, each wiping their feet carefully on the welcome mat. It had only taken a hundred times of telling them to do so "Ready to go home?" He asked his daughter, bobbling down so that he was closer to her level and holding out her arms as she wandered over.
His daughter went straight into his arms, hooking her arms around his neck and hugging him tight although at the mention of going home, she looked round at Maria woefully. “Already…?”
Mr Parker watched the two girls with some amusement, raising his eyebrows as he looked over at Amy. It was so difficult to be firm when they were so cute… "Well maybe Maria could come and sleep over at our house tomorrow night – would you like that?" He suggested after a moment, looking from one girl to the other.
They grinned, nodding their heads frantically. He laughed and an amused smile. “I think that might just have been a yes…” He commented with a wry smile, looking down again as his daughter tugged on his arm.
“And Alex…can Alex come too?” Liz looked up at her father pleading with her big doe eyes.
“Yes, please Mr Parker, Alex too!” Maria echoed her friend’s pleading as she joined in the discussion.
He sighed and shook his head, realising he should have seen that one coming. “I’ll have to have a word with his mom and dad…” He told the two girls, chuckling slightly at the look on their faces. “We’ll see…okay… I’ll call you later to sort details about Maria though…” He told Amy, looking over at the other girl’s mother.
His daughter, meanwhile, pulled back, turning as Maria came over to hug her and they said goodbye for the day. "Bye Lizzy, see you tomorrow."
“Okay Maria, bye Alex!” She looked round at her other friend and waved.
Just at that moment Alex's mom arrived too, and the three kids took a few more minutes with goodbyes while their parents watched them smiling and agreed to talk later about the plans for the following day although the result of such talks was pretty much a forgone conclusion as everyone probably knew…
Unless they were at home alone with their parents, if you found one of them, the other two usually weren’t far away. The three stuck to each other like glue, and had done practically since they met each other. Maria and Liz, who had known each other practically from birth might have been an obvious choice, their mothers being strong friends since before they were born, but Alex’s introduction had been more recent, and rather more of a surprise.
About a year ago, when they were four, the two girls had been sat in a booth at the back of the Crashdown, the diner run by Mr and Mrs Parker. Earlier in the day, Maria and her mother had come in while Amy delivered some pies for the diner. Neither Liz nor Maria had complained when their mothers got talking, and what had been intended as a quick stop off, had turned into lunch. Realising that she was short on time once they were done, Amy had asked Nancy if she could watch Maria for a little while so she could finish her errands, and her friend had of course agreed.
Mrs Parker had promised the girls that she’d take them to the park later, but she had been busy with sorting out the dinner crowd in the diner, and left them where they were for the moment.
She didn’t even know that they had seen the little boy who came in with his mother, and both mothers had been most surprised when, after ordering, Mrs Whitman had looked round to find her normally quiet and subdued son gone, standing over the other side of the room talking animatedly to the two girls.
From that moment on it seemed, the two had become a three. In an instant Alex had been accepted by both girls without hesitation and become a firm part of the group.
Through the contact prompted by their children, Amy, Nancy and Jeff had learnt that the Whitman’s were new to the area and had done their best to make the newcomers welcome. They got on well, consequently became friends too and within weeks it seemed, a lasting friendship had been formed between both children and adults.
Of course it would have been difficult to say the least had the parents hated one another so perhaps it was a good job they had gotten on so well. The kids were always playing at one or other of their houses, and sleepovers such as the one suggested that night were a regular occurrence. Not that it was anything to object about, most likely all were pleased to see the group was so close and the children so happy. Perhaps they didn’t have a large number of people they hung around with like some kids, but none had objected and the practically inseperable little group seemed to suit them well so what was the point in messing with something that didn’t need fixing?
As always though, time was ticking on…
"Come on honey, your mom will be getting worried..." Jeff put a final end to the afternoon as he reached for the hand of his young daughter, closing his own hand firmly around her smaller one and heading towards the door after saying goodbye to the other adult.
Little did anyone know that the small group which seemed so happy as it stood was soon about to gain some new members…
****
At that same moment in time Diane and Philip Evans were driving along highway. At the end of a what had been a long day, dusk was setting in and the sight of the sun setting over the desert backdrop was quite something to see but neither husband nor wife were really in a mood to appreciate it. They drove along in silence, quietly thankful for the lack of traffic as they negociated their way through the final leg of their journey back to their hometown of Roswell from Alberque.
“You okay honey…?” Philip questioned, taking his eyes off the road ever so briefly to check on his wife who sat next to him as he drove along.
“She nodded and smiled, waving away the concern in his eyes. “Oh yes, I’m fine, just a little tired is all. It’ll be good to get home, to sleep in our own bed tonight don’t you think…?”
Her comment succeeded in drawing a smile from him as he nodded eagerly. “It will at that. Seems like we’ve been away months as opposed to a week…”
His wife gave another half smile. “It really does, but we’ll be back soon enough, and no need to go away for a long while now I imagine…” There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she responded, which her husband didn’t miss although she tried her best to hide it.
“There are other ways Di…” He rested his hand over hers for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze as he steered the car off the main highway and onto the road which led into town.
She nodded. “Yeah, I know…it’s just I wish we—“ She broke off mid thought as her eyes detected a movement in front of them and Diane’s hand shot out to grab the wheel even before she could call out. “Philip, watch out!” She cried in desperation as he too caught sight of the figures in the road. He slammed on the breaks and the car came to a screeching stop only a few inches from the two children who stood, naked, in the middle of the road.
Author: KatnotKath
Rating: Teen/Mature
Couples: CC, M/L
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Roswell, none of the characters, or the locations, just playing with them a little if you please.
Summary: How different things could be? A look into the reality from Which Liz in When Love and Loss Collide came from. You might want to read that one first, although in reality (excuse the unintended pun) this is actually a prequel to that story so can be read separately too.
Author’s Note: No promises for very frequent updates, but I will promise to do my best. This story in its first form (unfinished) was my first and only Nano success. The reason for the unusual order of posting for the stories in this series is simple – I didn’t think that much about what had happened to Liz in detail until after people started asking, at which point I thought ‘I could write about that’. I’ll be honest and tell you that this isn’t finished in any form as yet, but I do have a good idea of where it is going so hopefully that will stand me in good stead. It’s going to be a rollercoaster, that much I can warn you, but I hope you’ll enjoy the ride!
Hi everyone!
Some of you may remember this having been up on the board before. Unfortunately it was a victim of Dead and Buried... So, I'm reposting all that was up, plus a new chapter over the next week. After that the updates will be less frequent but I'll do my best. The first couple of chapters might be a bit shorter than the rest, and it doesn’t start that quickly but I think they’re necessary to set the scene and I hope you’ll enjoy them.
~Kat~
Prologue
"Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man..." The sound of kids reciting the words of an old children's rhyme filled the air of a small garden on the outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico and a little girl continued jumping the skipping rope. "...poor man, begger man, thief!" The chanting abruptly ended as the small dark-haired girl in the middle stumbled at this point, catching her leg on the skipping rope and hopping away awkwardly to the side where she sat down on the floor to rub her ankle.
The other two children who had been turning the rope immediately dropped each end and ran over to check on the little girl. "Lizzy, are you okay?" Maria DeLuca's dazzling blue eyes were wide with concern as she knelt down next to her best friend.
Five year old Liz Parker turned her head up with a smile, reaching to tighten the brown ponytail which hung at the back of her head. "I'm fine Maria, I just lost my timing..." She gave a toothy grin as the blond offered her a hand up and jumped up and dusting off the front and back of her jeans which were covered in dust. "Come on Alex, your turn!" She declared as she moved quickly to take up one of the ends of the rope.
The lanky boy pulled a face, backing off. "I don't think so, skipping's for girls!" He responded standing to one side now that he knew she wasn't hurt.
"Why do you say that, because you can't do it?" Maria teased the third of the group, knowing full well that he would give in before long.
As always, her ploy had the desired effect, causing the little boy to immediately protest. "Can too, I can beat you usually!"
She giggled and stuck out her tongue. "Prove it then, it’s easy to say, harder to do!"
Her words were near enough to a challenge to ensure that he wouldn’t say no, and Alex didn’t disappoint. With a determined look on his face, he nodded. "I will!" And prove it he did, by managing to do a whole two extra jumps than Maria had managed on her attempt. He stuck out his tongue when he was done. "See!"
"Well...you're taller than me, it's easier..." The blond argued back. Each of the kids gave as hard as they got and after some playful screaming and shouting, the resulting discussion ended with all three of them laughing loudly as always… The kids could argue and protest, tease and laugh at one another perhaps, but it was all in good humour, and no one would ever think to suggest that the three of them weren’t the best of friends.
"Liz, your daddy's here!" Mrs DeLuca's voice broke into their circle as she appeared at the door. There could be no doubt that Maria was her daughter. She had the same fine blond hair and blue eyes. She had short hair, so the curls weren't noticeable, but if she allowed her hair to grow it would be full of loose curls just as that of her daughter.
Maria pouted. "Can't we have a few minutes longer mommy?" She pleaded, grabbing hold of her friend's hand to try and keep her where she was. It couldn’t be time for her to go, not yet… “Please, just another ten minutes…?”
Her mother smiled in amusement. It was always the same.... She looked over and shook her head firmly, showing that on this occasion there would be no delaying. "No, Liz’s daddy’s here already...now come on, it's getting late anyway and you should be getting washed up ready for tea... Alex, I think your mommy should be here soon too!" Amy beckoned to the children and ushered them on in front of her as they went inside.
"There's my girl!" Jeff Parker grinned as he saw the three kids trample inside together as usual, each wiping their feet carefully on the welcome mat. It had only taken a hundred times of telling them to do so "Ready to go home?" He asked his daughter, bobbling down so that he was closer to her level and holding out her arms as she wandered over.
His daughter went straight into his arms, hooking her arms around his neck and hugging him tight although at the mention of going home, she looked round at Maria woefully. “Already…?”
Mr Parker watched the two girls with some amusement, raising his eyebrows as he looked over at Amy. It was so difficult to be firm when they were so cute… "Well maybe Maria could come and sleep over at our house tomorrow night – would you like that?" He suggested after a moment, looking from one girl to the other.
They grinned, nodding their heads frantically. He laughed and an amused smile. “I think that might just have been a yes…” He commented with a wry smile, looking down again as his daughter tugged on his arm.
“And Alex…can Alex come too?” Liz looked up at her father pleading with her big doe eyes.
“Yes, please Mr Parker, Alex too!” Maria echoed her friend’s pleading as she joined in the discussion.
He sighed and shook his head, realising he should have seen that one coming. “I’ll have to have a word with his mom and dad…” He told the two girls, chuckling slightly at the look on their faces. “We’ll see…okay… I’ll call you later to sort details about Maria though…” He told Amy, looking over at the other girl’s mother.
His daughter, meanwhile, pulled back, turning as Maria came over to hug her and they said goodbye for the day. "Bye Lizzy, see you tomorrow."
“Okay Maria, bye Alex!” She looked round at her other friend and waved.
Just at that moment Alex's mom arrived too, and the three kids took a few more minutes with goodbyes while their parents watched them smiling and agreed to talk later about the plans for the following day although the result of such talks was pretty much a forgone conclusion as everyone probably knew…
Unless they were at home alone with their parents, if you found one of them, the other two usually weren’t far away. The three stuck to each other like glue, and had done practically since they met each other. Maria and Liz, who had known each other practically from birth might have been an obvious choice, their mothers being strong friends since before they were born, but Alex’s introduction had been more recent, and rather more of a surprise.
About a year ago, when they were four, the two girls had been sat in a booth at the back of the Crashdown, the diner run by Mr and Mrs Parker. Earlier in the day, Maria and her mother had come in while Amy delivered some pies for the diner. Neither Liz nor Maria had complained when their mothers got talking, and what had been intended as a quick stop off, had turned into lunch. Realising that she was short on time once they were done, Amy had asked Nancy if she could watch Maria for a little while so she could finish her errands, and her friend had of course agreed.
Mrs Parker had promised the girls that she’d take them to the park later, but she had been busy with sorting out the dinner crowd in the diner, and left them where they were for the moment.
She didn’t even know that they had seen the little boy who came in with his mother, and both mothers had been most surprised when, after ordering, Mrs Whitman had looked round to find her normally quiet and subdued son gone, standing over the other side of the room talking animatedly to the two girls.
From that moment on it seemed, the two had become a three. In an instant Alex had been accepted by both girls without hesitation and become a firm part of the group.
Through the contact prompted by their children, Amy, Nancy and Jeff had learnt that the Whitman’s were new to the area and had done their best to make the newcomers welcome. They got on well, consequently became friends too and within weeks it seemed, a lasting friendship had been formed between both children and adults.
Of course it would have been difficult to say the least had the parents hated one another so perhaps it was a good job they had gotten on so well. The kids were always playing at one or other of their houses, and sleepovers such as the one suggested that night were a regular occurrence. Not that it was anything to object about, most likely all were pleased to see the group was so close and the children so happy. Perhaps they didn’t have a large number of people they hung around with like some kids, but none had objected and the practically inseperable little group seemed to suit them well so what was the point in messing with something that didn’t need fixing?
As always though, time was ticking on…
"Come on honey, your mom will be getting worried..." Jeff put a final end to the afternoon as he reached for the hand of his young daughter, closing his own hand firmly around her smaller one and heading towards the door after saying goodbye to the other adult.
Little did anyone know that the small group which seemed so happy as it stood was soon about to gain some new members…
****
At that same moment in time Diane and Philip Evans were driving along highway. At the end of a what had been a long day, dusk was setting in and the sight of the sun setting over the desert backdrop was quite something to see but neither husband nor wife were really in a mood to appreciate it. They drove along in silence, quietly thankful for the lack of traffic as they negociated their way through the final leg of their journey back to their hometown of Roswell from Alberque.
“You okay honey…?” Philip questioned, taking his eyes off the road ever so briefly to check on his wife who sat next to him as he drove along.
“She nodded and smiled, waving away the concern in his eyes. “Oh yes, I’m fine, just a little tired is all. It’ll be good to get home, to sleep in our own bed tonight don’t you think…?”
Her comment succeeded in drawing a smile from him as he nodded eagerly. “It will at that. Seems like we’ve been away months as opposed to a week…”
His wife gave another half smile. “It really does, but we’ll be back soon enough, and no need to go away for a long while now I imagine…” There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she responded, which her husband didn’t miss although she tried her best to hide it.
“There are other ways Di…” He rested his hand over hers for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze as he steered the car off the main highway and onto the road which led into town.
She nodded. “Yeah, I know…it’s just I wish we—“ She broke off mid thought as her eyes detected a movement in front of them and Diane’s hand shot out to grab the wheel even before she could call out. “Philip, watch out!” She cried in desperation as he too caught sight of the figures in the road. He slammed on the breaks and the car came to a screeching stop only a few inches from the two children who stood, naked, in the middle of the road.