A storm is brewing
Author: NiteAngl02
E-mail: NiteAngl02@aol.com
Disclaimer: I don’t own max or Liz, But I would like to own them!
Summary: ML, getting back together
Up to: You need to know what’s happened up to Wipe Out
Rating: PG-13
The lights outside of the Crashdown burned brightly tonight. As the cool winds outside raked through tree’s and sent people inside looking for shelter from the rain they knew was coming. Roswell was expecting a storm any day now. Or at least that is what the weather men were saying. The clouds were gray and were crowding over any sunlight to make it warmer.
Liz was busy at work inside. Cleaning tables, waiting them, cleaning dishes, and Maria was 25 minutes late. She was on her way to drop off an order of Saturn rings when the door chimed. Her head shot up thinking maybe it was Max, but no such luck. Maria smiled at Liz and mouthed ‘Sorry I’m late’ as she headed into the backroom to change.
“ Enjoy your meal.” Liz smiled and dashed into the backroom. “ Where were you! We are a mob, and I have been handling it alone for a half hour!”
“ Sorry babe. I am really sorry. I stopped at Micheal’s to say hello and didn’t notice the time. I am so sorry, I’ll cover one of your tables okay?” Maria gave Liz a pouty face and Liz forced out a smile. It had been so long since she had something to smile about.
“ No, It’s alright. I’ll cover my tables, just get your bony butt out there!” Liz walked to the kitchen to pick up another order when what Maria had told her clicked in her head. She was at Micheal’s. Liz had to admit, she was jealous. They had worked out their problems and gotten back together, after the whole Courtney incident, it oddly enough brought them together. She carried a Will Smith Burger and brought it over to a table at the far end of the restaurant. “ Enjoy.” Just as she was on her way back to the kitchen, she looked up and out the door. Max was taking the trash out for the UFO Center. He looked up and before he could see her watching him she looked the other way.
A few hours went by and the place slowly began to calm down and empty a little, Thank god the lunch rush was finally over. Maria was waiting at Table 2 and Liz walked past the customers to her.
“Maria table 4 needs their food.” She smiled and walked into the back room, and plopped down onto the couch. Finally on her break. She laid her head back and was about to close her eyes when Micheal darted in.
“ Liz, what are you doing back here?” He punched in his time card and sat next to her. Noticing she looked really exhausted.
“ I am on my break. You working now?”
“ Yeah, in a few minutes.” He looked down, not exactly knowing what to say. “ Uh…um, So..something bothering you Liz?” He patted her on the back a little to hard and it made her chuckle. He then stood and headed for the bathroom. Passing by the doors leading to the customers.
“ No, I’m fine, just tired. And just one hour to go, and then…I dunno what then.” She smiled a little and watched Micheal look at Maria through the diamond shaped windows. “ She is off in an hour too.”
“We should all go out tonight. You know see a movie or something?”
“Who is we?”
“You know, us.”
“Micheal, I’d love to but…It’s just so awkward with Max…and...I’ll probably just stay in and study or something.”
“Well, it’s time to face the awkwardness Liz, cuz awkward boy is sitting in your section. Good Luck”
“Just breathe Liz, just breathe.” She pushed through the doors, and his head looked up and his eyes went straight to her. Seeing her in her Crashdown uniform again brought back so many memories. It had been so long since they had even…kissed. He missed the smell of her hair and the touch of her lips…the way she felt so perfect in his arms. And even if the world was ending, she was still there with him, and that’s all that mattered. But things changed. Liz obviously had moved on, after seeing her with Kyle, Max knew things would never be the same. But for some reason he just couldn’t believe something had happened, it was all too…weird. He knew she could never do anything like that. Especially to him.
“ Max? Max? Max!” He’d been so caught up in his thinking he didn’t even hear her calling his name.
“ Oh yeah, hi.” Her heart hit the floor, he was probably thinking about Tess she thought. I knew that the Kyle thing worked. I just wish I could tell him the truth.
“ Can I get you something to drink Max?” He watched her as she spoke; perfect, Liz was always perfect in his eyes.
“ Cherry Coke. And I’ll just have a Will Smith Burger and some Saturn Rings.” He nervously handed her his menu, and as she picked it up, their hands brushed for an instant, and she felt her skin tingle.
“ Sure, I’ll be back with that in a minute.” She walked away and started taking big breaths. This was getting harder day by day. She had already been lying to him for weeks. She could tell he hated her for what happened. Liz placed the order and went behind the counter to wipe them down and felt her skin tickle. She turned and saw he was looking at her. After a while she went to the kitchen and grabbed his food, and brought it to him.
“ Here you go.” She suddenly remembered something key, and grabbed behind her. “ And here is a little something extra.” She handed him Tabasco sauce. “ I should package this for you 3.” She giggled a little, it felt almost like old times. When things were so easy and normal compared to now. Then the reality of it all dawned on her again, and she gave him a fake smile and turned to go.
“ Thanks.” He noticed her force a sad smile. Yup, she was definitely hiding something. “ Wait, Liz.”
“Yeah?” She tried as hard as she possible could not to run to him at that moment and have him hold her in his arms and tell him the truth, that she hadn’t slept with Kyle.
“Thanks for your help the other day. You know with the Skins being here and all…things just got so…”
“Crazy? No problem Max. I’ll always be here for you, you know that.” She felt the tears coming and she walked to the back room and threw down her apron.
“ Whoah, Liz, you should really get a punching bad for this stress thing you have got going” Micheal announced from the kitchen. Liz gave him a glare.
“Could you ask Maria to cover the rest of my shift? I need some sleep if I am going to be any good if we all hang out tonight.”
“ Yeah, it’s empty anyways, Max just left.” Liz winced at his name, then turned on her heel, and ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door. She threw off her antenna’s, and kicked off her shoes. Then relaxed on her bed and tried hard to ease her mind. But the harder she tried, more memories of times her and Max shared popped into her head, and the look on his face when she told him what happened with her and Kyle. Finally, after a hard 5 minutes of trying to hold it all in, she just let the tears fall.
Maria was just getting off her shift, and Micheal was sitting in the front of the café, with Max at a booth, when Isabel came in the back door. “ Hey Isabel, what’s with the back door?”
“ Avoiding Micheal.” Isabel said sternly as she sat on the couch and turned on the TV.
“ Why?” Maria changed into a pair of jeans and a purple tank top with a white sweater on top.
“ Long story. Mind if I just sit here for a while?” She looked really desperate, so Maria quickly gave in. “ So what are you and Micheal doing tonight anyway?”
“ I don’t know, I’m thinking maybe some time with Liz may be in order. She has been looking sorta, not Liz-like lately. I want to find out what’s bothering her.”
“Yeah Max has been the same way, really quiet and keeping to himself. Where is Liz? Isn’t it her shift?”
“ Oh Micheal said she needed some sleep, she wasn’t feeling well. I’m gonna go check on her, see ya Is.”
Liz was lying half asleep on her bed, she was slipping in and out of sleep. After a while she gave up and went to her balcony, she climbed out onto the roof and looked up at the sky. Dark gray, and pretty cloudy. The wind was slowly picking up as well. Her silky hair blew around her face and she closed her eyes. Maybe take her mind off of everything.
“ I was thinking we should hang? You seem to need to get things off of your chest.”
“ Me? No, Maria, I am fine…we should just go see what everyone is up to.” Liz walked out of her room and headed for the stairs leading to the backroom of the Crashdown. Maria kept giving her sad looks.
“Maria, like I said…I can handle things okay?” She went into the back room and found Isabel watching TV with Alex. “ Hey Guys.”
“Hey, so what are we gonna do tonight?” Alex winked and pointed towards Isabel. Maria laughed and Liz smiled.
“ I have no idea, I just wanted to see what you guys were up to-.” Liz was cut off by the doors form the café opening and in came Micheal from the front.
“Isabel we need to talk.”
“ No Micheal, not right now please, it’s hard to explain. I feel awful enough already and Max isn’t even speaking to me.” Isabel turned off the TV and she looked too ashamed to even look up. Liz looked down as well at the mention of Max’s name. “ It’s not like you’re a saint either Micheal, you told Courtney where the Granolith was. We might all be dead if she hadn’t of killed herself!” Now it was Micheal’s turn to look down. “ I feel terrible Micheal, Max must feel like we have all turned against him. Except you and Tess Liz.”
Liz was at the verge of loosing it again. “ That’s not entirely tr-.” Now Liz was cut off my the doors opening again and Max coming in. She made eye contact with him right away. And he did as well. Maria immediately noticed it. Max finally broke the gaze and looked around.
“ We all need to talk. I have been lied to, too many times, and I want everything out now, IN the open Isabel, Micheal.” Max stood and everyone took sitting placed around the room, as Tess walked in the backroom door and sat behind Isabel. Liz sat on the stairs. Isabel explained the whole situation with the Skins, and how she led the rebellion, and her name was Vilandra.
“ Isabel…you…you helped them? You betrayed me?” Max looked down trying to hide the hurt he was feeling.
“Max, that was in that life. I swear to you, it won’t happen this time.” She hugged him and they looked to Micheal.
“ She would have died Max, after all she did for us. Look I am sorry, but I don’t take it back. She didn’t tell, bottom line.” Micheal hugged Maria.
“ Were all falling apart, we can’t lie to each other, we need to be honest.” Maria stated looking towards Max and Liz. They were staring at each other with sad looks on their faces.
“ What?” Liz stated standing and trying to avoid the groups glares at her. Maria finally got the courage to speak.
“ We all know something changed here, and the roots are at you and Max.” Max looked down. And Liz closed her eyes trying to keep down the tears about to bowl over.
“ Maria, our personal life has nothing to do with this.” Max stated before looking in Liz’s direction.
“ Yeah, leave him alone. He has had it rough.” Tess said, standing now by Max.
“ What? Tess knows and we don’t? What is that?” Isabel stood and crossed her arms. “ We have a right to know Max, Liz.”
Max looked up and tears were in his eyes, Liz was looking at him tears, already flowing down her cheeks.
“ It’s okay Max, didn’t I say I’d do anything for you?” She smiled through some tears and took a deep breath.
“ I-I…um.” She tried but it just wouldn’t come out because she knew it was a lie. How could she say it after he had made a huge deal about lying.
“ Were just not going to be together okay?” Max said with a single tear in his eye. Everyone gasped.
“Where did this come from? One minute your learning Spanish for her and the next you two can’t even be civil?” Maria questioned them and looked back and forth at them. “ You two are so upset, something had to trigger this.” She looked to Liz again. “ Liz?”
“ I…I slept with Kyle.” She took swallowed hard, closing her eyes, not wanting to see everyone’s reactions. She hard Max let out a sigh and stand. “ You guys happy now? Now that you know the big secret?” Max couldn’t hold all these tears in much longer. He knew she couldn’t be telling the truth he just knew it. Everyone was giving her disgusted looks.
“Liz…”
“No Max, don’t defend me, I am a horrible, horrible person okay? I love you and I slept with Kyle, end of story.” She ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her room. Oh great, back in here again, she thought.
Meanwhile, everyone has been so into the conversation, they hadn’t noticed Kyle walk in through the back door. They were all staring at each other and then they heard her door slam. Max winced and shut his eyes, to block the water falls that were threatening to spill over.
Kyle heard the whole thing. He couldn’t let Liz do this to herself anymore, whatever reason she asked him to deceive Max, wasn’t worth it, So he spoke up.
“ No she didn’t.” He said, breaking the silence. Everyone looked to him, already in shock. Max opened his eyes, to see Tess walk to Kyle and take his hand in hers.
“ What do you mean, she had told me twice now that what I saw was you two…you know.” He looked down, yup those tears were well on there way.
“ You saw them! Oh god Max, I am so sorry.” Isabel stood to hug him but he moved closer to Kyle.
“ No, she called me and told me she needed a favor. Nothing happened Max. It was all a set-up, she wouldn’t tell me why she did it, but she was real upset after you left. When I left she was in tears sitting on her bed. She had been lying to you about it ever since.” Max looked taken aback. He was shocked.
“ Why would she lie?”
“ That is something none of us know.” Kyle looked down and gave Tess a hug. “ Now if you’ll excuse me, we have date.” Him and Tess walked out.
“ Could any of this get any stranger?” Micheal said as he sat down on the couch. “ Tess, and Kyle, and Liz is lying to Max, about sleeping with Kyle.” He tried laughing it off, and then looked to Max to cheer him up, but Max just gave him a dirty look and Maria went to hug him, but before anyone could say anything, he ran out of the Crashdown.
“ And we thought we had problems.” Alex said coming from the kitchen with Ice Cream.
“ I just hope they work things out” Isabel smiled and looked at Maria and they dug into the Ice Cream.
A few hours later, Liz was sitting on her Bed listening to the wind hit her chimes. She had all her candles lit, and was just enjoying her view from the window. She was so glad her parents went to visit her Aunt this weekend. She didn’t want them asking her what was wrong. She was so horrible. How could she do this to Max? Max Evans, the sweetest Guy in the world. Her soul mate, or so she wished. She felt the fresh tears fall again, and this time she didn’t care, she wished she could just cry to death. Maybe then her pain would go away. She stood again and walked out onto her balcony. She looked down at the small town. And felt the wind ruffle up her hair. It was really strong now. A few of the candles in her room burned out. She couldn’t take this pain anymore. She couldn’t be strong for them anymore. Especially now that they knew. What could she say? She had lost the love of her life. She knew now he would never take her back. Nothing could possibly make up for it.
Max aimlessly wandered the streets of Roswell. The cold wind tugging at his jacket. He ran a hand through his hair, kept walking. Why would she lie? Did she just not love him anymore? But why couldn’t she just tell him that? No, it had to be something else. She was keeping a secret, he knew it. But that was so unlike Liz. He must have run 100 different reasons for her lying to him in the last hour but he couldn’t come up with one that made sense. Maybe because it wouldn’t make sense period if it involved Liz and the word ‘lie.’ He knew he had to talk to her, he was driving himself inscane. He started to run to her house, noticing the wind was definitely picking up and it looked like it was about to rain. He ran as fast as he could and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the ladder that lead to her room. He began to climb it, and heard the faint sounds of someone crying. ‘Damn’ he muttered. He never wanted to make her cry, ever. She had already been through so much. He reached her balcony and noticed all the candles lit at her window, and in her room, and she was sitting, curled up in a ball, on her window sill, crying. He crept over to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. Her head shot up and she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Max? What are you doing here…after everything.” She looked down feeling ashamed, and the wind quickly dried her wet face.
“ Liz, I know you didn’t sleep with Kyle. He told me. What are you hiding Liz? You can tell me!” He held on to one of her arms and she stood up, still ashamed to look in his eyes. She had been caught and she couldn’t exactly give him the reason why she had done what she did.
“ I can’t tell you Max, I want to but I can’t.” Another tears came and she felt herself crumbling his grasp.
He raised his hand to her cheek, and wiped away the tear.
“ Please Liz, look at me.” She slowly raised her head, and tried to force out a smile, and then, they connected.
FLASH
Max singing to Liz
FLASH
Liz talking to Future Max about their wedding
FLASH
Max kissing her
FLASH
Her talking to Kyle
FLASH
Her dancing with Future Max.
FLASH
Her having to lie to Max about what happened with her and Kyle
Then the connection ended and Liz was crying, and Max was confused as hell.
“That was me Liz…but a different me.” He tried to reason with her but she wouldn’t budge. Then he heard her murming something to herself.
“ The future is yet to be determined…we create our own destinies.” Liz smiled and wiped at a tear.
“Liz, you alright?”
“Max, please trust me, I didn’t sleep with Kyle, it was all a set-up, for you to get over me, But I still love you, I always will, you’re the only person I want to be with, I don’t care the repercussions. Please, just trust me, I can’t explain why I did it, but please. Believe in me, Max, Believe in me.” She was pleading with him now, and he couldn’t help but smile. Now this was the Liz he knew.
“ I can believe you Liz.” He let her fall in his arms for the first time in 6 months. And it felt like the whole gap of time had closed, because they were together again. “God I missed you Liz.” He reached down and kissed her and the two soon became very wrapped up in one another, not even realizing It had begun to sprinkle.
“ We always seem to set something off…” Liz smiled and led Max onto her bed.
“ Liz….I..”
“ I trust you…with my heart…with my soul…with my life…with my body.” She smiled and kissed him again. As they grew more intense, the rain outside began to pour, and then finally, Thunder struck, and lightening followed. I guess, there was, a storm brewing in Roswell.
The End.