Summer of Destiny - Teen/Adult - GZ - Pt 3 8/30/09

[majiklmoon]

Summer of Destiny – Summer Ends
Rating: Teen
Ship: GZ
Disclaimer: I own nothing – Roswell and it’s characters belong Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox. She created them, he killed them, and I’m just borrowing them.

Author’s Note: This is a challenge written for Ella1022 who won me in the Support Stacie Fan Fic on Demand Author Auction.

Maria looked at the piles of clothing on her bed, and the few things that were left hanging in her closet. There was no way around it; she needed to hit the mall before school started. Either that or she was going back to school naked. Maria paused in her task of sorting through her clothes while the image of her naked, in English class, played through her mind. Not the scary nightmare image of showing up naked in school, but more of a Lady Godiva riding on her horse visual.

She was jarred from the image of students, Michael Guerin in particular, bowing down before her beautiful body, by the ringing of the telephone.

“Maria, telephone,” her mother called. “It’s Max – again.”

Maria looked at the phone and gave a long suffering sigh. Ever since Liz had skipped town, Max had become a constant fixture in her life. Some times it wasn’t bad, but some times she missed having her best friend – her best girl friend around.

“Hi, Max, what’s up?” she asked and then proceeded to listen while Max whined on and on about Liz before she ruthlessly interrupted. “Max, look, I feel your pain. I really, truly do, but I’m having problems of my own here. No, no, really you can’t help. No, wait! Max, don’t come over here,” she yelled into the phone, but it was too late. Max had already hung up and was probably already on his way to her house.

She threw herself on her bed, heedless of the clothing that piled all over the surface and waited. She figured she had ten minutes, fifteen maximum of peace and quiet before Max showed up at her house. The sound of her front door opening and closing caused her to sigh and look at her watch. Five minutes, that had to be a new Max Evans personal best – unless he’d been driving nearby when he called. Not that it mattered, he was here now, and there was no getting rid of him, unless…Maria smiled to herself. Maybe, just maybe she had the perfect idea to get Max to back off a little bit.

“Maria?” Max said softly, sticking his head around her bedroom door. “Are you okay?”

“Hey, Max,” Maria said, purposely making her voice as sad as she could make it. “How’s it going?”

“Never mind about me,” Max said, forgetting his own broken heart for a few minutes. “What’s wrong with you? Is it Michael?”

Maria winced at hearing Michael’s name out loud. They, meaning he, had decided that there was no possibility of a relationship between the two of them, much in the same way Liz had decided that there was no possibility of a relationship between her and Max. She and Max were in the same place relationship wise, even though Max, unlike herself, refused to accept it.

Frustrated and angry at Max, Liz, Michael, and most of all herself, Maria kicked the mattress ineffectually.

“Forget it, Max, okay? You just wouldn’t get it.”

“Oh,” said Max, followed by “Ooooohhhh. Is it like a girl problem or something? Do you want me to get Tess or Isabel?”

It’s not that kind of a problem, you idiot, and even if it were, they’re the last two people I’d go to for help.”

“I – uh,” Max began.

“And for this particular problem…” Maria continued.

“I get it, Maria!” Max yelled. “Come on, Maria, work with me here. What kind of problem are we dealing with?”

“Fine, okay, I’ll tell you, but if you laugh Max Evans, I swear by all that is holy there is no power on my world, or yours that will save you,” said Maria.

“I won’t laugh,” said Max, holding up his hand like he was in court.

“Fine, I’m having a clothing crisis of epic proportions,” said Maria, throwing herself down on the bed again.

“A clothing crises?” asked Max, his lips trembling. “Of,” he swallowed down a laugh. “Of…of epic pro-pro-proportions?” he choked out between giant guffaws of laughter. “Maria, wait, please don’t,” said Max, still laughing.

Maria began throwing things at Max; a hairbrush, her shoe, a pillow. Finally she began throwing clothes from the pile that lay on her bed.

“Of all the,” fling went a skirt, “insufferable, selfish,” a pair of jeans flew through the air, “inconsiderate jerks!” A cloud of lingerie flew through the air. “Max Evans, you promised not to laugh.”

“Maria, I’m sorry,” came Max’s muffled reply. The sound of his voice caught Maria’s attention and she halted her diatribe long enough to look at Max who stood before her with woman’s clothing draped off of his arms, shoulder and head. She couldn’t help it, her lips twitched, and she felt something break inside of her, and she began to laugh.

The sound of her infectious laughter set Max off again and he began to laugh uproariously. A bewildered Amy Deluca opened the bedroom door and stuck her head in the room.

“Is everything okay in here?” she asked.

“Maria is having a clothing crisis – of epic proportions,” Max said gravely through the shirt draped over his head.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Amy said, drily. “Well as long as everything’s okay, I’ll leave you two alone.” She started to close the door and then opened again. “Max, are you staying for dinner again?”

Max nodded in agreement, he loved his mother, but Amy Deluca’s cooking beat hers, hands down. “Good, the dishwasher’s broken again. Oh and Maria, clean your room,” she added, closing the door behind her.

Max pulled the shirt off of his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know you had a dishwasher,” he said.

“We don’t,” came Maria’s muffled response as she knelt down to pick up a pair of jeans from the floor. “That’s code for mom doesn’t want to do the dishes tonight. She stood up, looked at Max and exploded with laughter.

Max looked at her in confusion. Amy’s joke was funny, but it didn’t warrant that much emotion. He realized Maria wasn’t looking at him, but a little bit to the left. He turned, and as he moved, he felt something brush softly against his cheek. He reached up to brush it away and his fingers got tangled up in something.

“Ahhh!” he shouted, jumping backwards and falling over the chair near Maria’s desk. “What’s that?”

Still laughing, Maria stepped over to his prone body and reached out a hand and pulled him up with unexpected force. The two collided, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Max stared down at Maria, and she gazed up into his eyes. Maria reached up with her free hand and moved it toward Max’s face.

The ringing of the phone jarred her back to her senses, and she quickly shifted her hand from it’s path toward his cheek to the side of his head.

“You missed this,” she said removing the thong that was caught on his ear.

Laughing to cover his embarrassment, Max reached out and grabbed the thong and held it out in front of him.

“Thanks,” he said. “I was wondering where I left that.”

“Jerk,” said Maria, grabbing the scrap of lace out of his hand. “Red just isn’t your color. It looks much better on me.”

Max looked down at the material bunched up in Maria’s hand, imagined her wearing it, and found himself growing aroused.

“Yeah, I’m sure they do,” Max said gulping. His erection pressed uncomfortably tight against his jeans and he abruptly turned and began to pick up clothing in an attempt to disguise his discomfort. “So, uh, why can’t Isabel or Tess help you with the clothing crisis?” he asked, more in an attempt to deflect attention to his obvious problem than because he cared about the answer.

“Max, are you serious?” Maria asked. She hung a skirt in the closet and folded a shirt before she continued. “Have you even looked at your sister lately? And don’t even get me started on your little wifey poo.”

“She’s not my wife,” Max said, automatically.

“Yeah well maybe somebody ought to tell her that.”

“I have,” Max angrily. He smiled to himself. At least his anger had served some purpose; his erection had subsided. “I’m not following you, Maria.”

Maria sighed. “Max, you are failing dismally in your girlfriend duties.

Lets just say that shopping with two people look like they do and hocus pocus their clothes into fitting perfectly is not my idea of a fun time. Do you understand?”

“No,” began Max, “Oh. Well, I can probably help you with that.”

“What? You?” asked Maria. “Look, Max, I love you dearly, but there is no way – wait, what are you doing?”

Max grabbed her hand touched his finger to her nails. Maria watched in amazement as her work ravaged nails lengthened and turned a soft, dusty pink.

“Pink?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “What have I ever done to make you consider pale pink as an appropriate color for me?”

“Sorry,” said Max. “What was I thinking?” He touched her nails again and the color changed from pink to an electric blue that was echoed in the shirt Maria wore.

“Much better,” she said, smiling. “There may be hope for you yet, girlfriend.”

“It’s a good color,” said Max. “Vibrant, just like you.” He looked down and realized he was still holding Maria’s hand and quickly dropped it. “So uh, this clothing crisis – tell me about it.”

“It’s stupid,” said Maria with a sigh, sitting back down on her bed. “I don’t always make the best clothing choices, and Liz always steers me away from impending disaster.”

“That’s dumb,” said Max. “You always look nice to me.”

“I have two words for you, Max Evans. ‘Aqua Bra.’ Does that ring any bells for you?”

Max flashed back in his mind to the day Maria walked into school with a chest guaranteed to shame Dolly Parton. That image was chased from his mind by an image of Maria wearing the red thong and a matching bra and he felt a familiar tightening in his groin again.

“Oh yeah,” Max said, trying to distract himself from his obvious difficulties. “Well how about if we hit the mall tomorrow, and I promise not to let you buy a single aqua bra?”

“Seriously, you’d do that for me?” Maria asked, excitedly? “Not the aqua bra thing, but the whole mall thing? I love you, Max Evans.” She threw herself into his arms and planted a wet sloppy kiss on his lips and hugged him tightly. “You are the absolute best.”

Max groaned to himself and wondered for the first, but probably not the last time, what he had just gotten himself in to.

[Ella1022]

Oh this is awesome Tracie. I loved the scene where she's throwing clothes at him so cute. Then Max did her nails lol that's truly being a girlfriend. Can't wait to read more!

[majiklmoon]

Chapter Two

Max drove home with the top off the Jeep, allowing the cool night air to blow some of the disconcerting thoughts he’d had today out of his mind. Why, all of a sudden, was he seeing Maria as a girl? Maria of all people. She was his rock, his lifeline, his last stranglehold on sanity in a summer without Liz. He jerked the steering wheel and made a U-turn and started driving in the direction of Michael’s apartment. Maybe he could talk with Michael – no, Michael was the last person he could talk with about this. He jerked the steering wheel again and made another U-turn and resumed driving toward home. A flash of lights in the rear view mirror, and the wail of a siren caused his stomach to fall. They were supposed to be cautious, avoid drawing attention to themselves, and here he was, driving around Roswell like a demented, idiotic, moron.
He eased over to the shoulder, killed the engine and waited. He watched in the mirror as a figure emerged from the car behind him.
“Good evening, Mr. Evans. Having a difficult time finding your way home tonight?” asked Sheriff Valenti, shining his flashlight at Max.
“Yes, no, I don’t know,” said Max.
“Well that was decisive,” laughed the sheriff. “But in any event, U-turns are illegal on this stretch of road and I’m going to have to give you a ticket, but first, is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” Max replied automatically. “I was going to talk to Michael about something, but then I realized I couldn’t talk to Michael about it.”
“Girl problems,” the sheriff said, nodding his head as he wrote out Max’s ticket. ‘Well, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Maria lately, maybe you could talk to…”
“No!” Max practically shouted.
“Okay, then,” Jim responded, ripping the ticket out of his book, ignoring Max’s outburst. “You’re all set. Remember, drive safely.”
“Thanks, Sheriff,” Max said. He pocketed the ticket and drove home, lost in thought.


The next morning, Maria poked listlessly at her breakfast while Amy systematically, destroyed her shopping plans.
“But Mom!” Maria whined. “Max and I were going to the mall. I HAVE to get some new clothes for school.
“I feel your pain, Maria, I really do, but I need you to drive the van down to Alamogordo and pick up the order for my shop.”
“Why can’t you just do it, Mom?” Maria asked, aware that she sounded like a three year old, but unable to help herself. She was counting on this trip to the mall, and if she were being perfectly honest with herself, she was looking forward to spending the day with Max.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Amy agreed, “But then I need you to cover the shop for me. Pam called in sick today.”
Maria carried the breakfast dishes to the sink and began to wash them. “Fine, I’ll go to Alamogordo,” she grumbled. “I knew you shouldn’t have hired Pam Troy, Mom. I told you something like this would happen. Now I have to call Max and tell him.”
“Tell him what?” came a voice from outside the screen door. Max opened the door and stepped into the small kitchen. He saw Maria washing dishes and picked up a towel and began drying. “So, tell me what?” he repeated.
“That I can’t go to the mall today,” Maria said. “Mom needs me to drive down to Alamogordo and pick up an order for her store.
Max glanced over at Amy Deluca, trying to read her before he asked the question forming in his mind. Maria’s mother looked truly upset at that Maria had to change her plans, so he took a risk and asked, “How about if I drive down with you?”
“Max, that’s a fantastic idea,” Amy cried, clapping her hands together. “And Maria, there’s a mall not to far from my supplier – you can shop to your heart’s content after you pick up my things. I’ll even give you money for lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that, Mrs. Deluca,” Max said.
“Shut up, Max, yes she does,” Maria interjected. “Thanks, Mom.” She dropped the wet sponge into the sink and spun around and hugged her mother, leaving two wet handprints on the back of Amy’s gauzy blouse.
“Max,” Amy said, laughing at her daughter’s exuberance. “Why don’t you call your mother and let her know about the change in plans.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Max said. He dropped the dish towel on the counter and grabbed the phone. After a brief exchange, he hung up and smiled. “All set,” he said. “Isabel is going to stop by and pick up the jeep, and mom said for us to take our time and not hurry.”
Amy gave them the keys to her new used delivery van, directions to her supplier, a cooler full of drinks for the road and money for the trip and sent them on their way. Max slid the cooler into the back of the van and made his way to the passenger seat.
“What are you doing, girlfriend?” Maria asked, a puzzled look on her face.
“Well, it’s your mom’s van,” Max said, reasonably. “I just figured you’d want to drive.”
“Wait, you mean you aren’t going to insist upon driving?” Maria asked. “Michael always had to drive. I never got the chance, I always had to ride shotgun.”
“Well, do you want to drive?” Max asked.
“No, I don’t want to drive,” said Maria. “I hate driving on the highway. I just wanted to be asked.”
“So I guess I’m driving then?” asked Max.
“Well, duh!” answered Maria, walking around to the passengers side.

[tequathisy]

although i don't love GZ, great part.

[majiklmoon]

Summer of Destiny – Summer Ends
Rating: Teen
Ship: GZ
Disclaimer: I own nothing – Roswell and it’s characters belong Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox. She created them, he killed them, and I’m just borrowing them.

Author’s Note: This is a challenge written for Ella1022 who won me in the Support Stacie Fan Fic on Demand Author Auction.

They drove silently for several miles, stopping once at the Sip –n- Suds, a combination laundromat and convenient store on the edge of town to pick up some snacks and more ice for the cooler of drinks. The silence, however, was relaxing. Neither felt the need to fill it with meaningless chatter, which for Maria, was a first. Normally she hated silence. Even with Liz, she, she felt the need to keep the conversational ball rolling all the time.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Max tap his hand against the steering wheel in time to the music playing on the radio. It was nice to be able to listen to music she liked for a change. When Michael drove, he controlled the radio. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Metallica, she just wished that once in a while, she wanted to pick the music. Softly she sang along with Sarah McLachlan as the miles zipped by.

“You really have a nice voice,” Max said, causing her to jump.

“Oh, sorry,” Maria said, blushing slightly. “I, well, I – “

“Maria, relax,” Max laughed. “I mean it, you have a beautiful voice. I mean, I’ve heard you sing before, plenty of times, but today for some reason, it sounded even more beautiful than usual.”

“Well, thank you,” said Maria, deciding to just shut up and accept the compliment.

“You are going to pursue a career in music, aren’t you?” Max asked.

“I used to dream about it all the time,” Maria said. “but not any more.”

“Why not any more?” asked Max. “And wait, before you answer, want to pull over at that rest area and eat?”

“Yeah, I am kind of hungry,” Maria admitted.

Max parked under some trees and they climbed out and went to the back of the van to pull out the cooler.

“Want to go sit at that table?” Max asked, pointing.

“Um, how about we go sit under those trees, on the grass?” Maria asked. “There’s a blanket back here we can spread out and have a picnic.”

“Sounds like a plan,” sad Max, grabbing the cooler. Maria grabbed the blanket and followed watching the way his arm muscles flexed as he hefted the cooler. Maria spread out the blanket and Max laid out the food, pleased to note that Maria had included a bottle of Tabasco sauce.

“Don’t leave home without it,” she quipped when she saw him holding the bottle.

“Yep, that and good old American Express,” said Max. He sat down on the blanket with his back against the tree and opened two sodas and passed one to Maria. “Now tell me why your dream isn’t your dream any more,” he said.

Maria unwrapped her sandwich, hoping to delay the inevitable, but she knew that Max, unlike Michael, wouldn’t be put off. “Well it’s just that I, God, how can I say this without sounding egotistical?”

“Just say it Maria, and don’t worry about sounding like anything,” prompted Max.

Maria took a long drink of her soda, trying to formulate her thoughts a bit more. “Well, just suppose, I actually am one of the few that succeed and hit the big time,” she said. “That’s going to open my life to so much scrutiny. My life won’t be my own, and…and neither will my secrets,” she finished in a rush.

“Oh,” Max said. Maria looked at him and saw his very expressive eyes filled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Maria. I never thought about any of the repercussions when I healed Liz.”

“Max! Do you seriously think that I, for one second, would rather have Liz dead, just so I could try and be a singer?”

“No. No, of course not,” said Max. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that saving Liz brought so much trouble to all our lives.”

“And you wouldn’t do it differently today, would you?” asked Maria.

“No, I wouldn’t,” Max admitted. “But I hate that it means you have to give up your dream. I mean, Liz can still go to college and study molecular biology, and Kyle and Alex can,” he paused wondering exactly what someone like Kyle Valenti would do after high school. “Well, Kyle and Alex and go and do whatever they want, but you. Maria, you gave up everything and you never even got a vote in the matter.”

“Yeah, but my best friend is alive and that’s worth all the recording contracts the world,” Maria said, and anyone who didn’t know her would believe her. Max, however, saw the loss lingering in her eyes, and it made his heart ache.

“Enough about dreams,” Maria said. She reached down and picked up a carrot stick and began to nibble. “Let’s talk about all the scrumptious clothes I’m going to buy.”

“Oh the joy,” Max said, a fake grimace on his face. “As long as you promise to not to ask me that unanswerable question, we’ll be good.”

“What question is that?” asked Maria.

“You know,” prompted Max. “The one that starts out with does this and ends with look fat. The article of clothing and the body part can vary, but the end result is the same. There is NO RIGHT ANSWER.”

Maria exploded with laughter, and Max smiled, watching as the laughter chased the last bit of sadness from her eyes.

“It’s obvious that Isabel has trained you well,” she said.

“She has,” agreed Max, “but if you tell anybody, I’ll deny it to my dying day.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” said Maria. She finished her sandwich and lay back on the blanket and looked up at the sun dappled leaves above her.

“Do you ever want to go back?” she asked.

Max knew without asking she meant go back to Antar, and he thought for a minute before he answered.

“I think about Antar,” he said. “I wonder what it’s like, but I don’t think I want to go back there. This is my home. There isn’t anything for me up there. Everyone and everything I need is here.”

“I suppose,” said Maria, shifting slightly on the blanket, “but it must be kind of cool to think that – OW!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Can any of those powers make rocks turn into pillows?” She asked rubbing her head.

“Come here,” he said. He stretched his legs out and Maria rested her head on his thigh and continued her thoughts.

“I think it would be kind of cool to go back there. I mean nobody knows you and has no expectations of you. Not like here where everybody has you pigeon-holed into categories.

“Um, Maria, I was a king up there. I think I’m pretty well pigeon-holed. The only thing is, the person I am now is nothing like the Zan they remember. At least I don’t think I am.”

“Good point. I forget the king thing all the time. I mean, you guys are just my friends. Friends with extra special powers and all, but still friends.”

“That’s probably the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me,” Max said.

The two continued talking, the conversation drifting aimlessly from one topic to the next with no effort. Maria was silent for several minutes and Max looked down and realized that she had drifted off to sleep. He smiled and brushed her hair away from her face and paused, shocked as a jolt of electricity shot through him. He pulled his hand away, shocked. This was Maria – his friend, Liz’s best friend. Almost against his will, his hand drifted back to her face and he stroked it gently.

“Maria,” he whispered. “Wake up sleepy head.”

Maria sighed in her sleep and rolled on her side. “I love you, Max,”

[Ti88]

ok i just had to read it...yeah i had to get the treat first.

tracie tracie this is wanderful. i'm hooked and want michael and liz out of the picture. if max and maria got together, this is the summer that made sense for it to happen. max covered in maria's clothes cracked me up. you just went and made me want to check out other gz fics...i just hope when its all said and done they can all be friends...cause i can see liz and michael going if we couldn't be with you why do you guys get to be with each other. waiting for more. kudos to ella1022 for having you write this

[Ella1022]

Loved the talk between her and Max. I liked how she explained why she couldn't sing professionally. Thanks for the story!