Part 18~<br><br>The sounds of early morning traffic invade Max’s sleep as he notices the sunlight beating down on the other side of his eyelids. He fell asleep on the balcony again. It happens a lot…he’ll nod off in the lounge chair as he reads or looks up at the stars.<br><br>He sits up and rubs his hands wearily over his face and looks down at the street below. In the light of day, he decides that his imagination <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> was</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> going wild last night. There have been no signs of anyone knowing they’re there. If they knew, they’ve had plenty of opportunities to move in on them and they haven’t. Shaking his head as he stands up, Max decides that he needs to get a grip on himself.<br><br>After he showers and changes clothes, he steps into the kitchen to find Michael there. “Morning.”<br><br>“You working today?” Michael asks, looking at his coffee shop uniform of khakis and a white button down shirt.<br><br>“Yah.” Max answers, walking over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.<br><br>“Can you meet me at 3? At the bookstore?” Michael asks, hoping he’ll get off work by then.<br><br>Max looks at him questioningly for a moment and says, “Sure…why?”<br><br>Michael shrugs and says, “Just meet me there…I need to talk to you about something.”<br><br>Knowing he won’t get anymore out of him, Max turns and heads to the door. “Sure. See you later.” He walks out of the apartment and down the street to the coffee shop a few streets over that he’s been working at for 4 months.<br><br>The day passes quickly and before he knows it, it’s 2:45. Taking off his apron and tossing it in the corner, Max grabs a muffin and a bottle of juice before clocking out and leaving the shop. He walks slowly down the few blocks to a small bookstore that they all frequent. Wondering why Michael wants to meet him there, Max is taking a bite of his muffin when he sees someone run around the corner down the block.<br><br>He freezes as his eyes meet what he is sure must be a hallucination. It can’t be. It can’t be…but it is…it’s Liz. What is she doing there? She’s wearing all black and her hair is shorter, but after blinking a few times, he’s sure that it’s really her. Swallowing, he quietly says, “Liz.” But she can’t hear him, she’s too far away…and she’s running, stumbling slightly when she sees him standing there. Her eyes are wide open and wild…and…is that a <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> gun</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> in her hand?! <br><br>She’s waving her arm at him and shouting, “Get out of here!” as she runs and he’s so confused at the entire situation that he can’t move. He’s further shocked when she stops and raises the gun in his direction and he drops his juice and muffin on the ground when he hears her fire off a shot in his direction. Ducking in reaction, he sees a man behind him fall on the ground but he doesn’t have time to process that as he’s tackled from the side and a car squeals up to the curb next to them. <br><br>Struggling as another man joins the first to restrain him, he glances over to see Liz running toward him shouting, “No!” and holding the gun in front of her. “Get away from him!”<br><br>Before he knows it, he’s being thrown into the backseat of a car and the door slams as he hears more shots being fired off from outside. The car peels away and he sees Liz braced on the sidewalk, firing her gun at the car as it speeds away. He hears the bullets hitting the back of the car and he’s huddled down in the seat when the back window explodes. <br><br>But nothing can stop them, and the car flies away from the bookstore as someone in the front seat leans out the window and fires back in the direction they came from. As two men restrain him in the backseat, he hears shouting coming from outside and he turns his head to see Michael, Isabel, Kyle, Jesse and Maria chasing the car down the street. Suddenly, the car shakes from some kind of impact…that can’t be from a gun. Then he hears a tire explode, maybe two, and the car careens out of control…swerving all over the street. Max is thrown over the back seat and onto the floor as the men in the car start swearing and shouting.<br><br>Max is thrown forward, painfully, into the backs of the front seats as the car slams to a sudden stop. When he senses that they aren’t moving anymore, he peeks up to see one of the men in the front seat slumped over with blood running down his forehead. The two men in the backseat struggle to get upright and one keeps his gun pointed at Max distractedly as he looks around out of the broken back window. There are shouts coming from outside that are getting closer and the other man in the backseat starts arguing with the driver about what they’re going to do.<br><br>Struggling on the floor, Max leans down and kicks the gun out of the man’s hand and immediately puts his shield up in front of him. He picks the gun up off the floor and pokes in into the back of the seat behind him and yells, “Don’t move!” <br><br>The back door opens suddenly and he falls out of it, still keeping his shield up in front of him and he looks up to see Michael standing above him with his arm out in front of him pointed toward the car. “Put it down, Max, before someone sees you.” He yells at him, looking wildly up and down the street for curious pedestrians.<br><br>Max puts his shield down and keeps the gun pointed at the two men in the back seat as Michael covers the driver. They’re joined within seconds by Liz, Kyle, Maria, Isabel and Jesse and they surround the car. Max is still sprawled on the ground, shaking with confusion and fear. He looks at the men in the car and shouts, “Throw your guns out…now!”<br><br>Two guns fly out of the car and land on the pavement at Isabel’s feet and Max watches Liz open the passenger side door and feel around the unconscious man in the front seat, grabbing his gun and standing back. He can hear sirens in the distance and he hears Michael say, “Now what?”<br><br>Liz walks back to the rear door and opens it, leaning in and putting her hand to the forehead of the man sitting there. Within seconds, he slumps forward and she walks around to Max’s side of the car and does the same to the other man in the back seat and the driver. “They’re out for now. We need to get out of here.” She says before turning away and running down the street, the others following as Michael helps Max to his feet.<br><br>They run back to their apartment and Kyle tells them, “You guys go up…grab what you need. Be back down here within 3 minutes…we can’t stay here.” as he stands to the side of the stairs leading up to their apartment. Max looks over to see Maria and Liz splitting up and crossing the street to stand under the awnings of the buildings directly across from Kyle. Max feels Michael pull him up the stairs as he watches Liz tuck two guns in the back of her pants as she looks up and down the street…on alert.<br><br>He stumbles in the apartment as Isabel and Jesse rush into the bedroom to grab their essentials. “What the hell just happened?!” Max cries out. “What are they doing here? Did you know they were here?” Max fires off questions as the other three run around the apartment in a flurry.<br><br>“We don’t have time, Maxwell. Grab your shit…we have to go.” Michael yells from the other bedroom.<br><br>Max goes to the desk and gathers their passports, money, and other papers they’ll need before going to his bedroom and throwing those things and some clothes into a backpack. Walking back into the living room, he takes one last look around to make sure there’s nothing there that would indicate they were there and he follows the others out the front door.<br><br>When they reach the sidewalk, Max notices a large SUV parked at the curb and sees Liz, Maria and Kyle getting in. A young red-headed girl is driving and she looks at them and says, “Get in.”<br><br>Michael, Isabel and Jesse head toward the SUV as Max looks at Kyle in the backseat in confusion. “It’s ok, Max. Just get in…we’ll explain later.”<br><br>Hesitantly, Max walks over to the SUV and squeezes into the backseat next to Kyle before it takes off down the street. Max sits back in the seat and looks up to see Liz and Maria squished into the passenger seat together. Liz is looking out the front and side windows and Kyle is next to him looking out the back. They drive in silence for over an hour before Maria snorts in laughter in the front seat.<br><br>Everyone looks at her and she turns to glance at Max. “Christ, Max. You’ve had the FBI on your ass for over a week and where do we find you? Casually strolling down the streets of Sydney eating a muffin and drinking a damn orange juice! What the hell were you thinking?” She turns back around shaking her head and she looks over at the girl in the driver’s seat. “Serena…meet our fearless leader…Max.”<br><br>Serena looks at Max in the rearview mirror and says, “Nice to finally meet you, Max.”<br><br>Max’s face turns red in anger and he looks over at Michael. “Did you know they were here?” He doesn’t let him answer before turning to the front seat. “And what <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> are</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> you doing here? How did you know the FBI was following me? Is anyone gonna tell me what the hell is going on…wait. Did you say Serena?” He looks back over at the girl driving.<br><br>Serena looks at him again in the rearview mirror and smiles. “That’s right…the one and only.”<br><br>For the first time since they made their getaway, Liz turns her head slightly to look at Max. He sees her nod her head slightly, looking at him meaningfully before turning to look back out the windows. “Does she…” His voice drops off…not wanting to say more than he needs to.<br><br>“She knows.” Kyle looks at him quickly before glancing out the back window again. “She’s been with us since London…since we left Roswell. You can trust her.”<br><br>“Where are we going?” Michael asks suddenly.<br><br>“Melbourne. Then Paris.” Liz says shortly from the front seat without looking at him.<br><br>Max doesn’t get any more of his questions answered as they arrive at the Melbourne airport and Liz purchases tickets for them to Paris. Max stands huddled with Michael, Isabel and Jesse as Maria, Kyle and Serena spread out around the ticket area, keeping an eye on Liz at the counter.<br><br>“You knew they were here and didn’t tell me.” Max says to them.<br><br>Isabel looks down in guilt as Michael says, “Yah. I’ve known for a couple of months. Liz ordered me not to tell you.”<br><br>“She <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> ordered</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> you?” Max asks in disbelief.<br><br>“If you haven’t noticed…she’s the one in charge here.” Michael rolls his eyes. “She knows what she’s doing. You’d be on your way to DC courtesy of the FBI right now if it wasn’t for her.”<br><br>Max picks up the irritation in Michael’s voice…knowing he’s been on him to take a more active roll in leading over the years. He looks over at the efficient way Kyle, Maria and Serena stake out the ticket area. Who is this Serena? Is she the same one the future version of him told Liz about? How did they meet her? How did she find out about them? How did Liz know the FBI was after him? Max has so many questions and he can’t wait to get some answers.<br><br>Liz walks back over to them and Kyle, Serena and Maria join her. She shuffles through the tickets in her hand and says, “Get out your passports.”<br><br>Max pulls them out of his bag and hands them to Michael, Jesse and Isabel and they hold them out in front of them. Liz touches each one, changing their names as she hands each one of them a ticket. Max looks down to see that she’s changed the name on his passport to match his ticket. Dick Jones? She named him Dick? He looks up at her, raising his eyebrow and she shrugs, quirking up her lip at him as she moves on to the others.<br><br>As they make their way down the terminal, Liz stops at the bathrooms and says, “Change yourselves and meet at the gate when you’re done. Don’t stay in a big group…we can’t be seen together.” And she turns to walk into the women’s bathroom. Max makes his way into the men’s room and he admires Liz’s authority and how everyone does what she says…no questions asked.<br><br>Fifteen minutes later, Max arrives at the gate and glances around. He sees Liz…with strawberry blonde hair…standing next to a now brunette Serena. He spots Isabel and Michael…both looking different. And over by the windows, he sees Kyle, Jesse and Maria sitting casually on the floor…looking like college students. He walks over to a row of chairs that face the terminal and sits down, watching as the gate slowly fills up with waiting passengers. <br><br>About a half hour later, the gate agent starts making announcements that their flight is boarding and he stands up. Looking around, he catches Liz watching him and he stands silent and frozen locked in her gaze. What is she thinking? Why did she come to Australia? Was it to be with him…or did she know they were in danger? He’d give his right arm to find out what she’s thinking about right now, but his musing is interrupted by another announcement by the agent calling for the group of rows that he’s in.<br><br>As he walks down the jet way, he sees Kyle and Maria in front of him a few feet and he makes his way on the plane and to his seat. His seat is in the aisle and he sees that he doesn’t know anyone else in his row as he sits down and buckles his seatbelt. Now facing forward, he watches as everyone else boards the plane and takes seats scattered throughout it. Not too much time passes before he hears the engines gear up and the plane backs out of the gate.<br><br>An hour later, they’re airborne and on their way to Paris. Relaxing in his seat, he looks over at the elderly couple sitting next to him. They’re holding hands and looking out the window. He’s patting her hand in comfort and Max smiles slightly at the sight before turning to glance around the plane. Sitting across the aisle and two rows back is Maria and she gives him a small smile before turning at something Kyle is saying to her.<br><br>A few hours later, Liz is restless and she gets up to stretch. She waited to be one of the last people on the plane and she didn’t see anyone or sense anyone suspicious. She would know it if there was someone on this plane who was out to get them. After stretching, she walks toward the middle of the plane to the bathrooms and cringes as she squeezes into one of the small spaces. It’s cold in there and she finishes quickly before rushing out and gasping as she bumps right into Max, nearly knocking him to the floor.<br><br>Raising her hand to her mouth, she exclaims, “Oh…I’m sorry! It was so cold in there…I had to get out fast.” as she steps back from him a couple of steps. She can’t be too close to him…it’s making her distracted, and she can’t afford to be distracted. Three years…she’s spent three years thinking about him…about his voice…about his smell…about…STOP IT! She chides herself internally as she shakes her head. <br><br>“It’s ok.” He says quietly, watching as she looks everywhere but at him. Trying to catch her eye, he says, “I don’t think anyone suspicious got on.”<br><br>She looks up at him and says, “Me either. I’m pretty sure we’re safe now.” God, his eyes look just the same.<br><br>He looks her over and notices how tired she looks. She’s lost weight and has dark circles around her eyes. His gaze drops to her neck and he sees nothing but smooth skin…the scar that was once there is gone now. <br><br>She knows what he’s looking at. “I healed it. I can heal now.” She brings her hand up to the side of her neck.<br><br>He looks back up at her face in shock. “Wow. Really?”<br><br>Smiling slightly, she says, “Yah. It comes in pretty handy actually…especially when Kyle wrecked on his motorcycle and broke his back and leg.”<br><br>Max’s eyes widen in surprise and she continues, “He thinks he’s doubly cursed with alien voodoo now since he’s been healed twice.” She grins, remembering how he freaked out, thinking he’d get all kinds of crazy alien powers afterwards.<br><br>Smiling at the way her smile lights up the space around him, he says, “So…how are you…how…how have you been?”<br><br>Nodding and tucking her hair behind her ear the way he always remembered, she says, “Good. We’ve been good. You?”<br><br>“Yah…good.” He says distracted as he becomes mesmerized by her movements. She looks so beautiful and he can’t believe that he’s actually standing here in front of her. There are so many things he wants to ask her, but he finds it difficult to form any words. “So, can we talk about what happened back there? I have to admit that I’m seriously confused right now.”<br><br>“We should wait until we get to Paris and have some privacy.” Liz says quietly, knowing that Max has a million questions swirling around in his head.<br><br>“Right. That’s probably a good idea.” Max agrees and shifts on his feet.<br><br>“So…I um…better get back.” She turns to move away from him.<br><br>“Liz…” He calls out to her, not wanting her to leave but not knowing what to say. “Thank you…for saving my life. You were amazing.”<br><br>She smiles slightly and nods her head before turning away and walking back down the aisle to her seat. Max sighs and steps into the bathroom, shuddering as he shuts the door. She was right, it’s freezing in there.<br><br>~TBC~ <p></center><center><FONT COLOR="B22222"><i>You're going to be the death of me.</i><br>Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker<br><font color="B8860B"><b>Col Threadkiller is the <i>coolest!</i></b><img src=
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