Part 21~<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Saturday, June 8, 2013</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Three weeks pass with no movement from Khivar…and no word from Jaret. The semester has ended at the college and Michael and Maria decided to stay in Roswell for a while…until the situation with Khivar is resolved. Max argued with them about staying with him…and Amy wanted them to stay with her. In the end, Maria rented a house for a month. She felt bad for imposing on Max for so long and she didn’t think she could stay with her mother for more than a few days. <br><br>“Michael…tell your son he has to put a shirt on before we go to the Crashdown!” Maria yells at Michael from the bedroom.<br><br>Michael is lacing up his shoes to go play basketball with Max. “<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> My</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> son. Like she didn’t have anything to do with it.” He mutters as he walks out to the backyard and yells, “Alex, get a shirt on before your mother opens fire on us.”<br><br>“I heard that!” he hears being yelled from inside the house.<br><br>Michael walks back into the house and down the hall to their bedroom, where he sees Maria struggling to get her shoes tied. He kneels down on the floor in front of her and takes over. “How long are you and Liz gonna be at the Crashdown?”<br><br>“I don’t know…couple hours maybe? We’re gonna stop at the mall, too…I talked her into letting me buy her some new clothes.” Maria grins…proud of herself.<br><br>“Just call if you need anything…we’re gonna go play some ball. Maybe go look at some cars.” Michael says as he finishes lacing up Maria’s shoes.<br><br>“Ok…thanks.” She says as she gives him a quick kiss before standing up. “I have to run…I told Liz I’d be there 15 minutes ago. Did you get a shirt on that kid?”<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> Max’s house</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Liz is standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom, inspecting her clothes. The collar on her shirt doesn’t go quite high enough to cover the scar on her neck totally. She doesn’t like to see her parents without being covered. The looks on their faces are bad enough when they can only see the scars on her face. Her shirt is a long-sleeved white mock turtleneck…if only the neck was a half inch higher. Sighing, she turns from the mirror and picks her purse up off the dresser before going downstairs.<br><br>Max looks up from the table when Liz walks into the kitchen. He looks at what she’s wearing and shakes his head. “Liz, it’s 95 degrees outside.” It’s a losing argument, he knows.<br><br>“I know…but it’s my parents. Can you…you know…make the neck a little higher?” she asks him while wiggling her fingers at him.<br><br>Rolling his eyes, he gets up and walks over to her. As he uses his powers to make the neck higher, he says, “Why won’t you let me just get rid of the ones on your arms? You’re gonna roast in that shirt.”<br><br>She smiles as he finishes and she feels to see if it’s high enough. “Not now, Max.” Satisfied that her neck is covered, she says, “Thank you.” and goes to the fridge to grab a Diet Coke. Seeing the look on his face, she says, “We’ll talk about it later…ok?”<br><br>Just then, they hear Maria honking her horn outside. “That’s Maria…have fun playing basketball. I’ll see you later.” Liz says before planting a quick kiss on Max’s cheek and running out the door.<br><br>After Liz leaves, Max sits back down at the table and absently runs his fingers over his cheek where she kissed him. Taking a sip of his water, he thinks about his lost cause in getting Liz to agree to let him heal some of her scars. He’s had practicality working on his side with the weather. But she still insists on walking around with long-sleeved shirts on when it boiling outside. <br><br>She tells him that she doesn’t want him to get flashes…to see what happened to her. Even after promising to push them back, she still won’t let him. <br><br>Other than their argument about the healing, the past three weeks have been…great. He smiles to himself as he thinks about it. Sometimes he still can’t believe that she’s really here. They spend almost every day together…staying up late into the night talking. He’s learned more and more about her…Khivar…Jaret. And what her life has been like. She opens up more to him each time they talk. And he’s told her about his life…as well as what he knows about everyone else. She gets so excited when he tells stories…sometimes making him act out particular events.<br><br>He gave her all his photo albums to look through…and gathered some from Isabel and Amy for her to look through as well. She looks at these late at night, alone in her room. Usually, the next morning she’ll be waiting downstairs with pages marked…ready to question Max about certain pictures and when it was taken or what was going on when it was taken. <br><br>The best, though, is when they stay up late watching movies. She’ll curl up next him on the couch, resting her head against his shoulder…sometimes she’ll reach over and grab his hand. And when the movie ends and she likes the music playing, she’ll get up and ask Max to dance with her through the closing credits before going up to bed. Yes, he definitely likes movie night.<br><br>Glancing up at the clock on the microwave, Max gets up and grabs his phone and keys before heading out to meet Michael at the park. As he drives, he thinks about his original plans for the summer. He had planned to join the research team at the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado for the summer. They’re researching the Sun’s output of plasma and radiation and their effects on the Earth’s atmosphere. He <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> had</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> been looking forward to going, and he was going to take that opportunity to follow a few leads on Liz around that area. <br><br>But now…things had changed. He definitely won’t be researching the sun this summer, he thinks to himself as he pulls up to the curb across the street from the park. Locking his car he heads toward the basketball court, passing a few girls he recognizes from one of his classes. “Hi Max!” they call out to him.<br><br>“Hey.” He says back. He insists all his student call him Max. Mr. Evans, or even Dr. Evans, sounds too stuffy for him. Michael is already there waiting for him. “Hi Max.” Michael says to him in a mocking sing song voice. <br><br>“Shut up, Michael. They’re just students.” Max rolls his eyes at him.<br><br>“Uh huh…looks like you have a fan club.” He smirks, watching the girls walk across the park, glancing back at Max as they walk.<br><br>Michael’s still laughing at him when Max throws the ball at him, knocking him off balance.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> The Crashdown</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Maria and Liz sit back in a booth in the corner, watching Grace and Alex behind the counter with Liz’s Mom. She’s showing them how to work the milkshake machine today. “Grace, you better watch out or next she’ll have you in an alien uniform with antenna on your head.” Maria laughs over at them. <br><br>When Grace and Alex turn squealing to Nancy about wanting to wear antenna, Maria avoids the mock-angry look from Nancy with a smile and turns to look at Liz. “So…how’s it going?” she asks her…trying to get information out of her.<br><br>“How’s what going, Maria?” Liz says, making a half hearted attempt at avoiding the question as she glances around the Crashdown with a smile on her face.<br><br>Maria doesn’t say anything, just waits for Liz to return her attention back to her. When Liz doesn’t hear anything from Maria, she looks over and sees a smirk on Maria’s face…and her eyebrow raised.<br><br>“Maria…” she says as she rolls her eyes and smiles. “Nothing’s going on…really. It’s been…nice.”<br><br>“Nice?” Maria asks.<br><br>“Yah…we’re getting to know each other again. Kind of…healing each other, I guess.” <br><br>“Hm…and when are you gonna be running around in appropriate clothing for 100 degree weather?” Maria asks, eyeing Liz’s shirt and jeans.<br><br>Liz smoothes her shirt down and unconsciously brings her hand up to her forehead. “Soon. I’m just scared of what he’ll see.”<br><br>“Hun, it couldn’t possibly be worse than the millions of things he’s imagining in his head. It’ll be good…for both of you…if you just let him do it.” Maria grabs Liz’s hand across the table.<br><br>“I know.” Liz smiles over at her.<br><br>“And besides, we’re only buying temperature appropriate clothing today. So you have to get rid of them just so you can wear all your <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> fabulous</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> new clothes.” Maria says with a laugh.<br><br>Liz laughs with her. “Well, are you ready for this shopping extravaganza that you’re insisting on?” <br><br>“Yup.” Maria says as she slides out of the booth and walks over to the counter. “Nancy, you call me the minute they get unmanageable. You sure you don’t mind watching them for a couple of hours?”<br><br>Nancy looks up at Maria. “Of course not! You two go shopping…have fun. We’ll be just fine here. Right guys?”<br><br>Grace and Alex aren’t even paying attention as they become fascinated with blending pieces of candy bars into their milkshakes.<br><br>Maria laughs and says, “Yah…I’ll miss you too.” And rolls her eyes as she drags Liz with her out of the Crashdown.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> 2 hours later</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Max and Michael stand in a used car lot, looking at a 5 year old Honda. “Think Liz will like the color?” Max asks Michael.<br><br>“I don’t know. Silver seems to go with her complexion.” Michael jokes as he raises his hand to his chin, resting his elbow on his other forearm. <br><br>Rolling his eyes, Max says, “You are absolutely no help to me, Michael.” Turning from the Honda he walks back over to the Jeep. “I think she might like this better…she can take the top off.”<br><br>Still in the mood to taunt Max, Michael says, “But I don’t think the blue will match those cute little sandals with the flowers that she has.”<br><br>Max turns to Michael and shoves him, then they start wrestling around the car lot, laughing. Suddenly, Michael stops. “Maria’s here.” And he looks around, not seeing her anywhere.<br><br>Max looks around and spots Maria across the street, walking out of the mall with Liz. They’re both carrying more bags than they can manage. “They’re over there…done shopping, it looks like.”<br><br>“Oh great…get ready to be tortured with a fashion show tonight.” Michael says as he watches them walk across the mall parking lot toward Maria’s car. <br><br>As Max watches Liz walking with Maria, laughing, he sees a car pull up in front of them. A minute later, a man gets out of the car and Max sees Liz drop her bags and push Maria behind her.<br><br>He doesn’t wait for Michael as he takes off running across the street…he sees the man talking, but Liz is shaking her head at him and trying to push Maria toward her car. As the man advances toward Liz, Max runs between all the cars in the mall parking lot.<br><br>He comes up behind the dark car parked in front of Liz and peeks around the side, seeing the man up toward the front. Max walks out and approaches the man from behind. Liz is several feet away with Maria poking her head around from behind Liz.<br><br>“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Max.” The man’s voice stops Max dead in his tracks. “Wouldn’t want to put a show on for the kiddies, would you?” he asks as he turns around to face Max, pointing toward the large group of teenagers hanging out at the entrance to the mall. “And call your 2nd off while you’re at it.”<br><br>Max looks over and sees that Michael was coming up on the scene from the opposite side. <br><br>“Who are you?” Max asks as he sees his face. He’s young, 25 at the most. Taller than Max, but thinner…he’s wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt that has a green Rolling Rock logo on the front. He could be one of Max’s students.<br><br>“Someone who’s come to talk Liz out of whatever idiotic plan she thinks she has.” The man says impatiently as he turns back toward Liz. “What happened to your tracker, Liz? Khivar is beyond angry that it’s been removed…that was stupid-thing-you-did number one.” He says as he watches Max walk around him toward Liz and Maria. “Stupid-thing-you-did number two was coming back here.”<br><br>“Jaret…” Liz begins, as Max finally understands who this guy is. “Let me explain…”<br><br>“Nothing to explain, Liz. I get it. You’re throwing 10 years away…10 years of planning by an army of people that you have no Earthly concept of. All for a ‘roll in the hay’ with our king? Some girly chit-chat with Maria? Oh…probably a teary reunion with the folks, too…am I right?” Jaret says sarcastically to Liz. <br><br>“Hey. Who do you think you are?” Max demands.<br><br>Jaret advances on Max, “Who am I?” he asks incredulously. “<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> I</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> am the moron that signed up to spend the past 15 years of my life on this <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> pit</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> of a planet. Five of those years kissing Khivar’s ass to convince him I was on his side and ten more to chase around some <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> human</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> girl…all to save <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> your</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> ass!” he ends by pointing his finger into Max’s chest. “<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> That</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> is who <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> I</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> am…your Majesty.” He spits out the last part and turns toward Liz. “We’ll be leaving now, so say your little good-byes…come on.” He snaps his fingers at her, like you would a dog.<br><br>“Jaret,” Liz starts, “I’m sorry…I…they found me. They got my trail in Philadelphia…and tracked me down in Dallas.” She gets tears in her eyes as she looks at Max, then back to Jaret. “I know I screwed up, but…Khivar…he was sending Max to me.”<br><br>Jaret snaps his head back to Liz after eyeing Max, “Explain.”<br><br>“Once a year, in the middle of the night, I get transported somehow to wherever Liz is for 20 minutes. She’s always sleeping, so I just watch her. But last Monday night, I found Liz’s address on her dresser and we found her.” Max tells Jaret.<br><br>“I see.” Jaret says as he looks away, thinking. Turning back to Max, he says, “You shouldn’t have taken the tracker out. You’ve only alerted Khivar unnecessarily that there’s a problem. I’ve stalled him for weeks, but he’s becoming antsy and sent me to see what happened.” Looking to Liz he says, “Lucky for you, you took it out in Dallas so he thinks you’re still there.”<br><br>“Why don’t you just put another one in Liz and tell Khivar that it malfunctioned for a few weeks?” Maria offers as she inches out from behind Liz.<br><br>“Because <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> then</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> he’ll know that Liz is in Roswell…immediately…and with <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> him</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. Genius.” Jaret rolls his eyes at her.<br><br>“Hey!” Michael says to him.<br><br>“Sooooo<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> ry</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. Michael was right, you <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> are</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> an asshole.” She says under her breath and grabs Michael’s hand as he walk up to her.<br><br>“So that was Guerin that answered your phone when I called?” Jaret turns to Liz. At her nod he continues, “What was he doing with it? I thought it had been stolen. You’re to keep that phone with you at all times. I’m to be able to get a hold of you at any time of the day. How many times have we gone over this, Liz?”<br><br>“Ok, I’ve had about enough of you. You’ve been assigned to protect me, am I understanding that right?” Max spits out at Jaret.<br><br>“Technically…I guess.” He answers back. <br><br>Max steps toward him, “Then <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> you</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> will do what <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> I</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> say. You will <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> not</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> talk to Liz like that anymore. You will <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> not</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> talk to Maria like that anymore. And you <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> will</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> show Liz some respect.” He continues, “Now…we’re going to calmly go back to my house and discuss our plans. Do you understand me? Or do I have to poke my finger in your chest like a jackass to get your attention?”<br><br>“I understand.” Jaret replies. Turning to Maria he says, “I’m very sorry for my comment regarding your intellectual capacity.” Then turning to Liz he says, “Please forgive me, Liz. I meant no disrespect…just concern for your safety…and Max’s.” He then turns and walks around to the driver side of his car, enters it and starts the engine…waiting to follow the others.<br><br>“Kick <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> ass</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->! I want one of those, Max!” Maria slaps him playfully on the arm, turning toward her car.<br><br>“Jeez, Max…doesn’t <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> anyone</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> from our planet like you?” Michael says before picking the bags up off the ground and turning to follow Maria.<br><br>Max turns to Liz and sees the fear on her face. He walks over and puts his hand on her back. “It’ll be ok, Liz. I promise. We knew this was coming.”<br><br>She looks up at him and nods her head before walking to Maria’s car.<br><br>“Liz,” Maria looks over at Liz as she gets in the car…seeing the tears in her eyes. “He won’t hurt you…not with all of us there.”<br><br>Liz turns to look out the window. “I know. He’s never hurt me…he wouldn’t…” her voice fades away as she reaches up to brush a tear off her cheek.<br><br>“Maria, drop me off at my car…across the street.” Max says from the behind Liz. He reaches forward and puts his hand on her shoulder as her hand comes up to cover his. <br><br>“Ok.” Maria says as she pulls out of her parking spot and drives away from the mall…the car behind them following. <br><br>~TBC~ <p></center><center><FONT COLOR="B22222"><i>So come and sit on my box, enjoy the view of this water where my lifeboat is sinking. If you reach out for more, you'll find nothing but sorrow...because knowledge is hollow, and pride is hard to swallow.</i><br><font color="B8860B"><b>Col Threadkiller is the <i>coolest!</i></b><img src=
http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ... </p><i></i>