Pieces Of A Dream (CC, M/L, Teen) – Part Four – 4 June

[FallenMagic]

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Title: Pieces Of A Dream
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.
Pairings: Max/Liz
Rating: Teen
Summary: The story picks up from right before the episode "Crash". It assumes that Tess never came back to Earth to give Zan to Max. Max and Liz still got married right after graduation and the story picks up around five years after their graduation.
Liz, sick and tired of Max’s obsession to find his son, divorces him and heads away on her own. Nearly two year later Liz is suprised and shocked to find a visitor waiting for her at home. And what she wants from Liz is something Liz never expected... (The entire story is told from Liz's POV)
Author's Note: This story is one that I got inspired to write during the middle of the night and it's one I feel passionate about. I don't know if this has been done before or not, I just know I had to write this one for myself. The story does not show Max's and Liz's relationship in a positive light. I've picked and pointed out a lot of flaws I saw in their relationship on the show. I hope that during the course of this story I can find solutions to those problems but at this stage I'm unable to promise any happy endings...just a promise that I'll try.
Many thanks to my beta Maya for helping me out with this one! I know I bug her a lot lol



<center>Prologue</center>


Roswell, New Mexico
2007


Its nearly dawn and I wake to find myself alone, once again, in my bed. It has ceased to surprise, or hurt, me anymore. It’s been a long while since I have woken up reaching for him. It’s been even longer since I’ve woken up in his arms.

As I move silently through the house, I can’t help but think that this wasn’t the life I had envisioned for myself when I married him. I never would have expected us to have become distant strangers to each other. And yet, here we are….

I know where I will find him. He’s nearly always there, hardly coming out except to eat or maybe go off on another wild goose chase. As I reach out to push open the door to the garage I find myself pulling back, wondering if I will even find him there at all. I wouldn’t be surprised to find him gone. He has stopped to even bother to tell me when he goes off on another trip to find his son.

Dimly I wonder why that thought doesn’t bother me anymore. It doesn’t hurt or make me angry to know that he might have left. It should have hurt; it would have only a few years ago but so much has changed between us.

We have changed.

But no matter how unaffected his comings and going make me, I do feel slightly relieved to find him inside the garage when I open the door. He’s standing hunched over a table, pouring over some information that he has been gathering. A map hangs from the wall above the table, red dots covering an entire portion of its surface. Hastily scribbled notes are pinned to the soft board next to the map and I notice a few new ones.

He hasn’t noticed me yet, and I’m not surprised. When he’s working to find his son, which is almost all the time, he loses track of everything and everyone around him. The world ceases to exist for him.

I cease to exist for him.

I take my time looking at him, watching him as he straightens and runs a hand through his already tousled hair. His clothes are wrinkled and dirty and I know his eyes must be red and bleary with sleep but it would be useless to even ask him to rest.

Initially I tried to get him to rest, tried my best to support him, to be there for him, even going on road trips with him, but it wasn’t long before I realized that it didn’t matter to him whether I was there or not. His sole focus was finding his son and I was just slowing him down.

I don’t know how long I stood there just watching him. I watch as he moves from the table to the map and back. I watch him make some notes and make a few calls. He moves to the calendar to mark something and for a moment I wonder if he will notice, if he will remember.

But when he just continues with his work, I feel the pain cut through me like a knife. Maybe I am not as unaffected as I thought. I close my eyes in a desperate attempt to push back the tears but they slip past through my tightly shut lids and I don’t bother to reach up to wipe them away. He wouldn’t notice them anyway.

There was a time when he would have cared that I was upset and hurting. There was a time when he would have known when I walked into the room. There was a time when I meant the world to him, when he would have died for me…when he loved me.

“Max.” When he doesn’t turn at my voice, I call out again, a little louder this time. “Max.”

He turns then, startled out of his work. I can see the faint edge of annoyance in his eyes at being disturbed and once again I’m reminded of just how much has changed between us.

“Liz, what are you doing up?”

I ignore the question, already seeing his mind begin to drift back to his work as he shoots another glance at his work table.

“Max, come to bed…please.” I need to ask him, I need him to come to me today of all days. And yet, even as I ask, a part of me recoils at the desperate note I hear in my own voice.

“Liz, I’m busy,” Max answers, the annoyance now creeping into his voice. “I’m so close this time, I feel it! I can’t leave right now.”

“Max, you always feel you’re close!” I cry. “And every time it turns out to be another dead end.” When he remains silent, I move closer to him, reaching out to him. “Max, please, just tonight…come to bed with me.”

Max stands there silently for a long moment, his eyes riveted to his work. For one hopeful moment I think that maybe I got through to him and maybe he will leave, remember what today is. But when he lifts his eyes to pin me with a cold look, I feel all hope flee.

He does not remember.

“Liz, how can you expect me to waste my time when I could use it looking for my son?” he asks, his voice low and cold.

I wince as I fight back the sob clawing at the back of my throat. With those words I realize that I was giving him a chance to redeem himself to me, to help me salvage this sham of a marriage that we have. To have him throw it back in my face is the final blow. It is about time I come to accept what I have known already for months now.

I close my eyes briefly to gather strength. “Since when did I become a waste of time to you, Max?” I ask softly. When I open my eyes I know they are brimming with tears of hurt.

“I-I didn’t mean that…” Max stutters.

“Yes, yes you did.” I wrap my gown tighter around myself as I take a small step back from him. “You don’t even remember what today is, do you, Max?” When Max just stares blankly at me I feel a tear slide down my cheek.

“What are we doing, Max?” I ask him softly, shaking my head. I look back up at him to find him unable to fully understand what is going on. “What have we become except strangers to one another?”

“That’s not true!”

“Isn’t it?” I ask, my eyes probing, demanding. “When was the last time we made love, Max? When was the last time we touched, kissed, held hands…talked?”

“Liz, I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you lately but it’s this new information I just found,” Max says, “I know I’m right this time and I just want to find my son and…”

“And then what?” I ask. “Then we’ll be a happy family together? Is that what you think?” A small, sad smile crosses my lips as I shake my head. “I tried being there for you, Max. I did my best to support you in finding your son but I can’t do it anymore. I can’t stand being invisible to you.”

“What do you mean?” Max asks, surprised. “You’re not invisible.”

“Yes I am,” I cry softly now, hurting over what I now know I have to do if I want to save myself from misery and pain. “In all these five years of us being married I’ve never been your first priority. It has always been your son. I thought when I married you that I could understand that, could support you but that truth is, Max, that I can’t!”

I am crying openly now and it just hurts me even more to realize that Max hasn’t once made a move towards me. Once he would have held me to stop my tears. Now he just stares at me, offering me no comfort, no support.

“I don’t understand why I can’t be more important to you. I don’t understand how I can be a part of your life and make you love me.” I wipe away the tears furiously as I look back at my husband.

“Liz, I do love you…I have always loved you!” Max protests, his eyes filled with surprise and panic.

“You haven’t loved me in a long time, Max,” I tell him sadly. “There was a time when I meant the world to you, when you loved me with all your heart. There was a time when you fought to have me by your side, to be able to call me yours…” I spread my arms out for him, to him. “Well, here I am, Max! I’ve always been here by your side…you just stopped noticing, or caring.”

“Liz…” Max’s voice is a strangled cry as he moves towards me, desperate to stop what he knows I’m going to say but I just move away from him and shake my head.

It hurts more than I ever imagined. I want to cry out and tell him that I want to give us another shot but I know it’ll be useless. We’ll only be making ourselves miserable. Max would hate me for not letting him look for his son and I would hate him for still wanting to.

No, I couldn’t do that to him, to us.

“Max, I think we should get a divorce.”

“A-A…divorce?” Max asks in shock. “Liz, don’t say that! We can work through our problems…I’ll try to be more attentive, I swear…just don’t say that!”

I’m crying once again now but I know that this is the best thing to do. “We can try but it won’t matter. Max, I can’t stay married to you and be happy. And I want to be happy.”

And I know that’s the truth. I thought being with Max would make me happy. I thought that as long as I was with him it would be all right. I forgot that there was more to marriage than just love and passion. There had to be something deeper than that to take its place when that love and passion waned.

After everything we had been through, after every battle that we managed to survive, the trust that had been there in the initial months only got weaker and weaker. It has come to a point where I love him but I’m not sure I trust him with anything, especially with my heart. And without trust there is no relationship.

“Liz, please…we’ve been through so much to be together. You can’t give on us. We can make this work!”

“Don’t you see, Max? We both started to give up on each other the day Tess came to Roswell. We’ve been moving apart ever since and I think we got married in hopes of saving what we once had.”

I pause, suddenly realizing the truth behind my own words. I had never thought about it, never seen our marriage that way but now it is more obvious than ever. And, by the expression on Max’s face, I think he knows I’m right too. We both know that what I’m doing is the best move for both of us, that it is the only way to keep ourselves from ending up hating each other.

But to think that I can leave Max without remorse or regret would be foolish. We have been together for nearly nine years and, no matter how much our relationship has deteriorated, this can not end without heartache and pain.

Feeling my heart cry out for him, I make myself step closer to him, reaching out and touching his cheek lightly.

“Max, this had to end sometime…” I whisper, smiling sadly through my tears. “We both knew it the day we got married.”

Max moves his hand to cover mine and he pulls it away to kiss my fingers lightly. The once familiar move has a sob slipping past my lips and I have to try hard to rein back the fresh tears.

“We were meant to be together,” Max tells me achingly and I can see the grief in his eyes. “I-I don’t want you to leave me. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

“I told you once that I wanted to help you find your son so that I could be with you and keep you from slipping away from me,” I remind him. I pull my hand away from his now, knowing that I have to put some distance between us. “I’ve come to realize that somehow you’ve managed to slip away anyway.”

I take another few steps back, keeping my eyes on his, trying hard not to notice the sheen of tears in his eyes, eyes that once shone with love and never ceased to pull me into them.

“I love you, Liz!” Max blurts out, desperation tingeing his voice and I know he’s desperate to hold on to me, to us but it is already late, so very late.

“I’m sorry, Max…” I whisper as I turn to flee back to my room.

I don’t think I can be near him any longer and not suggest forgetting everything I just said. I have to leave right now, get out of this house. I am almost out of the garage before I turn back abruptly to look at him.

“I was hoping you remembered Max…but…” I swallow the bitter regret in my mouth. “Happy anniversary, Max….”

<center>TBC. . .</center>

Please tell me what you think. I'll try updating within the week but I can't promise I'll be very regular because this story is still a WIP

[Island Breeze]

Well, it is kind of a sad start. : It's an interesting premise, though. I don't remember seeing it done before. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress.

[majiklmoon]

Nice start Rida, but Gerry's right...kinda sad. But sad can be good

[cardinalgirl]

: Rida, this just about killed me. But I LOVED it. Every minute. The minute she mentioned the calendar I knew what was coming, and this opening scene was like watching a car-wreck, you just can't take your eyes away. I love how you're starting this out. I can empathize with Max, but Liz is so right... this isn't working. When she said he hasn't loved her for a long time, I remembered that whole "love is a verb" idea, you have to DO things to love somebody... and Max has obviously stopped doing those things. Still... this is painful. :

That said, I can't wait for more! :D

[FallenMagic]

Lisa - I don't believe marriage is ever easy, not even for someone like Max and Liz and I always believed that they needed to work on their relationship, which on the show they never did

Tracie - I sure hope so! *looks anxious*

Gerry - Thanks Gerry!


<center>Part One</center>

Albuquerque, New Mexico
November 2008


What’s so great about normal?

A naïve sixteen-year old girl had once asked a boy that question, believing in the magic of love and soul mates. She based her whole life on the one belief that nothing in the world was worse than being apart from the one you loved.

But what she didn’t know then was that there are things far worse than being apart from the one you love. She didn’t know that it was much worse watching yourselves drift apart and being unable to do a thing about it. It was much, much worse watching someone you loved become the person you had begun to despise and resent.

That was what Max had started to become to me in those last months. I know now that had I not left him last summer I would have come to hate not only him but myself as well. I would have hated myself for not being enough for Max. I would have hated myself for not being strong enough to leave and would have hated myself even more for wanting to.

It was not an easy decision I made. It involved a lot of heartache, grief, hurt and misery on both sides but I truly believe that it was for the best. I needed to move away from what I had become, had needed to break away from the boundaries the marriage to Max had trapped me in.

It has taken me well over a year to get my life on a path that I had once wanted. It took weeks of soul searching and months of heart-wrenching grief to be able to find the courage to let go of my past and find the Liz Parker that I had been before my marriage…before Max Evans.

And though I still feel that I have a long way to go, I’m getting there….

“Liz!” My musing is cut short by a pretty blonde, Cassie, who comes up to me, grinning excitedly. “How would you like to join me for a celebratory drink after work today?”

“Sounds tempting,” I smile, “What’s the occasion?”

“Well,” Cassie folds her arms on my work table and leans forward slyly, a smug glint in her eye. “My snagging a date with that cute new lab assistant should be reason enough to celebrate, don’t you think?”

“You’re kidding!” I laugh happily. “With Tom Saunders?”

Cassie tosses back her short blonde curls smugly. “Yep, the one and only.” Then, a grin splits her face. “We’re going out this weekend!”

I instinctively reach out to hug her. “That’s great! I know you’ve been eyeing him for weeks now!”

“As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one doing some eyeing,” she laughs. “So, how about those drinks, Liz?”

I bite my lip apologetically now as I say, “I wish I could, Cass, but Maria’s coming to stay with me for a couple of days. She said she’d be here by six. Maybe some other time?”

Cassie waves aside the excuse as if she hadn’t even heard it. “Bring Maria along. It’s been ages since I met her,” Cassie insists.

“She’s got Jake with her,” I reply. “And you know how temperamental three-month old babies are!”

“No less than her husband,” Cassie laughed. “Maria must have had tons of practice with Michael!”

I can’t help but laugh at that too and nod. “It’s a wonder those two are still together and married with a kid at that!” I pause, mulling over it, a tug of sadness washing over me. “It’s funny how things work out sometimes…”

I can feel Cassie eye me cautiously; trying to figure out if I was dwelling on Max. Coming here, I had found myself instantly forming a friendship with her and had one night confessed how my marriage had turned to shambles, minus the alien parts of course.

It feels good to be able to talk to someone who isn’t a part of that aspect of my life, who doesn’t know Max and me as teenagers and can look at our life together as just that – a young couple trying to make things work for them. Often I’ve had Cassie point out the various mistakes Max and I made over the years and yet still be able to offer me comfort when needed. It’s an aspect of our friendship that I’ve come to be deeply grateful for. At the moment, however, I’m unwilling to have her launch into a well-meaning, if slightly tire-some, speech on how I don’t need Max. So, I quickly fix a smile on my face.

“Maybe next week or something?” I suggest. “That way you can tell me about that date too!”

Cassie thinks about it for a moment before nodding. “I guess we could do that.” She agrees and then wags a finger at me. “But I won’t hear any excuses later, you hear?”

“I promise.” I glance at the clock above the door and sigh tiredly. “Lunch break’s over. Time to get back to work before Dr. Steadman threatens to make me work overtime…again!”

Grabbing a couple of files of my desk, Cassie and I begin to head back to the lab. “You know, back in high school it was my dream to molecular biologist,” I tell Cassie. “I always knew it was a tough job but never thought that it would be this tough!”

“Ah, the rose-tinted views of a teenager,” Cassie grinned. “Do you really dislike your job, Liz?” she asked seriously.

I think about that statement for a moment, considering it. I’ve only been working here a few months and it’s the first time that I actively got to pursue what I had wanted to do before I met Max. I never really got a chance to work in a lab before now.

“I don’t dislike it,” I say finally. “It definitely has its moments but sometimes I wonder if maybe I outgrew my dreams and didn’t even realize it.”

“This isn’t some analogy of how you always thought Max was the one for you and you guys just…fell out of love, is it?” Cassie asks bluntly.

I stop to stare at her, her words hitting me hard and yet I can’t help the small smile on my lips. If it had been anyone else other than Cassie I might have been hurt and offended but she’s fast become such a good friend to me that I know it’s just like her to say such things. Cassie often reminds me of Maria in more ways than one. And because of that, I shrug and resume walking again.

“Maybe…” I murmur more to myself than her as we head into the lab.

Max and I got married when we were barely out of high school, and by then Max had already begun searching for his son. With all the road trips and the dangers involved I was never able to concentrate on my studies. I graduated with a decent GPA but circumstances constantly prevented me from getting a job.

Besides, in order to work in a lab we would have to move out of Roswell and Max had made it clear that he was not willing to do that. He believed that if Tess ever came back, she would first come to Roswell and he wanted to be there when she did.

By then things between Max and I had begun to deteriorate and after we separated I finally took the step to move to Albuquerque. I shifted here within weeks of leaving Max. I knew that had I stayed in Roswell I would have been inadvertently pulled back into his life one way or another and we’d be back to where we were before. Albuquerque was just far enough to ensure I didn’t have to run into Max or hear about him too often and yet just close enough to head on home when the mood stuck.

So far the mood hasn’t struck that very often.

By the time I get off work, it’s five and I wrap up my work, eager to go home and be able to see Maria again in another hour. It seems like it’s been forever since she and I have been together and been able to talk and just hang out. That’s the disadvantage of living away from Roswell; I don’t get to see my friends and family very often. Though my friends do come to Albuquerque whenever they are able to, it’s not the same.

Being new to the city I don’t know that many people and it gets dreary at time. When you’ve lived all your life in a small town you get used to having people know you, and though the anonymity that this place provides me is a blessing most of the times, there are moments when it does get to me.

I am just pushing my files into the car when my cell phone begins to ring and, checking the caller ID, I see its Maria.

“Hey!” I answer happily. “Where are you?”

Maria sighs on the other end and I can hear the apologetic tone in her voice. “Liz, I’m sorry but I can’t make it to Albuquerque today.”

“Oh.” Disappointment and a feeling of loneliness begin to settle deep and I have to force myself to keep it out of my voice. “Is-is everything okay? I mean, I thought you’d be on the road by now.”

“I know but I’ve been trying to call you for a while now but your cell kept coming off and no one was picking up in your office,” Maria replies.

“I was in the lab working on something so I had switched my cell off…” I frown now, sensing the worry in Maria. “Maria, honey, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, Lizzie!” She cries out then, “It’s Jake! He’s not feeling well at all!”

“Oh my God!” I gasp, worry for Maria’s son instantly grabbing me by the throat. “Is he all right? What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s got a fever! Liz, he’s not supposed to get sick! Why is he sick?”

Maria’s voice hitches with fear and I can understand her worry. Max, Michael, and Isabel never got sick in their life, at least not the way we humans do and since Jake is half-alien it makes sense that he would get the same traits as his father.

“Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that he’s also part-human,” I suggest, my mind clicking into the most logical explanation.

“That’s what Max said…” Maria admitted, sounding a little better now.

Hearing Max’s name I find myself pausing. An ache forms deep in me at the mere thought of him and how we’ve become virtual strangers to each other. There was a time I knew everything about what was going in Max’s life and now…now it’s like I never knew him at all.

“Is-is he doing okay?” I ask hesitantly. “Max, I mean?”

Maria and I have made it a point not to talk about Max. In fact none of my friends ever talk about him to me and try to avoid using his name around me as much as possible. It’s a little ridiculous, if I think about it. I mean, I had been married to him for nearly six years. I can’t just stop talking about him, thinking about him, but I guess my friends feel uncertain how to deal with the situation. They are still his friends, and in Isabel’s case sister, too after all and since I don’t want to put them in a situation where they feel they have to choose, I let it go. And, if I’m being honest to myself, I don’t think I’m ready or comfortable enough to talk about him so causally just yet.

“Yeah…” Maria replies, sounding a little uncertain how to talk about Max to me. “He’s…handling it.”

“So, when do you think you can make it to see me?” I ask, unwilling to really know just how badly I might have screwed up Max’s life and hurt him.

If Maria is surprised by the sudden change, she doesn’t let it show. “As soon as Jake’s better,” she promises.

“Give him a hug from me and tell him I miss him!” I smile then wistfully add. “I miss you too, by the way.”

“I know. So do I.” Maria pauses for a moment before venturing, “Liz, come to Roswell for Christmas. You haven’t been here in months.”

“I know. It’s just been so busy at work and you know I couldn’t take time off—”

“Liz,” Maria cuts me off, her voice knowing yet sympathetic. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

I fall silent, unable to lie to Maria. She’s always been able to see right through me. These are all excuses and we both know it. The truth is that I’ve been avoiding going to Roswell for fear of having to face Max. When I continue to remain quiet, Maria sighs.

“Look, I won’t force you. But I think it would do you good to come back here for a while.” She adds quietly, “We all miss you over here.”

Feeling the lump of tears clog the back of my throat, I swallow hard. Hearing Maria say that just made me realize how much I miss Roswell too.

“I-I’ll think about it,” I promise.

I don’t know if I have the strength to go back to Roswell, especially over Christmas but I’ve still got a month to find the courage to go and I really do want to go back to Roswell, even if for a little while.

Maria and I say our goodbyes and I disconnect my cell. I place my head on the steering wheel, sighing deeply. I’m disappointed that Maria can’t make it today. I understand her problem but I was really looking forward to seeing her again. I think about the fun weekend I had planned for us and I shake my head.

“Guess I’ll be spending another lonely evening with myself,” I mutter as I pull out of the parking lot.

I could take Cassie up on her invitation but I really don’t feel like going out anymore. Right now I just want to go home and maybe curl up with a book and take a long hot shower.

I don’t know what it first was that had me instantly knowing something was wrong when I got to my apartment. I am reaching for my keys when I feet a strange sense of warning tug at me and though I try to shrug it off, it just becomes more intense as I open the lock.

I find myself hesitating and stiffening when I push open the front door. I stand outside, staring into my darkened apartment, every instinct in me screaming that something wasn’t right.

Having lived with Max for so long, I have stopped questioning my gut instincts. This time also I poise for attack, raising my hand up as I tread softly inside, leaving the door open behind me. I don’t want to make a noise lest whoever is inside hears me.

My eyes take a moment to become adjusted to the dark as I try to take a quick and cautious look around. But, before I even have taken two steps further, the lights switch open, briefly hurting my eyes as I try to look at the person standing in my living room.

“Hi, honey! I’m home!” The person grins at me while I can only stare in abject disbelief and a sense of fear.

Oh shit! This can not be happening!

<center>TBC. . .</center>

[cardinalgirl]

Good stuff, Rida! And I'm really feeling for Liz. I can see why she's gravitated towards Cassie, she is like Maria!

And I'm thinking the mystery guest is Tess. Tess, Tess, Tess!

The question is... what does she want?

[FallenMagic]

Yes...that is the question isn't it...


<center>Part Two</center>


I feel the blood drain from my face as I stare at the person standing in front of me. My mind refuses to believe who I am seeing. My hand flutters back down to my side as I forget about defending myself. I’m in too much of a shock to do anything but stare.

I don’t understand how this can be. I don’t understand why, after so long, she’s here to see me. She is the last person I would have ever expected to see standing so casually in my living room. It’s impossible for her to be standing here, looking almost exactly as she had more than six years ago.

“Well, Liz?” she asks with a sly grin. “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”

And with those words, I’m snapped back to reality. Without waiting a beat, I raise my arm up again and flick my wrist, using my powers to fling her across the room. Her body is propelled into the air and is thrown against the far side wall with a force that has her breath coming out in a long, painful gasp but I couldn’t care less. As she struggles to sit up, she winces and holds her arm against her chest. I don’t give a damn if I’ve hurt her. I’m just sorry I didn’t injure her more.

“Well, it’s good to see you too.” She manages a short, pained laugh as she gets up.

I just flick my wrist again and push her back down against the wall.

“What the hell are you doing here, Tess?” I ask, my voice ice cold.

“I just wanted to drop by and see how you were doing,” Tess replies, and I can see the glint of smugness in her eyes as she adds, “I hear you and Max aren’t the love birds you once professed to be.”

“I’m going to ask you just one more time, Tess, otherwise I’ll simply throw you out the window,” I threaten, not releasing my hold on her. “And don’t think I won’t do it. What the fuck do you want?”

“You know how hard you were to find?” Tess asks, purposely ignoring my question. “I searched for you for months, Lizzie…. Imagine my surprise when I heard you’d left Roswell and your husband behind!”

If Tess thinks that I feel an ounce of sympathy for her or if I’m not willing to go through with my threat, then she’s dangerously wrong. She has no idea just how far I can go when it comes to her. I know she’s toying with me right now, seeing how far she can push me. Well, she’s about to find out.

I’ve honed my powers quite well over the years and it doesn’t take too much effort for me to increase the invisible grip I have on Tess. Lifting her slowly I shift her towards the window and can see her eyes widen as she realizes just what I’m doing.

“All right! All right!” she cries out, struggling against the hold I have on her. I can see a hint of panic in her eyes and am pleased by it. “Let me go and I’ll tell you.” When I just glare at her dubiously, she quickly adds, “I swear, Liz…I’m not going to do anything funny.”

Unsure whether to believe her or not, I cautiously drop her back down and lower my hand. “If you try anything, Tess…so help me God…”

“I won’t! I promise!” She rubs her arm carefully, a rueful yet amused smile on her face. “So, you’ve developed powers now. And from the looks of it, you’re pretty good at handling them. Why am I not surprised?”

I clench my hands tightly by my side as I glare at her, still unable to really believe that Tess is standing here with me. I had never expected to see her again, no matter what Max believed. But what bothers me more right now is why she’s here. It doesn’t make sense and I have a sinking feeling that I’m about to be thrown back into the alien abyss whether I want to or not.

“As much as I would love to stand here and chat with you, Tess, how about you just get to the point,” I reply.

I think Tess’s realizes that if she doesn’t talk now she wouldn’t get another chance. “I need your help,” she blurts out hurriedly.

I stare at her blankly for a moment, unable to believe what I just heard her say. She couldn’t possibly have asked what I think she has. A hysterical laugh bubbles forth as I look at her incredulously.

“You have got to be kidding me!” I exclaim. “What makes you think I would ever want to help you?”

Tess takes a step towards me now and for the first time I see a hint of vulnerability in her as she says, “You don’t understand, Liz. You’re the only one I can ask.”

I stop laughing now to look at her with the pure hatred that I feel for her shining in my eyes. “Let’s get something straight, shall we?” I say, venom dripping from my voice as I pin her with my hard gaze. “I hate your guts. I wouldn’t so much as blink if someone came in here and shot you point blank in the head. In fact, I would probably just say thanks and head on my way. Given a reason, I would kill you myself. You’re a cold, lying, murderous bitch who doesn’t deserve anything from anyone, whether on this planet or off! Now you tell me, why the hell would I want to help you?”

“Because,” she says quietly, her blue eyes downcast, “I think that no matter what’s happened between you and Max, you’d want to help save his son.”

<center> TBC . . .</center>

[muse]

This is interesting! You write a great Liz POV and it's nice to see her strong - standing up to Tess and leaving Max.

Great job, and I hope to see more soon! :D

[FallenMagic]

Thank you so much!


<center>Part Three</center>


I’m stunned speechless and for a long minute I can only gape at her. I don’t know what to make of what she just said. I should be angry at her for even assuming that I’d be willing to help her of all people. And yet, she’s not wrong. No matter what has happened in the past, I would still help Max’s son if the need ever arose.

But what does she mean by that? Does it mean that Max’s son is here on Earth or back on Antar? And why is he in danger? It couldn’t be Khivar because Larek had come to tell Max years ago that he was dead. And why does Tess think that I’m the one who can save him?

“Why-why haven’t you gone to Max with this?” I ask her. “Why come to me?”

“Going to Max would only put him in more danger,” Tess replies. “You’re the safest person I can bring Zan to.”

“Why?” I ask again, unable to understand. “Max has been looking for him for years. Why wouldn’t he be safe with Max? Does Max even know?”

“No, he doesn’t and I don’t want him to,” Tess replies with a shake of her head. She takes a step closer and all her previous smugness is gone as she pleads, “Don’t you understand, Liz? Don’t you see how dangerous it will be for Zan if he’s with Max? Everyone knows Max is looking for his son. It’s the most obvious place for me to leave him. It’ll be like placing Zan in their hands.”

“Who’re they?” I ask, confused and bewildered by all of this. “Larek told us Khivar was dead. Who else is out for Max?”

“Not Max but Zan,” Tess corrects. “And Khivar is dead. I’m talking about the leaders of the other planets, the Council. They all want Zan and I’m not going to let that happen!”

By now I’m totally confused and unsure of what’s happening. I hate Tess, the last thing I want to do is help her…but how can I turn my back on a child? It’s even more confusing because I don’t know the whole story and what has prompted Tess to come to me.

“Where is Zan?” I ask. “On Antar?”

Now Tess smiles. “No. We were on Antar for only a couple of months after he was born before I realized what a fool I had been to bring Zan to Antar. With Larek’s help I managed to steal a ship and come back here to Earth.” Tess glances back at me. “We’ve been here for years.”

“Larek helped you? Why?” I ask, feeling as if everything has been turned around on me. “And if you’ve been here all these years, why didn’t you ever contact Max?”

Tess falls silent for a moment, looking away from me. She doesn’t answer my question but rather she begins to walk towards my bedroom. I begin to tell her to stay still when she looks at me over her shoulder.

“Relax, I’m not doing anything. I just want to check on Zan. I put him down in your room. Poor kid was really tired.”

“He’s here?” Surprise is etched in my voice as I find myself following Tess. I can’t deny that I’m very curious about Zan.

Tess stops just inside the room and I can see the genuine smile on her face as she stares at the small, sleeping form on the bed. I stop just behind her and stare with an odd mixture of curiosity and reluctance at Max and Tess’s son. Though I can’t make out much I can see the familiar crop of dark brown hair and it’s then that I know instantly that he really is Max’s son.

It is then that I realize just how much I had been hoping for all these years that it was all just a mistake, that Tess had mind warped Max into sleeping with her, or that it wasn’t his son at all. The hurt and pain is sharp and immense as I step back a little, finding myself brutally having to face that Max did sleep with Tess and he really does have a son.

Tess, apparently unaware of my grief, continues to look over her son as she says, “To answer both your questions Liz, Larek helped me and I didn’t come to Max in all these years because I really do love my son.” She turns around to face me then and for the first time I see true devotion and love in her eyes for the little boy. “It may have started out as a ploy but it only took me seeing him for the first time to fall in love with him. I was scared that if I came to Max and told him about Zan that he would take him away from me.”

She moves out of the room and walks over to the nearest window, propping herself on the sill. “Liz, I know you hate me and you have every right to but please, Zan’s just an innocent little boy,” Tess pleads. “Don’t punish him because of me. He really needs your help. You’re the only one who I can leave him with.”

“If you love your son so much, then how come you’re willing to give him up so easily?” I ask acidly, and yet, having already partially forgotten that Tess is the last person I would want to help. I can not deny that Tess does love her son. I saw the emotions in her eyes the moment I saw her looking over him as he slept. No one, not even she, is that good an actress.

“You think this is easy for me?” Tess asks a little angrily. She gets up to pace before whirling around to face me. “You have no idea how much this is tearing me inside. I don’t want to leave him, he’s my son! I don’t exactly like you either but I have to do what’s right. I can’t screw up my son’s life because I have problems with you.”

“You’re not helping your case, Tess,” I reply snidely but then I sigh as I realize that at the moment Tess and my problems are the least of my concerns. “Why do they want him? Like you said, he’s just a little boy.”

“They want him for the same reason Khivar wanted him,” Tess says in disgust. “Because he’s Max’s son. Zan’s the future king of Antar and the Council feels that if they raise him on Antar according to their own principles then maybe they can undo the damage that Khivar and Zan before him did to the kingdoms. They think that if they raised him he would be more Antarian than human.”

The prospect of having this boy be raised by people who are adamant on taking him away from his mother, from his home, fills me a quiet rage. Why can’t these people let the alien hybrids live their own lives? Why do they feel the need to play God with all their lives, and thus inadvertently us humans as well?

“I still don’t understand how you think I can help.”

“Look, I just want you to look after him till I come back. You’re the last person the council will expect that I have left Zan with,” she smirks as she adds, “And with good reason…. Look, as it turns out, you have powers, so does Zan. He can protect you if it comes to that but I need to know that Zan is safe before I can go do what I have to.”

“And what is it that you have to do, Tess?” I ask, in a way already knowing.

Tess looks away from me for a moment before taking in a deep, shaky breath and replies, “I’m not sure…”

I know she’s lying. She knows exactly what she has to do and I’m afraid I know too. She’ll have to kill them. As much as I hate Tess, at this moment I can’t help but feel pity for her. In a way I guess I can understand her drive to save her son.

“Have you considered the fact that you might not come back, Tess?” I ask. “You could die.”

“I know…” She says it softly and when she looks back at me I can see the pain in her eyes and I know it’s for her son.

“Mom?” A small voice comes from the direction of my bedroom.

Tess and I both turn to find Zan standing in the doorway, looking nervous as he glances from me back to his mother. Almost instantly I notice the startling blue eyes that resemble his mothers but that is the only feature of her he has. His face is almost exactly like Max’s. And it’s another twist in my heart to see that.

Tess goes to him immediately and scoops him up in her arms. “Hey there,” she coos as I watch in surprise. I never really thought she was the cooing type. “Did you sleep okay?”

Zan nods, his eyes still fixed on me and I can’t help but pass him a smile. Zan averts his gaze from me instantly, tugging at his mother’s hair as he asks, “Who’s she?”

Tess’s glaze flickers to mine before settling back on Zan as she puts him down. “That’s Liz. She’s…an old friend.”

I smile at the irony of that statement.

“Oh,” Zan looks nervous once again as he shifts closer to Tess. “Is she the one you told me about? The one I have to stay with when you go away?”

Tess’s eyes rise up to meet mine now, as if asking me what to tell him. But I can only look on silently, unable to respond. Too much is happening around me too fast for me to catch up. Tess crouches down next to Zan and hugs him.

“Yes, she’s the one but I still have to talk to her first.” Tess gets up and moves closer to me now. “Liz, what do you say? Will you help us?”

I pause, looking at Tess first and then looking at Zan. I’m torn between wanting to help him and wanting to tell Tess that after everything she has ever done to my friends and me, I don’t want to help her, that she and her son can both go to hell. I want to be vindictive; I want to watch her suffer and go through the hell she put me through when she betrayed us by killing Alex and sleeping with Max. I want her out of my life for good and I don’t want to help her in anyway.

But then what about Max’s son? What has he ever done except be born to this vile, evil person? It isn’t his fault that he’s caught in this inter-galactic war, just like Max, Isabel and Michael didn’t have a choice. Can I really turn my back on him?

But can I really survive the pain of having proof of Max’s betrayal around me constantly?

It’s too much of a decision to make at a moment’s notice. The emotions I am feeling are too intense, too confusing for me to be able to think clearly. I can’t make this decision. I shouldn’t have to, goddamn it!

“I-I…” I stammer, taking a step back, away from Tess and Zan.

My eyes swing back up to Tess. She’s nervous and she’s waiting. What do I tell her? How can she ever expect me to make such a decision? The implications are too great. How can I be expected to do this…?

“I need some time to think about this…” I finally manage to say. “I-I need to get out of here…”

With that, I turn and flee out of my apartment, not caring that I have just left Tess, my nemesis, inside, alone.

<center>TBC. . .</center>

[FallenMagic]

Double post

[FallenMagic]

Yikes! Another one!

[muse]

Wow, what an emotional new part. Poor Liz, she knows that Zan is innocent in all of this, but that boy has Tess' eyes. And to have to look at him every day and see her worst enemy...

I couldn't do it.

But I think that Liz will. This is a great story, and I can't wait for the next part.

[Ti88]

wow. i read all 3 parts in one shot. and wow. it does staart off sad. you throw us right into it. and it makes this last part, this part with tess back asking for help take on a new meaning. i mean the very thing that cause liz an dmax to fall apart is now the very thing or in this case person being thrust upon her once again. liz says zan is a constant reminder of the betrayal. i think it more. zan is a reminder of her failed marriage. totally hooked

[Island Breeze]

Interesting irony you've given us! Zan having Tess' eyes so Liz is reminded of Tess and of that whole thing they had together. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[FallenMagic]

muse - If she does take Zan in, Liz's going to have her work cut out for her, that's for sure

Ti88 - That was the enitre purpose of the prologue, to show you guys what her marriage had become and why.

Gerry - Thanks Gerry! :D

Be sure to check out the wonderful banner Anniepoo made for me!


<center>Part Four</center>


By the time I return back to my apartment, it’s dark outside. I have taken my time thinking things through, assessing every aspect of Tess’s story. I can not be certain that what she has told me is the truth but so far I have no reason not to believe her.

She can not have any ulterior motive for asking me, at least not one that I can see. If she is using Zan to her advantage then the best option would have been for her to go to Max or maybe even Michael and Isabel. Instead she chose to come to me, knowing that Max and I aren’t together anymore.

Zan is so much like Max that it’s almost torturous seeing him. Somehow, in all these years of searching for him, it never really seemed like he was real. Max’s son seemed like a fantasy, like he never really existed. Seeing him in my house, sleeping on my bed has suddenly made him so much more real to me. It’s made me unable to blind myself to the fact that he really does exist and that he really is just a little boy. Until I saw him today, I had continued to think of him as a brainwashed child who looked exactly like his mother. I just had never counted on him being so…innocent.

Tess is waiting for me when I get back, Zan playing quietly in corner. I glance at him as I walk in, once again noting how normal he seems, how much like any eight-year-old boy. Just how normal would he continue to be if the Council gets a hold of him?

When I finally look away from Zan, I find Tess looking at me patiently. I can not forget who she is and all that she has done but am I really willing to place a child at risk because of things that happened nearly a decade ago?

I stare at Tess for a long moment, still debating. “I don’t like you, Tess,” I say finally. “In fact, it’s safe to say I feel nothing but hate for you.”

Tess shrugs nonplussed. “The feeling’s mutual, Liz.”

“I swore to myself that if you ever came back, that if I ever saw you again I would make you pay for everything you did. I would make you pay for hurting Alex, for coming between Max and me and for destroying what we could have had.”

Tess regards me curiously as she asks, “Do you really believe that I was the one who ruined your relationship with Max?” When I remain silent, she begins to laugh, much to my surprise. “After all these years I can’t believe you’re still that naïve.” She shakes her head in amusement as she says, “I wasn’t the reason you and Max drifted apart. I may have been the catalyst but I was never the reason. It was always the both of you.”

That statement has me stunned and flabbergasted. “How dare you!” I seethe. “Max and I were doing fine until you came along! If you hadn’t come in with your hue and cry about how you two were made for each other, the problems would never have started!”

“Maybe not right then but they would have,” Tess replies confidently. “You two were so caught up in the romance of it all, in the blind belief of soul mates that you never really worked on your relationship.” Tess pauses then to look archly at me. “Did you ever do that, Liz? Even after I was gone?”

“Of course we did,” I insist, but that sounds weak even to my ears. “It took us a long time to put everything behind us and start again. We couldn’t have done that unless we worked at building our relationship.”

“By that I guess you mean you both swept everything under the carpet. And look where that has led you…” Tess trails off with a shrug, her gaze flickering to Zan. “No matter what you may want to believe, Liz, I never forced Max to come to me that night. I didn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to do himself.”

Tess’s gaze comes back to me and sees the devastation there on my face. A part of me wants to turn around and not hear what she has to say but a greater part of me knows I have to know, I have to stop wondering. It’s the only thing I’ve never been able to ask Max. I didn’t ever want to face whatever the truth may have been. But maybe now it’s finally time.

I have no way of knowing that what Tess tells me will be the truth but, somehow, deep inside, I think I’ve known the truth all along. I’ve always known that Max went to Tess on his own accord. Tess is only telling me what I’ve managed to block out from myself. Though it makes me ache, makes me want to clamp my ears shut and cry, I don’t. I don’t say anything; I can’t even if I wanted to. I’m sorely afraid that if I open my mouth to speak I’ll break down into tears and never be able to stop. Thankfully Tess doesn’t need me asking questions as she goes on.

“You can try to blame me all you want, try to make me be the bad person in all of this but the truth is all I ever really did was be there for him,” Tess tells me. “He needed a friend and I was there for him…you weren’t. You pushed him away when he needed you the most and he ended up turning to me.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I whisper, looking away to hide the tears that are threatening to spill down my cheek.

“Ah, yes, future Max made you do it, right?” Tess asks and I whip my head around to look at her in shock. I never had told her or anyone else, about him. How could she possibly know? Tess, apparently reading my mind, smirks. “I wondered about it for many years; about why you suddenly were so eager to push me to Max, why you tried to help me out with him. It wasn’t until I was almost ready to leave Antar that Larek told me what had happened. He knew, of course, everything that has ever gone on here. And I can’t say I was really surprised by your actions. You always were Saint Liz Parker.”

“I couldn’t do anything!” I clench my hands into fist as I try to rein back my anger. I can not believe she is downplaying what I had to do. She can never understand what that day was like for me. “I couldn’t let a whole world die because of us.”

“And so you let him go.” Tess rolls her eyes at me and there’s derision in her voice. “That’s what I mean when I said you didn’t work at your relationship. You didn’t fight for him. Someone asked you to give up Max to save the world and you did. You didn’t stop to question, to think…to fight. Things might have been different if you had. There are, after all, more than one ways to win a war….”

Tess’s gaze flickers to mine for an instant before she shifts, shrugging and moves away from me and heads to Zan and gently coaxes him back into my room with his toys.

“I couldn’t be selfish.” I feel the need to explain myself to Tess and though I don’t like it, I go on. “I couldn’t be responsible for the death of the entire human race! You might be okay with it but I’m not.”

Tess glances up at me to pin me with a look of disdain. “Don’t make yourselves out to be the helpless victims in this, Liz. The world didn’t end because you two got married. It ended because I left!” She pauses for a moment before saying, “You two got married in this life time too and I left once again…the world hasn’t ended so far, has it?”

The thought has bothered me on more than one occasion but I’m not about to let Tess know that. “The world ended fifteen years after Max and I got married. We’ve still got some years left to go.” I wrap my arms around myself and look away as I mumble, “Besides, Max and I aren’t married anymore.”

“You changed a lot of things when you tried to alter the future.” Tess walks up to me, lowering her voice to whisper almost arrogantly, “But you couldn’t change destiny….” She moves back then and laughs. “You kept trying to do the right thing by keeping me around but you didn’t understand that I was meant to leave. No matter how hard you would have tried, I would have left anyway.”

Anger is now fast creeping up in me. For Tess to come in here, asking for my help, and then insulting me in this way, is just too much.

“So, you feel that none of this is your fault?” I ask through clenched teeth. “You think that Alex’s death, Khivar’s attack, Nasedo, and Max’s obsession with finding his son…none of it is your fault?”

“Oh, I take full credit for Alex’s death but other than that I don’t think I caused that much trouble.”

My hand is up in an instant, fingers sparking green energy as I feel the rage sweep through me. How could she be so off-hand about murder? How could she talk like that about Alex?

But the instant Tess sees me ready to attack; her hand comes up too, her eyes flashing a stormy blue as they lock on to mine in warning.

“Don’t think that since I let you hit me once, I’ll let you do it again,” she says in a low, deadly calm voice. “I may need your help, Liz but that doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to hurt you if I have to.”

“Go look for help somewhere else, Tess.” I don’t lower my hand, keeping her in my sights as I say, “I will never help you!”

“You and I both know that you will.” Tess replies.

“I’m not the person you knew back in Roswell, Tess,” I remind her coolly. “You have no idea just who I am.”

“Maybe not,” Tess aggress with a shrug. “But you can’t change who you really are deep down inside. And you, Liz Parker, are still that same do-gooder who believed in everything being black or white.”

“Are you suggesting that you’re the shade of grey, Tess?” I ask with faint amusement. It’s ridiculous for her to even think that I can see her as anything but the evil person she is.

Tess falls silent and something close to regret flashes in her eyes but that is gone as soon as it had come. She sighs then, dropping her hand back down to her side, looking back at me with resignation.

“Look, I know that coming here to ask you for help was the riskiest thing to do. I don’t know if you’re going to turn around and call Max and let him take Zan,” she pauses nervously. “But, considering everything between us, I still came to you. I wouldn’t have unless I really needed your help and trust me, Liz, I do.”

I can feel my resolve faltering. I can see the genuine desperation in Tess’s eyes and for the first time I find myself actually considering helping her.

“Why should I show you an ounce of sympathy or pity?” I ask.

“I’m not asking for sympathy or pity,” Tess replies a little angrily. “I’m asking for help. I’m asking you to help save Max’s son from the same fate you tried so hard to save Max from! It doesn’t matter if he has powers, Zan is still human. If the Council gets a hold of him, then he’s going to be forced into becoming someone he’s not! How can you not understand that?”

Gnawing at my lip in utter turmoil and confusion, I find myself looking in the direction of my room where Zan is. It’s ironic the way Max’s son’s life is starting to mirror his own. Is it poetic justice in some sort of way? Is this fate’s way of correcting what Max refused to let happen before? He was always meant to go back to Antar, to lead his people and then I stepped in and he fought it, he fought his destiny. Is this destiny stepping in and taking the reigns once more?

Almost unconsciously I begin to walk slowly to my bedroom. I can feel Tess’s curious eyes following me but at the moment I don’t care. Pushing the door open to my room, I find Zan lying sprawled on the floor, his back pack open and coloring pencils spread out next to a coloring book lying open in front of him.

He glances up at me from his work and passes me a shy yet vibrant smile. In the smile I can see a reflection of Max and it has a sob tearing at my throat. But even then I find myself smiling back at him. It’s impossible not to.

Turning around to look at Tess again, I ask quietly, “What if you don’t come back?”

The question implies a lot more than the obvious and Tess is well aware of it. She appears momentarily stunned by my decision and it takes her a moment to speak. When she does, there is a silent grief in her eyes over the possibility that she might die and never be able to be a part of her son’s life.

“Then it’s up to you to decide whether you want Max to take him or not,” Tess replies. “I’m not going to place the burden of having you raise Zan if you don’t want to…and I’m not sure if I want you to even try….”

Something close to panic settles deep in me at the thought of having to see Zan every waking hour of every day for God knows how long. How will I ever be able to be around him and not have my heart torn apart every time I look at him?

I know I will have to cope because I’ve already made up my mind but I know it’s going to be one of the most difficult things I will ever have to do.

<center>* * * * * </center>

“It’s time.”

I look up from my place near the window, where I have been sitting all night, and find Tess slinging a bag across her back. She glances towards my bedroom from where she has just come out from and I see her wipe at her eyes discreetly. When she turns back to look at me I can see that her eyes are red-rimmed from crying. For a moment I feel my heart go out to her. No matter what she has done before, right here in this moment she’s just a mother being separated from her child.

I get up from the chair and wrap my arms around myself, unsure what to do or say.

“What do you intend to do when you leave?” I ask.

“I don’t know…try to contact Larek, see if I can find the bodies the Council members use…” Tess shrugs. “I’ll have to figure this out as I go along.”

“Do you really think you can kill them all, Tess and make everything okay?” I ask, wanting to know.

Tess just glances up at me and for the first time I see the cold glint in her eyes that I had seen only once before. “What do you think, Liz?” she asks, her voice edgy and dangerous.

Feeling the hair prick on my arms, I fall silent.

“Did you talk to him?” I ask finally after a moment, gesturing with a nod to my room where Zan is.

Tess nods, rubbing her eyes once again, the cold edge replaced with resignation. “Yeah…” she whispers. “He’s known for a while that this would happen. He told me he understood…he’s a great kid.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I reply quietly. I hesitate for a second before asking, “Are you okay?”

Tess manages a watery smile. “Of course…,” Then, with a slight laugh, says, “He told me he’ll miss me…” And with that her voice breaks and a tear slips down her cheek.

She reaches to wipe it away, turning her face away to save herself the humiliation. I have never seen Tess cry, never seen her weak in such a way before and I’m not sure how to take it. A part of me feels sorry for her and wants to comfort her and yet another part can’t help but feel a vindictive sense of smugness settle in me. I can’t help think that she deserves this, that she deserves this pain.

Feeling my face flush with shame for such thoughts, I bite at my lip, wondering what to do now. I opt for waiting for Tess’s move. I let her cry, let her grieve yet find myself unable to do anything to soothe her. Something inside of me just won’t let me and, though it makes me feel guilty and ashamed, I know that Tess understands.

Tess takes a moment to compose herself and then walks over to me. She stops just a few feet away and stares at me for a long moment. I shift uncomfortably under her gaze. It’s penetrating, probing….

“What?” I snap, crossing my arms across my chest defensively.

Tess pauses before a wry smile spreads across her face. “I think I just might be ruining your life again.”

A lump forms in my throat at that and I have to look away. Pushing my hair behind my ears I shake my head. “No, Tess,” I reply honestly. “I think you’re giving me a piece of a dream I had a long time ago.”

“What dream would that be, Liz?” Tess asks curiously.

The door to my room opens then and Tess and I both turn to find Zan standing there, staring at his mother with sad eyes.

“That. Him.” I whisper, referring to Zan. I give Tess a small smile. “You’re giving me Max’s son.”

“You never cease to surprise me, Liz Parker…” Tess laughs. She hesitates for a long moment before shocking me by giving me a quick hug. Before I even had a chance to react she let go and moved back. “Thanks, Liz.”

“See you, Tess.” I stammer, still astonished by the hug.

Tess turns to give Zan a final look, lifting her hand in a small wave. “Bye, Zan. I-I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Zan nods, his blue eyes tearing up even as he stands rooted clinging to the door. “Bye mommy. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetie,” Tess chokes out. Then, with a last hurried look, she walks out the door, firmly shutting the door behind her.

I let out a deep, long breath, hardly able to believe that all of this happened in the span of twelve hours. Not only did I come face to face with Tess and my past but suddenly I’ve got a child I have to protect.

Max and Tess’s child.

Running a hand through my hair, I go to Zan, crouching down to his level and giving him a smile. I briefly note that his eyes turn wary almost instantly but I know I would be wary too of some stranger. It’s about time I changed that and I really met the boy.

“Hey there,” I say softly. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced properly. I’m Liz.” I reach out hesitatingly to push back a strand of dark brown hair from his face, smiling as I say, “You and I, we’re going to have a great time together. And I promise I’m going to protect you, no matter what.”

<center>TBC . . .</center>

[Island Breeze]

: The scene with Tess leaving Zan with Liz is sad, but it's great that Liz has decided to get to know him now, not that she seems to have been given much of a choice, of course, but she is taking the responsibility for him.

[Ti88]

very nice conversation between tess and liz about the whole max/tess/liz triangle. i mean i totally did not like the tess preggers, alex dead. but i have always said the show change after EOTW...everything did. Plus it how people end up in places they may not have normally chossen. never push away and isolate those you care about. you know i honestly think in theback of liz's mind she wanted max to suffer as much as she did by her choice. she may have intentially sent him to tess time and time again, but she expected him to not go to her and suffer in lonely angusih. never give someone a choice if you don't want them or can't deal with them making the choice.

[Island Breeze]

Cool banner! :D