Eyes Like Twins Parts 5
By Ashton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<I>We have eyes like twins
Where your last thought ends my next begins always
Just one heartbeat away
From everything I mean to say, oh
Catch me I'm falling for you
Wish for me I'll come running to save you
Touch me I'm calling for you
Remember me, I will never betray you
We have eyes like twins</I>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ chapter 5 ~
"You've got to be kidding me!" Maria whispered in astonishment at the
information Alex had just relayed to her as she handed her money to the
cashier in the food line.
Alex held up his finger in a Boy Scout salute before he picked up his tray
and led Maria past the rows of tables outside toward the quad. "Serious as
a heart attack. I heard Pam Troy tell Tanya Anderson that Liz looked like
she was ready to cry the Niagra Falls all over again. As soon as the bell
rung she was out of there like a rocket. Then of course she began to
speculate as to the cause."
"Really? What did she say?" Maria leaned in to catch all the juicy details
of Pam Troy's cry for help. At least that's what they'd all decided Pam's
penchant for spreading rumors was. She had no real life of her own, so she
had to make up stories about others to obscure the pathetically boring life
she led. Not that they minded. In fact, sometimes Pam's 'cry for help' was
actually rather…entertaining…though never accurate.
"Well, there was the Liz-had-a-brain-removal theory. Pam said that's the
only thing that could explain Liz giving up a hottie like Max Evans. Oh,
then there was the Max-finally-*got*-a-brain theory. Given how tight Liz
and Max were at the end of last year, that's the only thing that could
explain *him* giving *her* up." Alex rolled his eyes. "Except for the
whole Tess chronicles line of thinking, which I'd really rather not go into
so close to lunch." Making a sour face, Alex held up his tray for emphasis.
"Agreed." Maria slid onto an empty bench and placed her tray on the stone
table. "So do we know what really happened?"
Alex shrugged and set his tray next to Maria's. "Got me. I heard there
were strange messages on the chalkboard though. Something about a dreamgirl
or something like that."
"Oh, man! Max is such a jerk!" Maria punctuated her statement by dropping
her fork with a loud thud.
Alex was completely lost and his expression showed it. "How does that make
Max a jerk?"
"Don't you get it?" Maria turned to face Alex. "Alex. Those messages…they
were from Max to Liz. He's trying to get to her without 'getting' to her,
you know? Break her down. Make her weak. And he's doing it all from a
distance. He's waiting for the moment of utmost vulnerability then he'll
swoop in for the kill." In response to a roll of Alex's eyes, Maria
continued with renewed vigor. "I'm telling you, he's already tried the
direct approach and failed now he's going for the indirect
approach…subliminal messages."
"Doesn’t sound so subliminal if you were able to pick them up without even
seeing them." Alex's wide grin was full of pride at the slam he had
delivered with perfect ease.
Maria shook her head with a groan. "Would you stop joking? This is
serious. Liz is in serious danger here."
"How so?" Alex asked with a curious look on his face as he leaned in and
lowered his voice. "I mean, it's not like she's been kidnapped by a
shape-shifting Czech that looks like her boyfriend and plans on using her as
a hostage or that she's running from some crazed Czechoslovakian-hunting FBI
agent that wants to capture her and torture her for information. Now *that*
was some serious danger." Alex pointed his finger at Maria for emphasis.
Alex sat back up and his attention was arrested when Isabel and Michael
walked through the doors together and began looking for a table to occupy.
His eyes softened when Isabel's gaze met and held his briefly. Alex nodded
once in acknowledgement when Isabel gave him a half smile then turned to
follow Michael to a nearby table. He glanced quickly at Maria to see if she
had noticed. She had.
He saw the determined set of Maria's jaw when she caught his exchange with
Isabel and couldn't control the direction of her stare as it followed
Michael across the quad. The hurt in her eyes as she watched Michael and
Isabel slide into their seats next to each other and share a smile was
evident and Alex tried to pull her attention back to another's problems.
"Come on, Maria. This…this is Max. We know him. He's one of the most
gentle, kindest guys in the entire solar system. Especially when he's with
Liz. He loves her to distraction and he's just trying to get her back. I
don't see what the problem is…"
Forcing herself to concentrate on anything but the pain that shot through
her heart when she saw Michael with Isabel, Maria leaned forward earnestly.
"The problem is that Liz loves him to distraction too. She can't resist
Max. We all know it. Liz even knows it. What's bad now is that Max knows
it too. And he's going to do everything in his power to make sure she won't
be able to."
"Again…the problem is?"
Maria let out an exaggerated sigh. "Alex, you just don't get it. Liz
getting involved with Max again is like…"
"Two people who love each other and belong together…I don't know, here's a
thought…" Alex threw out his hands in a wide gesture. "...getting back
together and being happy?"
"It's not that simple."
"Really?" A disbelieving shake of his head was her response. "Ok. Ok.
Let me ask you this. If Michael walked up to you right now and told you he
still loves you and he's sorry he ever walked away wouldn't you take him
back?"
"NO!" Maria practically shouted. "He's the biggest jerk of all!"
Alex gave her a look that said
'who-are-you-kidding-I-know-you-better-than-that' and caused her gaze to
drop to the untouched food on her tray. "A jerk you happen to love." He
reminded gently before his gaze drifted once more to Isabel and Michael's
table. "I know I'd certainly take Isabel back. Czechoslovakian destiny or
not. And they're both the ones who broke up with us. The only difference
is Liz is the one who ran from Max…and he still wants her. He still loves
her and he's still trying to find a way to keep her in his life. That guy
has some serious stamina when it comes to loving Liz. You've got to admire
that."
"Why are you saying all these things? I thought you were on Liz's side."
Maria practically whined.
"I am. But don't think for one second I don't see the look on his face
every time one of us routes his plans to talk to her. Haven't you seen it?
He looks like he dies every time she walks away. There's nothing worse than
loving someone and watching them blow you off. I've had plenty of
experience. And I happen to know you aren't a stranger to the feeling
either."
"Well, this isn't about you or me." Maria stated as she picked up her fork
in irritation. "Or about Max and how he feels. It's about Liz. And she
needs us right now. Poor thing. I can't imagine what she's going through
with this…"
"So, she told you, huh?" Kyle's voice came out of nowhere and suddenly he
was standing in front of Alex and Maria. He set his tray down and let out a
sigh. "About the nightmares?"
"The nightmares?" Alex asked with a glance to Maria. "You mean they've
started up again?"
"Yeah. I thought she…wait. Isn't that what you guys were talking about?"
Kyle slipped onto the bench opposite Maria and Alex.
"No. We were talking about Max and his incessant quest to regain the
ultimate Czechoslovakian prize…a human heart." Maria took an emphatic stab
at her meal.
Alex groaned. "Come on, Maria. You make it sound like he's going to rip
her heart from her chest and use it for some kind of experiment or
something."
"Need I remind you that ripping out hearts seems to be what they do best?"
Maria quipped with a pointed look at Alex.
"Oh, that." Kyle took a drink from his glass then glanced back and forth
between Maria and Alex and realized immediately by the looks on their faces
that they misunderstood him. "Not the whole ripping out her heart thing.
The other thing. You know, the incessant quest. Max stopped Liz and me
this morning in the hall. Actually, overheard us then stopped us is more
like it."
"Overheard you?" Maria's eyebrow raised when she saw the wince on Kyle's
face at his last statement. "What exactly did he overhear?"
"About the nightmares." Kyle took a bite of his meal. "Got really
concerned about Liz. By the way, is he always like that?"
"Like what?" Alex chimed in.
"I don't know. Over-protective. Controlling. All, you know…" Kyle
changed his voice to mimic Max's and clasped his hands to his chest in a
dramatic gesture of pleading. "…'Liz, please talk to me. We belong
together. Let me help'." His voice returned to normal accompanied with a
shrug as his hands dropped back to the table. "All that sensitive,
touchy-feely stuff. You know, all that stuff I suck at."
Alex started to chuckle and Maria opened her mouth to say something when she
spotted Liz coming toward them. "Shh, guys. Here she comes. Let's act like
we haven't heard anything that's been going on today." Maria plastered a
smile on her face just as Liz reached the table. "Liz, babe! We were just
wondering where you were…"
Liz plopped down on the stone bench and dropped her back pack on the ground
after placing her tray on the table. Without ceremony, she crossed her arms
on the table in front of her and hid her head, letting out a loud groan.
Maria, Alex and Kyle exchanged glances with each other then stared at Liz.
Maria was the first to venture the question they all knew the answer to.
"Let me guess. Max?"
Liz nodded silently before raising her head to look at the friends before
her. "Go ahead. Shoot me. Shoot me now." Her eyes wandered and
immediately fell on a figure in the distance. Without turning around,
Maria, Alex and Kyle knew who had suddenly come into her view because Liz's
eyes began to shine. Her voice became dreamy as a small smile began to turn
the corner of her lips upward. "Why did I have to fall in love with someone
who actually has the power to literally see into my soul?"
Kyle followed her gaze then started to chuckle. "You know, he told me about
that. The night we got drunk. He said the two of you had seen into each
other's souls, but I thought he was just being figurative…"
"Well, he wasn’t." Liz responded sadly as she let out a sigh and pulled her
gaze from across the way and concentrated on the food in front of her. "Max
Evans knows things about me that…" Another sigh and her gaze raised back to
meet Max's intense stare as he stood in the doorway a moment. "He knows
everything."
"Well, to be fair…he doesn't know about camp." Kyle wiggled his eyebrows
suggestively and leaned into her. "He doesn't know about us."
Liz tore her gaze from Max as he made his way to his table and focused on
Kyle's words. She shook her head and began to chuckle. "He knows, Kyle.
He knows there's absolutely nothing to know."
Kyle's face dropped. "What do you mean? How could he know you and I aren't
a thing?"
Liz began to blush. "I told you. Max knows things about me. Things about
how I am when I'm…" She glanced back up at the group as they silently
regarded her while she rambled on. "He asked, ok? But even before he did,
he knew. He even said so. He said he knew by the way I looked..." She
paused when she saw the complete bewilderment on Kyle's face. "Look, he
just…knew."
Kyle leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well, that's a
bummer. And here I was trying so hard to make him jealous."
"Don't feel so bad, Kyle." Alex threw in. "At least you got him to ask."
Silence fell over the group a moment before Maria ventured a new thought
cautiously. "He doesn't know about the nightmares, does he?"
Liz's gaze snapped to Kyle's face. Kyle's expression was a display of
confusion. "What? What did I do?"
"You told them?"
Kyle shrugged. "What did you expect me to do? I've got enough secrets about
life and death to try to keep track of let alone the one about nightmares
they knew you were having before anyway. It's not like my memory is the
best. I'm only a 'C' student here. Give me a break."
Liz passed a shaky hand through her hair and immediately became repentant.
"I'm sorry, Kyle. I know this has all been really strange. It's...I'm just
really tired."
"So, Liz." Alex proceeded cautiously. "About the dreams...Max knows?"
"He knows I'm having them. He doesn't know what they are." Liz explained.
Maria looked sympathetic. "Are they like before?"
Liz nodded slowly and took a deep breath, her eyes retaining the same
haunted look Max had seen earlier. "Yeah, they're pretty intense…"
"Liz?" A voice asked behind her. Liz turned around to see Joey standing
behind her. "Hi. Can I join you guys?"
Relieved to have a distraction from the current topic, Liz smiled brightly
and scooted over on the bench. "Sure. Everyone this is Joey Armstrong.
Joey, this is Kyle, Alex and Maria."
When nods and smiles had been exchanged, Joey turned to Liz with a smile.
"So, was I just hearing things or did someone say intense? Cuz, I've got to
tell you, Liz. That boyfriend of yours has that concept down pat."
Liz shot Maria, Alex and Kyle a guilty look. "He's…he's not my…"
"Who are you kidding? God, the sparks flying between you two in class
were…" Joey fanned herself with a grin and let out a breath of air in a loud
'swoosh' sound. "Let's just say I was beginning to look for the fire
extinguisher just in case you and Max happened to take those longing looks
to a higher level of activity."
Everyone seemed to speak at once…
"Longing looks?" Alex's eyebrow raised.
"Higher level of activity?" Kyle threw in as his eyes began to twinkle
suggestively.
"Class? What…what...class?" Maria's voiced concern brought all eyes to
Liz's reddening face. Her three closest friends knew immediately by her
guilty expression that they had failed in their mission. Max Evans had
finally gotten to Liz…and none of them had been around to stop him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What the hell happened to you? Get caught in a powder storm or something?"
Michael queried with a scowl as Max sauntered up to the table and sat down
with a satisfied smile.
"Something like that. Why?" Max asked as he scrunched up his nose
playfully.
Michael leaned back and eyed Max warily as he pointed to Max's face and
hair. "Go look in the mirror then ask me that again."
Isabel ignored the dustings of the powder-like substance that dotted Max's
appearance and noticed the grin on Max's face immediately. "Oh my God. It
worked, didn't it?" A usually dark eyebrow raised as Max's grin deepened
when his eyes locked with Isabel's. Isabel squealed. "Yes! I knew it
would!"
"Now, don't get too excited." Max cautioned as he leaned forward although
he couldn't keep the hope from shining in his eyes and the excitement out of
his voice. "It's not like we're back together or anything."
"But…" Isabel's one word led Max to his next statement.
"But…she had the opportunity to kick me out of class with her and…" His
smile broadened. "She couldn't do it. I mean, there was a moment there
that I thought I was a gonner, but..." Max glanced over at Liz's table and
shook his head in amazement. "...she looked in my eyes and I knew."
Isabel leaned forward excitedly. "Knew what?"
"She couldn't let me go." Max answered softly before he brought his gaze
back to Isabel and Michael and amended his statement. "She can't let me go.
She's trying..." He let out a deep sigh as his eyes began to sparkle.
"...but she can't. Just like I can't let her go."
His eyes shifted between his sister and his best friend. "This is going to
happen, guys. Liz and I are going to be together again. I can feel it."
Michael let out a sigh as he leaned forward, his voice flat and unimpressed.
"And we're all thrilled for you, Maxwell, but that still doesn't answer my
question. Why the powdered wig look?"
Max's face dropped in disappointment at Michael's comment. Actually it was
more his tone that bothered Max than what he said. What he said would have
been fine if Max felt there was a hint of sincerity behind the words.
Looking in Michael's eyes he could tell there wasn't. "What's your
problem?"
Michael's eyes shifted away from Max's face and he sat between his two best
friends like a stone wall. Unreadable. Unmovable. Unreachable. "Michael?
Answer me." Gone was the joy in Max's voice as he quietly demanded an
explanation from his friend...his second in command.
Pushing back his tray, Michael leaned his elbows on the table in front of
him and shifted his gaze back to Max. "What about Tess? What about the
mission?"
Max sat rigidly in his seat and his eyes became distant and hard. "What
about them?"
Michael shook his head in disgust. "Oh, I see. Now that the perfect Liz
Parker is back in Roswell everything else is just going to go by the
wayside, huh?"
"No, Michael. That's not what I'm saying." Max's jaw began to tighten as
he felt a wave of frustration wash over him. Why? Why was it always such a
struggle to be happy? Why was he always being pulled in two different
directions? Why, for once in his life, couldn't Michael support him in the
one thing he needed the most? Michael had been by his side the day Liz left.
He'd seen the pain Max had gone through...the desperation he'd felt. Why
couldn't he cut Max some slack for once?
Max's private thoughts made their way to his mouth. "Why is it so hard for
you to see me happy, Michael? Huh? Have I done something to deserve a
lonely life of misery that I don't know about? Because that's what you'll
be telling me to do if you ask me to walk away from her, you know."
"I'm not going to ask you to walk away." Michael stated as his gaze moved
to focus on something in the distance.
"No, but you're going to tell me to let her go, aren't you? Just like you
did at the cave." Max leaned forward and attempted to gain Michael's
attention. "Well, I'm telling you now, it's not going to happen. Not this
time." He shook his head for emphasis. "I shouldn't have even let it
happen the last time. I should have run after her, wrapped her in my arms
and never let her go."
"And what would that have accomplished, Max?" Michael spat out as he looked
to Max once more. "Holding Liz to a destiny she doesn't want? Forcing her
to accept the danger we're all in every day of our lives? Is that what you
want for her? To be tied to something that will never last? How are you
going to feel when you're the reason she's dead?"
Suddenly Max saw Michael's problem. And it had very little to do with his
relationship with Liz. Max pointed a finger in Michael's face, his own
growing red with anger. "Don't you dare try to take your problems with
Maria and make them mine. Liz and I aren't like you..."
Michael's short laugh was anything but jovial. "What? Just because we
don't get flashes every time we touch..."
"That's right!" Max's voice raised in intensity. "Liz and I have connected
on a level few people even know exist. It only comes once in a lifetime and
I refuse to give it up!"
"But Liz didn't." Michael retorted back through clenched teeth, hurt by
Max's words. Reminded once more that in this world of their Max Evans would
always be better than him. "In fact, she ran as fast as she could. Now,
there's a thought. Liz didn't have any problem giving up
this...connection...you claim is so special. Why do you think that is,
Maxwell?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you! She *hasn't* given up." Max's eyes
faltered and left Michael's face. Thoughts and feelings he'd tried so hard
to ignore came rushing back to him with Michael's opposition. And he didn't
like it. He didn't like it one bit. "She's just…she's scared right now,
that's all."
"You're damn right she's scared, Max." Michael answered, glancing around
him and lowering his voice so their conversation was held within the
confines of their table. "And she has every right to be. In fact, I'm
surprised you aren't more scared for her. We've been given a directive from
our planet. A mission that needs to be carried out. Lives depend on it,
Maxwell. If we don't succeed we could very well die. If we do, we'll be
going home. I’m telling you now, Max, having ties here is only going to
make it harder to leave when the time comes."
"It won't be hard for me because I'm not leaving." Max's eyes raised to
meet Michael's then Isabel's wide with surprise when he made his bombshell
of a statement.
"Max, you can't possibly mean…" Isabel began but stopped when she felt the
tears stinging the back of her throat.
"Yes, I do, Iz. I've had a lot of time to think about this. I've analyzed
it every which way and each time the conclusion is the same. My life,
wherever I'm living it, is worthless without Liz. I need her. I love her.
I will not leave her. No matter what." The determination in his eyes swept
over him. It was evident in the resolute set of his jaw and the firm
posture of his body. It was clear that Max was not going to be moved.
Michael ran his hand through his hair in frustration and shook his head in
displeasure. "Great. Just great." He cast a glance at Isabel. "You
happy? Now we've got a leader that won't lead. Consider our planet pretty
much screwed." Michael angrily stood up and grabbed his tray heading away
from the table in quick, irritated strides.
Max's shoulders slumped the moment Michael had passed him and he placed his
head in his hands leaning his elbows on the table. "Why does he always have
to be so difficult? I didn't mean that I wasn't going to fight…"
Isabel slid over next to Max and put her hand on his arm. "He's…hurting
right now. And he's missing Maria." She paused a moment before lowering
her voice. "Max, did you really mean it? What you said? You aren't going
to go home when the time comes?"
Max dropped his hands. "I meant every word. She really is everything to
me, Isabel. I don't want any of this if I she's not by my side. I can't
help it. It's who I am." His eyes met hers in a silent plea. "Are you
going to turn away from me now too?"
"Oh, Max." Isabel was barely able to speak at the heartbreak she saw in Max
eyes. For the first time maybe, Max's dilemma because painstakingly clear.
He really was a perfect combination of lifeforms…half-alien, half-human.
And he was constantly being forced to choose between the two sides of
himself by everyone around him. No matter which way he turned he was going
to lose. If he chose with his heart, their mission would fail. If he chose
with his head, he'd lose the only girl he ever loved. Would ever love. He
was desperately trying to reconcile his two halves as their planet had once
combined his former essence with his human body.
Isabel decided then and there what she had to do. And she would do it
tonight if not sooner. Until then she whispered the one word she knew he
needed to hear. "Never."
Shaking her head with a smile, Isabel reached up and wiped some powder off
Max's face. "I'll never make you choose, Max. And I'll never turn away.
Got it?"
Relief flooded Max's expression and a small smile came to his lips. "Yeah,
I got it."
Giving Max a sympathetic look, for the first time, Isabel really took in his
appearance. With a sudden laugh she patted his shoulder and gave an
exaggerated cough. "Now, are you going to tell me what *did* happen to
you?"
Max looked down at himself and began to chuckle. "Home ec happened. Ms.
Wright made us roll pizza dough complete with flour and…well, dough…and it
kinda dropped on my head when I tossed it in the air."
Isabel rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. You were paying more attention to
Liz than the dough, right?" She glanced around and quickly 'straightened'
Max with her powers when she saw no one was looking.
"Thanks." Max didn't even try to hide his guilt. Instead a contented,
sheepish grin spread over his face. "Strawberries."
"What?" Isabel asked in confusion.
Max's gaze drifted to Liz's table and his smile became dreamy as his eyes
began to shine with so much love Isabel could literally feel the air around
them lift with the joy of it. "She smelled like strawberries today…"
Amused, Isabel shook her head and put her arms on the table. "So, what did
she say about the globe?"
Max let out a deep sigh and kept his focus on Liz. She was laughing. Which
was always a good sign and something he had missed seeing for so long.
Max's smile deepened when the lilting tones reached his ear. It sounded
like what he would imagine the laughter of angels would sound like. Which
made sense. Liz Parker was…and always had been…an angel to him. Max would
have been even more pleased had he known her laughter in that moment was
because of him…that he had brought her that joy.
"Uh…Max?"
Max cleared his throat and pulled his eyes from Liz's beautiful face. "Huh?
Oh. Yeah. Globe. I don't think she's seen it yet. She got in late and
since then she's pretty much been either hiding from me or in class. So…"
"Well, it'll be interesting to see…"
"Yeah…" Max nodded. "It should…Iz? There's something else. She's been
having nightmares."
"Nightmares? What about?"
Max shrugged. "I don't know. She wouldn't say. I’m just…I'm worried, you
know. Maybe these nightmares are why she's so scared." Letting out a
frustrated sigh he leaned back and ran his hand through his hair. "Then
again maybe not. I just wish she would talk to me."
"She will, Max. Just keep loving her and give her time." Isabel's
attention was captured by a suddenly raised voice at Liz's table. Max's
head whipped around to see Liz stand suddenly, her face flushed with anger
and wet with tears. "Max? Oh, my God. What's going on…?"
tbc…