The next day the Parkers returned to the Crashdown and got the best surprise they could think of, Liz. Her and Alec were sitting at the counter chatting with Maria and Michael when they came in the front door. Alec freaked at first when Nancy screamed in delight and grabbed Liz but once he figured out what was going on, he was fine. Liz introduced them to Alec and the four went up to the apartment to talk. Liz told them most of her story about her time in Manticore and how she met Alec. They were somewhat weary of Alec at first but they trusted Liz and allowed him to stay with them until he could find his own place.
To Liz delight, Alec and Kyle seemed to hit it off. She didn’t know if it stemmed from their mutual dislike for Max or because they had similar personalities. They were both smart asses and had strange senses of humor. And when the two were together, you never knew what was going to come out of their mouths.
During her first few days back in Roswell, Liz hadn’t seen Max. At least not close up, she had seen him driving down the street but that was it. Of course it wasn’t like she had sought him out either, she had been busy with her parents and getting Alec settled into Roswell. Liz even started helping out her parents again around the café.
A week after Liz and Alec’s arrival in Roswell, things finally came to a head with Max. Liz had just finished helping close up, Jose had already left, and Maria was in the bathroom changing so she was alone in the café. Kyle had came by earlier and taken Alec with him to play basketball (Kyle and Alec all sweaty and shirtless?) and then were going to pick up some movies for them to watch. When she heard the bell above the door ring she looked up expecting it to be the two of them and found only Max. To say she was shocked was an understatement. She kept her face in an expressionless mask and said, “Max.”
He smiled slightly at her and said, “Hey Liz.”
“What do you want?” She asked coldly.
“I’m just here to talk,” Max said holding up his hands. “After everything you’re not going to shut me out completely are you?”
“Actually yes, I was thinking of doing it.” Liz stated. “Because if you don’t remember from the last time we talked I said either except Alec and I or stay away from me. And since you seem to not be able to do either…”
“I just wanted to see you.” Max said interrupting. “I just don’t understand how we could go from being together to you completely shutting me out.”
“For one thing, we didn’t ‘just go’ I was gone for months, I was in hell for months, Max. And secondly why not? You didn’t have any problems kicking me out of your life last October. I tried to help you, tried to make it so you wouldn’t hate me but you couldn’t get past your own hurt to try. You had to be cold and make small comments to put me down.”
“Liz, I never…”
“Didn’t you? I gave you a vital warning when you went to New York and you point blank told me that you didn’t trust me. You couldn’t believe that although we weren’t together that I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.” Liz explained. All the things that she had been thinking an feeling when she was locked up in her cell was finally let loose and there was no way to stop her now.
She looked at Max. “Do you think I intended for all of this to happen? I told you that we couldn’t get caught, I tried to get you out of that store but you couldn’t be rushed. I knew what would happen to me if we got caught but I still helped you. The night they came for me I tried to get to you, I thought, ‘Max will help me.’ But I didn’t get that far. Even once I was inside I always thought about you and put aside what I started feeling for Alec. The more time we spent together and the more I got to know the real him, I felt it growing. But I kept pushing and pushing it down like I could ignore it. Until one day I couldn’t anymore.”
Seeing all of the emotion that had suddenly seeped into her face, Max couldn’t help but ask, “What happened?”
“We were sent on a data retrieval mission. Things didn’t quite go to plan and we ended up trapped in a lab. Alec made sure I got out of the lab and building. I was waiting on the lawn for him when the lab I had just escaped from exploded. At that instant it felt like someone completely ripped out my heart. Almost like something inside me died. It scared me deeply and I couldn’t imagine him not being there. I felt like I would end up like the other mindless soldiers at Manticore. I felt all of these things in just the ten seconds after the explosion. I ran for the building when someone grabbed me, it was Alec. I can’t remember being so happy to someone. It was that night that I finally quit fighting and gave myself what my heart wanted, him. I was lucky that he wanted me just as much.”
Max had listened patiently and calmly to Liz’s tale but something in her last statement caused all of the hurt and anger he had been feeling ever since he saw the two of them in bed together to come back. His anger didn’t listen to what Liz had said that she had loved Alec, only that she had given up on them. And the only thing he could think to do was try to hurt her as much as she hurt him. “Oh, I’m sure you really believed that he was just going to push you away? A woman as beautiful as you throwing yourself at him? I don’t even know him but I know no man would be that big of an idiot.”
Liz had thought she was getting somewhere with him but now she could see he was still being hard headed. “Like Tess threw yourself at you? There’s one difference here Max. We love each other! We didn’t sleep together because we had a deal to fulfill or because we had driven everyone who cared about us away!”
“Love? Ha. You were lonely and needed someone; you wanted out and saw him as a way to help you escape. Now that you’re both out, how long do you think this ‘thing’ is going to last? He’ll want to go out and explore other women and leave you here to rot. And then you’ll wish that you wouldn’t be pushing me away!”
They now stood toe to toe in the middle of the café, and Liz wanted to push him away from her but didn’t get a chance. Max was suddenly pulled backwards away from her. She could see around his surprised face that while they had been arguing Kyle and Alec had entered the café undetected. Alec had a hold of Max by the back of his shirt and had been the one to rip him away from her. And he looked thoroughly pissed off. He pushed Max back farther and let go of his shirt. “Don’t talk about what Liz and I have, when you know nothing about it. You’re definition of love is so twisted that you couldn’t even understand it if you did know.”
“You’re the one who has no idea what you’re talking about.” Max spit out. “I’ve loved Liz since the first moment I saw her.”
“No, you loved the act that she gave everyone, not her. Didn’t you ever think about why she didn’t tell you about that barcode on her neck? Because she knew that you would feel differently if you knew that that perfect image of her wasn’t the real one. I accept her for everything she is and you would never be able to.” Alec said vehemently. He was never one to talk so openly to someone he didn’t know but he had been so angry when he had walked in and saw him arguing with Liz that he had snapped. He watched Max’s reaction and knew what was coming next. After all one of their first lessons in hand to hand was learning the exact movements that showed when someone was about to hit him; he knew it before Max’s fist hit his jaw.
The punch was solid and would have knocked an ordinary guy flat on his ass but he wasn’t an ordinary guy. The proof was in the blood that he could taste in his mouth. He wiped his lip with his hand and felt the sting where Max had cracked the corner of his mouth. If Max thought that one punch was going to keep him away from Liz, he was sorely mistaken. Alec knew he could pummel Max in five seconds flat. And could kill him in even less time. But first he’d give him the chance to back out now but he only got one chance.
Liz moved to intercept the two of them but Kyle’s hand on her arm halted her, “They’ve got to do this, or things will never end. I know you can swat me away like a fly but trust me.”
Liz understood what Kyle was saying and held back. But only for now.
Max’s anger fumed at the lack of reaction and he ran at Alec. He aimed the hit just right and it threw them both to the ground. As they landed Max’s arms punched wildly looking to strike any part of Alec but the transgenic blocked or dodged them easily. He grabbed one of Max’s fists and used it to shove him off of him.
“Even if you have her now, it won’t last. We’re meant to be together and we will be. You’re not able to love her like I do Alec.” Max growled as he got to his feet.
“You’re right Max. Because I don’t look at her as something I own or supposed to have. Just as someone who loves me.” He said as he and Max circled each other.
“Is that what you told her to get her into bed? I bet she…” Max didn’t a chance to finish his remark because Alec’s fist effectively ended it before he could.
Max felt almost blinded by the pain in his eye and he would have fallen back onto the floor but Alec grabbed him by his shirt to yank him up to face level. “If I ever hear you say anything like that again about Liz and I’ll kill you! And I won’t hesitate.” Alec growled.
As Max saw the rage in his eyes, he finally understood what Liz had been trying to tell him the night on her balcony. Transgenics were not people to piss off and for the first time Max was actually scared of Alec. He saw the fierce protectiveness he felt for Liz and knew that he meant his words. But he still couldn’t let go, he couldn’t let Alec have her. Alec lowered him to the ground and that’s when Max made his move. He lashed out quickly and started throwing more punches at him although all of hit nothing but air. But unlike before when Alec just blocked him, now he punched back.
The two continued their brawling, not paying attention to what was going on around them. Not the sounds of the braking glasses or the tables overturning. They only stopped when they felt something shove them apart and they were both thrown back several feet and landed on their asses on the floor.
They both looked up to see Liz glaring at both of them. Max started to get up but she pushed him back down with her powers. That was when it clicked in Alec’s head that she had been the one to toss them apart. “I haven’t said what I needed to say yet so you’re going to just have to stay put until I do.”
“But…” Max started to say.
“I think you’ve said quite enough for tonight Max. And I did not just risk both Alec and my lives to get out of Manticore to have the two of you trash this place with your pissing contest.” Liz stated angrily. Alec looked around and winced at the damage they had done. He noticed Kyle and Maria staring at the two as Liz continued to talk to Max. “This is it. I’m sick of trying to be civil and diplomatic about this. I want you out of here Max. And do not come back. Not until you get your head out of your ass and realize that what we had is over. If you do come back and start trouble, you’ll probably get another beating while my Dad calls the Sheriff along with getting a restraining order. Then you come near me and you’ll go to jail. Not the little bit of time you did before but prison, and they take blood samples in prison Max.”
As she threatened him, Max could see that she was serious. He had pushed her too far. And her words over the past few minutes made it sink in that he had lost her, for good this time. The pain he felt from it far outweighed the pain he felt on his face at the moment. He had messed up too much and there was no going back, there was only one thing he could do to attempt to make it up to her. “I won’t bother you. You or Alec.”
“Good.” Liz stated relieved. She released the hold her powers had on Max and he rose. He stood still for a minute, looking like he was trying to say something. But he must not have been able to because he turned and walked out of the restaurant in silence.
Alec was about to get up when he saw Liz towering over him, “And you!”
“Um… I was just trying to...”
Liz sat down on his legs and pined him to the floor. “To be my big brave hero. And I love you for it but there are some battles I have to fight for myself. Okay?”
“Okay.” Alec said agreeing.
“Okay then. Now you have to clean up the mess you made. While you do that, I’ll be at the counter with Kyle and Maria.” Liz stated in a tone that reminded Alec of their command officers. He was about to argue but knew there was no point. He started turning the tables upright when he felt Kyle next to him. “How did it feel?”
“Huh?”
“To punch Evans like that? I’ve been wanting to do it for so long…” Kyle said.
Alec only smirked, “It felt great.”
Epilogue
Thanks to the money that Alec had saved and Liz had rescued, Alec had enough money to get an apartment and other things. Michael talked to his landlord and helped to get Alec the apartment across from him. It was almost identical to his and plenty of room for Alec. Liz was somewhat surprised at how helpful Michael was, but she thanked him profusely for it. He said he was just paying back a favor from when Liz had talked her dad into hiring him. Kyle got him a job at the garage with him as a full-time mechanic. The owner didn’t like to do much hands on work anymore so it worked well. As much as he complained about it, Liz could see that Alec enjoyed it, partly because it helped him to control his life.
Two weeks after she got back to Roswell Liz went to the highschool to see what she could do about graduating. It was important to her that she did indeed finish, hopefully with her friends. With help from her parents, Liz came up with a plausible story to tell the principle and school board. Because of her exceptlerary records and grades before, she was allowed to test out of her courses and was able to graduate with Maria, Michael, Kyle, and Max. She didn’t make valedictorian but it didn’t matter when she walked across the stage and saw her parents, and Alec in the crowd. Then right before she got back to her seat, she saw something that completely shocked her, her sister Max and Logan. Liz found out later that Alec had contacted them and invited them to come. The two joined everyone else at the Crashdown for the gang’s celebration party after.
A few weeks after graduation, Max’s investigation for his son finally turned up something. He found another shapeshifter who was living LA under the guise of a Hollywood producer. He contacted him and with his help found the ship again. They were going back to Antar. Max told Isabel and Michael that he wanted them to stay on Earth and not to leave the lives they were set in. Michael argued at first but Max won out in the end. He said goodbye to his parents, who were finally told the secret, Isabel, and the rest of the group. He had come by the Crashdown and finally made peace with Liz and Alec. Liz wished him luck in finding his son before her and Alec watched him leave.
After several hours of talking, Alec talked Liz into still going after her dream of attending Harvard. She had missed the deadline for entry into Harvard for the first semester but managed to be accepted so she could start at the beginning of the second semester. So the two packed up and moved to Massachusetts. Alec didn’t mind except he said he liked the weather in Roswell more but he wasn’t going to be on one side of the country while Liz was on the other side. He got another small apartment and a better job at a security firm. He helped to test the effectiveness of the new systems for buildings as well as computers. Basically he broke into places or computers and showed them the weaknesses. He worked hard and by the time Liz was taking finals at the end of her second year, he was one of the heads of his department.
Before Liz started her graduate work, the two were married in a small ceremony in the chapel at Harvard. The whole attendance added up to twenty but they only wanted the ones closest to them there so it was perfect. They had already gotten a bigger apartment and had been living together for the past year. Just the two of them lived there until one week before Liz’s twenty-fifth birthday when a son, Brandon Zachary was born.
Despite the circumstances that they were born and later met in, Alec and Liz had a wonderful life together. Liz never would have thought that things would work out quite the way they did when she was recaptured.
The End
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