Disclaimer: In an alternate universe I would own the show Roswell, the WB, and most importantly Jason Behr, but in this one I’m just another hardcore fan.

Distribution: I spent HOURS on this thing, so please email me before posting it. At the very least I like to give my ego a boost and go look at it when it’s posted on a website.

Spoilers: Yes! Through the season finale. DON’T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED.

Rating: PG-13 for now, will probably go up to R and possibly NC-17 much later on.

Subject: Everybody, but leaning towards Max/Liz

Summary: I took a few liberties with the storyline. In this alternate universe, Tess is dead – killed during the season finale by Agent Pierce. Nasedo has disappeared (temporarily?). Everyone is trying to deal with the answers they have now. NO ONE has broken up with anyone – this is important. Everyone is just trying to get back to a semblance of normal while they try to take everything in.

Author’s Note: I have a job that requires a lot of hours (computers-gotta love ‘em), so I won’t be able to write every day. However, this idea has been plaguing me for weeks, and I just have to get this down.

Author: Sheeijan

Email: jashin@mindspring.com

Part I

The dust of over a 1000 miles were caked to the beatup black Ford. Aria could feel more dust coat the inside of her mouth, but stubbornly refused to roll her windows back up. As hot as it was, there was no way mere air conditioning could combat the heat. The wind whipped her hair into a tangled golden mess around her, and the radio cranked was high enough to drown out the urgent noises the car’s engine was making. It was only when her car started shuddering that Aria realized that all was not right with her vehicle. Cursing under her breath, she flipped Godsmack’s song Voodoo (one of her current favorites) off and pulled over to the side of the empty highway. A minute later, she was staring at the inside of her car blankly. Beautiful she may be, mechanical she was not. Aria sighed, turned, and scanned the area closely. There wasn’t a car or a human in sight. Closing her eyes, she then sent her awareness out, feeling for any kind of presence around her. Nothing. She was completely alone, and safe. Safe to put her hands on the front of her broken down car and use her powers to fix it. There were definitely advantages to being alien. Smiling faintly, Aria slammed the hood back down and headed off down the road again. As she pulls back over onto the highway, she passes a sign reading "Roswell – 50 miles".

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Liz slammed her locker closed, turned and leaned against it with a sigh. School was finally over, and she made a silent thank-you to whatever gods had been listening to her prayers last night. No homework, no tests on Monday, which meant she could spend the weekend vegging out with Maria. Scratch that, she would probably spend the weekend doing some serious freaking out with Maria. After everything that had happened the last few weeks, she had as of yet had time to sit and really think things out. Trying to keep herself and everyone else alive had really taken a lot out of her. Of course, now the FBI was the least of her worries. Well, maybe not the least but the fact that Max was the leader of an entire planet somewhere definitely pushed thoughts of G-men down her list. Explaining things to her parents was an experience she didn’t care to repeat. Sheriff Valenti had really helped in that one, though. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the Sheriff she probably would have ended up grounded until college. As it was, her folks only looked at her a little suspiciously but dropped the subject of her whereabouts lately. Liz still wasn’t sure what exactly Valenti had told them, but whatever it was she and the rest of the gang owed him. Even Max’s disappearance had been smoothed over.

"If you aren’t permanently attached to that wall, do you think you could move your body in this direction so we can get out of here, Liz?" Maria smiled at her best friend with traces of her old Maria-ness behind it. Liz didn’t think that she would ever see Maria smile her old carefree craziness ever again. Too many things have happened to them to ever go back to being innocent teenagers. "I guess we’d better get to work," Liz sighed. "Oh, joy." Maria muttered. "So, tonight…" Maria paused expectantly. Liz looked sideways at Maria. "What?" Liz asked in genuine confusion. "Well, what’s on the agenda? Will it be A, FBI? B, weird freaky glowing thingies? C, more earth-shattering news for our visiting friends from ‘out of town’? or D, general emotional heartache and pain for the home team from ‘planet Earth’? I know what I’m going to bet on." Maria jumped into her mother’s car and opened the passenger side from inside. Liz quickly got in and asked, "Could you please explain what you’re talking about?" "Oh, come on Liz, you know what they’re gonna do, don’t you? It’s so obvious." Liz rolled her eyes. "Okay, I’ve been thinking about this a lot – it’s amazing how little sleep the body really needs when it gets right down to it. Anyway, our Czechoslavakian friends have just been informed that they are the only hope that an entire planet of people have to free them from slavery. Slavery! The hope of a planet, Liz. If this isn’t a reason for Michael to end our relationship, well… And Max, I can’t even begin to fathom." Liz stared at her with her mouth open. "Look, Liz, I’m not trying to hurt you. But you need to be prepared. This is sooooo much bigger than any of us had imagined. I mean, before we knew it was like, ‘Look around, this place isn’t so bad, don’t just visit Earth, just Stay!’ Now, they have to leave. They don’t even have a choice, really." Liz started shaking her head before Maria had a chance to finish. "No, you’re wrong, Maria." "Liz, it’s not like you can ask them to stay after this…" "No, that’s not what I meant. I would never do that, you know that. But, don’t you get it? They need us more than ever." "I think that’s denial talking, chica. I don’t see what we can do for them. What, build them a spaceship to get them back home?" "Maria, do you think that they would have gotten as far as they have without our help? No! Whether they believe it or not, whether they admit it or not, they can’t do this alone. That’s all there is to it." Maria glanced at Liz, uncertainty clouding her face. They rode the rest of the way to the Crashdown in silence.