The Third Wheel: Roswell fanfiction by Jen



Sister Mother



My life is plagued

By mistakes, broken love

Slaps in the face

But I'm trying to care

To dare to embrace your face

Hug him like a brother

Kiss her like a sister

She'll even be your mother for now

I want to find where the maid in the street

Is pouring her wine

I heard she takes you in

And gives you the words you need said



~Sister Mother, Sixpence None The Richer



Alex's eyes flashed open later that night. He was having the strangest
dream. He and Liz and Maria and Jolie were playing football with Michael,
Max, and Isabel, and he went over to Isabel's team with Michael and Max.



All of a sudden it started to rain. Jolie was yelling at him to come back
and be on their team, but he didn't hear her. Michael shook his hand, and
Isabel even kissed him on the cheek. Or at least he thought so.



He'd made the winning touchdown, and all of a sudden, he looked over at
Jolie, and she was crying. He hated to see her cry.



Alex sighed. He'd never be able to go back to sleep now. He turned on the
light and reached underneath his bed for a huge photo album, which contained
pictures of the four of them; Liz, Maria, himself, and Jolie. Their entire
history was in there.



Sure, Liz and Maria were great, but he couldn't tell them all he'd told
Jolie over the years. What was going on between them? Lately, she'd been
acting weird; like a....girl.



She is a girl, he scolded himself. You just never noticed. Alex didn't
understand. Was Jolie jealous of Isabel? That would kind of make sense;
Isabel was beautiful and popular, and Jolie....wasnt. But he'd known Jolie
all his life, and he'd never pegged her as the jealous type.



This was confusing the hell out of him. He and Jolie were great friends, but
lately, he'd wanted to strangle her. He kept picturing her crying in the
dream. Sure, it wasn't real, but it got under his skin more than Jolie's
catty remarks to Isabel ever had.



Alex rolled over and shoved the photo album away. He didn't know what was
more confusing; the dream or the way he was feeling.



&&&&&&&&



"So, did you find anything out, when you....you know," Michael said, waving
his hands around as he rode in the Jeep with Max, and Isabel to school.



"Not much. Just that Jolie thinks I'm trying to take Alex away from her,"
Isabel said dryly. "Well, are you?" Michael asked.



Isabel glared at him. "NO! They're not dating. She's just totally in love
with him. Which I think is absurd." "Absurd?" Max repeated, looking in the
rearview mirror at Michael with a snicker. "Whatever, Is."



As they walked into school, they saw Jolie, Maria, Liz, and Alex talking by
the water fountain. "Here come the freaks," Jolie hissed, noticing Michael,
Max, and Isabel. "No offense, Liz." Liz smirked, noticing Max smiling at her.
"None taken," she assured her. "See you later, guys."



Maria followed suit; just Alex and Jolie were left standing there. "Hey,
Isabel," Alex called, but she ignored him. Jolie was about to make some rude
comment, but then she noticed that Alex looked genuinely hurt.



"So...did I tell you that really funny story about the spider in my shower
yesterday?" she asked with a smile, trying to cheer him up. Alex sighed.
"Look, I'll see you later."



"Hey, Jolie, how have you been sleeping lately?" Isabel asked, walking by
with her group of friends. Jolie sighed. "Just fine, Isabel," she said,
irritated. "Why?" "Oh, just checking," Isabel said with a bitchy smile.



During lunch, Isabel sat with Max and Michael, staring at Alex and Jolie,
who were sitting at the next table. Alex was telling some joke and Jolie was
playfully punching him in disgust.



"Look at her. She can't keep her hands off of him," Isabel said grumpily.
Max peered at his sister. Isabel and he were so close, he could usually tell
when something was bugging her. After all, they'd been through more than the
average family.



"Isabel, do you really hate her or is it all an act?" he asked. "She's
actually very nice." "Who? Jolie?" Isabel snorted. "That girl wouldn't know
nice if it bit her." Jolie walked over to them, holding a stack of napkins.



"Here she comes," Isabel muttered. "Duck and cover." "Hey," Jolie said
brightly. "I noticed you guys didn't have any napkins, so-," She leaned
against the table and accidentally tipped Isabel's Diet Coke all over her
shirt and black pants. "Oh my god, Isabel, I'm so sorry!" Jolie said with
mock-sincerity. "I really am. Here, let me help." Isabel mopped up the sticky
mess as best she could. "It's okay, Jolie," she said with gritted teeth.
"It's fine. Really. I got it."



"Geez," Isabel mused as Jolie left, passing her hand over her shirt and
pants to get rid of the stain the soda had left behind. "What did I ever do
to her?"



"Isabel," Michael said with a smile. "Do you really have to ask?" Isabel
glared at him. "Okay, I get it. No more dream-walking for me. At least for a
while. Until I find a way to shake things up." Michael smirked. "You could
always kidnap Alex and run away to Jamaica or something." Isabel rolled her
eyes. "More like Venezuela."



Max glanced at his sister, a drop of tabasco sauce hanging from his lip.
"Huh?" Isabel rolled her eyes. "Jolie had a dream that Alex and I were
running away to Venezuela together. Don't ask." Max snickered. "Venezuela.
Ha." His sister glared at him. "Thanks so much for the support, Max."



"Oh, you're welcome," Max said brightly. Isabel practically dumped the whole
bottle of hot sauce on her turkey sandwich, and took a bite. "Oh my god!" she
said, lunging for Michael's water. "Water!"



"You know, Isabel, if you could just get past the fact that Jolie's got a
thing for Alex, you probably would like her," Max suggested.



"Alex? I don't even care about Alex. Jolie can have him. You think I like
him? I don't!" Isabel protested. "Ouch," Michael remarked, exchanging glances
with Max. "Are you sure?" Isabel glared at him. "Shut up."



&&&&&&&&&&



That afternoon, Alex walked outside and waited for Jolie.



She always drove him home, because she complained that walking beside the
Whitman "geek-mobile," better known as his bike, was no way to pick up cute
guys. He'd told her that he wasn't trying very hard to pick up cute guys to
begin with.



"Hi, Alex," Jolie said, walking over to him. This part of the day always
killed her. They made friendly banter, argued over the radio station. She
felt like his sister, driving him home from school. And she knew deep in her
heart that was the way he thought of her, too. "You ready to go?"



Alex nodded, opening the door to Jolie's car. "Yep. Do I get to pick the
radio station this time? None of that Lilith crap you listen to like this
morning. Heather Nova?" "Don't touch my radio," Jolie snapped, swatting his
hand away from the dial.



She didnt really mind it, though. They always argued about music. At least
they were talking.



Alex leaned back in the seat, pouting. "You don't listen to good music. Look
at this," he said, picking up her tapes. "Sarah McLachlan. Fiona Apple.
Jessica Simpson. Notice that the Whits is an all-guy band," he pointed out.



Jolie sighed. "Granted, the Whits have talent, but I'm telling you, more
hormonally driven males would come to your gigs if you had a female
tambourine player or something." Alex glanced at her. "Are you saying you
want to be our tambourine girl?" he asked with a sly smile.



Jolie shook her head. "Me? No...no way. Someone like Maria. She's got killer
pipes for backup. Maybe even Dizzy Isabel Evans. I mean, how hard can it be
to thump a piece of canvas on a wooden circle?"



Alex's face immediately brightened, and he gave her his trademark thumbs-up.
"Isabel. In the band. Maybe. I love the way you think, Jol! Just for that,
I'm taking you out for Chinese tonight."



A date, Jolie wanted to shriek. Alex Whitman is asking me out on a date!
Then the reality hit her. We go out for Chinese all the time, she thought.
It's not a date. "Um....all right, sure," she managed to say. "I'll meet you
at The Wonton Palace around six-thirty."



She smiled happily as they pulled onto his street and leaned against the
seat with her heart pounding. A date, she thought happily. With Alex. Wake
up! Wake up, wake up! She pinched herself, to see if she was dreaming. It
hurt. She wasn't.



"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her arm. Alex glanced over at her. "What?"
"Nothing," Jolie said quickly, checking her hair in the rearview mirror.
"Forget about it. So, tonight? Wonton Palace, all-you-can-eat buffet."



Alex nodded. "Right. I'm in the mood for some-," "Chicken wings and wonton
soup," Jolie finished. She knew him so well. "What exactly is a wonton?" Alex
smirked, getting out of the car. "Ah, you know me too well. See you later,
kid." "Yeah," Jolie echoed. "Bye, Alex."



Jolie drove home to see Maria and Liz waiting on her front step. "Hey, you
guys," she said. "What's up?" "So, did you tell him? Are you going to tell
him?" Maria asked.



"Tell who what?" Jolie asked innocently, pushing open the door and following
her friends inside. "Alex!" Liz exclaimed. "You're gonna tell him how you
feel, aren't you?"



Jolie shrugged. "Maybe. Hey, I'm thinking about highlighting my hair. Maybe
a some blonde streaks, what do you guys think?"



"No way, girl. You are not getting off that easy," Maria said with a laugh.
"Tell him now. Think of me and Liz. How much more can we take?" "I'll tell
him tonight," Jolie said easily. "No big deal."



"Yeah, but how?" Liz asked. Jolie shrugged. "I don't know. Something like
"Alex, I like you as more than a friend". That long-winded sentence gives me
time to prepare for the inevitable shootdown."



"Jolie, stop beating yourself up!" Liz exclaimed. "Alex has got to be crazy
not to go for you. You're-," "Beautiful!" Maria sputtered. "Alex and you are
made for eachother. You've known him forever!"



"Forever," Jolie repeated. "You are so right, Maria. And he's known Isabel
for like, two seconds. So, what am I supposed to wear tonight?"



&&&&&&&&&



Later that night, Jolie surveyed herself in the mirror: a blue-and-orange
tie-dyed skirt she'd borrowed from Maria, and an orange tank top. Lookin'
pretty good, she thought with a smile, grabbing her keys from the dresser.
Here goes nothing.



She drove to the restaurant to see Alex waiting outside with his bike.



"Alex!" she called. "You know, I would have picked you up!" she called.



"It's okay," Alex said, jogging over to open the door for her. I needed the
exercise. He smelled...different. He must have borrowed some cologne from
his father, Jolie thought, letting a giggle escape her lips as she stepped
out of the car. Alex was wearing a Hawaiian print shirt, khaki shorts and
sandals.



"You look....nice," she managed to say. He smiled at her, that goofy smile
that shed always loved about him. "So do you." They were seated, ordered
drinks and walked up to the buffet. "So," Jolie managed to say, taking some
sesame chicken. "How are you?"



"Good," Alex said, putting some chicken wings on his plate. "Look at this,"
he said, reaching for a fortune left on the buffet.



"Tonight is a night of opportunity". What kind of opportunity?" Jolie glared
at him. "How am I supposed to know?" Alex smirked. "That's what I thought."



As they sat back down at the table, they noticed Isabel walk in with her
friends Beth and Anna. Alex looked up from where he was slurping his soup.



"Alex, if you invite them to sit with us, I will mutilate you," Jolie
warned. "I'll cut off your arms and legs."



Alex grinned at her. "Relax, tiger," he whispered. "God, she looks
gorgeous."



"Isabel? Gorgeous?" Jolie repeated. "Have you seen her eat?"



Alex smoothed his hair. "Im ignoring that, he snapped. Relax, Jolie scolded
him. Tonight Ill make no more catty comments about Isabel Evans. I promise.



"Thats a first, Alex said, swallowing a spoonful of soup. Should I go over
and talk to her?" "I don't know," Jolie whispered back, stealing a chicken
wing from him. "Why are we whispering?"



Alex wiped his hands on a napkin. "Hey! he exclaimed. Tonight's the night,"
he muttered. "Give me twenty minutes, and I'll show you."



If on cue, a song started to play:



It has gotten to my head

Permeates the path I tread

But I tread I'm moving on

In a new and happy song



"You wanna dance?" Alex asked. Jolie nodded, wiping her sweaty palms on her
skirt. "Sure."



They got up, and Alex's arms immediately went around her. Her heart
pounding, Jolie rested her chin on his shoulder, inhaling his cologne. It
smelled really good.



"Alex," she whispered. "Is this some kind of jealousy thing?"



Alex let go of her for a second. "No," he said, puzzled. "Jolie, I just
wanna dance with you. Is that okay?" Jolie nodded. "Um, it's fine."



I can sing about the night

How my tunnel without light

Led me to the other side

Where the sky is blue

It's all I can do to not let them ruin me

I will not let them ruin me

I will not let them ruin me again



I will not let them ruin me, Jolie thought, listening to the words of the
song. Isabel Evans, eat your heart out. "Alex, look at me," she managed to
say. Alex glanced over her shoulder at Isabel. "Hmm?" he asked.



With probably more force than she ever used on him in her entire life, Jolie
grabbed the back of Alex's head and kissed him on the mouth. Isabel just
stood there with her clique, staring at them. Oh my god, Jolie thought as
she pulled away. Oh my god. What am I supposed to say? "I'm sorry"? I'm not
sorry!



"Jolie..." Alex trailed off. "Jolie, what was that?"



Jolie let go of him. "I don't know," she managed to say. "Um, Jol, I gotta
go," he managed to say. "I'll see you around." He tossed a twenty dollar bill
on the table. "For dinner," he choked out. "It was nice."



"Alex!" Jolie called, hurriedly snatching up the bill and money, and running
up to the cashier. Keep the change, she managed to say, flashing the cashier
a smile.



"Alex wait!" But by the time she got outside, he was gone. Do not cry,
she warned herself. Don't let them see you cry.



"Jolie?" Isabel asked, walking up behind her. "Was that Alex?" "Yes," Jolie
spat out. "I'll see you, Isabel." She got in her car and drove away, crying
silently the whole way home.



As she walked in the door, the phone rang. "Hello? Alex?" she asked. "Jolie,
you're home!" Maria exclaimed. "How'd it go?"



Jolie sat down at the kitchen table. "It went," she said sadly. "I kissed
him, Maria."



Maria squealed and dropped the phone. "Jolie, you kissed him," she repeated,
fumbling for the phone. "Good going."



"Thanks," Jolie said sadly. "And Isabel was there...god, she saw everything.
She so knows." "So what?" Maria asked. "I mean, come on, you kissed him, not
her. Did you get dizzy?"



"Yes, the entire room was spinning," Jolie said dryly. "Don't tell anyone,
okay?" "Are you kidding me?" Maria asked. "I gotta tell Liz. Can I tell Liz?"



"Fine," Jolie said with a sigh. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow."



"Okay. But tell me, was that so hard? Just a little kiss! A kiss! Oh my god.
You and Alex? Who woulda ever thought?" Maria asked. "Not Alex, obviously,"
Jolie mumbled. "Bye, Maria."



"See you tomorrow, girl," Maria said with a smile, hanging up the phone.