Part 5
>
>"Our questions?" Max asked. Liz shot a look at Maria and Alex. She
>sighed, knowing what their reaction to this was going to be.
>
>"Listen, you guys, this is something I need to talk to Max alone about.
>I'm really sorry, but we'll call you a bit later. Maybe we can go hang out
>tonight or something."
>
>"So you're kicking us out, Liz?" Maria exclaimed.
>
>"I'm really, really sorry, but yeah. I'll call you on your cell when I'm
>done with Isabel and Michael."
>
>"Cell? I don't have a cell, Liz." Maria looked at Liz strangely.
>
>"Okay, I guess that's a my-world thing. Anyway, I'll call you later."
>
>"Fine, bye Liz." Maria and Alex left in a hurry.
>
>
>"Can you believe this Alex? We finally get our best friend back, and she
>goes and ditches us for Max Evans. Liz never gave Max Evans the time of
>day, and now she, like, can't keep her eyes off him. And why is it that
>she went to him first instead of us. This is too weird. Something's going
>on here."
>
>"Maria, cool it, okay? You're just being crazy again."
>
>"Excuse me? I think I've earned the right to act a little crazy. It's not
>every day that your best friend is resurrected from the dead. But she's
>acting like a total stranger."
>
>"Of course she's going to act differently. She isn't our Liz, Maria. She
>looks the same, and she may have the same personality, but she's not the
>same person. Our Liz is dead. This is just a temporary replacement.
>Don't get your hopes up that she'll be back for good." And by the looks of
>it, one of us should tell Max Evans that too, Alex thought.
>
>"You're right, Alex. I know you're right. You're always right, but I
>can't help feeling a little upset that she just blew us off. And for Max
>Evans. She barely even knows Max Evans. Something weird is going on here,
>apart from the obvious. And I intend to find out what it is!"
>
>"And how exactly do you plan on doing that Maria?"
>
>"Well, I'm not sure yet, but let's keep a close eye on this Liz. Try and
>figure out what her secret is."
>
>"And what makes you think she's got a secret?"
>
>"Everyone has got a secret, Alex. Some of them are bigger than others, but
>we all have them. I mean, yours is that you're an underground computer
>hacker, mine is…well…mine is that my father abandoned me and my mom. This
>Liz has to have one too. So are you going to help me with this Alex?"
>
>Alex sighed. He and Liz used to always laugh at Maria when she got worked
>up over her crazy theories. "Sure," Alex agreed, "Why not? It's not like I
>have anything else to do this weekend."
>
>
>Isabel and Michael sat silently in Isabel's bedroom, waiting to talk to
>Max. Isabel was organizing her makeup, again, while Michael sat in a chair
>across the room staring off into space. He started tapping his foot
>impatiently.
>
>"Will you stop that Michael? It's really annoying."
>
>"Well what am I supposed to do? Huh? I've been stuck sitting in here
>watching you pamper yourself for an hour, while Max is in his room with
>Liz, doing God knows what."
>
>"I for one don't WANT to know what they're doing in there."
>
>"Whatever they're doing, he's breaking the rules just by being with her.
>You saw the way they looked at each other. We agreed not to get involved
>with anyone."
>
>"Michael will you just shut up? Max will come and talk to us when he's
>ready."
>
>"Knock, knock." Somebody rapped loudly on the door.
>
>"See," Isabel shot at Michael. "Come in! It's about time you come and
>talk to us Max."
>
>"It's not Max, it's Liz," Liz opened the door, and slowly walked in. "Can
>I talk to you guys?"
>
>"What do you want. Where's Max?" Michael snapped at her.
>
>"I asked Max if I could talk to you guys first. I wanted to start by
>apologizing for just barging in on you guys like this. I know you never
>would have expected something like this to happen, and especially not for
>you guys to be the people that I turn to in this situation…"
>
>"Well that's really sweet of you, but does this little talk have a point?"
>Isabel remarked sarcastically.
>
>"Let me finish. You have to understand that things are very different
>where I come from. We're all a big group of friends in my world: you guys,
>Max, me, and Maria and Alex, and there's no secrets between the six of us."
>
>Isabel laughed, "No secrets, huh?" She gave Liz a wry grin, "I wouldn't be
>so sure about that if I were you."
>
>Liz gave Isabel a pointed, serious look. "I meant that Isabel. No
>secrets." Isabel stared back at Liz, and then turned to Michael, who had a
>shocked look on his face too. Michael finally broke the silence.
>
>"Are you saying that you know…" He drifted off, not wanting to be the one
>to say it.
>
>"I know everything", Liz told them, "About you three, and where you come
>from." Michael and Isabel sat there in a daze, trying to process what Liz
>was telling them. They had spent their entire lives being so careful,
>making sure that no one ever found out about them, and then out of nowhere,
>a dead girl walked back into their lives announcing that she knew all their
>secrets.
>
>"How?" Isabel asked her quietly.
>
>"Well, it all started with the Crashdown shooting…"
>
>
>Alex and Maria sneak up to the Evans house. They're dressed ridiculously
>in camouflage army clothes in an attempt to blend in with the bushes,
>sneaking around like they're breaking into a restricted army compound or
>something. Alex guards Maria's back with a plastic water gun, as she
>sneaks by the front windows, and turns the corner towards the side of the
>house. They finally make into the backyard, and sneak up to Max's bedroom
>window, where they crouch down and wait, listening.
>
>
>Max is pacing around his bedroom nervously, waiting for Liz's return. "God
>only knows what Michael and Isabel's reaction to this all will be. They're
>probably going to kill her." The wait was tremendous for him. Max wanted
>nothing more than to go with Liz in there, so that he could try and make it
>easier for everyone. He wanted to protect Liz from Michael and Isabel's
>accusations, and he wanted to be sure that Liz gave it to them lightly.
>Max smiled. He knew she'd do fine though. She was amazing like that. Max
>remembered what it was like for him to hold her in his arms the night
>before. It was incredible. His dreams hadn't come even close to comparing
>to what it was like in reality. Her skin was so soft and silky, and her
>hair smelled incredible. He couldn't forget that incredible scent. And
>she was so beautiful.
>
>He was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn't even hear the door
>open, and Liz, Michael, and Isabel came marching in. He looked up in
>surprise. "So, how did it go?" He asked.
>
>"Well, that was something we didn't expect to hear." Isabel told him, "And
>you know what the annoying part is? I can't even get mad at you, 'cause you
>didn't do it. I wish there was someone I could get mad at, but there
>isn't, so I guess we'll just have to live with it."
>
>"I think they took it pretty well," Liz commented, smiling her electrifying
>smile at Max. It was all he could do to keep from melting into a puddle
>right there.
>
>"So now what?" Max asked her, "You said that there was more."
>
>"Yeah, there is." Liz sighed, trying to figure out where to start. "Okay,
>like I said before Max, our relationship wasn't the only thing that came
>out of the Crashdown shooting. Neither was my knowledge that you are all
>aliens. A lot of people became suspicious of the three of you, in
>particular, Sheriff Valenti. He had previous proof of alien existence, and
>when you healed me, he focused briefly on trying to get me to expose you.
>I wouldn't, of course, but he took me in for questioning, and showed me
>this picture of a corpse from 1959, with a silver handprint on its chest.
>This man had been killed by an alien, and he tried to frighten me into
>revealing you."
>
>"Are you saying that there was another alien besides us?" Michael demanded.
>
>"Well, there was in 1959. Anyway, this picture led us on a series of
>clues, which eventually led us to the Mescalero Indian Reservation, where a
>man named River Dog told us the story of his relationship with this alien
>named Nasedo. He told us everything that Nasedo told him about who he was
>and where he came from, and he told us the story of Nasedo killing that man
>in the picture. River Dog showed us the cave where Nasedo lived. There
>were paintings on the wall of the cave, which Michael recently discovered
>in a vision were a map home. Max, do you remember that constellation I
>pointed out to you last night? The V-shaped one?" Max nodded. "Well,
>that's where we think your home is."
>
>The three aliens stared at Liz in shock. Liz had just given them more
>knowledge about themselves than they expected to find in their entire
>lifetime.
>
>Isabel broke the silence, "Could you take us there? Show us the cave with
>the map?" Liz nodded.
>
>
>Outside the window, Alex and Maria stared at each other in shock, barely
>believing what they had just heard. They heard the front door shut, and
>waited until they had sped off in Max's jeep before speaking.
>
>"It's impossible. Aliens don't exist. I mean, even here in Roswell we all
>know that there was no crash. It's been scientifically proven," Alex
>insisted.
>
>"Why would they make all that up? They didn't know that we were listening.
> I think we just found out what Liz's secret is, and Max, Michael, and
>Isabel's too for that matter."
>
>"So what are we going to do about it?"
>
>"Let's go over to my place and figure that out. Remember that we're going
>to be hanging out with Liz tonight. We have to figure out what we're going
>to say to her when she calls later."
>
>Pt 6
>
>Max stared at the wall of the cave in the dark firelight, tracing the lines
>of the alien symbols with his fingertips. Liz stood back and watched the
>three aliens, as they studied the walls in fascination. She realized, as
>she watched them, that this was their first experience with anything like
>this. They had probably never expected to ever find any clues about
>themselves, and she had just handed them a huge one. In her world, they
>had been studying Nasedo's necklace for days before River Dog had brought
>them to the cave. Surprises had become not so unexpected in her world, but
>here, everything was new to them.
>
>She watched Max, and smiled at the way the fire bounced off of his eyes,
>his incredible soulful eyes. The eyes that had watched her throughout her
>life. She wondered how it was that she hadn't felt his eyes on her for all
>the years before. Nowadays she knew when Max was watching her. She felt
>him whenever he was near. Liz could barely remember what her life was like
>before the shooting. Her life had turned around so quickly. It went from
>being empty, to being so full of passion and life. Liz didn't know how she
>had done it before, lived her life without Max Evans. Then she frowned.
>What about when she got back? She had Max so completely here, but when she
>goes home, it'll be right back where they left off, with a step back.
>She'll have to try her life without Max as the center of it. Liz sighed.
>She wasn't sure if she could do that.
>
>At the sound of the air escaping from Liz's lungs, Max turned and looked at
>her. He had been so caught up in studying the symbols that he had almost
>forgotten about her. His breath caught in his throat, as he studied the
>look on her face. She looked so sad. He stood up walked over to her,
>cupping her cheek with his hand.
>
>"Hey, you okay?" He asked her.
>
>"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff, you know?" Max
>nodded. He didn't want to push her any further than she wanted to go.
>
>"I'm here, whenever you're ready to talk." Liz nodded, and threw a look
>towards Michael and Isabel, still caught up in the wall of the cave. Max
>understood. There were certain things she didn't want to talk about in
>front of them. He quickly kissed her on the forehead, and turned back
>towards the paintings. Liz watched him, her eyes filled with love. She
>was so lucky to have him. She just hoped she would be able to let him go.
>
>"Hey, what are you doing here?" The four friends turned quickly to the
>mouth of the cave, where an old Native American stood, glaring at them.
>"You shouldn't be here. How did you find this place? You must leave,
>immediately! Don't come back."
>
>"No, wait! River Dog!" Liz cried franticly.
>
>"Do I know you?"
>
>"No, you don't. But I know you. I know your secret, and your background
>with Nasedo!"
>
>"How could you possibly know about Nasedo? I haven't told anyone anything
>about him."
>
>"I can't explain how I know, but I do. And I'm trustworthy. So are my
>friends here. They're..." Liz paused and looked at Max before continuing,
>"They're visitors too. Test them. You'll find them to be worth your
>time."
>
>Nasedo walked to where the three aliens stood together, and studied them
>closely. After a great moment of silence he spoke. "Prove it."
>
>Max stepped forward, and picked up a fistful of dust off of the floor of
>the cave. He studied it closely for a moment, letting it slowly slip
>between the fingers of his right hand, into the cup of his left hand. He
>held his right hand over the dust for a moment, before it started to glow.
>The dust in his hand clumped together, and reformed as a rock. Max looked
>up slowly, and tossed the rock to River Dog, who caught it, and held it in
>his hand briefly, not taking his eyes off of Max, before finally saying
>calmly, "You have passed the test."
>
>There was another moment of silence before Max finally asked, "Can we come
>visit you more later? I have a great many questions to ask you," he
>chuckled, "I just have to figure out what they are."
>
>"Of course. I will tell you whatever I can, answer whatever questions I
>have the right answers to."
>
>"Thank you."
>
>
>After the brief ride back from the reservation, Isabel and Michael went off
>to comprehend everything they had just learned, leaving Liz and Max sitting
>alone in his room. Max watched Liz, as she sat by his window, staring out
>at the blue, blue sky. She was lost in thought again. Something big was
>obviously on her mind.
>
>"Do you want to go on a walk or something? Get outside, get some air.
>Talk. Whatever?" Max fumbled.
>
>"Yeah." Liz responded quietly. Max took her hand and helped her out the
>window.
>
>There was a cool breeze blowing through Liz's hair as she and Max walked
>quietly through the streets of the town they both grew up in. Max had his
>arm around her, holding her close, refusing to let her go. It felt so
>right, the two of them being together. He finally spoke after a few
>blocks.
>
>"Listen, Liz. I can tell something's on your mind. Can I help at all?"
>Liz looked up into the eyes of the man who had stolen her heart, and
>sighed.
>
>"It's just this. Being here with you. It feels so right. It feels so
>good. I want you to know this Max. Even through everything I'm going
>through, the last 2 days have been some of the happiest days of my life,
>because I've been with you. It's all meant so much to me."
>
>Max smiled his adorable little half-smile, that he reserved only for her.
>"It's meant a lot to me too, Liz."
>
>"The only thing is this. Through all of my happiness, I can't forget that
>this isn't real. It's not going to stay this way. Eventually I'm going to
>wake up and find myself back home, to the world where you're not willing to
>let us be together like this, and it's going to kill me to know what it's
>like to have you, to see you every day, but to not be able to be with you.
>It's going to be so hard to go back to the way things were."
>
>"Liz, I'm an idiot. I want you to know that. When you go back, look at
>me, and know that I'm an idiot. I have to be if I'm the one keeping us
>apart. He obviously doesn't know what he's missing." Liz smiled. "I know
>it's going to be hard for you Liz. It's going to be hard for me too. When
>you leave, I will always have these memories of our time together, and I
>will be missing you so badly. It's going to be torture for me, Liz.
>Absolute torture. I know that for certain, but I'm not going to let it
>affect our time together now. I can live with the eventual pain of loosing
>you, as long as I get to be with you now. Any time with you, no matter how
>short it is, is better than no time with you, Liz, because I love you."
>
>Liz stopped dead in her tracks, and looked up at him in shock, barely
>believing the words she was hearing, the sweet, wonderful words she had
>always wanted to hear him say. "What did you say?"
>
>"I love you, Liz. With all my heart." Max tucked his arms around her
>waist, holding her closely. She looked up into his eyes.
>
>"I love you too, Max. I could never love anyone else the way that I love
>you. My heart is yours. No one else could ever conquer it the way that
>you have."
>
>Max pulled her closer to him, his blood sizzling as their bodies met. His
>lips met hers in a passionate kiss, filled with all the love he felt inside
>of him. The two of them felt so right. Max knew, in his heart, that they
>belonged together, as their embrace deepened. After what would have seemed
>like an eternity to anyone watching, but was way too quickly for the two
>love stricken teenager, they broke the embrace, still holding each other,
>and staring at each other with love in their eyes. Liz caressed the back
>of Max's neck, and he weaved his fingers through her hair, holding each
>other, wanting to never let go.
>
>"We should probably get back," Max whispered huskily."
>
>"Yeah." Liz responded, still lost in his eyes.
>
>She finally broke his gaze. "Yeah! I completely forgot about Maria and
>Alex! I have to call them, make sure they're not upset about this
>afternoon. God, I totally blew them off! They're probably going to kill
>me!"