A Lesson in Sacrifice
Disclaimer: Some dialogue taken from Roswell episode #2-15 "Viva Las Vegas" written by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts.
Part 10
Sam was waiting by the W. Roswell High School’s main entrance. The last class had ended over an hour ago. Liz had already left with Maria. She was trying to be strong, but Sam could see how much Future Max’s departure was affecting her. As he hugged her under Maria’s approving eyes, he had whispered to her, “Don’t worry. Max will be back in no time.” She had given him a small smile. Now, Sam was waiting for Michael. Michael’s lack of academic enthusiasm had caught up with him and Mr. Singer had finally given him detention.
The look on Michael’s face when he spotted Sam waiting for him made it obvious that, given the choice, Michael would rather go back to detention than face his King. He walked by Sam, completely ignoring him.
“Michael, wait,” Sam said. “We need to talk.”
“What about, O Fearless Leader?” Michael answered.
“First of all, you can stop calling me that. I never asked to be the King, and you know it.”
Michael knew he was right, but he’d burn in hell before he admitted it to Max. So he remained silent and just stared off in the distance.
“Michael…” Sam started. Max had told him everything about the conversation he and Michael had had, but hearing about it and actually having it were two completely different things. The fact that Sam knew how important the next few minutes were going to be in the lives of these two young men, not to mention in the fate of the planet, added just enough extra pressure to make him wish he never had stepped into that darn Accelerator in the first place. But there was no time for ‘what-ifs’. This conversation was part of the solution. Ziggy gave it 100% probability, and that didn’t happen very often.
“I know you feel we’re not as tight as we used to be.”
Michael said nothing, but Sam could tell he was listening.
“Before Liz… before everything that’s happened in the past year or so, it was Isabel, you and me. I know that now you think it’s Liz and me, or even just Isabel and me, and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. But you’re wrong, Michael.”
“It’s so like you to assume to know what I’m thinking,” Michael said. He still wouldn’t look at Sam but the harshness had gone from his voice. Sam knew he was getting through to him.
“I’m not assuming. I know you. You’re my brother.”
Michael glanced at him but quickly looked away.
“I won’t lie to you, I spend a lot of my energy these days trying to win Liz back. She’s my strength, she’s my balance. But you’re my roots. You’re just as important to me as she is.”
For a moment, it looked like Michael was going to say something, but he just stared at the ground. He kicked a rock and waited for Sam to continue. Max had told Sam there had been a lot of shouting and angry words exchanged when they had had that conversation. Now Michael was a bit too quiet, Sam thought. Then again, the first time around, this conversation had taken place at a later date; there had been more than enough time for everything to fester. Today, it seemed that Michael was still at the ‘silent treatment’ stage. Hopefully, Michael’s silence was not a bad sign. Sam took a deep breath and went on.
“And I know that you feel that sometimes I act like a machine, that I don’t know what it takes to understand you, to make you feel better. And… you’re right.”
Michael looked up, finally meeting Sam’s eyes for the first time. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. It’s just that… sometimes, I guess I just feel so responsible for you, and Isabel, and even Tess. Sometimes I let that get in the way of letting you know how much… how much you mean to me. That without you… I’d be lost, Michael.”
Michael couldn’t help the small smile that was tugging at his lips. He tried to hide it for a while, but let it break free when he understood it would be a useless battle.
“Well, Maxwell,” Michael said finally, putting his hand on Sam’s shoulder, “Whoever sent us down here was smart, you know? Because they sent us together, and as long as we stick together, we’re gonna make it.”
The two teenagers looked at each other for a moment before Michael finally pulled Sam into a loose hug.
“I’m glad we’re back,” Sam said.
“You and I both, man,” Michael said with a smile. “I’ll catch you later. I should, um… talk to Maria,” he added, scratching his eyebrow.
Sam nodded. “You do that.”
Michael got on his bike and soon was on his way. But Sam wasn’t alone for very long.
“Well, that did it, Sam. Ziggy says that Michael doesn’t leave Roswell. Max doesn’t die, either,” Al said as he stepped out of the Imaging chamber.
“Good. Very good.” Sam waited for a few seconds, and when nothing happened he asked, “Then why haven’t I leaped, Al?”
“Well… Alex still dies. And so does Liz. And even though the files Ziggy found about the invasion don’t mention Michael anymore, they still exist and we’ll probably still get invaded.”
“So… we’re back where we started?”
“No, of course not. We made great progress…” Al’s voice trailed off when he caught Sam’s look. “Okay, okay… we took some very important… baby steps.”
Sam hung his head. A Leaper’s work was never done.
*************
Liz tried to balance her many books on one arm while she closed her locker with her other hand. For a minute, it looked like she might succeed, but she was startled when she heard a voice call out to her from behind, and everything came crashing down on the floor.
“I’m sorry! Didn’t mean to spook you,” Kyle said, picking up Liz’s biology textbook and handing it to her.
“Don’t worry about it,” Liz replied, taking the book.
“I was just wondering if –“ Kyle stopped in mid-sentence after taking a good look at Liz. “Whoa, don’t take this the wrong way, but you look awful!”
Liz gave him a tired smile. “If you can tell me what is the right way to take it, then I will.”
“No, I meant… are you alright? You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
Liz nodded and said, “That’s probably because I haven’t.” She noticed that Kyle now had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look that guys seemed to always get when it looked like girls were going to actually tell them what was wrong when they had only asked to be polite, and decided to let him off the hook. “But it’s nothing to concern yourself with.”
Kyle tried to hide his relief as best he could, but Liz still caught it. She couldn’t help but smile. There was a moment of silence between them that was probably really awkward for Kyle. Liz’s smile widened a bit at the thought, then she said, “What were you going to say?”
“Oh, right. I was wondering if you had seen Tess anywhere?”
Liz involuntarily made a face, but recovered quickly and answered, “No. No, I haven’t.”
“Well, okay…” Kyle started, then noticed that Liz was staring at something over his shoulder.
“Actually, I have,” she said. She looked at Kyle with a puzzled expression on her face. “She just walked into the eraser room with Alex.”
“What?!” He turned to see what Liz was looking at and saw the door of the eraser room close. “Are you sure that’s who you saw? I mean… Tess and Alex, in the eraser room?” Kyle let out a nervous laugh. “I mean… are you sure?”
“It doesn’t make any sense to me either, but yes, I’m sure.”
They looked at each other for a moment, and in silent agreement made their way to the eraser room door. They tried to see something through the frosted glass, but couldn’t even make out shadows.
“It’s time like these I wish I had some of their freaky powers,” Kyle whispered, putting his ear against the door in an attempt to hear what was going on inside. Liz nodded and did the same. Bits of the conversation floated to them, muffled by the door. Liz found herself wishing that Al was around to spy from the inside.
Tess was telling Alex something, and it sounded like he was repeating everything after her. Liz couldn’t quite make out any sentences, but they seemed to be talking about a book and exchange students. ‘What? Why?’ Liz thought. Surely, that wasn’t right. Why would they go into the eraser room to talk about school stuff?
She didn’t have the chance to wonder anymore about it. She heard movement on the other side of the door and quickly took a few steps back. She barely had time to duck into the nearest classroom and out of sight when the door opened and Tess exclaimed, “Kyle! What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing in there? With Alex?” was Kyle’s answer. He glanced at Alex, who just looked back at him with a dazed expression on his face.
“That’s between Alex and I,” Tess replied.
“What were you talking about?”
“What did you hear?” To Liz, it sounded like Tess was getting worried.
“Not much,” Kyle answered. When Tess insisted, he relented. “Something about a book, taking a trip, and a very powerful computer.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Tess said.
“Why? Now you’ll have to kill me?” Kyle said with a little laugh. His laughter died when Tess didn’t answer. He looked around him. The halls were nearly empty. Of course, it was one of the reasons why the eraser room was so popular. It was in a remote hallway, out of the way from where everyone hung out. He couldn’t see Liz, but he knew where she was hiding. He tried to avoid looking in that direction so Tess wouldn’t figure it out.
But Tess wasn’t paying any attention to him. She had turned to Alex once again. “Now Alex, you will go to your next class, and I’ll talk to you in a little while, ok?”
Alex just nodded slowly and left, without sparing a glance in Kyle’s direction. When he got to the corner, he shook his head and looked around, confused. Kyle was about to call out to him when Tess grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside the eraser room.
Liz heard the door lock. She didn’t dare move. Still, she couldn’t very well just stand there. What was going to happen to Kyle? She didn’t think Tess would actually kill him like he had suggested, that was just ridiculous, but who knew what the alien could do? As she was pondering what she should do next, Liz heard the door to the eraser room open and Tess laugh merrily.
“Oh, Kyle, you’re so funny!” Tess was saying.
“But it’s true!” Kyle said, just as happily.
Liz frowned and took a peek into the halls outside the classroom. Tess and Kyle were walking down the hall away from her hiding place, looking awfully chummy.
“What is that about?” Liz whispered to herself.
***********
Sam entered the Crashdown. When she heard the door chime, Liz looked up from the countertop she was wiping. The look of relief on her face was unmistakable. Sam made his way to a booth by the wall and Liz came over quickly.
“Hi, um, Max… What can I get you?”
“How about some Saturn rings?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
He watched her make her way to the kitchen counter. The restaurant was nearly empty. The dinner rush was over. There were only a couple of tourists at a table by the door. Maria was in the kitchen, talking to a cook Sam had never seen before. ‘It must be Michael’s night off,’ Sam thought. He wondered if Michael had that talk with Maria yet.
Soon, Liz was back with the order of Saturn rings. She put them on the table and slid in the seat opposite Sam.
“I’m so glad you’re here. There’s something really weird going on,” she said in a frantic whisper.
Sam was immediately concerned. Liz told him about what happened with Tess, Alex and Kyle in the eraser room.
“And the creepy thing is, when I asked Kyle about it later, he didn’t remember a thing. Like it never happened at all.” Liz shuddered. Sam put his hand over hers.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it. Remember when Max said that mind-warping was Tess’s power?” Sam nodded, “Well, I’ve seen her do it. She can make people see things that aren’t really there. What if she can also make people forget things that happened?”
Sam thought about it for a moment. “I guess it’s possible,” he said. “But I’m the wrong person to ask…” He sighed, frustrated. A few days ago, he would have told her that mind-warping was impossible. Now he didn’t think anything could surprise him anymore.
“Could you have Al, um… spy on her or something?”
“He’s been doing it already. Of course, he can’t be with her 24/7, but Ziggy and him have been keeping an eye on her.”
“They have?” Liz asked. Then she understood. “The theories Ziggy didn’t want to share with Max… That’s it, isn’t it? Ziggy thinks that Tess is responsible for the end of the world.”
“Yes, she does.” When he caught Liz’s horrified look, he added quickly, “But Ziggy has been wrong before. Lots of times.” At least, he thought she had.
Whatever Liz was about to say died on her lips as Maria came over to the booth.
“Ah, kids, you are a sight for sore eyes!” she said with a large smile. “Keep that up, mariachi boy, I know she’s this close to cracking,” Maria added, demonstrating with her thumb and forefinger just how close to cracking she thought Liz to be.
Liz broke into a smile, welcoming the distraction. “Maria!” she said, trying to put just the right amount of indignation in her voice, more because that’s what her best friend expected than because she really meant it.
Maria flashed a victorious grin. “Told you, chica! It was only a matter of time. And now I will leave you two holding hands. It better be more than that by the end of the week.” And with that, Maria was back in the kitchen.
Liz stared at Max’s hand on her own. Sam’s hand on her own, she corrected herself. Sam caught her looking and knew what she was thinking.
“You look so much like him,” she said softly.
“I am him,” he replied. “This is Max’s hand, this is Max’s body. All everyone sees is 100% Max.”
“Everyone but me,” she said looking back up at him. He gave her a questioning look.
“If I had paid attention when I first saw you, if I hadn’t been so distracted by Future Max being here, I would have known right away that you weren’t Max. It’s so obvious when I really look.”
Sam knew what she meant. He smiled ruefully. Liz went on.
“The way you look at me… You look at me with Max’s eyes, but it’s different.” Her own eyes became distant. “There’s something so special about the way Max looks at me… I was so scared that one day it would change, especially after last May… and now I know what it would feel like, to have those eyes look at me without that special something. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.”
She looked at Sam again, suddenly embarrassed. “I don’t mean that you… um…”
“I understand,” Sam said, giving her hand a small squeeze. “Star-crossed souls. I know all about it…” He was suddenly taken back to a different time and place. Donna. Would he ever see her again? Loneliness threatened to overcome him. He looked Liz in the eyes and smiled, trying to shake the memories of his wife and concentrate on the pain these two young lovers were going through. “But you don’t have to worry. As soon as Max’s soul comes back, what’s missing in “my” eyes will be back as well. And I don’t think it’ll ever go away.”
“Thank you,” Liz said simply. She felt a little better. But she missed Max so much. She couldn’t wait for him to come back to her.
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