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In response to a songfic challenge issued by Jinx:
+Song: The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails (Trent!) Author's note: Thanx to Hanna Barbera for creating Snagglepuss, to the God who made me quirky enough to write him into a fic, and to Jessi my beloved Webmistress Application Developer Goddess Supreme just for being around! Apologies to the 'shippers but I had fun writing this! ------- Be a Goddess, Luv, and Call Me a Taxi He'd thought about her sometimes while huddling in his room, listening to Hank crash around in the cramped trailer like a wounded bear. She was sincere, she was truthful, and most of all, she was unbiased. She didn't care where he lived or whether his clothes were ragged; she looked into his dark eyes with her clear, direct gaze and beamed sunshine into him, enjoying the person he was.
She shines in a world full of ugliness Now that he was in his own place, he didn't need the thought of her to transport him away from his surroundings. Rather, he clung to it to keep him anchored. She believed that he was capable of and deserving of good things, so he tried to believe it himself. Habit died hard, however. fragile Maria rushed up to Liz, Crashdown antennae bobbing madly from her excited movements. "Liz. Ohmigodyouwon'tbelieveit-" Liz grabbed Maria's shoulders, shaking the taller girl gently, an indulgent smile on her face. "Maria, breathe. Slow down and try it again," Liz laughed. Michael looked at them through the order window, idly adjusting his do-rag. "Will you two quit squawking and get to work?" he growled at them, and they turned on him. Maria took a step towards the window, eyebrows in full Menacing Maria position. "Do you see anyone out there besides that 800 million year old man, Snaggle?" she snapped. "No? Well when you do, you just make sure and let us know, since you are keeping such careful track of these things!" "I told you not to call me that," Michael glared at Maria. He'd bitten down wrong on a tabasco-drenched cherry lollipop two days ago when Maria had smacked him on the back, cracking a tooth. He hadn't been able to fix it himself and had suffered through a whole shift with Maria calling him Snaggle and saying things like "Heavens to Mergatroid" and "Exit Stage Left." Thankfully Isabel showed up just as he clocked out and agreed to fix it for him. Maria turned back to Liz, who looked bemused by the whole exchange. Liz tended to steamroller right over Michael's innate gruffness with her natural cheerfulness, a trait which he actually admired in her. "Liz, Agnes is no longer with us," Maria had the strangest look on her face as she imparted this information. Listening in, Michael sauntered around the counter, untying his apron and removing it. He noted smugly to himself that Maria could not accuse him of eavesdropping when they were not three feet from him and she was hardly even keeping her voice down. He watched the girls together, his eyes warm as they lingered on the petite brunette. He enjoyed watching her; she was not flamboyant like Maria, but she was animated in her own fashion. Her body language was more subdued but no less informative for all its quietude.
she doesn't see her beauty "So she quit. Where's the fire?" Liz eyed Maria worriedly. Maria was often excitable about the oddest things, but it wasn't like Chain-Smoking Agnes of the Eternal Break leaving the Crashdown was really going to make a noticeable difference in their workload. "No, Liz. She didn't quit. She is noo looonnngerrr wiiithhh uuusss," Maria drew out the words, emphasizing each one. "Okay, Maria, you're freaking me out. If she didn't quit then what's going on?" Michael could hear the note of exasperation creep into Liz's voice and hid a smile. Maria put them all on edge sometimes with her flair for the dramatic. "Liz," Maria grasped the shorter girl's arms, "Agnes is dead." Liz's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened, working soundlessly. "What--she--oh!" she turned to Michael, then back to Maria. Her eyes rolled up and her lids slipped closed as she slithered bonelessly to the floor in a dead faint. Her head encountered the tile with a sharp *crack* and Maria looked up at Michael, horrified. "Oh my God, she collapsed...Michael, do something!" Maria was heading rapidly towards full panic. "I can't..." the familiar excuse tasted bitter in his mouth.
It's just that nothing seems worth saving "Try!" Maria almost shouted, near tears. "You can't just do nothing! You have to try!"
she reads the minds of all the people as they pass her by "Maria, I-" at the blonde girl's pleading look, Michael reluctantly nodded. "I'll try. But don't expect any miracles. You know I can't heal people." "At least make sure she's okay if you can...that she's not like...dying..." Maria swallowed with an audible gulp as she said this. Michael only nodded as he knelt by Liz, easily scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the back to fend off any curious stares, if anyone came in.
But its too late for me Settling Liz's negligible weight onto the break room couch, Michael knelt on the floor next to her, fingers seeking contact points on her temples. "Come on, come on, let me in," he thought frantically at her. "Let me in so I can find out if you hurt yourself." His vision distorted a little as his mind melted into hers. It was dim and there were angry thunderclouds, black and red, on the horizon of a slate grey sky. "Liz?" he reached out mentally, trying to find her. "Michael? What are you doing in here?" He turned and saw her through the Crashdown order window, though why that was in this weird landscape, he didn't know. The land of her subconscious apparently experienced creative logistics when she had a head injury. She wasn't in her uniform, but instead was wrapped in what looked like a dark blue satin sheet. Intrigued, he walked around the counter- -and stepped into a vast room, walls and ceiling hazy in the background. Liz was sleeping on a bed in the center of the room, dark blue sheets showcasing her skin and hair to perfection. He walked closer, studying the rosepetal pink of her mouth and the creamy ivory of her shoulders against the midnight blue fabric. She was beautiful.
we'll find the perfect place to go where we can run and hide He knelt on the edge of the bed, just looking at her. As he reached out to finger a silky strand of her hair, her eyes blinked open and she regarded him drowsily. "Michael," a sweet smile curved her lips and she held her arms out to him invitingly. He was bewildered, but this was after all Liz's psyche, so he played along, lying beside her and gathering her close. He loved the way her tiny frame fit so snugly against his larger one. In waking life he'd never actually held her; they had stood pretty close together but never embraced. He wondered how accurate this was, or if it was just how she thought they would fit...that started him wondering if she had actually thought about this before. Poking around in people's dreams and thoughts was tricky. Lots of smoke and mirrors. "Why couldn't Isabel have been the one to do this," he grumbled to himself. "I suck at this. You can bet if this was Valenti or Troy I would NOT be doing this!"
.....but they keep waiting The light shifted as Michael was unceremoniously dumped out of Liz's mind back into reality. Maria was staring at him, fear and expectancy mingled in her expression. "What happened?" she demanded as soon as she saw his eyes focus on her. "I don't know, I started thinking and got distracted or something," he said, still dazed. "Well, try again!" Maria was clearly agitated. "And quit thinking! Just help Liz!" Okay, okay," Michael returned Maria's glare before focusing his attention on Liz. "C'mon, Elizabeth,"he whispered to her soundlessly. With an eye-straining warp, Maria and the Crashdown break room were replaced by the mystery room and Liz on the bed, still snuggled in his arms. He could feel her breath tickling the hollow of his throat and he asked softly, "You awake?" "Uh huh," she squeezed his waist, squirming to get closer to him. "So if this dream is yours, whose bed is this? Mine?" Liz laughed. "No way, Michael. This bed is WAY too huge for your place. Wouldn't fit through the door!" Michael pulled back a little and fixed her with a steady regard. Just as a look of contrition began to steal across her features, she noticed humor sparkling in the depths of his eyes. "You're terrible!" she laughingly pushed him. "If I'm so terrible then why am I in here with you?" he was suddenly serious. "I-" she wasn't sure how to answer him, and he was amused. Even in her subconscious, Liz Parker was shy. He found that incredibly endearing. "Maria's worried about you," he said. "Can you wake back up for us?" "Us? Maria's an us?" she cocked a brow at him. "I'm worried about you too," he admitted. "Are you going to tell me that there, or only here?" she wondered, and he was moved. "I'll tell you anywhere you want me to as long as you wake up and show us that you didn't split your skull open or scramble your brains," he promised, smiling at her.
It's something I have to do "You're being sweet. And smiling! I MUST be dreaming," Liz teased, and he cut her off with a kiss. Her fingers tangled in his spiky hair and she breathed his name as he explored her mouth with his. When they broke apart, he touched her face, regarding her tenderly. "Ready to wake up?" he asked, and she hesitated. "Is it ever going to be like this...out there?" she asked timidly, and he kissed her again. "I'd like that," he said almost shyly, taking her hand in his. "Me too," she smiled at him. "LIZ PARKER don't you EVER scare me like that again!" Maria practically shoved Michael out of the way as Liz opened her eyes, struggling to sit up. "Are you okay?" "She's got a nasty goose egg but she'll be fine," Michael's voice overrode Maria and she scowled at him when she noticed he and Liz were holding hands. "Liz? How do you feel?" The flush on Liz's cheeks alarmed Maria. "Maria, I'm fine. I just want to go upstairs and rest," Liz tried her best to look reassuring. "I've just been really tired and I just hit my head when I fell." "I'll walk you up," Michael offered, and Maria frowned. "Gee, Michael, thanks for making sure my best friend wasn't dying," he mocked, and Maria looked apologetic. "Okay, fine, thank you, now get off me," she huffily jumped up and went back out front. "Temperamental-" Liz squeezed Michael's hand warningly, cutting off whatever he was about to say regarding Maria. "She's just agitated," Liz said. "You know how she is." Michael lifted Liz's tiny hand to his lips, dropping a kiss on the back of it. "Okay, now get off me," he mimicked the blonde and Liz tried to smother a laugh. "Bed rest for you, missy," he swept her up into his arms, carrying her up to her room. "And when you feel better, let's talk..." At the Roswell city limits, a rather battered woman with frazzled red hair and a smoldering cigarette firmly attached to her lip held out a thumb, awaiting the approach of distant headlights. A ratty sign that said "Vegas or Bust" fluttered in the wind from the car when it passed without slowing. "My work is done here," she stated smugly, staring expectantly skyward. "Can I get a hand here?" she demanded impatiently. Silence blanketed the desert night. Muttering nastily about unjust gods, the woman dropped her pack onto the dusty ground. Had any more cars passed, the drivers would have been greeted with a rather incongruous sight. The bedraggled redhead began to shimmer, morphing into a plump creature that rather resembled a human infant, only carrying what looked to be a bow and quiver of arrows. The creature lifted off the ground and began to fly. "Ingrates," floated in the still night air with the fading flapping of downy white wings. THE END |