Who: Max and Liz What: Their return Where: Freedomtown When: March 24th Warning: Sugary Sweet
Liz had spent six weeks trying to come up with a cure for Isobel while she was in the pod. She had only one shot and she couldn't screw it up. She was thankful that Maria's road trip to Texas fell during a point where she needed to wait a few days to see if one of her controlled experiments worked. It had bee a surprise to see Max and Michael where too but she didn't mind it in the end, especially because she got to spend time time with Max. She hadn't really seen him much in those six weeks, which wasn't really a bad thing. Being away from him gave her time to think about her feelings towards him and his involvement in the whole Rosa situation.
By the time the end of their Texas trip came, she felt pretty solid in where she stood with all of it. It was why she kissed him in the dessert by the pod chamber after they got home. She had rand out of reason not to so she just went for it. It had been really hard to leave him after that but she knew she had to because of her experiment. As soon as she saw it was a success, she went right back there the next morning to find him reading to his sister something she presumed he wrote. She knew had to be talented writer but she had no idea just how talented he was.
As she approached him to tell her that she had come with a possible cure, he kissed her. What should have been a normal kiss ended with them back on Galador with their arms around each other. "Oh que la! Again!?" She said with a groan, her head going to Max's chest for a moment. Atleast he was with her this time. ** For as miserable as Max Evans had been in the years since Rosa's death and Liz's departure from Roswell, it was nothing compared to the emptiness he'd felt without Isobel. So when Liz strode into the pod chamber to tell him she'd found a cure, he couldn't see her as anything less than a hero. His very own white knight. Overcome with relief, Max quickly pulled her into his arms to kiss her.
When he felt them shift, his arms tightened protectively around her. When the light surrounding them faded and Max took in the familiar view of the Freedomtown Park, he exhaled deeply. Liz's head dropped to his chest and he ran his hand down her dark hair. He was quiet for a moment as memories of this place and his time here returned to him, falling into place aside memories from home. "That's an unsettling feeling," he commented after the sensation began to fade. ** Liz's kept her head against Max's chest as her own Galador memories came back to her. This was her second time going through this and it was like having two different sets of memories in her head now because Galador Liz was different than Roswell Liz. Now she had to work on merging the two versions and making them into one cohesive Liz. She would always be in progress wouldn't she? Just one of these days she wanted to feel complete.
"Tell me about it" She told him as she lifted her head up and looked around, taking in where they were. As she did, she never took a step away from him and her arms stayed where they were around him. "But atleast we came back together" She pointed out, looking up to him with a smile before she leaned up and kissed him. She didn't plan to stop kissing him any time soon. "I don't know what I would have done if I came back alone again" ** He couldn't help but smile at her words. After everything they'd gone through, he couldn't deny how happy he was that he and Liz finally seemed to be in a good place with one another. He leaned in and met her kiss, as his hand cupped her cheek.
"I can guarantee there probably would have been another power outage if I had." ** "Here's to no more of those happening any time soon" She told him, giving the collar of his shirt a tug as she looked up at him. There was no reason for him to be angry there because Isobel was better, Rosa was alive, and they were on good terms. He should be nothing be happy there now.
Just then a gust of cool wind threw through them and she shivered as she got closer to him for warmth. "We should get inside somewhere. We are not dressed for this kind of weather" After all, they were both only wearing long sleeved shirts and that was it. "My place or yours?" ** Max dropped his free hand back down to Liz's waist and pulled her in close to help shield her from the wind. It was definitely colder here on Galador than it had been back in Roswell. "My place? If I know Isobel, she's going to be freaking out and will want to see me right away anyway." ** "Your place it is. I'll text Maria and Rosa once we get there so they know I'm back" She replied, turning to the side so they could walk beside each other. Like Isobel, they were probably worried about her too and she couldn't blame any of them. Worrying someone who ahd disappeared and wondering when or if they were going to come back was the worst. "Where do you live?" She wondered as they walked, realizing she really had no idea about much of his life there. Things had been so tension filled between them before that they hadn't really talked much unless they really needed to. She was glad to change that now. ** Selfishly, he was glad she wasn't in any rush to leave him just yet. He reached down to hold her hand as they walked through the park in the direction of the street. "Here, actually. In Freedomtown. It's where Isobel had been staying when I showed up here, so I opted to stay with her. I, uh," he cleared his throat softly. "I knew you were in Doom Republic and wanted to make sure I gave you plenty of space." ** When he took her hand, she looked down and smiled at their hands locked together, giving his a squeeze. Looking back up, she used her free hand to moved some wind blown hair out of her face as she listened to him. "I'm sure she loves having you around. And thank you. At the time I did need it" But now she didn't, of course. "The three of us would probably be living here too had I not gotten a job offer at Doom Regional Hospital. A job comes with a completely furnished gorgeous house" She told him as they walked together. "And all the funding I found want for projects. It's pretty much a dream job" ** He gave her a small chuckle. "I still can't believe you're working for Doctor Doom. Even if it is the dream job. But I imagine the perks are pretty badass." ** "You saying it that way makes me feel like it should mean something to me but I got nada" She commented with a shake of her head. "He's some kind of comic book guy, right?" She asked, a smile slowing spreading to her face as she looked over at him. "Max Evans, are you a secret comic book nerd?" She nudged her shoulder with his then rested her head on it as they walked. "I always pegged Michael for that type instead" ** Max chuckled to himself. "I'm going to tell him you said that." It was peaceful here. Walking along through the quiet park with Liz's head resting on his shoulder. Knowing that Isobel was safe now, both here and back at home. He may not have all the answers to his questions, but he certainly had more than enough to feel content now. "And yes, he's a comic book guy. A super villain, in fact. He was the arch nemesis of the Fantastic Four." ** "Fine but just don't tell him I actually like him" She repeated, telling the same thing she did the night before. "It'll ruin our dynamic" Whatever it was she and Michael had going on at home, she hoped it could be picked up here. It would be nice to have him as a friend and not an enemy, specially for Alex's sake. She knew how awkward it had to be for his best friend and boyfriend to hate each other. She didn't hate Michael anymore so that would help things.
"So I'm working for a super villain?" She asked, thinking about that for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "He doesn't seem like such a bad guy. Did you figure out what you wanted to do here yet?" She wondered, switching the subject from her apparently evil boss onto him. His job was another thing she didn't know about. ** "Your secret is safe with me." He laughed again. "Far be it for me to mess with the dynamic." It had been a little strange for him at first, when Liz and Michael had started getting along so well with one another, but as he'd grown used to the idea, he could see how much sense it made. They were both so smart. And stubborn and hot-headed.
"Well," Max shrugged his own shoulders in answer to her question. "Yes and No. I mean, it's comics. So a character can go from villain to hero and back again several times over. But yeah, he definitely tried to take over the world more than a few times. So not surprising that he's ruling a city and calling himself King now."
When she asked about his work, he grew quiet again, thinking through things. "Before we disappeared, I had been looking into going back into law enforcement. It's what I know, after all." ** "Are we almost there?" She wondered, lifting her head to look around. She hadn't really spent much time in Freedomtown so it was nice to take a little tour through it with him as they walked to his place. She was enjoying it.
"Like real life" She commented, taking in what he said and thinking about who in her life it could apply to. At the moment she couldn't think of anyone. "It's different, living The Doom Republic, but I like it. It sure beats Roswell with all the bigots and people that hate my family" She commented with a roll of her eyes. She was so glad to be away from all of that.
"Doing what you know is always the best strategy. Anywhere will be lucky to have you" She told him with a smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek. ** "Yes, it's just up ahead." Max gestured to two tall apartment buildings up ahead. They were just across the street from the park where new arrivals appeared. He was certainly glad for the short commute now. Even though he could already feel Isobel's presence and knew perfectly well that she was just fine, he was still anxious to see her for himself. The weeks without her in Roswell still weighed heavily on him.
As they reached the entrance to the apartments, Max held the door open for Liz, already grateful for the warmth spilling out of the building. They hurried inside and headed toward the elevators. While they waited for the metal doors to slide open, a thought occurred to him. "You were going to tell me something. Back in Roswell before I kissed you." ** "I can't wait for Spring" She commented as they got into the warm building and she let out a sigh of relief. Even though she already felt warm just walking beside him, it was nice to feel have the warmth of the building hit her too. When he mentioned she was going to tell him something before he kissed her, she almost forgot what it was.
"I came to tell you that I thought I developed the cure for Isobel but that isn't relevant here now" She told him as she doors opened. Giving his hand a tug, she walked in and leaned back against one of the wall as she watched him press the button for his floor. "But there was something else too. I found out that more murders happened following Rosa's that resulted in a post-mortem hand print. Thirteen in the past ten years. I know without evidence that it wasn't Isobel. Max ... I think there's a fourth alien in Roswell" ** Max's entire body tensed up when he heard Liz mention the other murders. Thirteen? As he worked to keep his emotions under control, he very much wished that Liz hadn't waited until they were in an elevator to reveal this particular news. But he managed to keep himself in check enough that none of the electricity around them faltered. The elevator rose smoothly up to his floor and came to a stop with a soft chime. The doors opened.
He wasted no time in rushing Liz out into the hallway before he finally responded. "There's another alien in Roswell. And they're murdering people? Where did you find this information?" ** The second she saw Max's body tense up, she regretted telling him while they were in the elevator. Reaching out, she moved and wrapped her arms around him in hopes of getting him to remain calm and keep his powers under control.The last thing they needed was for things to fail while they were in there. "Sorry. I should have waited" She muttered as he held onto him as the elevator rose.
She held onto him even as the doors opened and walked out with her arm around him as they picked the conversation back up. "Kyle. He's the one that showed me Rosa's real autopsy. He was helping me look into things and get to the bottom of what happened back home. All these other autopsys ... they were faked too. They've been covering this up for years and Rosa was the first one" ** He was glad for the feeling of her arm around him as he processed this news. It was like an anchor keeping him from spiraling out of control. "Oh my God." He searched her features intently. "Oh my God." This was rapidly becoming bigger than just himself, Isobel, and Michael. There were real answers out there, and as usual they were just beyond his grasp. Why would the damn gem pull them back here now? When all his real informational leads lay back in Roswell? It was frustrating as hell.
But there was nothing he could do about it in this moment, and he certainly wasn't going to take it out on Liz. "We're going to figure this out....somehow." He sighed. "Come on, let's go get inside." ** Liz wished there was something she could do for him at that moment besides just comfort him and make sure the electricity stayed on around then. She wished she had all the answers for him so he could know about who he was there. Alas, all their answers were in another universe and there was nothing they could do about that.
"Yes we will" She assured him, leaning up to kiss him for a moment once they stopped outside his apartment door. She held it for a then she pulled away, her face lingering near his for just a moment longer before she completely pulled way. "We make a pretty good team, after all. Have you eaten today? We could order some take out" She suggested as they walked in together after her opened the door.