InsaneJournal

Day 01
Who: Max and Giselle
What: Max arrives
When: Evening in Roswell / Morning on ‘The Planet’
Where: Dude Ranch resort
Status: Completed
Rating: PG (I’d make it G because it’s Giselle, but Max is 16, so…)



The night was still and every sound seemed amplified as Max hurried over to ‘The Crashdown’ to meet with Liz. She sounded urgent on the phone and wouldn’t tell him what was wrong. Even riding with the top down on his jeep gave him little relief that night as Roswell was presently experiencing a heat wave and had been for the past four days. Max thought people began to behave differently when the temperatures stayed oppressive for a long period of time; he didn’t like that…Max counted on predictability.

Arriving at the Crashdown Café, he parked his jeep slowly and walked at a stroll. He had to assume he was always being watched…mostly because he was…chances were that either the FBI or Sheriff Valenti had men watching him at this very minute. He smiled to himself, This all started because I saved Liz’ life. It was worth it..The lights were all off…Max looked at his watch…the diner had closed 15 minutes ago. Stopping in front of the door Max read ‘Treat yourself to a Flying Saucer full of mini-Blaster Burgers!”…he grinned and knocked lightly. It was only a few minutes before Liz hurried to open the door and let him in, “Hi, Max!”, she said plainly, as she opened the door.

A few lights over the counter area kept the diner dimly lit as Liz took his hand and led him to a stool. Max looked at her as he always had…in that puppy dog fashion…he thought she was the most wonderful girl that he’d ever seen. She took the stool next to his and then immediately jumped up, “Do you want something to drink, Max? A coke or a milkshake or something?”. Max thought that a strawberry milkshake might not be a bad idea and so waited while Liz brought him one and then sat next to him. Before he drank the milkshake, he reached over and retrieved a bottle of Tabasco sauce from a holder on the counter and poured a liberal amount of it into his shake. Liz just watched with her mouth open. “Okay, what is with that? You guys are always putting Tabasco sauce on everything!”. Max took a long drink of his shake and sighed, then looked at her and answered, “We don’t really know. We just discovered that we really go for a mix of really sweet and really spicy”. “Oh”, Liz responded softly, “I’ll have to remember that”.

After another long draw from his shake, Max cleared his throat and reminded, “Liz, there was something important?”.

“Okay, Max, don’t panic, because it’s probably nothing, okay?”, she soothed, her brown eyes both lovely and soothing.

“Liz”, he interrupted.

“Yes, Max?”

“Before we continue…”, he reached up and removed the springy, sparkly antennae that were part of her kitschy waitress uniform at the café, “…I know you want me to feel comfy, but I don’t think ‘my people’ come with purple antennae”, he grinned.

Liz’ cheeks reddened, having forgotten she was wearing the ridiculous headpiece. She took his hand. “Max, I need you to listen. I have a diary where I write down everything that is important to me. Things like…well…like the night you saved my life…and how you did that”. She paused and squeezed his hand, “Max, I promise you I’ll find it, but I wanted you to know what’s in it”.

Max’s chest rose and fell heavily. It was he who told Liz everything about himself and his friends. If they were discovered it would be his fault, not Liz’. He looked up at her through thick, dark lashes. “Everything, Liz? About Me, Isabel and Michael? About our abilities?”.

Liz silently nodded. She was sick with guilt.

Max reached forward and ran his fingers through her long black hair, pushing it behind her ears, “You’ll find it, Liz. I trust you”, he said, with much more confidence than he felt.

She couldn’t believe what a wonderful guy Max was. If this is what it was to be an alien, then more human boys should be this way. Her ex-boyfriend Kyle would have been yelling and punching walls or at least have made some snide remark to make her feel stupid. She buried herself in Max’s chest and hugged him for all she was worth.

At this moment, Max was exactly where he wanted to be…in Liz’ arms…if only he could freeze time, but that wasn’t one of his abilities.

Feeling that she needed to pull away before things became too heated, Liz straightened her hair and cleared her throat, “Um, Max, I need to close up and get home before my parents come looking for me”.

“I understand, Liz”, Max replied, “Could I use your restroom before I leave?”.

“Sure, I still have a few things to do. Turn off the lights when you’re through.”

Max needed to throw some cold water on his face just to gather himself a bit. The hot weather and the possibility of his exposure as an alien were serving to make him a bit lightheaded. Letting the water run cold, Max looked at himself in the mirror and took a deep breath…he would have to keep things together for Isabel and Michael…he bent down and filled his hands with icy-cold water and splashed it on his face…once…twice…What is going on? I feel like I’m moving but I’m not. What’s all that noise?.

When Max stood up, he was no longer in the men’s restroom at The Crashdown Café in Roswell, New Mexico…He was …in a stable? “UGH!”, washing his face in a trough. He turned around just in time to be gently nudged by a beautiful palomino.

“Whoa!”, Max exclaimed, jumping back a bit, “Hello…”, he ducked and looked, “…girl! I wish you could talk, because I’m really freaked here”. Max was trying to remain calm as he squeezed by the horse and made his way to the door of her stable. “LIZ?!!!”, he looked up and down the length of the stable complex, “LIZ! ARE YOU HERE TOO?!”. The young alien teen slid from the stable and made his way along the wall, looking in each stable for another person.

Seeing no one, he was soon outside. FBI! It must be them! They’ve somehow drugged me again and I’m hallucinating…Come on, Max, WAKE UP! Don’t tell them anything!. Leaning against a tree, the boy called out, “My father is an attorney! I want to see my father! You have no right to hold me! I have done nothing!”. He waited quietly for a response and could hear nothing but the horses in the stable. He wondered if they had Michael and Isabel.