[b]Title: A Different Kind of Life[/b]
Rating: PG-13
Couple: M/L
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell we'd still have a show to watch.
Summary: Response to [b]Ripley Rip Tide's[/b] challenge.
Max strode confidently down the halls of West Roswell high. He looked for his target and zoomed in on it. He hadn't seen her all day and was anxious to.
As if sensing eyes on her she turned around. His anxiousness turned to concern when he saw her face. There was something wrong and he knew it.
"Liz?" He asked drawing her away from Isabel, her best friend.
"Can we go somewhere and talk, Max?" She asked quietly.
"Sure." The earlier confidence was drained from him. His instincts warned him that something was terribly wrong. "Where do you wanna go?" He asked taking her hand.
She gripped it tight and looked up into his eyes. "The desert, I guess somewhere where we can talk alone?"
"Alright. Come on." He led her to his jeep. He made sure she was seated and stood there looking at her their hands folded together in his lap.
"Is everything ok?" He asked softly, pushing the hair out of her eyes.
She started to shake her head yes then changed it to a no tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Can we go?" She asked.
"Yeah." He ran around the jeep drove out to the bare desert.
Once there he helped her climb down and led her to a quiet spot under a tree where they had spent most of their time together during the summer.
He spread a blanket down on the ground and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?" She snuggled into his arms and remained quiet.
"Liz?" She asked.
"Shh, Max." She silenced him.
Max recognized that she wanted silence and waited even though he was beside himself with worry.
"Max, do you love me?" She asked hesitantly.
Caught off guard Max had to think about that one for a second. "I care about you, over time it's come closer to love." He stated carefully, knowing they were both touchy about the subject.
"That's what I feel about you." She clarified.
"Ok, Liz what are you getting at?" Max asked.
"Max, I'm getting to it." She said and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
"Come again?" He said shocked.
"I'm pregnant." She said turning to look at him.
He stood up quietly and paced. "Max?" She asked curling up into a tiny ball on the blanket.
"I don't know what to say." He stopped and looked down at her.
"Are you angry?" She asked.
He paused again. "I don't know."
He sat back down and she scooted away from him. "Don't move away from me, Liz." He said in a strangled whisper.
She gladly scooted closer. "Tell me what you feel, Max?" She asked hesitantly.
"I feel shocked, afraid, happy, and I am angry, but not at you, at myself." He took her in his arms.
"You're happy about this?" Liz asked shocked.
"Yeah, it's kind of exciting knowing we created a child. I could never be upset over it."
"That's how I feel." She said with a smile on her face. "What are we going to do?" She asked turning serious.
"Is marriage an option?" He asked uncertainly.
"It can be." She said, "there's also adoption."
"I don't like that option." He shook his head.
"I don't either, there's one more, but we're not considering it." She said looking him straight in the eye.
"No, we're not." He looked her right in they eye to show he supported her.
"Alright, adoption." She said her hand and eyes drifting down to her tummy.
"I don't like that one either." Max told her.
Liz was quietly shook her head.
"Marriage then?" He sighed.
"It won't be so horrible, will it?" She pulled out of his arms and faced him.
"I don't think so." He shook his head.
"We have to tell our parents." Liz looked at her hands.
"I know. We'll just sit here for a while, just us two, well, three?" He asked pulling her back into her arms.
"I like that idea." She nodded and rested against him once more.
Max strode confidently down the halls of West Roswell high. He looked for his target and zoomed in on it. He hadn't seen her all day and was anxious to.
As if sensing eyes on her she turned around. His anxiousness turned to concern when he saw her face. There was something wrong and he knew it.
"Liz?" He asked drawing her away from Isabel, her best friend.
"Can we go somewhere and talk, Max?" She asked quietly.
"Sure." The earlier confidence was drained from him. His instincts warned him that something was terribly wrong. "Where do you wanna go?" He asked taking her hand.
She gripped it tight and looked up into his eyes. "The desert, I guess somewhere where we can talk alone?"
"Alright. Come on." He led her to his jeep. He made sure she was seated and stood there looking at her their hands folded together in his lap.
"Is everything ok?" He asked softly, pushing the hair out of her eyes.
She started to shake her head yes then changed it to a no tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Can we go?" She asked.
"Yeah." He ran around the jeep drove out to the bare desert.
Once there he helped her climb down and led her to a quiet spot under a tree where they had spent most of their time together during the summer.
He spread a blanket down on the ground and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?" She snuggled into his arms and remained quiet.
"Liz?" She asked.
"Shh, Max." She silenced him.
Max recognized that she wanted silence and waited even though he was beside himself with worry.
"Max, do you love me?" She asked hesitantly.
Caught off guard Max had to think about that one for a second. "I care about you, over time it's come closer to love." He stated carefully, knowing they were both touchy about the subject.
"That's what I feel about you." She clarified.
"Ok, Liz what are you getting at?" Max asked.
"Max, I'm getting to it." She said and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
"Come again?" He said shocked.
"I'm pregnant." She said turning to look at him.
He stood up quietly and paced. "Max?" She asked curling up into a tiny ball on the blanket.
"I don't know what to say." He stopped and looked down at her.
"Are you angry?" She asked.
He paused again. "I don't know."
He sat back down and she scooted away from him. "Don't move away from me, Liz." He said in a strangled whisper.
She gladly scooted closer. "Tell me what you feel, Max?" She asked hesitantly.
"I feel shocked, afraid, happy, and I am angry, but not at you, at myself." He took her in his arms.
"You're happy about this?" Liz asked shocked.
"Yeah, it's kind of exciting knowing we created a child. I could never be upset over it."
"That's how I feel." She said with a smile on her face. "What are we going to do?" She asked turning serious.
"Is marriage an option?" He asked uncertainly.
"It can be." She said, "there's also adoption."
"I don't like that option." He shook his head.
"I don't either, there's one more, but we're not considering it." She said looking him straight in the eye.
"No, we're not." He looked her right in they eye to show he supported her.
"Alright, adoption." She said her hand and eyes drifting down to her tummy.
"I don't like that one either." Max told her.
Liz was quietly shook her head.
"Marriage then?" He sighed.
"It won't be so horrible, will it?" She pulled out of his arms and faced him.
"I don't think so." He shook his head.
"We have to tell our parents." Liz looked at her hands.
"I know. We'll just sit here for a while, just us two, well, three?" He asked pulling her back into her arms.
"I like that idea." She nodded and rested against him once more.