When It's Time To Leave Home

Author: Sunnycouger (foolofatook_@hotmail.com)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: You all don't honestly think that I own any of this do you? Roswell and all its characters are property of Melinda Metz and Jason Katims..I just take them out to play sometimes...

Category: CC

Summary: This is a future fic when the aliens get a chance to go “home” and the story follows each of their reactions to the news and their final decision.

Authors Notes: This is the introduction to a story arc that involves all the characters. Basically parts 1,2,3 and 4 all run concurrent with each other with the intro and the epilogue starting and finishing things nicely. The parts can stand alone but will work better if you at least read the intro first.

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Chapter 3: To Make A Fresh Start Or Say Goodbye Forever?

Time: 21.25

As Tess stopped the car she sat in it nervously for a few minutes. "C'mon Tess you've been considered a cruel bitch by everyone at one point or another...try and find it now" The thoughts in her head made it almost impossible for her to compose herself before she seen him. He had the unenviable knack of getting under her skin and somehow he managed to get himself lodged there permanently over the past seven years. She got out and walked to the apartment door, determined, she would just level with him...she would tell him the plan and she would remain composed no matter what. She had prepared for this moment her whole life. She wouldn't let his voice or his smile or the memories of his knee weaking kisses and caresses stop her from doing what she had to do. Leave. She opened the apartment door and she smelt cooking and heard him call from the kitchen as she walked in.

"Hey babe! I thought I'd treat you to an expensive dinner but you were late so I'm afraid you are going to have to settle on home cooking..."

She walked from the door and she seen the table set with a candle burning in the centre. There was a bunch of flowers sitting at her seat and she went over and picked them up. They were her favourites..daisies. He had always found it funny that she liked them rather than roses or lilies like most girls and had always insisted on buying her roses at valentines day because they were "a real flower and not a weed". Her heart began to throb as she picked the card out and she was surprised to see her hands tremble as her eyes began to well up. "To my only girl. I never show it enough but I do love you, Tessie. More than I can show with a few lousy words, dinner and a bunch of flowers. I'll love you Forever. Kyle" The tears fell and she quickly moved to wipe them away as she heard him come in the room.

"Why don't you sit and pour us some wine..if we're a little drunk the meal might taste better" Kyle Valenti smirked his hazel eyes twinkling.

"You like the flowers?"

Seeing her nod silently and the tears fall again he quickly took her hands in his.

"Tessie..don't cry please. I know I don't treat you the way that Evans or Whitman treat Liz or Izzy but...I want today to be a new..."

"The ship...the ship's coming Kyle. It's coming to take us away. I'm..i'm um..I have to go. We have no choice..they expect us all to go...to leave..here."

Kyle looked at her as he tried to get his head around the words she has just said and make them register with his brain.

"You're leaving here? You're leaving me?"

He looked hard at her as she struggled not to cry and he was overcome with a surge of emotion; revulsion, surprise, anger and unbelievable pain. He dropped her hands and took a step back

"You "have" to go huh? I guess it was an easy decision for you all since you didn't all actually have to make one right? I mean if I call Liz just now she'll tell me that Max is also going away to fulfil his destiny in another galaxy because he had no choice..because he "HAD" to go!!"

He screamed his angry words soaked in pain that pierced her heart all the more.
"Kyle. If you just let me..."

"Jeez Tess, I thought we had all got beyond that shit. You know who you were meant to be with then isn't the same as who you were meant to be with now.."

"This has nothing at all to do with destiny Kyle! I swear to you. I wouldn't be in love with Max if he was the only guy on this or any planet..you're the only guy I’ve ever really loved as Tess..as me not as some alien princess."

"You know what’s funny? I was taking tonight as a new start for us at a whole new level..with..with us together..." His voice started to get quieter

"Kyle..don't..."

"And it turns out to be the end...guess we weren't "meant to be" after all huh?"

He walked over to the table and sat on the seat before blowing out the candle. She walked over and sat opposite him and used her powers to light the candle again as she took his hand gently and kissed it.

"Kyle I want you to understand, I am not going because I want to. I am going because I have duty."

"So you disappear into mid-air, leaving everything, leaving work, leaving Dad and leaving me because of "duty"?"

"Yeah..it's not something I had planned you know! I never thought this would ever come up. I thought that things were over with now that we could all be normal again"

"Like any of you were ever "normal" anyway.."

She looked at him as he stared at his feet and tried to put on the "look on the brightside" voice to try and alleviate their pain.

"You know in a lot of ways we are lucky. We don't have a lot of friends who will ask where I am, I have no family, we don't own a big house, and we don't have kids. The others are all married we're just..."

"Fooling around?" his words were bitter and she immediately regretted the implication she had made.

"You're so right Tess. I'm so glad we didn't have that little bit of paper or else this would have really hurt. So go have fun with your spaceship and remember the fun you had for the past seven years...or better yet FORGET IT..it's not like we were in a real relationship!" he spat "I’ve gotta go and get some air!"

He got up and grabbed the keys to his bike and walked towards the door. He turned as he stood in the doorway to look at her in the face:

"Have a nice night Tessie and be careful. I hope you meet a nice alien guy someday."

She looked at him through her own tears and seen them run freely down his own face before he turned and ran down the hallway slamming the door behind him.

She took a moment to realise what happened and to replay what had been said between them and she got up and ran to the window to see him speed of out of view. She was standing at the window when she realised that something was burning and she ran to the kitchen and turned of the heat to the meal that he had been preparing. Been preparing for them...for her. As she felt her eyes mist again she quickly wiped them away before grabbing her jacket and her car keys and heading for the door to go and find him. As she was opening the door the phone rang. She was going to ignore it when she heard Maria's voice on the machine. "Dammit!" she lifted the headset to hear her friends worried voice.

"No Maria..he's not here. Don't worry he's probably off thinking about what's going to happen. Listen he'll be back soon he won't want to spend the time apart or arguing with you...what do you mean you haven't seen him all night? He didn't come home? Listen Maria I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything to you. I'm sure Michael will be home soon and he'll explain everything. Listen I've got to go...Kyle...what? No he didn't ask me anything why? What was he going to..oh god...Maria I've got to go..I need to speak to Kyle.. Good luck with Michael"

Not even letting Maria finish she hung up the phone and ran to the car wherein she began to speed away hoping that she could find him. "Please be there Kyle...please!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kyle sat at the resevoir..he had been here so often over the past eight years that in a weird way it felt almost comforting. It was from this place that the eight of them had fought off would be alien attackers. They had foiled FBI plots, mounted rescue missions, forged friendships that would last forever, fallen in love and had their dreams shattered again and again. It was here that they had trained physically and mentally, it was here that Isabel had collapsed in Alex's arms when she sensed her parent’s death...and it was here that he finally told Tess that he loved her. Now..it was here that he could cry and no one would hear him. He reached inside his pocket and took out the box that was nestled there. He fingered the velvety material gently. He was never usually a really romantic guy but he had really tried hard to make it special for her and had planned it to perfection..her perfect night. There was going to be dinner, they would go outside and dance by the shimmering starlight and then he'd do it- change their lives. He had even got her the flowers that she liked even though he preferred to give her roses. But...it was all too late.

"Too late, too late..dammit Kyle! You left it too late..."

"Left what too late?" he didn't even here the car approaching because he had been so deep in thought but the gentle voice behind him didn't startle him..he knew deep down that she would find him.

"Go home Tess...you aren't making this any easier..on either of us."

"What did you leave too late Kyle? Please..tell me."

"Showing you how much you mean to me, how much I love you and need you in my life" he stood up and faced her "maybe if I had showed it more it would be harder for you to leave me..too late now."

He turned back round to face the resevoir leaving Tess staring at his back as he took a hand and quickly wiped the tears that had formed away before she could see them.

"Kyle..I know how much you love me because you show me with little things everyday that aren't obvious but they are to me..I love you too." she carefully said each word as she willed her voice not to crack and betray the emotions she felt.

"Just not enough to stay. Forget it Tess..just...forget it..."

He took the box and threw it in the reservoir before turning around to walk to his bike. Her heart began to ache as she realised that this was goodbye and she would never see him again and she instinctively called out to him.

"Kyle..don't go..I mean..come with me."

He stops and looks at her.."What did you say? "come with you?"

"Yes come with me when I go. I can't stay here no matter how much I want to. I've always needed to know what I am...who I am."

"Tess..we have family here..my dad.."

"That's all we've got..just your dad and he has Amy so he will miss us but he won't be alone like we will if we're apart. The others will stay together probably either here or..or not. I don't care about anyone else..I want us to be together. I want us to have a family but I can't stay here." her voice was firm but urgent and loving. He took a moment to decide what to do before he started to speak.

"Do you know that all I wanted was a real family. I wanted us to have a real family..like Alex. I never thought of him much before I knew about you guys..he was always Liz's friend who wasn't Maria you know? But now..I don't think there's a person I admire more. He is so happy with Izzy and the kids. You know he gave up an opportunity to go work in LA and make piles of money? A guy had heard him on a tape that one of the other band members had sent in and he contacted Alex about signing him up. Iz didn't even know and..instead of signing he dragged Max and me around jewellers looking for an engagement ring for Isabel and took up his job at the school. She never knew what he gave up so that she could stay here and so they'd still be together. I always wondered if the situations were reversed would she give her dreams for him? I guess I'll find out tonight. That’s always been how I’ve measured love by since then. Willing to sacrifice your dreams...I’m not willing to sacrifice you. So..I guess..I guess if you won't stay then I'll have to go..right?"

"Really? Are you sure? Thank you..so much.."

"I want you to promise me something first before we decide this..'cause its a long trip back if we forget something ok?"

For the first time since she heard the message her heart began to beat regularly and she smiled as she nodded her head. He looked at her intently. Her small frame wrapped in darkness with the moonlight bouncing off her golden curls. Her ocean blue eyes glistened as he spoke and she bit her lip in anticipation.

"Ok here’s the deal. I need you to promise me that someday we'll come back and show my dad his grandkids..and that you won't dump me for some regular alien once we're up there a few weeks...I don't think my fragile human pride could handle being dumped for an alien twice."

She smiles broadly as she answers:

"You know Buddha boy that is technically 2 promises? I promise you that we can come home someday. Can I get back to you on the "alien" thing? No? Ok then I promise that as well..we have to protect that "fragile human pride" of yours. So are we going? Please say yes!"

As she looked at him she recognised the slight tugs at the corners of his mouth and the playful glint in his eye..and her heart begins to leap with happiness and she smiles.

"Not so fast. Not that I don't trust you on the whole dumping thing Tess but I'd like to take out a little insurance policy..come here."

As she walked forward he stood in front of her and gently kissed her before dropping to one knee.

"Tess Harding..I love you! Will you marry me?"

She looked at him with tears streaming down her face...she thought that’s what Maria was talking about but she thought he had scrapped the idea after everything that had happened. His eyes were begging and his fingers were trembling and she had never loved him as much as she did when she looked at him then. She held his face up after his gaze fell to the ground and gently kissed his lips.

"I will never be more honoured. Yes Kyle Valenti I will marry you. Thank you..." She felt his lips press gently on her own and lost all conscious thought patterns until he pulled away and shyly looked away.

"I had a ring for you Tess. I was going to ask you tonight anyway..but I threw it in the damn reservoir. I'm sorry.."

"I don't care about a stupid ring..I care about us. I care that we will be together always no matter what planet we're on. I care about you..I love you."

"C'mon...we better go tell my dad that we're leaving and getting married..whats the odds on getting a priest to do it tonight?" He took her hand and took her to the car.

“What about your bike?”

“Yeah…I guess I’ll have to get dad to pick it up and keep it for when we get back.”

He began to smile and lets out a low chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“You do realise that this is the ultimate “how the other half lives” don’t you? Technically in 24 hours I’m going to be the “alien” in the relationship.”

“Scared?”

“Me? Nah…I know that you have a mean right hook…you’ll protect me. Right?”

“Maybe. So “alien” Buddha boy..no regrets?”

“No. Ask me in six months and I don’t know but just now…it feels right.”

They got in the car and she began to drive off when she quietly says.

“I hope the others are as happy as I am…I wonder what they are doing?”

“We can call them from my dad’s and see…I’m sure they will all be fine.”

“Yeah…I’m sure they are all fine.”

She said before silently adding I hope Michael finally got around to going home. She deserves to know!

TBC

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