You Can Never Go Back

Author: Sunnycouger (foolofatook_@hotmail.com)

Rating: PG-13

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: Follow up to When It's Time To Leave Home and The War.

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Bridges Chapter 6

It was early morning and the sun had just come up. It had been a late night at the Valenti household and a combination of drink and talk had kept all of the guest’s there overnight. Maria had got up early; she loved to watch the sun rise. She had watched her husband sleep blissfully before leaving him on the sofa to go lie under the sky. She looked on in serene happiness as the stars in the navy sky faded as the dark backdrop lightened to a violet and then became a beautiful amber. Little things as simple as a sunrise had become infinitely more beautiful in the past few days than they had been at any point in the long four years before hand. As she was looking she didn’t hear the gentle footsteps behind her and it was only when the woman spoke gently that she realised she wasn’t completely alone in the garden.

“I never thought I’d get to see this again…It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

“Tess? What are you doing up? I didn’t wake you did I?”

“No, I just wanted to see it again. I used to watch the sunrise all the time before I left…of course, that was maybe because of the many nightshifts I had to work but…It’s just you…you never know how much you miss something or someone until you can’t see them anymore. You know?”

Maria smiled as she patted the ground beside her.

“I know exactly what you mean. Here, take a seat…we can watch it together.”

Tess sat down and offered Maria a share of the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders, which she took gratefully.

“So? How does it feel to be back home again? And how about you and Kyle? Been back home for 2 days and already he has a ring on your finger? I don’t know whether or not that is a quick proposal or not…I mean he’s only loved you for 11 years…men are kinda dense though…”

Tess laughed as she looked at the ring on her finger…it had taken a while, but it didn’t change anything. They had always loved each other, ever since that summer she had went to stay at the Valenti’s house after Nasedo died.

“Well, I won’t argue with the dense thing…but I don’t care. The ring only confirms what we both already know. That we will be together always…no matter what.”

“Pretty hairy up there wasn’t it? Michael hasn’t said much about it, but I see some of the scars on his body. I saw the scars on all of you…I saw the state Kyle was in…how did you all get through it?”

“I…I nearly lost it…I did. Kyle had been captured and I was injured and unable to…to help find him, and…and all I wanted was to kill them all for hurting him…but I…I couldn’t. Umm, we were lucky in a way. Michael, Max and Liz were so optimistic and controlled…they were able to switch off…look forward to their life back here. All of our lives here. But they…they forgot that I didn’t have a life…a life here wi…without Kyle. It was…a little bit…terrifying.”

Maria looked at the woman wipe the tears that had welled at the corner of her eyes away.

“I…I know what you mean. I know you think I’m only saying that but…everyone else had their partners with them, either here or…up there. I didn’t. I didn’t know what was happening…I wasn’t able to look forward. I could only look back at memories I had. And when I had to look forward? I only saw a future without Michael…a future alone. That was also a bit…terrifying you could say. Terrifying and painful.”

“So much for not needing them huh? What ever happened to the strong independent women we were when we were 18?”

“We’re still strong…we just fell in love with the only men on the planet that would ever make us truly happy. If you look at it like that…we’re pretty lucky. I mean…we had a few lousy years…but think about the amount of time that they have left to make it up to us? And trust me, Michael Guerin has a LOT to make up for.”

“Well when you put it like that…”

Both the women began to laugh gently before realising that all the others were still sleeping inside. As they stifled their laughter they looked at each other. Tess threw her arms around Maria and hugged her tightly.

“I missed you. You know you’re practically my sister…and I love you. Me and Kyle missed you like crazy when we were up there you know?”

“I missed you too. You are like a sister to me too, and not just because you and Kyle are practically married…”

“Hey, will you be a bridesmaid? I really want you and Isabel to be my bridesmaids…”

“Of course…but what about Liz? Ah…matron of honour huh? I’m glad you two finally made friends.”

The two women continued talking as the sun began to shine brightly on top of them.

Over at another house a man and women sat and were laughing gently on the steps to the house. Their dark heads bobbed in unison as they recalled old times…and old jokes. Liz smiled as her best friend since she was a child grinned at her. Alex Whitman could always light up a room with his grin. She looked on in wonder at the man he had grown into from the first time she had met him. He had been so tall and scrawny for years…then he had changed almost overnight when they were juniors in high school. What was once scrawny had become muscular, and what had once been cute and adorable had become very attractive and mesmerising. If she didn’t see him as a brother she had no doubt that she would have been as blown away with him as his wife had been at the time. Isabel had been a lucky woman to find him.

Almost as lucky as Liz had been to find Max.

“You know I have so missed this. Maria hardly spent anytime with us when you guys left and getting her to laugh was like trying to…well, trying to do something really hard.”

“You put that so well Mr Whitman. Tell me, does your pupils have you’re immense vocabulary?”

“Only if they are really intelligent…so, down to business before I have to go to work. How are you? Besides being a mother and a soldier I have no idea what you’ve been doing for the past 4 years?”

Liz looked at Alex…there was so much she wanted to…no, needed to tell him. But not just now. She wanted to tell him how for the first 6 months up there she would lie in bed while Max was asleep and cry because she was missing him and Maria and her family. She wanted to tell him how the first time she killed a man that she threw up…disgusted by her actions. She wanted to tell him how she became closer to Tess than she ever thought was possible. She wanted to tell him how scared she was when she thought her children had been killed on the last day of the war. She wanted to tell him so much…but she didn’t know where to begin. Instead she grabbed his hand a squeezed it tightly and just looked at him. He knew that they needed to talk…him, Liz and Maria all needed to talk.

“I’ve been missing you. I’ve been missing all of you. I’m so glad I’m home with my family and my friends. I’m so sorry that I missed everything that happened with you and Maria. I’m so glad that you and Isabel are still as happy and I’m so terrified about this dinner I’m having with my parents tonight.”

“Well, if they don’t rip you apart how about me you and Maria all go out tomorrow? We’ll go…we’ll go hang out at the Crashdown, we’ll catch a movie and then we’ll sit and talk or something. Just the 3 of us…what do you think?”

“I think…I think I would like that…so much. You have no idea how much I would like that…”

“Good, you just need to survive your dinner with your parents tonight, call Maria and then get Max to watch the kids.”

She nodded and smiled at him as he got up, kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

“I have to go now, I’ll see you later.”

He began to walk away before he turned and looked at her.

“You know? I really missed you too…I love you and something was missing when you weren’t here. You, Maria and me…we should always be together. So…try and stay in one piece tonight ok? I’ll see you later. Bye.”

“Bye.”

She replied softly as she felt her eyes well up again, and laughed gently as Alex shouted goodbye loudly to the rest of the house. She felt the same as he did. The three of them had to stay together…always. With that she stood up, ready to wake her children and her husband…they had a long day ahead of them.

TBC

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