Title: Breathing
Author: AnneB
E-mail: dreambehr@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: M/L (duh…who’s the author?)
Disclaimer: As much as I’d love to take creative control of the show Roswell and end all of our pain…sadly none of this belongs to me…Roswell belongs to the WB, Jason Katims, and all of those producer people, and Melinda Metz…please don’t sue me…you’ve caused me enough pain already! The song Breathing is by Lifehouse. I don’t own that either, surprise, surprise!

Breathing

It was a warm spring evening, the kind of perfect temperature that came in that wonderful period stuck right between the cold nights of winter, and the painfully hot desert nights of the summer, when everything seemed just as it was supposed to be.

Inside Max’s bedroom though, it was hot, murky…the lingering scent of lovemaking gracing the air with a spicy scent. The window sat ajar, forgotten after Max had let her in just an hour earlier, and now a cool breeze came floating through the window, whisking gently over the two lovers, as they lay beside each other in bed, just a light sheet shielding the view of their naked bodies from any unfortunate witnesses…not that there would be any. It was late, three in the morning…the time of night when the whole world was still and asleep.

The whole world except Max Evans it seemed.

Max lay awake, rolled over onto one side, where he rested propped up on one elbow, so that he could stare over the snowy white skin of Liz’s bare shoulder, to study her beautiful face, as she lay in a restful, deep slumber.

She looked like an angel to him…some sort of heavenly creature that was somehow sent from above to grace him with her love. How, or why, Max had no idea. He did nothing to deserve the precious gift that he had been given in this doe eyed beauty that rested beside him…but somehow, he had ended up with her just the same.

His eyes were glued to the outline of where the sheet covered Liz’s beautiful body, shielding it from his gaze. Slowly the sheet rose and fell, up and down, over and over again in the steady rhythm that came with a heavy, restful sleep.

Max couldn’t help hoping that she was dreaming of him. Their lives together had seemed like a nightmare up until this point, and Max knew that both of their sleeps had been plagued countless nights with dark, fearsome premonitions of their deepest, darkest fears…some of which had even come to life before their very eyes.

Now thought, there was nothing to fear…they were free to live the happy lives that they dreamed about on the good nights. Staring down to study the soft smile gracing Liz’s features in her sleep, Max knew that tonight, like hopefully every night to come from here on out, would be one of the good nights.

It had been a long difficult path to the moment where they were right then. No couple in existence had suffered through quite as much as they had. At times everything had seemed hopeless…like there was no way that they could ever possibly make it.

The worst of these were in the past year, when they had been forced into a painful separation. At times it felt like without each other, life wasn’t even worth living…but then Max would see Liz in the hallway at school, or walking into the Crashdown, and although he didn’t have the freedom to kiss her, embrace her, like his whole being desperately needed him to do, Max still found himself just taking comfort in the sight of his love, in her presence.

It had all worked out in the end…everything they had suffered through had led right up to this very moment…this very intimate act, and now Max knew for certain that it was all worth it.

It had been their first time making love…and the whole experience had been mind blowing. Max Evans never thought that he could find more love for Liz Parker inside of his heart…he had already captivated every ounce of his being: his heart, his mind, his soul…but somehow it had happened. The love he felt deep inside of himself, as he examined the peaceful form of his love lying close beside him, had depths that seemed beyond anything Max could have ever imagined.

Something had changed between them as they had physically given in to all their body’s desires, pledging their love to each other. Their actions said everything, through the gentle way they consumed each other…their light, loving touches…the way their eyes met right before their joined explosion.

There was no more doubt between them. The time had finally come for them to be together forever. Tonight, regardless of the fact that they were just seventeen, regardless of the fact that they were juniors in high school…regardless of any of the consequences that they both knew they’d eventually have to face…they had given their bodies to each other, pledged their hearts to each other. No matter what human law dictated to them, Liz and Max’s world was much bigger than just here on earth, and they both knew that according to Antaran law they had married each other this night.

Finally, they had the freedom to be together. Officially, they had been a couple for only a week now…this time at least. Unofficially, their hearts had belonged to each other alone since the Crashdown shooting…a year and a half earlier. In that time, they had been together and apart so many times that it seemed ridiculous…particularly for two people who loved each other as much as they did.

A week earlier, the small, weak force of skins that remained after Tess’s ambush had been quenched. Together, not the four aliens, but the eight allies had fought together and finally destroyed what remained of them…even Kivar, who had come to earth in an attempt to destroy Max. Their destiny fulfilled, Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess had all refused the invitation by their people to return home…instead deciding to stay in Roswell with their human counterparts. With no more danger, nothing left to fight, finally Max and Liz had given into their love, reestablishing their relationship slowly for the last week.

Liz had finally opened up to him earlier that evening, and told him the story of Future Max, and the end of the world. Finally knowing the truth about the night of the Gomez concert, Max found that he loved Liz even more, awed by her strength, and the full depths of her love for him. It was all Max could do to not take her and make love to her right there in her bedroom…instead he just ravished her mouth, and thanked her with all of her heart.

In that kiss though, Liz had seen inside of his mind, and known just what he wanted…and a few hours later, she was knocking on his window, begging him to fulfill both of their deepest desires. Finally, their relationship had been cemented.

Staring down at Liz’s angelic face, glowing slightly from the dim light of a street lamp outside, Max knew that it was all worth it…everything that they had been though…all that they had suffered. All of it was over…it didn’t matter. He was right where he wanted to be, buried deep in Liz’s world.

All of his life, this was all Max had wanted. Liz was all he wanted. Since the first time he laid his eyes on her, Max knew that she was the one for him. She didn’t know it at the time, but that shy smile she had passed him from across the playground had captured him for life.

Max smiled softly as she slowly began to stir, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

There was a split second of confusion in her eyes, before they settled into a loving glow of happiness. She was so beautiful, Max couldn’t resist…one hand slowly snaked out and began gently stroking her silky soft hair, as he leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder in a gesture loaded down with worship.

Liz flipped herself around so that she could face Max, snuggling up close to his warm, hard body.

"Hi." She murmured, as she peeked up to meet his loving gaze, with an equally dreamy one of her own.

"Hey." He responded just as affectionately, as he slipped one arm around her and gently stroked her back in a light caress.

"Have you been awake all this time?" Liz asked him curiously.

"Yeah…" Max admitted. "I was watching you sleep."

"Hmmm, really?" Liz asked, with a twinkle in her eye. "Well did you see anything special?"

"Just you…" Max responded instantly. "The light was shining down right on your face…you looked like you were glowing. You looked so peaceful, so happy…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look quite so beautiful."

"Really?" Liz asked, dropping her eyes from his shyly.

"Liz...honey." Max murmured as he gently slid a finger under her chin, sliding her eyes back up to his. "Thank you…for tonight…for everything…for just being you. I’ve dreamed of this for so long…and none of my dreams came even close to the reality of being with you. I love you…so much."

Liz opened her mouth to return his love, but before she had a chance, she found his lips pressing softly against her own, halting all words, and instead showing her just how much she meant to him.

Gasping a quick breath against his mouth as Liz felt the weight of his love crash down over her mind, she kissed him back slowly, languidly, while his hands moved all over her, stroking every inch of her soft, milky white skin.

Neither of them noticed the soft glow emitting deep from inside Liz’s lower abdomen as his hand gently found refuge, resting lightly on her small, tight stomach.