Six Months, Eight Days, Twelve Hours
Part: 1/?
Rating: PG-13 for language
Author: Christine (aka Angel)
Email: EarthAngel37@home.com
Disclaimer: If I really owned the characters or anything pertaining to the
show, do you think so many people would hate Tess? The song is Brian
McKnight's "6, 8, 12."
Summary: Tess left Roswell, and now she's coming back. 'Nuff said.
Note: Pretend that they were already Jr's at the time of Destiny. I never
did buy that they were Sophomores. Plus it would help the story make more
sense. Oh yeah, and sorry for any timing problems... I hate math. Set
about a year later after Destiny.
The passing scenery slowly turned from green to brown. She was heading
back to Roswell. Back to it all. Tess glanced at her watch, then rested her
head against the bus window. A blast of cold desert night air from the
window crack attacked her skin. She bit her lip to keep the tears from
coming.
1 year, 2 months and 16 days since that day on the cliffs. The day her
destiny- THEIR destiny- had been revealed to them. The one that told them
that her and Max, and Michael and Isabel were to be together. Forever. It
was karmic. Out of this world. And supposedly beyond their control.
That's where the destiny crap had been wrong. Because he had decided to
take control and defy their destiny. He had chosen to spit in it's face and
tell it to go fuck itself. Then he left them behind and pursued his own
chosen path. The one that lead him to Liz Parker.
A single crystalline tear silently feel from here eyes as she fell into
a disturbed slumber filled with pictures from the past 6 months, 8 days, and
12 hours.
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
I miss you so much and I don't know what to say
I should be over you
I should know better but it's just not the case
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
***Flashback***
6 months, 8 days, 12 hours earlier
"Max?" Tess stepped into the darkened room.
"Go away," he answered moodily. "You're not wanted here."
He was sitting on a dresser near the window staring up at the morning sky.
She crossed the room to him, placing her hand over his. He looked at it for
a second- captivated at the way her hand seemed to fit perfectly over his.
Then his features darkened and he stood up, turning his back to her
"You don't have to fight it, Max. Please. Don't fight it. Don't fight me,"
she begged quietly.
"I don't want you," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't love you. I love Liz. I
have always loved her. Why can't you see that?"
She flinched. She breathed in deeply before trying again. "Why can't you see
me? Why do you turn a blind eye to your destiny?"
Ugh, she was getting sick of hearing that word: destiny. From her mouth
nonetheless. He shuddered visibly.
"Just leave me alone Tess. It's never going to happen between us. Don't you
understand?" he turned around and looked her in the eye, then quickly
averted his gaze. "Liz refuses to have me because you're always around. She
believed that hologram of my mother and having you around isn't helping my
situation with her."
"Max, just give it up! She's let you go! She's released you....You can stop
fighting it. She's given you permission. Besides, don't you want to be
happy? Look at Michael and Isabel..." her voice was desperate and ragged.
She was on the verge of tears. But not yet. She couldn't breakdown yet. It'd
be pathetic."They stopped fighting it, and they are so much happier now! You
look so tired all the time now. You know that if we were together, that if
we just gave in to what we know is right, you know that we'd be happy!"
"Tess, NO!" He yelled. "You wanna know what would make me happy? Is If you
just layed off. If you let me be with Liz. Look, Michael and Isabel... they
may have found true love in each other, but us.... Tess it's just not there.
I found true love already. I was happy with Liz. But now... God, now, I'm
miserable. Can't you see it? If you love me the way you say you do. The way
you think you do, you'll let me go. You'll let me be happy."
She stared up at him, and looked into his eyes. And in them she could see
his desparation, his depression, his fear of what he was becoming and his
responsibility, and his lust for her. She couldn't explain it, but at that
moment she could FEEL what he was feeling. It was because of this intuitive
feeling, she knew what she had to do. It was the only way. To save them
both.
"I release you," she whispered almost inaudibly, defeated. She was tired and
wearing thin. She simply didn't have the strength to fight him anymore. They
would both waste away in misery if she didn't stop now. Her true love was
suffering before her very eyes. She couldn't bear to see his heartbroken
face anymore. So she gave him the one thing he asked for. His salvation.
****End Flashback****
After that, he'd thanked her. Left her crying in his room while he went
out to try and win Liz Parker back. He'd been successful. They'd gone out,
hot and heavy all over again. He at least was considerate of her feelings
and did appear to try and keep his hands off of Liz when they were in her
presense, but it didn't lessen her heartache anymore. It didn't take the
sting out of the rejection. It didn't fill that huge void in her life. The
worst part of all was that she couldn't move on. How many nights had she
asked herself to just go out and find a new man? One that she knew could
make her truly happy and fill the void? But she couldn't. Because she'd
already found him, and he'd left her for another woman. As the weeks passed,
she wondered if mayber her feelings would fade away.... but they stayed with
her and seemed to grow more intense with each passing day, each passing
glance. Not to mention the lust factor. Chemistry class was nothing compared
to some of the dreams that still plagued her sleep.
One day, about 3 months later, during a moment of weakness, she'd broken
down in Isabel's arms.
***Flashback***
Her shoulders racked with sobs that her tiny frame could barely handle as
Isabel stroked her hair. Blonde hair, beige carpet, smiling Teen idol in the
corner, tears, lots of them. Her vision was blurred and those were the only
things she could make out.
"Shh, Tess, it'll be alright. I promise you. It'll all turn out okay in the
end," Isabel cooed, hugging her tightly.
"Izzy..... never stop lying to me," Tess's voice was muffled against
Isabel's shoulder. Blonde hair moved, burgundy sweater, necklace chain.
"Who says I'm lying? Best friends aren't supposed to lie to each other," she
laughed softly.
"Bullshit," Tess said and broke down into more sobs. More tears. Eyes shut.
"Just forget all this destiny crap. Maybe it's not meant to be for you and
Max. One day, you'll set out and find yourself a destiny without my stupid
brother. And you'll be happy. I promise," she said confidently, smoothing
her hair down. Michael entered the room soundlessly, concerned. Isabel
looked up at him from her place on the floor and mouthed one word: Max. He
nodded and left the girls alone, in search of his best friend.
***End Flashback***
The next week they'd found out about Max and Liz's engagement. It'd been
downhill from there. As if sensing that Destiny was going awry, the dreams
intensified and came more frequently even during the day. She knew these
dreams weren't one sided. She could tell by the hooded looks Max sometimes
gave her in the morning when he greeted her. He would then go in search of
Liz. As if Miss American Apple Pie could cleanse him of his dreamself's
dirty deeds.
They were to be married about 3 months after Graduation. Maria and Alex
were running about making plans. They had buried the hatchet with the Pod
Squad, though things were still tense most of the times. They were always
busy it seemed to her. Of course that didn't stop them from pencilling her
in for their daily glare in her direction at the Crashdown or school. She
supposed that was just part of the price for coming too late.
The night before Graduation, with a sense of urgency, Tess tapped Max's
window. This was her last chance. She didn't know what it was, but something
primal told her go to the Evans' that night.
Do you ever think about me?
Do you ever cry yourself to sleep?
In the middle of the night when you're awake,
Are you calling out for me?
Do you ever reminisce?
I can't believe in nothing like this
I know it's crazy
How I still can feel your kiss
***Flashback***
She climbed cautiosly over the windowsill into the room. He hadn't answered
the window. There was the distinct possibility he wasn't even home. That he
was over at...Liz's house.
Her eyes scanned the room. She felt her heart jump into her throat when she
saw his sleeping form on the bed tangled in the sheets. Stepping gingerly,
she tip toed to his bed and sat down at the corner. She watched his chest
rise and fall, mesmerized. Suddenly he turned, further tangling himself into
the sheets. A moan escaped from his lips.
Her ears pricked and she felt the hairs on her arms stand on end. She
thought she'd heard her name. Realizing what was going on, a sorrowful smile
played on her lips. The dreams. Those damn never ending dreams. Instantly,
she felt like a criminal. Had her presense caused his fitful sleep? He
turned again onto his back, the moon casting it's light on his face. She had
to go. Get out of here fast. She'd released him. He'd left her without
looking back. She definitely shouldn't be here. She stared as he licked his
lips and his breathing quickened. Well, just maybe. Just one kiss. Maybe
that's all she needed to truly let go of him. Just one kiss and she'd forget
all about Max Evans forever and get started on that new destiny Isabel had
promised her she would have. One kiss. He owed her that much.
She gently brushed her fingertips across his cheeks and leaned in,
anticipation coursing through her veins. Just one kiss and she was out of
there. Slowly she inched down closer, the air between them seemed electric.
Pressing her lips against his, she was surprised when she felt him respond
and his tongue brush against her mouth. Surprised, but not about to let the
moment go, she parted her lips and deepened the kiss. His eyes fluttered
open and she felt him tense. Regretfully, she stood up and fidgeted
nervously.
"Tess? What are you doing here?" Max asked sitting up on his elbows. His
face the perfect expression of confusion.
"Um, I came to see if Isabel was here... but...but she's not... and," She
stuttered, stumbling over her words trying to come up with a plausible lie.
Great, she could lie straight-faced to FBI agents trained to detect any type
of nervousness, but lying to him...she was disgusted with herself. She
couldn't even finish her sentences.
"Oh," he answered flatly. "You should go."
"Yeah," she responded crestfallen. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.
I'm really sorry," she stumbled out his door, closing it behind her. Hand
still on the knob, she leaned back against the door and sank to the floor.
She felt confused. She hadn't thought it was possible, but she was in love
with him even more. The kiss.... it had felt right. For those few seconds
her lips were on his, her soul had felt at peace. The emotion she felt in
those precious few seconds could almost be called happiness. It had felt
like home. Too bad his home was with Liz. Sighing, she trudged out of the
house.
Back in his room, Max let out a grunt, balling his fist against his eyes in
frustration.
***End Flashback***
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
I miss you so much and I don't know what to say
I should be over you
I should know better but it's just not the case
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
2 months, 11 days, and 4 hours. That's how long it had been since she'd
last seen Max Evans. Things had been strange the next day at Graduation
between them. That's when she'd made the decision. During Liz's
Valedictorian speech, to be more exact.
Do you ever ask about me?
Do your friends still tell you what to do?
Every time the phone rings,
Do you wish it was me calling you?
Do you still feel the same?
Or has time put out the flame?
I miss you
Is everything okay?
***Flasback***
After the usual hat tossing, she grabbed Isabel and Michael and pulled them
to the side.
"Let's go the the rock quarry," she whispered.
"Now?!?" Isabel said incredulously.
"Yes, now! Are you guys coming or not?" she replied back, slightly annoyed.
"What about Maxwell?" Michael asked, looking over his shoulder to see Max
swing Liz off the ground. Isabel shot him a warning look.
"He doesn't need to know right now," she said matter of factly. "You can
explain everything to him later. It'll be easier that way."
At the rock quarry, Tess told them of her plans.
"You can't go! What are you going to do if you're attacked? What will we do
if we're attacked? The Four Square is not complete without all of us?"
Michael yelled.
"The Four Square's never been complete," Tess responded coldly, the hurt
evident in her voice. "I have to go out and find my own destiny. I promise I
will come back. I think we'll all be better for this. Max and I need a break
from seeing each other, and you guys need a break from the tension between
us."
"She's right Michael, she needs this more than any of us," Isabel stated.
"What about Nasedo? He's not going to be happy about this."
"I'll call him and tell him myself. He's won't be happy but he can't do
anything about it. I need a break, Michael! I won't be able to function
without one! Nasedo will understand that. We need to be able to work
together efficiently and effectively," she said pointedly. "And I can't go
on, I'm running on empty. And what are we going to do if we get attacked and
I can't help?"
"But we need to stick together," he argued.
"Thanks for the update, Max," Isabel shot back sweetly. Michael stared up at
the V constellation and ran his fingers through his hair. Dropping his arms
to his side, he faced Tess, placing each hand carefully on her shoulder.
"Be careful," he said finally.
Visibly relieved, Tess threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
So they said their good-byes with promises of keeping in touch and dream
walking via Isabel every night. Any problem, anywhere, at anytime, she was
to call them and get herself back to Roswell. That settled, she went home
and gathered her few belongings in a bag. Checking the time and grabbing
some cash, she left the house. No need for a bus since she wasn't sure
where she was going anyways. She hiked out to the highway and stuck out a
thumb. Bright lights bounced off her hair reflectively. She was momentarily
blinded by approaching headlights.
"Tess?" She blinked and looked at the passenger side. Liz looked surprised
by the big bag at Tess's feet. "What are you doing out here?"
"Yeah, what are you doing out here?" Max echoed, his voice was stressed and
angry. Liz peered down at her curiously.
"I'm headin out of Roswell. What are you going to do about it?" she
challenged him cooly, lifting her chin and pulling her shoulders back
slightly.
"You're le-" Max's tone was furious, but his eyes betrayed him. Hurt and
betrayal fleeted across his features.
"It's a rhetorical question," she cut him off. "My turn now. What are you
doing out here?" she asked, careful to keep her tone uninterested.
"We're...um... we're eloping," Liz blushed then looked down at her fingers,
fiddling with her ring.
"Oh," Tess paused looking at Max. "That's nice." With that, she picked up
her bag and walked farther down the road.
"Wait.... Wait!" Max shouted, seething. He jumped out of the jeep. "What do
you mean your leaving Roswell? You can't leave! What about the Four Square?
We need to stick together!" he yelled, grabbing her shoulders and shaking
her roughly.
"First of all," she said backing away violently to get his hands off her,"
'leaving Roswell' sounds like exactly like what it means. Secondly," she
stepped in dangerously close enough to smell his aftershave,"last time I
checked, there was no Four Square," she said, her voice dripping with its
inclination to Liz who looked like she was about to cry, "And sticking
together? Can we say overused statement of the year? Whatever. I'm outta
here." She stalked off quickly, trying to put as much distance between him
and her fast.
"Tess!" he yelled, his voice tinged with anger. She turned around, her bag
swinging about her and hitting her leg. She glared at him defiantly. " Fine.
Leave! Good-bye." The unspoken words left hanging in the air.
"I don't wanna hear it Max!" she screamed. Her eyes filled with unshed
tears. "Just remember, you left me first!"
She turned around again and continued walking down the road sticking out
her thumb. She heard a car door slam shut and felt the wind as the jeep
zoomed by her.
***End Flashback***
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
I miss you so much and I don't know what to say
I should be over you
I should know better but it's just not the case
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
Six months, eight days, and twelve God damn hours. That's how long it
had been since Max Evans had truly left her behind. She leaned back in her
seat frustrated. She'd just had a dream that didn't have to do with her and
Max doing the nasty (which were rare yet occasional) but yet it was still
about him. Like always. Now she was heading back to it all. Nasedo had dream
walked on her ordering her to go back. He was seething mad that she had
roamed so far from the others, unattended for so long. But that was to be
expected. Oh well, she missed seeing Michael and Isabel all the time. And
despite herself, she missed Max. Well, she knew she was going to miss Max.
She just didn't want to miss him. She did't want to think about him. So
grudgingly, she bought a bus ticket for Roswell, New Mexico. She'd been
hoping to reflect on the last two months while on the bus. Psych herself up.
She was stronger for her trip, she just hoped she was strong enough to face
the couple.
She looked out at the sunset, thinking about him. How his eyes sometimes
softened when he saw her. Then he would catch himself and his features would
harden. She thought about her sleepovers in Isabel's room and how in the
middle of the night, she would see him in the doorway gazing at her,
studying her. He would deny it in the morning, telling her she was trying to
cause trouble again. She remembered how he used to talk to her softly with
soulful eyes, but then upon realizing their close proximity would shut up
like a clam and act rudely. How he'd pause close to her for a whiff of her
perfume when he thought she wasn't paying attention then go off to talk to
Liz or the other humans. How she missed those torturous days. Isabel had
promised her that she would find her own destiny without Max. No luck yet.
She recalled some of her phonecalls with Michael and Isabel. Michael was
taking night classes while Isabel was primed to start at a college near
Roswell. She smiled slightly at some of their conversations during dream
walks. Isabel was truly happy. Tess wanted to hate her for it, for being so
happy when she was so miserable, but she couldn't. Isabel was her best
friend. She was like her sister. She was her sister, in a different life and
time anyways. Besides, she'd appeased her craving for knowing every
gruesome detail about Max. Occasionally, he'd answer the phone when she
called causing her to promptly hang up. She hadn't been ready to deal with
him yet. She had no doubt in her mind that he knew it was her calling.
During her daily conversations with Michael and Isabel, there were more
often than not long pauses and hushed conversation in the background, which
meant Max had walked in. Afterward, their side of the conversation would
freeze up and their dialogue censored. She could only assume that meant he
had stayed and was checking up on her. In her and Isabel's first dream-talk
(which was embarassingly set in a candle lit room with a shirtless Max
looking for her. Isabel had been thoroughly grossed out but understanding),
she found out that he hadn't eloped with Liz that night. Apparently, their
encounter with her had put a damper on the mood.
So now here she was arriving back just in time to see all the final
touches done for the wedding. Oh joy of joys. But maybe, just maybe, she'd
finally get that closure she craved for all this time.
It's hard enough just passing the time
When I can't seem to get you off my mind
And where is the good in goodbye?
Tell me why, tell me why
Go to Next Part...
Click to go Somewhere else!
Good-Tess Fic II
Bad-Tess Fic II
Alt.-Tess Fic II
Tess POV Fic II
Kyle and Tess Fic
