Dreamwalk

1

«Are you sure you want to do this?» Max asked a question he had asked often in the past two years with the same intensity he usually reserved for life-and-death situations.

«I've come this far," Liz replied, looking unsure. «Everyone is counting on me.»

«They'll understand," he said.

«But I won't.» Liz stepped out of the booth, smoothing the wrinkles in her light blue dress. She had chosen the color after making the rule that no one was to wear black that night. Black was morbid. Tonight was a celebration of life. «I was so busy trying to solve Alex's murder that I never had the chance to let him go. I have to do this. Not just for Alex, but for myself.»

Dressed in a rust-colored T-shirt with brown pants, Max watched as Liz walked through the small crowd at the Crashdown, heading for the makeshift stage they had set up in front of the counter. It was little more than a few lights and a microphone borrowed from the school AV closet, but it was going to have to do. Max thought it was great of Liz's father to forgo a night's profits and close down the cafe for the gathering of friends and family.

The group included their own inner circle, minus Kyle, who was finishing up at his new job at the auto shop. There were also some of Alex's closer friends from school-the lucky students of West Roswell High whose main concerns in life had to do with grades and finding a date for Saturday night and not life-and-death alien encounters. Max knew most of them fairly well, but could not count them as close friends since his very nature kept him distant from anyone for fear of bringing them into his life like he had brought in Liz and her friends. And tonight was a perfect example of why that was such a horrible thing for him to do to them.

Aside from friends, he counted many families among the participants. His own adoptive parents were there, supporting him, Isabel, and the Whitmans as they had a couple months ago at the funeral. Maria's mom was there too, sitting at a table next to Sheriff Valenti. Even though the sheriff had lost his job helping Max, he couldn't think of the man as anything other than «sheriff.» Seeing the two single parents together, their strange, shared history of being abandoned by their spouses years ago inexplicably popped into Max's head. Ignoring the thought, Max continued scanning the room, ending with Alex's parents. He didn't even want to think about what they were going through.

«It started four years ago," Liz spoke into the microphone. «It was during my short-lived artistic phase, before I really got into science. Alex, Maria, and I got together onthis midsummer's night to have our own private talent show. Alex and Maria played bass and guitar while they sang, and I did whatever I could to keep up with them, mostly by reciting some poetry.» She took a breath to choke back on the tears that were about to escape. «We continued the tradition every summer since, and now I invite you all to join in with us, in memory of Alex.»

Max saw that Maria was already dabbing her eyes with a tissue. He almost laughed in spite of the somber mood, because her outfit was truly priceless. She had totally embraced Liz's color directive and was wearing a rainbow-colored sequin minidress that he had actually helped her pick out at a local thrift shop. The two of them had really bonded as friends the previous summer and still spent a lot of time together when their significant others were otherwise engaged.

«I'd like to start off tonight with a poem that I know was very dear to Alex," Liz continued as she picked up a book left on the counter and opened it to the page still marked by a pair of concert tickets. «It's called 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.'" She looked out at the crowd at each of her friends, finally stopping on Alex's parents as she read, "'Whose woods these are I think I know.

As Max listened, he also settled his eyes on Alex's parents and gave himself permission to try to imagine what they could possibly be feeling. To have their son taken at such a young age was something he could only partially wrap his head around. Though his own son was millions of miles from him, the Whitmans' pain was different from his own. Their suffering came after raising a childfor seventeen years only to have his life ended in a seemingly senseless accident. It made Max feel even worse to think that they would always assume that their son had taken his own life, and would never know the truth.

He turned his full attention back to Liz, thinking how beautiful and fragile she looked under the spotlight reading from Alex's book. She had been through so much since her close friend's death, and now that Tess was finally out of the picture, Max promised himself that he would do whatever he could to make things up to her, starting with being there for her on this very important night.

«… 'And miles to go before I sleep,'" Liz finished the poem openly crying, finally letting out all the grief she had been holding in since the day she had gotten her first clue to Alex's death.

Max was quickly out of his seat and by her side, escorting Liz to a chair. «Alex would have liked this," he whispered.

Liz was speechless as she sat down in the booth, her body slightly trembling.

Polite applause filled the Crashdown as Liz's own parents looked on, openly concerned for their daughter but apparently content to know that Max was by her side.

Alex's former band mates were next on the bill. They were setting up their equipment in the staging area to do a set in honor of their missing bass player. This would be the last time they would be performing together under the name «The Whits," and each member thought this was the appropriate time and place for such a performance.

Alex had brought the group together sophomore year in deference to the fact that the Roswell garage band scene was rather pitiful. He was the driving force behind the band, as evidenced by the name they had settled on. Even though Maria had temporarily hijacked the group soon after their creation, Alex had always been the one in charge. As the guys began their first melancholy song of lost love, which had been written by Alex, Isabel came over to join her brother and Liz.

«Are you sure you know your lines?» she whispered to Max as she sat in the booth. She had also taken Liz's wardrobe instructions to heart and was wearing a pale orange dress to fit in with the «celebration of life» theme of the evening.

«Yes, Isabel," Max said, for the tenth time since having agreed to perform the skit with her. «I'm sure I know my lines.»

«I just don't want you to freeze up in the middle," she explained.

«Relax," he calmly replied. «We'll be fine.»

«Do you want to go rehearse again in the back?» she asked, getting up before he could answer.

Liz looked to Max, begging him with her eyes not to leave her alone right now. He reached to his side and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze to let her know that he wouldn't be going anywhere.

With his other hand, Max grabbed his sister by the arm and lightly tugged her back down into the booth across from him. «We've rehearsed it a hundred times. It's going to be fine. Stay here and enjoy the music.»

«I just…» She had a catch in her throat.

«I know.»

As Max held on to Liz with his hand, he locked eyes with his sister, letting her know that he was there for her, too. Silently, Max provided the necessary support for the two girls who, in addition to Maria, were probably closer to Alex than any other students at West Roswell High.

All three of them fought back tears as the mournful tune filled the Crashdown. It even looked to Max like the band was about to lose it at any moment. Somehow, this «celebration of life," had gotten off to a rather depressing start. But Max wasn't quite sure how to go about turning things around.

«This is ridiculous," Liz said from out of nowhere. «This is supposed to be a joyous occasion.»

«Well, Liz, you're the one setting the tone," Max gently reminded her, still providing her the strength she would need to take charge of the event.

«Exactly," she stood and crossed over to the lead guitarist, Mickey, as the band finished their heavyhearted tune. Max watched as she whispered something into Mickey's ear that immediately made his face light up and his head nod vigorously. As Liz returned to the table, Max watched as the guitarist relayed the message to the rest of the band. Each member looked more pleased than the next as they readied their instruments.

«Ladies and gentlemen," Mickey addressed the crowd, «we've had a special request.» He bowed his head toward Liz in gratitude.

«Let's dance," Liz said as she pulled Max from his seat.

On cue, the band started up again, and Max recognized another one of their tunes. This time, however, the song was much faster. Taking their lead, Maria got up in her shimmering rainbow outfit and hopped up to the microphone,

letting loose on the song that she remembered from her days fronting the band. Soon the whole place was rocking and everyone was out of their seats, including Alex's mom, who was dancing with Sheriff Valenti. There was, however, one person who was still in his chair.

«I don't think Mr. Whitman dances," Max said as he nodded his head in the direction of Alex's father while keeping the beat.

«Oh, you'd be surprised," Liz said with a laugh. «You should have seen him when he chaperoned the sixth-grade dance. He taught me some moves I'd never seen before or have been able to do since. Will you excuse me?»

Max nodded politely as Liz left him to go to Mr. Whitman. At first, Alex's father was reluctant to join in the festivities, but Liz flashed the charming smile that Max knew from personal experience no man could resist, no matter what his age or marital status.

Soon enough, Mr. Whitman was up on the dance floor. Feeling awkward as the only one on the dance floor standing alone, Max noticed there was one other person in the diner who was not dancing, and went back to the kitchen to join him.

«Are you going to watch from back here all night, Michael?» Max asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

«It's the safest place to be in case Maria makes a scene," Michael replied as he tended to the grill.

«You should go easy on her," Max said, leaning against the counter. «This has got to be difficult.»

«Which is exactly why I'm staying in the kitchen," Michael replied.

Max honestly wanted to delve into the latest drama in the Michael/Maria relationship, but he didn't think he had enough energy left. Providing emotional support for Liz and Isabel was draining enough for Max, especially considering that he still blamed himself for Alex's death.

In the past months, dozens of «what ifs» had gone through his head as he'd tried to figure out a way he could have changed events so things wouldn't have turned out the way they had. But Max knew he could not alter the past as much as he knew that he could not tell what the future had in store for him and his friends. There was so much on Max's mind as he watched the party through the kitchen's service window that he almost couldn't concentrate on any one thing at all.

«You and Liz okay now?» Michael asked when he noticed the direction in which Max's gaze was fixed.

«Oh, sure," Max replied, keeping his eyes locked onto the dance floor. «We're closer than we've been in a long time.»

«So what's with the look?» Michael persisted.

«It's Mr. Whitman," Max said as he caught an actual expression of happiness creep onto the face of Alex's dad for the first time that evening. Mr. Whitman was lifting Liz up into the air, doing some amazing moves that Max had only seen in movies. «I don't know how he does it.»

«Does what?» Michael asked. «Dance?»

Max had to chuckle in spite of his mood. Michael always appeared to miss the subtleties of life, which often proved to be a sore point in his relationship with Maria, but Max knew that his friend caught on to things far more often than he showed. «I don't know how he goes on with his life," Max explained. «He raised Alex, and now his son is gone. How does a father cope with it?»

«Doesn't seem like he has much of a choice," Michael said as he continued to flip burgers. «It has been a couple months since Alex died.» Then he added, «And since Tess left.»

«That's not what this is about," Max said.

«Isn't it?» Michael asked, already knowing the answer. «Your son's probably been born by now, right?»

«If Tess was telling the truth when she said her alien pregnancy would only last a month," Max reluctantly conceded, «then, yes, I have a son.»

«We'll get him back, Maxwell," Michael said, ignoring the food for a moment. He put his hand on his friend and leader's shoulder to stress his words. «I promise you.»

«I know," Max agreed without a doubt in his mind. «But then what?»

«Then we raise him," Michael replied.

«You and me?» Max asked, only partially joking. «How do I raise a hybrid human/alien child? I'm a child myself.»

«Max, you haven't been a kid since we came out of the pods when we were six," Michael reminded him. «You've been an adult your entire life. Hell, you were an adult even before this life.»

«It's just…," Max started.

«Are you going to hide in here all night?» Maria asked accusingly as she blew into the kitchen with Liz trailing her silver platform heels. Her song apparently over, Max assumed that she was probably angry her boyfriend had missed hearing her sing.

«I'm helping Max deal with his intense issues over fatherhood," Michael said, largely to change the subject to get Maria off the path that she was about to take him down once again.

«Thanks, Michael," Max said, wishing that his personal issues could have remained personal for just a while longer. Immediately, he saw a familiar look of concern in Liz's eyes. He had been hoping to spare her his problems for at least this night. Max tried not to get angry with Michael for using their private conversation as a distraction for Maria, but it wasn't easy.

«Besides," Michael added. «I'm cooking.»

«Looks done to me," Maria said as she eyed the burgers. «Well-done, in fact. Come on, we can bring the food out while my mom does her Earth Mother performance art piece.»

«Can't miss that," Michael sarcastically replied as he started flipping the burgers onto some buns. Maria helped out by removing the French fries from the deep fryer and pouring them onto a serving platter. Silence hung in the room as they finished getting the food ready, and Liz waited to follow up on the question she had been wanting to ask since she and Maria walked into the room to Michael's less than warm response.

With all the food on its respective serving trays, Michael and Maria silently made their way out to the dining room area, leaving their friends behind in the kitchen.

«Do you want to talk about it?» Liz asked as soon as the kitchen door swung closed.

«Not tonight," Max said. «Tonight, I get to be here for you for once instead of the other way around.»

There was a pause as Max's words hung in the air.

«Okay, we both know that's not going to work," Liz said, smiling at him. «So why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me what's wrong?»

«Why can't anyone just let me wallow in my pain?» Max asked rhetorically.

«Because the last time you did that, you got drunk with Kyle off one sip of alcohol and totally crashed my blind date from Hell," Liz said, reminding him of one of his less than stellar evenings from well over a year ago. «Spill it.»

«Just having some fatherly regrets," he said.

«We'll get him back," Liz said, mustering up support for him even though she was talking about a child that he shared with Tess.

«Like 1 told Michael, that's not the problem.» Once again, his gaze leaped to Mr. Whitman, who was still on the dance floor twirling his wife in circles.

«It's what to do with him once he gets here?» Liz correctly assumed.

«I look at Alex's dad and I can't imagine dealing with that kind of pain," Max said. «His son was living this life that he knew nothing about and eventually it killed him, and his father will never know the truth.»

«Maybe someday-," Liz started hopefully.

«Then I think of me and my dad," Max unintentionally cut her off. «Things are never going to be truly honest between us, because I can't share with him the most important part of my life. Even so, I know when I need him, he'll be there for me. I don't know if I have that kind of strength.»

«Of course you do," Liz said.

«Do I?» Max truly wondered. «Think of Sheriff Valenti raising Kyle on his own. The two of them are so close. Will I ever be that close to my son?»

«Kyle's mom left them over a decade ago," Liz reminded him. «They didn't have a choice. They only had each other.»

«How am I ever going to have that kind of bond with my son after I get him back from his mother-a woman who murdered one of our closest friends? How do I explain everything to him when I don't understand it myself?»

Max knew that Liz was holding her feelings for Alex at bay so she could help him with his problem, and the knowledge was making him feel even worse.

«I don't know," she said honestly. «But I do know that you'll make a great dad. You're a born leader. Literally. How hard could fatherhood be compared with ruling a planet?»

«That's a bit of a jump," Max said.

«True, but it's the best I can do right now.» Liz's face lit up. «Hey, I've got an idea. For once, we have a conveniently timed crisis. My parents arranged for me to go to Artesia this weekend to baby-sit their friends' son Jason while his parents go out of town. Why don't you come along? It will give you a chance to spend some time in charge of a twelve-year-old boy.»

«I don't think our parents would like us spending the weekend alone together," Max reminded her.

«So we don't tell them," Liz said. «It certainly won't be the first secret we've kept from them. And we won't be alone. Jason will be there, and he won't say anything to anyone.»

«I don't know.»

«Doesn't matter," Liz replied bluntly. «You're going.»

As if to add a formal end to their conversation, Michael came back into the kitchen. «Max, your sister's looking for you," he said, carrying the now empty serving trays. «Has Liz solved your problem yet?»

«Almost," Liz replied. «I was just…»

But before she could finish her sentence, the back door slammed open and shut.

Concerned, Liz, Max, and Michael moved from the kitchen to the back room. There, they found Kyle still wearing his blue work overalls, breathing heavily and looking rather pale.

«Wow," Michael said. «You look like crap.»