Skip to main content

something from the archives: say goodbye - part 3

parts 1 and 2 set the stage at the links, but part 3 takes us back to what happens after the end of departure. we'll see where things go after their one night, but it will be a while before we get there.

we pick up the story one month earlier then, after the jump...





Part 3 

One month earlier… 

They all stood on the edges of the crumbling mountain that housed the pod chamber and granolith, watching as the person who had destroyed their lives, torn the group apart, and murdered one of their own disappeared. It was over, but was there any way to come back from this pain? They were broken. Everything had changed. What Tess had done rocked the foundation of their friendship. They'd torn each other apart to get to this moment, how could they just glue it back together? There was no avoiding the chasm that had grown between them. Between all of them.

As they made their way down the jagged rock formation they each kept their thoughts to themselves. What could they say? How could they apologize for the anger, the mistrust, the hurt they'd each inflicted on one another. No one was innocent here. But they were all victims too. Silently they piled into Maria’s red Jetta and made their way back home, back to Roswell.

Liz watched the car pull away from the curb of the Crashdown as Maria left to drop off Kyle, Max, and Isabel over at the Valenti’s home. Michael had turned to walk over to his apartment and Liz was going to the diner. After dropping off the others, Maria was going to head home immediately to check up on her mother, Amy, who was still suffering the after-effects of Tess’s mind-warping abilities.

Liz was still reeling from all she had discovered. She felt shaky and nauseated. She had been right, about everything, about Tess all along. And it was killing her that she was. It was agonizing to be right about this. Tess killed Alex. She had screwed with them all. Remembering that night all those months ago when Future Max had come to her and begged her help in making Tess stay to prevent the end of the world, Liz stumbled. All the images, the what ifs, the possibility that this was all somehow her fault was overwhelming. It was horrifying. It was too much, and everything was spinning now, and the world went dark.

Michael had been debating whether or not to go into the Crashdown when he saw Liz sway, and in an instant he was there to catch her in his arms as she fell. Glancing at the busy diner, Michael decided to take Liz to his apartment instead. The Parkers already had enough on their plate, they didn't need to worry needlessly about Liz. Gathering up her petite frame in his arms, he walked the two blocks that it took to get to his place quickly. He wasn't interested in catching anyone's attention. He didn’t want to set the whole town asking questions and talking about that rebel Guerin and the Parker girl.

Until he unlocked his door, he'd forgotten his place was a mess. He had trashed the place after Maria had left, agonizing over his decision to leave. Pushing everything that lay on the couch to the floor he gently placed Liz on it, brushing away her hair from her face. She looked like an angel, and she was. He couldn't hold back the rush of warm emotion that settled over him when he looked at her. She had saved them, this tiny smart woman had saved him and Max and Isabel more times than they could count, with her intelligence, her ingenuity, her sheer determination to do what was right for them, to protect their secret. It never mattered how he antagonized her, she always did right by them.

How could he ever repay her for everything she had done for them? He'd always been cruel to her. He'd wanted to keep Liz at a distance. And it was hard, because she genuinely seemed to like him in spite of how badly he treated her. She'd always protected their secret no matter how many times he questioned her loyalty. No matter how hard he pushed Liz Parker away she always found a way in, and sometimes he worried that he'd let her get too close to his heart. She belonged to Max. There was no room for Michael. He needed to remember this.

Liz stirred. Her coffee-colored eyes flickering open. “Where am I? Michael?” She asked.

“Liz, are you ok?" Michael leaned over her and helped Liz sit up slowly. "I saw you faint and I brought you to my place so that your parents wouldn’t worry. What’s wrong? Why’d you fall like that?”

“Thanks Michael, I guess I just…everything sort of hit me at once. She killed Alex," Liz choked back a sob.

Michael looked at her closely. He could tell there was something Liz was holding back. "Yes, and now she's gone. But there's something you're not sharing Liz, I know it."

Liz was so tired of the lies and half-truths that had brought them all this far. All for nothing. Tess was still gone, she had lost everything, her love, her best friend, her light-heartedness, and the world would still end and she would ache. She would still end up with nothing. If Michael even suspected how she was responsible for this mess he'd never forgive her. He'd been the last person to trust her, hell, she wasn't even sure he trusted her now. How could she tell him. Tears welled up and a sob tore through her throat as Michael gathered her to his chest and she began to cry in earnest.

Michael didn’t know how long he held her. It seemed as if she would never stop crying. He could sense her pain, the heartache, the agony residing deep within her soul. He just held her and let her cry. Rubbing her back, brushing her silken hair with his hands, until after what seemed an eternity she quieted. Kissing her forehead chastely he asked her to tell him what it was that was eating her up inside.

Liz was drained. Emotionally, mentally, physically, and when Michael asked her to trust him, she did. He had been wonderful to her during the past few weeks. Saving her from the alien booby-trap, holding her hand as she revealed the truth about Tess to Max and taking care of her as she collapsed. Her promise to Future Max meaning nothing anymore, he was gone and so was Tess. She slowly poured the whole incredible story out, the only person she had dared to tell before had been Maria, and even then she had held back some of the details.

Michael listened in awe at the story Liz was telling him. He was humbled at the extent of her dedication, not only to Max, but also to all of them. She had broken her own heart, destroyed the future full of happiness that awaited her to save them. She had a core of steel and a heart that only amazed him.

“Liz, I…wow…I mean you did all of that for us? Why? I’ve never, and Isabel…she—” Michael was interrupted by Liz, who placed a finger on his lips.

“Shh. I had no choice. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I refused and known that in the end I could have saved all of you.” She smiled at him sadly.

“Thank you.” Michael whispered, humbled.

“Michael, what does all of this mean now? I mean I am so frightened that I did it all for nothing. That this is all my fault. Tess is still gone, and now Alex is dead, what if the end of the world still happens? What did I do wrong?” Liz couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks as she leaned into Michael for comfort.

“Shh. We’ll figure this out. All of us. Max from the future didn’t know that Tess was working with the enemy, now we know. We know so much more about our powers, about Tess’s powers. Liz, I promise you that you didn’t do this all for nothing. None of this is your fault. I promise.” Michael gazed into her warm eyes, so filled with pain. He wanted to make things right for her, she had lost so much recently, she deserved a little happiness thrown her way. With Max doing what he did with Tess, getting her pregnant, fucking up so royally, he wondered how they would ever get Liz’s world set to rights. Especially since there was no way to bring back Alex. There was no turning back the clock on his death. Tess had so much to answer for, if only she hadn't escaped. Just knowing she was still out there somewhere burned in his gut.

“But Alex, he was at our wedding. Michael what if—" Michael interrupted her. He would not let her blame herself for anything.

“No. It’s all Tess’s fault Liz. You had nothing to do with it.” He moved to hold her more comfortably, placed her head on her shoulder, her back against his chest. “Shh.” He said as he tightened his grasp. “We’ll figure this all out Liz. We’ll make things right. But never blame yourself. Blame us. We’ve destroyed your life.”

“Michael…I…just know that I don’t regret knowing you, any of you, and knowing your secret has made my life extraordinary. And I trust you.” She settled back against him. Allowing him to comfort her. Slowly her eyelids dropped and she fell asleep. Michael watched as her breathing evened out. And shifted to make the couch more comfortable for the both of them. It had been a long day, and later on everyone would be meeting there. In the quiet, he too fell asleep.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

simply catching up on all things general hospital

hmmm, it's been months since i've blogged about gh . partly this is due to the fact that i fell behind while i was traveling. partly because all the outrage lapsed into disinterest when i realized i couldn't bring myself to care anymore and everything that was happening was just so trite and boring. some days i still feel that way. and there are still whole storylines that i either hate or just fast forward through. but there are some good things too. in no particular order, here are my thoughts on the goings-on in port charles: 1. soras [and why re-casting roles works on soaps even if you do miss the original actors]: the new, older versions of sonny's kids are turning out to be quite enjoyable. [although hilariously, cameron whom i believe is older than molly is now younger. and because cameron is so cute, i'm kind of hoping they won't fix that. we also haven't seen spencer in ages, so he may be approaching 50.] in any case, at this point we've only s

genre debate: urban fantasy versus epic fantasy: team epic gets their say

Team Epic: Why I Love Epic Fantasy! Since it's my blog, I'll go first: Epic fantasies take you on quests that take you beyond the limits of what is real. The rules can be different, they are different, and everything just matters more. It's not just one life at stake, it's lives, it's a whole world, a whole way of being. Epic fantasies force you to use your imagination and take you on an adventure to places you never thought possible, but as different as everything feels, there are still things that are always real, no matter how you write it. Keep reading to see what a handful of Entangled TEEN authors think about epic fantasies: Erica Cameron - Island of Exiles (The Ryogan Chronicles, #1): Why do I love epic fantasy? It's a blank slate. We can erase all of our preconceived notions of society and law and even science, throwing all of that over the side of a cliff. Epic fantasy lets us push humanity well past the breaking point with ever

simply a preview of the forbidden by jodi ellen malpas

Releasing on August 8, 2017, read on for more information about The Forbidden , including an excerpt and giveaway! Synopsis What do you do when you can't control your feelings for someone? When you know you shouldn't go there? Not even in your head.  Annie has never experienced the 'spark' with a guy-the kind of instant chemistry that steals your breath and blindsides you completely. Until a night out with friends brings her face to face with the wickedly sexy and mysterious Jack. It's not just a spark that ignites between them. It's an explosion. Jack promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise. Overwhelmed by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their hotel room. She is certain that a man who's had such a powerful impact on her and who could bend her to his will so easily, must be dangerous. But she's already in too deep. And Jack isn't only dangerous. He is forbidden.