Title: Good Enough

Author: Zia

Rating: Teen/Mature

Summary: Roles are reversed, and Roswell is a different place for everyone

and I'm still waiting for the rain to fall
pour real life down on me
cause I can't hold on to anything this good
enough
am I good enough
for you to love me too?

Evanescence

Maria sat outside, hunched over behind the trailer, a worn out blanket around her shoulders and a cup of now cold tea in her hands. Her blond hair fell around her face like a curtain. He was drunk again, like so many nights. She was cold, the temperature was just barely above freezing. She couldn't feel her toes anymore. But he was still awake. She could hear him in there. Cursing, and throwing things and she was terrified. She heard a twig snap and she flinched and held her breath. "Maria?" The voice was quiet, and a friendly one.

"Alex?" She murmured lifting her head up.

"Come on sweetie." He moved closer and held his hand out to her.

Maria quickly put down the mug and grasped his hand, his hands were so warm they stung against her flesh, but she didn't care. He was a warm body. Alex pulled her into his chest and held her close. "Come on, lets get you someplace warm."

Together they walked out of the trailer park and the short distance to his house. They walked along the side of the house and in the side door through the kitchen. "Tea?" He offered and Maria nodded quickly, but then ducked her head low again. She was pretty sure Hank had left a bruise on the side of her face before she'd managed to get away. "How bad was it?" Alex asked, and watched as she just shrugged. "Let me see?"

Slowly Maria raised her head to allow Alex to survey the damage. "Shit Maria." He hissed and made her sit down. He grabbed a washcloth and got it wet before going to work on dabbing at the blood on her lip, and on the cut by her eye.

Ever since Maria was little Alex had taken care of her, he was a few years old, and an only child, he seemed to adopt her as his little sister. After Maria's foster mom had been arrested on drug charges she was stuck with Hank. It wasn't long before Hank started to hit her. And late one night Maria had taken off running through the field behind the trailer park and ended up in Alex's backyard. And since that day he'd taken care of her.

"Maria..."

"Alex, please." She knew what he was going to say, that she needed to get out of there, away from Hank, but where else could she go? She was 16 years old, no one wanted to adopt a 16 year old girl with that kind of baggage.

"Can you fix it?" He asked and gently touched her cheek.

"Not yet. I just... I can't right now." She couldn't focus enough. The pain was too much.

"Go take a shower, I'll get some pajamas for you. The guest room is set up, like always." Alex stood up and kissed the top of Maria's head. "I'll get your tea started."

"Thank you, Alex." Maria murmured and headed for the stairs. Alex's parents were asleep. They didn't know just how bad Hank was, but they knew that things weren't good. That was the only reason they never argued about Maria staying there.

Once in the shower, with the hot water pelting down on her frozen skin, she started to feel a little better. The feeling was coming back to her fingers, and her toes. Her muscles were relaxing, and thanks to the aspirin she'd taken the pain was beginning to fade from her head. In the morning she would be able to fix it. Before she had to leave for school she would erase it like it never happened. Like always. And no one would ever know. Like always.

Maria finished her shower and wrapped herself in a towel before walking out of the bathroom, and into the guest room. On the bed she found a pair of boxers and an over sized t-shirt to change into. After she had changed Maria headed back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Alex was sitting there, a cup of tea in front of him, and there was a cup sitting beside the kettle. "It's your favorite." He told her taking a sip of his own.

"Thank you Alex." She murmured for the second time that night.

"Maria... this has to end." Alex said still staring at his cup.

"What part? You coming to my rescue every night?"

"That too." He sighed. "I'm leaving for school at the end of August. Maria. I can't leave here knowing that you're going to have to fend for yourself, that you're going to be sitting outside all night because there is no one to save you from the monster that is your foster father."

"What do you suggest Alex? Tell people? Great. Just what I need. Drama. No one is going to want someone like me in there house. I'm a screw up Alex. You know that. No foster parent in their right mind would take me in."

"You're not a screw up Maria. You're just..."

"Just... what? A freak? Alex. You're my best friend. Hell, you're my only friend, as sad as that sounds."

"I am not your only friend."

"Name one. Just one other person. Face it Alex, you are the only one."

"Maria..."

"Stop doing that Alex. Saying my name like that. Like I'm just some social case." Maria poured some tea in the the cup she'd been clutching. "Look, I know you're leaving, but... don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"No you won't."

"Alex, are you forgetting about my wonderful little magical powers? I can handle Hank."

"No you can't Maria. If you could handle him, you would have done something already. You would have done something tonight when he beat the shit out of you. Did he... Maria... did he...?"

"We are not having this conversation." Maria gulped down the tea, burning her throat in the process before hurrying out of the kitchen. She rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom before Alex could follow her, she locked the door. Using her powers to give it a little more security.

Once she was safely in the room she sunk down to her knees and began to cry. Alex was right. She couldn't handle Hank. She never could, and she never would be able to, no matter what she thought. She was terrified of him, and she didn't know what her powers could do. She was afraid of doing something, and everyone finding out who she was... what she was. She knew she wasn't human. Alien? Just really special? She dreamed for the later, but knew what she was. She had dreams, with other people, but they never had faces. She didn't know who they were, but they were like her. On some distant planet, in another lifetime. She'd loved. She knew that she had. And the man she loved, was not who she was supposed to love, and the cost of that love was her own life.

Maybe none of that was true, maybe it really was just a dream. One that she'd had since she was a child. But maybe, just maybe it was real?

Maria crawled into bed after awhile, after her sobs had subsided. She yanked the blankets up over her head and was enveloped in their warmth, and clean scent. Moments later she found herself drifting off to sleep, to her pleasant dreams. Her dreams of the soldier. The king. The princess. And of course, herself, the Queen. It was such a wonderful dream.

Her soldier. The one she loved, the one she wasn't supposed to love. He held her. With a passion that she had never felt before. It was love, and it was forbidden. "He'll find out." She whispered against his lips when he claimed them in a kiss.

"I don't care." He whispered back, and laid her down on the lush bed.

Maria woke up early the next morning. Her body was still tingling. She couldn't quite remember everything that had happened in the dream. But the way he held her, it had felt so real. Quickly she climbed out of bed and gathered her clothes from the night before and left the Whitman's house. She wanted to get out of there before Alex woke up.

She left the house and walked the short distance back to the trailer park. Ever so slowly she pushed open the door and saw Hank passed out on the couch. She let out a breath and walked down the hallway to her room. She changed her clothes and grabbed her book bag. But before she left she stopped in the bathroom, and took in her appearance. The cut near her eye was pretty bad, and her lip was split. Sighing Maria reached up and touched the cut and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to concentrate. When she opened her eyes again the cut was almost completely healed. But only almost. There was a bit of a scratch left, and some swelling. "Shit." She hissed quietly, and touched her lip, it healed easily. But she couldn't focus enough energy to heal the cut. It just wouldn't heal. Sighing she gave up and headed to school.

Alex Whitman was normally a very calm guy. Easy going, generally happy. But at the moment he was pissed. He was seething. Maria Whitmoore had been avoiding him. She was avoiding him like the plague. All day long. School was almost out, and she was nowhere to be seen, for all he knew, she was dead. She'd gone back to the trailer and Hank had murdered her. He'd asked around, but most people really didn't know her, they didn't pay much attention to whether or not she was around.

"Hey, Alex." His mood brightened considerably hearing his girlfriends voice.

"Iz." He smiled and hugged her to him. "Nice." He said admiring the cheerleading uniform she was sporting. Her dark blond hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail

"What's wrong?" Isabel Evans asked with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Alex shook his head a little.

"Alex... you've been walking around school all day like a zombie. I actually heard someone say you were being an asshole, so... tell me what's going on." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a serious look. The look that meant don't fuck with me. He knew that look.

"Maria." Alex relented.

"Hank hit her again?" Isabel asked softly, her features instantly turning to concern.

Alex knew Maria would kill him if she found out that Isabel knew about Hank beating her. But what other choice did Alex have? Isabel was his girlfriend and she was getting suspicious of why Alex was always taking the girl into his house. Or bailing on Isabel in favor of Maria.

"Yeah." Alex nodded slightly. "Then we got into an argument about it last night... she took off before I got up this morning, I haven't seen her since. I don't know where she went or what might have happened to her."

"I'm sure she is fine Alex." Isabel tried to reassure him. "Did you try going to the trailer park? See if she was there?" He shook his head a little. "Why don't you go?"

"Your game..." It was the first game of the season. Meaning the first cheer for the season too. Alex always liked to come and watch Iz perform.

"There will be other games Alex. She's your best friend. Go find her." Isabel was disappointed. She couldn't help it. Sometimes she did wonder who was more important to him. Maria, or herself? They had been dating for three years now, and Isabel did have hopes of a future with him.

"I love you, you know that right?" Alex smiled a little and kissed her softly. "I'll try to be back before the game."

"Just be careful!" Isabel called after him.

"Hey Iz... where is Alex running off to?" Tess, Isabel's best friend asked walking up to her. Tess was dressed in the same cheerleading outfit, and always had a little spring in her step. How the girl always had so much energy Isabel wasn't sure. She had occasionally wondered if Tess took massive amounts of caffeine pills to stay so energetic.

"He had some stuff to do." Isabel shrugged a little. "You ready for the game?"

"As always!" Tess bounced a little, her tight curls bouncing around her shoulders.

"More so because Kyle is playing?" Isabel laughed softly and Tess gave her a little push.

"Hush!" Tess' eyes went wide and she looked around quickly, worried someone might have heard. Tess had been crushing on Kyle Valenti for years. Since childhood. But never had the guts to approach him. They were in the same crowd, they had the same friends. But Tess hid her lust for the boy.

"Come on." Isabel laughed. "Lets go to practice." She linked her arm with Tess' and dragged her towards the field. As they walked they passed Kyle and a few of his football buddies. "Hi Kyle." Isabel singsonged, and Tess turned bright pink.

"Hey Iz...hey Tess." Kyle smiled at the girls. The kind of smile that always made the girls weak in the knees. That makes their hearts flutter. Those eyes. That smile.

"Hey Kyle." Tess bit her lip a little. The toe of her shoe caught a crack in the sidewalk, and if it wasn't for Isabel still holding her arm she would have fallen flat on her face. She stumbled and caught herself and saw Kyle still watching her.

Mortified. That is what she was. Completely and totally mortified. "Oh my god." Tess breathed once they were out of sight of Kyle and his friends. "Oh. My. God. I cannot believe I did that. I almost fell on my face. In front of Kyle!" She hissed.

"But you didn't."

"But he saw me trip!"

"Tess... so what? People trip all the time."

"Yeah, completely clumsy idiots!" Tess shook her head. "I'm going to fall tonight."

"What?" Isabel laughed at her friend, she was being ridiculous.

"Off the pyramid. In front of Kyle. I'm going to fall. I just know it."

"You're going to jinx yourself. You won't fall." Isabel tried to reassure her.

"Yes I will. I will fall on my ass... or worse! My face! I'll break my nose! Or chip a tooth, and who wants to date a girl with a broken face?!" Tess was getting hysterical, and Isabel was getting exasperated.

"Tess. Stop. You aren't going to fall. You'll do fine. You've done this a hundred times. You're always the top of the pyramid. You've never fallen."

"You'll drop me! The girls on the bottom! You'll all drop me!" Tess started pacing back and forth and Isabel banged her head up against the chain link fence.

"If you don't stop freaking out, I will tell the girls to intentionally drop you!" Isabel cried in frustration. That got Tess' attention.

"You wouldn't dare." She stared at her friend who raised an eyebrow.

"Wouldn't I?" Tess scowled at Isabel who just laughed and hugged her. "Got your mind off it didn't it?"

"I hate you." Tess laughed and regained her composure as the other girls began to arrive.

Alex arrived at the trailer park and took a breath. Hopefully Maria wasn't even here. But then he would be forced to kill her for making him worry so much. He walked up to the trailer and noticed Hank's truck was gone so he braved himself and opened the door. The living room was empty but reeked of stale beer. "Maria?" He called out cautiously. "Maria? Are you home?" No response. He walked down the hallway to her bedroom and pushed open the door. "Maria?" Still nothing. He checked the bathroom, and the closet. She wasn't there. He let out a relieved sigh and left the trailer after checking behind it of course. He didn't find her. He didn't know where else to look. He gave up and drove back to the school, just in time to catch the end of Isabel's practice.

"You find her?" Isabel asked sinking down onto the bleacher beside him.

"Nope."

"Do you know where else to look?" Alex just shrugged looking out over the field at the football players practicing.

"Where is Tess?" He asked.

"Probably having another panic attack." He raised an eyebrow. "She tripped in front of Kyle today and is all freaked out about making a fool of herself at the game."

"She'll do great, she always does."

"I know. But she won't listen to me." Isabel sighed and rested her head on Alex's shoulder. "You love me?"

"Of course." Alex kissed the top of her head and slid his arm around her shoulders.

Across town Maria was in the bathroom at the Crashdown cafe, after spending her whole day hiding from Alex she had left early. When she arrived at the cafe she had talked to the owner about getting a job. Mr. Parker was more than happy to hire her, he was in desperate need of help in the restaurant. And now she was changing into the god awful teal colored dress, with antenna and alien apron.

Maria pulled her hair back into a ponytail before sticking the antenna on her head and rolling her eyes. "But I don't have antenna!" She hissed at her reflection. With a sigh she walked out of the bathroom to the front of the restaurant where Liz Parker, the waitress in charge was waiting for her.

"Hi Maria." Liz smiled at the girl. "So... you've never waited tables before?"

"No..." Maria shook her head and looked around the mostly empty restaurant.

"It's pretty dead now, hopefully we'll be able to train you well enough. There is a game tonight, after the game the players and everybody usually come out here. It can get pretty busy."

"Just show me what I need to know." Maria plastered a smile on her face, fake though it was, while Liz went over the menu with her, and all the things she would need to know. Where the condiments were kept. What to do at the end of the night when they closed. Maria thought her brain was melting. She wasn't sure she could take this much longer.

And just when she thought it couldn't get worse, it did. The entire football team walked through the door cheering. Soon followed by half the population of the school. "Ready?" Liz asked with a smile before spotting her boyfriend. "Max!" She smiled and launched herself into his arms. "How was the game?"

"Good. They won." Max kissed her quickly. "Who is that." He nodded towards the girl behind the counter, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"New hire. It's her first night, make the guys go easy on her." Liz kissed him again before walking back over to Maria. "Alright, your section is going to be just those three tables there... me and Delores will pick up the rest." Liz gave Maria's arm a gentle nudge. "Go. It won't be that bad."

Maria took a deep breath readying herself before walking over to the first table. "Hi, my name is Maria, what can I get you guys to drink?" She asked and then glanced up and came face to face with a very angry Alex. "Alex." She yelped.

"We need to talk later." He ground out and she bit her lip. Everyone at the table was staring between the two. Isabel, Tess, Kyle and Michael. Only Isabel knew what was going on, the rest were completely in the dark.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Maria asked again, determined to get through the night.

She got her drink orders for all of her tables and was heading back to one with several Blood of Alien smoothies on a tray in her hand. Just before she reached the table the tray teetered. She knew it was going to fall before it happened. The tray started to go one way. Her other hand shot up to steady it, but accidentally over compensated.

All four glasses hit the ground, the smoothie shot back up into the air as the glasses shattered. For a moment the entire restaurant was silent. Maria's eyes were clenched shut, but she could feel the cold liquid dripping down her neck, and over her face. She opened one eye first, they were all staring at her. Then the other eyes and glanced down. There was glass and smoothie at her feet. The tray was still in her smoothie coated hand. A drop fell from her nose and the entire restaurant broke into laughter.

She wanted to die right then and there. To be struck down by a freak bolt of lightening. "Guys... guys shut up." She heard Max trying to shut up the laughter, but she could tell he was fighting hard to control his own. The only people not laughing were Liz, and everyone at Alex's table. Alex stood up quickly and shot a glare at everyone. But it didn't stop the hysterics. Only when Michael Guerin stood up and crossed his arms over his chest did everyone instantly shut up.

"Oh sweetie." Isabel sighed and stood up from the booth. "Tess? Come on." Both still dressed in their cheerleading uniforms they ushered Maria into the back room.

"I'm fine, I've got it thanks." Maria said a little unsure. Why where they helping her all of the sudden? She truly was an outcast. She'd never spoken more than two words to Isabel.

"Yeah, doing just fine. I'm sure." Isabel grabbed a towel and glanced around. "Oh." She spotted a large sink. "Come here."

"Why are you doing this?" Maria asked, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking.

"Because, you're Alex's friend." Tess spoke up. "Do you have a spare uniform?"

"You think I'm actually going back out there?!" Maria asked incredulously.

"Of course you are." Isabel said. "Come here. We can wash your hair out in here."

"I'm not going back out there. I just made a fool out of myself in front of half the school population!" Tess and Isabel just shook their heads as they ushered the sticky girl over to the sink and began washing the mess from her hair.

"You didn't make a fool of yourself." Tess tried to reassure her.

"Did you or did you not hear them all laughing? Did you not see me throw four stupid shakes on myself?"

"People do things like that all the time. Tomorrow they won't remember." Tess tried again.

"Won't remember? Yeah, right. They'll just suddenly forget about that." Maria winced when Isabel pulled the hair band from her hair. "Ow."

"If it makes you feel any better, today I tripped in front of the guy I've been in love with for years." Tess offered with a small smile.

"Hey Maria?" Liz appeared a little while later. "If you want to go ahead and leave you can... Delores and I have it covered. Just... come back tomorrow? You're a good server. I'd hate to loose you over something like this." Liz smiled a little before disappearing.

"Change back into your regular clothes, you're joining us for dinner." Isabel smiled shutting off the water.

Maria took the towel and used it to dry off her now clean face. "What?"

"You heard me." Isabel smiled. Tess slipped out of the back room a second later. "Look, Alex has been worried sick about you all day, now, I don't know why..." She trailed off noticing the cut high up on her cheek. "But, Alex cares about you, and he's been worried, the least you could do is let him buy you dinner."

"I ... can't..."

"Why not?" Isabel asked and Maria looked down.

"I just can't."

"Give me an actual reason, and I might think of letting you out of it." Isabel shook her head and opened her purse, she dug around for a moment before finding what she wanted. "Sit." Maria did obediently and Isabel cupped her face. Carefully she dabbed some concealer to the cut, doing her best not to hurt her. "There. Now... do you have a decent reason why you can't stay and hang out with us?"

Maria sighed and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The cut was almost invisible.

"I didn't think so." Isabel smiled and handed Maria her clothes. "Go change... and don't even think of sneaking out of here." She ushered Maria towards the bathroom before heading back out to the front of the restaurant. She looked at everyone who was chatting amongst themselves. The mess was cleaned up, and there were no traces of it anymore. Isabel stopped in the middle of the restaurant. "Alright. I want to make it perfectly clear. That never happened. If a single one of you say anything, you even chuckle at her expense. You'll wish you were never born." Isabel glanced around at everyone who simply nodded in understanding. Next to Michael, Isabel was one of the scariest people at the school. Everyone knew not to mess with her. "She'll be coming out of the bathroom in a moment, and she will be joining us for dinner. You will all behave." Isabel hissed before sliding back into the booth beside Alex.

Maria stood in the bathroom, changed back into her normal clothes. Her hair was still wet. She felt sticky. Sighing she waved her hand over her skin, at least she could do something about the sticky without anyone knowing. Wait. She was actually going out there? To 'hang out' with Alex, and his friends, and the popular people? She sighed. "I guess I am." She pushed open the door and cautiously stepped out.

She waited. She waited for the laughter. For the pointing, for the jokes. A few people glanced up, but paid no real attention to the fact that she was walking in on their territory. Slowly she made her way across the diner to where Alex sat with his friends. Isabel and Tess smiled warmly at her when she reached the table. Alex moved over to allow her room in the booth.

"Proper introductions." Tess smiled. "This is Kyle and Michael, guys, that's Maria. Now play nice." Tess was perfectly content where she sat between Kyle and Michael. Two of the most lusted after guys in school, and she was happily sandwiched between them.

"I always play nice." Kyle smiled. "Hey Maria." He shifted in the booth and draped his arm over the back of the seat, behind Tess. Her eyes went wide for a moment when his fingers brushed over her shoulder, but she quickly got over it and just smiled.

"Michael." Isabel hissed across the table. He was just staring at Maria. His eyes shifted for a moment before settling back on Maria, who shifted nervously in her seat.

"Hey." Maria nearly melted at the sound of his voice.

"Hi." She whispered back.