Title: Light Years Between Us
Rating: T
Pairing: Michael and Liz
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Belong to Katims and Metz. If I did own them I would have added actual drama to the show involving Michael and Liz at the beginning of season 2.
Spoilers: Through Departure.

Summary: Michael, Max, Isabell, and Tess left at the end of departure. Tess was not evil and Alex is still alive. The following is a collective of each characters story in the future.

Warning: Michael and Liz pairing so if you don't like that, then don't read. Also there are some graphic scenes involving alien sickness and war.

I had no one to Beta this story so I'm sorry in advance. If anyone wants to beta this afterwards let me know. I just couldn't sit around for weeks waiting for a response.

Read and Review. I love criticism and praise. . .mostly praise.

Chapter One: A Waitress's story

"Ever wonder how our actions can change our future? Well I don't have to wonder, I lived it. Six years ago I died only to be brought back to life. A year later I died again, but this time I wasn't brought back. It wasn't a disease or a bullet, but a broken heart. The kind of death only a male could cause. The man I loved, the man who saved me, asked me to make him fall out of love with me. I had to or the world would end.

So I did, I blew him off, I pushed him to another woman, and I succeeded. Devising a plan, I had it appear that I slept with a friend. He was devastated, I was devastated. Filled with so much pain and anger, the love of my life separated from me. He couldn't stand to be in the same room as me, no one from my group of friends could. Which hurt the most, my closest friends turned their backs on me. Except one, Michael.

The spiky haired boy had so much faith in me that he never believed I was capable of betrayal. He stood by me everyday through the tough months. Held me when I cried, gave me space when I needed to be alone, and even made me laugh again. Slowly he became my best friend, my pillar, and even my confidant. I eventually told him everything about that night and he promised to tell no one. We spent a lot of time together, even after my friends became my friends again. Everyday we hung out and most nights we would stay up late and talk.

Max may have healed my wound, but Michael healed my soul. Michael saved me and I am in his debt. Then another choice made by Max changed their lives forever. Max slept with Tess, like he was supposed to correct? Unfortunately, alien babies can't survive on earth. Something about our screwed up atmosphere. So of course they had to find away to leave. So we banned together as a group, the eight of us. Alex, Michael, and I scoured the state for a computer to translate their alien voodoo book. We didn't sleep for a week, just searched and ate take out.

Finally we hit pay dirt when we fell upon Las Crusas and a student there named Serena. Of course we weren't sure how to convince her to let us use them to translate this unordinary language, but amazingly enough we didn't have to. As much as Alex hates to admit it, Serena fell for his nerdy magnetism. The second she laid eyes on him, Michael and I knew we could do whatever we needed to, hell she'd probably do it for us.

So as Alex and I worked constantly through the night this "super computer", Michael ran interference and security. Finally after a week and a half, we decoded the secret language, which you would think would be a good thing. Funny thing is, neither of us had a smile that day because we knew what it meant, they were going home. Michael didn't want to leave me and begged me to come with. As much as I needed him, he needed me. Sure he was with Maria, but I knew him like no one else. He never knew it, but I loved him with all my heart. More then I ever loved Max. I begged him to stay, cried my eyes out in the process, but the final decision wasn't up to us.

Max wouldn't allow it and reluctantly we said goodbye. So they left. They left Maria, Alex, Kyle, Jim, and myself to fend for ourselves. They promised to return when they could, but we knew that they probably wouldn't. Worse, we knew they would probably be killed. I mean going back to a war rattled planet, back to your enemies and as human teenagers non-the less. No they probably didn't stand a chance.

The night before they left, Michael expressed his fears of their trip. That's right I said it, Michael was afraid. He feared they would be captured the second they returned. He feared they would be tortured and killed. Worst though, he was afraid he'd never see me again. He feared that he couldn't protect me and that I would perish. I so badly wanted him to stay, as did he, but we both knew he had to leave. So we spent the last hour holding each other and cried.

One year after the pod squad left, the rest of the gang began to disperse. Maria was first to leave. When Michael left her, she was crushed. Sure at the time they weren't together, but she hoped he would stay. The day they graduated from Roswell High, Maria took off for her singing career. She wrote every once in awhile. It was exciting to hear how things were going for her.

She met up with her ex-boyfriend Billy and the duo teamed up and called themselves Bill and Ria (Billy on guitar and Maria an vocals). In the beginning they struggled but it wasn't to long before they were discovered and hit it big. They refused to sing anything they didn't write or have their songs remixed, so they butted heads with the record company. Eventually they struck a deal and went on tour, which ended the monthly letters.

Next was Kyle. He never got over his "sister", Tess, ditching him. He got a scholarship to UCLA and left to lead the Bruins. Though they never went to the Rose bowl, he was still an outstanding quarterback, which is funny since that wasn't his position in high school. After graduating from UCLA he was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL to the Chicago Bears, where he plays back up for Rex Grossman. He still calls from time to time to catch up on things and even visits a lot on the off-season, but his life is in Chicago now.

Alex was last to leave. He held onto the belief that Isabel would return to him. She promised, so he put off his hopes and dreams of having his own computer company, and waited for her. He waited a full year after graduation and then decided she wasn't going to return. So he left to MIT where he met up with Serena again. The two became great friends and worked together to create Whitman Technologies. Of course Alex designed and created the company, but Serena was his faithful second. The two were extremely successful and now global. He still calls her once a month to keep up on the times.

Jim Valenti had lost his job for the aliens and they left him with a secret he could never tell. His life was ruined, yet he never complained. He was so honored to have known them. He aged so much over that year and even more when Kyle left. He felt lost and Liz knew it, but once again a choice would change their lives.

Shortly after Alex left, her parents went to one of their conferences in Santa Fe for a few weeks, which they always did. Except this time they grew tired of the monotony of the conference and left a day early. Unfortunately they never made it home. A man decided to drink that night and his decision killed her parents. Her life would never be the same.

Alex, Maria, and Kyle returned for the funeral, but left again shortly after. Leaving Liz completely alone and dying. She was in so much pain and needed Michael, but she knew that couldn't be. She had nothing left and just wanted to die. Jim was afraid for her and constantly watched over her. When she inherited the Crashdown, he helped her run it and eventually became co-owner (this way he could watch over her). She would never do anything stupid, but she was still empty. Everyday grew more and more distant. Jim was worried, she was like a daughter to him and he wanted to save her. She loved him for it, he became family to her." And that's where she was now. . .

"Hey Boss! Order's up!" yells Jose from the cook's window. Liz snaps out of her daydream and walks to the serving window. "You alright boss? You've really been spacing lately."

Liz looks up at Jose and places a fake smile on her face. "Yeah Jose, just thinking about all the paper work I have tonight."

Jose nods and gets back to work. Liz grabs the order and walks to a booth with a family of four. Liz tried hard to hide her pain but she knew it showed. Her skin was pale and she had lost an extreme amount of weight, but in all honesty she didn't care what people thought anymore.

She had no one left, besides Jim and lately he was busy with Amy Deluca. This of course made her happy because she pushed him to her. He was so funny to watch as he asked her out. Just thinking about it made a small smile cross her face, a rarity for her.

The bells over the front rang and Liz knew exactly who it was, Brody. The spacey looking British man waves to her and sits down at the counter, picking up a menu.

At 12:30 every day Brody would cross the street and come eat lunch at the counter, the same sand which (with pepper jack). At one Sheriff Hanson would arrive with his partner Jake Woods and they would sit at the end of the counter, but they never got the same thing. Finally at 1:15 Philip Evans would come in for a cup of coffee and a quiet booth to read paperwork before heading back to the office.

Fixing her apron she approaches Brody, "Hey Brody," Brody looks up from his menu and smiles.

"Afternoon Liz how's my favorite waitress today?"

Liz shrugs her shoulders, "Guess I can't complain, I'm still breathing right?"

Brody laughs, "That bad huh?"

Liz nods, "Let me get your coffee and I'll tell you." Brody smiles and goes back to the menu.

"Brody, you order the same sandwich combo everyday, why do you always look at the menu?"

Brody shrugs, "I don't know really. I like to read the names I guess."

Liz laughs and walks to Jose. She rips the order off her order pad and places it on the spindle. She turns and grabs a pot of coffee with a mug. She places it in front of Brody and fills it.

"So spill your guts to me fellow business owner," Brody says with a smile, which causes her to laugh.

"Where to begin? We let's start with the fact that the annual crash celebration is two weeks away, the busiest tourist season of the year, and I am incredibly understaffed. Margie finally quit after twenty faithful years, Cindy and Steven are out with mono, and Jack broke his leg skateboarding. So that leaves me with Agnes, which is like having no one, Sarah, Jared, and the new girl Taryn to Hostess, Buss, and Serve. Also, I'm short one cook because this new one we hired is just not working out. He almost burned down the kitchen. . .AGAIN!"

Brody laughs, "Bloody hell, the mans a sodding disaster." Liz just continues, "Then I found out a huge part of inventory won't be here until the weekend before the celebration! I can see why parent's were always so stressed out. . ." the mention of her parents always makes her go quiet. It always made her customers go quiet too, everyone loved her parents.

She looks over at Brody and sees the sadness on his face. Sensing the awkward silence Liz changes the subject. "Enough about my troubles how's the UFO Center these days?"

Brody looks at her, "Well its not all rosy like it is here, but it's a stressful time for me too. I'm incredibly understaffed and I have several big stars this year. I got that bald guy from the second Star Trek and I think the voice for the robot from Star Wars. . .," he trails off while trying to think. He shakes his head and continues, "Anyways they're drawing huge interest this year and I haven't had any really good help since Max left. Have you heard from him?"

The mention of Max's name always made her flinch. She had to fake it though, "Sorry Brody, I haven't heard from anyone in years. They all have their own separate lives."

Brody nods and sips his coffee. "Lucky them, got out before Roswell could get her hooks in em'. So how's Maria. . . " before he could finish he is interrupted by Jose and his bell.

"Hey Boss! Orders up chica!" Liz smiles and walks to the cook's window.

Jose makes a face at her and she just rolls her eyes and grabs the plate of food. She walks back and places it in front of Brody. "Enjoy Brody, I've got to do some rounds."

Brody nods and bites into his sandwich, then makes a face of disgust. "Man I miss Michael. He may have always forgotten the pepper jack, but boy could he ever cook. I miss that boy around here. At least there was good food."

Liz smiles smally, "I miss him too Brody." She begins to walk away and whispers, "More then you would ever know."