Subject: Alex/Isabel
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine o’ course – they belong to the good folks who created the show and also the WB network (and Melinda Metz!). Please don't sue me - I’m a college student - I have no money.
Note: This is the third story in a trilogy of alterna-fics where Liz, Maria, and Alex are the aliens and have to depend on Max, Michael, and Isabel to keep their secret.
Feedback: Oh pleaseohpleaseohplease? It makes it all worthwhile:)

"Unbelievable..." Alex made his way across the quad towards the table he, Liz, and Maria always ate their lunch at. Now Max and Michael were there too. Their three had become a five, and Alex was still a little freaked out by the whole thing. They’d managed to keep their secret between them for years, and in a total of three weeks, not one, but two humans knew who they were and where they came from. True, they hadn’t had any other choice but to tell them the truth (as Liz and Maria were constantly pointing out) since they had vehemently vetoed his suggestion that they test their powers and attempt a little memory wippage...

"You know, like "mental white-out"..."

"Can you do that?!"

"Maria! Don’t encourage him! He’ll probably end up giving them lobotomies..."

He sat down next to one of the trees surrounding the lunch area instead of going to the table. He couldn’t face that today...He couldn’t face the whole Max and Liz "Oh-you’re-just-the-best-thing-since-sliced-bread routine (you could practically swim in the drool) and he was not in the mood to try and block out all the sexual tension crackling between Guerin and Maria. If he looked over he could see it, smoky and red, thick chains of color between them that gave off faint sparks every once in awhile if either of them did anything even remotely suggestive, like look at each other. You couldn’t cut through that stuff with a chainsaw, and if he had to sit through it for the next hour he’d end up losing his lunch anyway.

Maria was so far gone (even though she wouldn’t admit it) and there was even less hope for Liz... Alex was the only one who still had his head on straight, the only one who wasn’t walking on pink perfume-scented clouds and finding deep personal meaning in Jewel songs...

"Alex..." Alex looked up from under the shade of his tree and squinted into the sunlight. Oh.My.God.

Isabel Evans stood before him. The sun was at her back, and it turned her blond hair into a golden halo that tumbled about her shoulders in loose waves his fingers were itching to touch. He almost dropped his sandwich when she smiled at him, and swallowed nervously trying to keep his voice steady.

"Hey Isabel...What’s...what’s up...?" Isabel was looking at the table where Max, Liz, Michael, and Maria were sitting and nodded at them, frowning. "Don’t you usually sit with them?"

"Yeah well...felt like being alone..." He mumbled trying to muster up his best James-Dean-disaffected-youth impression. She blinked.

"Oh...sorry..." She started to walk away and he mentally smacked himself on the side of the head.

"No...I didn’t mean...I mean come back..." She turned around and smiled. He cleared his throat, blushing, as she sat down beside him under the tree. He noticed her toenails matched her sandals, and that they matched the designs on the cuffs of her jeans.

God, is there no end to this woman’s perfectness...Man she smells good...No, no pink clouds go away...

"I was just wondering if you guys had a fight or something..." She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Can I do that for you? Shut up Alex...

"...You know Max doesn’t really talk to me anymore and Michael...well Michael’s never been much of a talker anyway y’know...?"

Alex nodded silently watching her fingers tangle themselves in the grass. She stood suddenly and brushed herself off.

"I just wanted to know if anything was up..."

"Um...no...not that I know of..."

"Is!" Isabel turned at the sound of Kyle Valenti’s voice, and Alex leaned over a little bit to get a look at him. Kyle Valenti. Captain of the football team, the basketball team, Mr. Popularity, Sporto, Big Man on Campus. Isabel’s boyfriend.

"Yeah, in a sec..." Isabel called back and turned to face Alex again. "So did you hear about this party Friday night? At the old soap factory? It’s supposed to be wild..."

"No...I didn’t hear about it...sounds coo-"

"Do you want to go?" Alex almost choked on his Mountain Dew.

"Do I...what...with you?" She smiled and he felt his face warm.

"Yes with me." He glanced uncertainly over at Kyle who was sitting on the table a few feet away watching them.

"Uh...what about Kyle..."

"He can’t go. Some family thing or whatever. I want to go...and I don’t want to go alone. So what do you say? Pick me up at eleven?" Alex nodded wordlessly thinking that he could name fifty guys who were more socially worthy to take her out than he was, but decided to keep quiet and not push his luck.

"Good." she murmured and gave him a small smile before trotting over to Kyle. Alex watched her kiss her boyfriend on the cheek as he grinned and handed her her lunch.

What just happened? He slowly began to pack up his stuff. He needed to get out of the sun. It was doing something to his brain, making him imagine Isabel Evans had asked him out. She looked over at him and smiled. Okay so maybe I’m not experiencing the beginning symptoms of sunstroke… It was true. Isabel had asked him to go to a party. With her. If it had been just any old girl he still would have been stunned, but this…this was earth shattering.

Isabel Evans was a goddess.

And he was an alien.

A nerdy alien.

It would never work. The cosmos were against them, the social rules of high school were against them…

Why would Isabel Evans want me to take her out? I didn’t even think she knew my name…

He looked up at the sound of Liz’s giggle and froze.

Liz knew he liked Isabel.

She didn’t get Max to ask Isabel to…

Alex moaned in embarrassment.

Liz looked up from Max and caught his eye. She smiled.

Alex quickly shoved the rest of his things into his book bag and ran.

*~*~*

"Liz what did you do?" Alex sat down at one of the stools at the counter in front of Liz who was wiping it down. She frowned at him and laughed.

"Well…I cleaned off the sugar gook at the bottom of the milk shake mixer, and before that I swept back here…"

"Don’t toy with me. It’s not nice." Liz laughed again.

"What are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about Isabel - as in Isabel Evans – she asked me out today-"

"Isabel asked you out?" Maria came up beside him and set a tray loaded with half filled sugar containers on the counter. "Alex you stud!"

"Why did she ask me out Liz?" He stared into her eyes, trying to spot a flicker of guilt in them. She shrugged and pursed her lips.

"Ummm…because she likes you?"

"I thought she was going out with Kyle?" Maria interrupted and started unscrewing the sugar caps.

"She is. Liz why did she ask me…?" He prodded in a c’mon-you-know-this-one voice. Liz frowned, stepped back from the counter, and rested her hands on her hips.

"Alex what are you really asking me?" He took a deep breath and stared into her eyes, daring her to deny what he was about to say.

"You asked Max to get Isabel to go out with me." Liz blinked at him.

"I did? That’s funny I don’t remember doing that. Maria?"

Maria raised her eyebrows and continued filling up the containers. "Nope, I don’t remember you saying anything about Isabel and Alex and how cute they’d be together to Max…"

"Maria" Alex groaned. "You guys didn’t…"

Liz slapped at him with the dishtowel. "Alex we didn’t say anything to Max about you having a – "

"Major jones." Maria mumbled grinning at the sugar and Alex clasped his hands over his face.

"A thing for Isabel. I swear. Maybe…" Liz pulled his hands away from his face. "Maybe she just wants to get to know you, y’know?"

"So all of a sudden after like five years of going to school together she just decides she wants to talk to me? I don’t buy it." Maria gave him a hug and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Alex, this little insecurity thing you have going on is really sweet, but snap out of it! You’re a great…guy…maybe Isabel is finally realizing it. Besides…" Maria shrugged and went back to her sugar containers. "You could always hop into her dreams and see what’s really goin’ on with her and her sudden interest."

"Maria!" Liz stared at her. "He can’t do that. Isabel is Max’s sister…"

"So…?"

"So…it’s just not right…going into people’s dreams…they’re private!" Maria rolled her eyes.

"Oh please like you don’t wanna do it with Max…"

"Do you with Michael?" Liz challenged and Maria paused biting the inside of her cheek, and ducked her head.

"This isn’t about Michael."

"Well it’s not about Max either."

"You’re both right!" Alex cut in. "It’s about me." He rubbed his eyes. "This can’t be for real…it can’t be. It’s just some cruel high school prank straight out of a John Hughes movie…"

"Those always end happily though…" Liz offered.

"What about Ducky huh?" Alex mumbled dejectedly. "He didn’t get Molly Ringwald…."

"No but he got that cute blond chick didn’t he?" Maria stopped pouring and slapped Alex’s arm excitedly. "Isabel is blond!"

Alex stared at her, trying not to laugh at the expression on her face, and failing miserably. Maria shrugged and glanced at Liz before stage whispering to Alex, "Just do the dreamwalk. You’re the best at it anyway…"

"Maria…"

"Liz, she won’t even know about it, and if it will make Alex feel better I say go for it. I mean you don’t want him to spend his whole date worrying do you?"

"Yeah but what if he goes in there and finds out something bad? What if he finds out that it is a joke?!"

"You think it’s a joke?" Alex cut in and Liz froze.

"No…no Alex-"

"No you’re right." He said getting up from the counter and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Why would Isabel want to go out with me?"

"Alex I didn’t mean…"

"Liz, stop talking."

"I just don’t want you to get hurt…"

"If I’m gonna be hurt, if I’m being set up I’d rather know about it before hand and get out of it then be stuck looking like a complete idiot when they pull the rug out from under me. Maria you’re right. I’m gonna do it. Tonight."

*~*~*

His yearbook fell open to the page he was looking for. Her picture was a little smudged and soft from his occasional touches. He didn’t really need a picture to do this. All he ever had to do to see Isabel Evans was close his eyes and she’d be there.

He remembered the first time he saw her. It was his first day at school, and not even Maria and Liz – whose little hands were holding so tightly onto his, could bring him any comfort. He was afraid. He was afraid of everyone…that they’d know there was something weird about them, about him. Because that’s what it was then – a weirdness, like a shoe put on the wrong foot. He didn’t know he was an alien then – that knowledge came later. All he knew at that point in the game was that he didn’t fit, and he was scared to death that all the other kids would notice.

Max had been helping her get her book bag up on her shoulders, and she was giggling as Michael tried to unzip all the pockets. She was laughing, turning around in circles trying to slap Michael’s hands away.

He had kept his eyes on her as he and Liz and Maria made their way across the lawn and up to the building. She was beautiful, she was perfect. She fell and he let go of Liz and Maria’s hands and went to her. He helped her to her feet before Michael and Max ever got the chance. Her hands were warm and fit perfectly into his as he helped her onto her feet. She smiled up at him and his whole body felt warm…as warm as her little hands. He smiled back, feeling all his nervousness and apprehensions fade away. Liz and Maria called his name. He went back to them and faced his first day of school unafraid. Everything was going to be okay because Isabel was there.

The second he had touched her he knew her name – it had flashed like a neon sign in his mind’s eye – Isabel. Her favorite color was yellow, she slept with a night light on (just like he did) and couldn’t even do that without her special blanket – the one with the ice cream cones on it that her mom had made for her when she was a baby. She liked kittens – her neighbors had three of them – squirmy soft little kittens that crawled over your shoulders and pushed their dry little noses against your neck. Her favorite thing to eat were peanut butter and banana sandwiches with strawberry milk after school sitting with Max in front of the TV watching the Rescue Rangers – Max’s favorite, but she liked the Gummi Bears the best…

Alex sighed and touched the picture one last time before shutting the yearbook and pushing it back under his bed. He had thought about visiting her in her dreams millions of times, and now that he had a valid excuse to do so he couldn’t. He wanted to trust her, wanted to believe that she wasn’t planning on making a fool out of him, that she genuinely wanted to be with him – even if it was only in Kyle’s absence.

He thought about the first time she had smiled at him all those years ago, and then he thought about the last time – this afternoon in the quad. It was the same smile, the same beautiful smile.

He thought about what he had said at the Crashdown earlier, about wanting to know if he was being set up, and decided he’d rather trust Isabel that things would be alright…just like he had trusted her that first day at Roswell Elementary.

*~*~*

Isabel climbed into the passenger seat as soon as Alex pulled up in front of her house.

"Am I late?" He murmured anxiously, glancing over at her.

"No – I just didn’t want you to ring the doorbell. My parents think I’m asleep…"

"Oh…"

"What about yours?"

"No one’s home."

"That must be nice…" She sighed, and he saw a flash of her teeth as she grinned at him in the darkness.

"Yeah…" He started up the car and laughed, thinking how freaked Susan and Bill would be if they knew he was heading off to an illegal party past curfew with a girl. Well Susan would be freaked. Bill would grin and pat him on the back once he got a look at Isabel.

You're not the girl you think you are no, no
They're not his shoes under your bed yeah, yeah
They’ll take you places in his car
That you won't forget, no…

"Oooooh!" Isabel leaned forward and turned up the volume. "I love this song!"

And all the people that you know yeah, yeah
Will turn their heads as you go by
But you'll be hard to recognize
With the top down and the wind
blowing, blowing…

"Me too…"

He won't deceive you or tell you the truth
Woman, he'll be no trouble
He won't write you letters
Full of excuses
Come on, believe you have one in a million…

He looked over at her. She had her eyes closed as she hummed along.

You're not the girl you think you are yeah, yeah
Someone's standing in your place
The bathroom mirror makes you look tall
But it's all in your head, in your head

"You like Crowded House?"

"Yeah – Maria told me about them, they’re her favorite. There’s this one song "Pineapple Head"? She always said it reminded her of Michael. She used to call him that in third grade and he’d get so mad…"

Isabel giggled. "Pineapple Head…I can see that…"

He won't deceive you or tell you the truth
Woman, he'll be no trouble
He won't write you letters
Full of excuses
Come on, believe you have one in a million…

"This isn’t them though…" She said suddenly "Singing?"

"Ah…no…" he coughed, embarrassed. "It’s umm…It’s me and Maria."

He felt her staring at him and he blushed.

"Really?"

"Yeah ah…Maria’s foster mom was dating this guy who had a recording studio so he let us record some stuff for fun."

"You guys are really good…really…" She shook her head in awe, still looking at him. "I didn’t know you could sing…"

"I can cook too." He joked glancing over at her.

"You’re really talented Alex…"

"Thanks…Isabel…"

He won't deceive you or tell you the truth
Come on, believe you have won
You're not the girl you think you are
Believe you have won
You're not the girl you think you are
Believe you have won
You're not the girl you think you are…

*~*~*

"We’re here…" He said as he pulled up next to a red pick up. Isabel unbuckled her seat belt and made a move for the door. "Wait a sec…"

Alex got out of the car and jogged over to her side. He opened the door for her and held out his hand. She smiled and took it.

"Wow…" he breathed as he finally got a look at her. She was wearing black leather pants and a red velvet bodice that hugged her torso possessively. "You look amazing…" He murmured before he could stop himself.

"You think so?"

"Yeah…I like the way you look in red."

"Well I like the way you look in blue…" she grinned, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. They started walking towards the factory, where the music was thumping repetitively, throbbing through the air. She grabbed his hand and he stopped walking. He had to ask. Before he went any further he had to know.

"Why did you ask me to come with you here tonight? I mean I realize I’m being completely insecure – at least that’s what Liz says but…y’know you’re you and I’m me…so umm I’m just curious…I didn’t even know you knew my name and-"

"Alex."

"Yeah?"

"I’m going with you because I want to go with you…"

"But what about Kyle? I mean won’t he get mad that you’re here with someone else?"

"We’re not attached at the hip you know…" She said flatly, dropping his hand. "We’re together because… we look good together." Alex stared at her in shock.

"That’s…that’s really shallow Isabel…"

"I know it is but it’s what they expect. Head cheerleader dates the Quarterback it’s…it’s what they expect…it’s what they accept." She said firmly.

"You don’t always have to be what they want you to be", he argued. She was quiet for a moment, biting her lip, and then nodded, taking his hand again.

"Well they won’t expect this…"

"Wait a minute" he said letting her go as she tried to guide him to the door.

"Is that what I’m doing here? You’re trying to make a statement or something? Or maybe doing a little charity work? Or maybe this is all a big joke…"

"It’s not a joke!" She cried suddenly. "I hate being who I am, having to do what they say, be with who they want me to be with. Tonight I wanted to do something I wanted to do. I wanted to choose who I’m with, and I chose you. I’m sorry if that’s so hard to believe and that you have such a low opinion of yourself…but get over it Alex! Max said you were cool – that you weren’t like anyone else, that I could trust you to be myself with instead of the fucking prom queen! But you think I’m just like them don’t you? That all I care about is appearances…and I used to…I really did, but I’m sick and tired of compromising myself and being who I know I’m not." She took a deep breath, seeming to come to a decision. "Don’t you ever feel trapped by who you are? Like if you let people see who you really were they wouldn’t like you, they wouldn’t understand?"

"I feel like that all the time." He said quietly.

"Well so do I. So does Kyle…that’s why…That’s the real reason why we have the arrangement we do…"

"Arrangement."

"Yeah Kyle…Kyle’s gay Alex. He’s so afraid that someone will find out, that his dad will find out. Valenti’s not exactly the most understanding guy y’know? I’m the only one he trusted enough to tell, and he asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend for awhile – to keep up appearances. And so I said yes, because he’s my friend and because it would get Sherri and Kara off my back and…well mostly because he knows me like Max and Michael used to…"

"Why are you telling me all of this Isabel?"

"Because I want to Alex…because I want to be honest with you…and I …I want you to be honest with me…" Alex took a deep breath as she went on. "I know you and Liz and Maria are…involved in something…and now Max and Michael are too…and they won’t talk to me about it…or anything else. It’s like if they do talk to me something bad will happen…I don’t know…it just…it just really hurts Alex. I miss them so much…" He reached out to her as tears began to slip slowly down her face but she stepped away. "I know you like me Alex. I was going to use that…to get you to open up to me…to get you to let me in…But I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to trick you or mess with you…I’m just going to ask you…I’m going to ask you to tell me what is it about you three that Max thinks is more worthwhile then his own sister…that Michael thinks is more important than nine years of friendship…"

"Isabel…I can’t…"

"Please Alex…I can’t lose them…these past few weeks have been killing me…I can’t stand being shut out from the two people I love the most in the world…and it’s hurting them too…I can see it whenever they look at me. They want to tell me but…for some reason you and Liz and Maria won’t let them…"

"Isabel…"

"Is it drugs? Something illegal? Whatever it is I won’t tell I promise…you can trust me Alex…all of you can trust me I swear…" She pleaded, and Alex felt his heart tighten in his chest. His head was spinning. He was torn. He had no reason to tell her, no excuse like Maria and Liz had had…except for the fact that it tore him apart to see her like this, to see her crying and begging and pleading with him.

He thought about how scared and angry he had been with them when they had told Max and Michael…how upset and betrayed he had felt…how terrified he had been that they would say something to the wrong person. But he hadn’t known Max or Michael. He hadn’t known if they were trustworthy or not. That’s why this was so hard.

He knew Isabel Evans, his heart had known hers from the first time he had ever seen her, ever felt her small hands in his as he lifted her to her feet and felt her sweet smile touch his face and assure him that everything would be alright. Now it was his chance to bring her some of that comfort.

"Not here." He said quietly, and she blinked at him.

"What…?"

"We can talk…but not here." She nodded, biting her lip and whispered "Thank you Alex…"

*~*~*

They didn’t speak as they drove back to his house, and he stared straight ahead, alternating between trying to gather up the courage to tell her what he was and trying to think up a really good lie while she pretended to look out the window instead of at him. Her fingers were anxiously twirling a silver ring on her index finger and every once in a while she snuck a quick glance at him. They pulled into his driveway. He opened the car door for her and again offered her his hand, figuring this would be the last time she would ever let him touch her.

He unlocked the front door grateful that his foster parents had chosen this weekend to take a mini-vacation. He closed it softly behind them and Isabel stood nervously in the middle of the plain living room.

"You can sit if you want…" He offered softly, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He was doing this…he was really doing this. "Ummm do you want something to drink? Coke? Orange Juice?" With Tobasco Sauce?

"Alex…"

"Right…right, I know…I just…" He took a deep breath, his eyes burning, and blinked, turning his back on her for a minute to compose himself. She was going to hate him. She was going to think he was disgusting…a freak. I can’t do this…

Isabel came up behind him and touched his shoulder. Not getting a response, she circled around in front of him, but he still wouldn’t look at her. He closed his eyes so she wouldn’t see the fear in them until he felt her fingers gently tilting his chin up.

"Alex look at me…" He did, and she stared into his eyes, searching them. "What are you so afraid of…?"

"I’m…"

"What…?"

"I’m afraid of telling you the truth about me…and Liz and Maria…because I’m afraid of scaring you away…I’m afraid of the way you’ll look at me when I tell you…"

"When you tell me what?"

"When I tell you what I am." She frowned at him.

"What you are?"

"Yes…" He whispered and she smiled crookedly, nervously.

"Okay, I’ll bite – "what" are you?"

"I’m…not…"

"What?"

"I’m not human. I am an alien. And so is Liz and so is Maria." Isabel stared at him, something gathering in her beautiful brown eyes…fear?…disgust? No…neither of those…it was hurt. Isabel swallowed, trying to hold back tears. "That’s not funny Alex."

"Isabel-"

"If you weren’t going to tell me the truth you should have just said that!"

"Isabel I’m no-"

"I don’t want to hear it! I hope you and Liz and Maria and…and Max and Michael have a big laugh over all of this!" She stalked angrily towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Alex tried to catch her arm as she went past but she twisted away from him.

"I’m walking home!"

"Isabel wait!" she flung open the front door and he pushed with his mind barely aware he was doing so. It slammed shut in front of her. She stood there for a moment, staring at it, her back to him. She slowly reached out to open it again and jerked her hand back as she heard the door lock itself. She slowly turned around to face him, her eyes wide with fear, her voice shaking.

"How did you do that…"

"Isabel…"

"Oh my God let me out of here!" She grabbed onto the handle pulling at it as hard as she could, her frightened sobs filling the cold room and echoing down to the depths of his soul. He slumped to the floor, his head in his hands.

Suddenly she stopped.

"Telekinesis", she whispered.

"No."

"You’re lying!"

"No."

"I don’t believe in aliens!"

"That’s the same thing Max said to Liz…"

"Alex you’re scaring me…"

"I don’t want to…" he breathed, still pressing his palms to his face, physically trying to stop the tears that threatened to pour from his burning eyes. He heard her come closer and cautiously sit down in front of him.

"You’re serious…about what you said…what you are…"

"Yes…" He heard her sharp intake of breath, and could almost feel her fear. He stood suddenly and she scrambled to her feet. Away from him.

He turned his back on her and walked slowly towards the hallway, and stopped at the archway, placing a hand on it for support.

"Please don’t tell anyone…you don’t know what’ll happen if you do…It’ll be bad. For all of us…" He continued down the hallway and stopped again at his bedroom.

Still not looking at her, he spoke to the sign on his door – a big yellow and black one that said ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. "At least now you have them back."

He heard her startled turn as the lock clicked open, and he pushed open his own door and fell onto his bed, curling up, trying to make himself as small as possible, trying to disappear as he heard the front door slam shut.

He reached over for his telephone on the nightstand and pressed number one on the speed dial.

"Hello?" Liz’s voice smiled at him from the other end of the line.

"Isabel knows." He said and hung up.

Back to Area 51 (Section II)