We Have Forgotten
By Vega (dpeterso@trinity.edu)

 

Disclaimer: This is a song-fic (kind of like a music video) written to the music and lyrics of “We Have Forgotten” by Sixpence None the Richer. The song and lyrics belong to them and are being used here without permission, but it’s for a good cause so please don’t turn me in to the authorities… ; )

 

The stars glitter in the night sky above Roswell, New Mexico. The camera arcs down to zoom in on the town, swiftly following the empty streets. Buildings rush by on either side until the camera slows, focusing on a lone figure walking up ahead. Michael Guerin’s long strides keep pace with the beat as he walks along deep in thought, hands stuffed in the pockets of his black leather coat.

Dreams, inconsistent angel things
Michael looks up at the sky, thinking as always of the day he’ll find out which one of the million tiny points of light is home...
Horses bred with star-laced wings
From his point of view, the constellation Pegasus looms overhead, brighter than the others...
But it’s so hard to make them fly, fly, fly
Michael looks back down at the ground, knowing his dream of going home may never come true...

These wings beat the night sky ‘bove the town
The camera swirls back upward to the sky, where a tiny light flashes brightly...
One goes up and one goes down
...and then streaks suddenly downward to the ground...
And so the chariot hits the ground, bound, bound
Michael and Isabel stand together at the Crash Festival, watching the model spaceship hurtle to the ground with its alien passengers. Max joins them as they stare sadly at the flaming wreckage...

Chorus:
We have forgotten
Max and Isabel are looking at the pendant she found at Atherton’s house, trying to remember what it means...
(don’t try to make me fly)
Max is lying on his bed, thinking about what Michael told him about being ready to leave Roswell...
How it used to be
Max is in the cave with Liz and River Dog. He reaches out to touch the symbols on the wall...
(I’ll stay here, I’ll be fine)
Max stands with Liz on her rooftop. He kisses her, and in that moment the idea of leaving Roswell is the furthest thing from his mind...
How it used to be
Back in the cave, Max lets his hand drop from the wall, frustrated that he doesn’t understand...
(don’t go and let me down)
Liz wraps her arms around Max as he kisses her, thinking she won’t be able to live if he ever leaves her...
How it used to be
Max sits alone in his room, trying to draw the symbols he saw in the cave. He can’t seem to get them right and throws down his pencil with a sigh...
(I’m starting to like this town)
...and smiles as his eyes fall on the picture of Liz on his desk. He hides the sketches under his bed, grabs his jacket and heads out the door, all thoughts of finding home replaced by the need to see the one person who makes him feel as if he were already there...

When wings beat the night sky ‘bove the ground
Liz is curled up on the chaise lounge on her roof, watching a meteor shower
Will I unwillingly shoot them down
She is thinking of Max, as usual, and of what she would do if he ever found a way to go home...
With all my petty fears and doubts, down, down?
Would she beg him to stay? Or would she be able to let him go, possibly forever?

We have forgotten
Michael is sitting with the others in the back room of the Crashdown after their return from Marathon. He stares at Isabel’s pendant, wondering why the strange symbol is so familiar...
(am I in love with this?)
Michael and Maria are waiting at the Crashdown for Max and Liz to come back from the reservation. He is trying to ignore how close she is, the fact that she is driving him crazy. His hands itch to touch her, but he taps them on the counter instead...
How it used to be
Michael finds the mysterious key hidden in Sheriff Valenti’s office. He staggers as the vision of Atherton’s dome flashes in his mind...
(my constant broken ship)
Maria is giving Michael a ride somewhere and they are bickering, as usual. He is thinking how beautiful she looks when she is angry, with her flashing eyes and flushed cheeks, and that even though he will never admit it he enjoys their daily arguments, the one constant in his precarious existence...
How it used to be
Michael sits bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night. He fumbles in the cramped darkness of his room for a pencil and paper, trying to capture the vision that haunts his dreams...
(don’t go, I’ll shoot you down)
Michael visits Maria’s window in the middle of the night. He is on his way to investigate another clue about his past. Maria pulls him close and kisses him, and the look in her eyes says she is never going to let him go...
How it used to be
Michael is alone in the art room, a look of fierce concentration on his face as he studies the strange geodesic figure taking shape under his brush...
(I’m starting to like this town)
Michael and Maria are sitting in the nookie motel, for the first time finding a common ground while sharing their dreams. *There’s gotta be something better for me than Roswell, New Mexico*... Michael begins to see Maria in a new light...

The scene dissolves into a series of images while the violin plays the bittersweet melody:
Max climbs up to the roof of the Crashdown, where Liz is waiting with a welcoming smile...
*flash* A younger Max hurries up the ladder to crash Liz’s slumber party...
Maria and Michael together in the Crashdown after closing, kissing passionately...
*flash* A younger Maria places a gentle kiss on Michael’s lips on a dare in fifth grade...
Isabel catches Alex staring at her across the school courtyard and smiles softly...
*flash* A younger Isabel walks into her fifth grade classroom and finds another note on her desk. She looks up and catches Alex watching her before he ducks his head and looks away...
Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, Isabel and Alex meet at the Crashdown after school, laughing together like any normal group of friends...
*flash* The younger aliens and Liz, Maria, and Alex glance around at each other on their first day in fifth grade, wondering if they could be looking at new friends...

We have forgotten
Isabel stands in the basement of Atherton’s house, staring at the pendant with the oddly familiar symbol. Max calls her name urgently and she snaps back to the present, snatching the pendant on her way out...
(don’t try to make me fly)
Michael and Isabel have just learned that Max told Liz the truth about them. Michael says it’s time for them to leave Roswell, but Isabel wonders where they will go...
How it used to be
Isabel makes Max draw the symbol on the pendant from memory, barely concealing her excitement when she sees he remembers it too...
(I’ll stay here, I’ll be fine)
Michael still insists that they leave, but Isabel says that Roswell is their home...
How it used to be
Isabel shows Max the pictures of them at the beach with the sand sculpture of the symbol...
(don’t go and let me down)
Isabel refuses to leave without Max after he threatens to turn himself in to Valenti...
How it used to be
Max stares at the pictures, then looks up to see the hope in Isabel’s eyes, hope that they might finally have a clue that will help them remember...
(I’m starting to like this town)
Isabel is reluctant to leave Roswell because she has finally started to feel like she’s living an almost normal life. She leans back in the jeep and closes her eyes, remembering everything that has happened to her since that night the Evans found her and Max by the side of the road...
How it used to be
The younger Max, Michael, and Isabel sit in a circle in Max’s room late one night, their joined hands glowing with a soft light...
(am I in love with this?)
It’s poetry week in Mr. Raddish’s fifth grade class, and Isabel flushes in embarrassment as he reads Alex Whitman’s poem about her...
How it used to be
Max is also remembering, and in his mind’s eyes he sees himself watching Liz through the years...
(my constant broken ship)
Even if he could never go home, at least he would always have her...
How it used to be
In spite of himself Michael is thinking of the past too as he walks the lonely desert road after leaving Max and Isabel in the jeep...
(don’t go, I’ll shoot you down)
The playground of Roswell Elementary echoes with the shouts of young Michael and Maria, engaged in one of their numerous hitting and name-calling wars...
How it used to be
The scene dissolves into a flurry of white feathers and flying pillows. It’s the infamous pillow fight on the roof of the Crashdown at Liz’s slumber party...
(I’m starting to like this town)
Michael is walking through the dark streets again, alone as always. His long strides still match the beat, but this time he’s walking with a purpose. For once he isn’t looking up at the stars, but straight ahead, as if eager to get where he’s going. He rounds a corner and a slight smile crosses his face as the Crashdown Café comes into view...

At the window he pauses and looks in to see Max and Isabel sitting in a back booth with Alex. He watches Max’s face light up as Liz comes out of the back and slides into the booth beside him. Then Maria breezes out of the kitchen and runs to unlock the door for Michael. Somehow she always seems to know when he will be there. Her eyes sparkle with laughter and promise as she takes his hand to pull him inside. Michael can’t help grinning back at her, pulling her close for a quick kiss before the door shuts behind him...

The End

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