posted on 6-Feb-2002 1:08:04 PM by itsalovething
Title~True Love Never Dies
Rating~ M/L AU
Summary~ A short story and my first
It was Liz Evans' and her daughter Chloe's first 'holiday' without Max as the beach was now proving to be a disturbing place...
Disclaimer~ I own nothing as both Max and Liz belong to 'Roswell' and not me
Note~ It's sad in some ways but PLEASE READ if you can.


Part 1

“Oh look, mommie, someone’s made a fire!”
Eight-year old Chloe squealed as she raced ahead and had began to push at the charred pile of sticks with her shoe when Liz caught up with her. They were walking through the woods on their way back to the converted boathouse and Liz felt a flicker of unease as she looked at the debris surrounding the fire.
Empty beer bottles and food cans had been thrown under the brushes and a makeshift shelter of branches and bracken fronds leant against the stone wall. Liz was sure it hadn’t been there yesterday.

“Come away, Chloe!” she called as the little girl ran inside. “It’s time we were getting back.”

They had come down to the coast for a few days to put some roses back in Chloe’s cheeks after a very bad chest infection. Liz loved the little boathouse on the edge of the cove. It belonged to a friend of Max’s who let it out, and the three of them had often come down for long weekends until Max’s sudden death at work six months earlier.
Liz still couldn’t believe that he was gone. She still heard his voice, felt his arms around her in the daed of night- especially here, where they had been so happy. It was almost as if he was still with them, watching over them like he had always promised he would be if anything ever happened to him.

Back at the boathouse, Liz kept one eye on the weather as she prepared their evening meal. The radio had been fore casting strong winds and rain in the area and she knew from experience how quickly a storm could blow up.
“Mommie. Can I go down to the beach and look for shells?” Chloe asked, bouncing into the kitchen.
“I won’t be long.”

Liz wanted to say no but she knew that Chloe was missing her daddy so very much. God she was even looking so much like him now that it took Liz’s breath away evey time that she saw her. Max used to take her to the beach and it wasn’t fair to stop her doing things that she loved just because he wasn’t there to look out for her. Max wouldn’t have wanted that for her either. Besides, there were still a few people a round.

“OK poppet, but supper’s in half an hour,” she said. “ So don’t be late.” she smiled, teasingly waggling a finger at her.

Upstairs in the old sail loft, which had been converted into a comfortable living room and bedrooms, Liz stood and looked out of the large window at the view. Across the bay the island shimmered in the haze and she could just make out the outline of the prison behind it’s high walls.
When they’d first to the boathouse, Liz had been apprehensive, convinced one of the inmates would escape to the mainland.
Max had laughed at her fears, ‘It’s a Category A Prison, Sweetheart,’ he’d said. ‘The wardens watch them like hawks. Nobody can escape from there OK.’

After a while, her doubts had disappeared and she hardly noticed the prison anymore.
As she slowly turned away from the window, she saw her mobile phone on the table. It had been Max’s last present to her. He used to call her at odd moments during the day, so she’d got into the habit of taking it everywhere with her. Looking at it now, she felt a stab of irritation. The battery had run down and in the scramble she’d forgotten the charger. Still, it wasn’t as if Max was going to ring as her eyes began to fill with un controllable tears.

After Chloe had gone to bed, Liz cleared up the kitchen. The wind had risen and she could hear the waves crashing against the shingle. It was going to be a stormy night. She switched on the radio to catch the weather forecast and got a police bulletin instead.

‘…Police are still looking for Timothy Morgan, who escaped from custody while being transported to Stonewall prison. The public are advised not to approach Morgan as he is believed to be armed and dangerous.’

Liz felt an icy cold chill slide over her. Stonewall was the prison on the island. Max always said no one could escape it, but obviously they could escape before they got there.

‘Don’t be silly,’ she told herself. ‘What could an escaped convict possibly want here?’

Nevertheless, she made sure that all doors and windows were securely locked before she went to bed.

She was woken in the night by the sound of thunder and torrential rain. Crawling out of bed while un curling herself from the other pillow that she had to hold onto every night, snuggling into so tightly as if it where Max, she pulled back the curtain and flinched as lighting illuminated the beach. The tide was in and the waves were still crashing against the shore. She checked on Chloe, who was still sleeping peacefully as if nothing was happening, unable to stir from slummer whilst the storm raged on outside. Just like Max, she could sleep through anything. Liz let a gentle smile break her face as she then went down to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

She gazed out of the window at the car. Rain was pounding off the bonnet and running in rivulets down the windscreen, but everything was OK.
She turned away to go back to bed… and then froze as the front doorknob slowly turned. She held her breath until she heard the click of it being released. Peering out of the window and straining her eyes against the dark, Liz tried to see who it was, but the rain was falling too fast, obscuring her view. Porbably a tramp, she thought, looking for shelter from the storm. She longed for Max. For his calm common sense to laugh away her fears. She missed that so much, she missed everything about him still as she began to cry for him again.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Liz slept fitfully for the rest of the night, and woke early in the morning with the same feeling of dread.
“Mommie, look at the beach!” Chloe cried, jumping on the bed and snugglimg down beside her.
Liz sat up and gasped with astonishment. The little cove was like a scrap yard. Debris covered every inch of the sand.
“Can we go and look? Please! Please! We might find buried treasure.”

Caught up in Chloe’s excitement, Liz laughed. “More like a load of trash, “ she said but Chloe gave her that look that her father had taught her in order to get something that she wanted from her mother. It always worked for him so why not for his daughter. How could Liz refuse?

After breakfast, Chloe pulled Liz down the steps on the beach and to the water’s edge.
“Be careful Sweetie!” Liz cautioned.

Most of the debris looked harmless, but here and there were more dangerous objects- a disposable razor minus its top, yards of fishing line complete with hooks, even a flare canister that looked unused.
Chloe was busy digging by the water’s edge when Liz called to her. “ I’m just going back to the house for a minute, stay here! I won’t be long OK.”

She couldn’t shake off her feeling of unease. It was as if someone was trying to warn her:
‘Beware. Watch out..’

‘You’re being stupid,’ she told herself. 'There’s nothing wrong.’

The front of the boathouse looked perfectly normal. There was no footprints, nothing to indicate that someone had been prowling around.
She checked the car as well, but the doors were all looked, the windows tightly shut.

She turned back to the beach…and gave a muffled cry as a large hand was clamped over her mouth.
tbc


Was that OK? Feedback please!

[ edited 7 time(s), last at 7-Feb-2002 3:25:38 AM ]
posted on 7-Feb-2002 2:52:11 AM by itsalovething
Part 2



“Move!” growled the man, towering over her. “Up to the house Now! And don’t try anything.”

Liz willed herself to walk up the stone steps, her heart hammering. There was no one out this early in the morning and she prayed that Chloe would stay on the beach.

Inside he house, her captor kept one hand round her wrist as he searched the rooms. In the kitchen he kicked the door shut and leant against it.
“Get Me Something To Eat!” he ordered.

“Like what?”

“Don’t get lippy with me lady.”

Liz’s hands shook as she made some sandwiches. The man’s eyes never left her face, boring straight through her. He had to be Timothy Morgan, she thought. Now, more than ever she missed Max.
“What do you want?” she quavered, handing him the plate of food.
“There’s nothing here. Please, just take these and go.”

“Not so fast.” he grinned wolfishly and crammed a sandwich into his mouth.

Liz turned away. She didn’t dare dare anything that might enrage him. It was just a question of sitting it out, waiting for him to leave. She thought of the mobile phone lying on the table upstairs. If only she had charged it. If only it worked, if only they had another phone in the house …She could hear Max’s voice, teasing her, telling her she was scatty. Well, he was right. And now she and Chloe were in very grave danger.

Morgan slid the empty plate along the work surface and grabbed Liz’s wrist again.

“Please don’t hurt me!” she pleaded, there was a time that she wanted to hurt herself just so she could be with max but there was Chloe. Always Chloe.
“I’ve got nothing to give you.”

“That’s what you think, “ he snarled, dragging her upstairs.

~~~

In the living room, he stared out of the window at the beach. Liz could see Chloe still busily digging in the sand.

“You’ve got a little girl haven’t you?”

Liz froze. He must have been watching them. “Yes,” she croaked, “but please don’t…”

“It’s OK, I’m not going to harm other of you.” he turned, but his look told her other wise as she trembled. After holding her eyes for a moment, leering at her he moved across the room and picked up her bag from a chair.
“I want your car keys and cash.”

Liz breathed a sigh of relief, they were safe- for now.

“Here,” she said, picking up her keys from the table. “Take them. There isn’t much cash but you can have what I’ve got.”

He saw the phone. “And that.”

“No! Please!” She couldn’t bear to lose Max’s last present. “ It’s not good. It doesn’t work.”

He tried for himself as her gut wretched. It was like he was touching Max as he then threw it down in digust. She flinched back as it hit the deck wanting to go and pick it up but she couldn't move.

“Call the kid!”

“No!” Liz protested. “It’s not necessary, please.”

“Do it!” His grip tightened as he pulled her to the outside steps.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%


Once Chloe was inside the house, Morgan locked the door and Liz listened to his receding footsteps.

“What’s happening Mommie? Who’s that man?” Chloe clung tight to Liz. “I wish Daddy was here.”

So do I Baby, Liz thought comforting her daughter. She heard the car engine rev up. At least it was almost over, wasn’t it?

Then she heard the screech of tyres, followed by raised voices and in the distance the sound of a siren. Feet pounded up the steps, the key turned in the key lock she couldn't breathe as two police officers burst into the room.

After that, things happened in a blur, and it was some time later that Liz found herself sitting on the sofa holding Chloe and drinking a large mug of tea thrust in her hand by one of the policemen.

“You were very brave,” the older of the two said to her gently. “We would have never found him if it hadn’t been for your phone call. There was no-one on the other end of the line but we must treat every call as an emergency. Your we're both very lucky.”

“But the phone doesn’t…” Liz began, then stopped. How could she explain to two burly policemen the feeling she’d had ever since she’d arrived of someone watching over them?

Maybe, just maybe, Max was still keeping in touch like he promised. Like she knew he was and always will would be.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



There, not great I know but at least I've done something that I've always wanted to do. Write something. Thanks for the replies, it's been really nice to read them.
















































[ edited 2 time(s), last at 7-Feb-2002 3:33:27 AM ]
posted on 8-Feb-2002 11:19:52 AM by itsalovething
thanks for the cool feedback...and I'll definately come back again... its so great here and I think I will I will continue on with the ghost theme and enlarge this story... I loved that movie... thanks