Snapshot · (Roswell Fanfiction) · √

38. Little Earthquakes

Max and Liz's Apartment
(2013) Max is 27, Liz is 26

"Hey baby. I'm gonna be late. Don't stay up and wait for me, okay? Love you."

Liz pressed the 'Delete' button on the answering machine as her body tiredly sank down on the nearby chair. While her left hand supported her heavy head, her right distractedly stroke along the curved line of her abdomen.

It was the third night in a row, the eleventh time this month, that Max had called to tell her that he wouldn't be able to make it for dinner and it was starting to take its toll on her emotions.

She tried to suck it up; tried to squelch the feelings and be happy whenever he actually did come home. Because the last thing she wanted to do with the time he spent at home was fight.

But as she looked over at the groceries she had just put on the kitchen counter, which were to be used to cook his favorite meal, she had to bite her bottom lip hard to stop the tears from falling.

She felt abandoned. She felt fat and unattractive.

Not for the first time since she had gotten pregnant, her thoughts turned dark with the idea that the pregnancy was a mistake. They were not ready. Max was working two jobs while trying to fit in his college studies at the same time and she was working as much as she could. She had been trying to find a good job before she got pregnant, but when they had realized that they were expecting, she had given up on her job search because there was no reason to find her dream job and have to tell them that she had to go on maternity leave a couple of months later. That wouldn't look too good on her résumé.

So she was stuck taking whatever jobs she could get her hands on, which usually left her dead on her feet at the end of the day.

And it didn't help matters that her husband had gone missing when her back was aching and her feet were too swollen to fit into her normal shoes.

Taking a deep breath and silently banning herself for her pathetic mood, she brushed away invisible tears with the back of her hand and got to her aching feet.

She walked up to the brown paper bags and started unpacking, only to half-way through realize that she had forgotten to buy milk.

"Damn," she muttered and started to consider her options. To go or not to go. Her feet were telling her to sit down in front of the TV and not move an inch while her rational mind was telling her that they needed milk.

Sighing deeply, she grabbed her jacket and her hand bag and walked out the door. Fortunately, the store was within walking distance of their home and she realized when she got outside that she actually didn't mind the fresh air. It cleared the feelings of resignation that were weighing heavily on her heart and with every step her feet felt lighter.

It wasn't too bad. She could do this. Several women went through pregnancy without a husband at their side. Some didn't even have the father in their life. At least Max was still around. Besides, the reason he was away was because he was trying to save as much money for the baby as possible. He was doing it for them.

They had been through worse.

Her hand brushed down her abdomen again and a small smile hinted at the corners of her mouth. Looking up, her gaze flickered across the street and unseeingly glanced over the people walking down the street.

Her gaze didn't register the figures until it wandered across the people sitting at the café and her feet reached an abrupt stop when she saw a familiar face at one of the tables. Her heart froze as her eyes traveled from the bright smile on his face to the pretty blonde girl sitting opposite him.