The Antarian Timetravellers (CC,MATURE) COMPLETE - 12/24/13

Finished Canon/Conventional Couple Fics. These stories pick up from events in the show. All complete stories from the main Canon/CC board will eventually be moved here.

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maipigen
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 1:22 pm
Location: Denmark

Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 10.CH. 08/19/10

Post by maipigen »

Roswellian117
Earth2Mama (very belated birthday congratulations from me too!)
dreambeliever
keepsmiling7
mary mary
AlysLuv
Begonia9508
kissme4ever123
Grace52373
nibbles2 (I've made them so forgiving because they've seen where it all has potential to end. In the grand scheme of things, Michael's forgiving/helping Hank and Max and co. trying to get over what the original Tess and Nasedo did, isn't that hard to do...well, it is, but they'd shake hands with the Devil himself to avoid their past to be their future...again...I hope that makes just a bit sense ;).)
jojotheorange
jake17 (you know, girl; if my compliments to your writing made you blush, you should've seen my face when I finished reading your comment;)).
cjsl8ne( I have to say that I'm awed that you continue to review my chapters, both here and on ff, net where I post first always. Thank you so much for doing it!).


Thanks to all of the above that took the time to comment on my little story. I hope you'll enjoy this update despite its lack of real romance this time around...don't kill me!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Michael's POV

The sun was roasting his back mercilessly, beats of sweat trailed down his bare back and connected with the scarcely healed wounds there and it burned, but he barely even noticed. Slowly, his bloodied hands tore into the soil and removed more of it to make room for her final resting place. Next to him, Max's silent silhouette was doing the same and looking every bit as bloody and wounded. Probably even more, considering what he'd been through.

Michael knew deep down inside that, for once, Max wasn't doing the smart thing, they'd just rescued him from Khivar's clutches and his frail body wasn't supposed to be doing anything like this; Liz and Maria would kill him if they knew.

But they didn't and with a sigh that sounded more like a choking sob, Michael slowly reached out and removed more of the sandy dirt in front of him. The two humans would never know anything again…

"Max, Michael; please stop, it's enough now."

Michael didn't stop digging; he could feel the grains of sand itching painfully in the fresh wounds of his hands, but he didn't falter at the pain that was a mere parody to the one going on inside of him. Next to him, Max continued just as quietly, with just as much hopelessness written all over him.

Isabel's shadow fell over them and he could hear the devastation in her shaking voice. "You've been out here for hours. It's big enough guys. Look at yourselves, please…"

Michael looked up at her, the woman he'd married in another lifetime and simply stared mutely at her. Tears were trailing down both their cheeks. The despair in the air was thick. "Tell me what else I can do." He ordered hoarsely, his voice not yet itself after all his heartbroken screaming earlier, "Give me something to do, Isabel…"

Next to the last female hybrid, Serena was standing. Her dark-blue eyes were dimmed with sorrow and once again, she looked a lot older than a girl not even out of her teens. "You're gonna bury your wives," she stated emotionlessly, "they're bringing them now."

Just as Serena finished talking, Michael noticed Eric and Sydney coming with two floating madras' behind them. They were carrying their precious burden with a look of utter desolation on their faces. Not only had they lost the two humans that had helped them all come to terms with themselves, but during the rescue they'd lost the rest of the Unit that had been well enough to help Liz with her rescue plan.

As soon as he took in the sight in front of him, his heart started to pound in his chest and Michael straightened up, "No! We're not ready yet! Take her inside, we're not ready! Damn it, it's too soon!"

Grief was battling insanity inside of him and Michael could hardly breathe as they all came closer despite his orders. "No," he yelled and jumped up the hole he'd so painstakingly dug with his own hands, "go away! It's not time yet, it's too soon! Please!"

He fell to his knees, just as Eric and Sydney reached him and Michael saw her face; now clean of all the blood. She looked pale and wax like, but more serene than he'd seen her in years. It was like all her problems had evaporated with her essence. "God, no…Please…No, Maria you promised you wouldn't leave me."

His insides were blazing, he couldn't breathe and all he could hear was a roaring that echoed his earlier grief-stricken cries of disbelief. Isabel's arms wrapped around his trembling form, but they weren't the arms his body thirsted for and his cries turned into sobs and he moaned out his wife's name.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Michael could see Max's forgotten form, bending slowly forward and remove yet another handful of dirt. He didn't seem to notice Michael's noises of despair, the Unit's presence with their wives or Isabel's slow crying. Through all of it, he simply bent forward yet one more time and took another handful of dirt.

Michael hated his emotionless brother at that moment, desperately craving his numbness. His eyes traveled back on the eerily still form of his beloved. No, No NO!


"NO!"

Michael jerked up from his place on the floor in Max's bedroom. Instantly, he started examining his uninjured hands. He was gasping for air and he could feel tears drying on his face.

A moment later, Max's bedroom door was slammed open and Max came running in. He stopped short the second his eyes landed on Michael's still sitting form. Realization and pure understanding quickly formed in his eyes and Max quietly closed the door and walked over to his bed. "You're gonna be ok?" he asked without looking at him.

Michael was grateful that it was Max that had come running in. With his dream so fresh in his memories, the hybrid didn't think he could handle any consolation from Isabel. Just the thought of her arms around him made him shudder. Max, on the other hand, had been through the same as him, so he wouldn't even attempt a hug.

"Yeah," Michael finally said with a sigh as he ran his hands through his hair, "I'll be fine. Just dreaming of bad times, it'll pass soon enough."

"Okay, go take a shower. Trust me, you don't want to go downstairs to Iz and Mom looking like you do right now."

With another sigh, Michael got to his feet and made his way to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he exited the steaming room and walked downstairs. He politely passed on breakfast, muttered something about having to go home to the trailer to check on Hank and left.

In reality, Michael's entire body was desperate to see the moving, vibrant, living version of his love. He was haunted by the last memory of his dream of her unnatural stillness and he needed to make sure that it had all been a horrible dream of the past.

He relished in the bond, never more thankful for it having somehow traveled back with him in the first place. He could feel her drowsiness and knew she was getting ready for school. When he went deeper, Michael could also feel some real concern bubbling inside her.

Oh God, Michael thought and picked up his pace, she must have felt me when I dreamed. Maybe she even saw some of the nightmare too…

Every now and again during their years together, after the bond had formed, Maria had somehow tapped into his dreams in a manner not unlike Isabel's. She didn't stand to the side and observe, she couldn't interfere, but she always just knew what he'd dreamed during those nights where the nightmares had been too difficult to keep at bay.

Eventually, before he could worry over it for too long, Michael arrived at the DeLuca home. He made sure that no one spotted him as he made his way to Maria's bedroom window.

The sight before him almost made his knees wobbly and he had placed a hand on the glass before he even realized he was doing it. Maria was standing in front of her mirror with nothing but a towel on. Her short hair was still wet and to Michael, at that moment he couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful.

A second later, as Michael's eyes and his very soul were busy taking in the sight of a breathing Maria, she removed her towel and Michael's entire body went rigid.

It had been a very long time since Michael had seen his wife's body. And now in a time where she wasn't too busy to eat and still had some of her youthful fullness, Michael's eyes were swallowing everything for an entirely different reason than before; the tanned skin, the backside that he used to lavish with attention during their lovemaking. Images of some of those times assaulted Michael's senses and he nearly groaned out loud.

She reached out, grabbing a pair of underwear, but just as she did, Maria must have spotted him, because she twirled around and Michael barely dodged out of sight. If she catches me peeping, I'm a dead man, Michael rightfully thought, trying to force the image of Maria's perky breasts out of his mind. He quickly reached down and adjusted himself; it was getting downright painful in his tight jeans.

A few minutes later, Michael decided to risk looking inside again. Through the bond, all he could feel was Maria's earlier concern for him, so he didn't think she would notice.

But when he stood back up and looked inside again, his eyes locked on Maria's. She was standing in nothing but a pair of underwear and a short top, that barely covered what needed to be covered. Her arms were crossed ominously. Michael swallowed, he took in the narrowed eyes in front of him and through the bond it was quite obviously not concern headed in his direction anymore.

Finally, Maria reached out and opened the window. "What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice was icy and quivered with anger that resonated inside Michael.

"I…uhh," Michael was speechless. He had not been prepared for any of this and his mind couldn't quite catch up to him.

"Don't you "uh" me," Maria demanded and unceremoniously reached out and took a firm grip on his shirt and started pulling him violently inside.

Michael let her do it, seeing as he could easily have shook off the smaller woman, and stumbled inside almost landing head first on the carpet. Maria's hand on his arm steadied him though and he regained his balance. "You could just have invited me in," he said, trying not to look below Maria's eyelevel with all his might.

I'm not a teenage boy pumped full of hormones, he repeated the mantra internally a few times while he waited for Maria's inevitable comeback.

"Oh, I could've, but I wasn't sure you'd be coherent enough after staring at me like some common perv! I was naked, Guerin!"

"Shh!" Michael hissed glancing over at Maria's closed bedroom door. He suddenly had a vivid memory of Maria's mother storming in with fury on her face so very long ago. It didn't matter that he'd been through hell since then; Amy DeLuca still put the fear of God in him like any mother in law throughout the universe did.

Maria rolled her eyes and roughly pushed him backwards till he sat down on the bed. "My mom already went to work, she had a few deliveries to the Crash, so stop worrying and start explaining!"

Attempting to act nonchalant, Michael leaned up against the headboard of Maria's bed. "Explain what, DeLuca? I didn't mean to look, but you should consider getting some curtains or something in the future. It's not every guy out there that is as honorable as me."

"Oh please," Maria once again rolled her eyes. She took out a pair of pants from her stuffed closet and put them on, seemingly not caring that Michael was even there. "I'm not even gonna go into the whole peeping thing; in my mind it never happened. And you better forget it too! No, explain why I woke up earlier with tears falling down my face and this weird picture of you in my head with bloodied hands and a look in your eyes that I hope never to see, not even when you're being a complete ass."

Michael's heart started pounding. If she saw that, did she see why I looked like that? Did she notice that I'd aged? I can't tell her the truth; she'd go completely insane

"Your subconscious might be trying to tell you to hook up with me...in a very disturbing kind of way," Michael finally settled on saying.

He was only vaguely offended by the snort that came out of Maria after listening to his "theory". "Good one, Michael."

Maria finished dressing and she turned fully around to face him. Her expression was uncharacteristically serious. "I know that all of you think that I'm a drama queen or whatever, but I do have my moments of clarity and I know that you're keeping something from me. To tell you the truth," Maria continued and sat down on the edge of the bed, "I don't really wanna know, but I do need you to know that you can tell me stuff, I won't freak out again or kick you in your private area…"

Michael's lip twitched, although the phantom pain from the time she'd done just that told him there was nothing funny about that sort of thing.

"Why are you suddenly willing to listen? I thought that deep down you sort of feared me."

Maria smiled a bit, "I wouldn't say fear you, but I don't know why really. There's just something about you…Besides, like I said, I wouldn't want to feel half of what you're apparently feeling when you think no one's around. Due to some weird reason, you and I share a connection, at least, that 's what Liz tells me," Maria shrugged with another smile and got back to her feet, "and let's just pretend this whole morning didn't happen, okay?"

Michael nodded with a frown; he honestly didn't know whether or not he was happy that Maria didn't want to investigate things further. After a long minute, he finally followed Maria outside and they stopped next to the Jetta that had played a big part in getting him involved with the energetic filled human in the first place.

"Oh, by the way Guerin," Maria's questioning voice brought Michael back from the memories of that night in the motel where they'd started seeing new sides of each other. He fought down a hint of sadness over the fact that it was something that most likely wasn't going to happen in this timeline now that he and his fellow hybrids had already changed things a bit.

He suddenly felt a gentle push in the shoulder and blinked out of yet another fond memory, only to come face to face with Maria's furrowed brows. "Didn't you hear what I asked? Oh, forget it. I just wanted to know why you showed up by my window in the first place this morning."

I dreamed of the time you died in my arms and the following breakdown I had, so I just had to see you alive, Michael mentally rolled his eyes at himself. Okay, maybe not

Finally, the hybrid settled on a half truth, "I was out walking and I felt your concern so I decided to check it out, make sure you were okay."

Maria looked at him for a long second, her eyes locking on his and daring him to confess whatever secret he was keeping from her, despite her earlier claim to not want to know. Eventually, the blonde sighed and got in the car. "Well, I'm fine as you can see. Now, want a ride to school?"

"Yeah," Michael answered and got into the passenger seat. The familiar smell of it made him smile and he pretended not to see the curious look Maria sent him.

Tess' POV

The car ride to the high school was silent and Tess tried her best not to fidget uncomfortably as they neared the building. She cast a quick glance at the body that her guardian was currently copying before looking back out the window with a soundless sigh.

"It's all gonna be fine," Nasedo's voice stated a few minutes later, just as they pulled into the parking lot. "We'll find a way to get the four of you together again. But first, I have to be introduced to your guidance counselor…"

"Are you gonna kill her?" Tess asked. She acted like her voice didn't shake at the word kill. She'd always suspected that there was something about her guardian's way of doing things that she wouldn't like, but after meeting Max and the others two nights ago, she was almost certain that Nasedo's policy was close to a "kill first before getting suspected," kind of thing.

To her surprise, Nasedo looked immensely bitter for one short second before he answered with a forced calm on his face, "well, no. I think it'd be too big of a problem for our King and his group of human lovers. But," Nasedo's face lit up into a creepy smile, "she might have an accident later if all goes well. That way, I haven't killed her per say…"

"You don't have to do anything but talk to her," Tess pointed out, but quickly exited the car before Nasedo could reprimand her for being too soft.

He's never liked my half human side, Tess thought, hoisting her bag up her shoulder, and why should he? It's weak; he's only trying to teach me to be better; trying to teach me things from my home planet.

Although, the curly haired hybrid tried to think like she knew Nasedo would want her to, there was just something about the look in the other three hybrids eyes that told Tess that Nasedo possibly didn't have all the answers.

Due to her impeccable memory, Tess easily made her way through the throng of students and stopped outside Kathleen Topolsky's office door. She looked up at Nasedo, who'd been surprisingly silent ever since entering the school. There was a hint of pure disgust in the alien's eyes as his sight lingered on a kissing couple right next to him. Tess only hoped he could control his facial expressions enough so the undercover F.B.I. agent wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Of course, I understand his disdain; Tess thought with a small sniff, we are superior to this race and shouldn't mingle with them. That's why I'm so confused about Max and the others. They should know better

A moment later, Tess regained her calm and knocked on the door. She walked inside with Nasedo at her heels. They politely greeted the pretty woman in front of them and took their seats as offered.

"Well," Topolsky's mild voice didn't suit what Tess thought about her, "I might be a little late, but I'd just like to welcome you to Roswell. It's a fascinating place and I hope that you'll do well here. Trust me; I know it can be a bit hard to settle in, being a newcomer myself."

"Oh?" Nasedo was the picture of polite curiosity, "I hope you won't end up regretting moving to this little town."

Tess sent a mild glare at her guardian, the threat in those words was easy for her to spot. She just hoped that Topolsky wouldn't think the same. Fortunately, the older woman only smiled and shrugged. "Okay, Miss Harding, I've already seen your transcripts from your other schools and I must say I'm impressed. I don't think that you'll have any trouble fitting in here, but I want you to know, that you can always come to me. It's what I'm here for after all."

Yeah right, Tess thought with an internal sneer. Just moonlighting on the side while you try to frame my kind to experiment on us

Five minutes later, the informal meeting ended pleasantly and Tess followed Nasedo out through the door. A step later, she nearly bumped into her guardian's back when she realized that he had abruptly stopped moving. "What's wrong?" she asked, but as soon as she followed his eyes, Tess knew the answer.

Across the hallway, over by the lockers, Max Evans was standing. His crossed arms showed off his impressive physique, the tight black shirt helped show off his muscles as well. But that wasn't what had stopped Nasedo in his tracks, Tess understood that almost immediately.

There was a look in Max's eyes that promised a never ending path of pain. Tess was brutally reminded of that evening two nights ago, where Max and the other two Antarians had shown up at her doorstep. His voice had been carefully blank and there had been a frightening lack of emotions in his eyes. Still, Tess had never doubted for one second that he disliked her.

He might dislike me; I mean; he knows that we're supposed to be together, but why is he looking at Nasedo like that? Tess wondered.

After what seemed an eternity, Max simply straightened up and walked away without looking back at them. It was daunting for Tess to see someone so openly disrespect her intimidating guardian. She might have grown up with the man, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he was a dangerous person to cross. And here there are at least three that don't give a damn…I need to figure out why they're so confident. I'm the only one that's been trained by him after all, so my powers should be a lot more developed than theirs

"Be careful about that one, Tess," Nasedo's quiet warning jolted Tess out of her thoughts and she looked up at him with widened eyes.

"There's something in his eyes that unnerves me and I do not appreciate that feeling." There was a beat of silence before the alien let out a deep breath and sent her a cheerful, albeit fake, smile, "anyway, have a great day and I'll see you at home, Sweetie."

A few moments later, Nasedo had vanished from her sight and it was with a heavy sigh that Tess started making her way to her first class of the day. Fortunately, the teacher hadn't shown up yet when Tess finally managed to find the classroom, so she slipped into a seat in the back, hoping to go mostly unnoticed.

A quick scan around her, told Tess that she shared the class with Isabel. Her former sister in law. Maybe I should go over and say hi again, Tess thought, ignoring that tiny spark of unease inside her. Out of the three hybrids, Isabel had been the one whose dislike had been the most obvious to spot. Something of a feat that still puzzled Tess, considering that Isabel Evans had a reputation for never showing any emotions, except to her friends.

Speaking of friends, Tess noticed that Isabel's eyes were discreetly fixed on a guy, who looked like he was part of the crowd interested in sports. A jock, Tess believed the correct term was. He's not that interesting; she thought and eyed the boy intensely.

His hair was windswept as though he'd just run around outside before class started. He had an open face and she had a feeling that he had an easy way about him. Although, Tess looked closer, he does look a bit sullen, I wonder what's going on with him?

No! Tess shook herself out of her sudden fascination with the human boy, I don't have time to do anything but get close to my long lost family. Like Nasedo says; I have a destiny to fulfill.

"Hey."

Tess started and looked up, right into the eyes of the boy she'd watched. Blinking, she quickly scanned the room and noticed that people were beginning to drift into small groups. "Hi," she slowly replied.

"Let me guess," the boy sent her such a charming smile that Tess found herself responding before she even realized she was doing it, "you didn't pay attention to the class and have no idea what's going on?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Tess smiled again and decided to introduce herself like a normal teenage girl would do, "I'm Tess."

"Hi, I'm Kyle," the boy answered and settled down at the table in front of her, turning it so it faced hers. "I'm glad you're in this group to be honest; you seem cool enough. I'm not exactly best buddies with the other two."

Just as he finished that statement, an unfamiliar female voice stated from behind Tess, "Yeah, well; I'm not exactly thrilled to be in this group either, Valenti."

Valenti? As in sheriff Valenti? Tess instantly decided to get closer to Kyle, so she had an easy access to the sheriff in town. She didn't get much time to ponder her further plans before the girl that had spoken walked over and nudged Kyle out of the way and greeted Tess.

"Don't listen to the ignorant jock, new girl. He's just a really bad loser," Kyle sent the girl a glare of epic proportions, but the girl either didn't notice or seem to care as she continued with a somewhat friendly smile, "I'm Maria DeLuca and I really hope you're smart, because with me and Valenti in this group, we're gonna need all the brainpower there we can get to pull off this whole project."

"Ah, I'm hurt," Tess had to consciously rein in a startled yelp when none other than Isabel sauntered over to their group and started talking. "I'll have you know I'm not just a pretty face Maria. I'm sure we'll work it all out in no time."

Tess watched keenly without letting any of her confusion show on her face as Maria's features twisted into something that was an obvious attempt at a casual smile; it failed miserably. "Hi, Isabel. Uh, I didn't see you there…Are you even supposed to be in this group?"

Only Tess noticed the quick look in her direction before Isabel answered Maria with such an amiable smile that the surrounding students gawked at the Ice Princess with disbelief, "Well, the group I was assigned isn't really full of people that I can stand so I asked to be switched to this group. I hope that's okay?"

She's afraid I might hurt them! There wasn't no doubt about that in Tess' mind and she recoiled mentally from the hurt that seemed to seep into her very bones. Why do they all think I'm such a dangerous person? We used to be a family; we belong together!

Isabel sent Tess a look that convinced the curly haired blonde that she somehow knew what was going through Tess' mind. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. As she was doing that, Tess once again caught the little look in Kyle's direction from Isabel and she decided to retaliate.

If she's too scared to let him know she's into him that just means I can sweep in and steal him from under her nose. Or at least do a little harmless flirting; that way she'll see I'm not gonna stand for this behavior much longer!

"Kyle?"

The moment Tess spoke Kyle's name, Isabel's attention snapped fully back onto Tess and the newcomer immediately regretted even thinking about toying with the human. "I-err…can you help me with what we're doing? I think I'm a little confused? But you don't have to if…Err."

They all heard Maria's softly muttered curse at being the one working closely with Isabel. For one split second, Tess could feel something akin to pity in her gut; there had been such a telling flash of hurt on the beautiful girl's face when she too heard Maria's reluctance.

Deciding to be the bigger person in all of this, Tess changed her opinion with a tentative smile at Isabel. "O-Or would you mind helping me Isabel?"

Isabel blinked slowly and her face didn't betray any emotions again as she replied that she wouldn't mind at all.

When the class ended, Tess gathered her things and hung back so she could talk to Isabel in private. It didn't take long; all the other students seemed more than eager to escape the stuffy classroom.

"Isabel, wait up," Tess called and walked up to the much taller blonde. "I think we need to talk."

"Okay, just as long as you know that I won't fall for any mindwarping; I've trained myself into knowing when things aren't real. So have Max and Michael for your information."

Tess swallowed a lump of dread while simultaneously fighting back her growing temper. How is that even possible? How come she even knows about my signature power?

Isabel's raised eyebrow, reminded Tess that she hadn't answered and she straightened up with what she hoped was an arrogant air about her, "I would never do that without a specific reason."

"Oh, I know that," Isabel said with a tightlipped smile. Again there was something in her eyes that seemed to haunt her, but before Tess got a chance to ask about it, it had disappeared. A second later, Isabel spoke again and Tess lost all her interest in Isabel's demons. "It's just that with your guardian being what he is, your reasoning might be a little different from ours."

"Look," Tess' temper finally snapped and she took a step closer, "I think I've been a damn good sport about all of this. I was so happy to see you, to finally get the chance to know you all. I was the one left behind, remember? I was the one that was all alone growing up with a man by my side that hates my," Tess quickly looked around to be sure of their privacy before continuing in a whisper, "human side. I just want to belong with someone like me. I sure as hell didn't expect to be treated like someone that's lower than dirt. I don't deserve that, Isabel…I haven't done anything but rejoice over finding you so we could fulfill our destinies together."

Isabel suddenly looked like she couldn't quite decide whether to be irritated or guilty. "I…apologize for making you feel like that, it wasn't my intention." The words seemed to be downright painful for the Evans girl to say, and Tess very much doubted her sincerity.

Isabel bent down a bit to speak directly into the smaller Tess' ear, "But if you want to fit in with us then let me give you a piece of advice." Isabel's coffee colored eyes darkened into something that gave Tess goosebumps all the way down her spine, "Let go of that silly dream about destiny. We make our own here in Roswell. Now excuse me for a moment, I need to go find my brother."

Tess looked at the door long after Isabel had vanished from her sight. That's the second time they've pointed out that they have no intention or desire to go back to the way things were meant to be…They seem to be content here in this little town with their humans.

Unexpectedly, there was a sudden image of Kyle's smiling face in her mind and Tess had to fight it off with all she had. She had been raised to be the Queen of another planet; she really couldn't fall victim to her hated human hormones.

Feeling a bit more in control of herself, Tess recalled the look of steel in Max's eyes when he'd warned Nasedo off the humans in their lives. I still can't believe that the mighty Zan is hung up on such an insignificant human. She can't even manipulate the slightest of molecules!

"Erm, are you okay?"

Tess blinked out of her furious thoughts and laid eyes on a pretty, dark haired girl with friendly eyes. In fact, it was the most friendly (aside from Kyle) that anyone had looked at her since arriving in Roswell.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired after the whole moving to a new town and school thing, I guess."

The girl chuckled, letting go of her bulging backpack so she could reach out a hand in greeting. "I see; that's hard on anyone, so I won't say anything. I just met Maria a few minutes ago; she told me all about you. I'm Liz by the way. Liz Parker."

"Hi," Tess found herself really liking the brunette in front of her and took the offered hand. "Well, if you've already talked to Maria, I guess there's no point in telling you my name is Tess?"

"I appreciate it none the less," Liz grinned, "and you'll learn soon enough that Maria's mouth works so fast that by now, I bet most of the school knows everything about you too."

I very much doubt that, Tess thought with an inwardly smile. You'd probably run scared if you knew the truth about me.

Out loud, Tess settled on shrugging with a smile. "I'd better get to class."

"Do you know where to go?" Liz asked and picked up her backpack with a theatrical moan of exertion.

"I've got biology, I think." Tess knew her schedule by heart, but she didn't want to come off as a complete geek.

To her surprise, Liz's face lit up hearing her destination. "Oh that's great; I've got bio too. I can take you there. It's my favorite subject."

Tess followed Liz to the class, a bit confused, but thankful however, over the friendliness and openness that the brown haired girl projected towards her. It made for a nice change. I think, that for a human, Liz is actually kind of cool.

A few minutes later, the duo entered the biology classroom and Tess' heartbeat picked up drastically when she spotted Max sitting alone in the front of the class. He was smiling widely and it transformed him from the frightening youth she'd seen to a very handsome man that any girl would be lucky to have.

The smile confused Tess momentarily, is he finally coming around? That doesn't make sense; he seems to really resent my presence. Then she realized that he wasn't even looking at her, at that point in time, she doubted he even noticed her standing there. His eyes were fixed on Liz, who was still chatting good-naturedly with Tess.

In that second, Tess knew just who Liz Parker really was and her whole preconceived notions about the human girl shook in their foundations. This is the girl he risked everything for; my rival. She briefly entertained the thought of taking Liz home and letting Nasedo scare her off the hybrids so she could have Max to herself, but then again; Liz wasn't at all what she'd expected.

In those few minutes they'd walked together, Tess had categorized her as a friend and she wasn't as cold inside as Nasedo wanted her to be; she couldn't deliberately hurt the one girl that had been genuinely friendly towards her.

Max's eyes finally slid from Liz's smiling face and over to Tess. His face turned emotionless within the blink of an eye and she recognized the king in him that Nasedo had told her about so many times growing up. This man will kill me if I even think about doing something he doesn't approve of. When did my life become so damn complicated?

Topolsky's POV

The bell rang, signaling the end of the time she had to spend with the kids that needed guidance and she let out a relieved sigh. I am getting so tired of this. I'm stuck in this office all day and have to run around trying to gather information about the subjects in my spare time.

Kathleen knew that she needed to be able to show some results soon, or else Agent Pierce would most definitely not be happy with her. The very thought of her boss made the undercover agent uncomfortable and she repressed a shiver of unease.

"I just hope this plan works," she muttered, looking down at the questions she'd written. She planned to give them to the one teacher, who had all the subjects in one class and make him pair certain individuals up to gain a better knowledge of their true selves. At least, that was what she planned to tell the idiotic man that taught the class; he would no doubt do as she suggested. He's always staring at my chest and asking me out on dates, so it shouldn't be a problem to get him to agree to this in the first place.

"And then I'll hopefully have something to show to Pierce," Kathleen whispered, biting her bottom lip anxiously. She knew better than most what happened to the people that failed to bring results in the Special Unit. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna be one of those people

A knock on the door interrupted Kathleen's scheming and she quickly hid her papers, clicked away from the F.B.I. page on her computer and said, "Come on in."

She was a bit surprised when the door opened and she recognized Tess Harding's father of all people in the doorway. "Hello again," she greeted with what she hoped was a somewhat civil smile. "May I help you, Mr. Harding?"

He smiled and raised his hand a bit, "Oh, please; call me Ed, Mr. Harding makes me think about my father."

Kathleen politely nodded, "okay, Ed. May I help you with something?"

"I know it might seem a bit sudden, but I'd be very honored if you'd allow me to take you to dinner, Miss Topolsky?"

Kathleen's instincts suddenly screamed danger of all things. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer at the slightly dorky visage of Tess' father. She met his eyes and all her reservations seemed to melt away in an instant. "Sure, Ed. I'd be delighted."

Ed's lips smiled but his eyes were without any real joy, but Kathleen didn't get a chance to mull it over, because he nodded and spoke again. "I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow night. I am looking forward to it, Miss Topolsky."

It took Kathleen five minutes after Ed had left her office to regain her senses. She shook her head in dismay, I usually don't date when I'm on an assignment, she thought. What on earth possessed me to say yes to him? He's not even that cute.

Kathleen sighed and got ready for her next period of algebra; she was still standing in for the teacher that she'd paid to call in sick for a while. Well, it's just one little date with a harmless little man; what could go wrong?

TBC…


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A/N I hope you all enjoyed this. Expect another memory next time:)

Until Next Time

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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 11.CH. 09/06/10

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A/N Thank you all for your great comments and you unexpected, yet very aweinspiring support from the flamer incident. Also, if you haven't, please take time out to check out the awesome banner that's Dreamer19 made for TAT. It's just perfect! Here's the next chapter, hope you'll like it!

CHAPTER TWELVE

Liz’s POV

Liz had been feeling a bit antsy all afternoon; she’d fidgeted through dinner and had eventually excused herself to go do her homework to escape the questioning glances from her bewildered parents.

The peculiar feeling inside her seemed to grow the longer the day wore on and although she knew rationally that the bond between Max and she was currently closed off, she just knew that her emotional state had something to do with him.

Finally she managed to drift into an uneasy sleep. She was clutching her journal and laying on top of the covers, as though subconsciously she was waiting for something.

Suddenly, a few hours after midnight she was awakened by a repeated knock on her bedroom window. Liz sat up with a gasp, blurry images of an angry, thin and older looking Max flashing in her mind. She looked over at the window, half expecting the man himself to be there, but to her surprise it was one of the people she never expected to show up at her house. Ever.

Michael Guerin.

To top off the weirdness of that, the young man looked extremely tired and there was something about the way he held himself that told Liz that he was nothing short of desperate.

Hesitantly, she placed her journal under her pillow and walked over to the window. She swiftly opened it, and crawled out on the balcony to avoid her parents hearing her. Not that that was any real concern of hers, her dad slept like the dead and snored like a freight train. Her mom as a consequence always wore earplugs and wouldn’t hear anything even if they were right next to her screaming fire.

“Michael…hey?” Liz muttered, crossing her arms over her chest to keep the cool night air away. “Not to be rude, but you do realize it’s pretty late, right?”

Michael’s gaze softened a fraction, and Liz had the feeling (again) that there was something big she was missing. There shouldn’t be a reason for the infamous Guerin to even remotely like her, in fact he’d always gone out of his way to glare at her in the past whenever she came to close to him (and Max).

Michael spoke a second later, interrupting Liz’s internal realization that the glares had stopped approximately around the time when Max had saved her when she was shot. “Yeah, sorry. I wouldn’t come here if it wasn’t important. And it is, really important. Grab a coat and come with me right now.”

Immediately, Liz’s imagination went into overdrive. She didn’t get a chance to voice her concerns before Michael spoke again, leaning forward a bit with a renewed air of desperation around him, “We need your help and we need you to trust us no matter what you might see. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary, Liz.”

The way he’s talking makes it sound like it’s a matter of life or death, Liz thought with a frown, but that’s preposterous. We’re just kids, what can possibly be so important? It’s got to be something alien related, Liz answered her own question a moment later as she walked back into her bedroom to grab a coat silently.

Before she knew it, Liz was being all but dragged with Michael to the parking lot behind the Crashdown, where she quickly spotted Max’s familiar jeep. Her heart sped up at the thought of seeing Max in whatever state it was that had Michael so obviously concerned, but to her disappointment, the jeep was empty.

Michael guided her into the vehicle and simply asked her to hold on as he started the engine and drove out of the parking lot with squealing tires. It didn’t take long before Liz realized that they weren’t headed to the Evans’ residence as she’d initially expected. Instead, Michael drove them out of the town and continued down the empty road.

The closer they got to their destination, the more Liz’s insides started churning and she had to take deep breaths all of the sudden to prevent from releasing her dinner out the speeding car. She very much doubted that Michael would pull over until they reached their goal.

A little while later, Michael turned the car down a bumpy road and continued into a landscape that Liz had never seen before. “What is this place?” she asked, before she could stop herself.

Michael threw a quick glance at her, ignoring Liz’s widened eyes at the thought of him not looking where he was driving in the process. They were going very fast. “It’s hard to explain,” he said and turned his attention back to driving.

Liz bit her lip; she felt another wave of nausea wash over her and she had to fight it back before she could safely speak again, “Then at least tell me where we’re going. I’m taking a lot on faith here, Michael.”

Michael didn’t look at her again, but after a few seconds, he muttered quietly, “I’m taking you to Max. He’s…he’s not doing so good.”

“Is he hurt? I guess he can’t really go to a normal hospital, but Michael I’m not that smart, I don’t know anything about medicine or…Is he okay?” Liz’s heart was almost pounding out of his chest at the mere thought of Max hurting. She didn’t have time to wonder why the silent boy had somehow become as necessary to her as breathing; she just suddenly knew that he was. And the idea scared her more than she wanted to admit.

“He’s not injured psychically,” Michael quickly interjected before Liz could work herself up into a proper state of panic. “Like I said, I can’t really explain it and you’ll just have to trust me. I know that sucks, but there isn’t anything I can do about that.”

Liz hated not knowing what to expect; she was a very organized human being and anything that threatened to ruin her order of things set her completely out of balance. Another reason as to why she’d been so easy to snap and cancel the unpredictable bond between her and Max. She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself to the best of her abilities.

The jeep pulled to an abrupt stop in the darkness and Liz’s attention snapped back to the present. Her earlier fears and worries about Max surged to the surface with a vengeance and she staggered when she got out of the car.

Michael was by her side instantly, “you okay?”

“Fine,” Liz replied and took a deep breath, “I just got a bit woozy that’s all. Now take me to Max, I’ll be fine.”

For at brief moment, Michael looked like he wanted to protest, but then his eyes sought out a side of rock behind them and his earlier determination returned. He nodded mutely and took Liz’s hand, leading her through the darkness with an air about him that suggested that he’d spent many a night out here.

What would they be doing out here? It’s in the middle of nowhere. Liz pondered, fumbling in the dark, but trusting the alien to lead her to Max none the less. Maybe they’re out here whenever they need to have some sort of secret meetings…But I had the impression that they all lived normal lives, hiding themselves in plain sight. There shouldn’t be any logical reason for their current secrecy.

Liz was brought out of her thoughts when Michael finally stopped in front of a wall of solid rock. “Michael,” she began, not understanding what was happening. He cast a quick look at her, but didn’t respond. Instead, he waved his hand in front of the stone and to Liz’s surprise, a solid handprint like the one she’d had on her stomach after Max’s healing lit up briefly before the stone started rumbling and moved to the side.

Liz stared at the revealed entrance, completely struck with confusion. She had just turned to Michael to ask more questions, when Isabel’s frantic voice reached her and she remembered why she was even there in the first place.

“Liz!”

Isabel looked frenzied. The usually so perfect blonde’s hair was disheveled, pulled into a messy ponytail, her clothes were rumbled and Liz was shocked to find traces of blood on Isabel’s face. “Isabel? Oh my God, are you okay?”

Isabel looked at Michael, “You didn’t tell her anything?”

Michael shook his head and answered, as he simultaneously closed the entrance door shut, “No, I figured it’d be best to just get her here as fast as possible. Besides, what was I supposed to say? Did she wake up?”

Isabel bit her lip briefly and shook her head, “She’s still in the hidden chamber; I tied her up just in case. Other than that I haven’t been able to do anything useful.” Isabel sighed heavily, looking dejected and worn out, before turning her focus back on Liz, who once again was busy fighting off another bout of queasiness. “Liz, are you okay?”

“She looked a bit green outside too,” Michael said, placing himself behind Liz. “I think it might be her feeding off his emotions. Or the bond that wants to be reopened or something, I don’t know.”

Isabel nodded. She hooked her arm through Liz’s, “Liz, I’m gonna take you to Max now. I think you might be the only one to really get through to him right now. I’ve tried, but…Just try, I’m begging you.”

Liz followed alongside Isabel, and walked a bit further into the dimly lit cave. A second later, she stopped dead. She locked eyes with a pale looking Tess, who was sitting over in the farthest away corner next to an unmoving body of a middle-aged man. She too had blood splatters on her face and clothes like Isabel. Judging from the amount of blood on the (hopefully in Liz’s opinion) unconscious man, he was the reason for both Tess’ and Isabel’s bloodied appearance.

Liz blinked in confusion, what is she doing here? How does she know about them? Did she and that man try to hurt them? If she’s laid a hand on Max, I’ll

Liz never finished her thought because a shiver of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head and gasped in shock. In the opposite corner Max was sitting. He looked horrible. He too was bloody, but more so than any of the girls. His shirt was torn and even in the darkened room, Liz could see blood dribbling down his beige shirt with horrifying clarity.

The thing that scared the young waitress the most though, wasn’t the blood or the way he sat almost immobile on the cool ground. It was the eerie way he was simply staring at the body at Tess’ feet. Even from the spot where Liz was standing, she could see the cold, burning hate in Max’s eyes and it was honestly a look that she didn’t like. In fact, it scared her so much that she could barely breathe all of the sudden.

“Wh-What’s happened?” Liz managed to squeak through her lips, she noticed that Max flinched at the sound of her voice before going impossibly still once more.

Tess had literally jumped at the tiny movement from Max and was now clutching the strange man’s pants leg, looking anywhere but at Max.

Isabel stepped forward and nodded in Tess’ direction, “Tess is the fourth alien. She…she is one of us and that man is her guardian, Nasedo. He’s the only true alien of us all; he has no human characteristics whatsoever. He…” Isabel stopped and looked back at Michael, who took over with an exhausted voice.

“He did something he shouldn’t have and Max went batshit crazy trying to make things better and then he just sat down and we haven’t been able to communicate with him since. Iz even tried her dreamwalking and she was almost knocked out by the walls Max has erected around his mind.”

Liz remembered hearing about the special talent that Isabel possessed, so she didn’t bother asking anymore questions. Taking a deep breath and silently rejoicing in the fact that it seemed as though her nausea was slowly dwindling away, she asked quietly, “If his own sister couldn’t make things better, what makes you all think I have a shot? He barely knows me…I’m just the human he saved and accidentally connected with. Compared to you guys, I’m nothing.”

For the first time that night, Isabel and Michael’s faces lit up with small twin smiles. Isabel placed a hand on Liz’s shoulder, “don’t sell yourself short, Liz. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that if anyone can get through to my brother right now, it’s you. Don’t be scared, he won’t hurt you.”

Suddenly the nausea returned with a crushing vengeance and Liz’s sight blurred uncomfortably, something unfamiliar, yet so familiar at the same time played out behind her eyes.

An image of an older, tired and scruffy looking Max with a soft smile looking in her direction, whispering with intensity, “I know I look bad right now, but don’t be scared.”
And then the ghost of her own voice, deeper and softer at the same time answered gently, “I could never be scared of you, you silly boy.

Liz fought down the dizzy spell and opened her eyes, while whispering, “I could never be scared of him…”
What is going on? I can’t afford to freak out right now, Liz reprimanded herself and after receiving an encouraging and pleading look from Isabel and Michael, she walked slowly over to Max.

When she reached him, she kneeled in front of him, but he kept staring dead ahead. It was like he was looking right through her and at the unconscious Nasedo.

“Max,” Liz said his name tenderly, hoping to get his attention. He didn’t seem to register her voice as he’d done earlier and Liz battled with herself over what to do next.

She recalled Michael’s theory about the bond acting up and finally came up with an idea. I just hope it’s the right one, Liz thought grimly. She reached out and grabbed Max’s face, gently turning it in her direction. “Please don’t be mad at me, if this doesn’t work,” Liz begged before simply leaning forward, pressing her warm lips to his cold ones.

She sent all that she was through the bond like she’d done the day Topolsky had arrived; opening up the bond for the first time in weeks. She didn’t feel anything in return, the lips under hers didn’t respond and Liz had just about lost all hope and was in the middle of pulling back, when suddenly Max’s hand landed on the back of her neck and forced her right back into a much more passionate kiss.

Liz managed to feel one brief second of fierce relief at his initiative before being literally assaulted with images and emotions that burned through her mind with an intensity that she wasn’t in the least bit prepared for. Pictures of unknown constellations, battling people, scenes of Max making love to her, yet it wasn’t her. Flashes of joy, love, pain, hate and numbness roared through her faster and faster until she felt like she couldn’t take it one second longer.

Suddenly, Liz was pushed roughly away and she tumbled backwards, landing halfway on top of Nasedo’s still body. She felt something that she knew was blood trail down her chin from her nose. It was as though the mental awakening of their bond that Max had needed had been a bit too much for Liz’s frailer human brain.

“Liz!” “Are you okay?” “What happened?” Isabel and Michael were already next to her, pulling her to her wobbly feet.

Everything was a blur; Liz kept blinking, trying to get the pounding in her head to go away. Her earlier nausea was back and it had brought friends. She swallowed repeatedly, hoping that it would prevent her from losing her dinner. She licked her dry lips and tasted blood.

She tried finally speaking over Isabel’s continuing fussing, “I don’t feel so good, guys.” And then Liz’s legs gave out and she tumbled towards the ground. Only to be caught by two strong arms just as blissful blackness overcame her completely.

Max’s POV

Several hours earlier:

It was lunch time when Max for the first time realized that Tess’ arrival in their “new” life wasn’t an entirely bad thing, that he’d spoken a truth when he predicted that they’d eventually need her help.

He had just sat down next to Isabel, who was berating Michael for his lack of achievement in class, despite having already lived through it once. Max even managed to let slip a teasing remark of his own, just as Tess arrived, looking slightly uncomfortable.

She placed her tray of food on the table, glanced around and the moment her eyes met Max’s, he noticed that she looked a lot more emotional than he ever recalled seeing her in his earlier life. Then she spoke, and all thoughts of her state of mind and the thoughts of new Tess versus the other Tess flew out of his mind.

“I’m sorry to do this, but I thought you should all know that Nasedo is taking Topolsky out to dinner tonight.”
Max could literally feel his blood drain from his face; all his muscles tensed and he was suddenly right back into his old mindset of, “kill or be killed.” By the looks of it, Tess’ words had had similar effects on his fellow time travelers.

Michael was gripping his Tabasco spiked soda so hard that his fingertips were white and his eyes had darkened ominously. Isabel was as frozen as Max, but her eyes portrayed her feelings quite clearly. The Ice Princess was back.

For a fleeting second, Max felt sorry that his sister and brother in all things but blood had to go back to those dark places inside themselves, but then his own growing rage got the better of him. “I told him to stay away from her; from all the humans.”

Tess visibly flinched at his admittedly hard tone, but Max couldn’t find it in him to care. “I-I know. I don’t know how he…I don’t know why he would even…I might not like the choices you’ve made, but I would never,” Tess look around to make sure no one was listening, “never actually kill someone.”

Not yet, Max couldn’t keep the nasty thought entirely at bay and judging by the muffled scoff that Isabel couldn’t quite keep in she had the same control issues as he did.

The look Tess sent Isabel told Max that she’d seen it too and was clearly offended by it and he spoke before she could focus in on it, “I need you to give me the time and place this is going to take place. Iz you go make sure the others are safe; if he can go after Topolsky, who’s to say he won’t try anything with our, “Max edited his words at the last minute, “our friends.”

Isabel nodded mutely and immediately stood up and walked towards the corner of the quad where Alex and his bandmates were playing some casual guitar and having fun. Max turned to Michael, “You-“

Michael nodded, “Go try stalling Topolsky with something. Got it.” He got to his feet and quickly disappeared inside the school without another word.

Max watched him leave with a wry smile. He’d forgotten how well Michael and he worked together during times of crisis. We should, Max thought, running a hand through his hair with a sigh, we’ve been through tough situations since we were this age the first time.

After another sigh, Max stood up to go do his part. He had some training to do, he might know extremely much about battle, but the truth of the matter was that his current body might not be ready for such strenuous exercise without proper preparation. And I’ll kill him twenty times over before he even comes close to Liz or the others even if it takes my life to do it.

“Max?” Tess’ voice brought him back from his planning and he looked down at the admittedly pretty blonde, who’d married him in his original life. “I don’t wanna sound pathetic, but I really don’t like the idea of…well, violence, really. I mean, Nasedo’s trained me my whole life, so I know I’m probably more prepared than you guys in most aspects, but I’ve never actually hurt any living creature. I-“

“Look, Tess.” Max interrupted, he tried his hardest to give her a sort of smile to set her mind at ease, “We all appreciate what you’ve just done. I promise that we won’t hurt your guardian unless he takes things too far. Now, excuse me, I have to go.”

He was stopped by her hand on his arm. She looked serious as she stated quietly, “If things go too far, I will have to choose a side.”

The two hybrids stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, before Max ended the stare down with a mute nod of understanding and walked away towards the parking lot.

o0o0o

Some hours later, the trio of time travelling hybrids and Tess were waiting for Nasedo and Topolsky to exit the local restaurant that their so called date was taking place in. Max took it as a personal offence that the scheming Nasedo had chosen one of the few restaurants that Max had actually managed to take Liz to before their lives went to hell.

It was dark outside when Nasedo led Topolsky out to his car, chatting amiably with the slightly dazed looking agent. Isabel had used her powers and changed the green jeep to a black one, but that was about all the visible preparation that had been done to make sure they wouldn’t be discovered prematurely. Max started the engine and followed Nasedo from a safe distance.

After a few miles, it became obvious to them all that Nasedo had no plans on driving Topolsky back to her apartment; instead he kept driving past the city limits. “I guess Tess was right,” Michael muttered at one point and Max grunted in agreement, but that was all that was spoken during the tense ride out of town.

Finally, Nasedo took a turn down an old abandoned road and disappeared from sight. Max pulled into the side of the road and quickly jumped out. He looked back at his sister, whose attention was both on him and on Tess as well, just in case.

Michael walked ahead and came back a few minutes later in a run. “He got out of the car and Topolsky seemed really out of it, he’s in the middle of digging a hole; I think he’s gonna bury her alive.”

“It makes sense,” Max stated calmly, he could feel his old trying to take over, but he pushed it aside. I won’t be that guy again; I can’t be with Liz if I’m that guy.

Sense?” Tess hissed, gesturing in the direction that Michael had just come from. “We don’t have time to think about that, we need to figure out what to do.”

“He’s gonna bury her alive because as long as she’s alive as he left that means he hasn’t really violated my order.” Max continued as though the blonde hadn’t spoken. He looked over at Michael, “lead the way. This has to end now.”

A few moments later, Max came to a stop and he gritted his teeth at the sight before him. Topolsky was lying immobile on the hood of the car; from the way her eyes darted around it was clear to see that Nasedo had somehow drugged the special agent.

Nasedo himself didn’t seem to care that pure terror was practically oozing off his frozen victim behind him. Instead, he calmly continued digging a hole in the ground while humming along to a song that played on the car radio. The whole scene freaked even the war weary Max out. I always knew he took our “protection” to the extreme, but this is just morbid.

Tess stood next to him, flanked by Isabel and Michael. She didn’t seem to notice that she was essentially caged in, should she choose to reveal herself to her guardian. Her eyes lingered on Topolsky with a horrified expression on her face.

The moment Topolsky spotted them, her eyes widened even more and Max was close enough to see the tears trailing silently down her face, smearing her carefully laid makeup. The sight of the petrified woman and the sound of Nasedo’s quiet humming caused something within Max to awaken and he snapped.
“Nasedo!”

The older alien spun around, automatically mimicking Max’s battle stance. “Oh, hello Max. I certainly was not expecting your presence here tonight.”
His eyes rammed into Tess with silent authority and it was a look filled with disapproval over her evident betrayal of him, instinctively Max stepped in front of the now trembling Tess, taking the heat off of her.

“Whether you expected me or not, this ends now!” Max said, clenching his fists.

Nasedo sent him a patronizing smile. “Max, I know you do not approve of my methods so this is just my way of honoring your command. She is a danger to you all and must be removed before disaster strikes.”

“She’s nowhere near the danger to us that you are,” Isabel sneered from her place at Tess’ side, her brown eyes practically gleaming with hatred.

Nasedo didn’t respond to that. He looked over at Topolsky and then suddenly lunged towards her. Apparently, he wanted to use her as a shield in case things got physical.

What Nasedo hadn’t counted on was Max’s abilities that went way above those his own charge possessed. Max raised his hand and within a second a human sized shield shimmered around Topolsky, glowing green.

“You will follow my orders!” Max roared, he could feel himself becoming that harsh leader he’d been after Liz’s death back in his original timeline and although he hated it, he needed that strength for what he just knew would be a fight for his life.

“You idiot child,” Nasedo yelled and suddenly the air shimmered with invisible balls of electricity that was definitely meant to do harm. “I will not be commanded by a weakling!”

“Watch out,” Michael jumped into Max, getting the enraged hybrid out of the way, while Isabel dragged Tess to safety.

Max nodded his thanks to his friend and got to his feet, tensing all his muscles. He lifted a hand and a big gash opened up on Nasedo’s chest and the older alien staggered back with surprise etched on his features.
Max hardheartedly repeated the action a few times until Nasedo got his wits back and started reciprocating.

Max gestured to a rock and it quickly surged forward, taking the hit that Nasedo had sent his way. Soon the two men were engaged in a fierce fight that left the spectators completely speechless by its sheer speed and power.

The longer Max stood his ground with Nasedo, the more frantic the older alien seemed to become. After a particular nasty near hit, Max finally figured out why Nasedo’s fighting style seemed so familiar.

“How long did you work for Khivar before leaving for Earth with our pods?” Max asked, panting a bit as he rolled out of the way of an attack that Max had witnessed Khivar’s men use all the time. He used the counter attack that Serena had painstakingly taught him so long ago and escaped relatively unhurt.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nasedo sneered, heaving after breath a lot more than Max did. “I am hired as your protector and will kill anyone getting in the way of that; even your pathetic humans!”

Max had moved before even realizing it. In the background he heard his family scream his name, but by then a red fog of rage had settled down upon him and he wanted nothing more than to see that mocking, superior smirk vaporized from Nasedo’s face.

The moment he reached the other man, he erected another shield around them and punched Nasedo so hard in the face that he could hear the alien’s jaw break with a brutal and very satisfying crack. Nasedo stumbled backwards and didn’t get a chance to counter Max’s very human style of attack before the hybrid king continued his merciless assault.

“Don’t. Ever. Disobey. Me. Again!” Max demanded; slamming his bloodied fists into Nasedo’s face over and over again. Max was so engrossed in his rage and his memories of all the harmful things the alien underneath him had set in motion by his deviousness that he never saw his shield shimmer away. He never heard Nasedo’s pleading whimper for mercy; Max was completely blind to all but the beating he was delivering. For the first time since arriving in this timeline, Max was truly enjoying himself and he couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, he felt the telltale signs of someone’s powers trying to push him away from his victim and he looked up with a feral growl of rage, his eyes locking on Tess. She looked absolutely terrified, but her hands were steady as they kept pointing at him, keeping him away from the now unconscious Nasedo. “Max, please don’t do this. I owe him my existence; I can’t stand by and watch you kill him like this…Please stop.”

Deaf to her pleas, Max held out a hand and a moment later, Tess was the one flying backwards, slamming into a tree that was already filled with long marks and broken branches from the earlier fight. She groaned in pain as she sat up a few moments later.

“Max, stop, this isn’t you!” Isabel yelled and Max’s attention turned to her. At that moment, it wasn’t his sister he was looking at. It was another obstacle in his way that needed to be removed. Slowly, he reached out his hand but right before he would have hit her, Michael put up a shield of his own. It was a weaker version than Max’s and it fell away the moment it had absorbed Max’s strike.

“Dude, come back to your senses, man!” Michael sent out a pulse wave and the rock next to Max exploded into million pieces of dust. “You won’t forgive yourself when you come back,” Michael stated, dodging Max’s continued assaults.

Max was now so absorbed in his clash with Michael that he didn’t realize that Isabel was right behind him until she wrapped her arms around him. Her warm breath tickled the back of his neck and something softened within him, but it wasn’t enough. “Get the hell off of me.”

“Think of Liz, seeing you like this would scare her,” Isabel whispered in his ear and suddenly Max’s mind returned to him. It took a few, never ending seconds and Max realized that he actually raised his hands against his family; the only two people alive that knew remotely what he was going through.

He let out a moan a pure despair and leaned forward, ignoring the sting of the wounds on his back. He would take it as a well deserved punishment. I could have killed Isabel; I almost killed them all in my anger. I…Liz would never come near me again if she saw me like this…I can’t…I’m…

A soothing numbness settled over him and Max retreated into himself. The last thing he remembered hearing was Michael telling Tess to stop complaining and grab hold of Nasedo so they could load him into the Jeep before taking care of Topolsky.

o0o0o

The next thing Max remembered was the feeling of being mentally cleansed as Liz’s presence washed over him. The bond he’d so forcefully kept closed was bursting open and he took in everything she seemed so willing to give all of the sudden like a man dying of thirst. The fact that he could feel her lips on his was actually just an extra piece of luxury.

He was virtually drowning in happy images, that one memory of her hated cookie dress, the day they’d first been paired up in biology class, the shooting, the night at her balcony and oh my God, Max just realized that if he was receiving so easily from Liz, she was most definitely getting something in return from him and he pushed her away before he even finished thinking about it.

“Liz!” “Are you okay?” “What happened?”

She’s never gonna feel the same way about me now. She’s gonna be scared of me! Shit, I can’t live without her again. Why can’t anything ever go as we planned it? Why-

“I don’t feel so good, guys.”

He had Liz in his arms the second her words registered inside him. He held her close to him and took a deep, calming breath of relief when he realized that she somehow instinctively recognized him and was turning towards him for comfort with a tiny smile on her lips.

Max frowned when he spotted the blood on her face and placed a hand on her face and quickly healed the arteries that had busted during the reopening of their bond.

Isabel’s POV

About fifteen minutes after Liz had passed out, she opened her eyes again and Isabel thought that no matter how much this night had sucked, maybe it had been worth it just to see the look in the brunette’s eyes as she locked eyes with Max.

There was some awkwardness in Max’s posture and it was clear to them all that he still hadn’t forgiven himself for his loss of control, but that he was willing to work on it instead of bottling everything up as he used to do.

Isabel looked over at Tess, who was staring at the couple with a mixture of fear and longing in her eyes. She still hadn’t moved from Nasedo’s side over in the corner. It was obvious that seeing Max like that had freaked her out more than she could express and she seemed unsure if her presence was even wanted.
Biting her lip, Isabel walked over to her. This is not the girl that killed Alex and manipulated us all. This is the girl, who helped protect a human and ended up watching the man she grew up with almost killed before her very eyes. Unlike the rest of us, she’s never been to war.

“Tess,” Isabel said with far more warmth in her tone than she’d ever expected to use on the curly haired hybrid.

Tess’ gaze snapped away from Max and Liz and she tried making herself even smaller, “I’m sorry; I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Are you okay?” Isabel ignored the incredulous look she received from the girl in front of her and continued, “Because I think Max should take a look at your back. You hit that tree pretty hard.”

“That’s okay, I’m totally fine. I don’t want to bother him,” Tess started to say, but then she stiffened and Isabel saw Max approach out of the corner of her eye.

“Isabel is right, I should take a look at you,” he said. Isabel watched him with a small smile on her lips. He too ignored, with a little less success, Tess’ fear around him and gently took her hands and helped her to her feet.

A few moments later, Tess was healed and the strained look around her eyes had disappeared. She even managed to send Max a half-hearted smile.

Isabel swallowed a smile when she saw Liz glance a bit confused between them; we should be careful about jealousy and misunderstandings this time around. We don’t need another future Max to come snooping around and messing things up even more.

“Not to be a total buzz kill,” Michael’s voice sounded from the background and they all turned towards him. He shrugged and pointed at Nasedo’s prone form on the floor. “What are we gonna do about that one?”

Isabel fully expected Max to wash his hands of the older alien, but to her surprise he turned towards Tess. “What do you think?”

“You can’t heal him,” Tess said in a small tone, her eyes glued to the ground, “He said something once that if he was ever severely injured, we’d need some sort of stones…Even your powers won’t be enough, Max. Besides, it’s not like he deserves your kindness after what he did to that poor woman…”

“We have the stones.” Isabel heard herself confess. She would never understand what made her say that, but something had begun to shift inside her that night. Tess might be more than the bitch that had killed Alex. “I’ll help heal him if we all agree.”

Isabel looked at Max, who looked at Michael, who simply shrugged again. “As long as he gets it into his skull that he’s not the boss around here, I don’t care.”

Out of habit, Isabel looked over at Liz for her vote before remembering that the girl in front of her wasn’t the Liz that had come up with a sneaky plan to get Sheriff Valenti off their back once upon a time.

Liz licked her lips nervously and then said quietly, “I’m still not completely sure what happened, but it’s really your decision, not mine.”

Isabel looked at them all one last time, before walking over to the pod where she’d originated from and took out the bag of healing stones that they’d hit there during their last visit. She turned to Max and saw that he had already directed Tess to sit next to Nasedo and that Michael was quickly explaining what was about to take place. A few moments later, the large hybrid placed himself next to Tess.

Isabel walked over and sat next to the waiting Max and they each took a stone, ignoring the confused, yet very interested look that Tess sent them all. We’ve got to come up with some kind of reason to give her for all our knowledge, Isabel thought, centering her powers like she remembered having done once before.

It didn’t take long before the healing was complete and Nasedo’s eyes snapped open. His eyes landed on Tess first, looking the girl over closely and for the first time ever, Isabel thought she saw some inkling of genuine affection in the older alien’s face. Then his eyes turned to Michael, then her before settling on Max.

Isabel watched in amazement as Nasedo only briefly met Max’s eyes before looking at the ground as he slowly sat up. He folded his hands and remained seated without a word. He looked nothing short of submissive, Isabel concluded. It’s like the fight was nothing but a dominance fight between alpha males and now that he’s lost, he’s gonna fall in line. This has got to be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.

The look of bewilderment that her brother sent her, told Isabel that Max hadn’t quite connected the dots yet, so she reached out and touched his wrist with her finger, ‘You won, Max and he’s submitting to you, so say something.’

“Did our healing work successfully?” Was all Max eventually asked after a few more minutes of tense silence.

Apparently, that wasn’t exactly what Nasedo had expected and he looked up with a small frown. Isabel rolled her eyes inwardly when the older male didn’t answer, but just continued to stare at Max. “Did we somehow make your tongue vanish? It’s not a hard question.”

“I am in working order,” Nasedo quickly replied and returned to stare at the floor. “I am just waiting for my punishment. I disobeyed my king’s orders.”

“I thought you’d think the ass kicking he gave you would be punishment enough,” Michael said and got to his feet.

Nasedo’s lip twisted upwards in a small attempt at a smile, “I’d absolutely prefer for that to be the case, General, but experiences has taught me to always be prepared for more in these cases.”

General? How did he know that’s what Michael was called in our first timeline? Isabel panicked before she remembered that in Nasedo’s world, Michael had indeed been a general too and was thus worthy of the title.

“Will you follow your orders from now on?” Max spoke again and this time, his voice seemed sterner and Nasedo’s reaction was promptly. He straightened up and folded his hands over his chest so that his fingers touched his shoulders. From Isabel’s memories of Serena’s countless etiquette lectures, she knew that position indicated complete obedience and respect.

“I will do as my King commands.” Nasedo glanced over at Michael and Isabel and added, “and his royal family as well.”

Liz moved in the background and Nasedo’s eyes landed on her. Immediately, Isabel wanted to jump in front of the brunette, just in case Nasedo’s submissiveness had been a big act. To her surprise, Nasedo simply nodded once in Liz’s direction before settling his eyes back on the silently observing Tess. “I think we have to make a new destiny for you. There is no longer a chance of reuniting you with your king.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses,” Isabel couldn’t quite resist saying and she shrugged off the mild glare that Tess sent her way and got to her feet. “I’ll go check on Topolsky.”

Hearing the name of the woman he’d intended to murder in cold blood, interrupted Nasedo’s silent conversation with Tess and he turned his head in Isabel’s direction. “She’s here?”

“Yes,” Max answered as he made his way back over to Liz. It seemed that he couldn’t keep himself away from her now that he’d been allowed to bond himself to her again. “I hope you do not have a problem with that.”

Nasedo averted his eyes at the almost reprimand and replied, “I honestly thought that you’d have used Tess’ gift and made the human woman forget this night had ever happened.”

“We are not big fans of mindwarping,” Isabel said and fought back her old resentment for Tess again. She reminded herself off the thoughts she’d had about Tess just minutes before and calmed down. “We took her into the granolith chamber to wait for whatever drug you gave her to wear off. Also, we didn’t want to make a decision until Max was ready again. So what do you think we should do?” Isabel directed her last question at Max.

“Wait, you know about the granolith?” Nasedo asked with widened eyes, his eyes darting from each of them with growing confusion on his face. “How is it that you know all of these things? The message in Antarian to get us here in the first place, the advanced combat skills that Max showed off in our battle, the knowledge about me having to follow your orders? I would appreciate an answer.”

Isabel fidgeted, waited for one of the others to answer Nasedo’s questions. On the inside she was cursing herself for forgetting that Nasedo was an extremely intelligent man and that she really should have expected his questions.

“We know things and let’s leave it at that,” Max said a few seconds later. He looked Nasedo straight in the eyes, reminding the other of his place without directly saying it. “Isabel, go check on Topolsky, please.”

Isabel nodded and walked over to the pod that led into the granolith chamber. She ignored the feeling of disgust that she always got whenever her hands touched the goo that she’d been preserved in and finally entered the chamber. Her eyes met a pair of petrified blue ones a moment later. “What are you gonna do to me? I swear I won’t say anything to my boss; I’ll go away, I promise…”

Apparently, Kathleen Topolsky was now fully awake and in deep panic mode. Not that I blame her after the night she’s had, Isabel thought with a sigh. She held up a hand, hoping to calm the blonde agent, as she turned her head and yelled through the passageway, “She’s up.”

Isabel turned her attention back at the now gasping Topolsky, she was one breath away from hyperventilating and Isabel quickly reached her side. “Relax, we’re not gonna hurt you. Take a deep breath, that’s right. Relax.”

Isabel had just managed to somewhat calm the trembling woman before Nasedo appeared, quickly followed by Max and the others. The moment Topolsky laid eyes on her would be killer; she did the only thing any sensible person would do. She opened her mouth and screamed.

TBC…

A/N Hope you liked this long chapter:) I apologize for the fight scene, I can't write that kind of stuff all that well.

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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 12.CH. 09/21/10

Post by maipigen »

Hi All:D So, I finally got my act together and wrote the next chapter. I want to say a big thanks to all who took the time to review, those comments are really the thing keeping me with this story. Thank you and now I'll just really quickly respond to your questions.

mary mary: If you recall in the chapter before last, Mr. Harding asked Topolsky out and used some alien wammy on her and that's why she said yes:)
begonia9508: Nasedo's possible involvement with Khivar will be touched again, I promise.
jojotheorange
keepsmiling7: Tess has a bit of way to go still and that's all I'll say about that.
Earth2mama: I like your way of thinking...
Timelord31
skynet
Roswellian117: Whoa, you bumped me lol. Hope you will like this chapter.
moomin: I won't make any promises heh...
nibbles2: They have to be forgiving or else the past is bound to repeat themselves. As for temper and Michael...well, he's not as calm as you think and you'll see that in this new chapter and the next one...
jake17: As always your sweet comments floor me. And thank you (like so many others that I appreciate) for defending my honor so to speak.
Natalie36: Welcome and I hope you will keep reading!
Luna_Seer: I'll try to make room for all the show's plotpoints, so there's still a way to go - since I'll have to make it as original as I can...fingers crossed:)
cjsl8ne: I still love your loyalty! Thank you:)
kissme4ever123
GregInClearwater: here you go, hope you'll enjoy it!
MerlinsGhost: You hit the nail right where I intended! Max's flashes would be way too harsh for 16 year old Liz and he knows this - it will come up, not only with him but all the couples.


CHAPTER THIRTEEN


Isabel's POV

Isabel was dreaming, she knew that deep down inside, but it didn't stop her heart from threatening to jump out of her throat as she witnessed the scene play out as it had done once upon a time.

She was sitting in their hidden headquarters, looking out of the window with a melancholy expression on her face. The stars was bright and the happy internal flashes of Alex's smiling face calmed her down in a way nothing else could; she'd never truly gotten over losing him. But for once the memory of Alex didn't completely soothe her.

The reason for this was simple; her heart was still trying to accept the death of her best friend. Kyle, who'd pushed her and Max out of the way and died in their place barely a month earlier.

Even in the dream world, Isabel's chest constricted at the mere thought of that day and her dream self quickly looked up at the night sky again just like she'd done in real life once. And just as it had happened that time, Serena suddenly showed up next to the silent Isabel, handing her a steaming cup of coffee laced with Tabasco sauce.

The young human girl didn't say anything, she simply settled down next to Isabel in silence. It was Isabel who eventually broke the comfortable quiet between them.

"Do you ever regret it? I mean, you came to us with all that knowledge seared into your brain all of the sudden and your life was never normal after meeting us."

Serena's youthful face with her old eyes turned pensive and she took a sip of her own beverage before answering quietly, "No, I don't. Not even a little bit." She shrugged and continued when Isabel looked dubious, "If it hadn't been for Max, I'd have been dead years ago. We all would. He saved us and yeah, there were some unexpected prizes to be paid for that but still, we got to live longer that we ever dreamed of." Serena chuckled and gently bumped her shoulder into Isabel's, "And I got to know all kinds of cool stuff so I'm not complaining."

"You're just barely sixteen years old, Serena," Isabel pointed out, finally looking at the other girl, who she'd practically come to consider as her sister. "And you're acting like you're sixty most of the time. So don't lie to me please. I know this life sucks."

Serena put her coffee aside and turned to Isabel with a frown marring her features, "I'll admit there were times that I wanted out of this; times where I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my mom's arms and just hide from everything. Then the knowledge started pouring in and soon I was building things that shouldn't even be possible." Serena sighed and grabbed Isabel's shoulders firmly, "I might have lived a violent life so far, Iz, but I've never felt less alone. I have a purpose now. I truly believe that there was a reason Max saved me and the other kids that night in the hospital. We were all needed to, maybe, like safe the world and that, my dear princess, makes everything totally worth it. Now stop wishing for better times and focus on what you still have, I'm not gonna be around to help you all the time you know…Now get up and mourn later, we still have a war to win."

The piece of Isabel that knew that she was in the middle a dreamscape of one of her memories wanted to stop the dream from progressing. Because she vividly remembered that this had been the last time she'd seen Serena alive. Ten minutes later their headquarters were breached by Khivar's second, Caden, who managed to take Max and Serena with him and injure the others gravely. A week later, Max stumbled back into their midst without her, looking like he was barely hanging on.


Suddenly, Serena's deep voice echoed all around the dreaming hybrid's mind, "I've never felt less alone. I have a purpose now…"

Isabel's eyes opened slowly and she took a deep, calming breath. She could feel the half dried tears on her face as she sat up a few minutes later. It was the first time since reentering the past that Serena's memory had invaded Isabel's dreams.

Serena Jamison had been both a younger and older sister to Isabel at the same time. Despite her young age, the girl had managed to work her way into their midst and become a part of them in a way that none of the other special kids had. Maybe because she was the most powerful of them all? Isabel pondered tiredly as she started making her way towards the bathroom to shower before school. Of all the kids that Max healed that Christmas, Serena was the one with the most unexpected power. If it hadn't been for her and those kids we'd have been dead a lot sooner…Sometimes I wonder if that would have been a bad thing? No, don't think like that Iz, it's not good to dwell on those things.

On the way to the bathroom, Isabel ran into Max, who looked exhausted, but happier than she'd seen him since Liz had made him cut their bond. His amber eyes immediately zoomed in on the forgotten tear trails on her face and he stopped dead in his tracks, "Are you okay?"

"I think we need to have another meeting," Isabel said, not realizing that she'd even planned to say it out loud in the first place, "we have some things to discuss."

Max eyed her for what seemed a lot longer than the few seconds it really was, but then nodded. "Dad came home a few hours ago, so I don't think Mom's up yet. I'll make some breakfast and call Michael while you get ready." He walked past her, but then stopped and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder, "If you need to…" he trailed off and Isabel smiled sadly.

"I know I can always come to you, but we both know that these dreams aren't gonna go away no matter how much we talk about them. I'd rather just forget about them and move on. See you downstairs in a bit."

A little while later, Isabel entered the kitchen and smiled a bit when she saw the "breakfast" that her brother had made for her. "Wow," Isabel teased, "I'm so impressed at your kitchen skills. Did you strain yourself when you grabbed the milk for the cereal in the fridge?"

Max shrugged and to Isabel's secret delight, he transformed his face into a rarely seen mischievous mask, "Well, I did have to reach quite high to the bowl in the cupboard."

"You're a dork," Isabel said and slid onto the stool at the kitchen counter to begin her breakfast.

The two siblings ate in amiable silence for a few minutes, until Max finished and looked over at Isabel with a serious look in his eyes. "So, want to let me in on what's bothering you? I can almost taste the tension around you."

Sighing, Isabel got up and rinsed her bowl before putting it into the dishwater. "There's not much to say. Besides, I thought we agreed to wait until Michael was with us?"

"Anyone talking about me, my ears are burning?" Michael's gruff voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.

Isabel spun around with a slight gasp, but then she glared half-heartedly at Max, who looked innocently up at her. "Did you ask him to come? I just thought you'd arrange something for after school, Max. Michael is just as tired as us, he needs to sleep too."

"And," Michael added, sitting down and unceremoniously stealing Max's yet to be finished second bowl of cereal, "he's here now so stop stalling."

"How did you get here so fast?" Max asked as he handed Michael the box of cereal, "I didn't expect you so soon."

"Hank drove me," Michael muttered, he kept his gaze on the counter and continued eating. He expertly ignored the questioning looks his fellow hybrids were giving him.

Isabel kept staring at him until he finally huffed with an embarrassed air about him, "He wanted to do something nice for me for once, so I let him. Besides," Michael's embarrassment turned into his usual seriousness, "he knew I needed to talk to Phillip today, so he wanted to kill two birds with one stone."

"Why do you wanna talk to Dad?" Isabel asked, and sat back down at the counter next to Max. "He just came home from a business trip, so I don't think he's gonna leave Mom's side until later today. "

Trying to ignore the mildly nauseating thought that her parents might be having …'relations' at that moment, Isabel waited for Michael's answer.

Michael finished pouring his breakfast and then looked at her and the silent Max. "Hank's gonna go admit himself to a treatment center over in Albuquerque, so we decided that I should talk to Phillip about getting emancipated. That way," Michael shrugged, "we can make sure I get my old apartment back and we'll have a place for ourselves. I don't know, I thought it was a good idea and this time, Hank didn't have to die or anything…"

He really has come a long way, Isabel thought fondly, sending Michael a beaming smile. Just like that he's figured out a way for us to have a place where we can stop acting like teenagers and just be ourselves, like he said.

"That's a really good idea," Isabel finally said, when Michael's look of embarrassment returned and he dug into his breakfast to avoid looking at the Evans kids any longer. Max still hadn't said anything; he was just looking quietly at his second in command with a vaguely impressed look on his face like he was having some of the same thoughts that Isabel was.

"Whatever," Michael muttered and after a few more mouthfuls of his meal, he looked over at Max and nodded with his chin in Isabel's direction, as if to remind the dark haired hybrid of Isabel's unspoken issue.

Max's dark eyes landed on Isabel and they shone with seriousness and Isabel knew she had no more reasons to stall. "Fine," she began, before Max could even get a word in. "I wanted to talk you both about something that I think that we've sort of avoided talking about."

The male aliens shared a concerned look and turned their full attention on Isabel. "We need to figure out what to do with The Unit, and more importantly what about Serena?"

Max's look of resigned sadness didn't surprise Isabel. After the talk she'd had with Max not too long ago at this very place in the kitchen, she'd kinda expected him to breach the subject before her. Michael's expression on the other hand was another matter entirely.

He looked absolutely livid. His lips were pressed together and he'd clenched his fingers so hard around the spoon that their tips were beginning to turn white. Also, Isabel noticed with a bit of nervousness, the glass on the microwave next to the fridge was beginning to creak ominously.

"No." He said after a few seconds of ice cold silence. "We don't have to decide anything about those kids. Not one damned thing, so drop it."

"What? So we just ignore the fact that if we don't heal those kids, they'll die in a few years of cancer?"

Michael's face turned to stone, but his eyes pierced Isabel with his raw emotions, "Millions of kids die every day; this will no different."

"Michael!" Isabel gasped, but before she could do anything else, Michael leapt to his feet with a ferocious scowl etched on his features.

"If we wait and go to the hospital during that Christmas, not only will we be jeopardizing our entire mission here, but we know what kind of powers they'll all develop. Neither of you lived with a wife, whose abilities made her an echo of her former self. None of you spent the same amount of time with those kids as me and Liz did. We saw how it all affected them. I wouldn't wish that on my biggest enemy. And you seem to forget that all of them," Michael's gaze burned into Isabel like a flame, "all of them died before their sixteenth birthday – including Serena."

Isabel glanced over at Max for some kind of support to calm down this unexpected bundle of anger she'd unknowingly woken up, but her brother was just looking at Michael with that awful dead look in his eyes that he always wore whenever memories of their past raged within him. Michael spoke again, drawing Isabel's attention back to him.

"Including our precious Serena; the little beautiful girl that somehow got the entire Antarian knowledge seared into her brain in exchange for Max's healing. The vivacious little human being that I loved like the little sister I never had; the-" Michael's voice turned hoarse as he battled a choking sob, "child that held me in my arms for an entire day when I couldn't leave Maria's grave and promised me that everything was gonna be okay again…They all died, Isabel, before their sixteenth birthday, and all because of us. So no, I don't want this to happen again, and Max isn't gonna heal them, he's gonna let them live their short lives the way nature intended it."

Oh, Michael, Isabel bit her tongue to keep from saying it out loud, knowing he'd only scoff at her well meant pity. Her entire body ached with sympathy; sometimes she simply forgot how close Michael had been with those healed children – Serena especially. It was like he'd seen something of himself in them all and he'd done everything he could to keep them alive and happy. Only to see them all die one by one, Isabel remembered with an exhausted sigh that came from the very depth of her soul.

"We need-" she tried, but Michael once again cut through her objections like steel.

"We don't need anything or anyone of them. We already know everything Serena knew. There's no reason to drag her back into this life; I'm not gonna risk it all happening to her again, to any of them."

"You don't think we'll succeed."

The words didn't come from Isabel; it was Max, who'd finally decided to speak up and join the debate. Isabel and Michael turned to face the still sitting Max with frowns on their faces. "What?" they asked in unison.

Max's lips twisted into a parody of a smile as he replied quietly without missing a beat, "You're not sure that we'll succeed in changing things. Ergo, you don't want Serena and Sydney and Brian and the rest of them to die for us. I understand that fear, I even share it now that we've invited Nasedo and Tess into our lives."

Michael didn't speak and Isabel thought again how odd it was to see this mature, grown up Michael trapped inside the teenage body of him. In the old days, he'd probably have been the one to fight Nasedo and those jocks and lose his temper left and right, but this is truly the first time I've seen him really angry since we returned to this life, Isabel added mentally.

"But I'm not gonna let those kids die, Michael." Max's tone was firm and he didn't flinch like Isabel did when Michael swore and slammed his fists into the tabletop with a bang.

"Damn it, Maxwell," Michael hissed through gritted teeth, avoiding drawing Diane and Phillip's attention by outright yelling in anger.

"You forget some things Michael," Max continued on, the perfect picture of stoic calmness, "Those kids didn't die as children. They died as soldiers for a cause that wasn't their own and saving their lives in this world is the only way I can repay them for that. Screw the consequences." During the last part, they could all feel the temperature drop a few degrees around them and it was the only sign of Max's growing agitation.

Michael and Max stared at each other and it was the first time in a long time that Isabel had seen them so at odds with one another. After a few moments, she walked between them and placed her hands on each of their shoulder, squeezing them gently.

"We won't get anywhere if we keep disagreeing like this, guys." She whispered, looking at them both with what she hoped was soft reproach in her eyes, "I realize that things are changing and not all of it is entirely good if we think about Topolsky and the other two, but I know for a fact that Serena didn't regret being in our lives so I want to make sure that she lives to see her seventeenth birthday this time around. We just need a plan to heal them and not jeopardize ourselves here in Roswell. I'm not itching for another war after all."

After a few tense minutes of silence, where Isabel resisted the urge to fidget nervously (because Isabel Evans does not fidget; not now, not ever), Michael sighed and relaxed and Max's eyes started to resemble those of a human being once more.

They tried figuring out a way to complete this newest task of theirs as they walked to the Jeep and made their way to the school a few moments later. It wasn't until Max turned into the parking lot that Isabel suddenly had a bright idea.

"What if we heal them independently?" She ignored the confused looks on the other two's faces and explained, "I mean, if we seek them out one by one and heal them before their illness gets them admitted into the hospice? It would draw a lot less attention and with the hacker skills that we all developed over the years, finding out where they live should be an easy thing to do."

"And," Michael continued when Isabel trailed off uncertainly, "when I get my own apartment, it'll be easier for us to sneak away and do it. All Max has to do is say that he's spending the night at my place and that'll be that. That's a good idea Iz."

They both turned in tandem and looked at Max to see if he had any better ideas or any objections to their plan. Isabel's mood soared when she caught a glimpse of the smile Max couldn't quite hide and she knew he was in. This is just the best day ever, she grinned silently and followed her two fellow time travelers out the jeep and towards the school.

Alex's POV

This is just the worst day ever, Alex thought morosely as he settled into his seat in English class.

As he waited for his teacher to arrive, Alex thought back to the day he'd had so far. He had barely slept all night, waking up every half hour with this odd, almost painful ache inside of him. At one point, he'd even woken up with tears on his face, which had been when he'd gotten up feeling way too confused and annoyed to even try and go back to sleep.

Then as he'd gotten into the shower, the water was freezing and his mom had forgotten to buy him some new soap, so he'd ended up using some of that hideously smelling concoction that his grandmother had sent him last Christmas.

During breakfast, Alex had actually heaved as he'd been in the middle of inhaling those normally so delicious hash browns and bacon that his dad always made. His insides had felt like they were trying to escape him as violently as possible. Then to make matters even worse, he'd had this peculiar feeling of frustration, fear and profound sadness echoing through him while having to listen to his parents' mild lecture on eating disorders and the five signs to spot it at an early stage.

Finally he'd escaped the house, jumped on his bike only to realize it had a flat tire and then he'd been forced to walk to school because his parents had already left for their work, feeling like a complete and utter loser. So, safe to say; Alex was not having one of his best days.

His only bright spot of the day so far, was when Isabel walked into class next to her brother. How is it even possible to look so gorgeous all the time? Alex wondered with a wistful smile and quickly looked down on his yellow note pad, when Isabel suddenly moved her head in his direction.

He hadn't spoken to the object of his devotions since that night where she'd shown up and somehow launched on to him with all the power of a leech. Not that he'd complained or anything; no any time that beautiful girl wanted to be near him, was okay with him.

It was just, Alex thought to himself, recalling the look of desperation that had been in Isabel's eyes that evening, she looked so broken and vulnerable. Nothing like the Amazon she portrays at school. And then after fifteen too short minutes in my arms, she just kissed my cheek, whispered good night and left and I haven't spoken to her since

"Good morning, Alex." Isabel's cheerful voice interrupted Alex's musings and he looked up with an embarrassingly loud startled yelp. He could feel his cheeks beginning to burn when most of the other kids in the class turned in their seats and looked at him with mocking smirks.

One scalding look from Isabel quickly made them turn back to whatever it was they'd been doing and although he'd have thought it impossible, Alex fell in love with her even more in that moment. "Hey Isabel."

The young beauty smiled and sat down next to him, leaning over casually like she'd done it many times before. "I was thinking if we should have a second date soon? Maybe this time, it could be during the evening; maybe a movie and something to eat afterwards?"

Hell yeah! Alex's teenage mind roared inside of him, bringing forth images upon images of what could happen after that date, if he played his cards right. The more realistic division of Alex's conscious scolded that horny part of him and he smiled at Isabel. "That's a great idea, I'd love to…err, I mean, I'll, tonight or uhm…"

Hating his bumbling speech, Alex stopped talking and shrugged with an apologetic smile, hoping he didn't scare the popular girl off with his idiocy. Fortunately it seemed as though said girl liked his awkwardness and she only smiled wider. "So wanna meet at the movie tonight at, let's say 7.30; we'll figure out what to watch when we get there and see where the night takes us?"

This day has just become a whole lot better; Alex decided and nodded eagerly at Isabel's suggestion. He still wondered why she seemed to like him, or what she might possibly be after, but he shoved those thoughts as far back into his mind as he could and simply enjoyed the moment.

He didn't get a chance to talk any more with Isabel, because the door to the classroom finally opened. To his surprise it wasn't his usual English teacher that walked in. It was an average looking man, who was balding a bit on the top and wearing an ugly plaid shirt and a smile so friendly that it practically oozed fakeness.

"Hello class; your regular teacher has called in sick for a longer period of time due to some sort of personal problem and I'll be your substitute teacher for the duration of his absence. I'm Mister Edward Harding, pleased to meet you."

Alex's insides churned again, and he just knew without a shadow of a doubt that the man in front of him wasn't who he said he was. How, he had no idea, but there was something off that Alex just zoomed in on. It didn't help that he could feel something along the lines of anger twisting inside of him, just above his navel and in his chest.

Unable to explain why, Alex glanced over at Isabel and it was in that moment he realized that whatever it was that Liz and Maria was trying to hide from him, had something to do with the young woman next to him.

Isabel was looking pale, but she seemed like she would rather die than show any kind of weakness in front of the substitute teacher and the way the teacher briefly looked at not only Isabel, but a stone-faced Max as well, told Alex that he was part of the riddle shrouding the people in Alex's life.

It might not be the best way to do this, Alex thought and prepared to concentrate on Harding's lecture, but I'll try to see if I can find out something on our date tonight. He wisely ignored the little voice inside of him that urged him to just let it go and wait for the truth to unravel on its own. He just couldn't ignore his curiosity anymore. And I'm sure that whatever it is can't be that bad. We're just sixteen after all

Max's POV

When I woke up, I was so sure that today was going to be a good day, Max thought as he gathered his books off his table after English class. He tried to act as though today was just like all the other days so he wouldn't cause a scene, but he was silently fuming.

Nasedo hasn't exactly broken any rules, Max tried to calm himself as he now stood without moving, waiting for the horde of his classmates to leave the room so he could confront Nasedo without witnesses. Isabel seemed to know what he was planning, because she sent a charming smile Alex's way and stayed behind as well.

To calm himself down a little, Max thought about the good progress that Isabel was seemingly having with Alex, the happy gleam in Michael's eyes whenever he laid eyes on Maria and of course, Max's mood lifted at the very thought, Liz's and his relationship was now back on track after she'd reopened their connection.

He valiantly ignored the part of him that despondently reminded him that after he'd driven Liz home the night before, he'd felt nothing but anxiety and confusion through their bond.

A movement out of the corner of his eye brought Max back to the present and he saw Nasedo close the door to give them a small semblance of privacy.

Immediately after the door clicked closed, Isabel pounced from her seat and asked coldly, "what do you think you're doing? Being a teacher all of the sudden? When did we even agree to that? If you even think about laying one hand on anyone again, I swear I'll make you regret even reaching puberty!"

Nasedo held up a placating hand and he acted confidently as usual, but Max smirked inwardly when he spotted the slight unease in the older alien's eyes when they landed on him, no doubt trying to read his reaction. "I assure you, I have no ill intentions this time, Miss Evans."

"Why aren't you trying to infiltrate the Special Unit?" Max asked softly, taking a hold of Isabel's hand and thought out to her, 'Calm down, I have a hunch that he's being honest for once…or as honest as he can be to anyone'.

The alien lowered his hand and nodded politely to the still steaming Isabel and turned his full gaze on Max's for a second, before looking down in the customary submissive pose that he'd adopted ever since the incident in the desert.

"It is my preliminary assessment that the issue revolving the Special Unit and Agent Pierce, although a potential danger, is still manageable. Our main focus at this point should be directed towards Kathleen Topolsky. Her loyalty to her boss, not to mention her country, will make her silence exceedingly difficult if she is not continuously reminded of my existence."

Max nodded once, still keeping Isabel's hand firmly in his and Nasedo continued with an almost hesitant tone in his voice, "If you do not agree with my actions, I would suggest using Tess' ability to-"

"No," Isabel couldn't hold her tongue any longer and Max felt her rip her hand free from his death grip, "We will not use mindwarping as an easy fix. You created this problem in the first place and need to find a solution!"

"I think he just did," Max pointed out, hating to agree with the alien, who'd turned murderer in the name of protection of the Royal Four. He met Isabel's glare head on until he could see her eyes soften a fraction and then he turned his head and looked at Nasedo. He waited until the other man met his eyes briefly and then tried to let all his authority shine through him in a show of power, "I agree with your plan, but mark my words; if you fail us again, I won't heal you after we're done with you this time. Do you understand?"

Nasedo's eyes widened a bit at the threat, but then he sighed gently and nodded. "Yes, I do understand." He grabbed his bag and pulled out a small sheet of paper that he handed to Max, "this is my numbers in case of any emergencies. I already have all of yours. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to Kathleen's office and make sure she's behaved so far."

"Don't be a…" Isabel started to say, but then stopped when Nasedo simply nodded and left before she could finish her admonishment.

The Evans siblings stood in silence for a few seconds, and Max could tell that Isabel was just about to vent about everything when they both suddenly felt the telltale signs of something primal inside of them that signaled that Michael had just had a huge flare of emotional outburst and they both instantly begun making their way to him, feeling him through their shared bond; a weaker type of the one they had with the loved ones in their lives.

They found him a few minutes later in the school's computer lab, standing face to face with a scowling Johnny with a slightly freaked out looking Kyle Valenti standing in-between them. The sheriff's son was bleeding from his nose and it was clear he'd been hit, but it was hard to tell from the look on the other two's faces just who had thrown the punch.

Just like I thought earlier, Max thought, tiredly running a hand through his dark hair, this day seemed to start on a good note. Next time that happens, I'll just stay in bed.

TBC...


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A/N Next time in The Antarian Timetravellers: Kyle's pov and there might be a little Candy moment next time as well:) Don't worry Dreamer and Stargazer will all get their equal share.

Until Next Time

Ditte Mai
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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 14.CH. 10/29/10

Post by maipigen »

Thanks to the following for taking the time to comment on my story. I never get tired of reading what goes through your minds after reading my chapters:)
nibbles2
keepsmiling7
mary mary
Ti88
dreambeliever
Roswellian117
Timelord31
begonia9508
cjsl8ne
tequathisy
Earth2Mama


A/N So, here we are again. Two things: 1) I apologize for any and all grammar errors in this story, but I plan to go over it with a beta once it's finished, whenever that'll be. 2) I would just like to remind you all that I usually know what I'm doing. I hope you'll enjoy!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Kyle's POV

"Kyle, Buddy, it's time to get up."

Kyle groaned; annoyance clearly portrayed as he struggled to come out of one of those strangely comforting dreams he'd been having lately. Oddly enough, the only thing he remembered from them was the sense of belonging and nothing else.

"Son, are you up?" Kyle heard his father ask a few minutes later, and he finally rolled out of bed and started doing his usual pushups.

"Yeah, Dad," he replied with a yawn, "I'm coming."

A half an hour later, Kyle had finished his shower and dressed. He walked out into the small kitchen where his dad was standing, holding a big cup of steaming hot coffee. The smell had its usual affect on Kyle and he smiled when he took the pot from the coffee machine and poured himself a cup.

"So," his dad asked after a few moments where they stood in their usual awkward silence, enjoying their beverage, "what's the plan for today?"

You were supposed to come to my match last night, Kyle thought with an inwardly sneer, but as you've done more and more lately, you let your work come first. So today I'm probably gonna scowl and treat you like the inattentive parent that you are

Out loud, Kyle settled on shrugging carelessly and muttering, "Not much."

"Well, okay then. I'll see if I can be home early tonight so we can go to the Crashdown and have something to eat together that neither of us have actually tried to make. How's that sound?"

Like you want to sit and covertly stare at Liz Parke with big questions in your eyes, like you've done for the last month, Kyle thought icily, but again; he simply shrugged without a word and finished his coffee, eager to get away from his father.

A little while later, Kyle was on his way to pick up Johnny. His teammate had lost his driving privileges when he'd come stumbling home that night with Evans after yet another fight. Kyle honestly didn't know which one of them was most irritated about that fact. Johnny was a really big complainer. And that's all he did during the ride to school; every single day.

Maybe he's sick today, Kyle thought hopefully. Of course, the hope crashed and burned when he turned a corner and spotted Johnny standing by the road in front of his house.

"Yo Man," Johnny greeted when he jumped inside Kyle's car, "you're cutting it kindda close. At least call me or something when you know you're gonna be late."

Okay, Kyle commented – again internally – who died and made you my date for the day? He nodded once to Johnny and just continued driving.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kyle observed Johnny's profile. He was no longer red, yellow and blue in the face, but after the night of the infamous fight, his nose now sported an unflattering crack in the middle that gave him the mother of all hooknoses.

Turning up the music to avoid actually talking to Johnny as he mumbled something about missing his car, Kyle's mind drifted to where it normally went these days.

It went to the evening where Liz had chewed him out in public and left, never to look at him again. Kyle still felt a bit defensive about all that had happened during their non-date. He'd only been trying to warn her after all. But Kyle hadn't been able to forget some of the more valid points the brunette girl had made during her rant. Why did his friends engage in a fight with Max Evans of all people? He was the most unassuming guy in school.

Or, Kyle amended with a sigh; at least he used to be. Lately, he's been showing up to school wearing something else than his usual sweaters, he never looks away anymore. He meets people's stares head on and he practically screams danger. It's kindda freaking me out

Although, Kyle continued to himself as he neared the high school, it's funny that he and Guerin always go out of their way to nod at me whenever they see me. And let's not forget about Isabel.

Kyle frowned as the image of Isabel Evans popped into his head. If he hadn't seen how Isabel's eyes always followed Alex Whitman around with something akin to adoration, he'd have sworn she had a thing for him.

Isabel's eyes were mostly big and shiny when they landed on Kyle. She seemed like she wanted to talk to him and one time, during a free period that him and his friends had spent in the quad outside, she'd walked by as he'd finished telling a pretty crude joke. Unceremoniously, she'd reached out and slapped him in the back of the head without a word and scarcely a glance like a long time friend.

While his friends had laughed and tried to get him to admit he was "hitting that", Kyle had felt this weird déjà vu. Like this hadn't been the first time she'd hit him or reprimanded him for his usage of the English language.

"Dude, are you alive over there?" Johnny's voice ripped Kyle out of his ponderings and he looked over at his teammate. That was another peculiar thing, Kyle had realized; he no longer felt like Johnny was his friend, let alone his best friend. More and more lately, he'd wanted to keep chatting with Whitman after P.E, or oddly enough, actually return one of Evans and Guerin's nods with one of his own.

But he didn't, instead Kyle simply tried to ignore those urges and focus more on his old friend – no matter how annoying said person was. "I'm breathing and my heart's beating, so yeah I'm pretty sure I'm alive," Kyle finally answered his impatient looking teammate.

"Good, 'cause you're weirding me out." Johnny spat and jumped out of the car and that's when Kyle noticed that he'd arrived at the school, parked the car all without really seeing. Luckily I didn't run over someone, Kyle thought with a wry smile and exited his car as well.

Ten minutes later, he entered his first class of the day and spotted Johnny and his other friend, Damien, sitting in the back. Johnny gestured at the empty seat next to him and Kyle grimaced on the inside; he really wasn't in the mood to sit next to them today. He looked around the classroom and saw an available seat next to the new girl, Tess.

Tess was a conundrum to Kyle. On her first day he thought he'd been making a decent headway into getting the girl to like him, but then she'd never looked at him again. In fact, he was sort of convinced that the curly haired newbie was doing her best to avoid him.

Well, either I sit next to the idiots in the back or the weird chick in the front. Kyle thought before quickly falling into the seat next to Tess.

She looked over at him with shock in her eyes, and something more that he couldn't decipher. Happiness? Apprehension?

"Mornin' Tess," he greeted calmly and started looking through his bag for some pencils. He knew from experience that the teacher in this class expected them to take decent notes during his lectures.

"Hi Kyle," Tess's answer was quiet and he almost couldn't hear it, but at least she did respond. Before he got a chance to do much more than send her a small smile, the teacher walked in and began the lesson.

When the class ended, Tess dropped her book as she was putting her things away and Kyle quickly bent down to get it for her. When he looked up at her from his kneeling position, he spotted a blush on her pale cheeks and smirked. Maybe she's not avoiding me because she doesn't like me.

Tess sent him a smile that did things to his nether regions that he hoped she didn't notice. Fortunately for Kyle, Tess' gaze never left his so she didn't note anything out of the ordinary with him. "I'm glad you're not mad at me or anything," Kyle stated when he stood back up to his full height. "I was a bit worried about it."

"No," Tess blurted out, "I'm sorry. I just don't do well with…well, I actually thought that I was meant to be with someone else; but err…he didn't really want me and I don't think I'll be changing his mind any time soon."

"Well, whoever he is, he's an idiot," Kyle said, inwardly cheering over the fact that Tess was single.

Tess' answering smile did strange things to his insides, so he tried to keep chatting amiably with her, but just as he was about to ask her what she'd been up to lately, Johnny came up to him with Damien in tow.

"Come on, Man," he demanded, "no time to chitchat the ladies; it's time to hang with your friends."

Kyle smiled sheepishly to Tess, who waved him off with an understanding look on her face. Inwardly hating himself for his lack of backbone, Kyle followed his two "friends."

They basically ignored him and Kyle wished that he'd just once plainly stated that he didn't want to hang with them; Johnny in particular. But I never say anything, Kyle thought angry at himself, I just keep on bottling things up and go right along with whatever it is they say or do, like some stupid coward.

Trying to cheer himself up, Kyle thought about the halfway decent talks he'd been having with Whitman after P.E. sometimes. Then he rolled his eyes mentally; oh yeah, big whoop; I only talk to the guy whenever Johnny or the rest of them aren't around. I'm so not a badass that it's getting ridiculous.

Damien punched his shoulder and brought Kyle out of his thoughts a moment later, apparently the jock was supposed to meet his girlfriend outside so he had to go. Kyle swallowed a groan of disappointment, now he was once again alone with Johnny. Tess would've been so much better company than this

"Whoa, check that out," Johnny nudged Kyle hard and the sheriff's son was once again forced back out of his mind in into the present.

They'd just entered the computer lab, and save from one Michael Guerin, they were all alone. A fact that seemed to make Johnny's day, the jock turned to Kyle with a vicious look in his eyes, "That's Evans' best friend over there, Valenti. All alone if you get my meaning."

Kyle's eyes darted over to the large teen, who was staring intently at his screen, completely ignorant of their presence. "Err…so what?"

Johnny rolled his eyes and stepped a bit closer to Kyle, "Dude, this is the perfect set up to get back at that loser, Evans for what he did to me. He's extremely protective of his little poor friend over there. Come on, follow my lead."

Kyle watched with trepidation how Johnny strolled casually over to Guerin's seat and then unexpectedly reached out and slammed the other guy's head into the keyboard. "Dude," Kyle began hesitantly, looking around for some sort of excuse to put an end to things before they got too nasty.

"Shut up, Kyle," Johnny ordered and put a bit more weight on Guerin's surprisingly immobile head. "I'm busy right now. Just keep a look out or something."

Kyle had the wildest urge to slam into Johnny and start beating on him, but once again, his desire to just stay out of things got the better of him. Instead, Guerin spoke up for the first time; his voice a bit muffled from being squashed into the keyboard, "You are going to regret this if you don't let go of me right now, asshole."

Johnny had the audacity to laugh at that, and he leaned forward to see what Michael had been so focused on. "Oh, look here Kyle," he taunted, "It looks like little Mikey here gets his rocks off by looking at pictures of little girls."

Kyle stepped closer; his eyes briefly glanced over at the computer screen, where a picture that seemed like a school id badge showed a little girl, no more than seven or eight years old. He didn't get a chance to read the name fully, only noticing that it started with "Se".

Johnny's mocking voice interrupted him, and he looked back at his former friend with what he just knew was contempt. "Do you like little girls, Guerin? Is that why you're never trying to hook up with that hot piece of ass, Isabel? Huh?"

Kyle found himself meeting Michael's eyes and what he saw in them, finally broke that wall inside of him that would rather avoid confrontations. They were full of rage and something that Kyle saw in the mirror every day and did his best to conceal; sadness.

"Stop it, Johnny – this is low, even for you!" Kyle yelled out and walked over and pushed the other guy hard in the chest, making him stumble backwards a few steps.

Michael immediately leapt to his feet and made a sound that sounded more like a snarl. Kyle had the distinct feeling that if Kyle hadn't been present for the whole incident, Johnny wouldn't have been allowed to finish his first mocking sentence at all.

In the next moment, Johnny had regained his footing and he glared at Kyle with incredulity written in every feature, "You're actually gonna help the trailer trash dweeb over there? Valenti, you're gonna regret this!"

"Stop talking before I make you," Michael threatened and Kyle didn't doubt for one second that the larger teen was capable of doing it.

"Stay out of this," Johnny hissed, "this is between Valenti and me, Loser!"

And then Johnny slammed his fist into Kyle's face and the pain from the punch ignited Kyle's temper. He roughly pushed back his once upon a time friend, and was about to reciprocate, when he felt the air shift with something and distractedly turned to look at Michael behind him.

Instantly, the hairs in the back of his head stood up and although, he'd just wanted to hurt Johnny himself, he knew that Michael's intent was a lot deadlier than his own. So, instinctively, Kyle put up his hands and tried to keep the other two boys from attacking each other.

"You're gonna pay for that," Michael had just finished growling at Johnny, when the air suddenly seemed to become choking, making it hard on Kyle to breathe.

Time seemed to slow down, and Kyle watched what happened next as though in slow motion. The door burst open and Max and Isabel Evans stormed in with matching looks of danger; they seemed a lot older all of the sudden. Isabel gasped when she caught sight of Kyle's bloody face and seemed about ready to throttle whoever did it.

Max, in return, seemed to take in every last detail with one glance and he barked, "Michael, relax." When Michael's killer intent didn't seem to lessen, Max did something that would forever change Kyle's way of thinking. He reached out a hand and suddenly the blinds on the windows all fell down, enveloping the room in darkness, lit up only by the computers.

"Stay out of this, Max," Michael's voice was low and still full of a rage, that quite frankly creeped Kyle out.

"Yeah, Evans," Johnny choked out angrily, too busy glaring at Michael to really notice how the blinds had come down, "I'll get to you later."

Things happened pretty quick after that; Michael took a step forward, raising his hand and Kyle wanted to close his eyes because something inside of him told him that Michael's hands were a lot more dangerous than on a usual teenager. He needn't have worried though, because out of the corner of his eye, Kyle spotted Max move a fraction and the next thing he knew, Johnny and he were surrounded by this freakishly green, shimmering wall.

"Isabel, go get Maria, she'll make him get back to his senses," Max's voice was soft and quiet in the following silence.

Johnny was now blubbering and staring at the surrounding green with horror on his face. Kyle wanted to do the same, but he just had this inkling feeling that he wasn't about to be harmed, so he took a laid back attitude for once and waited. He couldn't quite stop sending a few concerned looks over at Max though.

Michael wasn't as calm as the rest of them; he kept pacing and muttering curses while alternatively sending glares of death at Johnny and a serene looking Max.

Kyle didn't know how long it had been when the door opened again and Isabel entered with not only a seemingly frantic Maria DeLuca, but to his surprise, a determined looking Tess as well.

Two minutes later, Maria had gently coaxed the still furious Michael out of the room to try and calm him down, and Isabel, Max and Tess were now having a heated discussion amongst themselves.

"I don't wanna die," Johnny whimpered next to him and Kyle sent him a look that clearly stated that he wasn't really impressed with the bully's sudden show of fear. He didn't say anything out loud, instead opting to try and listen in on the three people over by the door.

"…not understand! It's the only way; if I don't do it then they're gonna get us all in trouble. Especially the crying mess that isn't Kyle."

"No," Isabel's response was just as heated as Tess', "Mindwarping isn't the answer to everything, Tess! There's got to be another way!"

Kyle watched with growing unease, how Max suddenly raised his hand and said with a never before seen authority to him, "No matter how we might feel personally, Isabel; Tess does have a point. Johnny isn't capable of handling the truth. She's going to use her powers to help everyone involved."

"And then I'll use them on Kyle as well and-" Tess began but to Kyle's relief (and confusion), Isabel once again spoke up on his behalf with a passion that frankly puzzled him.

"Not a chance in Hell, Tess! I'll late you use your powers on Kyle the moment you're stepping over my cold dead body!"

"You're being completely irrational!" Tess roared and she cast a look over at Kyle. "I have to do this, guys; if not, I'll have to see the one person in this school that actually likes me for me, look at me with that look of fear. I won't do that when I can easily make him forget this whole thing."

Max looked over at Kyle and then back at Tess with a frown on his face. He still didn't say anything, letting the two girls vent their frustration on each other.

"I don't care if he looks at you with hate, Tess," Isabel stated coldly, her voice back to normal level, "he can handle the truth so don't lay a hand on him. Concentrate on Mr. Weepy instead. Max, take down your shield."

A second later, Kyle watched in a mix between fascination and nerves, how the shimmering wall around him evaporated soundlessly. Johnny immediately went for the door, but Max stopped him with one stare that seemed to penetrate Johnny more effectively than any punch could have.

"Do it now, Tess," Max ordered quietly, and Kyle swallowed with shock as he watched the small blonde reach up and place her fingertips on Johnny's temples and close her eyes.

It didn't take long, whatever it was she was doing, before she reopened her eyes and stepped back. Johnny seemed to shake off his earlier terror like a dog shaking out the water in its fur after a walk in the rain. Then he frowned and looked around at them, his eyes settling on Kyle.

"Are you coming or what, Dude? I can't be late for math today, I'm seriously about to flunk and I'm not interested in summer school this year. I'll save you a seat." And then he left the room, not even commenting on the fact that Kyle's face was covered in dried blood from a punch he'd delivered himself.

It's like he didn't even see it, Kyle thought and eyed the three people in front of him warily. On some level he just knew they weren't about to hurt him, but still, it never hurt to be cautious. Also, he was beginning to tire of that internal part of him that kept just knowing things.

Tess wouldn't meet his eyes and she was the first one to leave. Max stepped forward, only to be stopped by Isabel's hand on his arm. They shared a look and then Max walked out of the room as well, leaving Kyle alone with Isabel for the first time since…well, ever really.

Isabel looked at Kyle with so much warmth that he had to remind himself that she was hung up on Alex Whitman and not him. She looked around the room and grabbed an abandoned notebook, and then Kyle got yet another shock as he watched the thing turn into a bag of tissues.

"Here," Isabel said and handed them to him, "clean your face and I'll fill you in on what you just saw." Her smile turned teasing, "So, it all began with a little thing you probably know as the 1947 crash incident."

Maria's POV

Rage. Fury. Wrath. It came at her from all sides, completely out of the blue.

Everything just happened so fast that Maria was up and moving before her mind had made a conscious thought to do so.

She felt as though every part of her was on fire; that part of her that was somehow connected to Michael was sending out waves that burned through her insides like a distress call. Maria didn't know how she knew, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Michael needed her at that moment.

She muttered something about needing a bathroom immediately, not even waiting for the teacher to give her a hall pass. The moment that she'd closed the door to the classroom, Maria broke out into a run.

She was running down the hall, letting her instincts lead her towards the boy she felt something for. As she turned a corner, Maria almost ran head into Isabel, who'd been running as well.

"Maria, there you are," Isabel panted, she took a firm hold of Maria's arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction.

Normally, Maria's nervousness around the tall Evans girl would probably have made her a quivering mess of excuses to be anywhere else, but she recognized the look of desperation on Isabel's face and simply followed suit.

They'd been jogging for a few moments; when out of nowhere, Maria saw the new girl come running towards them with a confused frown on her face. "Isabel, what's going on? I felt something ali…err," Tess stopped talking when she spotted Maria, who'd been halfway hidden behind the hybrid.

Maria knew that Tess was another hybrid, because…well, Liz was her best friend and told her pretty much everything of course. But she'd not talked to the fourth alien since her first day at school, so she would have preferred to meet her on more normal ground, but at that moment in time, everything inside of Maria was itching to find Michael, so she didn't say anything.

Isabel cut through Tess' awkwardness and simply stated with a quick nod in Maria's direction, "She knows." And then they started running again.

Maria could feel they were getting closer, so she didn't outwardly react when she heard Tess pant at Isabel with irritation in her voice, "Do you people tell every random human you come across?"

Isabel just told the curly haired hybrid to keep quiet and then slammed open the door to the computer lab and everything other than Michael, flew out of Maria's mind.

The sight before her was not one she'd expected. For the first time, she really witnessed legitimate proof of the whole group's out of world origins. The glowing green wall between Kyle and Michael was kindda hard to miss.

Maria only glanced at the shield for a second, before letting her eyes land on the pacing Michael. He was practically growling in rage, his eyes switching from the jock, Johnny and over to Max.

Maria reacted on instinct yet again. She stepped closer into the room and for one brief second, Michael's eyes landed on hers and softened a fraction. I can do this, she thought, at the same time as Isabel whispered in her ear.

"We have to calm him down or else his powers will manifest psychically and cause even more damage. We need your help, Maria."

Maria took a deep breath and took the last few steps over to Michael's side. For once she didn't allow her thoughts as to why she was apparently a better solution than Michael's lifelong friends, she just went with her gut. When Maria reached the angry hybrid, she placed her hand on his bicep and he froze. "Michael," Maria whispered, "let's go take a walk, okay?"

Michael seemed to hesitate, looking behind her at Max and then over at Johnny with his upper lip curled in distaste, "I have to-"

"Michael," Maria tried again, speaking softly as though to a wild animal, "I need you to take a walk with me, right now. You're scaring me."

It was as though she'd uttered some kind of magic words, because the second, Michael heard that she was feeling fear around him, he deflated with a heavy sigh and pressed his free hand over hers. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he no longer worried about getting his hands on the crying jock on the floor behind him. Maria was too preoccupied with getting through to Michael that she didn't notice the heaviness in the air return to normal once Michael was focused on her.

"Come," Maria whispered again and started making her way out the computer lab. Out of the corner of her eye, Maria noticed the look of sadness and understanding on the Evans' faces. She didn't see Tess' face, but promised herself that if the new girl had a problem with any of this, she'd make damn sure to change her mind. Once she'd talked some sense into the big teenage boy trailing along next to her like a lost puppy.

It didn't take long for Maria to find an empty classroom and she gently led Michael inside and closed the door behind them for privacy.

She stood there immobile for a moment, trying to calm herself down and distinguish which emotions inside of her were her own and which belonged entirely to the large male behind her.

Evidently, her small moment of attempted soothing didn't exactly have the same effect on Michael. He seemed to suddenly send waves of anxiety through their bond and Maria spun around on the spot.

Michael stood without moving a little behind her, he hadn't moved since she'd released her grip on his bicep to close the door. His eyes were following her every move and Maria somehow understood that he was deeply worried about having frightened her.

"Are you okay?" she asked and watched in amazement how the 'Czechoslovakian' actually flinched at the question. Feeling concerned, Maria hurried over to him. "Talk to me and whatever is going on in your head won't be so bad, I promise."

Michael's eyes closed as though he was in pain, but they snapped open, when Maria suddenly flung her arms around him. She could feel him tremble for some reason and the myriad of feelings that stormed through her from his end was too confusing to name, so she focused on simply sending calm back to him.

As she stood there, tightly holding him, Maria had the sudden urge to just press her lips against his and she finally admitted something to herself. I have feelings for him

"Maria," her name flew from Michael's mouth in a groan and slowly, but surely, his arms came around her as well. At first, he held her like she was a delicate flower, and Maria wondered if he was afraid she'd break or something, but then he just muttered her name again and took a much more firm hold of her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered into her hair and Maria took a deep breath from his shirt; it smelled clean and it had the scent of Michael himself that Maria hadn't realized that she kindda loved. She smiled into his chest briefly before lifting her head upwards to meet Michael's troubled gaze.

"I wasn't really afraid of you, Spaceboy. I was afraid for you." The moment she said the little nickname that she'd internally called him for weeks, Michael's eyes lit up, as though hearing her call him silly names was the highlight in his life.

There was just something so vulnerable and open in his face that Maria couldn't resist placing her hands on his cheeks and gently press her lips to his as a way to portray her feelings of whatever it was she was feeling that she just couldn't quite say out loud yet.

The kiss started out innocently enough, but then it seemed like things happened all at once. Maria loved the feel of Michael's warm lips and she was about to put a bit more pressure behind her kiss, when suddenly, Michael deepened the kiss with far more expertise than she'd have thought him capable of. And before Maria even got a chance to really enjoy the experience, there was a sudden onslaught of images rushing through her brain with pounding speed.

A little boy standing alone in the desert, a little boy standing in the shadows all alone while other kids played, the same kid bent together in a curled up position to avoid some beating from a sweaty older guy with a beer in his hand, the boy, older now blasting rocks in the desert with Tess Harding by her side, Michael holding a smaller woman in his arms, who was bleeding, and gasping for air and

The visions abruptly stopped when Maria felt Michael stiffen and she no longer saw anything. The kiss continued on for a few seconds more, before Michael slowly edged away from her. When Maria opened her eyes again, she was panting and trying to get all the flashes straight in her mind.

"What was that?" she said and licked her lips; a big part of her didn't really give a damn about those images, she just wanted to launch right back into the kiss that had literally rocked a part of her world.

"I wasn't expecting that," Michael replied with an echo of his usual smirk in place. His eyes lingered on her lips and Maria had the distinct feeling that he too wasn't entirely against kissing her again.

"Yeah, me neither," Maria murmured and ran a hand through her short hair. She walked over to one of the desks and sat down heavily. "Those things that ran through my mind…is that gonna happen every time? And also, that kid was you and that older version of you is that the future? Because, you looked a lot older than you do now and-"

"Maria, calm down," Michael was back to normal. At least that is one piece of good news, Maria inwardly thought, but she couldn't enjoy her success to the fullest, too focused on whatever it was that had taken place during that really, really intense kiss.

"Liz told me what happened between all of you the other night, but she didn't mention anything about this! And I'm starting to freak out, Michael, because I think that that bleeding woman in your arms that looked like she was really hurt was me! And I don't enjoy being injured, you know! Oh, where are my drops? Did I forget to bring them today? That's so typical of me."

A warm hand in front of her mouth finally brought an end to Maria's growing rambling and she blinked. Michael smiled and crouched down in front of her with a lot more grace than she'd thought he possessed.

"First things first; that wasn't the future, Maria. It was just a fear of mine; something I'll work really hard to never see happen. Don't worry. And the kid was me and I'm sorry in advance for whatever you saw, because I know my childhood doesn't exactly resemble anything remotely fluffy. It won't happen again, I promise. I just didn't expect it to happen, but now that I do, I'll make sure you won't see anything truly bad. I'm sorry."

Why do I have the feeling that he's not telling me everything? Maria thought, taking deep breaths to get some of her tranquility back. I know he's lying or at least not telling me the whole story. Should I demand answers? No, what if I'm making a big problem out of nothing? Remember, Maria told herself, you once promised him that you'd listen and not demand to know all his secrets, so stop acting like the drama queen everyone always says that you are and just take deep breaths.

"'M 'in 'ow," Maria managed to get through her lips and Michael immediately removed his hand with a raised brow in question. Obviously, he hadn't quite understood her. "I'm fine now," Maria repeated with as much dignity she could muster up.

"Good," Michael replied, getting to his feet. "So am I by the way. You're welcome to hold me anytime you wish, you know and not just when I'm acting like a raging bull."

Maria couldn't quite keep a chuckle from escaping her and she nodded with a big smile. "Well, now that you're okay again, let's get going to our next class. I think we're a bit late already. And the others must be worried sick about you too."

"No," Michael smirked and took her hand in his with such ease, as though he'd done it for years and didn't give a crap about who saw them, "it's a Czechoslovakian thing, but trust me; they already know I'm back to my old self so there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay, is it a trick you could like teach me and Liz in the near future, because," Maria grinned and made it obvious that she was teasing, "it'll be a nifty trick once we have finals. Liz is way smart and as her best friend I bet I can persuade her to give me a few answers."

Michael laughed loudly at that and the kids around them that weren't too busy staring in wonder at the image of them walking casually down the hall hand in hand were looking on in amazement, pretty sure that they'd just heard Michael Guerin laugh for the first time ever.

"Oh yeah, knowing Liz, I'm pretty sure she'd just give you the wrong answers and then lecture you on the importance of following the rules."

Maria smiled, a bit baffled on the inside. How does he know Liz that well? I'm not sure I've ever seen them exchange a word in all the time we've known each other.

Too tired to really care, Maria put the issue out of her mind and simply enjoyed the fact that she'd just had the most intense kiss of her young life and, odd mental images aside, it had been pretty awesome.

Tess' POV

Sometime later, the same day.

It was dark outside and there weren't any people on the street, but Tess still glanced around cautiously to make sure, before she knocked on the door in front of her. She hoped that she wasn't gonna have to come face to face with his father; the man was the sheriff after all and although Nasedo's teachings had proven to be a bit biased, the one about avoiding the law had stuck with her.

Fortunately, it was Kyle that opened the door as she'd hoped. He just stood there in silence as she looked at him closely. It's already begun, she thought, noticing the dark shadows under his eyes and the look he was sending her. It wasn't the fearful one that she'd been afraid of, it was something else entirely that she couldn't quite name at that time. She only knew that it touched something within her and that she wanted to make everything normal again. Make things easy and uncomplicated again.

Finally, when the silence had turned uncomfortable, Kyle spoke, "Evening Tess. What are you doing here at this time a night?"

Tess swallowed; she was battling her instincts internally. She had the strangest desire to just go into the human boy's arms and let him hold her tight, and then she could pretend to forget all about aliens, destinies and all that. On the other hand, Tess knew that leaving yet another human with the knowledge of their existence was extremely dangerous and that only her specific power could make it all okay again.

I have to do this. Tess told herself and straightened up a bit, more determined than ever. "I wanted to apologize properly," she explained and stepped closer.

Kyle frowned, but to her secret joy, he didn't move back as she drew closer. Standing on her toes, Tess kissed Kyle's lips briefly and then she placed her fingers on his temples with a whispered, "I'm so sorry."

A minute later, Tess stood by the window to the Valenti's living room and listened in. Kyle came into the room with a relaxed look on his face. His dad looked up at him, ignoring the game he'd been watching briefly and Tess heard him ask who'd knocked on the door.

Tess didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard Kyle's reply. "It was just some tourist asking for directions. I'm off to bed."

It's for the best; Tess told herself when she started walking back to the home she was sharing with Nasedo. This way Kyle won't have this huge secret trust upon him and I get to keep the friend I was getting. I'm sure the others will see reason when they realize just how much more calm he is tomorrow at school

Despite her inwardly pep talk, Tess couldn't quite keep the anxiety at bay. She had a feeling that no matter how many reasons she'd give come morning, none of the other hybrids were going to be very happy with her.

TBC…
Last edited by maipigen on Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 14.CH. 10/29/10

Post by maipigen »

Epic apologies for the delay :oops: I can't even promise that it won't happen again...sorry.
That said, thanks to the following for commenting so wonderfully and not giving up on me:)

Earth2Mama: Hope you like Iz's response to Tess' you know what...
Timelord31: Nope, not happy at all - and thanks for bumping me into action:)
mary mary: sorry I didn't come back soon...
Roswellian117: you definitely have a point;)
keepsmiling7: Lol, something tells me you arent' a fan of Tess'.
Rowedog: I hope this chapter will up to your expectations, I like the way you think:)
begonia9508: Max is actually the least of Tess' problems:)
zaneri1: Thanks for understanding the dreamer bit, I'm glad that you're being patient with me:)
cjsl8ne: Once again, you're right:) I hope my long wait hasn't made you too angry at me:) It's a long chapter if that helps at all...
nibbles2: bad move indeed:) Happy that my Michael and Maria are well liked:)
Mt. Gazer: HI BACK! WE'RE BOTH CAUGHT UP NOW, WELCOME!!! hehe
Janetfl: Hi and welcome hehe, I'm so happy you're liking this (and then bumping pretty much right after lol). I hope the wait has been worth it!
moomin: bump taken in and accepted:)
GreginClearwater: Bump away, I know I was a long time coming, sorry again!
Angel Eyes: Welcome, new readers are always loved:) I'm happy you're enjoying TATT, and trust me, the dreamer moments will come...eventually, I'm still trying to get all couples equal screentime so to speak.
jake17: Welcome back Carrie. Happy to see that you're back here, your blatant flattery has been missed:) Nah, you know I'd still love you even without the flattery( because let's face it, I give just as much as I receive from you hehe).


Now, just a small recap since it's been so long: Kyle started hating his jock persona and his so called friends, had a confrontation with Johnny after the jock went after Michael, stuff happened and he found out they were aliens from Isabel. Tess didn't approve and despite the time travellers orders, she went to his house and mindwarped him....


CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Liz's POV

Although Liz had had a fitful night plagued with oddly familiar dreams, it was the alarm clock that brought her back to reality Monday morning. She opened her eyes wide the second the piercing sound of the alarm started beeping through her room and couldn't quite withhold a small groan of exhaustion.

Ever since the night in the desert where she'd reopened her connection to Max, Liz had been unable to escape some really peculiar dreams. Yawning, Liz finally threw aside her blankets and walked out to her bathroom to get ready for a new day at school.

She was in the middle of her shower, when she felt a sudden jolt inside her, making her aware of the fact that Max was now awake as well. Liz bit her lip when she felt him push cautious warmth through the bond to greet her a good morning and hated herself for her own weird, tumult emotions when she felt him almost sigh through their connection and gently mute the bond to respect her privacy.

Despite the violence that had led up to the reopening of her bond with Max, Liz didn't really regret it. She'd felt surprisingly safe in his arms as they'd stood together witnessing Isabel do her best to calm down a frantic Topolsky. It was only after Max had dropped her off at home later that night and Liz had gone to sleep that things had become even odder.

Dreams and flashes that she'd glimpsed through her kiss with Max kept interfering with her normal sleep cycle and she had a vague notion that the key to understanding her out of this world friends was hidden somewhere in those images.

I need to figure out what to do, Liz thought as she applied some makeup on the bags under her eyes, attempting to look at least a little human before going to school. There's no denying that there's a part of me that wants nothing more than to stay by Max's side all the time, but despite having had a crush on him ever since grade school, I barely know him.

Liz ignored the voice inside her that sounded surprisingly like her grandmother that firmly told her that one didn't need to know every little bit about someone to love them. Liz bit her lip as she exited her room and started making her way downstairs so she could walk to school. She knew there was no reason in hiding it from herself anymore; she was in love with Max; a boy that she had formed some sort of alien bond with and although it scared her scientist mind, she couldn't escape the fact that her heart fluttered and her breath hitched every time she thought about Max for too long.

But there are so many things that I can't explain, Liz thought a bit morosely, exiting the Parker apartment and walking towards the school, distractedly waving to some of the people that were on their way to work and that she'd known all her life. Ever since that darned kiss, Liz fought back a blush, because internally she knew that the kiss had been anything but a nuisance, I've just known things about him that I shouldn't possibly be able to know. I know that he loves strawberries with Tabasco sauce; I know that he's extremely ticklish behind his knees and I know that he's never let me leave our bed unsatisfied, which is preposterous because we've never shared a bed in the first place!

"Liz!"

Liz jumped out of her mind, fanning her warm cheeks in an attempt to hide her now beet red face. She glanced around and spotted Alex on his bike as he weaved by his dad's car on his way over to her.

"Alex," Mr. Whitman scolded with a small smile and a headshake from inside the vehicle, "watch where you're going; I don't want you to have a traffic accident because you were too busy to look at your surroundings."

Traffic accident. Nightfall. Alex. Big van. Max's defeated empty eyes. Grief growing inside her so rapidly that she could practically feel the nausea building by the second.

"Err, Liz," once again, Alex's voice brought the confused Liz back to the present. "You look a little green. Want my water?" he rummaged through his backpack and withdrew a bottle of water and handed it to her with a smile.

Liz closed her eyes and took a big gulp of water, trying her hardest to calm down. She didn't understand what was happening to her. Had the flash been some sort of premonition warning her of the future? No, Liz's pragmatic mind just didn't want to accept that, so she shook the theory away and slowly she started making a new plan to figure things out. If I'm ever going to find out if these dreams and mental flashes that I get are real, I'll have to do some field work first

Having almost emptied the bottled water during her quick thought process, Liz took a deep breath and handed the mostly empty bottle to her frowning friend. "Thanks Alex, I needed that. I'm not feeling so good right now; actually, I think I'm gonna head home and see if I can sleep it away. I haven't been sleeping so well lately and…" Liz hesitated, but then used the one thing she knew Alex couldn't bear to talk about, "…and it's that special time of the month for me so-"

"Argh," Alex held up his hand, looking exceptionally eager for her to stop talking all of the sudden, "say no more. Please say no more. I'll tell Maria. Go home and we'll talk later or if nothing else, I'll see you tomorrow. I mean, "Alex smiled sheepishly, "if you are uhm, you know, feeling better and stuff. See you later."

Liz swallowed a fond smile as she watched Alex drive off like he had the devil on his heels. It's nice to see that that hasn't changed at least. He's still such a boy. Liz sighed and turned around to go back home. She knew that her mother would've already left for work and that she could pretty much use the same excuse that she'd fed Alex when she talked to her father. That guaranteed her most of the day alone since her dad would be too freaked out to hound her too much.

Little over an hour later, Jeff Parker had placed a big plate of waffles and some hot cocoa on Liz's nightstand before fleeing in much the same manner as Alex had downstairs to the diner to work. Liz gathered the materials she knew she'd need on her self-appointed quest for answers and slipped out of her room unnoticed. Five minutes after that, she was digging out her own, very rarely used, bike from the storage shed in the alley behind the Crashdown and went on her way, trying to ignore the guilt over her lies to her father and Alex.

I really hope I don't find what I think I'm going to find, Liz thought to herself as she got on the bike and rode out of the town. When she was halfway to her destination, Liz almost fell off her bike when there was a sudden spike of emotions ramming into her from Max's end. Closing her eyes, Liz sent back a wave of tranquility and affection, hoping to calm him down from whatever it was that had sent him over the edge of reason. She debated whether or not to return home, but she knew that she needed answers and this way was the only way for her to get them without being influenced by Max or the others. I just hope there's not going to be a lot of drama; Liz prayed and went on her way full of renewed determination.

Kyle's POV

Pain was piercing through every part of his body, he could feel warm blood dripping down his torso from the gaping wound in his chest and all he could do was scream out his agony and sorrow. He wasn't really all that clear on what had happened. He tried to remember, ignoring the part of him that was screaming himself hoarse.

They'd been surrounded and Isabel and Max had been standing with their backs to his and that's why he'd seen Khivar first; He'd seen Khivar's dark eyes light up with vindictive glee at the sight of the hated royal Antarians and then raise his hand. Kyle had roughly pushed his close friends out of the line of fire before he'd even made a conscious decision to do so.

Through his agonized roaring, Kyle heard Isabel scream his name with despair. He turned his head, hoping against hope that she would stop his pain, and saw her battling five soldiers, trying her damndest to get to him. Max was right behind her, struggling with Khivar and his lieutenants all by himself; Max's eyes caught his briefly and Kyle halted his screaming abruptly.

It was no use, Kyle realized in that moment. He was going to die; the darkness was already growing around him, the pain disappearing bit by bit thankfully. He coughed up some blood that trailed down his chin and landed on the ground to mix in with the blood still pouring from his chest. An image of all of his already deceased loved ones came to him and Kyle's eyes started to burn with unshed tears.

"Tell my dad I love him," Kyle whispered hoarsely, praying with all his might that they'd hear his request. Isabel grabbed one of her opponent's head and twisted it ruthlessly and was almost by his side when someone tripped her and dragged her away from him. Her nails broke as she tried to claw her way back to him without luck.

"You need to win," Kyle continued, his last ounce of strength going to the battling Max standing almost close enough to touch, "leave so you can survive…"

"Kyle, no!" Max's voice was filled with more emotion than Kyle had heard in months and he smirked a bit internally. Who knew Max Evans would turn out to be my best friend in the end?

"We're surrounded! You have to leave me here…" Kyle's voice was almost nonexistent after all his pained screaming, but clearly audible to his two remaining friends that were still fighting tooth and nail to get to him before it was too late.

Isabel was lying trembling on the floor next to his bleeding body, her eyes filled with tears that hadn't been shed in a long time. She was being beaten ferociously by her last remaining opponent. "Please," she practically whimpered, kicking the male weakly in the groin before turning to Kyle again, "not you too. Kyle, please hang on for me."

Kyle's lip twisted in dark humor even as the darkness around him grew more and more, making it almost impossible for him to see anything but Isabel's beautiful eyes, "I just died for you Woman, what else can I do?"

"Max will -" Isabel began, but Kyle mercilessly interrupted her before she could promise her brother's assistance.

"Take ham and flee while you have the chance," Kyle muttered drowsily, ignoring both of his friends cries, while he used the remainder of his power to grab the last of those grenades that Serena and Michael had invented together. "I-n-never…" Kyle struggled getting the words out, "…regretted…a-anyt-thi-ng…I-I'm-"

Kyle pressed the button on the grenade just as everything turned black. In the distance, he heard Max dragging a now sobbing Isabel away, muttering repeatedly, "It's too late now. He's gone." The beeping grew louder and Kyle kindda liked how quickly everyone around him suddenly moved in an attempt to avoid dying alongside him. I just hope I take Khivar with me, was the last thing Kyle thought as a huge blast suddenly erupted around him and ending everything.

"Kyle!"


Kyle's eyes snapped open and he struggled the best he knew, trying hard to escape the hands on his shoulders that were holding him down. He was gasping for air and the horrific nightmare he'd just had was still blaringly clear to him.

"Kyle, Son! Relax; it's just me, Boy." Finally, Kyle recognized his father's voice and he stopped fighting his hold and relaxed back in to the bed.

He could feel sweat pouring down his naked torso and the feeling was eerily reminiscent to the dream where it had been blood instead of salted water that trailed down his body. What the hell was that all about? Kyle thought and did his best to calm down.

After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and locked gazed with the concerned ones of his father. "I'm fine now, Dad," Kyle stated and sat up when Jim almost reluctantly removed his hands from him. "It was just a bad dream, that's all."

"Son," Jim said, rubbing a hand over his brow with a sigh, "that was more than just a dream. I could hear you screaming all the way from the front yard. I almost had a heart attack coming in here, seeing you flaying about like that. You looked scared to death." Jim tried to smile, "anything you wanna talk to me about, Kyle?"

Kyle shrugged, eager to put the whole mess behind him, now that he was awake and could see the morning sunlight shining into his room, illumination everything and chasing away the fear from his nightmare. "I'm good. I'm gonna go take a shower and then I'll better get to school. I promised Johnny I wouldn't be late today. See ya tonight, okay?"

Not giving his father a chance to reply or disagree, Kyle practically jumped out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom. If he trembled a bit as the warm water cascaded down on his body, it was just because he was a bit shocked over his rude awakening. At least, that's what the teenager told himself repeatedly after almost dropping his shampoo bottle twice.

0o0o0

A little while later Kyle pulled up to the curve where Johnny was waiting with a sour expression on his face. Kyle rolled his eyes as his teammate jumped into the car, muttering his usual complaints about missing his own vehicle.

The moment he finished rolling his eyes, Kyle wished he hadn't done it in the first place. His eye pounded and he sighed, gingerly touching the bruised eye that he had no memory of getting in the first place.

"What happened to you, Man?" Johnny asked, finally noticing that Kyle wasn't paying the least bit attention to him. "You look like you've walked into a door or something."

"Yeah, I actually don't remember," Kyle confessed with a rueful smile as he pulled into the school's parking lot. "I woke up and when I looked in the bathroom mirror it was there. I think I must have, I don't know, whacked myself or something. I had this weird dream."

"Yeah, I know all about weird dreams," Johnny immediately launched into a detailed description of his own dream, something about green, shimmering walls and flailing window blinds. Kyle quickly lost interest in Johnny's tale; in fact, it was like he had to restrain himself from pushing the other jock out of his car in anger.

Why am I so angry? Why does every little thing that Johnny says annoy me today? Kyle wondered mutely, and exited his car without waiting for his supposedly best friend. He walked so fast that he'd left Johnny in the dust within seconds and despite his small speck of guilt, Kyle didn't really regret ditching the other guy.

Instead of going back and waiting for Johnny, Kyle walked over to his locker and grabbed the books he knew he'd need for his first class. He ran into the new girl, Tess just as he closed the locker with a bang.

The small blond looked up at him with such a beaming smile, that Kyle couldn't help but return it. "Hi," he greeted her warmly. He was a bit confused over the girl's happiness, after all, she'd spent a long time avoiding him whenever she could, but somehow he was feeling better just being around her.

Although, Kyle straightened up suddenly, nearly dropping his book, there's this part of me that's angry with her too. What is going on? Am I PMS'ing today or what[/i]?

"Are you okay?" Tess asked, suddenly looking a lot more concerned than the sheriff's son had ever seen her. "You look a bit…constipated."

"Gee thanks," Kyle smiled thinly, his earlier warmth slowly ebbing out of him, leaving him irritated at the blond newcomer for some reason. "Look, I'd better go; I promised a friend that I'd meet him, so….err." He trailed off, knowing it was a flimsy excuse at best, but Tess seemed to buy it, because she nodded and quickly walked in the other direction.

Kyle sighed and turned to walk to his classroom, I might as well be a bit early today. Kyle was almost at his destination, when Isabel came walking towards him with Max right beside her. Inexplicably, Kyle's heart rate doubled at the sight of the Evans' siblings, the memory of his horrible dream exploding inside of him harshly and he quickly dove into the boys' restroom to try and get himself together again. He walked over to the sinks and splashed some cold water on his face with a small groan. "What the hell is wrong with me today?" Kyle muttered, looking at his reflection tiredly.

It was like something was missing inside of him and he didn't know how to get it back. You can do this, Kyle told himself, trying to relax his face enough to look at least passable for normal, You're Kyle frigging Valenti and you're not scared of some bad dream. Because, Kyle glared at himself in the mirror, as if daring his reflection to argue, that's all it was; a stupid dream! Now go out there and show everyone that you're Valenti the popular jock and not some scared little girl!

Feeling a little bit better about himself after his little pep talk, Kyle took a deep breath and exited the restroom. Only to run right into Max and Isabel, who had clearly been waiting for him to come out.

"Whoa…err, mornin'," Kyle blurted out, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the matching set of intense look the siblings were giving him.

"Hi Kyle," Isabel smiled at him with a friendly look in her eyes, "We wanted to see how you were doing. I mean, we didn't hear from you this weekend, so I hope you're not freaking out about everything."

"But," Max added, and to Kyle's immense surprise, the Evans boy looked almost teasing; it was something that Kyle had never seen on the other guy's face to be honest, "if you're freaking out, we can handle it. You can't be worse than Maria when she found out."

Kyle raised a questioning brow and asked a bit roughly, "Found out what?"

Isabel and Max traded a quick glance before turning their full attention back on him. Kyle had to restrain himself from stepping right back into the restroom behind him. There was just something so…primal about them that he wanted to escape. "You know," Isabel eventually replied, looking around to see if there was anyone listening in on their conversation, "about everything I told you."

"Look," Kyle's patience snapped, obviously his earlier pep talk hadn't exactly helped him get over his funny mood, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Evans. I'm tired, my brain feels like it's trying to pound its way through my skull and I'm just not in the mood to try and decipher any of your weird coded messages. Go hang out with Guerin, maybe he'll understand what you're getting at."

Having said his piece, and not feeling any guilt what so ever, because he wasn't, Kyle firmly told his conscience when it acted up a bit, he grabbed his backpack and quickly walked away from the two siblings. He was trying to ignore the way the crestfallen look in their eyes reminded him eerily of his nightmare where they'd both screamed his name with such desperate grief etched in their voices.

Kyle forced himself not to look back when he heard a bang behind him, and he had to restrain himself even more from breaking into a run when he could feel a flare of choking heat behind him, and he tried to ignore the way Isabel's curse rang in his ears. "I'm gonna kill Tess!"

When he entered the classroom he needed, Kyle sat down and placed his now pounding head in his arms and tried not to think about what the hell Tess had to do with anything, and why he felt a brief flicker of anger towards her. It's probably nothing; he told himself and tried to focus on what his just arrived teacher said.

Isabel's POV

After loudly having proclaimed her intentions towards Tess, Max sent Isabel a scathing glare to get her to be quiet. "Not here," he stated, looking pretty angry himself in Isabel's opinion.

"But she-" Isabel started, pointing at the retreating Kyle in the distance, but was interrupted promptly by Max, who was looking at their surroundings, making sure they weren't drawing attention to themselves.

"If you seek her out now, you'll use your powers and blow everything we've worked so hard for to pieces. We've put too much into this whole ordeal for you to ruin it in a temper."

"In a temper?" Isabel repeated, indignation pouring out of her every pore, "I can't believe you're not more upset, Max. She mindwarped him even after we specifically told her not to. This is just another proof of her evil soul. She'll do whatever she wants and end up getting us all killed in the end!"

Max sent Isabel such a cold look, that she found herself instinctively looking down in submission. "You think I'm not upset? Iz, if I see her within the next few minutes, I'm in danger of blowing our cover myself. I need you to stay focused, so I can stay focused. We'll deal with her after class. Now, I'm gonna go find Michael and warn him about this and then we'll have had a few hours to calm down a bit before talking with Tess."

Isabel watched her brother disappear silently for a few minutes and then she took a big breath and exhaled.

I'm not going to kill Tess, she kept thinking on repeat inwardly. A part of her realized that she probably didn't look all that normal in that moment, standing iron straight with closed eyes in the middle of the hallway, muttering soundlessly into thin air, but she was too angry to really care about what her fellow students thought about her.

Despite her internal dialogue, Isabel could still feel her anger bubbling in her belly, spraying cold drops of ice cold rage out in her every limb and as she made her way to her first class of the day, she could feel Alex's confusion and concern grow through their connection. It took a lot of effort, but eventually Isabel managed to mute her emotions a bit and send what she hoped was reassurance back to him. There was no way she wanted him involved in anything regarding Tess, so Isabel knew she had to make sure that Alex's good heart wouldn't make him interfere when he felt her anger and fear. Although he didn't know all about them yet, Isabel knew he was intelligent enough to figure out that she had something to do with his feelings.

After all, Isabel mused, reaching the door to her class, we're talking about the kid that hacked into Topolsky's computer, and who was the one to translate our book…He's far from stupid.

A moment later, Isabel had walked into the half full classroom and found herself locking eyes with Alex in person and she broke out into a big smile instinctively. He quickly lost the frown on his face and returned the grin eagerly.

Isabel flipped her long hair over her shoulder and practically sauntered over to the empty seat next to him. All her anger towards Tess was temporarily put on hold, she was too happy to be near Alex. "Is this seat taken?" she asked sweetly and swallowed a smile at the dazed look he sent her.

"Alex?" Isabel leaned forward a bit and placed her hand on his forehead teasingly, "are you sick? You look a bit flushed all of the sudden."

"Wha-I'm-you know-sure-no, I'm fine," Alex blurted out incoherently and gestured violently to the empty seat, indicating that he really, really wanted her to claim said seat.

Isabel smiled and gracefully folded her long limbs into the chair, completely ignoring the raised eyebrows she could see from her former friends out of the corner of her eyes. Isabel was too mature and way too wise to follow any high school etiquette regarding popular kids and geeks. She just wanted to spend all her time with the boy she loved and save him from dying too soon this time around.

Isabel shared two classes with Alex, so it was a few hours before she was free to go seek out Michael and see how he'd taken Max's news about Tess and Kyle. She found him standing next to Maria, who was looking up at his solemn face with narrowed eyes.

As Isabel drew nearer, she heard Maria whisper intently, "I can feel that there's something wrong, Michael. Cut the act and tell me what's going on." Maria scanned her surroundings and met Isabel's gaze briefly before looking back up at Michael. "If it's something that's potentially dangerous for us non Czechoslovakians, you'd tell me, right?"

Michael's entire body tensed and Isabel decided to interrupt, before he blurted out everything about the time travel and what kind of person Tess had been in that other timeline. "Hey, Maria. Can I borrow Michael for a minute?"

Normally, Isabel hated the look of fear that always flew through Maria's eyes whenever Isabel was around, but for once she used it to her favor, knowing full well that the blond wouldn't dare disagree with her. We haven't had our little bonding trip yet, but I'm gonna make sure it happens somehow once we've dealt with Tess, Isabel promised Maria mutely as she all but dragged Michael with her.

A few minutes later, Isabel released her once upon another lifetime husband and turned him around so she could look him dead in the eye. "Don't," Michael objected before she even got a word in. "I'm not gonna go after her until Max has made sure that no one will see. He said something about getting Nasedo to make her stay home after school. Then we'll all deal with her at their place."

Isabel didn't know whether to approve of the plan and Max's foresight or hate the fact that the once rash Michael couldn't be swayed into bullying Tess, not even a little bit. "Fine," she eventually huffed out, knowing that her fellow hybrids had the right idea.

After all, if even the densest human got any suspicious ideas about them, everything could go to hell and even Isabel's angry side wanted nothing to do with a repeat of history. But I'm gonna make her regret ever laying her slimy paws on Kyle, so help me God.

Apparently, Isabel's inner lust for vengeance was shining through her, so Michael didn't stray from her side once for the rest of the school day. He even grabbed her wrist tightly to keep her seated once in the cafeteria when Tess had walked in behind some laughing jocks to get her own lunch.

When the day finally ended and the last bell rang, Isabel shot out of her stool so fast that Michael had barely reached down for his backpack. Isabel didn't really care, too consumed with getting her hands on Tess. She was so occupied that not even Alex's presence could calm her; she actually bumped into him on the way out of the school, mumbling a quick, distracted apology, before she was down the steps and on her way to the parking lot where she had spotted Max standing next to the jeep, waiting for her. She heard Michael repeat her apology when he too ran smack into the now thoroughly confused Alex.

Michael finally caught up to Isabel, yelling as he jumped unceremoniously into the Jeep just as Max's started it, "Damn it girl; don't forget to breathe, Tess is still at her house, I checked with Nasedo, so chill!"

Isabel rolled her eyes, but didn't respond, because she knew her friend was right and she was acting nothing like the icy and levelheaded female that she'd been for years. Max didn't say anything; he was too busy weaving in and out of traffic to scold her, something which was always a good thing in Isabel's eyes.

Ten minutes later, the trio of time traveling hybrids arrived at Tess and Nasedo's house. Tires squealing as the Jeep came to an abrupt halt at the curve in front of the other two aliens' house. Isabel was the first one out of the vehicle, closely followed by a silent Max and a more or less snarling Michael; it would seem that his anger had returned tenfold now that he no longer had to watch out for Isabel's wrath.

The door opened before Isabel could bang it open to reveal Nasedo, looking as emotionless as ever. His eyes scanned them all quickly; lingering a bit on Isabel's flushed face and clenched fists with a raised brow. He looked over at Max and finally spoke, "She's in the living room; as ordered I didn't warn her about your arrival."

Isabel could see the small hint of resentment that the older alien had for that order and had she been in a better frame of mind, she might even had understood how hard it would be for him to basically betray the closest thing he had to a family, but she didn't care. And this way, Isabel thought vindictively, mentally rubbing her hands together with delight, she'll know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone she trusts.

Max was the first to push past Nasedo and enter the living room. Isabel could see that his back was tensed and by the way he was holding himself straight, it was easy to see that he too was pretty close to losing his control and Isabel spared a brief prayer, praying that he above all else didn't lose it. Last time he did that, Isabel remembered with a faint shudder, he almost killed Michael and the rest of us without even touching us.

The next moment put an end to Isabel's quick, nausea inducing trip down memory lane, because she'd stepped up next to Max and was now able to see Tess herself.

The small blond hybrid was sitting frozen on the couch facing towards them; her face showed her every emotion. Especially the blunt horror at witnessing an angry Max and Isabel vaguely recalled how Tess' views on Max had changed since seeing him all but kill her guardian mercilessly.

Well, it's not him she needs to worry about, Isabel thought and roughly pushed Max to the side and catapulted over to the still seating Tess, slamming her fist into her face and relishing in the snapping sound that told everyone that Tess' nose had been broken.

"I told you," Isabel began, following the now fleeing Tess, "that I would kill you if you laid a hand on Kyle and what do you do?"

Tess tried to stop her nose from bleeding unsuccessfully as she scrambled away from Isabel; only to whine in fright when she realized that she was now within arm's reach of both Max and Michael. "You don't understand," she tried to explain, finally finding some semblance of cover behind the TV, "He's only human, he can't possibly handle everything; I didn't want your gullibility to come back and bite us all in the ass!"

Isabel saw Max raise his hand to undoubtedly use some of his more inventive methods of inflicting pain, but she held up a hand of her own. "Don't Max, I got this."

To Isabel's relief, she noted that her brother was actually letting her have her way while he stood by and watched. Even Michael didn't verbally object to her statement, he just walked over to Nasedo and leaned up against the wall casually.

Tess seemed to grow back into her spirit when she too realized that she wasn't about to engage in a three against one combat. She stood up and hissed angrily, "I'm not just a little normal girl, Isabel. I've been brought up by a soldier, who's trained me intensively all my life, so stand down and accept that I'm going to take back my mindwarp on Kyle. And," Tess added, smirking, now full of confidence, "I'm not going to heel to you when it comes to my powers. If I think someone needs to forget something to protect our common secret, I'll use my abilities and I don't care what the hell you think about it. Because I'm not soft and weak like you seem to be."

"Tess," Nasedo tried to intervene, obviously a bit more knowledgeable when it came to judging ones opponent. "Be careful what you say-"

"No," Tess interrupted, spitting out some blood that had seeped into her mouth, "I'm not gonna follow your orders anymore. I'm the queen, remember? I might not have a king by my side in this life, but I'm still your ruler."

"Oh that's where you're wrong," Isabel pointed out through gritted teeth, her whole body shaking with repressed need to hurt the curly haired female in front of her, "forget the fact that you actually think he's gonna listen to you when Max and I are the only true blooded royalty in this room and let's go back to the point where you called us weaklings. I've got half a mind to show you just how not weak I am."

Tess' eyes narrowed and her upper lip curled in contempt and anger, "I'm waiting with baited breath!"

She barely got the last word out before Isabel had slung an energy ball at her, forcing her to leap backwards and to the side. The sphere still grazed her arm though and Tess' scream of pain was pure gold to Isabel. She saw Max and Michael jump in front of Nasedo, muttering what was no doubt an order to stay out of the fight entirely and she smirked much like Tess had done moments before.

The next few minutes went by in a colorful blur; the two hybrids fought viciously and there was no denying that the longer the fight went on, the more deadly it became. Isabel had to force back some of her old tricks, knowing that even Max couldn't heal Tess if she used some of the techniques she'd perfected during the war with Khivar.

"I can't believe you're so upset about this," Tess panted, narrowly dodging Isabel's power infused circle kick, punching Isabel hard in the stomach, "you barely know him; he's just a kid in your school. It's not like I did anything to those humans you stupidly told the truth."

"And you never will," Isabel swore, sending off a small fireball, "I'll kill you before you even get the chance!"

"They'll never fully trust you! They're not from your world; we're not supposed to care about humans!" Tess screamed, slamming her foot down and causing the floor to shake, making Isabel unsteady on her feet.

"You don't know anything, if you didn't care about Kyle's feelings then why did you mindwarp him in the first place?" Isabel asked, now panting a little herself. I definitely need to work out more; I'm way more out of shape than I thought I was if I can't even keep up with Tess.

Tess raised her hands and sent off an invisible energy ball, much like the one Nasedo had used on Max during their fight, although a lot weaker. "Shut up! I don't care about him or any humans for that matter. If you don't believe me, just wait until I get my hands on that tall, gangly one that you always follow around!"

Although Tess clearly was just spewing out idle threats to get to Isabel, Isabel lost any and all control over herself the second Tess began threatening Alex; her vision zeroed in on the rapidly paling blond with an intensity that she'd seldom experienced and Isabel knew only one thing in that moment, which was that she was going to end that miserable being's life once and for all for even thinking about hurting the one human she loved above all others.

Isabel clenched her teeth, almost growling like an animal in her fury and used one of her old moves that would put some deep gashes through Tess' small body and cause her to die in agony in (sadly) only a few minutes time.

Just as she'd released the powerful attack from her hands, Isabel watched as in slow motion as the most horrifying thing happened. She had missed Tess completely because out of nowhere, Alex suddenly appeared next to Tess and jumped in front of her, taking the barely visible blow himself.

Isabel stood frozen with her hands still lifted, watching numbly as her attack rammed into the young man that she hoped to one day spend her life with, pushing him harshly into the wall while several deep wounds sprouted from his body as he screamed in pain, piercing her heart ruthlessly.

Tess was the first one by his side, holding her hands over one of his deepest wounds, applying pressure to help staunch the blood flow. For all her earlier words about not caring about humans, the former queen looked pretty damn concerned for the still screaming one in front of her and all of Isabel's hate for Tess seemed to ooze out of her slowly, like an infected wound being cleansed. If her quick actions helped save Alex, Isabel would never utter another word against her, mindwarping be damned.

Isabel felt Michael grabbing her waist and pulling her up. When did I fall to the floor? She wondered as though in a daze. He supported her weight without a sound and helped her forward so she could watch everything barely breathing as the guilt and shame and sorrow washed over her in tidal waves.

Then Max seemed to finally have come out of his own moment of shock; it probably hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, but it seemed like it had been forever since Isabel had watched her own attack pierce through Alex's body like a knife through bread.

Please save him, Max, Isabel thought frantically, completely unaware of the fact that she was now sitting next to a blood covered Tess and was gently being held by her, while muttering over and over again, "Please save him Max, please, I'm sorry, please save him."

Max's POV

The warm blood was pouring out of Alex's tall body with a speed that would've proved fatal to the human if Max hadn't been the one holding his hands over his wounds.

Max didn't even hesitate when he leaned forward; releasing Alex's gaping cuts and gripping his face firmly with his bloody hands leaving frightening prints on the human's pale face.

"Alex," Max's voice was almost inaudible in the middle of Isabel's broken whispers and pleas and Alex's now gurgling moans of pain. "You have to look at me. Come on, Whitman."

Holding his breath, hoping that his one second of hesitation and shock hadn't caused him to be too late to save his sister's loved one for the second time, Max twisted Alex's head so he could lock eyes with him and begin the healing.

In the background Max heard Nasedo's mildly spoken objection to the healing; that it was an irresponsible idea to risk heal another human; that it would be safer to let him die. Surprisingly, it was Tess' voice that told the older alien to shut up and Max filed that away to ponder on later.

Prying Alex's eyes open as quickly, but gently as possible, Max finally got the window he'd been hoping for and he threw everything into the healing that he could spare. The explosion of images from Alex's life told Max that he'd succeeded even as he felt his powers trickle through Alex's body and putting it back together in a painstakingly slow manner. Images of the first time Alex had seen Isabel went through Max's mind, memories of joyous days and evenings spent with Liz and Maria flew through him as well, the barely processed memory of hearing Michael proclaim that they were going to Tess' house and seeing Isabel so furious, and then when the barrage of images slowed after what seemed like an eternity, Max broke the connection with a loud gasp.

He'd never had to work so hard to heal anyone; not even the children in Phoenix. A scientific and rational part of Max had a theory that it was because he was working against his sister's powers, trying to undo something she'd done.

Max blinked out of his head and realized that he was still engaged in a staring contest with Alex, who was looking at him with a mixture of confusion, relief and fear. "It's okay now," Max murmured, letting go of Alex's face and straightening up a bit, "You're okay now…"

Black spots danced in front of Max's face and he shook his head, watching how Michael and Nasedo frowned at him when they noticed. Tess and Isabel were too preoccupied with Alex to see anything other than him.

"-used too much," Nasedo's voice sounded lower than usual and drawn out like he was dragging the words out. Michael nodded in slow-motion and Max lost consciousness, the last thing he felt was Liz's concern, and surprisingly something akin to anger.

0o0o0

When Max woke up it was dark outside and the first thing he noticed was that he was filled with anger that wasn't his own and he sighed. Haven't this day been bad enough already? He looked around, noticing that he was lying on the couch in Nasedo's living room. He spotted Isabel sleeping on a mattress on the floor next to a cleaned Alex, who was sleeping soundly as well.

He could hear hissed voices from the hallway and sat up with a sigh. Running a hand through his hair, Max made his way to the arguing people on the other side of the closed door. The closer he got, the more sure he was that Liz had somehow tracked him down. He wasn't really surprised.

Just as he opened the door, he heard Michael say, "Look, you've seen him, he's sleeping and whatever it is you're so obsessed about talking to him about, it'll have to wait until he's awake and alert. Liz, we've had a really long day."

"So have I," Liz countered, crossing her arms over her bulging backpack. "I'm- Max," she noticed him first and immediately stopped talking to Michael. "I need to talk to you."

Max traded a look with an obviously exasperated Michael and a clearly irritated Nasedo, who was standing by the front door, which was still open from when Liz had forced her way in. Evidently the alien didn't quite dare deny his King's chosen mate anything. "It's okay; we'll just go outside for a minute," he said quietly and walked over to the door without waiting for Liz to follow.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Michael announced and Nasedo closed the door after Max and Liz's exit, muttering something about calling Topolsky to make sure she hadn't been left alone too long for her own good.

Once outside, Max took a deep breath, forcing the memory of Alex's injuries out of his mind and ignoring the squeamish part of him that proclaimed that it could still smell the blood in the air. After another cleansing breath, he turned to Liz with a soft smile on his lips, because no matter how many breaths he took, she was the only thing in the universe that could truly bring calm to his soul.

"What's wrong Liz? Why are you feeling so angry all of the sudden?"

Liz's lips thinned momentarily before she opened her backpack and started rummaging around inside of it. "I think you've been too busy today to get a clear handle on my emotions, Max, because I'm not angry. I'm feeling so many things that I can't even begin to describe it. But," she shrugged with her hand still inside the backpack, "that's not really important. Ever since you and I kissed and reopened the bond between us, I've been having weird dreams. Dreams that couldn't possibly be true…or so I thought."

Max's heart almost stopped, dreading what she'd say next. "I need you to be honest with me, Max."

Liz's brown eyes were piercing Max to the bone and he spoke without really noticing it, "Of course Liz…" Then Liz finally took out what it was she'd been searching for in her backpack and this time, Max's heart felt like it'd been laced with led.

In Liz's small dainty hands was a silver, bluish orb that had a clearly non-earthly glow to it. "What is this exactly and why did I know where to find it today without even hesitating? Because I'm pretty damn sure I've never seen this thing before in my life."

TBC…
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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 15.CH. 12/15/10

Post by maipigen »

A/N Hi all. Merry belated Xmas and Happy New Year. I hope it all went well for you and yours! Thanks for all the reviews; they really helped me not procrastinate any longer. Hehe, I'm in a big hurry so I can't really devote time to individual thanks this time, I apologize sincerely, but I hope the update here will help mend some fences or whatever:) This chapter isn’t as long as the other one and that’s mostly because it’s a transition chapter. Next time will be a lot more intense, I promise. That said; I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

This chapter is unbetaed, so if you spot any big (or small) grammar issues, please don’t hesitate to let me know! Thanks in advance for any assistance!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Liz's POV

The customers in the Crashdown looked up with puzzled and curious gazes when Liz stormed inside, her usually so pretty features twisted together unattractively as she sneered in silent anger.

The fuming brunette didn’t acknowledge the questioning glance her father sent her from behind the counter, no, instead she marched past him and out the backdoor and all but stomped up to her room and slammed the door behind her, practically shaking the building in its very foundations.

Within seconds, she’d grabbed a pillow off her bed and was screaming into it to muffle the sound a bit. When it didn’t help her mood at all, Liz threw the fluffy pillow at the wall with all her might, watching it fall down softly without inflicting any damage. It was very unsatisfying. She wanted to push all of her things down from her cluttered desk, see it shatter into a million pieces with a rewarding amount of sound. But the small and always logical filled part of her pointed out that it’d be a brief joy and there were things on her desk that she’d had treasured for years.

Instead, she sat on the bed and glared at the walls surrounding her. She got to sit undisturbed for about two minutes after that, when Maria burst through the door with her eyes widened and her mouth practically agape. To be fair, it was pretty unusual for Liz to be the drama queen in their friendship.

“Okay,” Maria began, cautiously sitting down next to the still glaring Liz, “so you basically walked right by me down there and your shift started fifteen minutes ago…Your dad sent me up here, he told me to tell you that he doesn’t even care why you’ve left your room when you’re supposedly sick from, and I quote, “female problems,” and only wants you downstairs and ready to work as soon as possible. Queen Amidala, or as you like to call her, Isabel hasn’t bothered showing up today and Agnes is at her daughter’s house this week…

"Oh, screw it,” Maria huffed and grabbed an unresponsive Liz’s shoulders, turning her around to face her.
“Mind telling me what the hell happened today? Michael’s emotions went all over the place and I could barely sit down before feeling like I had to puke, then you come in looking like you do and Isabel doesn’t show up and even though I’m not fond of it, it can’t be denied that she’s a really good worker. Tell me everything or I swear, I’m gonna do something really horrible that I can’t’ really come up with right now, but when I do it’s gonna be legendary so spill it!”

Liz blinked and could see the growing horror on her best friend’s face when her tears welled up and Liz hated that she wasn’t stronger. I never cry. I shouldn’t be feeling like this just because the boy I love is lying to me…

“Liz, what’s wrong?” Maria’s tone was now gentle and soft and she took Liz’s hands in her own, waiting for some kind of explanation with a little more patience than she’d shown minutes before. “I’m listening,
Honey.”

“It’s about Max,” Liz explained, half hoping that the warning would make Maria run downstairs and leave her bed, while at the same time, needing her best friend to stay put and be her support.

Once again, Maria proved to Liz just how good a friend she really was, because she mutely nodded and waited for Liz to explain.

“Well,” Liz started, “you know I told you about the weird flashes that I got when I reopened the connection between me and Max.”

“Yeah, if by reopening, you mean kissed his brains out, go ahead,” Maria teased with a small smile, obviously seeking to lift Liz’s spirit a bit.

“I’ve been having dreams ever since. Dreams that shouldn’t really matter, except they do because it’s like I’m remembering stuff that I’ve forgotten and this morning I just had enough and wanted to see if what I dreamt was real. I found this metallic orb thing in the desert just where I dreamt it was and…” Liz paused, biting her lip nervously before continuing, “And I sought out Max to confront him about it. He was at Tess’ place with Michael of all people.”

Maria froze. “What? Michael was at New Girl’s house? Why? Did they like, look cozy together? Did she twirl her stupid curls around, making gooey eyes at him? Aaaand, that’s not what I should be focusing on right now. Continue.”

Liz smiled a bit, the first less than morose expression on her face since Maria arrived. “For the record, she wasn’t even there. Anyway, I showed Max the orb thing and he literally went blank. It was weird. I got nothing, it was like there was no bond at all the moment he saw it. And his eyes, Maria; they looked really bad. It was almost like…You know what, I can’t explain it properly, so let’s just skip it. I tried to get him to open up and tell me what it was and what he wasn’t telling me, because let’s face it; things have been pretty abnormal lately for all of us. Then…”

Liz looked down at her hands in her lap, unable to continue for a moment, as the memory of Max’s emotionless mask entered her mind. She didn’t think she’d ever truly get over the fact that she’d been the one to make him look like that, like a living dead.

“Liz?” Maria’s voice brought Liz back to the present and she looked up, meeting the concerned gaze of her best friend. “Then what happened?”

“I don’t really remember to be honest. I tried to send him some kind of emotion to jumpstart him again. I mean, he looked not only blank, but exhausted too, like he’d been having a rough day. Michael seemed kind of protective of Max before I got him alone, so I think something’s happened.”

“Yeah, me too,” Maria added, looking thoughtful. “Like I said, Isabel isn’t here, so that makes all three of the Czechoslovakians unavailable. But that’s not important right now, I need to hear the rest of the story whatever it is.”

“Okay,” Liz took a deep breath, knowing that what she’d done wasn’t exactly up to par with the usual mature way she acted. “Somehow I told him that I wanted the truth and that if he cared as much about me as I did him, he shouldn’t keep secrets. He didn’t respond and I lost my temper. To be completely honest, I think I might have tapped into his unexpressed anger, because I totally blew up when he didn’t confess whatever it was and went home and you know the rest. And to top it all off, I think I might be getting a stupid cold…” Liz ended her story with a small pout as she crawled further into the bed, making more room for Maria.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Maria agreed a moment later, and sighed loudly, sitting back against the headboard with a frown marring her face. “It doesn’t sound good, Liz. But I do think you have a point about the anger; you losing your cool so often isn’t like you and when you do, you’re way better at speaking and more mature; I mean, I’m usually the one stomping away and having screaming matches with my pillow.”

Liz chuckled tiredly, closing her eyes and leaning her head on Maria’s shoulder. “I know.”

“So, in an attempt to get my more levelheaded friend back, I’m gonna suggest that you get downstairs and work so your thoughts and suspicions doesn’t turn into something more. Come on, Baby Girl.” Maria slapped Liz on the leg gently and stood up.

She’s right, Liz realized as she quickly changed her clothes, I’m much more mature than this and I need to talk more with Max, preferably without getting us into another argument. A few hours of work is just what I need to clear my head. I have to make Max trust me with whatever it is he’s hiding and I need to figure out a way to apologize for blowing up at him too…

Liz barely managed to button the last button on her uniform before Maria grabbed her wrist and dragged her downstairs, where her dad kept his promise and didn’t interrogate her about whatever it was she’d been doing.

Max’s POV

“…that’s how he was able to heal you,” Max heard Isabel explain quietly to Alex as he finally reentered Tess and Nasedo’s house.

“Th-That’s just…I mean, you’re and they? No, I…” Alex’s voice was shaky and Max didn’t have to look at him to know that he was freaking out. The tall teen’s eyes were darting around the room and he jumped a bit when his gaze locked into Max’s.

Evidently, on some level he’d felt the connection forming during the healing, and unlike when Max had healed Liz, he wasn’t soothed at all.

“Well, it’s late and I gotta go home; my parents must be worried sick and…” Alex trailed off and without looking at any of them, especially the frozen Isabel, kneeling in front of him, he left the Harding’s house as though he was being threatened on his life.

Max licked his dry lips and looked down at his sister. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he could feel something other than his own sadness and despair over his situation with his once in another life spouse. An almost crushing wave of compassion flew over him as he watched the immobile Isabel silently suffer.

After a few minutes, Max walked over to Isabel and without a word, he just took her in his arms and offered his strength to lean on. ‘It’s gonna be okay, Iz’ he thought out to her and caressed her long hair gently; ‘everything is going to be better tomorrow’.

A shadow loomed over them and Max tensed and looked up, ready for anything, only to slightly deflate when he met Michael’ stony eyes.

Max didn’t get a chance to say anything before Michael, in a completely uncharacteristic move, sat down behind Isabel and embraced her as well, copying Max’s silent approach. The contact seemed to be the last straw for Isabel, because she started to shake and her eyes teared up and she let herself cry.

‘He’s never looked at me like that before’, Isabel thought out to them after several minutes of quiet sobbing. ‘It was like he was afraid of me and he’s never looked at me with fear before, not even in our last life’.

Michael tightened his grip on Isabel and Max heard his response as clearly as had he spoken it out loud. ‘It’s a lot to take in any day. Cut him some slack, he was almost…you know killed, by the girl he crushes on. We have to remember that he’s sixteen, they’re all sixteen.’

Max couldn’t help but feel that it was a not so subtle hint for him about Liz and he sighed into his sister’s soft hair. Suddenly, Isabel chuckled and the sound warmed Max’s heart. ‘What?’ he asked and pulled back to meet her red rimmed eyes with a raised brow.

‘I just can’t get used to Michael being the most mature one of us right now.’ Isabel replied with a small smile in Michael’s direction.

Michael grunted and shrugged with mock nonchalance. ‘You’re telling me; I still can’t get over the fact that right now, I’m the one with the most stable relationship; and I married Maria, remember?’

They all let out a small huff of laughter, it was almost painful to Max, like he’d all but forgotten how to have fun these days.

“Okay, I know we all need to talk about what happened,” Tess’ voice interrupted the trio’s small moment of peace, “but I have to say, you’re creeping me out a little bit.”

Max’s mood changed immediately, and he quickly got to his feet; not feeling secure with having to look up at his enemy. A quick glance around the room, told him that Nasedo was still absent and he settled all his attention back on Tess.

Tess paled, but stood her ground. Her attempt of looking like she wasn’t the least bit scared was slightly marred by the fact that she was involuntarily biting her lip. Max didn’t speak, waited to hear her jump into numerous excuses. To his surprise, Tess didn’t behave as he’d expected. Instead, she straightened up and met his eyes head on for, perhaps the first time ever in this timeline.

“I know I messed up and because of me, someone almost got killed and I’m sorry. I think I acted prematurely on some levels. I’m still not convinced that your aversion to my abilities is healthy in the long run, because they’re useful and all that, but…” Tess looked down; it was like Max’s eyes were too hard for her to look into for too long. “But all of you have to understand where I’m coming from too. I grew up with Nasedo as my only confidante. He’s never actually been fond of humans and I’ve always been alone, whereas you three always had each other. Then I came here and found to my surprise that I kindda liked a few humans and my life here and I guess I was scared out of my mind to lose it because you seem to want to share your secret with all the humans you meet.”

There was a beat of silence, before Tess added quietly, with a regretful look at Isabel, “but I never intended for anyone to get hurt. Hell, I don’t even know how Alex knew where to find you in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“Are you gonna undo the mindwarp on Kyle?” To Max’s mild surprise, it was Michael that asked the question as he gracefully stood back up, holding out a hand to Isabel as she did the same.

Tess glanced at Max and he knew the answer before she even said anything. “I-I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Why? You already saw what it’s done to your relationship with us! I can’t believe-“ Tess held up her hands in a placating manner, stopping Michael’s rage for the moment.

“It’s not a matter of not wanting to do it anymore, Michael.” Her eyes sought out Isabel and she continued softly, “but I can’t. I don’t know how yet. It’s never come up before. I can’t undo what I did, even if I wanted to.”

“And you don’t want to…not really,” Max spoke up, trying to stay calm as on top of his own emotions, he was attacked by Liz’s anger and uncertainty from the inside, tempting him to lose his temper.

Tess sighed and ran a hand through her messy curls. “I don’t know to be honest. I was scared that Kyle knowing about us would make him hate me. For some reason, I seemed to have connected more with him than any other human. I even considered using my powers on Liz because she was such a great friend, but then I realized she already knew about us and you’re all attached to her too.”

“And had your powers even touched Liz, I would’ve known,” Max informed Tess, fighting off the desire to show the woman he’d married in another world just what he’d do if she ever dared truly thinking about using her mindwarp on Liz. “And then make no mistake, I would’ve killed you.” He finished off his warning, ignoring the way the blood rapidly vanished from Tess’ already pale face as she replied quietly.

“I’m beginning to see that you three aren’t normal high school students even with the alien DNA thing. You’re way more ruthless than I could ever be.”

Max quickly met Michael’s eyes, when Isabel suddenly burst out into a shaky laugh. “You have no idea, Tess. Come on guys, we need to head home now. I’m tired.”

Max nodded and waited till Michael had led Isabel out the front door before turning back to Tess. “We want to include you, but pull another stunt like this again and you won’t only have Isabel to deal with. And remember this,” Max placed his hand almost tenderly on Tess’ shaking shoulder. “We’re the ones giving orders, not your guardian; don’t let his twisted viewpoint on humanity kill what’s left of yours. See you tomorrow…”

0o0o0
When the alarm started ringing early next morning, Max sat up and quickly silenced the damned thing. He felt an unusual warmth next to him and looked over at Isabel with a sad smile as the memories of the day before assaulted his mind.

Isabel was pale, and her cheeks were blotchy. It was easy to see that even despite the calm façade she’d shown to Tess before leaving her house had cracked the moment she’d gotten home and been able to think about everything that had happened without distractions.

Max looked at his sister with a small smile still etched on his lips as he recalled how she’d snuck into his room in the middle of the night like she used to do when they were little and had first arrived at the Evans’ house. I have to somehow talk to Alex and make him understand that what happened yesterday was not a normal thing; if he starts avoiding Isabel now, she’ll break down completely. Living long enough to come back here and make sure he survives so they can be together has been what’s kept her sane for so long

A hint of worry started bubbling in Max’s stomach as he kept staring at a still sleeping Isabel. Or so he thought anyway.

“Would you please not look at me like I’m one of the exhibits at the UFO center, Max?” Her voice was rough, but solid and he knew she wanted to act like everything was fine, so he simply nodded and got up, grabbed some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom to get ready for a new day.

A while later the two hybrids went to pick up Michael, who was still living in the trailer, until Mr. Evans could get him emancipated and free to find an apartment on his own.

Max nodded seriously in greeting when he met Michael’s gaze for a second before it travelled over to a silent, but apparently coping Isabel. Michael jumped in the back and started talking about random stuff in a manner that Maria had done so many times before in the original timeline.

Max was only listening with a half ear; now that Michael was able to distract Isabel a bit, he had a chance to focus on his own predicament for a minute or two. Liz’s anger had faded into annoyance by the time that Max had gone to bed, but he knew that her quest for answers was nowhere near finished. A part of him actually wanted to just come out and tell her everything, but realistically, Max knew that no sixteen year old would be able to handle what he had to say, no matter how mature said teenager was.

“…flyer for that camping thing in Frazier Wood with the Dads’.” Michael’s words brought Max back to the present and he glanced over at Isabel, who was smiling softly to herself.

“Wait,” Max held up a hand, bringing the other two’s attention to him, “should we still go? I mean, this time we don’t have to look into any alleged crash, because Nasedo is already here and doesn’t have any need to send us signals of his arrival. The sheriff isn’t as fanatic as he was last time, at least that we know of, and…” he didn’t know what else to say.

Surprisingly it was Isabel that continued, “I think we should go. It was a good bonding moment for all of us back then. Maybe it’ll work again; I mean, let’s face it, aside from Michael, none of us are having much luck in getting back together with our loved ones.”

“Again,” Michael said with a smirk plastered on his face, “let me point out how that is not what I expected either.”

Max sent him a small grin and they didn’t speak again until they exited the car in the school’s parking lot. Isabel was fiddling with a strap on her book bag as she said with determination lighting up her face. “I for one think the Father’s day weekend is a great idea to maintain. And this time, we’re bringing Michael.”

“What?” Michael objected halfheartedly, “my foster dad is at rehab, I think that pretty much disqualifies me. Sorry.” The fake sincerity pretty much dripped from every word.

“Maria was with the Parkers, so she’ll most likely be there this time too,” Max pointed out, sharing a knowing look with his sister, when Michael’s objections immediately seemed to stop.

They agreed to go on the trip this time around, hoping to mend some fences – or in the case of Isabel and Alex, at least stop the teenager from losing his mind out of fear.

Later that day, Max ran into Liz as she was coming out of the restroom, mostly due to the fact that he’d been standing in wait just to see her after he’d felt her presence through their shared connection. To his shock, and instant irritation, he saw that Tess was with Liz. His eyes darted over Liz’s figure, making damn sure that she was okay. Aside from looking like she was having the mother of all colds, Liz looked just as perfect as ever. Except from the small glare she sent him when she noticed his wandering eyes.

“This is the ladies room, Max,” she said with a cool tone in her voice. To Max’s relief, Liz’s anger wasn’t hiding the small spike of desire, affection and surprisingly something that felt like guilt that rose inside of her the moment their eyes linked.

“I know,” Max said quietly, “I was…” his eyes landed on the silent hybrid and he grabbed the first excuse he could think of, “looking for Tess.”

The skeptical look Tess sent him managed to make Max feel like the teenager he looked like for the first time since arriving in this new and old world. “Me? Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” was all Max could force out as he simultaneously struggled with not letting his keen embarrassment through the bond to Liz. Judging from the small smile on her lips, he wasn’t doing as well as he’d hoped. An idea popped into his head and he turned to Tess again. “Yes, Isabel was wondering if you were coming to the camping thing in Frazier Woods with your...uhm, Dad.”

“You’re going?” Liz interjected before Tess could much more than stand with her mouth open in surprise over his absurd question. “I mean…you’re going?”

“Yeah,” Max replied, trying to act like he didn’t understand her confusion. “I love to camp. So, Tess,” he redirected his attention on the blonde, who still hadn’t moved a muscle, “are you and Na- Mr. Harding going?”

“I’m not sure,” Tess answered slowly, and Max knew why she was looking so dubious. Just the day before, they’d all showed up at her house, basically trying to hurt her as painfully as possible and now here he was pretty much asking her to join them on a camping trip, with Nasedo; an alien that had never hidden his dislike for humans.

What am I doing? Max asked himself, knowing the recipe for disaster he was cooking up. Nasedo’s never going to act normal around any of them…and I can’t put Liz or the rest in jeopardy; I might have ordered him to behave, but I know he’s not going to be nice about it – especially to Liz and Maria

“I’d actually love it if you went,” Liz spoke and interrupted Max’s internal bashing of himself. He instantly straightened up with a frown, still not used to dealing with a Liz that didn’t all but foam at the mouth whenever Tess came up in the conversation.

Those beautiful brown eyes that he loved so much glanced up at Max and he swallowed down his initial domineering response of forbidding her to interact with Tess, reminding himself firmly that for one thing Liz had never really liked him ordering her around and also, the friendship growing between the two women was proof of their whole time travelling plan working.

Liz turned her attention back to Tess with a beaming smile, “my dad is sort of guilting me into going and I already planned on bribing Maria into going later, but it’ll be nice to have another girl there. And Isabel too of course,” here Liz shot Max another oddly knowing look.

“I’ll talk to him,” Tess promised and then looked extremely grateful for the bell ringing and interrupting the very surreal conversation a second later. Liz sent Max a secretive smile before she too followed Tess to her next class.

The moment that Max could no longer see Liz, he turned around and made his way to the teacher’s lounge, so he could give Nasedo a few words of warning, just in case that Liz was present when Tess asked him about that stupid camping trip.

A few minutes later, Max arrived at his destination and knocked on the door once. He quickly entered without waiting for a response and let his eyes wander around the not very crowded room with an alertness that came from always having to spot anything unusual with one look in a very heated war.

It was the usual mix of idealistic teachers that were talking animatedly to each other about their wonderful students, comparing ways to engage them further. There was the normal middle-aged group of tired teachers, huddled together in the corner, looking like they didn’t know whether to weep over the fact that the day wasn’t over yet or just put their heads in their arms and sleep until they could go home.

Then of course there were two other people that sat by themselves in the small couch area by the windows. Spotting Nasedo, Max sighed inwardly and walked towards him. Next to the alien, who was in his Mr. Harding body at the moment, sat Kathleen Topolsky and the time since she’d discovered their secret and been abducted so violently by Nasedo had not been good to her.

She was paler than ever, with dark circles under her eyes that not even makeup had any hope of hiding. Her hair was clean, but lacked any of its usual shine and her eyes. Well, she looked both extremely shocked and tired at the same time and Max had seen the look often enough in his lifetimes to recognize a person on the edge and he felt a wave of sympathy for the woman that, although her objective had been less than good to Max and his family, had only been doing her job.

“Hello Mr. Evans,” Nasedo spotted him first and Max stopped once he was just out of reach; old habits died hard apparently. “What may I help you with this fine day?”

Topolsky’s blue-grey eyes turned to Max and she looked at him with something akin to both fear and gratitude. “H-hello Max,” she whispered and quickly turned her attention back on the cup of coffee in her hands.

Max’s respect for the F.B.I. agent heightened a fraction when he noticed that despite her obvious anxiousness, she wasn’t trembling. After the last few battle filled years in his original timeline, Max had grown to respect the people that didn’t break easily under pressure.

He nodded once at her and looked back at Nasedo. “I wanted to talk to you about something, alone,” he added once Nasedo reached out to lift Topolsky up from her seat to follow them to a more private location.

“I can’t do that,” Nasedo disagreed, looking around to check for unwanted ears, “she’s not been completely broken in yet, so I can’t trust her alone in these quarters. I can only leave her alone when she’s at her apartment because I’ve taken liberties in assuring that she can’t contact her boss there and-“

“Leave the poor woman alone,” Max’s temper rose when he spotted the slight flinch that Topolsky couldn’t quite repress, “I trust her and she won’t reveal anything. We’ll be right back, Miss Topolsky.”

Max pointed at the door and waited for Nasedo to walk towards it and then turned back to the once again frozen agent. “I promise you that I did not know he was so adamant in his surveillance of you. I’ll make sure you get your freedom back.”

“What if I run to my superiors with everything I know?” Topolsky muttered, not making eye contact as her eyes remained trained on Nasedo’s disappearing form. “You can’t trust me.”

“I know,” Max answered honestly, “I’m not entirely stupid, but I’m not as inhuman as your dear Mr. Pierce seems to think so either. Relax Kathleen; I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

And with that Max reached out and planted a hand gently on Topolsky’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly before following his much too independent protector. He pretended he didn’t hear the confused woman’s words of, “you shouldn’t trust me, Max…but thank you.”

Michael’s POV

The entire time since he’d walked away from Maria in that hallway to go to Tess’ house, Michael had fought his instincts to keep away from her. Her tumult emotions had been ramming into him so heavily all night that he had barely gotten one hour’s decent sleep combined.

So, of course his first order of business the second he exited Max’s jeep, was to go find Maria.

The blond was talking animatedly with Liz in whispered tones when Michael finally laid eyes on her again, feeling his battered soul calm down as he was once more within reach of her. He stopped his approach when he recognized the signs in front of him; she was deeply engrossed in something her future self had referred to as, “best friend duties,” completely devoted to whatever it was that Liz was muttering to her.

Finally it seemed as though Liz had nothing else to say and just as Michael was about to walk over to the two young women, Tess walked by Liz and was seemingly roped into the conversation by the tenacious brunette.

Okay, when the hell did they become friends? Michael’s confusion bled through the bond and within seconds, Maria looked up and locked eyes with him. Raising a brow at his no doubt slightly scowling expression, Maria excused herself from Liz and Tess and walked over to him.

Michael usually devoted all his energy on watching his love being…well, alive, but he couldn’t help but watch Liz and Tess out of the corner of his eye. Over the years, Liz and he had developed a close friendship and she’d talked to him about Tess and the betrayal a few times, something she still didn’t do much whenever Max was around. He in turn managed to tell her things about his fears of losing Maria, of not winning the war and their friendship had blossomed.

Michael truly loved Liz as the sister he never had, so there was a big part of him that wanted to go after her, when she started walking away with Tess trailing her, looking slightly confused and yet happy about the contact at the same time.

It was the look in Tess’ eyes that stopped him, maybe she had a point about being lonely all those years, Michael pondered briefly, trying to see past his old hatred for the fellow hybrid, and he could feel the fresh anger at her actions towards Kyle dim, if only just a little bit. I was alone too in a way with Hank and feeling like a complete screw up compared to Max and Isabel, but I was saved from my loneliness when Max healed Liz and introduced all the humans in our lives…Would I have turned out as prejudiced if Liz hadn’t been shot? The thought scared him and he repressed a small shudder at the mere thought of never having bothered to see beneath the obvious and get to know Maria or the rest of his friends for that matter.

“Hey Spaceboy,” Maria’s voice interrupted Michael’s ponderings and he looked down at her, already smiling a little at the mere sight of her healthy and unharmed. “Are you finally ready to fill me in on the whole debacle that was yesterday?”

Running a hand through his messy hair, Michael sighed. “That depends.”

Maria crossed her arms and struck a pose that clearly stated that he better spill everything, “that depends on what, Guerin?”

“On whether or not you’ll accept that there are certain things that I can’t tell you.” Michael answered, hating that he just couldn’t tell her everything, but also knowing that it was impossible.

“Can’t or won’t?” Maria didn’t back down and Michael had to stop himself from smiling again.

“Both. So, what’s it gonna be?”

“Fine,” Maria lifted her hands with a shrug, running a hand through her hair, mimicking Michael’s earlier movement. “But I swear if you don’t tell me why I had to calm my otherwise extremely calm and collected best friend down from a tantrum yesterday, then I won’t be held responsible for what happens to you.”

The bell rang before Michael had a chance to respond, so he just nodded mutely and took Maria’s hand gently in his. “Let’s skip first period and I’ll try to avoid too many secrets.”

The feel of Maria’s warm hand soothed Michael’s still edgy feelings, and he let out a small sigh of genuine happiness when he felt her squeeze his hand softly.

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the eraser room and Michael quickly narrated that there had been an issue with Tess that had had to be resolved as quickly as possible.

“…and then Liz showed up, looking ready to kill and Max talked to her and that’s all I know.” Michael finished his tale and leaned back against the wall exhaling deeply and hoping that his (hopefully) future wife would just accept the story and move on.

Maria sat down gingerly next to him, looking troubled. “Well, I promised not to ask questions and all that…but why are you having issues with Tess? I mean, aside from this weird wibe every now and again, she’s pretty cool. Liz seems to think so too, she’s taken her under her wing.”

“Well,” damn it was hard to keep things hidden, “she was raised differently and that’s pretty much the main reason. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, Maria.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, before Michael continued quietly, “for what it’s worth, I wish I could tell you everything.”

Maria smiled softly and then she surprised him by putting her head on his shoulder and taking his hand in her lap, covering it with her own. “I know, Spaceboy, I know.”

0o0o0

After he’d enjoyed a small moment of peace with the love of his life, Michael decided to tackle the second obstacle he’d promised himself to handle that day.

Alex.

He found the gangly teen in his last class of the day, sitting in his usual seat that was next to Michael’s.

When Michael entered the classroom, Alex’s eyes darted from him to the seat and then back again. It was clear as day that the human did not look forward to being in close proximity with him.

Well, tough, Michael thought and prepared to calm the obviously still freaked Alex down. A few more steps and then Michael was sitting next to Alex, trying to act cool.

“Hey Whitman,” he greeted with a friendly smile, and skillfully ignoring the small cringe that Alex gave in reply, “got a sec after class?”

“W-well, I’m…You and…I…busy,” Alex managed to squeak forth before the teacher arrived and interrupted Michael’s attempt at conversation.

The class went by agonizingly slow, and when the bell rang, Alex was out the chair and halfway out the door before Michael had even straightened out from his bored slouch.

Michael quickly followed and then laughed inwardly when he spotted the gym teacher standing right in front of Alex with a huge bunch of colored flyers in his hand. Michael heard the teacher exclaim something about failing if he didn’t pass enough out and decided to butt in, seeing a chance to get Alex alone.

“I’ll help you, Alex. With two pairs of hands it won’t take long; we can’t have you flunking, now can we? Thanks Coach,” Michael grabbed half of the flyers and placed them unceremoniously in Alex’s trembling hands and then led him over to a more secluded spot, carrying his own half of flyers.

“I’m not gonna be scared into doing anything,” Alex hissed as soon as Michael released him. The fierce look in Alex’s eyes reminded Michael that, although soft by nature, there was a courageous man inside Alex that had stood side by side with them through everything until his much too untimely death.

“Relax Dude,” Michael sighed, “I’m not out to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”

It was like he’d spoken magic words because in the next instant, Alex completely stopped moving. “I completely get why you’re freaking out; going through what you did and then discovering the truth about our background is nothing to laugh at, I know.”

Alex held up a hand, “I’m not gonna tell anyone, so you can stop hassling me; besides, it’s not like I’d be able to tell anyone, is it? No one would believe me.”

“Liz and Maria would,” Michael couldn’t help but smirk as he watched Alex piece things together quickly.

That’s what they were hiding…But…”Alex stopped, looking confused and still a bit dazed about everything.

“Liz found out when Max healed her when she was shot and Maria discovered soon after that. So you’re not alone, Alex,” Michael tried to make his voice as gentle as he could, as though speaking to a wild animal. “Isabel is devastated about what happened, Alex. It was an accident, I swear.”

“It didn’t look like an accident when she was aiming for the new girl,” Alex pointed out, his hand trailing the place where he’d been wounded unconsciously. “In fact I’d put a lot of money on the fact that she wasn’t accidentally trying to hurt that girl.”

“That’s a whole different and much more complicated story,” Michael said and smiled sadly, “Trust me when I say it’ll make what you learned yesterday seem like nothing in comparison. Now,” clapping his hands together, trying to lighten the mood, Michael changed the subject, “let’s go hand out some flyers, shall we?”

To his surprise, Alex actually nodded and followed him down the hall, handing out papers to whoever happened to pass him by. At one point Michael saw Alex head in the direction of Liz and Maria, who were walking down the hall and he just knew that the three humans had some stuff to talk through, so he sighed and decided to go look for Isabel.

I just hope I got through to him, or else I don’t know what we’ll do…Michael tried to ignore the foreboding feeling he got at the very thought of Isabel’s response to an Alex that feared her forever, and started looking for Isabel.

Topolsky’s POV

Kathleen was sitting quietly in her small office, looking out the window without really seeing anything. It was odd, almost frightening in a way to be sitting alone in the little room. She hadn’t actually been truly alone since Nasedo had taken her and tried to kill her so ruthlessly.

The memory of the way the poison in her veins had paralyzed her body, but not her brain threatened to overcome her, and the walls suddenly seemed like they were closing in on her.

She jumped to her feet, gasping, and hurried over to the window, opening it enough so that the illusion of being squashed slowly ebbed out of her. A few minutes later, Kathleen had regained her senses and she walked back to her desk.

An half an hour later, she still hadn’t moved and she frowned. Why haven’t I picked up the damned phone and called Pierce? He needs to know, that’s what I came here for and now I know everything. We should protect the country from them

Unbidden, a picture of Max standing in the desert, growling with anger at the sight of what had been done to her, came to her and she sighed heavily. “I can get in touch with Pierce before anyone can do anything about it…I should contact him and give him my statement…Max is stupid for believing in me; I warned him…”

The clock on the wall ticked merrily on and still Kathleen didn’t move.

TBC…

Next Time On The Antarian Timetravellers: Frazier Woods and Kyle – Need I say more?
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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 16.CH. 1/7/11

Post by maipigen »

A/N So I'm finally back and with a pretty long chapter too, if I do say so myself:D I just wanted to re-thank everyone for reading and actually nominating my little story, I did not see that one coming, let me tell you.
And big thanks to the following for also taking the time to comment, it makes my day to read your thoughts!

jojotheorange: Glad I made your weekend!
keepsmiling7: Dont' be too afraid of Liz's and Tess' friendship, it might help things in the long run:)
Earth2Mama: The gang do manage a little downtime for like a second, so you almost got your wish heh.
nibbles2: I'm glad you liked my take on Alex; I do strive to do something that's not done too often, after all:)
Timelord31: Sorry for the massive wait:)
MaryMary: lol, my name's not Peter:D But I'm glad you liked the chapter! And Pierce isn't completely out of the picture fyi...
Rowedog: lol, you're the reason I caught on to the male name thingie hehe. I like your theories...won't say if they're correct or not though, but still, I like them :)
Begonia9508: Alex's freaked out enough already, them telling him about what happened in the other timeline would probably send him running for the nearest barricaded mental hospital heh:D
cjsl8ne: I keep being amazed at your comments, glad that I'm not alienating you by going the Tess isn't completely vile route ( I was sorely tempted though hehe).
Mt. Gazer: Oh Sweetie, I don't care you're behind with your comments, as long as they're so awesome as the one you gave for ch. 15;D As for Kyle's black eye, he got it from Johnny earlier in the fight in the com. lab, remember? Max hasn't healed him so it does take him longer to overcome the bruising. So, nothing came over with him in the dream...yet (you'll understand soon enough). As for my lack of comments on your story, I'm sorry: I'll get to it eventually, I promise!
Jake17: Oh, girl. I sent you a PM, didn't I to your comment, otherwise all my blatant groveling will take up too much space here hehe. Thanks Carrie and I sincerely hope you'll like this chapter as well!
AvalonRose: Welcome on board, I'm so happy I managed to catch your interest:D

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Liz's POV

"You do it."

"Nope."

"Come on, please. You're so much better at this kind of thing."

"Oh really? Calming down people is my forte because I freak out a lot? Thank you so much. Now, it's definitely not gonna be me."

"Maria!" Liz practically whined, but the determined set of her best friend's jaw told her it was no use. "I didn't mean it like that, it's just that you're way better at handling him then I am."

Maria rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms to point a finger accusingly at her, "Be that as it may, Parker, but I am still mad at you for somehow managing to get me to do this stupid weekend in the first place, so you should be the one getting Alex to come too. Not me. Besides, it was your idea."

Liz sighed and pointed out with a small smile, "I paid you an agreed upon amount of money and I'll do some of your homework too, so you're not exactly being dragged on this weekend, you know…"

"That's completely beside the point," Maria copied Liz's smile and straightened up. "The point is, that you thought that Alex wasn't completely okay with the knowledge of our Czechoslovakian friends when we talked to him at school and you got the oh so brilliant idea to convince him to come with us to the frigging woods to clear the air with said Czechoslovakians, where we'll all end up in a circle singing Kumbaya or something like that if things go according to your plan. Right?"

Liz bit her lip, "Yeah that pretty much sums everything up."

"Good," Maria yawned so widely, her jaw creaked ominously, "then pull yourself together and start ringing the doorbell. I still can't believe you got me up so early just for this, so let's not waste it. Go on."

Grinning sheepishly, Liz took a deep breath in preparation for what would no doubt be a fierce battle. At the same time, her mind wandered to the reason why she'd come up with this unusual plan in the first place.

At school when he'd marched up to them with a mixture between a scowl and a betrayed look on his tired face, Liz had tried, along with Maria, to explain to Alex that the teenage aliens in their lives weren't really so bad. Then the obviously frightened Alex had proceeded to inform them just how wrong they were, according to him. The thought of Isabel being deadly didn't surprise anyone much, especially Maria, who'd spewed something about Queen Amidala yet again, but the knowledge of what they were all capable of and just how close Alex had been to death, did mute their attempts at talking for a little while.

Of course, Alex had taken the opportunity to sneak away, leaving both Liz and Maria in a shocked daze. When they'd tried looking for their lanky friend, he was gone and no matter how much they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. After that, Liz and to a lesser degree, Maria had taken to calling his house once an hour to get him to talk, with no luck.

So now the two young girls were standing outside of the Whitman's residence at the crack of dawn, fully intending on dragging Alex, and his father, with them to Frazier Woods so they could clear the air with the Czechoslovakians.

And then, Liz thought to herself as she squared her shoulders and finally rang the doorbell, maybe I'll get a chance to get Max alone and talk to him. I still owe him an apology for blowing up in his face after all.

It wasn't Alex who opened the door after a few long moments, why that surprised her, Liz didn't know, but she smiled awkwardly at the small, but plumb robe wearing form that was Alex's mother.

"Hi Mrs. Whitman," Liz greeted before the older woman could do anything other than raise a brow in confused questioning. "Is Alex up? We kind of need to talk to him…Oh and Mr. Whitman too, if that's all right?"

Five minutes later, found them all gathered in the cozy kitchen, where Mrs. Whitman fluttered about in her quest to make some breakfast. Mr. Whitman was nursing a cup of coffee, looking just as dog-tired and eager for bed as Maria, who was sitting beside him, did. And Alex was sitting quietly in front of Liz, his eyes told her that he knew she was up to something and that he wasn't about to make it easy for her.

Well tough luck, Liz thought, getting ready for her plan to start fully, I'm getting you out of the house whether you like it or not.

Thus started the biggest act in Liz's life, helped generously along by Maria; within three minutes, Liz had pointed out all the times their friendship had meant the world to her, how many times they'd stood united against injustices in the world and how his unwillingness to share a wonderful weekend with his two best friends was slowly killing her with disappointment. After five minutes, Liz pulled out the big guns and started in on the fact that time was running out for them to just be children; how their time with their parents as guides were ebbing out before life as college students and more would get in the way, and wouldn't it just be a great way to repay their fathers to spend some quality time with them before it was too late? Ten minutes after Liz had pulled out the "parents aren't around forever card," Mr. Whitman was looking deeply saddened, his sorrow only heightened when Maria softly, and with big soulful eyes mentioned what she wouldn't give to have a dad to spend some time with.

Alex was looking decidedly uncomfortable; having obviously already figured out what Liz was up to. What sealed the deal completely though wasn't anything Liz or Maria had planned. No, Liz looked on in satisfied surprise, as the softhearted Mrs. Whitman turned around with tears trailing down her cheeks and embraced Maria tightly, before ordering her husband to go out and buy some sleeping bags as quickly as possible so they wouldn't be late for the trip.

Liz shared a look with Alex, who, like her, was ignoring the sputtering from Maria as his mother very nearly choked the life out of her in sympathy. Well played, his almost amused eyes said silently and Liz smirked, knowing that she had just pulled off something pretty brilliant.

Isabel's POV

Isabel was sitting quietly in her father's car as they drove to the school where they'd all take a bus to the camping site in Frazier woods. Max was nodding sporadically to make their dad believe they were all in fact listening and just as psyched up for this upcoming weekend as he was. And Michael was sitting next to Isabel glaring at the scenery, looking very much like the teenager he portrayed.

A few minutes later, they arrived and all of them exited the vehicle and followed Philip Evans to the trunk to help carry their equipment. Philip's friendly face practically beamed with delight and Isabel felt a pinch of guilt for how not enthusiastic she and her brother had been the first time around.

This was the last time we ever did anything with Dad before our lives became so messed up, Isabel realized with a soft sigh as she took the dreadfully pink sleeping bag that Max handed to her. No matter how this weekend will go with Alex and the others, I have to spend some time with Dad to make him happy. He's my dad after all and I've missed him just as much as all the others we came back for

"Sweetie," Philip's voice interrupted Isabel's thoughts and she turned to him, matching his still huge smile with a little, but heartfelt, effort. "I can't tell you how much it means to me to see you two joining in like this. And Michael too, of course."

Isabel shared a reminiscing glance with Max as the memory of the first time Philip Evans had said that washed over her. Then she said with a fond tone in her voice, "That's us Dad, we're joiners now. Right guys?"

Max nodded and none too discreetly nudged Michael's ribs, who grunted out an agreement as well. It was obvious that his attention was on the yellow bus, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maria.

Philip grinned, his intelligent eyes probably noticing more than he led on, and he started making conversation with some of the other Dads' that were standing patiently in wait to enter the bus. Suddenly, Isabel spotted Alex and her heart skipped a beat.

He came, I can't believe that despite everything he still came, Isabel thought, remembering how spontaneous Alex's participation been the last time around, because of his feelings for her.

Before she even realized she was doing it, Isabel was on the move. She reached Mr. Whitman with a beaming smile on her face, pretending not to hurt inside when Alex quickly edged away from her and she felt a spike of fear from him.

"Hi Alex, I'm so happy you came. I didn't think you would."

Mr. Whitman briefly wore an expression that looked a lot like the one Alex used to wear whenever Isabel smiled at him before he apparently remembered that Isabel had spoken to them and broke into a chuckling laugh. "Well, actually Alex isn't exactly here of his own free will."

Isabel's eyes went to Alex's filled with curiosity, but once more, he was actively not looking anywhere near her, so Mr. Whitman quickly explained before the silence grew too awkward, "The credit for our participation all goes to Liz and Maria." Mr. Whitman grinned, hoisting a brand new sleeping bag out of the trunk of his car with a bit of difficulty, "Alex's been a bit moody these last few days and I figured he was fighting with his friends, because Liz and Maria kept calling him until finally they showed up early this morning and well," the older man, whose gangly nature had been passed on to his only child, looked a bit embarrassed as he finished his story, "here we are. We Whitman men have never been able to deny pretty girls anything. Isn't that right, Son?"

Alex shrugged and still didn't really say anything and Isabel knew that she had to do something before she lost him.

"So, did you talk with Liz and Maria? Did they," Isabel glanced over at Mr. Whitman, whose attention was now focused on one of the other dads. "Explain things? I mean, it must be easier to get the story from them since you share the same species."

Alex's eyes snapped to hers and Isabel winced, "Too soon?"

"They're checking the names now," he eventually said, shifting his eyes away from hers yet again as he started making his way over to the waiting bus where people were forming lines.

The sight of his quickly retreating back almost broke Isabel, but she wasn't known for her icy personality for no reason. She blinked away the excess moisture in her eyes and decided then and there that no matter how scared Alex was of them, of her; she was definitely going to change his mind. After all, Maria's fears were just as bad as his and she ended up being one of my closest friends

Nodding to herself, Isabel all but skipped over to the bus and when her name was called she held up a hand and said with a cute, dimpled smile to the man holding the clipboard, "I'll be right in; I just need to fix my hair before the long ride; you know how it is, it can get really frilly and…" seeing the visibly disinterested look that she was aiming for, Isabel waited patiently, like a lion stalking her prey, for Alex's name to be called. She completely ignored Max's raised eyebrow at her shenanigans, her loss of dignity was not as important as her plans.

The moment, Alex stepped into the bus, Isabel used her, for once blessed, height to shove people out of the way and get inside the vehicle just after him. Fortunately, Alex was so focused on getting a seat that he didn't notice her and guess her plan. He sat down in an empty seat by the window in the back of the bus and before he could get a chance to do much of anything, Isabel slid in next to him with a big, cheerful smile on her face.

"Well, isn't this nice? We're gonna have such a great time together, Alex. I just love this kind of stuff, although I hope the weather stays okay because I haven't packed much to be honest. I can't wait till we get there and I heard from some of the others that we light fires and chit chat all night. I think that's awesome. Don't you?" Isabel practically chirped, using her dumb blonde tone of voice, making sure to trap Alex's attention when she twirled some of her hair seductively around her finger.

Operation: "Remind Alex That Isabel Is Also Human," had commenced.

Maria's POV

Maria's mood was very mixed at the time they reached the woods. She still hadn't quite forgiven Liz's quick thinking to get her to attend. Although, I have to say that Michael's participation is an unexpected bonus. Maria smiled to herself and watched the animated look in Michael's eyes as he tried keeping a conversation going.

Liz wasn't talking much, and it had never exactly been his words that characterized Michael, so it could have gone better.

Although, Maria pondered as she looked between her best friend and the guy that she lo- cared deeply about, he never looks at her with that broody glare he used to give us all before the shooting. Now that I think about it, he kindda looks like he cares about Liz.

The thought sent a rush of pure dread through Maria's very being and she quickly forced herself to feel contentment to prevent Michael from realizing she was going through something. Is he into Liz too? If I have to compete with her, I doubt I'll win. She's everything I'm not; smart, brunette, smart and I wish I had her skin tone

As though Michael knew what was going through her head, he turned his head slightly and looked at her with so much emotion that she couldn't deny that she was acting pretty crazy. All the small moments they'd shared lately cemented that belief and she breathed a sigh of relief.

To stop her mind from coming up with even worse theories, Maria looked around the crowded bus and her eyes landed briefly on Isabel and Alex. The latter was looking almost more uncomfortable than he'd done when Liz had turned his parents against him earlier that morning. Isabel was acting decidedly un-Isabel like and Maria frowned. I have to keep an eye on those two. If she hurts him, I'll just go scrounge up some kind of Czechoslovakian Kryptonite and then I'll whoop her shapely behind so hard that-

"Maria?"

Liz's voice interrupted Maria's scheming and she looked over at Liz. "What?"

"Michael asked you a question?" Liz's tone was amused and Maria had a feeling that the brunette knew exactly what she'd been doing. Instead of saying anything to Liz, Maria turned her full attention on Michael with a sincere smile on her lips.

"I just asked you how you got roped into coming to this thing?" Michael repeated, mimicking Maria's smile, something that made him even more attractive in the young blonde's opinion.

"Oh, it's a long and devious tale filled with guilt, bribes and promises of premade math homework." Maria grinned when Michael's laugh boomed out in the bus; she really liked his laugh. It was warm and throaty as if he rarely used it.

"I see," he shook his head after a few seconds and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up a little. In that moment, the morning light shone through the windows and illuminated Michael in a way that made Maria struggle for breath for a second, she could feel something stir within her; something that was rather primal and embarrassing in a bus filled with strangers and more importantly friends.

In a hastened attempt to make sure that no one, and in particular Michael, realized what was going on, Maria leaned forward a bit and asked, "so what about you, Spaceboy? How'd you get roped into this whole thing?"

To Maria's immense surprise, Michael actually flushed. A trail of red went from his throat to his cheeks and for some reason; Maria absolutely loved the sight of a sheepish Michael.

"Well," the object of her thoughts replied with a shrug, "I didn't want to go at first to be honest. But then I changed my mind, got to know a bit more details."

Maria's curiosity squelched her desire and she probed further, "what kind of details?"

The look Michael then sent her, made Maria's heart skip a beat and this time it was her fighting off a blush unsuccessfully as he answered quietly, "I found out that you'd be there too, so how could I not come?"

Max's POV

Max sat silently and observed his sister's actions, while also keeping an eye out for what Liz was doing. Currently, she was sitting in the front next to Maria, who was chatting intimately with a soft smiling Michael.

The memory of the original trip to Frazier Woods kept popping up and Max grimaced as he reluctantly tore his eyes away from Liz's smiling profile. I guess this trip always takes place when Liz and I are going through difficult times. I have to find a way to make her see that all my secrets doesn't matter; only our love does

A spike of brief concern ran into him from Liz's side of the bond and Max immediately looked back over at her. But she wasn't looking at him, instead her face was turned away in much the same manner his was just seconds before.

Before Max really got a chance to wonder what was going through his soul mate's head, he noticed Sheriff Valenti looking at him with a familiar look in his eyes. It was a look that Max hadn't seen since he'd saved Kyle in the original timeline, a look of pure suspicion.

Max pretended to be confused and raised his eyebrows slightly; it worked perfectly. The sheriff looked away and dove into a quick conversation with Jeff Parker, who was sitting in the seat in front of him. I thought he wasn't after us this time around, Max thought, hating that seemingly no matter what he did, he just couldn't help but relive certain aspects of his former life, I need to keep an eye out. I won't tell Iz or Michael before I have more concrete proof of Jim sniffing around. It'll just scare them and we have enough problems as it is.

Max ignored that sensible part of him that pointed out, rather forcefully that he was once again trying to do everything himself and that he had promised himself and those he loved to stop before he ended up doing something stupid to escape the burdens. Like sleeping with and impregnating Tess.

The mere thought sent an itchy shiver down Max's spine. Well that's not gonna happen again, he thought with a sigh and leaned his head back to rest a bit. But none the less, I should listen to my conscience for once and tell the others about Jim as soon as this weekend is over. I have to stop trying to keep everything on my own shoulders. Isabel and Michael have seen just as much as me and are perfectly capable of shouldering things too.

Max rolled his shoulders to get the rising tension out of his body, and silently rejoiced in the fact that Tess and her "father" wouldn't be joining them in Frazier Woods due to some sudden family emergency. It was a relief to the hybrid king, although he felt a pinch of pity for Kathleen Topolsky, who was now left behind with Nasedo as her only company.

So deep into his own thoughts was he that Max didn't notice at first when the bus started slowing down. Only when it came to an abrupt halt like busses were prone to do, did he blink out of his mind and noticed the change in scenery.

A lot could be said about the first time he'd lived through the camping weekend in Frazier Woods, but for the first time Max was mature enough to take in the beauty of the lush green surroundings; the sounds of birds chirping and the usual ruffle of sounds that came from such places. After spending years on the run and then even more years engaged in battle, Max could appreciate the serenity that was an old forest full of uncomplicated life.

"Come on, Son," Philip's voice roused him before Max's mind conjured up too many images of the deadly fights he'd been through and he sent a grateful smile to his father, who was acting like a kid in his eagerness to get outside and just have some fun.

Unbeknownst to him, Max mirrored his sister's earlier promise of setting more time aside to spend with not only his father, but his mother as well; especially her since a part of him never really had forgiven himself for being the one to end her life in the original timeline.

The memory of that wasn't exactly something that Max thought about if he could avoid it, so he quickly hoisted his bag over his shoulder and followed the others outside.

0o0o0

A little later, Max put the finishing touch on raising the tent he was going to share with Michael and looked around.

Isabel had also just finished with the tent she was going to share with their dad and was already on the move towards Alex and his dad, who was standing around awkwardly, both staring at the evidently just purchased tent in their hands with identical looks of bewilderment and slight worry.

Max swallowed a smile, hoping that Isabel's take charge attitude would shake Alex out of his fear and remind him that she was still the girl he'd been in love with basically all his life.

A muttered curse interrupted Max's subtle surveillance of his sister's backhanded wooing and he quickly looked around where he spotted Kyle with one of his fingers in his mouth, scowling at the half-raised tent in front of him. Sheriff Valenti wasn't helping, instead he was chatting amiably with Jeff Parker yet again.

Taking a deep breath, Max made his way over to Kyle. "Need a hand? None of mine are bleeding," he added with a small twitch of his lips, hoping that Kyle would understand the joke. Luckily, Kyle's irritation over the tent situation was bigger than his old annoyance with Max's general presence, so he nodded.

"Yeah, thanks, Man. I don't know what's gotten into me; I'm usually not this clumsy. I just have a killer headache; haven't been drinking enough water today." He explained further when Max's brows furrowed a bit.

It didn't take Max long before the tent was up and ready to be used. Kyle nodded his thanks once more and went inside the tent with his bag, looking for all the world like he just wanted to sleep. He'd been surprisingly civil towards Max despite having been mindwarped to forget that he wasn't actually an active part of the 'I hate Max Evans'-club anymore.

It is nice to see that his mind hasn't completely reverted to Jock again; Max thought as he stretched out his back and continued looking around to see if anyone else needed a helping hand. Not too far away from where he was standing, Max saw Michael adeptly helping Maria and Liz with their tent.

After all the nights they'd spent in the wild, Max, Michael and Isabel were practically experts in the field of camping, so it was not really a surprise to Max that they'd been the first ones done.

"Max, come on over here for a sec," Max heard his dad yell from across the small clearing where he was standing with Jeff and Sheriff Valenti. Every instinct in Max told him to act casual, doing his damndest to act his supposed age and not like the man who'd led a war.

"What's up?" Max very nearly cringed at the croaky attempt of speech, but he played it off and waited for his dad to answer his question.

It wasn't Philip that replied though, it was Sheriff Valenti, "Hey, Son. I just wanted to thank you for helping my boy out. It was mighty nice of you, but I'm sure I can manage the rest from now on. It's a father's day weekend, after all so I've gotta have something to do."

Only Max recognized the subtle warning in the older man's voice as the other men chuckled merrily at Valenti's alleged joke. Max hated the way the sheriff's eyes were cold and without any warmth at all like he'd been used to once upon a time. There was a big part within Max that wanted to just embrace the man that had become a father figure and close friend, but he knew that Jim would either shoot him or have him committed for mental problems if he acted on that impulse.

The memory of the last time he'd seen Jim Valenti alive rose without warning inside of him and Max quickly excused himself to find a private place to battle his demons. A few minutes later, hidden safely away from view, Max allowed the memory to surface completely, knowing that it would be better to just let it play out.

It had been an early winter's morning, the sun had barely settled on the cloudy sky before word had reached their temporary camp that some of Khivar's men were approaching fast.

Max had been more dead than alive at that time after a run in with Khivar himself just a few days earlier, so he hadn't been able to stop Jim from lending a hand. "You can't take them on," Max had whispered, desperately trying to force a few more drops of his own healing power into his wounds, ignoring Liz's and Isabel's disapproving looks with an ease that came from practice, "you're only human. It isn't your fight, Jim. Wait for Michael; he's gonna be here soon…"

Jim's eyes had crinkled up in a soft smile as he'd crouched in front of Max. "Ah, but Son, don't you get it? There's people out there trying to kill you; that makes it my fight. Michael's group won't arrive until it's too late and you and yours are too worn out to do anything other than get yourselves killed."

"If you go out there alone, you're the one getting killed," Liz had protested quietly from behind Max, but Jim had simply smiled sadly in reply.

"If one can't die for their family, what can they die for? Just," he'd stopped for a second before placing his hand on Max's shoulder and squeezing it firmly, briefly letting his true feelings of fear and grief shine through his weary eyes, "…just tell my boy I love him, okay? Don't let him mourn his old man too much."

Max hadn't had any intentions of letting Jim run out to protect them, to give the rest of them time to escape, but the next thing he knew, Jim had pressed his fingers on a certain point on Max's neck and forced him to pass out. The last thing Max had heard before darkness claimed him had been Jim apologizing. When he'd woken up several hours later, they'd escaped their pursuers and Jim was dead.

The anguish of that memory cursed through his veins like liquid fire; it was something that he, like the circumstances of his mother's death, had never really processed. Get yourself together Man, Max tried heroically to fight off the pain of his past, but the more he fought it, the harder it became to not succumb to the misery swirling inside of him.

The feeling of a small, warm hand on his cheek brought him slightly down to earth and Max opened his eyes, knowing without question who it was that was trying to ground him in reality.

"Max," Liz's brown eyes were filled with concern, but her voice was calm and soothing; her touch sending a much different fire through his being. "Just breathe, okay? You're having some kind of a panic attack; just breathe through it and everything's gonna be fine, I promise. Do it with me; in and out. Come on, you can do it."

Max took a quivering breath, slowly beating the demonic memories down with the help of the one person in the world he couldn't live without. And exhaled loudly, expelling his fears and his stupid chaotic thoughts, trying to reach some semblance of normality again.

It took a little while before the sense fully returned to Max and when he finally managed to put the lid on his mind for the time being, he realized he was standing with his forehead resting on Liz's with her hands on his cheeks. He blinked, feeling himself flush a bit in embarrassment, but she smiled so sweetly up at him that he knew that she didn't think less of him despite his obvious issues.

"Are you back now?" asked Liz almost in a murmur and Max nodded mutely, too engrossed in the moment to risk ruining it by speaking. But the quiet moment between them was inevitably ruined a bit a second later, when Liz suddenly scrunched up her face and quickly turned her head sideways to sneeze loudly. Twice.

Immediately, Max's worries for her overshadowed any he had for his own woes and he quickly reversed their positions, placing his big hands on her face, checking to see if her temperature was elevated.

"Max, don't," Liz laughed hoarsely and batted his hands away, "I'm fine. It's just a stupid cold. I've got some pills in my tent so I'll be fine."

"Okay, but…uhm, if you need any relief of the Czechoslovakian kind, please let me know," Max glanced around, noticing that Michael was standing just out of hearing range with Maria at his side. Apparently, he too had felt the pain that Max was reliving and had come to help; only to be beaten by Liz.

Liz smiled and discreetly wiped her runny nose with a paper towel from her pocket while she seemingly thought that Max was distracted by looking over at Michael, who sent him a relieved look and walked away with Maria trailing him.

"I'm sort of happy to see that you're still willing to talk to me actually," Liz's soft-spoken words brought Max's full attention back on her and she bit her lip nervously before continuing, "I know I haven't exactly been a good friend to you lately, Max. I pushed you to tell me all your secrets, not respecting the fact that they're your personal business. I'm sorry I overreacted."

"It's okay," Max smiled, enjoying the flash of genuine happiness in Liz's eyes. Then he downright grinned when her face transformed into a fake serious mask and she spoke again.

"Of course, I still wanna know everything. So when you're ready to talk, and won't feel pushed about it, come find me. I'm usually at school or at this little diner where I wear this green uniform."

"Really?" For Max, the mischievous banter was a breath of fresh air, reminding him of the good times he'd had with Liz, instead of all the bad things for once. "So I can just stroll right on in and recognize you?"

"Yep, just look for the tiny brunette wearing antennas and fighting off alien obsessed tourists."

Liz's eyes twinkled beautifully at him, lifting his spirit more than anything else could've done, and before he knew it, Max had leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her soft lips. She looked slightly dazed when he pulled back a few seconds later. "When I do decide to talk about everything, I'll definitely seek you out."

When Liz still didn't lose her glazed look, Max smiled smugly, feeling younger than he'd felt in years and started making his way back to the campsite. He'd only walked a few steps when he felt Liz's hand grab his and weave her smaller fingers in with his like it belonged there.

Which, Max surmised, practically beaming as they came out into the clearing to the others, isn't that far from the truth now that I think about it.

Kyle's POV

The chatter around him was grating on his last nerves. Kyle took a sip of his water, knowing that a headache could be lessened by drinking plenty of fluids.

Ever since he'd woken up, Kyle had been assaulted by painful jabs in his skull and he was getting pretty sick of it. It was stealing all of his energy; he didn't even have the energy to scowl at Max Evans as he helped him out with his tent. But then again, Kyle amended only to himself, none of my friends are here so I don't have to act like a complete asshole, which is good 'cause I seriously doubt I have the strength to do it in the first place.

All of them had hiked around a bit during the day, playing some games that the organizers of the camping event had planned and now they were all just sitting around and relaxing before going to their tents to sleep.

Smiling wryly at his somewhat sour mood, Kyle let his eyes wander around the campfire. His dad was playing cards with Mr. Parker and Mr. Whitman and some other dads that he didn't really know by name. Michael Guerin was sitting next to Max Evans and the two guys' eyes were locked on Maria and Liz, who were deeply involved in some kind of girly talk that Kyle wasn't the least bit interested in listening in on.

Alex suddenly walked by him, looking like he was feeling just as bad as Kyle was. The young jock watched the tall teen disappear quietly when Isabel suddenly blocked his view of everything. It looked like she'd been following Alex, but apparently Kyle looked worse off, because she unceremoniously planted a hand on his forehead and asked if he was feeling okay.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Kyle muttered and withdrew his face from her touch. Surprisingly enough, it looked as if his abrupt movement had hurt her feelings, but Kyle was simply too exhausted to care much at the moment. Instead, he resumed his looking around and once more, his eyes landed on Liz. His heart gave a small lurch at the sight of her and he sighed, knowing that she would never see him as anything other than her friend, Kyle. It didn't hurt as much as it used to, but he'd never really like it.

"Kyle, you should go lie down, you don't look so good," Isabel hadn't left yet, so Kyle looked up at her with a frown.

"You should go after the geek; he seems worse off than me."

"Alex isn't a geek," Isabel immediately defended the no longer present boy and Kyle smirked.

"Whatever, Isabel. I'm gonna go play some cards with my old man, so don't worry about me. Bye," and with that, Kyle simply stood up and walked over to his father. Again, he ignored that part of him that seemed to almost quail at the idea of speaking so harshly to Isabel, and sat down to join the card game.

It's not like we're even friends, he told himself, massaging his temples as the throbbing suddenly increased momentarily. We just hang in the same crowd and that's it

He played a few rounds, losing spectacularly, before he excused himself to go to bed. His headache hadn't disappeared at all, and all he really wanted was some sleep.

It only took him a few minutes to get ready for bed and as soon as his head hit his small travel pillow, Kyle was dead to the world.

0o0o0

It was a combination of his father's deep snore and a spike of pain that woke him up some time later. Kyle tried his best to overcome the aches in his head, but it was a battle he was doomed to lose.

After a few minutes of restless shifting around and muted groans, Kyle decided that some fresh air would do him some good. He slipped out of the tent as soundlessly as he could and started trotting deeper into the woods where he could make as much noise as he wanted to without waking anyone up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyle spotted Liz's lithe form as she returned from what was no doubt a bathroom break, and he hurried into the shadows to avoid being seen.

The fast movements cost him and Kyle bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed, as he tried to keep the pained moan from escaping as he watched Liz walk away from him. A small part of him worried that he was really hurt and that his plan for solace might not be the best idea he ever had, but he overrode it and continued on for about half a mile, before the pain suddenly changed.

The pounding in his head was building, the pain was crushing him from the inside, making him worry briefly if his eyes would pop out of his head before the pure agony distracted his thought process with a vengeful flash of pain.

Images of things that he didn't understand started pouring through his aching mind, and he finally stopped struggling for balance and landed on his knees in the soft grass with a groan of despair.

In the distance he could hear voices calling his name, with increasing desperation, but he couldn't process it enough to actually alert them to his presence.

A more insistent voice that sounded suspiciously like his own came through louder than anything else, "Damn human of him. Of course, he's the reason I got shot in the first place, but what the hell. No conditions are permanent. No conditions are reliable. Nothing is self…Look, what's going on here is really scary. If I don't lighten the mood, I might loose it…Oh, I've got no symptoms yet. You know, Max healed me a year after he healed you… We took you into our home, Tess. We protected you. And how did you repay us? You brainwashed me into carrying Alex's dead body! ... "We're surrounded! You have to leave me here…"… "I just died for you Woman, what else can I do?"

"Aargh!" Kyle's hands were in his hair, tearing out the strains painfully, trying to absorb everything, but it was too much, too many things just kept coming and finally everything turned into blissful darkness where no pain could follow him.

Isabel's POV

Isabel was supposed to share her tent with her dad, but after the exhausting, and unsatisfying day that she'd just had; Isabel felt like she needed to spend time with her brother, so she when she couldn't fall asleep, she woke up her dad and quickly convinced the groggy man to let her spend the night in Max and Michael's tent, reminding him that Michael was more of a brother to her than anything else.

Maybe he could see how much I just want to talk to Max, Isabel wondered as she silently made her way to her brother's tent. A few seconds later, she stuck her head into the tent and wasn't surprised at all when both Max and Michael were sitting up and looking at her alertly. None of us has quite learned to sleep peacefully yet, Isabel thought with an inwardly sigh.

"Can I sleep-" she started to say, but Michael nodded and Max moved to the side, making room for her. She thanked them and slipped inside. She hadn't brought her sleeping bag, but one quick swipe over Max's discarded sweater transformed it into a new one and she wiggled her way into it with a small sigh.

After a few beats of comfortable silence, Isabel looked over at her brother. "I could feel that you almost lost your control today; is everything okay?"

Max nodded with an almost ashamed smile on his face that turned serious once he took in the defeated look in her eyes. "Did he come around at all?" he asked quietly and Michael leaned closer, no doubt eager for her answer.

"I don't know. Maybe. I kept up the dumb blonde routine for a while, but he didn't seem to like that part of me any better than the alien one." Isabel felt Michael's hand on her back, offering her his support and she continued, "He actually got mad at me a little, saying that I didn't need to pretend around him and stalked off. When I found him a little later, he just asked me to give him some time to process everything and that he still cared about me. So, honestly, guys; I don't know what to think right now."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Michael was the first to speak after a few moments of heavy silence. "That dude's been crazy about you since grade school and no amount of," here the normally so stoic hybrid actually snorted, "Czechoslovakian" involvement will be able to keep him away."

Isabel smiled in the dark, hoping with everything in her that he was right. Suddenly, Max tensed next to her and that unavoidably made her and Michael equally as watchful.

The tent was quickly lit up with a little help from Isabel, who quickly vacated her sleeping bag; next to her Michael was clenching his fists ominously and Max's face was halfway through his transformation to that dark part of him that none of them liked.

Then, a second later, Isabel felt him relax minutely and he whispered Liz's name and they sighed in relief. It was a short lived relief though, because Liz fumbled with the zipper a few times and cursed, like she was feeling scared, before she managed to stick her head inside of the tent.

Unlike Isabel it clearly surprised her that they were all awake and waiting. "Oh, uhm. Hi, sorry to interrupt but…" she trailed off hesitantly and bit her lip.

Isabel felt Max's hand on her arm and heard his mental voice in her head, 'she's worried about something; I can feel her fear.'

How Isabel had missed that was beyond her, the worry lines on Liz's face stood out especially in the artificial light that Isabel was still subconsciously maintaining. "What's wrong, Liz?" she asked when it didn't seem like the brunette intended to reveal just what she was doing there in the middle of the night.

Isabel was glad to see that despite all the roadblocks that Max and Liz's relationship had suffered since coming back in time, Liz's big doe eyes were firmly locked with Max's, as though she drew some kind of silent strength just from his very presence.

Liz bit her lips and finally answered Isabel's question after a second more of staring at Max. "I-I don't know if I'm overreacting or just seeing things, but…" Liz stopped for a second and then spoke again, making Isabel's insides twist in fear that no doubt matched that of the boys next to her. "I think something's wrong with Kyle."

What happened next could only be described as an explosion of activity.

The trio of time traveling hybrids flew out of the tent; Max calmed Liz and somehow managed to get her to return to her own tent, it was probably made easier due to the fact that Liz clearly wasn't feeling all that well. Michael started tracking Kyle through the forest, using every bit of practice that he'd gotten from their last life. Max walked beside him and was busy plucking leaves from trees and transforming them into bandages, prepared for anything. And Isabel walked right behind them, covering their backs. It was an old habit from their time in the war, but right now neither of them was interested in breaking it. Their only concern was finding Kyle.

As they half walked and half ran through the forest, calling out their human friend's name, Isabel's mind was conjuring all kinds of horrifying things and she feared what they'd find. Please don't let anything happen to him, she prayed silently, looking around frantically, but thoroughly. I can't bear to lose my best friend again; once was more than enough!

"There!" Max's voice rang out clearly in the night half an hour later, and Isabel immediately ran in the direction he was pointing, safety precautions be damned.

The sight of Kyle's immobile body lying on the ground brought back memories that the Princess hybrid had hoped fervently never to relive. Before she knew it, she was on the ground next to him, reaching out a shaking hand to his unmoving body.

"K-Kyle?" his name was whispered almost inaudibly, but he didn't respond. Isabel felt her brother and Michael arrive, kneeling down around Kyle.

"What happened?" Michael's voice was gruff and one quick look, told Isabel that he was scanning the perimeters alertly, making sure, however improbable, that Kyle hadn't been attacked.

"He's still warm, his pulse is a bit fast, but normal otherwise," Max answered, quickly making all their hearts calm down a little. "I think he's just passed out for some reason…Maybe he just, I don't know sleepwalked out here? He's been very quiet tonight."

Isabel and Michael gave Max a shared look of disbelief and Isabel was about to say something not too nice, when Kyle spoke up and changed everything she thought she knew.

"Yeah, well, maybe, you're an idiot, Max." Sitting up, the teen continued, looking them over with a weird glint in his eyes that was borderline befuddlement. "And what the hell just happened? Did some of Khivar's boys learn to mindwarp, because from where I'm sitting, you're all looking very young all of the sudden…?"

TBC…
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maipigen
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. 17.CH. 2/16/11

Post by maipigen »

Before I get started I wanna thank everyone that has taken the time to review and also those of you congratulating me for my wins, it means the world to me!
begonia9508: You won't get that many answers about Kyle in this chapter, but eventually I'll give a (hopefully) valid reason for his "return".
moomim: Thank you:D I hope you'll like the next parts as well despite the lack of Dreamer
nibbles2: congratulations right back at ya! Well deserved!!! Glad you liked the last chapter and were kept guessing as to what the fudge went on with Kyle:D No answers this time around though, so you'll be kept waiting a little more, sorry;)
Earth2Mama: lol, I love confounding you and all the others for some reason. Your comments made me laugh:D You're on the right track and that's all I'm sayin'. And yeah Michael really is ga-ga, but then again so are the others.
keepsmiling7: So happy you're still enjoying my not so little tale! Thanks!
Timelord31: Thanks! :D
mary mary: Apology accepted hehe, any time I'm mistaken for a very good writer, is okay with me! As for Kyle, it's gonna be a mystery for a little while yet I'm afraid. Although they all know a lot, they're not alknowing:D
Roswellian117: sorry about the massive wait, I hope this long awaited update won't dissapoint!
emerald123: Welcome aboard, I don't think I've seen you around before:D And I'm happy that you like my little changes:D
AvalonRose: Yup, Kyle's the "old" Kyle now, but I'm afraid I've put him on the backburner in this chapter despite the evil cliffie of the last chapter. Sorry:) I know I'm evil...
cjsl8ne: Again I love your always well thought out comments both here and on ff net, you always pick up things that I want to be picked up and especially the thing about Jim:) I hope this update won't dissapoint since you've waited eons for it lol.
Carrie: Thanks for both the congrats and the review:D I fear that I'm the one that must apologize next, 'cause despite my love for Beautiful Disaster I haven't been keeping up, too busy, but I will return and give the growelling praise that it's due! Now I'm so happy you liked my Dreamer moment. I can only hope I can live up to your expectation about keeping true to the characters - there are a lot to keep track of after all:D
Mt. Gazer: SORRY! I know i'm an epic failure with both writing, reading and commenting. I am happy though that you're still with me, Rhonda, thanks for the kind words:D And your reviews are starting to put mine to shame, you know:) And fyi, I wrote Mrs. Whitman for you lol. Couldn't resist.




A/N Uhm...hi...Not dead:) That's about all I can say about this epic wait I've made you suffer through. Without boring you with the gruesome details, just trust me on the fact that I wasn't in the mood to write. At all. Now, since it's been a long time since I last updated, I've put in a small summary of the last chapter for you to help you remember. This chapter will set up the scene for the next one that will be a lot more violent in nature. Once you've read this, I think you'll understand why. Now please enjoy and again, sorry for the wait!


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Last time on TATT: Liz and Maria bullied Alex into joining them for the Father's Day Camping Weekend in Frazier Woods. The time travelling trio decided to participate as well. Isabel tried her hardest to get Alex to stop being scared around her. Kyle started having a mysterious headache and dissapeared into the wood in the middle of the night. The hybrids found him and were shellshocked to realize that the human teenager suddenly seemed to remember things about the original timeline...


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Unbetaed as usual. If there's any big mistakes, please point them out and I'll have them corrected as soon as possible.


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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Michael's POV

Floored couldn't even begin to describe the sensation flowing through Michael's body. For the first time since he could remember, all of Michael's attention was on the person in front of him and not halfway reached out to the surroundings to check for intruders.

"Whoa," the exclamation left his lips after the silence had stretched on a little too long and no one had spoken yet. Kyle's narrowed eyes left the frozen Isabel with clear reluctance and they trailed over to meet Michael's.

"'Whoa' is definitely the right word here," Kyle agreed, flexing his muscles, "I better be dreaming. I better be dreaming that you all look like teenagers. Someone tell me that I'm fucking dreaming; this is too bizarre, even for us."

Kyle got to his feet, when no one answered him, and then his next words sent a rush of sympathy through Michael, "This is not what I thought happened after one's death. Buddhism isn't supposed to go like this; it doesn't send you back to your old crappy life!"

"You know that-" Isabel's voice cracked and Michael watched sadly as Max quickly walked over and placed an arm around her shoulders, lending her some of his silent strength.

Kyle bit his lip for a second, looking a little guilty all of the sudden, before he sighed and finished Isabel's question. "Do I know that I died? Yeah, actually I do. It's becoming clearer by the second what happened. Every last bit, and I wish I didn't remember anything. Now, please tell me that I'm just lying on that floor, completely blown to pieces by my own doing and imagining this as I travel to better places or my next life or whatever. This is just too much for me right now."

"Somehow," Max's voice was both full of genuine sadness and delight at the same time and Michael couldn't blame him, because he felt exactly the same way. "You're back in your own body the year you turned sixteen. Like us."

"What do you mean?" Kyle stood straighter, adopting the pose of a much older individual; it briefly made Michael wonder if this was what the other humans in their lives saw whenever Michael and the others' mask slipped occasionally. If so, it's no wonder they're all a lot more questioning around us this time around; it doesn't look natural

"I mean," Max sighed, getting Michael back to the present with a small internal jolt, "that we traveled back in time, ending up in our own bodies at the time and well…" Max's smiled a bit apologetically, "it's all really technical and only Serena and Liz ever really got the full grasp of things concerning the Granolith."

Michael immediately wanted to slap Max, when Kyle's face turned pale and he apparently seemed to realize for the first time just what being in the past meant for him. "L-Liz? Serena? Are they here too?"

"We're currently sixteen, so Serena's not, but the rest of them are there." Isabel answered softly, her teary eyes never leaving Kyle's.

Kyle stood immobile for a long second, before Michael finally decided to actually speak as well. "We're in Frazier Woods right now – Your dad's here too. Still think it's bad to be back in your crappy old life?"

If Michael hadn't already been through hell, and a marriage to a dramatic Maria, the glare Kyle sent his way would've probably made him wilt, but instead, Michael simply smirked and pointed behind him. "He's there with the other fathers and Liz, Maria, and Alex."

Kyle gasped and sat down on the ground with a bump; his face clearly told all of them that he was at his limit. "I can't even remember the last time I actually thought about Alex," he whispered, after a long silence.

Michael knew what he meant, their lives had changed so drastically after they'd escaped during their graduation and when death, torture and plain desperation had slowly taken over their lives, the death of their first human friend and ally had just been one of many fatalities.

"It's weird at first," Michael said, when once again no one seemed to know what to say, "but I promise you that it's not a bad thing to be back here. We'll go back later, but first, I hate to be the one to ruin the mood, but, we need to come up with some damn good reasons for your change; the way you are now is nothing like the kid that came to this forest today."

Max nodded, and Kyle grabbed a firm hold of the hand that Michael reached down to him and let himself be pulled back to his feet.

Isabel wasn't moving with them and it was only then that Michael noticed that the air around her simmered with a pungent heat and he bit back a curse. It was no secret that Max was the strongest one of them all, but Isabel's powers were not without dangers, and she, like the rest of them, had a tendency to lose control of things once her emotions became too volatile. And judging from the way Isabel's brown eyes remained fixated on Kyle, and the almost invisible quiver of her lower lip, she was understandably very emotional.

Michael could see the moment Kyle realized what was going on, because he stopped moving and stared right back at her, no doubt remembering the times that any one of them had lost their precious control, "Iz," he started to say softly before Max took a step towards Isabel, muttering repeatedly for her to breathe deeply.

Michael could feel the oppressing force emanating from Isabel and walked over to stand protectively in front of the now panting Kyle, ready to jump into action if need be, because he just knew that Kyle's own powers hadn't travelled with him, or else he'd have used them by now.

Only Michael never got a chance to do much of anything before they all heard rapid footsteps approaching and suddenly a lone figure very inelegantly tumbled out into the small, moonlit clearing and this time Michael couldn't stop himself from muttering a harsh expletive.

Alex's POV

Alex wasn't able to sleep. He tossed and turned several times, trying to get more comfortable, but no matter how he tried, his sleep eluded him. It didn't particularly help matters that his father was snoring so loud that Alex briefly wondered if the tiny tent's structure could handle the vibrations.

With a heavy sigh, Alex sat up, running a hand through his ruffled hair. It had been some very weird couple of days and his entire worldview had shifted right along with it all. Alex bit his lip when, not for the first time, his almost photographic memory brought up Isabel's beautiful face twisted with hate and murderous intent. As always, when the memory popped up, Alex quickly attempted to think of something else before it could proceed on to the thing that really scared him.

The pain from Isabel's blow had been excruciating, the feeling of his own warm blood gushing out of him, still made him break out into cold sweats. He'd felt an odd chill creep through his bones and his sight had dimmed quickly as he struggled for air that just wouldn't come. He'd heard noises around him, but he simply had no strength left to open his eyes. Then Max Evans' deep voice had insisted that he do just that and after that things had gotten even crazier.

Alex shook his head, attempting to shed the memory like a snake shed its skin. I can't keep doing this to myself, he thought, there's things going on beneath the surface that I have no part in; Michael said so himself. I know logically that Isabel never meant to hurt me, I know that, but whenever she's around me, I can't stop remembering the way she looked just before her powers struck me down

Sighing once more, Alex finally decided to go outside for a bit of fresh air. He grabbed his new parka, slipped it on and quietly exited the tent, although he knew from past experience that nothing short of a natural disaster would wake his dad.

The starry night cast a beautiful glow over the clearing that was filled with other tents. Aside from various snoring, it was quiet. Almost eerily so and Alex shrugged off the peculiar feeling running through him. He'd been walking a few minutes in the edge of the clearing, making sure not to wander too much, because he knew very well what kind of sense of direction he possessed, when something happened.

In a flash, Alex was bowled over, gagging harshly into the cold ground, gripping lumps of grass frantically in his clenched hands. It felt as though waves upon waves of foreign emotions rammed into him with a crushing blow that had him in its grip as if he was nothing more than a tiny leaf flowing in the air in the middle of a storm.

Fear, anger, guilt, love, crushing hope and overwhelming despair were the ones that Alex felt the most and as he lay gasping, he tried to remember what Liz and Maria had said about the bond between them and their non human friends.

As was the norm, Liz had been the calm one as she tried to explain the situation, while Maria had stood next to her, twisting her hands and muttering briefly about getting some oil to relax them all. "I can safely say, Alex," Liz had begun without preamble, "that I completely understand your unwillingness to accept what is happening inside of you. I had very big difficulties with the whole connection to another person just sprouting into life from one day to the next. What you have to remember is that it's not just a one-way street. What you feel, she feels and it can be tremendously soothing."

Maria had nodded and then said when Alex's face had remained dubious, "Believe it or not, I'm actually not freaked about the bond I now share with Spa…Michael. In fact, I think it's nice to know that there's someone out there able to connect with me like that. Okay," Maria had smiled briefly, sharing a knowing glance with Liz before continuing, "I'll admit, I wasn't that good at handling it initially, but, now that I'm used to it, I don't think I could just cut it off, like Liz did."

"Wait, what?" Alex's insides had filled with cautious hope at the thought of perhaps killing the link that he somehow had with the girl that had almost killed him.

Liz had sent Maria a withering glare, before taking a deep breath and piercing Alex with her big russet eyes; it had been clear as day that was she was about to say was very serious.

"I will not recommend it; in fact, I'll even beg you to not ever consider it. Trust me in nothing else but this, it is not the right solution. I reacted poorly and I was stupid and self-centered when I made that call and it nearly broke me when I found out how much my refusal had hurt Max. I understand your reservations like no other, but please, don't even suggest that she close the bond between the two of you. It'll only be that much more horrible when you inevitably re-open it. I know, Alex. I also know that she'll do it to make you happy, no matter how much it'll cost her in the end. Just…" Liz had looked almost desperate as she attempted to make him understand. "Just try and breathe deeply and send calm back if things ever get to be too much for you; that's the best way for both of you, I swear."

The memory of his two best friends' quiet intensity about the mental connection between him and Isabel ran through Alex's confused mind in a split second and he tried to do as Liz had suggested; growing more and more desperate to alleviate some of the paralyzing emotions running through him without his own free will.

Breathe in, Alex thought and drew in a shaky breath, while trying to think about happier times. Unbidden, the memory of that night where an obviously shaken Isabel had showed up on his doorstep, came to him, and Alex exhaled deeply, recalling with a portion of his mind how concerned he'd been for her and how much he'd wanted to help her.

When he let himself focus on that memory of having Isabel in his arms, clinging to him like he was her lifeline, Alex finally started to lose a little bit of his fear and as that happened, he could feel how his growing calm oozed out of him and as a result the viciously pouring emotions from Isabel dimmed just a bit and slowly transformed into something else; something a little more healthy to his system.

'This can't be happening…Oh my God!'

The words seeped into Alex's mind, like a broken whisper and he recognized it as being Isabel's voice. But never had he heard so much agony in anyone's voice, and it was in that moment that all of his fears and doubts evaporated and Alex wanted nothing more than locate Isabel and help her. Because there was no doubt in his mind, Isabel needed him.

Before he was even aware of it, Alex was up and on the move. Running through the darkened forest with only the barest of moonlight to guide him, the lanky teen never once stopped to wonder how it was that he never hesitated in the dark, how it was possible that he knew without a shadow of a doubt just where Isabel was.

Finally, Alex could see movement ahead and only a few seconds later, he came to an abrupt stop, completely confused at what he was seeing.

Michael was standing in front of a panting Kyle, who looked ill and nauseous, while Max was trying to get Isabel to breathe, her coffee eyes widened almost comically as they stared intensely at Kyle.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked, keeping Isabel within his eyesight the whole time; he had a sudden urge to grab her and just walk away until she once again resembled the girl that had tried so hard to get under his skin during the bus ride to the forest.

The reaction to his unexpected arrival was imminent. If Kyle had looked ill before, it paled in comparison to how his entire face turned pale at the sight of him standing there. Michael and Max looked nothing short of frantic, a look that Alex had never seen before on either of the notoriously stoic guys. Isabel didn't seem to notice his arrival at all, her eyes still fixated on Kyle.

"A-Alex?" Kyle's voice seemed off somehow, but Alex didn't care too much about the jock at the moment; instead he was quickly being overwhelmed by the flood of emotions running out of Isabel and into him. She was so heartbroken and yet indisputably happy and confused at the same time that it nearly knocked him off his feet.

"I-Isabel," Alex whispered her name, feeling like the air was being squeezed out of him for some reason. The blonde didn't react, still too engrossed in Kyle, whose eyes were now locked on Alex's face. It was making the lanky teenager very uncomfortable.

"Isabel!" He raised his voice a little and finally got a reaction out of her. Her entire body shuddered and her face turned a fraction in his direction. It wasn't much, but it was something and Alex walked closer, ignoring Michael's quiet cursing and Max's warning to stay back.

"Look at me, Isabel. You're freaking me out here. I just barely got over my stupid fears, so I'm not really keen on letting you pour fresh panic into me now. Come on, Isabel, look at me."

'I'm so sorry, but I just can't believe this is happening to me' Once again, Isabel's voice sounded crystal clear inside Alex's head and he couldn't quite stop himself from flinching.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he muttered, deciding rightfully so that whatever was going on was something alien related that he was better off not knowing the details. All he cared about at that point in time was getting Isabel over whatever it was that was affecting her so much. He had this weird feeling that he just might be the only one that could help her right now.

"Just breathe deeply and stop staring at Kyle so much." Alex forced a smile on his face, trying to lighten the mood, "I mean, I thought I was the guy you sort of liked, right?"

'I love you Alex, I wish you'd know that without any doubts' Isabel was still looking at the pale Kyle, as the words drifted into the teen's mind and he swallowed harshly. Suddenly, Alex's concern melted into a flare of happiness that he somehow sent back through the link he shared with the gorgeous girl.

With a start, Isabel finally broke the stare she had leveled on Kyle, only to fix her dark brown eyes on Alex. The teen straightened up, trying to hide his apprehension when Isabel suddenly launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him and planting her face in the nook of his neck.

Too distracted with the six foot woman in his arms, Alex barely noticed the odd pressure in the air return to normal. The woodland creatures came out of their hiding places and once again started making their nocturnal sounds, enveloping the four people in a much more peaceful quiet.

The moment was surprisingly serene and Alex couldn't help but hate himself a little for actually having feared the shivering female, who was latching on to him like he was her only hope of survival. I won't ever let this freak me out again, Alex promised himself inwardly, scary or not, Isabel is this wonderful person that I've been in love with since she showed up in school so many years ago

Isabel started a bit in his arms, and briefly, Alex feared that he'd spoken out loud, but then he heard her melodic voice in his head again, and this time he didn't feel afraid at all, 'I didn't know you'd cared about me for so long…So many years wasted…'

"It's okay," Alex whispered in Isabel's ear, not quite sure about his newfound ability to read and send thoughts to her, "you know now."

He could feel her smile at his neck, her warm breaths tickling his skin. "Yeah," she muttered back, "I do."

Alex had no clue how long he stood in the clearing with Isabel, but eventually, his eyes left her to travel towards the other guys, who hadn't said a word since Isabel had turned to him so fervently.

"Uhm, so should we go back to camp?" Alex looked over at her brother. Max was standing immobile next to Kyle, his eyes shifting between the amazingly still pale jock, to Isabel and him before quickly scanning the environment like he was keeping watch. It's like he's making sure we're not being surrounded for some reason, Alex realized, frowning a little to himself as his perceptive nature returned to him a bit from the wonderland, Isabel's confession had sent it into.

It was Michael, who answered his question a few moments later. "Probably should. Don't want the sheriff to wake up and find out his only kid's missing, do we?"

At the mention of Sheriff Valenti, Kyle reacted visibly with a flinch and his eyes widened impossibly. Is that tears in his eyes? Alex's mild frown turned deeper, but Isabel's grip tightened and retook his attention.

She spoke, her voice a bit muffled from its' secure place by Alex's neck. "I'll go with Alex in a few minutes. You go ahead. We'll talk soon, okay? About...About everything right, K-Kyle?" her voice faltering at the other human's name.

Kyle nodded his agreement and Michael took him by the arm to lead him back towards the campsite; he sent a quick, almost grateful look at Alex before swiftly leaving. At first, Max hesitated momentarily, but then sighed and disappeared silently as well.

Alex took a deep breath and tried to end the hug, but Isabel merely gripped on to him even tighter and whispered, her voice sounding a little desperate, "Not yet, Alex. Please. I just wanna stand here a little bit longer…"

Copying himself from an evening not too long ago, Alex placed his arms around the girl he was now sure he loved and said firmly, echoing the words from that night again, "It's okay; I'll just stand here with you for as long as you need it, Isabel. Take all the time you want, I'm not going anywhere."

The small sigh of relief that Alex felt from her, told him that he'd finally done the right thing and he smiled softly into her hair. I won't let you down again Isabel. I swear

Max's POV

A couple of days later, Max entered the school and expertly ignored the stares he knew was being sent his way. The reason for the stares was the teenager walking next to him, looking for all the world like he didn't give a crap about anything.

"I can't believe they're so bent outta shape about us hanging together," Kyle's voice was faintly amused and Max swallowed a smirk of his own, knowing just how he felt. "I mean, we hung out before in the other life of ours, admittedly it was over a longer adjustment period, but still. Us being friends shouldn't be such a shock to them."

"I think it's more the fact that you have completely ignored your other friends ever since Frazier Woods," Max said calmly, reaching his locker and started opening it. He knew it looked weird to anyone not in the know about what was going on.

The popular jock, Kyle Valenti suddenly attaching himself to the school's most reserved guy, Max Evans and shunning his former in-crowd of friends. It must have looked severely odd. But Max honestly didn't care. I'm just happy that I've got my old friend back, he thought, grabbing his books and shutting the locker again.

While Michael would always be his brother in all but blood, Max had found a very close friend in Kyle over the years and without saying it out loud, he knew that Kyle felt the same way about him. Or why else did he come to me that time with Isabel? Max asked himself as memories of the past assaulted him. With a tired sigh, Max shut the door in his mind that was eager to open and shove his past into the forefront of his mind.

"So, are you planning on sleeping at your own house tonight?"

Kyle's face turned grim and he glanced away. "Err, nah, you know. We've still got so much to talk about and I need to catch up to everything. Hell, I still need to beat my urges to not choke Tess whenever I see her."

Max nodded mutely, remembering exactly how much Tess' reappearance in their lives had shocked the somehow time jumping human; how much everything had shocked him.

When they'd all reached the campsite, Michael had pointed out the tent Kyle shared with his dad. Max's heart had ached with pity when Kyle's scared eyes had found his, trying to understand that his father wasn't dead anymore. That he was back in a time where the sheriff was suspicious and where the relationship they had was a mere shadow of the one they'd had in the original timeline.

Max had walked over to his shivering friend and started to say something comforting, only to stop when the sheriff suddenly started rustling and had opened the zipper in the tent and looked out at them with a distrustful glint in his steely eyes.

"Hi Boys," he'd greeted and Max had felt the jolt that went through Kyle's body as keenly as it had been his own at the sight of his currently living father. "It's a bit too late for a midnight stroll, ain't it?"

Within moments, Kyle had been told to go to bed and the tent firmly reclosed. Max had walked over to the silently waiting Michael with a mixed feeling. On one hand, his heart was both heavy at the new set of problems that would arise, but on the other hand, he could barely recall a time when he'd been so thrilled. Despite the problems it'd no doubt cause, his friend was back.

"How do we tell him about Tess?" Michael had asked bluntly when Max finally reached him. "He's bound to try and kill her before she gets a word in and he realizes that she's not the Tess we dealt with already."

Max had been about to say that he would tell him on the bus when the camping trip was over the next day, and there was so much other noise that Kyle's undoubtedly numerous curses would be easier to overhear, when he heard one such distinctive expletive coming from Kyle and his dad's tent.

Max had spun around, muscles tensing and his fingers already clenched for anything and out of the corner of his eyes, he'd seen Michael adopt his own instinctive battle stance. But seconds later, they had both straightened up to seem more natural when many of the other campers put their sleep ruffled heads out of their tents to witness a now furious Kyle Valenti stomp out of his tent and towards a completely surprised duo of time travelling hybrids.

"He's being an ass," Kyle had hissed, crossing his arms and sending one of the deadliest glares in his arsenal towards the curious onlookers. "Weren't you all supposed to be sleeping?" he'd roared unapologetically before turning back to Max and Michael.

"Evans, I'm crashing at your place the next few days – now go make me a sleeping bag, it's fucking freezing out here."

It was the sound of the bell that brought Max back to the present and he looked over at Kyle, who was watching him with a small smile on his lips. "What?"

"Just nice to see that some things don't change; you're still not much of a talker, you know." Kyle teased and followed Max inside the classroom where they were about to have Spanish.

"I talk," Max defended and sat down in his usual seat where he knew he could survey the entire room and still have easy access to at least two escape routes. Some habits are very hard to kill, Max thought ruefully, silently watching as Kyle unceremoniously took the seat next to him, completely ignoring the huffing girl that had just been about to sit there.

"Oh yeah, you're a regular chatter box," Kyle grinned, before he looked around the room and his expression turned blank. Max didn't have to look to know that he'd caught sight of Tess, who was also in this class.

Trying to distract his friend, Max spoke a little louder than was his norm. "I was just thinking about the Convention…It's just like I remembered it, crazy and busy. Wanna lend a hand? You know, this way you could pay me back for letting you crash at my place?"

His tactic worked, and Max swallowed a victorious smile when Kyle looked over at him with raised brows. "The only reason I'm even a little comfortable is 'cause Iz used that special skill that you're too lazy to use for me and made me a decent sleeping spot. Your floor and a sleeping bag is not my idea of comfort."

"Michael never complained," Max pointed out; loving the banter that he'd barely known he'd missed so much.

Kyle snorted and pointed out that Michael was a special case just before the teacher came in and class began.

0o0o0

A few hours later, Max was basically dragging Kyle with him over to the UFO Centre where his alien obsessed boss was running around frantically, weaving in and out of the crowd. His beady eyes lit up with profound relief when he caught sight of him and Max repressed the sudden urge to flee. I lived through this once, he reminded himself firmly, and I've lived through a lot worse than this. Just take it easy.

"EVANS!" Milton's voice rose loudly above the others' and Max cringed inwardly. He discreetly sent a glare at Kyle, who was snickering. For the first time since Kyle's return so to speak, the human didn't look burdened. But then again, Max thought, he never knew Milton and has no ties whatsoever to this place like I do. Lucky him

"There you are," Milton sounded a little out of breath when he caught up the them, his eyes scanning Kyle briefly before turning towards Max with a seldom seen desperation in his eyes. "I'm getting overrun here. I need you to pitch in. And if your friend here is a true believer like us, he's more than welcome to join in the festivities."

Both Max and his fidgeting boss could hear Kyle's muttered, "I'm a true believer, alright," but Max didn't warn him about Milton's obsessive personality. Fifteen minutes later, Kyle was sent outside wearing a green alien suit that Max was more than happy to never enter again, to hand out flyers and Max was saddled with the responsibility that was the ego of one Jonathan Frakes.

Max had just finished making sure the actor was at least somewhat content with his accommodations and he had reluctantly started his shift in the dreaded information booth, when he suddenly felt a spike of pure fear impale him and the bottle of water that he'd planted on a small table in the booth exploded soundlessly, splashing his pants with water.

Max didn't care, he barely even noticed his powers acting out in response to what was happening inside of him, all that the once upon a time King could process was that Liz was scared. Within seconds, he was outside of the UFO Centre and in route to the Crashdown Café where he knew Liz was working her after school shift.

Moments that felt like forever passed as Max ran faster than he could remember to get to Liz's side. His imagination thinking up gruesome scenarios; Khivar had somehow followed them to the past, the Skins had arrived despite their efforts to lay low, Pierce was in the diner, hell he even imagined that yet another shooter was back to finish the job of killing the woman he loved.

I can't lose you again, Liz, Max thought as he finally reached his destination, I will do anything

Liz's POV

"Gosh, I hate this time a year," Liz muttered, weaving through a bustle of customers to get to the kitchen where José was screaming for her to pick up her latest finished order.

She nearly bumped into Isabel, who was looking annoyingly immaculate as ever, while Liz knew she probably looked like something had spit her back out after chewing on her a bit. Plus, she was sweating in the blistering heat. The air-condition was broken, and although Isabel had promised to look at it, there simply were too many people around for her to do it without getting noticed.

"Watch it!" one such would be witness sneered irritably when Liz stepped on his foot to avoid bumping into Isabel and thus getting soaked in the platter of sodas that the tall blonde was carrying.

"Sorry, sorry," Liz mumbled, hoping that Isabel hadn't heard the guy's comment, because for some reason, the beautiful Czechoslovakian was almost as protective of her as Maria was. And to add to it, Liz knew that Isabel had been going through some kind of hard time lately; her eyes were always shadowed with some dark emotion that only Alex seemed to be able to dim a little.

Fortunately, Isabel was already in the middle of delivering her beverages so Liz didn't foresee any more problems and heaved a relieved sigh as she finally picked up her finished order.

Maria cut in front of her, wiping a beat of sweat of her glistening forehead with a towel she carried for such purposes. "How is it that I always get roped into this stupid shift every year?" Maria complained, taking a brief break as she waited for José's helper to finish her order.

Liz smiled when her dad, who just happened to be walking by with a new order, commented with a grin, "'cause you love us and we supply you with the means for your addiction for certain clothing."

Liz let the familiar sounds of her dad and Maria's friendly jibes flow over her, and she quickly made her way to her waiting table with the hot food.

Just as she finished putting down the plates, a fresh batch of customers started strolling in and Liz looked over to do the habitual headcount when her heart stopped.

"Oh no," the words left her lips without her really realizing it; her heart had begun pounding with the speed of a startled rabbit. She must have looked completely freaked out because it didn't take long before Maria and Isabel abandoned their customers and came rushing to her side.

"What's wrong Liz?" Maria asked, putting her hand on Liz's forehead as if to check for a fever. "Are you gonna throw up? Are you stressed, I have some scented oil for that in my bag in the backroom if you want some."

While Maria went into motherhenning mode, Liz saw Isabel scan the diner for threats, evidently having read her expression as the fear it really was. The second Isabel spotted the reason for Liz's mild public freak-out; her taller frame froze as well.

Maria, who was completely oblivious, disappeared to get the oil and placate a now hoarsely screaming José. Isabel immediately turned towards Liz with a blank expression on her face and asked, "Isn't that the two tourists that were here the day of the shooting."

"Yeah," Liz nodded and tried getting her fright under control; she could feel it being tripled the second Max felt her fears and she knew he was thinking the worst. "Um, I'll go get their orders. They're probably just here for the festival and got hungry. Right?"

Isabel didn't answer, but her dire look didn't do much to sooth the nervous brunette. Liz had just handed the staring pair a set of menus with a smile that was admittedly brittle when the doors to the Crashdown were slammed open from the outside and Max all but stumbled inside.

The crowded diner stilled and watched curiously as the tall guy quickly regained his balance and started looking for and found Liz. She could feel his crushing relief at finding her psychically fine and then his own startle rush through her when he too recognized the nosy duo.

"Isn't that the guy that helped you that day?" The stocky guy, Liz remembered to be Larry asked. His eyes never blinking as he stared from her to Max and back at her, it was obvious he had no intention to leave right away.

"Hi, I'm Isabel and I'll be your waitress until Liz gets back from her much needed break," Isabel smiled flirtatiously down at the now gobsmacked looking Larry, "I hope that'll be okay with you? We're kindda busy these days."

Liz smiled and gestured for Max to follow her into the back. The second the door closed behind them, Max took her in his arms and all of Liz's fears mysteriously floated away into nothingness. As long as I'm in his arms, nothing can be that dangerous, she thought with an internal smile and then she grimaced, I just hope he won't think I'm disgusting, I must smell awful right now.

"You smell fine," Max's deep voice startled Liz out of her thoughts and she looked up with wide eyes. "And you look as beautiful as ever. Antenna's are a really good look for you." He smiled; his breathing already back to normal from his run.

"Did you read my mind?" Liz blurted out, feeling pretty sure she hadn't spoken out loud just then. Max smiled again and hugged her closer as he answered her.

"I just know you well, I guess," and Liz put the matter behind her for now, perfectly happy to just enjoy a rare moment with her sort of boyfriend.

It didn't last long before Maria burst in with a small bottle in her hand and a wide eyed look in her eyes. "Liz! There you are! Hi Max, didn't know you were here. Oh, Liz that reminds me; you have no idea who I just saw Isabel talking to!"

Liz reluctantly let go of Max and tried to calm her best friend, who looked just as freaked as she'd been herself only minutes ago. "Larry and Jennifer; the two tourists that were the only one close enough to actually see Max do something to me after the shooting."

"Yeah that about covers what I was about to say," Maria nodded, sniffing deeply from the oil with an ease that came from much practice. "What do we do now? This stupid convention always brings out the crazies and I have this feeling that not even Amidala's looks will deter the guy for long. He looks way too shifty for that."

Max furrowed his brow in bemusement and looked down at Liz. "Amidala?"

"Don't ask," Liz advised him and then she straightened up as a plan came to her. "We're just gonna act normal around them and then, when the convention ends, everything returns to the way it was. Easy as pie."

Maria nodded, putting away the bottled oil in her uniform and Max kissed her cheek. "I've gotta go back; Milton's probably having a coronary without me and Kyle's no doubt ready to kill me for getting roped into helping out. I'll see you later, okay?"

Liz nodded and watched in silence as he slipped out the backdoor; obviously eager to avoid the prying humans sitting out in the diner with Isabel.

"Am I the only one still not really on board with his friendship with Valenti?" Maria's question brought Liz back to the real world and she looked over at her best friend.

"I think we should just stay out of that one for now. Kyle was never a big fan of Max and the others, so having him on our side now is a good thing. At least that's what I think."

"I know," Maria agreed, surprising Liz with the serious look on her face, "but I just worry that they've done some kind of mojo on him or something. I mean, yesterday at school he was practically staring holes in my back and," Maria raised a finger, "he asked for my help in geometry. How the hell does he know I'm good at that? I mean, we've gone to school together all our lives, but we haven't exactly run in the same circles."

Liz shrugged, trying not to remember the weird vibes she too had been getting from her once upon a time fling, "I don't know, Maria. But I guess we run in the same circles now, if Max and he are getting friendly, so maybe Max told him."

Maria was about to speak again, when the door opened, and a frazzled looking Jeff Parker stuck his head through. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're getting swamped out there. More working and less talking, please."

Liz shared a suffering glance with Maria before they both dived out to continue their shifts. And Liz found time in-between serving to fill Isabel in on the plan they'd concocted about acting normal in front of the still staring Larry and now slightly annoyed looking Jennifer.

I can't wait to go to sleep tonight, Liz thought with a yawn before smiling widely at her newest customer, who apparently expected her to read the damn menu for her and have a big debate about whether the Sigourney Weaver Special was in any way less realistic looking than the Will Smith one.

Max's POV

Max was feeling pretty stupid as he returned to the UFO Centre. Kyle had intercepted him on his return and was grumbling about cruel and unusual punishments as they made their way inside.

"I saw you speed through earlier; what's up?" Kyle asked when he finally seemed to be running out of curses.

Max smiled contritely and quickly explained about feeling Liz's distress and about the two tourists. Kyle nodded knowingly; he had had enough experience around the two bonded couples in the other timeline to know what it meant.

"Gotta say, I'm still happy I don't have one of those things myself," he commented and Max smirked, knowing that his friend was lying through his teeth. "I'm my own man, always have been and always will be."

"Sure you are," Max said still smiling a little before turning serious again, "I just wish I could somehow stop things from exploding in our faces all the time. I mean, we're doing our best to make sure things don't go like the last time and then those two show up and threatens everything."

"Well, Evans, let's be happy about one thing at least." Kyle said, slapping Max gently on the shoulder with a cautious look about him. Evidently, he still had trouble remembering that Max's back was no longer a map of aching scars and that he was now free to touch him without risking Max bursting into a scream of pain.

"Oh, what's that?" Max asked and waited for Kyle's reply that came promptly.

"At least it can't get any worse now, right?"

Max winced, knowing just how much those words always tested fate. And sure enough, two things happened at the same time a few seconds later, which proved Kyle wrong. A small, curly haired blonde suddenly appeared in front of them and greeted Kyle with a timid looking smile, while Milton's voice called for Max's attention.

When Max looked over at his boss, he immediately forgot all about Kyle's lack of anger control around Tess. All his attention was on the middle-aged man standing quietly observing next to Milton.

"Evans, there you are. I've been wanting to introduce you to one of the big boys around here. I mean, he's a real catch for the convention for one thing. This is Everett Hubble, he's an alien hunter. Hubble, this is my go to guy, Max Evans that I told you about."

It took everything in Max to act casual as he reached out a non shaking hand. "Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hubble."

Hubble's eyes narrowed and he smiled insincerely, as he returned the handshake, "Oh, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine."

TBC…


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Next Time On TATT: Max and co. brew up a plan to deal with Hubble that will show just how transformed they really are while simultaniously starting to mend some fences with the ever suspicious Sheriff...


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A/N I smell trouble...Now, please review and tell me what you think, good or bad - it'll help me guilt me into faster updates:D

Until Next Time

Ditte Mai
Last edited by maipigen on Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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maipigen
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 55
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. NOTE 5/23/11

Post by maipigen »

Evans-dreamer: *hangs head guiltily* I did stay away for a long time again, it just is impossible for me to be fast I think. As for Kyle; there's a reason he's back, that's all I'll say, but it will be a while before it will be revealed. But at least the Hubble situation will be handled in this chapter:)
keepsmiling7: Glad you liked the summary! Sorry about the cliffie, it's my thing unfortunately. I tried to not make a big one this time...tried being the operative word:)
Earth2Mama: I don't like Tess either, so it's pretty interesting to try and write her so positively. Hopefully my own feelings for her don't come through. Serena is a little girl in Phoenix that's just starting to get sick at this point in time;)
moomin: Sorry, not a lot of dreamer this time around:( Happy you like Tess!
nibbles2: All good theories, but no;) I hope I'm writing him realistically enough, I mean he's changed and it's bound to cause some confusion all around. And you're very right about Isabel and Alex, that's all I'll say.
Timelord31: Thank you and I'm so sorry I keep frustrating you (and others) with my long wait for updates.
emerald123: Well, glad you went out of your lurking spot, it's always nice to hear what people think! As for Kyle, I'm dragging that arc out a bit, so no answers this time around; sorry;)
Begonia9508: hehe, happy to confuse you, but at this point in time I have no intentions for the bad guys to travel back like Kyle, sorry - but think about it, they have more than enough crap to deal with still; Pierce, Topolsky, Dupes, Skins etc. I'd never be able to finish the story if I didn't stop myself from twisting things around even more;)
mary mary: LOL, now you're even more forgetful and older - sorry for the wait and the dissapointment you'll no doubt feel after this chapter; it's a bit gory, just warning you know, Ginger.
AvalonRose: sorry for the wait, I hope my solution for Hubble isn't too bad for you, but Max couldn't be swayed:)
Mt. Gazer: Rhonda, what can I say? Other than sorry and a big thanks like you wouldn't believe. I did gush and apologize more thoroughly at your story, if you'd like more details;)
cjsl8ne: Do I even have to say I'm happy you're still around? Noticed you were a bit awol for a sec. Also, this chapter is the length it is because of you, so hopefully you'll forgive me the wait hehe.
Roswellian117: Happy you loved it and sad I made you wait this long (again!).
Carrie/Jake17: Aww, Thanks for the Birthday note, it means so much to me that you'd write me even after all that's going on in your life. And believe me, I had a drink for you;) Hope you'll like my new chapter, it's not as descriptive as usual I think, I struggled a bit to be honest but I couldn't make you or the others wait anymore!

HI ALL! If you read my note from yesterday, you know it was due to technical problems that I didn't update - also to be honest, I just suck at writing these long chapters fast, I guess... Now, I hope you'll still like the new addition; it's going to be a bit bloody in Max's POV, just warning you all. Enjoy!
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Last time on TATT: Michael and the others try to come to terms with their timeline's Kyle being back. Alex reconnects with Isabel, realizing that his fears, albeit justified, not that important in the grand scheme of things. Max and Kyle stir up some frenzy when their friendship is made public at school. And at the UFO Convention where Max is working, he's suddenly introduced to a man that he'd hoped never to see again; Hubble, the alien hunter…

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kyle's POV

It was late in the afternoon and the exhausted trio of time travelling hybrids was sitting in Max's room with an equally as exhausted Kyle.

Max had called for an emergency meeting. Kyle, whose newfound memories meant that he was once more a soldier more than a normal human, was sitting attentively, ready to plan how to proceed with things. But first he had to wait for Max to fill in the other two hybrids about everything.

Michael, who'd spent the day helping a baffled Amy DeLuca with her wrestling hadn't noticed anything unusual going on. Max finally finished telling about Hubble's reappearance and a profound silence fell upon the room.

Isabel was the first one to speak, her voice etched with fatigue, but her eyes shone with a light that Kyle couldn't remember seeing since they were all living in Roswell the first time.

Hell, he thought with an inwardly grimace, I haven't seen her so alive since Alex's death – not even when we…no Valenti, don't go there now. Focus.

Kyle straightened up and waited for Max's answer to Isabel's question about how Hubble had seemed when talking to him face to face.

"It's like I'm trapped in the exact same moment as before," Max replied quietly, his eyes piercing them all with the glint of anxiety they'd only ever seen when his loved ones were being targeted. "He thinks I'm Nasedo and is definitely planning on luring me away like the last time."

"So what do we do?" Isabel asked, leaning forward, obviously eager to end this newest problem in their already complicated lives. Kyle swallowed a small smile, despite everything he still really loved to see her so vivacious; she'd been his best friend for years in spite of everything.

Michael's voice interrupted Kyle's musings, "What do we do? What kind of a lame question is that, Iz? It's obvious that we just need to avoid him and keep a low profile until things blow over. Right Maxwell? Kyle?"

Kyle, who was still not entirely adjusted to his new war free surroundings, shrugged. "I'm not really the person to ask here, Michael; you three call the shots here. I'm pretty much useless without my powers, so I'll follow your lead."

"Don't be ridiculous," Isabel snapped, for the first time looking at him without any semblance of guilt in her eyes, "you're not exactly useless, Kyle. Your combat training is still lodged in your brain, so stop acting like you're not without merits. Now, Max, what do you think we should do?"

It's almost sad, Kyle thought, looking between Isabel and Michael before letting his eves travel to a stone faced Max, they told me that they were trying to do things differently this time around, but whenever things get rough they seem to look to Max for answers. I guess some things can't be changed. I just hope Max won't try to do everything by himself this time. Or else me and Michael might just have to smack him upside down again so he relearns to delegate the responsibilities, I won't have my leader run himself ragged again, it nearly killed him the last time

This time around, it was Max's voice that brought Kyle out of his head and he frowned, instinctively tensing at the hated cold tone in his friend's voice. "It's simple Isabel; we do what we do best. We kill Hubble."

Immediately, the trio broke out into heated arguments, but Kyle, who was still staying true to his earlier words about following the majority, looked out the window, trying to block out his friends.

Instead, the once dead human fought to stop his mind from sending him images from a life that he now would never get to have. If nothing else, the way he'd reunited with his living father was proof of things going differently.

The thought of his dad, brought a rueful smile to Kyle's lips and he sighed as he remembered how he'd been shaking with the need to hug his dad the moment he'd stuck out his head and forced him to go inside the tent without Max. Of course, Kyle rolled his eyes, that need quickly transformed into a massive urge to punch him in the face when he tried to warn me off of Max and the others.

The continuous pain in his heart wasn't a new feeling to Kyle, but the reason for it was. The way his dad hadn't been the protective father that had died for them all because he loved them, had been shockingly obvious inside the little tent and the unexpected anger that Kyle had felt rush through him because of that had forced him to flee to Max's place until his mind and heart had adjusted to the fact that the man his dad had been in the other timeline was truly dead and gone forever.

Too bad I can't just pound on him until my old dad returns, Kyle wished to himself, immediately feeling guilty about even thinking it in the first place. Jim Valenti was still alive in this timeline and that was not something to be disappointed in. It wasn't

"Kyle, what do you think?" Michael's voice interrupted Kyle's internal musings and he looked over at his friend with a small start.

The stares he received from the trio would probably have made a lesser man run for the nearest door, but Kyle just shrugged. "I've already given my vote earlier. But for what it's worth, I'm actually agreeing with Max on this one."

Isabel's slightly betrayed look sent a shiver of guilt through Kyle's body, but he ignored it for now and continued, "If I remember correctly, he almost killed Max before, so we all know that he's capable of murder. And Dad used to say that it was the first time he ever realized that he was actively starting to hunt kids, so," Kyle smiled a small smile and added, "if we want to at least attempt to get my dad on our side the same way we did before then letting Max go with Hubble and then kill him first is our best shot."

"No it's not," Isabel replied hotly, her earlier hesitation around him momentarily forgotten, "it's still murder and when we decided to go back, we also promised to not repeat the same mistakes. To try and live normal lives!"

"Well," Michael shrugged, looking as disinterested in the conversation as he always did when he wasn't the one arguing about things, "We're not doing so great, Isabel. Liz still got shot, Topolsky is here and so are Nasedo and Tess."

At the mention of the fourth hybrid's name, Kyle clenched his jaw and turned back to look out of the window, no longer caring what was happening in the discussion.

Tess Harding…The girl that had made him carry Alex's dead body without him knowing it. Deep down inside, Kyle still wondered if he'd have helped her out if she'd just been straight with him, he had loved her that much. It was one of the things that shamed him the most and which he always tried to bury deep inside of him.

And now she was here, looking sweet and innocent and heartbroken. Kyle's memory of earlier that day came back to him as Isabel tried once more to convince her brother that murder wasn't the answer.

Kyle had known from Max's expression that things were about to get dangerous when he'd been introduced to Hubble, but he hadn't cared all that much after Tess had walked up to him wearing a small smile. Her greeting had immediately grated on his nerves and Kyle had had to restrain himself from jumping at her and choke her with his bare hands. For once, he'd been somewhat relieved that his powers hadn't travelled back with him or else they'd all have some serious explaining to do.

"What do you want?" Kyle had managed to choke through his clenched jaw, completely ignoring the flash of hurt that ran over Tess' face.

Was she always such an open book? He'd wondered and waited for her reply.

"I-I haven't talked to you so much lately," she'd said, sounding almost timid and it didn't match the memory of the cold hearted killer that Kyle had of her. For a moment his hate dwindled, but then it returned when she added, "I'm starting to think you're avoiding me. We're supposed to be friends, Kyle."

Her half-teasing smile had quickly evaporated once Kyle had all but sneered coldly, "Yeah, well; friends don't mind rape their friends, do they?"

Tess' already pale skin had turned a deathly pallor and she'd whispered his name in a small, broken voice, just as Michael had come and had grabbed Kyle, muttering something about a meeting and started dragging him towards the nearest exit.

Kyle had more or less been frothing at the mouth and only Michael's understanding look had managed to keep him in line.

And now here we are, talking about killing someone, Kyle smirked inwardly, business as usual.

"Kyle!"

With a start, the supposed high school jock blinked out of his thoughts and met Isabel's brown eyes. He must have shown some of his emotions in his own eyes, because she quickly averted her look and pointed at her fellow hybrids. "They're gonna figure out a way to take Hubble out, but I don't want to know anything. I'll keep trying to live a normal life like we all agreed to."

"Okay," Kyle nodded, sending a look that asked of patience to Max and Michael. "But let me ask you this then Iz; if we let Hubble live then what? Wait for him to take out Max, who he's convinced is Nasedo? Or let his deranged point of views change my father into a coldhearted hunter too? Or, how about this," Kyle held up a finger mockingly, "we bring in the expert on altering people's memories. I bet Tess would just love to help out. You just have to tie me down or knock me out while she's around so I don't accidentally strangle her."

"Since you're so hell bent on keeping things nice and neat." Kyle's voice practically dripped with sarcasm. "I wouldn't expect you to dirty your hands again. We're all back now so let's just see what ends up happening. I mean, if Hubble doesn't wind up killing us; Nasedo is here and if he's here, I'm betting that that scumbag Pierce isn't far behind. And don't even get me started on Tess. But oh no, let's not kill someone that has the potential to bring the F.B.I's attention on us even more. Let's all dig our heads in the sand and pretend everything is just fine and great because you're -!"

"Kyle!"

Kyle had risen to his feet without really realizing it and his voice was more like a roar than anything else. His chest was heaving from all the emotions that tried to choke him, he wanted to scream and lash out and half expected the electronics around him to start obeying his will like they always did in the other timeline, but all that happened as he stood there, spittle flying from his mouth as he screamed at Isabel, was Max stepping in between them and placing a calming hand on Kyle's trembling shoulder.

"Calm down, Valenti," he murmured, his eyes almost glowing with understanding and sympathy. "Take some deep breaths."

Everything was at war inside of him and Kyle just couldn't calm down, his once upon a time Buddhism approach to things had long since been tortured out of him and he struggled to find his inner serenity. Eventually it became clear to the others as well, because Max led him out and away from Isabel's chastened and somewhat remorseful gaze.

Once outside in the fresh air, some of Kyle's sense returned and he shook off Max's hand on his shoulder and bent forward, taking big gulps of air. "I'll be fine in a minute," he said without looking at the silent hybrid next to him. "I don't know what came over me."

"Oh believe me," Max's voice held a hint of dark amusement that prompted Kyle to actually look at him. "You're not the only one who's lost his mind a little bit. And compared to me, what you're doing is child's play, so relax. We're not gonna judge you."

Sighing heavily, Kyle plopped down on the dry grass on the Evans' front lawn and placed his head in his hands. "Honestly, Evans, I'm confused. I mean, I'm glad that I'm here and not dead and all, but…"

Max sat down next to him and nodded, once more seeming to understand what it was that Kyle couldn't quite put into words just yet. "It's okay to be disappointed too. I know we've all felt it since coming back even though we don't really talk about it. It's obviously a blessing; I mean, so many people aren't dead here and just the thought of Liz being alive and well is enough to make my day worthwhile, and yet," Max turned to look Kyle dead in the eye, "I miss my wife. I miss the Unit, hell, I even miss Brody and you know how he was ever since Sydney got her powers and joined us with Serena."

Kyle chuckled, barely remembering the eccentric billionaire that had shared his body with another almost forgotten ally. "True, he only stopped making his comments once Maria and Liz got fed up with them and reminded him that if you hadn't healed Syd, she'd have died in that hospital that Christmas."

They shared a reminiscing smile and sat together in silence. This was one of the reasons why Kyle had developed such a great friendship with Max. They could just sit in silence and still be comfortable.

A few minutes later, Michael stepped outside and sat down on the other side of Kyle. He too had turned into a very close friend to Kyle during the war; their friendship had started out even before they'd fled Roswell.

Of course, Michael was a completely different type of person than Max and he proved it a little while later when he yawned and ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "So are we done sitting and taking in the sights of a boring suburban street or what? 'cause I'm hungry and Maria's got a shift tonight and, no offence guys, but I'd rather sit in silence and stare at her than at nosy Mrs. Robinson across the street."

Kyle grinned, while Max rolled his eyes without responding verbally. At least these two are still as I remember; he comforted himself and took the hand Michael held out to help him up. And the rest is just something I'll have to get used to seeing as a blessing, like Max said.

And so, Kyle put aside his burning desire for things that couldn't be changed, and more importantly his quest for answers to go hang out with the friends that were as battle scared as he was.

Maria's POV

"Ugh, I know it's been explained to me before, but please inform m exactly why your dad keeps Agnes around? She stole my fries and said I could get a new one because, and I quote 'I have the young legs and blonde hair'. Also, I think she put out a cigarette in a customer's coke, so I took it and promised him a refill, it's the guy in booth two."

Maria paused and leaned her head on Liz's shoulder before she completely changed directions and simply muttered, "I'm just so tired."

Liz's answering sigh shook Maria's head from her shoulder and she straightened back up. "I know what you mean. Let me go and ask Dad if we can split a little earlier tonight; he still owes me for going through my stuff because he thought I was a druggie. Oh, there's Max and Michael."

Maria didn't need to hear Liz's exclamation, the bond between her Spaceboy and her had started humming inside of her the moment Max had pulled up in the parking lot. Instead, she just smiled and looked back at Liz, "is it weird that I'm totally used to the weirdness now? And kindda like it?"

"No," Liz laughed, "what is weird is the fact that I'm more or less feeling it too and you and I usually never agree on anything. That's weird."

"Oh shut up," Maria gently bumped Liz's shoulder and quickly walked over to fill some sodas that she knew Michael and Max would like to drink. And Kyle too for some reason.

The whole Kyle being so much around thing still freaked her out a little bit. Maria had known the guy her whole life, but they'd always moved in different circles; only ever interacting during the brief time when Liz had actually seemed to like him as much as he liked her.

Or, Maria smiled a bit at the memory, whenever I got a crush on one of his friends and he desperately tried to make it go away, totally not interested in having one of his friends dating the infamous Maria DeLuca.

For one short moment, Maria thought about how lame those so called crushes had been. Ever since her lips had touched Michael's and she'd finally allowed herself, at least on the inside, to admit that she had very deep feelings for him, she'd considered those crushes a part of another life.

Then Kyle grinned at something Max said and Maria's mind was once more occupied by the unusualness that was Kyle Valenti.

At first, Maria had honestly believed that Kyle had been dared to hang out with Max and Michael. But once she'd watched them interact from the shadows a few times, Maria hadn't been able to deny that there was a genuine looking friendship between them. And, like stated before, it sort of freaked the oil sniffing high school girl out.

I don't know what to think, Maria thought, finishing filling up the last glass of soda and placing them on a tray so she could take it to the boys' chosen booth. If it was just the friendship thing, I don't think I'd care, but he's staring at Liz and me like he can't believe his eyes.

Weaving expertly in and out through the crowded diner, Maria continued inwardly, barely hiding a scowl at where her mind was taking her. But that's not even the worst part. Yesterday in school, he even suggested that we should somehow get his dad and my mom together to work out some past issues. Trying to pimp out our parents; now that's just crossing the line!

"Maria, hey," Michael's honestly happy voice, brought her out of her thoughts and she placed the plate of sodas on the table with what Liz called her 'professional'-smile. "Hi guys. We're a bit swamped right now, so here's a little something to drink to pass the time. Just warning you, it's gonna be a little while. José's threatening to quit because he can't handle the stress; it's only the third time today. Anyway, are you ready to order?"

Maria barely hid a cringe this time, annoyed at herself for babbling so much. Although, the small smile that Michael gave her, told Maria that he at least thought it was pretty adorable.

"That's fine," Max spoke up, not even looking at her anymore, his eyes locked on Liz with a look in his dark eyes that reminded Maria of how Michael looked at her sometimes. "I'll just…"

"Yeah, yeah," said Maria, grinning teasingly, "she's totally incapable of spending her break without you, I know."

Max sent her a smile and was out of the booth almost faster than was possible. Not for the first time, Maria absentmindedly admired the muscular teen's easy, almost predatory, grace as he walked towards the girl he so obviously loved.

"How's your day been?" Michael asked, easily recapturing Maria's attention.

"Fine, I'm just working, trying to force Liz into doing my Spanish homework, you know, the usual."

Maria shrugged and took the now empty tray in her hands again, turning to leave because she could hear Mr. Parker and José going at it in the kitchen and decided they needed a distraction. But she was stopped mid-movement by Kyle's grip on her wrist. Maria made sure to send him a scolding glare; no one touched her without her expressive permission.

"I-I," Kyle stuttered sheepishly, quickly releasing her from his grip, "could help you out if you want? I'm pretty good at Spanish."

Maria couldn't keep her eyebrows from nearly disappearing up in her forehead as the surprise overtook her. And as usual when she was surprised, she blurted out the first thing that was on her mind.

"Okay, who are you and which alternative universe are you from?"

To her immense surprise and confusion, Kyle shot an almost nervous look at Michael, who looked like he'd stopped breathing for a moment. Then the two young men chuckled very half-heartedly at her joke and Kyle spoke again.

"Well, if you decide you need a hand, I'm always willing to help. Oh, and can I have a Sigourney Weaver Special with extra fries, please?"

Okay, that was weird, Maria thought as she dutifully jotted down Kyle's order and Michael's following order of a Skywalker Burger with a side of Tabasco covered fries.

A little under a half an hour later, Maria's attention was grabbed by the New Girl, Tess Harding. She'd entered the Crashdown, shared a few moments of idle chit chat with Liz, while Max had watched with a stony expression on his face, before she'd wandered over to Kyle with an air of trepidation that didn't really suit her.

Maria, who'd always had a very good nose for possible gossip, walked over to a nearby table and started clearing it in slow motion, eagerly listening in. What she heard didn't really make any sense to her. Something about Tess feeling bad for doing something with Kyle that didn't sound like it had been sexual, so Maria honestly couldn't understand why it was such a big deal.

Then Kyle snapped something at Tess that Maria couldn't quite hear, but the vivid feeling of hate and approval at Kyle's actions that bubbled through the bond, confused her so much that she paused in wiping the table and turned to look at the talking trio.

Michael looked constipated, and judging from what Maria could feel inside of her, it was mostly because he was trying with all his might to not let any emotions show on his face. Kyle on the other hand, couldn't quite hide his rage as he looked coldly at Tess.

The poor girl looks like she's being tortured, Maria frowned and after another minute where she watched the curly haired newcomer try and apologize for some reason without getting anything but anger in return, Maria threw the towel in her hands down on the table and marched on over to help out her fellow female.

She managed to catch the end of Tess' "…really thought it was the best way," before unceremoniously pulling Tess up next to her side.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves," Maria stated, alternating between looking Michael and Kyle dead in the eye. For some reason they flinched when she stared right at them. "Whatever it is she's done, it doesn't justify you two acting like total dicks to her! Come on Tess, I'll get you something to drink."

When Maria walked up to the counter, where Liz was still standing with Max, she noticed the male Evans' look of disapproval and she raised a challenging eyebrow. "Got something to add, Evans? 'Cause I really think you should stop looking like that before I tell you what I think like I did those two," she pointed at Kyle and Michael, who still looked frozen after she'd scolded them.

Max blinked and took in a breath to speak, but fortunately for him, Liz stepped in and handed Tess a diet coke. "Here, I'm still not completely sure what you prefer to drink, but it's on the house. Let's go over here for a second. You look like you could use some friends."

Maria swallowed a smirk, enjoying the look that Max sent Liz; it reminded her of a dog that had been wacked on the nose by a newspaper. All he needs now is the pitiful whine, Maria thought, leading Tess over to a more quiet part of the diner with Liz at her heels.

During the next ten minutes, Maria pulled out all the stops to get the sad look out of Tess' eyes; Liz did too and added her own personal branch of calm, a method that always worked great on Maria whenever she was feeling down and emotional.

Despite their combined efforts they didn't get Tess to tell them exactly why the guys were so mad at her, all she'd say was that she'd done something with the best intentions and that it had backfired spectacularly. Maria's big heart couldn't stop from taking in Tess as part of her friend circle after this, especially since Tess kept looking at Liz and her like they were awe inspiring just from talking to her.

Eventually, Mr. Parker couldn't handle José, the growing amount of customers and Agnes all alone anymore, so he asked them to get back to work until Isabel came and took her shift and Tess smiled, much happier now as she got up and went home.

Maria looked at Liz, who was watching Tess' departure with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Okay, so you were right, she's not that bad. I like her."

Liz smiled, blinking out of whatever it was she was wondering about and patted Maria's arm and said, "There, there DeLuca. That must have been painful for you. Do you need me to say 'I told you so', to make things even better."

Mock glaring, Maria huffed and walked over to José with the orders that Michael and Kyle had been waiting for, for several minutes now. "Hush Parker and go take your lover boy's order."

About twenty minutes later, Isabel came in to do her shift and Maria and Liz walked out to the backroom to change out of their uniforms.

Liz went upstairs, having promised her mother some quality time in-between boys, schools and Maria and Maria walked out the back door to the alley to go home to finish her homework before her History teacher came through on his monthly threat to call her mom.

She'd barely taken more than a few steps, when she felt that special humming through her connection with Michael and quickly turned around, knowing that he'd come out the door after her in mere seconds.

The door opened and there he was; his larger form towering over her, even though she was wearing her heeled booths. "Hi," Maria said when, after a few long moments, Michael still hadn't said or done anything.

"Look," Michael said, running a hand through his messy hair, not knowing that doing that always made Maria's fingers itch to take over themselves, "I'm sorry about before; but you gotta believe me when I say that there's more going on, okay?"

"There always seems to be more going on around you," Maria stated, "and I think I've been pretty decent about that. I just didn't like seeing, and feeling by the way, that side of you. And I'm kindda having trouble with you agreeing so much with Kyle lately; because apparently, it's completely okay for him to know everything!"

She'd shouted the last part, realizing as she said it that it was true. She was more than freaked out about Kyle; she was angry; angry that the guy that had helped bully Alex for years was included in whatever it was that was going on.

"Maria," the tone in Michael's voice was almost broken, like it was physically painful for him to see her so upset.

"Don't you Maria me, Michael Guerin! And I'm gonna be friends with Tess, because no one deserves being treated like they're poison," Maria practically screamed, ignoring the frustrated look in Michael's eyes. "Oh, and another thing Mister; I'm-"

Maria lost every train of thought before she got to finish the sentence. Michael had taken the last few steps towards her and roughly grabbed her before almost crashing his lips to hers; his teeth clanking into hers in a primal display of passionate anger.

He didn't even give her a chance to protest or do anything really, before his warm, wet tongue wormed its way into her mouth and started battling for dominance with her own. Her body betrayed her; on their own, Maria's arms wrapped themselves around Michael's lean waist, pulling him closer and holding him in place at the same time.

Everywhere they touched there was fire; a burning, wonderful warmth that spread through Maria's entire being; she didn't care that she was running out of air, she definitely no longer cared about being angry. All she wanted in that moment was possess Michael the same way that he so obviously possessed her.

There was a few scattered flashes running through her mind; images of an older looking Michael, some of an exhausted looking Kyle for some reason and more, but Maria was way too engrossed in the kiss to really care about anything else.

Slowly, the kiss changed, turning into a soft and gentle pressure on her lips and Maria opened her eyes a moment later, when Michael ended the whole thing by kissing the corner of her mouth and stepping back again.

He looks as dazed as I probably do right now, Maria thought, staring up at him as she tried to banish that special heat that had gathered below her waistline during the explosive moment.

"Maria, I'm so sorry," Michael whispered, only to stop when she held up a hand.

"Don't you dare apologize, it's not like I was fighting you or anything. In fact, I would say I was actively participating, so chill out."

Michael's upper lip twitched like he was about to smile and Maria continued, "If that's your way of stopping people from screaming at you, I'll just scream some more in the future."

"Not people."

Maria was a bit distracted by the soft smile that now lightened up Michael's entire face, "I'm sorry what?"

"I don't stop people by kissing them. Only you," Michael had cautiously stepped closer once again and placed his hand a bit tentatively in hers, linking their fingers together.

"I can respect that," said Maria, not caring that she was grinning like a fool and standing in the middle of the Main street where people could – and more than likely had – seen them sucking face just minutes before.

Then, getting a bit serious again, Maria added quietly, "But I'm not gonna stop trying to figure things out, you know. And Tess is gonna be my friend, so please don't act like a total douche around her anymore, okay?"

"I'll try," was all Michael promised after a long pause, where Maria had literally held her breath in fear of him letting go of her and going back inside the Crashdown.

"That's all I'm asking," she smiled and then puckered her lips excessively, "now let's seal the deal properly. Unless," she grinned mischievously, "you'd prefer a simple handshake."

Judging from the fact that Michael immediately lowered his head towards hers in another, much more sweet kiss, he didn't prefer handshakes.

Max's POV

It had been an eventful day to say the least and Max was feeling the exhaustion in his bones as he finished his work out set and laid down in his bed.

The mild breeze that came in through his half opened window cooled him off and he quickly ran his hand over the length of his body, using his powers to take away any bad odor so he could rest more easily.

Except, sleep was eluding him and for once it wasn't because his war altered memories were trying to get to the surface; no, it was among other things, Hubble's reappearance in their lives that caused his sleep to elude him.

The whole plan to kill Hubble and just go on with their lives in relative peace had been the first one to enter his mind and despite Isabel's objections, Max still felt it was the only way to somehow prevent the whole thing blowing up in their faces.

After all, Max sighed to himself, trying to get comfortable, it's not gonna be the first one I've killed in cold blood, and I seriously doubt that it'll be the last either.

Pushing out the whole Hubble ordeal for the moment, Max's mind went to where it usually went these days; to Liz.

He was beyond thrilled that she'd seemed to overcome her initial reluctance to their connection, especially since he'd found out from Isabel that she'd actually spoken positively about it to Alex when he first learned of it.

They'd been having a rare good couple of days together, building up that old connection between them that Max had missed so much that it had been nearly devastating to him. That's why it had hurt so much earlier that day, when she'd turned away from him with Maria to comfort Tess of all people.

Oh how he wished that she'd just magically get her old self back like Kyle had, so he could point out that she'd voluntarily befriended Tess.

The memory of Kyle's haunted eyes earlier when he'd blown up at Isabel and escaped outside came flowing into Max's brain and he sighed heavily. Okay, maybe it's better that she's not troubled with another lifetime in her mind; it's not exactly a picnic and I wouldn't wish the memory of those years on my worst enemy, let alone on the woman that I love more than anyone else.

Suddenly, it was like all the questions and plans in Max's head tried to overwhelm him at once, and he gave up on sleeping and got back up, running a hand over his face with a small groan of annoyance.

A few minutes later, Max pulled on a T-shirt and walked downstairs to get something to drink in an attempt to calm down enough to actually get some decent sleep.

When Max entered the kitchen, he froze the moment he spotted his mother sitting by the kitchen counter sipping from the ugly neon yellow mug he and Isabel had made for her once upon a time.

"Oh, hey Sweetie," she greeted him softly, getting up and making a cup for him. Judging from the smell, it was her homemade cocoa with marshmallows. Max's stomach growled and he wondered if it was worth the questions to go up and put in a few drops of Tabasco sauce in the mix as well to make it just perfect for his peculiar taste buds.

Deciding to settle on the more normal type of cocoa, Max smiled in thanks once his mother placed the steaming cup in front of him and sat down next to him.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Diane smiled and took a sip more before replying with an air of self mockery, "well, you know I never sleep well without your father. How about you? Bad dreams again?"

"Nah, I'm just too wired, I think. Not tired at all."

The look his mother sent him, told Max that she wasn't buying his story, but that she'd let him get away with it and then she launched into a tale about what she'd been up to for the last few days and Max's mind drifted away to the soothing sound of her voice all around her.

"Max, she's your mother!"

"Not anymore, he's fully taken over; now step aside, Michael."

Snap, the chilling sound of his own hands breaking her fragile neck because he just couldn't think of a way to save her and he knew that she was suffering.

"Goodbye Mom, I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. Khivar, fix this you son of a bitch!"


"Sweetie!"

With a jolt, Max jumped to his feet; the crash of his cup hitting the tiles fully waking him a second later.

With wide eyes, Max looked down at his mother, who was staring at him with a surprised and caring expression on her face, so unlike the last one he'd seen her wearing in the other timeline. "Are you okay? Don't move, okay, I'll go get the mop before you step on any of the shards."

Max stood mutely and watched his mother's calm as she cleaned up his mess for a few minutes. He was fighting off the panic and grief and trying with all his might to stop any of his emotions from reaching the sleeping Liz across town.

The memories about his mother were some that he'd rarely let himself think about, even after it had happened in the other timeline. When he'd first seen her after coming back to the past, Max had nearly crushed her in a hug, happy that she'd just taken it. Diane Evans had always been a very affectionate person and she loved her kids more than anything.

There had just been so many other people to think about that he'd successfully pushed away the thought about what had happened to her, what he'd done to her and finally it had caught up with him in his sleep deprived state with her familiar scent all around him.

Her hand on his cheek, brought Max out of his thoughts and he looked down at her, happy that his rapid heartbeat had slowed down and that Liz would never know about his slip.

"I think it's time for bed," Diane said and gently led Max up to his room and without even letting him get a word in, she started helping him to bed, placing the covers snugly around him like he was a little kid again. Deep inside of him, Max admitted that it felt reassuring in ways that he couldn't even really explain and let her do it without any fuss.

When she left a little while later, Max was already half asleep and he didn't wake until his alarm went off next morning.

0o0o0

When Max woke up, he was in a better mood than he'd been in a long time and he felt well rested for a change.

He quickly devised a plan for the whole Hubble situation, no longer weighed down with the slight aversion to killing in cold blood; the flashback of Diane's death had cured him completely. There was nothing that he wouldn't do to keep the peace and he knew that Isabel felt the same way and that she just hadn't quite accepted that part of herself yet.

Max had planned everything down to the smallest detail and had made sure that Isabel, Kyle and Michael was in on the whole thing too. As he finished the few odd jobs and handled the demands of a certain Star Trek actor; he could already feel himself going to that dark place inside of him that had lived through so much anguish and terror to get through this newest hurdle on the road to becoming boringly normal teenagers.

Looking to the side entrance when the clock struck five, Max spotted Kyle and Michael standing almost hidden in the shadows. To the other side, Isabel was walking around, keeping tabs on the sheriff. He nodded to her and she returned it before making her way towards Kyle and Michael, knowing that the plan was finally about to start.

And just like last time, it didn't take long before Hubble approached him and subsequently lead Max out to his jeep to take him on the exact same car ride that had ended in his death in the other timeline. Max wished he could just end him now and be done with it, but to keep Jim from suspecting anything, he had to play pretend like he'd never done before.

As the darkness settled around them, Max's war trained senses couldn't stop from sending out search pulses to make sure that nothing that wasn't human was after them. From past experiences, Max knew his expression turned into a mask of blankness as he concentrated; like he was just not there mentally and Hubble's voice sounded a bit irritated that his monologue wasn't given the attention it deserved.

With a fake apologetic smile, Max looked over at the middle aged man that he would kill in a very short time. All of his attention was back on the self proclaimed alien hunter now that he was absolutely sure that the only ones following them were Michael, Kyle. Isabel remained behind to make sure that Jim followed Kyle and Michael to Max's destination.

"I've just had a long day, Sir. What where you saying?"

Just then, they reached the abandoned gas station and Hubble told him to pull over. Max's eyes landed instantly on the spot where he'd watched Sheriff Valenti kill the other man in another life.

Checking to see that the others were nearby, Max got out the jeep and followed Hubble, no longer playing the act of confused teenager.

"I'm gonna give you one chance and one chance only," Max's changed tone of voice made Hubble flinch and he turned to look at what he had thought all along to be a shapeshifter capable of murder.

Well, he's right about the murder part, Max thought and continued out loud now that he had the other man's undivided attention.

"I did not kill your wife, I know who did and I can promise you he'll pay for it. Just walk away, Hubble and go start the life that ended here so many years ago."

"You! I was right," Hubble's eyes glinted with an almost insane look that told Max that his warning would not be heeded. "I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!"

Max's muscles tensed when Hubble took out his gun and knew that the whole plan depended on his ability to make the crazed man forget the weapon and use his hands. This was where the real gamble would take place.

Straightening up, Max deliberately allowed that part of him that his loved ones hated so much to appear. His eyes turned dead and dark, and it was like the air around him bended to avoid the penetrating danger that seeped out of his pores. There was no doubt that Max Evans was a killer and although not the killer that Hubble wanted, it was enough to make him crazy with thoughts of revenge.

Now for the final nudge, Max thought regretfully and spoke coldly before Hubble could take aim completely, "Seeing proof of your temper, I have to say that I'm happy for your wife that she died. I mean, a guy that can blow a fuse so fast has got to be a wife beater waiting to happen. Or," Max smirked, looking downright evil, "maybe I should feel happy on behalf of your unborn kid. It never got to see your anger so that's a plus, right?"

That worked better than any other taunt Max could've thought off, because Hubble roared in fury and pounced on him. Even though it was part of the plan to let himself get beaten up by the older man, it was a real struggle to just lie there and take it.

Punch after punch rained down on Max and it wasn't long before he could taste his own blood that poured in from his nose through his half opened mouth. A splitting pain in his torso told its clear story off broken ribs and the crunching sound of his nose breaking, forced out a loud moan of pain. Apparently, even though his mind remembered the war and the torture in vivid detail, his body had yet to catch up and it was not appreciating the beating it was getting.

"Now, Max!" Michael's voice reached Max through the fog of agony, and then his instincts kicked in.

Just before Hubble smacked him in the face with the butt of his gun again, Max caught his wrist and held it in a vice like grip that seemed to shock the sanity back into the mourning husband's mind. Or perhaps it was the deadly look that told of an anguish far beyond anything he'd suffered himself that suddenly locked into his eyes.

Max twisted the gun out of Hubble's now shaking hand and said breathlessly, "I wish you'd just left like I told you to," before firing the weapon with an expert's precision right in Hubble's forehead.

Blood and bits of bone and brain splattered all over Max and mixed in with his own blood. The smell of it, made him gag and he turned his head and coughed up what little he'd had to eat that day even as Hubble's body tumbled off of him and landed harshly next to him, his eyes open and unseeing up at the night sky.

How long Max was lying there in the puddle of so many bodily fluids, he didn't know; he just tried as hard as he could to not give in to the unexpected emotions of horror that was building up inside of him.

When he closed his eyes, it wasn't Hubble he was seeing; it was other people he'd killed without mercy ending up with the time he'd unceremoniously snapped his mother's neck. The sound almost reverberated inside of him.

A moment later, Max realized that the sound wasn't just in his mind, it was the sound of someone taking the safety of a gun and he looked up at a very shocked looking Sheriff Valenti. The man's eyes were glued to Max's terrifying form. Max could see him take in the bruises and blood and make his conclusions about what had transpired.

He didn't, however, lower his weapon; still pointing it without hesitation at Max's frozen body.

Fortunately, for Max, he'd made sure to have a backup plan ready and within seconds, Kyle started following it.

Kyle came running out of the shadows with Michael trailing close behind. Playing their parts of very distressed teenage boys, they were almost sobbing at the sight in front of them. Michael ran to Max's side, acting like he'd never seen such a thing before and was scared to really touch him.

Kyle, on the other hand jumped in-between Max and his father, "Dad, fuck I'm glad you're here! We couldn't stop him! That Larry guy told us that Hubble had taken Max and we knew something wasn't right, and when we got here, he was beating the crap out of Max; Max didn't even defend himself because Hubble was holding a gun! Michael and I wanted to jump in, but we were just so scared of the gun. And, oh my God, it must have gone off in the struggle. What are we gonna do?"

Slowly, Jim's mind seemed to come back to him and he realized he was aiming at his only child and quickly lowered his gun. He looked past a freaked out looking Kyle and met Max's deliberately shocked looking eyes and spotted Hubble's gun still in Max's bloody hands.

"Easy there, Son," Jim cautioned, walking towards Max as if he was a skittish animal.

"Don't call me that," Max choked out, forcing back tears and then he opted to use the same argument he'd used the last time around, "Would you treat your son like this? Following me around, hunting me? You're supposed to protect me…"

Max got to his feet, breathing harshly through the pain that echoed through every fiber of his being as soon as he was standing, "Well, if you want me, here I am. Come and get me; I've just killed a crazy man! Come on Sheriff!"

Michael grabbed his arm and acted like he held him back when in reality, he was sending out an unspoken warning, 'Careful Maxwell, just follow the Plan.'

There was a long, heavy pause where Max felt all of his hopes and dreams for a better future slowly slipping away. If this plan didn't work, they were going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble. Then, miraculously, Max watched Jim's eyes soften a fraction and he looked down at Hubble's body with a determined air about him; like he'd just made up his mind about something.

"Kyle, take Max home and make sure absolutely no one sees him like this. Get him cleaned up and sent home. Stay with him, you too Michael and we'll pretend this never happened. Go!"

Max sighed out a deep breath of relief only to moan quietly when his ribs reminded him of their presence. As Kyle came over to Max's other side and started leading him to the Jeep, they all heard Jim call in a fatal shooting, just like last time and they now knew they had a tentative ally in Kyle's father.

And that made it all worth it, Max thought, banishing the memory of Hubble's wide, shocked eyes to the back of his mind where all of his other regrets went.

Nasedo's POV

"I'm telling you, Man," the human's eager voice explained, not noticing how much the voice grated on the old alien's nerves, "there's something fishy going on! I mean, the bullet wasn't there and the girl just walked up and started talking, right as rain, I'm telling ya!"

Scouting the area for possible onlookers, Nasedo was happy to see that no one took the little man the least bit seriously and he stepped closer in the form of some human that he'd killed several years ago.

"That sounds mighty interesting; wanna go tell me all about it? I have this website that's just getting more and more hits per day and I'd love to have your story there. You know, for the people that are not afraid to know the truth."

The human, Larry grinned with victory and stood up, nodding. "Sure, Man. Let me just call my fiancé, Jen, so she knows where I am."

"Of course, but," Nasedo pretended to think about it, "why don't you invite her along? My girlfriend makes a mean stew that can make people see God."

Larry nodded again, pulling out the primitive device that humans called cell phones for some reason to call his woman.

On the inside, Nasedo was smirking. He might not be allowed to kill the fool and his female counterpart, but he had figured out that accidents on the road would almost always turn out fatal and it was worth the possible injuries to make sure that the two humans stopped causing a stir around his King and his family.

Besides, Nasedo's now small visible smirk was full of true evil; it's been far too long since I've killed anything…

TBC…


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A/N Too much? Not enough? Let me know what you think! Also, the Candy moment is dedicated to all the lovely ladies at FF that wished me a happy birthday;)

Until Next Time

Ditte Mai
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maipigen
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 1:22 pm
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Re: The Antarian Timetravellers TEEN/MATURE. CH 19. 5/24/11

Post by maipigen »

moomin: I'm glad that you think that 'cause that's my feelings exactly:)
emerald123: I'm glad you liked that, and yeah, original Liz would probably kill herself if she knew.
AvalonRose: It's got a way to go still, I'm afraid. Don't want to take all the fun out of it;)
cjsl8ne: Glad I didn't scare you off with the Hubble situation;) Tess' acceptance will change a bit in this chapter, I hope it's not too OOC.
Begonia9508: I hope this answers some of your fears about Tess:)
Timelord31: Well, you bring up a good point. But I made it so mostly 'cause of Kyle and Michael's presence. I think this was the best way tbh:)
mary mary: using the granolith would tip off the Skins, so I couldn't do that. As for Pierce, his reasons for coming to Roswell have already changed...
keepsmiling7: Yup, murderous people I agree. Like me, you obviously don't like Tess, but just remember that in this story, she's not actually canon Tess, so...hope I won't scare you away with this update, I'm just sayin'.
Earth2Mama: You said it. Hopefully this chapter will help you separate Tess from...well Original Tess.
Natalie36: Thanks:D Hold on tight;)
nibbles2: BB, they'd probably kill themselves if they found out heh:D Happy you liked it though!

A/N Hi People:D Didn't expect me so soon, eh? hehe, only I would call a little under a monthly update soon, but you know what I mean, right? I hope this chapter will please you all and remember I never do anything without reason. No romance in this chapter, sorry, but I'll try to rectify that next time around; I've already written a dreamer scene, so I know I'm not just placating you:) Enjoy!


CHAPTER TWENTY

Tess' POV

Some people might say that the way Tess' life had turned out since moving with her alien guardian to Roswell, New Mexico was a little bit on the surprising side. Tess more or less preferred the terms 'mind blowing' and 'life changing'.

Growing up with Nasedo had taught Tess to think on her feet, but always respect her superior and believe in the life she used to have on her home planet. Well, not anymore, Tess thought grumpily as she watched people walk by her as she sat on a bench near the local park.

I'm sick and tired of feeling like I've done something wrong all the time, Tess thought, bending down and ripping off some grass to twist it around in her hands. I thought I had a connection with Kyle, but something must have gone wrong with my powers since he remembers what I did to him.

The look of unadulterated loathing in Kyle's eyes as he'd looked at her when she'd approached him in the UFO center, had nearly brought the curly haired hybrid to her knees. But Tess was nothing if not resilient and she'd decided to try and talk to him regardless of his sudden change of character.

"I won't do that again," she whispered, ignoring the startled look one of the passersby shot her. "At least I know it's only Kyle that's remembering," Tess added quietly.

As soon as she'd left the UFO Center, Tess had forced back the unfamiliar feelings of heartbreak, deciding that feeling that way because of a human was unacceptable, and had looked up the address of Kyle's fellow jock, Johnny.

It had only been a few minutes after she'd knocked on his door that Tess knew that her powers hadn't turned completely against her, because Johnny was too busy leering down her top to flee from her, screaming about what he'd witnessed in the computer lab.

Tess sighed, pushing back her feelings of despair, hating that she was turning into such…well, such a girl. Even her dreams were being influenced now, for some reason it was like her subconscious wanted to make her feel as bad as it possible could with hurtful dreams where her fellow hybrids and their human friends hated her for killing someone.

It was getting on Tess' nerve and she could barely stand to be around Liz and Maria anymore, feeling guilty for something that wasn't even real was very bad for her spirit, and it was suffering enough as it was with Kyle's renewed hatred of her.

Nasedo was also starting to look at her oddly whenever he caught sight of her. He didn't appreciate all the times that Tess had looked sad and pathetic; his words, not hers. Evidently she just couldn't live up to the ideal he had of her former self, Ava.

I wonder if he even cares about me, Tess thought, frowning as she caught sight of some familiar shape in the distance. He used to spend a lot of time with me, training me for my destiny. And now, after coming here and meeting Max and the others, he's basically ignoring me.

Tess' eyes followed the person; she knew that she should know. Leaning forward a bit to follow him with her eyes, Tess suddenly gasped. Nasedo!

What's he doing with that guy? Tess had stood up before even realizing it, her eyes locked on the sight of her guardian having what appeared to be casual conversation with some bespectacled guy and a short haired blonde woman. If there was one thing Tess was sure of, it was that Nasedo never did anything casual what so ever.

Without thinking things through, she quickly made her way over to the chatting trio. If she hadn't been completely sure of Nasedo's identity in the unfamiliar body, the scathing look he sent her as she interrupted him was more than enough proof.

"What are you up to?" she finally asked, pretending that she was a close friend of whoever it was Nasedo was supposed to be.

The unfamiliar guy that Tess vaguely recalled having seen in the UFO Center, grinned and eagerly started speaking before Nasedo could get a word in.

"It's so awesome. He's a fellow believer like me and we're gonna go talk about what happened here in that diner last September. It's gonna go online and people that care will actually know the truth. It's amazing, isn't it Jen?"

"Sure Larry," the woman by his side replied, looking decidedly uninterested as her eyes trailed from Larry to Tess and back.

"Well it was nice seeing you Tess," Nasedo stated coldly, with a fake smile. "But we really have to get going; I'm on a pretty tight schedule today."

"Where are you going?" Tess blurted out the question, knowing full well that she was breaking most of the rules that Nasedo had force fed her with since childhood.

"Nowhere important-" Nasedo started to say, when Larry, once again in his excitement, stepped forward and revealed everything.

"We're going out to the desert where he thinks that Area 51 is. Ain't that like super cool?"

"Excuse us for a moment," Nasedo took a firm hold of Tess' arm, "I just need a moment here with my friend. I'll be right back."

The grip was hard as steel and Tess swallowed back a whimper of pain, as Nasedo led her out of hearing distance from the two humans.

"Inform me please, as to why you are here?" Nasedo's cold voice sent shivers down Tess' spine, and she struggled to make her vocal chords react as her murdering guardian continued, "I ordered you to try and get close to Max and make him see reason, not follow me around like some pathetic human with nothing important to do."

For the first time, Tess felt a small sense of …something, and she blinked away her fears and met Nasedo's emotionless stare head on.

"Don't talk to me like that. I'm your queen and I won't have you sully everything up by obviously disobeying Max's orders. I thought you couldn't kill now that he ordered you not to."

Tess almost moaned, when Nasedo's grip tightened at her defiant words, "you're nothing Tess; you're a weak imitation of Ava. You're unable to even catch a simple boy's attentions away from an even simpler human girl. This is not what I trained you to do all these years. I'm disappointed in you."

Yanking out her arm with all of her strength, Tess took a few steps away. "First of all, don't insult Liz. She's my friend. And secondly; don't do this Nasedo; you're already pushing limits by keeping such a tight hold on Topolsky. Just, do as you're ordered; you don't have to do this."

The look Nasedo sent her, clearly told Tess that he thought her naïve. "I have to protect all of you," he stated softly. "Even if I have to kill every single human to do it, I will. Gladly."

"You're the pathetic one," Tess muttered, the anger and anguish she'd always kept at bay in his presence slowly bubbling to the surface and lending her some power. "You're not on Antar anymore. Your deal with Khivar is lost now that Max told you to forget about it. I'm not gonna use that plan of yours either, something which I know you're hoping for; I will not betray my family, even if they don't want me around all that much."

Even as she spoke, Tess suddenly felt a weird sense of déjà vu. A ghostly voice that sounded surprisingly like her own echoed in her mind, "I was raised by a killer, Kyle…a sick and twisted man…!"

Again, it was like someone else's, in this case Kyle's voice rang through her body, piercing it and leaving a burning trail of hurt inside of her. "You know, of all the aliens I've met…you're the only one that has no soul."

What the hell? Tess shook her head, trying to fight back what was happening inside of her seriously overactive imagination and looked back up into Nasedo's cold stare.

It was like the weird flashes from her dreams were trying to wander over into the time where she was awake, and Tess didn't like it one bit. And, for some reason, I really don't like the thought of being such an evil creature that my dreams keep making me out to be

Shaking off whatever it was that flew through her; Tess yanked her arm out of Nasedo's grip. The look of surprise on his face was reward enough for her as she tried reasoning with him one more time.

"If you follow your plan and terminate this supposed threat of yours, Max and the others will not forgive you. They're already treading on eggshells around you after the Topolsky incident."

"Don't presume to think you know anything," Nasedo murmured, scanning the area for listeners, "go home and act like the pathetic human you're turning into. You're not the only thing in my world anymore, Tess."

With that, the older alien turned and walked back to a still eager looking Larry.

Tess watched them get inside of Larry's car and drive away and her earlier words about not betraying her family drifted into her mind. Without a second thought, Tess started running towards Max and Isabel's house.

On the way, she could feel tears running down her cheeks, branding her with her betrayal to the man that had raised her; but Tess knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd finally, officially, picked her side in this tug of war between the guardian and the hybrids and she pushed herself to run faster even as the tears burned down her cheeks.

Isabel's POV

"I spoke with Kyle, and he says that Jim made it all go away just like last time. Evidently, your perfect plan worked, so I hope you're happy." Isabel said curtly as she opened the door to the bathroom where she'd heard Max enter some time ago.

All of her internal anger and hurt at being completely overruled in regards to the Hubble situation flew out of Isabel's mind the moment her eyes landed on her brother.

Max was standing in front of the sink, scrubbing his hands religiously with a bar of soap under running water. His skin was scratched and there were spatters of blood on the white porcelain of the sink, as though he'd literally tried to tear off the skin that offended him so much.

But that wasn't even the worst part in Isabel's opinion, no; it was the haunted look that she could see in his eyes as they were seeing something that she couldn't possibly grasp.

"Max!" Isabel quickly closed the door behind her, and ran to his side. As gently as she could, Isabel quickly grabbed hold of her brother's injured hands and guided him to the edge of the bathtub, coaxing his unresponsive body to sit down while she turned off the water and took out the first aid kit under the sink.

"Let me look at it," she asked and started cleaning the scrapes as soon as Max's big hand was in hers. "What were you thinking?"

"I can't touch Liz with these bloody hands," Max whispered, his gaze dark and so full of desolation that Isabel wanted to scream at him to come back to her.

"You need to heal these up so Liz doesn't get worried," Isabel prompted a few minutes later, when it dawned on her that he had nothing else to say.

"She's gonna be scared of me, Iz," Max's eyes suddenly penetrated Isabel and her breath caught at the sight of pure desperation in his brown eyes. "Somehow, she'll know because Liz always knows and then she'll fear me. I'll break if Liz is scared of me. But I had to do it, Isabel. I know you don't agree and Hubble didn't have a good life, but you didn't see his eyes; he never would've stopped."

Max swallowed and Isabel couldn't think of anything to say as he started muttering to himself, "he never would've stopped."

It's amazing, Isabel thought, fighting back sympathetic tears as she watched her brother silently, how often I forget that Max's heart is bigger than the rest of us'. The way he was after Liz was killed numbed him to the pain, but being back here must have softened him up again and I can't believe I never realized that. He has to snap out of it, we can't win if he's broken completely.

"Max, take a deep breath and just stop, okay?" Isabel grabbed his face and lifted it up so he had nowhere else to look but at her. "I know I disagreed about the way Hubble was taken care of. But I get it. I'm just a bitch, you know that. Michael told me what happened; I know you had to kill him this time around and not Jim. It wouldn't have made sense otherwise with Michael and Kyle being there; I get it. Liz won't have to know. We all agreed that no one finds out the whole truth to protect their innocence as long as we can. What you did was simply to protect us all. So, just, please stop, Max. Seeing you like this is hurting me and I bet Liz too, through your bond."

Max blinked once, staring straight into Isabel's eyes with an intensity that made her want to run back into her room and hide under the covers and call Alex for some much needed comfort. Then he blinked again and some semblance of life flooded back in to his eyes and Isabel regained the ability to breathe.

"I'm sorry," Max's voice was so low that Isabel could barely hear it, but she was just so relieved to see him finding the way back to himself that she didn't care.

"Now heal those things and let's go down to the kitchen; Mom's not home, so I made Tabasco Chocolate Chip Pancakes."

"Yes Ma'am," she caught him say just as she exited the bathroom. It made her smile and she quickly made her way to the kitchen to make another couple of pancakes, knowing that Max had more than likely neglected to eat ever since coming back from his mission.

He always did forget to eat when he was brooding, Isabel knew from past experiences. Whereas Michael and she had always eaten more to quench their worries, Max had a tendency to starve himself. In their other life, Max had been practically emaciated the night they finally finished their plan to come back to the past.

"But that won't happen this time," Isabel stated out loud to the empty room, as if warning off Fate, "I won't let it, because it's all gonna be okay."

"Who are you talking to?"

Max had slipped in next to Isabel at the kitchen counter and she shrieked and threw some flower at him with a grin, happier than she was willing to admit that he was looking like himself again. For the first time since Hubble had reappeared, Isabel was feeling at ease again. Of course, she'd never admit it out loud. "Make yourself useful and fry some bacon, Dumbass," she said instead and turned her attentions towards the pancakes that had grown cold during the time she'd helped Max.

Just as she'd finished warming them up to perfection with her powers, the front door burst open, slamming against the wall harshly and several things happened at once. Isabel immediately fell into a protective stance with her mother's prized steak knife in her hand, glowing as she poured her energy into it. Max instantly raised a glowing shield and the unannounced visitor banged right into it and skidded backwards, banging her head into the wall with a smack.

"Tess?" Isabel straightened up, putting the now burning knife in the sink where it sizzled as droplets from the faucet touched it and Max's greenish shield evaporated as quickly as it had arrived once he too recognized Tess' form. "What are you doing here? Do you need some ice for your head?"

"We don't have time for that," Tess scrambled to her feet, gasping loudly. There were trails of tears on her face and her nose was running and there were signs of sweat around her neck and under her armpits that made Isabel's obsessive compulsive nature cringe.

"You could just have driven here," Isabel pointed out and was about to offer Tess a chance to freshen up in the guest bathroom, when Tess simply interrupted her and everything else no longer mattered, least of all hygiene.

"Nasedo has taken those two humans that witnessed Max heal Liz. I don't know how he's gonna do it with Max's order hanging over him, but he's gonna kill them!"

Mere three minutes later, the trio of hybrids were speeding in the direction of the desert while Isabel was trying to contact Michael and Kyle to tell them to meet them.

"Hey Iz," Michael's voice rang out through the phone, "have you calmed down yet? I don't wanna come back and-"

"Nasedo's causing trouble again," Isabel interrupted and she could almost feel the anger seeping from Michael and she hoped that he wasn't in a too public a place.

"Where do you need us?" Gone was the mocking teenager tone and instead, Isabel was talking to the guy that had been a general in two lives.

She quickly rattled off what Tess had said and where they were going and Michael didn't even say goodbye before he hung up, presumably hurrying to catch up to them, how she had no idea, neither Michael nor Kyle had a car of their own.

Closing the phone, Isabel looked at Max's profile next to her as he sped down the road, "they're coming as fast as they can. What are we gonna do?"

Max's grip on the steering wheel tightened and Isabel could see his knuckles turning white, but his voice was calm when he quietly answered her.

"We need to make Nasedo understand that we're not kids to be protected. I won't keep getting people killed."

Isabel could feel Tess' questioning glance at her brother's words, but she just shrugged noncommittally like she too had no idea what he was talking about.

"Other than that," Max's sigh brought Isabel's attention back on him, "I really have no idea."

Isabel, not really knowing what to say to that, adjusted her ponytail and looked at the landscape as it blurred past. Tess' hand on her arm startled her and she quickly covered it up with a little too much bite to her voice.

"What?"

"I-I just," Tess hesitated at first, but then looked up and met Isabel's frosty gaze right on. "I don't want Nasedo hurt. That wasn't why I told you. He's the closest thing I have to a family."

"Great family," Isabel sniped, hating that tiny pinch of something that seemed to want to sympathize with the blonde. Then it turned into surprise when Tess suddenly straightened up and sneered right back with a coldness in her voice that could match Isabel's anytime.

"Well, I can't exactly call the way you've all been treating me a good thing. You all hated me way before I ever laid a hand on Kyle and despite us actually being a family; you're all treating me like I'm disgusting. And, although I've chosen your side in this, because killing innocent people is wrong, don't make the mistake of thinking that I'm gonna hurt the man that raised me."

There was a pause where Isabel simply didn't know what to say and then Tess added calmly, her voice eerily familiar to the time she'd come back to earth with Zan, only concerned about her son's survival. "Especially since I have never done anything to make you all hate me so much."

Isabel clenched her jaw, really wishing that she could blurt out her knowledge without making things even more complicated, but it just wasn't feasible. She didn't even have to look up to know that her brother was sending her a warning glance.

Instead, Isabel sighed and reminded herself of the promise she'd made not too long ago to not let her old feelings for Tess ruining things in this new life of theirs. Smiling as sincerely as she could, Isabel spoke again. "You're right and I'm sorry that it's been so obvious, Tess. I guess Max, Michael and I are just a tight knit group and don't like changes."

"Didn't stop you all from pouring out your secret to your friends," Tess pointed out.

"Well, that's a whole other matter that's not really that interesting. I just want you to know that I'll try to stop making you feel so attacked. I might seem like an ice cold person most of the time, but once you get past that, I can be a pretty decent girl."

"Not to interrupt," Max's voice interrupted the very rare moment of understanding that was happening between the two female hybrids, "but we're here and Michael's coming up behind us."

Isabel turned and couldn't quite contain a grin at the sight that met her. I guess no matter what timeline they were in, Maria's mom's Jetta always has a part to play.

The familiar sight of the rather run down vehicle actually served to calm Isabel more than anything else had so far, not even Alex's continuously confused, but soothing emotions had helped all that much.

A minute later, she was jumping out of the Jeep, meeting Michael halfway. A part of her was surprised that Kyle wasn't with him, but Michael answered her unspoken question quietly when the others weren't paying attention. "Told him to stay behind to make sure the others don't worry too much. Said it was something with Hank that couldn't wait."

"Good," said Isabel, turning back to Max, who was listening attentively to Tess' description of how Nasedo had looked like before, in case he was still in the same body.

Led by Max and Michael, they all dropped to the ground, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, knowing that shading their appearance with powers would more than likely make Nasedo realize they were on to him.

It was a piercing scream that made them all throw caution to the wind; Isabel was the first one on her feet and thus the first one to see what was going on.

As she came up over the last of the small hills that had been hiding them from plain sight, Isabel spotted Nasedo standing with his fingers around Larry's throat while using his powers to push off a fiercely struggling Jen as she did her best to try and help her fiancé.

"STOP you son of a bitch!" Isabel roared, raising her hands and sending off one of the strongest attacks she had.

Nasedo didn't have time to use Larry as a shield, so he threw him away and jumped backwards with a fluid grace that didn't match the slightly dorky person he resembled.

Isabel didn't give him time to rest, her body already moving in that deathly dance that she'd been through so many times before. Nasedo was not as fast as she was, but he was most definitely more resourceful and less controlled by his emotions, so he sent her a mocking smirk as he elegantly twisted out of reach from yet another blast. The rock that it hit practically melted with a sizzling sound and he looked over at her with mild surprise in his otherwise emotionless eyes.

"Are you really capable of killing me? Why can't you see that I'm doing this to protect you? Besides," here Nasedo skillfully put up a shimmering shield, similar to that which Max preferred to use to avoid being killed by a panting Isabel, "…besides as you should know if you hadn't been so emotional Princess, I wasn't going to kill that man; I'm forbidden remember?"

"That's not what it looked like, Man," Michael's voice sounded from behind Isabel and she braved a quick look to see that Max was busy assessing Larry's throat with knowing eyes, Tess was staring sadly at her guardian and Michael was standing with his hands in a battle stance, ready to protect a trembling Jen that had taken cover behind him, while watching Isabel with wide, confused but grateful eyes.

"Oh Swell," Nasedo rolled his eyes, "You're all here. Together." His gaze was locked on Tess and Isabel stepped in-between them instinctively protecting the other female. Although, Isabel mused silently, there was something in Nasedo's look that told her that he might dislike them all; but Tess wasn't part of that, so she relaxed minutely as she waited for something to happen to end the stalemate they now found themselves in.

"If you weren't going to kill them by hand, what was your plan?" Max's voice was cold as ice and Isabel swallowed down her basic desire to stay the hell out of his way as he stood up and slowly made his way closer to Nasedo.

This has the potential to go really bad, really fast…I hope nothing everything will work out; please let everything work out in the end. Isabel practically prayed to the God that she didn't quite had the will to believe in anymore as she watched her brother take on that horrible mask of his that signaled that he was willing to fight to the death.

Max's POV

"You keep thinking that you know best, Nasedo. That's one of your flaws." Max said slowly, his voice carrying through the otherwise silent air.

The way the other man looked at him, quite clearly told Max that if he wasn't careful there'd be a repeat performance of their fight.

"And you keep believing that you're so superior, Boy. That arrogance has brought you and yours nothing but pain on Antar and now here as well. I will not watch you ruin everything due to some misguided act of sentimentality!"

They all stood immobile for a long minute, everything was quiet; the weeping Jen in the background having lost her ability to wail in the tension; even the slight breeze in the air stopped as if to not offend anyone.

Then, suddenly, Nasedo moved and Max intended to dodge out of the way, not interested in spending too much energy this time around; he was very aware of Liz's scared and confused anger running through him and he didn't want her to worry even more than she'd already had to with the Hubble situation.

That, of course, cost Max some of his usual speed and agility and he was caught off guard when he did something that he rarely did; he tripped over a small cluster of loose rocks on the ground and would without a doubt have been hit by the projectile of fiery power that Nasedo had sent towards him.

Except, suddenly, there was a shout of his name and Max felt someone push him hard enough to fall to the ground. It was only the fact that Max's mind was as experienced a fighter as it was that his body instinctively twisted in the air and he caught the one that had taken the hit for him.

To Max's huge shock and disbelief, he was now cradling a moaning Tess in his arms. She was definitely injured, her warm blood seeping onto his hands and clothes with a ferociousness that quickly forced Max into his doctor mode.

He worked fast and counted on his family to have his back while concentrating everything he had on Tess's still form. She was no longer conscious, her breathing labored and the whole thing was so surreal that Max couldn't really process it. Here he was, saving the woman that he'd hated for so many years.

"Tess, come on, open your eyes," Max murmured, ripping her shirt apart to fully access the injuries on her small body. There was a nasty gash right down her chest and it probably wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't still sizzling with some unfamiliar power; evidently, Nasedo had let his rage overtake him enough to break one of his earliest orders of never harming his charges.

"Can you save her?" it was Isabel's presence that made Max snap back into focus.

"I don't know. She's so far gone that I can't form the connection with her…Keep your hands there," Max instructed, "Keep pressure on it so the blood flow lessens. She's already lost so much blood."

It was like Max was two different people in that moment; the meticulous and detached healer and the shocked, and rage filled man that deep, deep down used to have, if not love for Tess, then at least respect.

Something burst inside of him when, once again, Tess didn't respond to his summons and Max looked up at the man responsible, covered in blood up to his arms and his dark eyes shining with fury. "Are you happy now?"

"Please, Za- Max, please don't let her die," Nasedo pleaded, his voice nothing like Max had ever heard before. The older alien's eyes were trained on Tess' still form, on the still gushing blood that obscured the sight of her actual wound. It was the first time that Max realized that Nasedo actually loved Tess.

"Max, she won't stop bleeding!" Isabel screamed and Max's attention snapped back to Tess. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Michael shielding the two whimpering humans with his body while piercing Nasedo with a warning stare that could have melted stone.

The sight of the dying Tess was something that Max secretly had always wanted to see; her first death by suicide hadn't been satisfactory to all of the negative emotions that he had for her; but now, seeing her like this wasn't pleasing in the least.

Particularly because her earlier words to Isabel kept running on repeat in Max's mind. "I have never done anything to make you all hate me so much." Because Tess had been right; in this timeline they'd all failed to let the past be past. The young Tess in front of him was still innocent enough to hate the thought of killing; she'd never purposely harmed anyone and her loneliness had catapulted her into a sincere friendship with Liz that Max knew was heartfelt from both sides.

This isn't the one that killed Alex, Max thought and for the first time, he realized that he didn't hate this girl; he hated the one that had betrayed them all and caused him to lose so much time with Liz, who had ruined so much and left so much pain behind that even a deadly war hadn't been able to mute the feelings caused by her.

And in that moment, all Max wanted was to save the woman he had called wife in another life. "Come on, Tess!" He grabbed her face and forced open her eyelids, but it was of no use. Suddenly, there was a flash of a long forgotten memory in his mind.

They were all standing in a cave, looking down at Michael, cocooned by his illness. River Dog guiding them all to heal him in tandem.

"We don't have time to get the stones here," Max whispered to himself, not noticing the questioning, and slightly desperate look Isabel sent his way. "But we're all here; we work best when we're together."

"Maxwell, focus!" Michael yelled and Max looked up, not once stopping from trying to heal the bloodied form beneath him.

"Michael! Nasedo! Come here!" He barked out the order, ignoring how Isabel began to protest at Nasedo's presence and launched into a quick explanation, "Remember the healing in the cave? We can't go get the stones, we don't' have time, but I need you all to join powers with me; it'll give me the boost I need to get inside her head and drag her back out."

Max grabbed Nasedo's trembling hand, smearing the murderer with Tess' rapidly cooling lifeblood. "Iz, join hands, Michael, touch my shoulder, I need to have one arm free while I do this. NOW!"

As soon as he felt Michael's hand on his back, Max forced Tess' eyelids open again and dove inside to drag her back to the realm of the living.

It was pitch black and there was no sound at all; it was like Max was floating in a place where nothing had ever existed and he had to swallow back some primal panic.

"Tess!" He called repeatedly, lighting up his path with his glowing hand. "Come find me!"

It felt like an eternity passed before something flickered on the edge of his sight and Max turned his head as fast as he could and caught the sight of something moving away from him. Following whatever it was; Max just knew that Tess wasn't far away anymore.

He blinked and gasped in shock when he saw the form of a much younger Tess, the way she'd looked the time she came out of the pod. She was kneeling, covered in blood from the wound that was morbidly still present even inside her own mind. "I'll be good, please don't leave me," she kept whispering, her young voice high and full of fears, "I don't wanna be alone anymore. Save me Max. Someone just save me; I'll be good, please."

Slowly, Max knelt down before her, making her jump with fright as his presence startled her out of her panicked state of mind. Some semblance of rationality came back to her eyes as they locked with his.

"Am I dead now? Are you here to punish me?" The hopelessness in her voice touched something that Max thought had died a long time ago inside of him.

"Tess, I'm here to help," was all he said as he slowly held out his glowing hand for her to grasp. "Just take my hand and we'll go back together."

"You hate me," the child stated calmly, never once blinking or looking away. "I try to be good but you all still hate me."

"Just take my hand and we'll work things out," Max could feel the coldness seeping into his very essence and knew that his time was running out; if he didn't hurry it would be too late. For the both of them. With a superhuman effort, Max fought off the chill and gestured with his hand one more time. "Come on, Tess!"

"I'm scared," the curly haired child admitted in a soft whisper and Max's heart ached for her.

"I know, it'll all be better as long as you take my hand," for some odd reason, Max just had a knowledge inside of him that Tess had to be the one to take his hand, if he forced her, she would be gone forever.

"Y-you promise?" The hesitant hope in her eyes finally killed the last bit of resentment inside of Max and he answered with the truth, nodding with his chin at his hand.

"I promise. I won't hurt you again; please just take my hand and let me prove it to you."

Slowly, Tess looked down at his offered hand; her frame growing more and more transparent by the second and Max felt as if the blackness was suffocating him, tearing him apart from the inside in its haste to prevent him from taking Tess with him.

Then things happened very quickly, Tess placed her small hand in his and they were off. Their combined powers chased the darkness away and when Max reopened his eyes, he was staring down at Tess' still form on the ground, still holding a firm grip on Nasedo's hand.

The pain inside of him was on fire, and Max had a suspicion that he would pay for this journey later, but first, he leaned forward and asked Tess to open her eyes one more time. There was a brief pause, where all his fears came roaring back to life, what if he'd lost her on the way, but then her eyes flickered and a second later she was looking at him with wonderment.

Max didn't waste any time before placing his hands on her wound, starting to heal her and with her mental cooperation, it wasn't difficult to cleanse the wound and pull out the alien fire still burning inside of her. A minute later, Tess breathed out a sigh of relief as Max closed the wound completely and the pain seemingly left her.

They shared a long look, both reaffirming their agreement of being if not friends, then family for a second, before Tess turned her head to look at Nasedo, who hadn't moved since Max had let go of his hand.

"I forgive you," she whispered and to Max it seemed like her voice psychically hurt the older alien, "but I won't be your responsibility any longer. You need to stop hurting people; there are other ways of getting your point across, Nasedo. So just stop, please."

"I have to protect you all," Nasedo murmured half-heartedly, his gaze traveling over to the pale faces of Larry and Jen.

The way he looked at them, still with some barely hidden contempt at their humanity, finally cracked Max's resolve and since he knew Tess genuinely loved her guardian, he couldn't kill him. He did the next best thing.

Unceremoniously, Max grabbed hold of Nasedo's face and twisted it in his direction, compelling him to look him into his eyes. "Here's what's gonna happen if you keep going in your own direction; this is what your precious protection can result in!"

Then Max let go of the mental chains that kept all of his hideous and horrific memories hidden away in a dark corner of his mind. He poured every single memory into Nasedo, showing him what kind of woman Tess had turned out to be in the original timeline; making him see just how the bonds with the humans had saved their sanity over and over again over the years. The memories of the vicious war actually caused the proud alien to groan, as if the agony was simply too much to bear.

While the connection between them was open and Max educated Nasedo, he could feel some of Nasedo's memories fly into him. What he saw, made Max understand the man so much more and his logical self returned when the last memory of them returning to this time had been force fed into Nasedo's abused mind.

With a gasp, Max broke the bond between them and let go of Nasedo, who promptly fell to the ground, trembling and moaning in mental agony. "This is what will happen if we don't stop it," Max whispered, feeling his vision darken as the events of the day finally caught up to him.

His body ached and the pounding in his head made him feel like someone was tramping on his brain, but Max never once looked away from Nasedo, who was weeping into the dusty ground. The memories that he'd gotten in return were still aligning themselves inside of him, but Max knew one thing for certain.

Nasedo never wanted anything to happen to Tess, not because she was the closest thing to a child he had, but because she was a part of Ava. The only woman he'd ever truly loved. Max used that knowledge and said, "She will never be free if you keep messing things up. Let her be happy here."

"I'm so sorry," Nasedo looked past Max and met Tess' confused stare. "I never meant to hurt you. I only tried to make you strong and independent…I'm sorry."

Then he slowly got to his feet, staggering a bit as if the load that Max had burdened him with was weighing him down not only on the inside but on the outside as well. "I'll go to L.A," he proclaimed, now knowing that Max and the others already knew about Cal and started walking away silently, "I'll wait for further instructions, Your Majesty" he added, his old subservient attitude having been returned with vengeance.

Max stubbornly held out until Nasedo's form had disappeared from sight, but then he couldn't handle the pressure on his brain anymore and he fell to the ground, blissfully unaware of everything for a short while.

Michael's POV

Max's form crumbled to the ground and Michael moved like lightning to catch him before he nosedived into the hard ground.

Instantly, Isabel was at their side, looking frantic and very exhausted. Michael didn't care about anything then to make sure that his leader wasn't dying on him.

His body had burned and protested ever since Max had borrowed some of his strength to go heal Tess, and he knew that he needed rest, but that was nothing compared to Max.

The brunette's skin was pale and covered in a fine sheet of sweat that made his skin cold and clammy to the touch. He was still covered in Tess' blood and his nose was bleeding, adding more red to an already ghastly image. "He's just exhausted," Michael recognized the signs from the times he'd witnessed his friend overuse his healing powers. "He needs to sleep it off."

"What do we do now? We can't take him home like this," Isabel said, her fears leaving her eyes a bit now that Michael had assured her of her brother's survival.

"W-well," Tess spoke and stood up, holding her tattered shirt together in front of her, evidently, she too was exhausted since she hadn't just fixed the fabric. "We could take him to my place. I…well, it's not like I have anyone that'll notice anymore," her eyes turned to the spot where she'd last seen her protector.

Remembering Maria's plea to stop being so cold towards Tess, Michael nodded mutely and then slung Max over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Lead the way."

"Uhm," Tess frowned, looking over at Larry and Jen. Larry had long since fainted, but Jen was watching them with widened eyes full of fear and a hesitant gratitude. "What do we do with them?"

"Mindwarp them," Isabel ordered, making Michael look at her in surprise; he hadn't expected her to approve of that method at all, all things considered. But apparently, he'd missed something on the way to the desert because Isabel wasn't looking the least bit apprehensive as she spoke the words.

"I'm too tired to do more than one 'warp," Tess confessed, running a bloodied hand through her messy hair. "Even as is, I doubt it'll be permanent, they'd probably remember everything sooner or later."

"Don't make me forget, please," Jen pleaded, standing up over Larry. "I swear I won't tell a soul about this. I've never even been interested in finding you guys in the first place; that was all Larry. He became obsessed and then I was just along for the ride. If…" she stopped to briefly look down at her bespectacled fiancé with a hesitant affection in her eyes, "if you make him forget, I'll make sure that if he suddenly remembers, then I'll contact you. Please."

Tess and Isabel looked at Michael when Jen finished speaking. Great, he thought, hoisting Max's unresponsive form higher up on his shoulder, so it seems like I'm the interim leader now. Thanks Maxwell, you better wake up soon

"Sounds like a decent plan," Michael finally said and Tess nodded in agreement. Isabel didn't say anything; she was too busy staring at Max with sisterly worry. It seemed that all she really wanted was a chance to mother hen her brother for a bit.

A little under an hour later, Michael pulled into Tess' driveway and hurried inside with Max. Isabel joined them in the Jeep a moment later; Tess by her side.

Tess guided him to a guestroom where there was only a bed present and nothing else. Fortunately, it was made and ready for use and Michael placed Max on the bed and was just about to ask for some warm water and fresh clothes to clean him up, when Isabel came inside the room, carrying a bowl of water and a bundle of towels.

"Tess, you should take a shower and get something to eat, you're only just healed. Michael, I need you to go through Nasedo's stuff and see if he left behind any clothes that'll fit Max and I'll clean him up in the meantime."

Nodding, Michael did as ordered, silently happy that Isabel's Christmas Nazi nature had shown itself for a minute. He'd just opened a drawer in Nasedo's Spartan bedroom, when his forgotten cell phone rang. He grabbed it, pulled out the small antenna on it, while sorely missing the more up to date version of his cell phone and answered it when he recognized Kyle's number.

Kyle's slightly panicked voice reached him a second later, and Michael couldn't contain a slight groan of frustration when he processed what had been said.

"Dude, my fellow humans are pissed and heading your way. They felt you come back into town, and I couldn't stop them; they don't really trust me yet and told me to stay out of their way. So, consider this a heads up; they'll be wherever you are in a matter of minutes, I think."

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the front door and Maria's voice echoed loudly through it. "We know you're in there! We want answers and we want them like yesterday People!"

Michael sighed heavily into the phone. "Great, this day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

Kyle chuckled in the other end. "Do you really need me to answer that?"

Michael rolled his eyes and did the only mature thing; he hung up and tiredly turned towards the front door to deal with, judging from the sound alone, some very irate humans.

TBC…
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