EPICINIUM (CC ALL/ Teen) 1/1 - 06/10/12

[PML]

This is the last of the series of End of the world. Hope you folks enjoy.

Title- EPICINIUM

Author- PML

Disclaimer- Roswell is not mine. It is owned by Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and Fox. This is for entertainment only and no infringement is intended.

Category- CC- ALL

Rating- Mature

Summary- This is the aftermath of the entire series of stories. In Diem Perfectum, Isabel sought to save one perfect day before the fall of endless night. She was successful. In Sol Aeternum Amor, Max and Liz sought to save the world by using the Granolith to give the universe more time. In Fiat Lux, Michael and Maria were more basic, seeking only to save their home and their place in the world. Finally, nearly a world away, Kyle and Tess used their last moments to clear the way for a new existence. But what now? Does it end here, Isabel reliving the same day forever? Max and Liz trapped within the confines of eternity? Michael and Maria floating forever on a tiny island of reality that they have preserved? Did Kyle and Tess allow themselves to become nothing more than a disapating cloud of entangled particles for nothing?
Perhaps. This story can be read so if you wish. It is one of the reasons I have written this as a series of short stories rather than one long story. This final part is the story that I wish to tell, how our heroes managed to save the world, even as they individually failed. So if you wish read on, I hope you enjoy .

Oh, and one last bit. On the off chance you didn’t simply go to Google or some other translation program, Diem Perfectum is A Perfect Day, Sol Aeternum Amor is An Eternal Love, Fiat Lux is Let there be Light, Expediet Spes is to Clear a way for Hope, and lastly EPICINIUM is simply Aftermath. Why I felt the need for Latin, well it looks impressive and just felt like it fit. And yes, I am sure my Latin grammar is poor.

Again, hope you folks enjoy.

--
Alex

Alex stretched his arms, so happy to finally be done with the long series of flights from Hawaii. He looked back at his Isabel and smiled.

It was nice to be alive. Not that he was sure why he was still alive, now that the disaster was over. But somehow he was still here.

Of course it was strange enough to simply have it be tomorrow. Most of the people he had asked hadn’t even been aware of what was going on. It was his connection to Isabel, Alex was fairly sure that made him able to remember it all.

How many nights had he held her as she cried herself to sleep, watching as one after another the stars went out? Only to wake the next morning in her bed, watching as the sun slowly kissed the word?

Each night she would pray for just one more day, just one more perfect day.

To be honest, Alex wasn’t entirely sure that Isabel realized just how many times she had repeated that day. Although each day was never exactly the same. Still it was strange that he remembered and not her. He was pretty sure she suspected, knew that it had been repeated at least once.

Asuna Tachamichi knew it too. And she too had survived to live in this new but old world. Maybe it was that they had been long dead before Isabel had called them back? Maybe some other oddity?

Who knew? Did it really matter?

He was alive now and Isabel loved him. That was all that truly mattered. “Here let me help you with that!” Alex said taking some of Isabel’s luggage.

Isabel simply stared at him, “I still can’t believe you are still with me. Let alone all of this…” She waved around at the airport and all the people hustling about. “I was so certain it was all going to end.”

Alex kissed her. He gently backed away, and said softly, “It did. But all of you managed to save it. I can’t explain it, I don’t know all the details. And it will be a hopefully long time before either of us truly understand. But the world DID end, Isabel. You and your friends somehow rebooted it.” He shook his head, “It took all four of you to do it. But you did.”

Isabel said softly, “But there aren’t four of us anymore. Tess is dead.”

Alex said softly, “Kyle brought her back. I don’t know if they survived what came after. They weren’t here to save anything, merely break the block that was destroying everything. That let Max and Liz bridge the gap.”

“Max and Liz? Bridging the gap?”

“Later.” He lifted his small bag and the much larger suitcase that Isabel had brought. One of two she had brought. “How are we getting to Roswell? Cab or Shuttle?”

“Max will be picking us up. Come on.” Isabel began moving quickly, “I want to see my crazy brother and his wife.”

“That is a long drive. You don’t think…”

Isabel laughed, turned to face him and gave him a quick kiss. “Where one goes, the other follows.” Still laughing, “Sound familiar?”

They all but skipped out of the airport. Happy to be alive. Alive and together.

--
Liz

Liz opened her eyes. Ever since she and Max had returned to reality she always felt the need to touch the ever moving wall of the Eternal Now. She could still feel herself and Max struggling to escape. So very strange since they had already returned. And the time they were fighting against had not existed back when they had first sought to escape.

When they had bridged the gap between Isabel’s time loop that held the world as it had been, and the new space created by Michael and Maria. Liz had felt as if she had been split. As if part of herself had been swept past the Now and into Eternity. And she could still feel it, even now.

It warmed her, as she could feel it fill her with a need for her Max.

Max chuckled softly, “They are coming. How she did it I don’t know. But Alex is still here.”

Liz said happily, “You don’t know the power of female determination!”

Max laughed louder.

Liz looked over at him. It was so good he could laugh like that again. The pending disaster had slowly made him grow more and more distant. Not from her, but so much of the happy sparkle had left his eyes these last few years. He would never be happy go lucky, not with his need for a sense of control. But she hated watching him get desperate.

That had been one reason she had come up with that insane plan after all. Best to give Max SOMETHING, anything to do rather than let him helplessly rail against an uncaring universe.

It was really surprising how alike he and Michael could be sometimes.

Isabel and a laughing Alex were moving briskly out the door. Liz felt as time slowed as she watched her formerly dead friend walk hand in hand with Isabel. She couldn’t stop the tears that came to her.

Alex nodded to Max who got out and popped the trunk. Liz could only watch as two of the most important men in her life put away the luggage in the back. She could faintly hear the two of them talking. She turned at the rapping at her window.

Isabel smiled at her and said, “Sorry Mom, I found him languishing away in Hawaii. Mind if I keep him?”

Liz merely reached out the open window and hugged Isabel. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Isabel’s mouth opened to a massive smile, “Let’s just say, best Christmas ever!”

Both of their gazes flitted back towards Max and Alex.

Liz said softly, “Has he proposed yet?”

Isabel smiled, “Not yet. It is only a matter of time. Not that it matters to me. He is ALIVE, Liz. Alex is alive!”

“What about documentation? I mean, how did you swing a plane trip for someone who is supposed to be dead?”

Isabel just wagged her finger at Liz, “I have a lot of help with that. Professor Tachamichi even hired him! How or why Alex is still up to date with computers, I don’t know, but he had some of our techies drooling over some of the things he described.”

Liz smiled, “Alex could always make friends fast. So have you two been together yet?”

“Liz!? What kind of question is that?”

Liz felt a small burst of confusion.

“Of course I jumped him as soon as we had a bit of privacy. Not that he wasn’t eager himself.” Isabel smirked at Liz, “If your frail little ears can stand it I even have details.”

“Save it for Maria. She’ll want to hear everything. You know her.”

Isabel smile faded, “Do you think she will be there?”

Liz sighed and looked away, “She did help us. You know that she did. Without Kyle and, and,” Liz paused and simply said her name, “Tess it all would have failed. It turns out that we needed her after all.”

Isabel’s look was grim, “I still don’t have to like it.”

Liz smiled softly, “How do you think I feel?” Liz looked off into the distance, “I haven’t seen either of them since reality was restored. They have died for good back there, torn apart by a raging universe.” She sighed, “But a part of me hopes that somehow they managed to escape and can find happiness.”

“Kyle at least deserves it.”

Liz simply said, “Yes.” She poked her head out of the car and called to Alex and Max, “Come on guys, the others are waiting!” She sighed with satisfaction at both of them stopped chatting and actually finished packing the back of the car. She turned to face Isabel again, “Get in, Maria really wants to see Alex. And has a few surprises for you too.”

Isabel got into the back seat of the car, “You know I am kind of surprised that she didn’t come.”

Liz turned to face her, “They are busy getting ready for you. You know Christmasing up the house.”

Isabel recoiled, shocked. “They are just getting started?”

Alex slid in the back from his side, rapping Isabel lightly on the cheek. “Remember, the world was going to end on the 21st. Michael probably didn’t even buy presents.”

“But it’s Christmas!”

Liz turned to face Max while Alex and Isabel playfully bickered in the back. She grasped his hand and he squeezed her hand gently.

Max smiled and said softly, “I love you, Liz. Thank you for everything.”

Liz just stared into his beautiful eyes and….

Turned to face Isabel in shock as she was hit on the top of her head.

Isabel smiled, “No way. Not now. Later. Preferably when you are in a room by yourselves.”

Alex chipped in, “I could drive, I guess.”

“You don’t have a license yet!”

The music of the radio began to play, changing channels until it hit a Christmas Carol.

Liz turned to face Max again, rolling her eyes.

Max simply whispered, “Best Christmas Ever.”

Liz nodded. And they began the long drive back to Roswell.

--
Michael

Michael sighed. How he wished he could still just use his powers outside and in public. Back in those brief halcyon days when only Maria and he had existed. Putting up all these Christmas lights would be so much easier.

There would be no lawn decorations. None. He had already told Isabel that before she had boarded her flight.

Why was he half certain that some were being next day shipped to him right now. The woman was still insane about holidays. Not that Maria didn’t have her moments. He was only half doing this because of Isabel.

Maria popped out of the house, small baby bump visible. “Are you almost finished? Liz just sent me a text that they are only ten minutes out.”

He looked down at her, at her glowing face and brilliant green eyes. God, how he loved her. He looked at the chain of bulbs and felt along the cable checking the bulbs, using his powers very lightly. “Yeah, let me get down and we can test these lights. How is dinner coming along?”

Maria said, “It is coming along nicely. Mom will be dropping by later with desert. Hope you don’t mind.”

Michael sighed as he climbed down the ladder. “We are going to have to tell her, aren’t we.”

Maria walked over and looped her arm in his, “I don’t see why you are so afraid of this.”

Michael looked down at her, “I just knocked up her little girl.”

Maria shook her head and reached up to kiss him, “One that you have been married to for years. Somehow I think she realizes that it was inevitable. She’s been asking for grandkids you know. They don’t grow on trees.”

Michael just grunted.

“No seriously, that won’t be a problem. The house on the other hand….”

Michael turned to her, “The house? Maria we have spent the last couple of days cleaning it top to bottom. Heck between the both of us, the house has been scoured clean. And she’ll love the baby’s room we built. I mean seriously what could she think is wrong with it?”

Maria laughed.

“What?”

Maria said something that Michael didn’t quite understand. She was laughing so hard now.

“What is it woman? Tell me?”

Maria stopped a moment to take a big breath. She giggled a little, held up her hand to Michael.

Michael just glared at her. What he had worked his ass off the last few days. And before that, when they had spent that timeless time in the void they had made improvements to the house. The place was a damn PALACE!

What could possibly be wrong?

Maria calmed down, she looked over at Michael, a giggle escaping. Another deep breath.

Was this some weird pregnancy thing? It was bad enough he was going to lose sleep and change diapers, but was Maria going to be giggling for the next seven to eight months?

Maria seemed fully calm now. “Michael, the house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. You remember all those extra rooms we built?”

“Yeah. You said you wanted more kids. I mean one kid would be fine with me, but you wanted a large family.”

Maria smiled up at him, “And we built them. But Michael. Look at our house.”

Michael did. It was the same nice refurbished house they had had. The paint was new, and they had fixed a lot of the wood work and plumbing. Even wired the electric to the new rooms. Those years spent as a construction worker had come in handy. “Okay?”

“Michael, the house you see can’t possibly have more than a hundred rooms.”

Michael looked at his house. The house they had slaved to rebuild. The house they had fought to save from destruction when the universe had broken down.

The house they had saved.

And made improvements on.

Being outside, even with all those stars had been sort of grim. Even after they had come up with a way to mimic sun light for the plants, still all that empty space.

So they had stayed inside. Just twisted space to build more rooms.

And those changes had stayed, even when the rest of the world had snapped back.

“Shit.”

Maria laughed, “We are going to have to find a way to hide those extra rooms. But Mom is going to be here tonight. And she already knows the secret. So do the Parkers and the Evans.”

Michael reluctantly nodded. How was he going to do this?

Maria shook her head, “But outside of family, I think it is going to be a while before we do more entertaining.”

All Michael could do was sigh.

A four door sedan began pulling up the drive way.

Family. Once he had thought he would never have any, except maybe for Max and Isabel. Funny that he had found one here with Maria. That of all the hybrids and humans, they would be the ones to stay here in Roswell.

Why would he want to leave? He had the best house on the block now. Heck maybe the planet.

Moreover he had a family. And he went out to greet them.

--
Tess-

Tess softly said, “So are we going to join them?”

Kyle said, “Do you want to?”

Softly she replied, “Yes. But I don’t think I have the right. Someday. Maybe after I have helped some people. Maybe….”

“Well, would you rather go to New York? Paris? London?”

Tess turned to him, “if they need us, we will come back to help them? I owe them so much for what I have done.”

“Yes, of course we would help them.” He gathered her close, “They are our family. But today. Today let us go somewhere else and let them reconnect. They have earned it.”

Tess nodded. And thought where she would like to be. If she couldn’t be with her podmates, where would she like to be.

With him. Anywhere, as long as Kyle was with her. So all she said was, “Surprise me.”

And they left.