Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch 34 8/28

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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Chapter 20

Post by Europolarist »

Chapter 20

A couple weeks later, Liz found herself standing in master bedroom of Michael’s cabin, the key and chain around her neck.

After the incident in Las Cruces Liz figured out that she had to get her own place. And while it wasn’t ideal to go to the house where some of her best and worst memories were held, Liz didn’t want to go too far, in case Michael returned.

Serena offered to help her move out, but Elena and John arranged every last thing and now Liz was standing inside Michael’s private home. They refused to let her live there completely alone and a security detail kept 24 hour watch in a building a few hundred feet from the main house, keeping an eye on her in case the skins or worse found her.

She knew she’d still be going to the lab a few times a week to continue work on the research; but Elena agreed that both women needed some time to themselves.

Liz had already been living in the house for a few days when she heard a knock on her door.

Not knowing that anyone was supposed to come over, Liz was concerned that the security guards hadn’t called her.

Liz grinned at the vision of Serena standing in front of her door holding a bag. Liz was glad to see that Serena looked to be gaining weight once again.

“I brought puzzles,” she said, through the glass.

Liz laughed and let her friend inside.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Liz said, closing the door behind them.

“I told security to let me surprise you,” Serena grinned.

“Nice place,” Serena continued, looking around the open foyer. “I see you’ve started adding your own touches.”

Liz grinned, looking over at the Monet reproduction she’d hung over the fireplace instead of the Metallica Poster that had been there. It was safely tucked away in the guest room; she knew Michael’d kill her if she tossed it.

“I figure a few girly touches here and there wouldn’t be unreasonable.”

They sat down on the couch after Liz filled a pitcher of water and Serena filled a couple of glasses with ice, placing their items on the coffee table.

“I guess you’re enjoying it here?” Serena said.

“It’s peaceful,” she said. “Makes me feel close to him.”

Serena nodded, not needing to say a word.

“So, puzzles?” she asked, after a few moments of silence.

Liz popped a movie into the blu-ray player and put it on while they worked on the puzzles well into the evening..

It wasn’t until it was dark that Liz realized there was something seriously wrong with her friend.

“Liz?”

Liz looked up to see Serena standing in the doorway from the hall and saw the color drain from her friend’s face.

“What is it?” she asked, jumping up from her seat and rushing over to her friend.

The sound of static popping filled the air and Liz stopped suddenly, seeing green streaks shooting out from Serena’s arms.

“Oh my god,” she said, her stomach dropping into her gut.

She raced over to the dark haired woman and caught Serena just before she fell to the ground in a faint. Her body was hot and sparked with the green electricity as Liz carried her to the couch.

“House, call Elena,” she shouted at the entertainment system. Within moments, Elena’s voice filled the house.

“Liz, I wasn’t expecting your call,” she said, sounding concerned over the stereo.

“There’s been an emergency,” Liz said, her stomach twisting.

“I assume you don’t mean a normal emergency,” Elena said, sounded guarded.

“Something’s happening to Serena,” Liz cried, looking over as her friend seized on the couch. “I don’t think I can call 911.”

“Ring for security,” she said. “I’ll be over soon.”

The line died and Liz did as the alien guardian commanded, hitting the button whose alarm went directly to the guard house.

It took mere minutes for the men to barge into the house and find Liz kneeling on the ground, attempting to reach out to Serena. The electric sparks now not only dance over her skin but jumped from Serena’s body to the nearby furniture.

“Call Elena,” one guard said, rushing over.

“She’s on her way,” Liz said, as the guards pushed her out of the way.

Liz watched as the men moved furniture around the room and placed Serena helplessly on the floor of the living room. One man braved the constant electric shocks and held her wrist taking her pulse while the other seemed to count her breaths. Liz had never seen anything like it. Tears brimmed her eyes as Serena’s body twisted with another seizure.

What ever was going on with her friend, Liz knew this wasn’t normal.

She paced a few feet away from where the men tried to calm Serena, her stomach flipping around.

It took Elena nearly an hour to arrive at the house and when she did a flurry of things happened at once. She immediately ordered the guards back to the security building to watch for intruders, sure that the lack of guards could bring an attack. John rushed in a few minutes later and Liz cried when Serena stopped moving.

“Is she okay?” Liz asked, being held back by John’s personal guard.

“You need to stay away, Ms. Liz,” he said, honest concern in his voice.

“But Serena,” she called out, trying to get close to the only real friend she had left in Colorado.

A glow caught her eye and Liz stopped her fighting to watch as Elena’s hands hovered
over Serena. A blue glow radiated from her hands to Serena’s body, even as the green electric sparks jumped through the living room.

“What’s going on?” she said, barely hearing her own words over the roar of whatever alien powers they were using.

She got no answer as John moved to Serena’s other side and began scanning over her body as Elena did. The hum filled the room and Liz felt rooted to the floor.

It seemed to take forever as the two aliens checked on the woman on the rug.

“Is she okay?” Liz asked, when Elena came out of her trance and looked around the room.

“She will be,” Elena said, her voice scratching.

“What’s wrong with her?” Liz asked, looking down at her unconscious co-worker.

“Her body is preparing for the birth of the King’s child.”

“She’s what now?”

“It seems that Zan left Serena with child,” Elena continued. “And Zan is the clone with the seal.”

“Serena will need lots of rest if her body is to go through this pregnancy,” John said.

“We probably shouldn’t move her back home tonight,” Elena said.

“She can have my bed,” Liz said, shrugging off the guard’s already loosening grip. “It will be more comfortable.”

She walked down the hall and into the master bedroom, her mind reeling from all the news. Liz had no idea how Serena would react to finding out that she was pregnant with Zan’s child. Sure that Serena would be happy to have a part of him with her, how would dealing with an alien pregnancy work? And what would the baby look like?

Liz reached across the bed and turned the covers so John could place Serena on the mattress. She looked around the room. If Serena needed to stay for a while, Liz would need to make it more comfortable in here.

“That should be fine,” John said, catching her attention.

Liz turned to see him carrying Serena and watched as he placed her carefully on the bed.

“We can stay here tonight, if you’d like,” he said, “but she should be okay.”

“As long as she doesn’t start those seizures again, we’ll be okay.”

“We placed her in a comatosestate,” Elena said, walking into the room almost regally. “She should sleep through the night. But I can leave my guard here if you’d like. He’s skilled enough in healing that he can keep her calm. John and I have some work to do with this news.”

Liz nodded, completely understanding. No one in the room realized that the girls could get pregnant with the child of one the royals.

It didn’t take long for John and Elena to leave after that. And Liz couldn’t blame them, she hoped that they would try to contact Zan, he needed to know that Serena was pregnant with his child.

She grabbed an afghan and her journal, needing to get all her feelings onto paper, and settled onto the chaise she’d brought from the estate house. The guard was going to sleep in the guest room, on the other side of the far wall, in case she needed him.

I don’t even know where to begin, she started, Michael, I could really use your advice right about now. Serena is pregnant with Zan’s child, with the heir to Antar’s throne. How are we going to survive without your help in this matter? Isabel and Ava should be here teaching Serena how to deal with the pregnancy and Zan should be here to hold her tonight. Elena put her in a sedative state to give her as much rest as possible, but I can’t imagine the next few months will be easy.

Liz wiped away a few tears that slid down her cheeks and looked over at her sleeping friend. How were they going to tell Serena’s parents that this happened? And what were they going to do with the interspecies baby when he or she was born?

Dearest Michael, if you can hear my thoughts from across the galaxy, please send whatever strength you can to the women you left behind.
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Chapter 21

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Shit's about to get real ;)

Enjoy

Chapter 21

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that Serena was moved back to the estate, her vitals stable enough to have her moved without risking an electrical outbreak on the helicopter ride back. Serena woke up a few times a day, at the insistence of Elena, and Liz did her best to run a few tests on the pregnant woman. The estate’s doctor, who knew the medical state of his benefactors, gave Liz permission to examine the blood samples he took from the pregnant woman. It was an opportunity that even Serena looked forward to watching the results, once the doctor ensured her that she was one-hundred percent healthy. The pregnancy would be short, about half the time of a normal human pregnancy and the doctor guessed it would be around New Years that Serena would give birth to Zan’s child.

That first day alone in Michael’s cabin again was lonely, and Liz found herself simply
moping about the house, walking through the rooms and missing the company she’d had. She wondered if maybe she should move back to the estate once and for all. At least living near Serena, she could keep an eye on her friend and help keep her mind off the fact that the father was too far away to contact.

A knock sounded on the front door, surprising Liz. She grabbed her glass of wine and walked down the hall. She wondered, as she made her way back through the house, if Serena had forgotten something. The knock sounded again, more insistent and Liz called out.

“Coming,” she said.

Grabbing the handle, Liz opened the door. The glass in her hand dropped and shattered on the ground as the image of Michael blurred in her eyes. Was she imagining things again? It had been weeks since she’d made him materialize.

He pushed her against the wall and pressed a kiss against her lips, his tongue forcing itself into her mouth while she could only close her eyes. Something was wrong, she thought suddenly. His kiss, his touch as his hands rubbed her stomach through the thin material, the smell of his cologne, it was all wrong.

Her eyes shot open as his fingers dipped under the hem of her yoga pants. This was NOT Michael. She struggled against him as his legs straddled hers, locking her against the wall and grinding his hips against her pelvis.

She bit down on the tongue of this imposter and he yelled out, pulling away from her body and slapped her across the face.

“Tha fuck, bitch?” he growled, covering his mouth in pain.

“Who the hell are you?” she asked, her hand rubbing the spot that he’d hit. Liz was surprised that her voice actually came out sounding authoritative, when all she wanted was to cower in the corner away from this fraud.

“It’s me,” he said, “Michael.” He acted as if this was clear, as if there was no doubt that he was the second in command, but Liz knew better. Michael would have never hit her like that, no matter what she’d done.

She pushed herself away from the wall and walked up to him. Though she was shorter than him, Liz hoped she at least looked somewhat intimidating to the man as she glared at him.

“I’ll repeat my question again. Who the hell are you?”

He didn’t back down, his legs spread out and holding his ground.

“Your lover boy, Michael,” he said again, starting to get angry.

If she wasn’t sure that it wasn’t Michael, when he called himself ‘Lover Boy’, she was damn well positive it wasn’t.

It was at that moment, when he rubbed his neck with his hand, in typical Michael fashion, that she spotted the edge of a tattoo under his long hair as he rubbed away foundation or makeup of some sort. The shock of seeing it nearly caused her knees to buckle. Only two other people she knew had that tattoo, which could only mean one thing. Rath was alive.

She swallowed, wondering how the supposedly dead clone was standing in her living room and how he’d gotten past security in the first place. The alarm was close, just a few feet away; but if she bolted toward it, he’d catch her and probably hurt her worse than the throbbing heat her cheek still stung with.

“He’s,” she started, “but you’re supposed to be in South America,” she said, taking a step away from him, pretending like she was trying to figure why he returned.

He chuckled at her lie.

“You and I both know I was sent back to Antar with Zan,” he said.

Liz swallowed, Rath knew about the war then. And the granolith use, but how?

“Where’s Zan then?” she asked, continuing the charade.

“He died,” he said, giving a shrug. “We fought a battle, two-on-two against Lonnie and Max and he died.”

His words were sad, almost too perfect as he delivered what she desperately hoped was a lie; but Liz knew when he looked down to fake his regret, that her intuition had been correct. This man was the clone of the man she loved. How was she going to get out of the house alive?

Liz knew suddenly that if the guards didn’t already know that she was in trouble either he’d killed them or the security system. Every time she opened the door a silent alarm would alert the security force and someone would come out to meet her.

She had to be careful with this man because her very life was on the line.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, unsure if she should hug him in her charade or stay as far away as possible. It was clear the alarm would do her no good.

“Come here, kitten,” he said, opening his arms to her. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

Liz nodded, taking a tentative step toward him. He closed the distance instead and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to his body as he faked his contrition.

Liz was well and truly fucked, in the worst possible way she could imagine.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, needing a reason to pull away from him.

“I could use some food,” he said, his slight drawl far too pronounced.

“Let me make something for you then,” she said.

He nodded.

“Go sit in the living room, I’m sure there’s a hockey game or something on you could watch.”

The imposter nodded and Liz braced herself, standing on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m glad you’re home,” she said, sickeningly sweetly.

He grinned at her, grabbed her chin, and pressed his lips against hers. His tongue plowed inside her mouth and Liz reciprocated as best she could without gagging. She had to play along until she could get away, and she hoped it was soon.

She left him alone in the hall and walked to the kitchen, where at least the island would be between her and him. She’d have to come up with some way to alert anyone that she needed help.

“Is there anything you feel like?” she called out as he walked toward the entertainment center.

“Steak or something would be great,” he said, over his shoulder.

Liz let out a breath, praising the heavens. She’d be able to access the Bluetooth phone system from outside.

Liz grabbed two of the steaks that sat in the fridge, normally the two slabs of meat would feed her for almost a week; but she knew she’d need to eat with him if she wanted to keep his suspicions down.

“Have you been to the estate yet?” she asked, gathering a few vegetables to grill.

“I figured I’d go by later,” he said. “I just wanted to spend some time with you first.”

Liz nodded.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, feeling ill as the words came out of her mouth. If Michael were really here, she doubted the words would need to be said.

“Missed you too, kitten,” he replied, not even looking back at her.

She gathered the few items she needed and walked over to the back door.

“I’ll be done in a few minutes,” she said.

“I’ll be here,” he replied, and Liz shut the door behind her.

She walked slowly to the grill and knelt down to turn on the propane. With her back to the doorway she spoke as quietly as she could.

“House, send an SOS to Elena. Rath’s here. Hurry,” she whispered. The automated voice never replied and Liz prayed that Elena would get the message soon.

Liz spent a good twenty minutes waiting for the grill to come to temperature then cooking his steak to a perfect medium rare for Michael’s old tastes. She didn’t know what Rath preferred, but hoped their cloned taste buds were the same. Letting it rest on a plate while hers continued to cook, Liz looked inside the house and waved when Rath looked at her. He smirked and went back to watching the game. He seemed clueless to her action and hoped that he was.

A few minutes later, Liz went inside the house, feeling tense and ill.

“Steak’s done,” she said.

“It smells delicious,” he replied, getting off the couch.

“Stay,” she replied, wanting him as far from her as possible. “I’ll bring it over to you.”

He continued walking toward her and Liz turned around to see that he’d cornered her against the island.

Yelping in surprise, Liz struggled not to cry out when his hands rested on the island, pinning her in place and he leaned in.

“Don’t try anything stupid, Lizzie Bear.” His voice graveled in her ear.

“What?” she stuttered, tears immediately springing to her eyes. How did he know her nickname?

“Your emergency call to Elena never made it to her,” he growled.

Liz cried out, in angst. She was as good as dead.

“After I eat your steak,” he said, looking at her with dark eyes. His hand shot up and wrapped tightly around her neck. “We’ll be taking a ride over to the estate, and you will get me into the mansion.”

“I,” she managed to get out, her airways cut off.

His hand lifted her off the ground just enough for her tiptoes to lose access of the floor.

“You will sit in the back of the limo and I will drive us there where we will use your badge to get into the house. You will take me to the armory where they keep the precious weapon part I want and if you do everything well, I’ll let you go.”

She gripped his arms and struggled against his grip, Liz knew she was close to losing consciousness.

She nodded and he dropped her to the ground.

Liz gasped for air, sweet precious air, picking herself up off the floor.

“You have five minutes to get changed, Liz,” he said, walking to the table. “Get out of your frump-ass pajamas. Don’t try anything stupid.

Liz nodded and ran to her room. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top, grabbing a zip up hoodie that Elena had brought for Serena. Seeing her phone, she grabbed it and looked for a place to hide it. Grabbing another set of underwear, she pulled the cotton up her legs and placed the phone between the two layers up front. Liz hoped if he looked for contraband, that he’d not think to frisk her too closely.

Thankful for her vanity in the bedroom, Liz pulled her hair up into a pony tail and tucked a couple of bobby pins in her hair. If he decided to lock her up somewhere, at least she could get out of some cuffs, thank god for Kyle’s lessons in high school.

Just as she zipped her jacket up, the door to her bedroom was blasted open and Rath stood in the doorway.

“Let’s go, sweet cheeks,” he said, glaring at her.

“Yes, Rath,” she stuttered out as he pulled on her arm and dragged her out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Within moments Liz was standing next to the door of the limo. He ordered her to spread her legs and pushed her chest against the car to look for anything she might have smuggled out.

He ran his hands over her body, and down her sides.

She held her breath as his fingers brushed against the edge of her phone, further hidden by the wide-hemmed waistband of the hoodie. Even an inch over and he would have noticed the change in pressure.

After an invasive grope of her ass as he searched her, Rath pressed her into the side of the car and licked crudely up the back of her neck.

“You’re very lucky I didn’t find anything,” he growled in her ear.

“Your badge,” he said, dangling the familiar orange lanyard in front of her face.

Liz took the plastic ID from Rath and snarled at him.

The door to her side flew open with the force he used and Rath shoved her in the backseat. He clipped the child-lock on the Limo doors before slamming them shut and walked around to the front of the car.

Maybe, she thought, she could get a call out to Elena from here.

The limo peeled down the driveway faster than Liz thought it coul.Taking a corner too sharply, Rath caused Liz to fly through the empty space.

He looked back through the divider glass and laughed.

“Should’a buckled up,” he said.

She gritted her teeth and pulled herself onto the seat, buckling the belt and sat quietly. Now was not the time to use her phone.

“We thought you were dead,” she said from the back seat, trying to make him give something up, anything that would tell her what was going on.

“So did everyone else,” he growled. “Until your stunt in Las Cruces.”

“That was you?” she asked.

“When I saw that bitch co-worker of yours chasing after me like a bat outta hell, I knew I had to hide.”

“How did you know who Serena was?”

“I have my ways,” he said, looking in the rearview mirror. “Now, shut up!”

Liz sighed. She needed to figure a way out of this.

Nearly an hour later, they were pulling up to the gate. Not once did Rath give her a chance to get the phone out of her pants. He seemed to have a constant watch on her.

He growled a warning at her when he hit the window button to talk to the guard. Instead of Rath talking to the guard he was silent and Liz watched Rath’s eyes close. Curiously the guard nodded at him a few times to some missed conversation.

After an awkward moment of silence, Liz watched as the guard stepped away and the gate opened to let them in.

“What did you do?” she asked, as his window closed.

“Mind raped the poor guy,” he growled. “Now, shut your fucking mouth!”

The limo pulled up to the lab instead of the mansion and Liz knew her time was up.

How the hell had he known about the lab entrance, she thought. Surely he couldn’t have busted through her shielding if she’d seen through his mind trick.

If the alarms hadn’t gone off by now, who knows what Rath had done to the rest of the grounds before he’d come to the cabin. Serena could already be dead for all she knew.

He opened the door and wrenched her from the back of the car.

“Your handprint,” he said, forcing her to the reader at the entrance.

“But the armory is in the house,” she said, trying to force him to the other building.

“I’m not stupid,” Rath growled. “I know the entrance is in the lab, now get to it,” he shoved her against the door and Liz had her hand on the reader within a second.

The door buzzed, signaling that it had unlocked, and he thrust her inside the lab, locking the door behind them and growled at her.

“The weapon. NOW!”

Liz felt her hands shaking as she led the way through the halls. The walk to the basement was far too short when Liz found herself at the doorway that would lead to the underground bunker.

“I don’t know the code,” she said, looking at the keypad.

He waved his hand over the device and it showed a green light. He opened the door and shoved her into the room. Lights automatically flooded on in the room and he dragged her to yet another doorway. This time with a retinal scan, he spread her eyelids forcefully and let the machine read her eye.

When they walked into the vault a moment later, she watched as Rath grinned. Inside the room was a set of shelves with a few boxes. This is what he wanted? She thought.

He threw her down and raised his hand, telepathically moving one box toward him.

“Thanks, kitten,” he said, then backed away from the door, with the box under his arm. He flipped the lid open and took two egg shaped devices out, eyeing them carefully.

“You’re staying here,” he said, as she was pulling herself off the ground.

His hand flicked in her direction and Liz flew through the air, crashing into the cement wall on the other side of the room.

Her eyes opened as she struggled to right herself. A flash of light filled the room and before her eyes, Liz watched as Rath’s form shifted before her. He gave her a wave, reflecting her own outfit back at her and took a step back, the flash of orange fabric in his hand.

The door shut behind him and Liz screamed.

“NO!” she cried out, rushing to the door. Rath had stolen her identity and in his hands was her lanyard with her badge. Her hands pounded on the metal wall, echoing through the room. Looking around, Liz couldn’t find a single badge reader or handprint reader or anything.

She rushed to the shelves, opening up boxes and flipping the contents onto the ground. If there were alien weapon parts in here, could she make something to explode her way out?

Ten minutes later, another box dropped onto the floor with nothing but useless video discs of her work in the lab. Nothing.

She rested against the wall wondering how far Rath had gone and if he were still wearing her face. A thought crossed her mind and she begged the walls that locked her in the basement that Rath hadn’t gone to find Serena. As long as Serena’s secret was safe, hopefully he would leave her alone; but if Rath knew that Serena carried Zan’s child in her uterus, there were more problems than Liz could or wanted to think of.

That’s when Liz remembered her phone, still sitting snugly in the layers of her underwear. She pulled out the device, not really expecting any sort of signal within the bunker, and turned it on. She waited impatiently for the familiar start up screen and begged that she could reach someone.

She couldn’t call anyone based on the estate, they’d either be taken in with Rath’s new form or they’d be dead. Roswell was a no go, even if she could get Jim or Kyle on the grounds it was still ten hours or so until they’d get here.

Then she spotted the entry, 555-8432. Scott – Chopper Pilot, even if he didn’t know who Zan and Michael really were, at least he knew about the connection to the skins. He might be the only one she could trust at this point. She quickly dialed the number. He’d be up in Denver, working in the offices downtown; but the helicopter could be here in an hour and he might be able to assess the situation.

The phone crackled with the little signal she managed to get, the metal walls must have been amplifying her signal enough to get through the concrete blocks.

“Liz?” she heard over the line.

“I don’t have much time,” she said, hearing the electric crackle in her ear. “You have to come to the estate, please help!” she said. “There’s been an attack. I’m locked in the bunker in the lab. Hurry, I don’t know if anyone is alive up there.”

There was no response from the pilot and Liz glanced at her phone. The signal cut out at some point and Liz fell to the floor, sobbing.
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 21 5/28

Post by Europolarist »

Ladies, thanks for the feed back! I love that you guys love this!!!

Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 22

Hours later, Liz stared at the door. Her phone had died after about an hour of being locked inside the two story deep bunker. She couldn’t hear anything that might be happening outside, but she prayed that everyone was alright.

Liz paced her breathing, unsure of how much oxygen she had left. Breathe in, hold, count one two three four five, slowly out, one two three four five. She found herself in a meditative state as she tried to conserve oxygen. She couldn’t find any air vents into the room and her breathable air was going to be in short supply soon.

Her stomach rumbled with hunger and Liz knew it must be after midnight by now. She wondered how long she’d have to wait. She’d already gone through the contents of the boxes twice, the agony of the wait was driving her insane. The only thing she’d found was a small handheld device with strange symbols etched into it and a clear liquid crystal display at the center. It almost looked like a squashed magic 8 ball.

Liz wondered, sitting there with the device in her hand, why Rath hadn’t taken this instead. What was it with those two blue orbs that he needed?

She walked over to the lone desk in the bunker, and started going through the drawers one more time. Maybe there was a secret way out of the room that she’d missed. Certainly Michael hadn’t designed this to be a “One-way out” type room.

Sitting in the room with just the ambient light that emanated from the walls like the granolith chamber, Liz was glad at least that the power hadn’t died to the bunker. Being stuck in the dark would have driven her crazy with fear.

Though it was too dark to see into the back of the bottom drawer, Liz knelt on the cold ground and reached her hand back, the twinkle of something metallic catching her eye. She grabbed the item and pulled out something that resembled a book. The pages were made of some plastic alloy held together with metal rings. Instead of being written on, the pages were punched full of symbols that seemed to match the device she’d found.

Was this some sort of instruction manual, she asked herself.

Flipping open the book, she fingered the strange material as it glistened in the low light. The pages themselves were luminescent and glowed a little as she read the symbols. She wished she knew what they meant.

Liz almost dropped the book when she saw a page etched with the images of the Royal Four. These pictures looked like they’d been stamped recently; Michael and Isabel were fully grown. A thought crossed her mind quickly, and she stamped it down, not wanting to think on the idea that maybe the Royal Four had been engineered.

A loud bang resonated from the door, and Liz screamed out in shock as the metal vibrated with whatever the person or people were doing on the outside.

She grabbed the book, tucked it into the back of her pants, and smoothed her hoodie over her hips. If Rath had returned, she didn’t want him finding the book. She quickly moved away from the desk and back to the wall where she’d left the device, hiding it in one of the boxes and pushing it to the back of the shelf. She could come back for it later if she needed to.

For the next few minutes the room seemed to shake and Liz watched in anticipation when a spark made it through to the other side. It appeared that they, whoever they were, were using a heavy duty blow torch to free her.

Relief flooded through her when Scott rushed inside the room.

“Liz!” he cried out.

Liz rushed over to him and allowed him to wrap her in his arms. Though she didn’t know Scott very well, just seeing a friendly face was enough to make her break down.

“Thank God,” she said, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t believe that he’d managed to get her out of there.

“Liz,” a quiet female voice said.

She pulled away and saw Serena standing behind the doorway, as the workers cleared away the chunks of metal.

“You’re alive,” Liz said, elation filling her chest at the sight of her pregnant friend.

“Yes I am,” she said. “Thanks to Scott.”

“Where’s Elena? Where’s John?”

“Liz,” Serena said, solemnly. “Rath killed them.”

Liz felt bile rise in her chest and gripped roughly onto Scott’s shirt as her legs buckled. The watchers were killed by that evil man.

“Is he dead?” Liz asked.

Serena shook her head.

“He got away.”

“Then we,” she said, looking up at Scott, “are in a lot of trouble.”

An hour later, Liz found herself sitting in the cockpit of the helicopter. She’d walked numbly through the estate grounds as buildings smoldered from the fires Rath had set.

Serena had gotten away with sheer luck, having hidden from Rath on the floor of an SUV while he torched the various outbuildings. She’d watched as their house burst into flames and their worldly possessions burned to the ground.

When Liz saw the state of the buildings within the compound, she nearly lost it. All the people who had been killed by Michael’s clone, they all had families that would need to be told of what happened. All the work that they had been doing in the labs, all the man hours they’d worked to complete the cloning processes and attempting to cure human diseases, all of it was gone. Again.

Scott found a few lucky security guards knocked out in their seats. He’d taken Liz and Serena to the gate house, where he’d found the guards and Liz knew immediately that this was the work of the same person who’d attacked the lab in Nederland a year ago. Scott was lucky to revive a handful of the men and get them to help him break Liz out.

He ordered the men to clean up anything they found, reminding them of the confidentiality notice that they’d signed to work on the property.

“Not a word to a soul,” he said, before leading the women to the helicopter. “We will consult the chain of command from here.”

The men and the one woman nodded.

He spoke to the guards on duty while Liz and Serena walked away and now, sitting 10,000 feet in the air, she wondered what he told them.

“So, where are we going?” Liz asked, gripping the box of artifacts she’d gathered from the bunker. In the back of the helicopter sat another part for the weapon that Rath had been after. The bunker had a secret room that Scott had known about, where the real weapon was stored.

Liz made a mental note to ask Scott how he’d known about the secret room later. For now they just needed to get the hell out of Alamosa.

“I have a contact in Roswell, and you are going to stay with them until we can get in contact with Zan. He needs to know what’s happened.”

“We can’t go to Roswell,” Liz said. “My family is there, you know that.”

“It’s the only safe place I can think of for now,” Scott said, looking over his shoulder. “I need to get in contact with Brody and hopefully we can figure out a safe place for you.”

“What are we going to do?” Serena said. “John and Elena had the entire estate in their name, the companies were theirs. Where are we going to live?”

Liz caught the sparking of energy just below Serena’s epidermis.

“Calm down,” Liz said, taking Serena’s hand and pulling her close. “We can figure it out when we land. You’re in no condition to stress right now.”

Serena nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rested her head on Liz’s shoulder.

She looked over at Scott. They were in deep shit.

The next thing Liz remembered was waking up and looking out the helicopter’s window to see light streaking through the eastern sky.

“How close are we?” she asked Scott.

“Twenty minutes tops,” he said. “How are you holding up?”

“Exhausted,” she said, looking over at Serena. Her friend was leaning up against the doorway, her mouth hanging open as she slept.

“We’ll get you settled in soon and then I’ll get to work contacting the King.”

“I know you’ve worked for the family for years,” Liz said. “I know that I can trust you, but how do you know all this stuff?”

“I grew up in the wrong neighborhood,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “I was in a bad bad way. The gang I was trying to be initiated into sent a group of us to Zan’s neighborhood to kill someone to get in. I didn’t want to, but it was that or be killed myself.”

Liz swallowed watching Scott admit to his demons.

“One of my co-initiates, he shot this five year old girl, just hopping along the sidewalk in one of those chalk sidewalk games with a teddy bear in her hand. I couldn’t believe what he’d done and I turned and punched him square in the jaw, knocked him out cold. When I turned back around, I saw Zan and Ava rush out and grab the girl and drag her into an alley. I ran after them to stop them. When I found them, Zan was healing the girl, bright white light surrounded her body, she even lifted off the ground for a second. They tried to deny what I’d seen and Ava took a few steps toward me, I know now that she meant to erase my mind. But Zan stopped her.

“They let me go that day. And I moved to another neighborhood to be safe from the gang. A few years later, Zan showed up at my doorstep, offering me a job at his brother’s firm. He said I was trustworthy, keeping their secret without complaint, and he only wanted that kind in his life.”

“Wow,” Serena said, her voice groggy with sleep.

“100% truth,” Scott said with his voice cracking. He cleared his throat. “Just more proof to me that he was born to be a king.

“Alright, let’s get down there.” He spoke into his mic, talking to the air traffic control at the small airstrip and got permission to land the helicopter.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to be driving a rental car through the suburbs of Roswell toward Brody’s house. Scott had called the rental company from the air and, with a sizable up-charge, had the car delivered to the airstrip care of Guerin Enterprises.

“I know this is your hometown,” he said, to Liz. “But for now, you cannot leave the house. We have to figure out if it’s safe for you.”

“I understand,” she said. “You won’t see me complaining about staying put any time soon.”

“I promise I’ll let you know as soon as you can leave the house, but I don’t know who was working with Rath, and until I do, please listen to me.”

Liz nodded.

They parked the car in the driveway of a house in one of the nicer neighborhoods. Liz had a few classmates that lived in this area of town but had never spent time on this particular street.

Liz and Serena waited in the car while Scott spoke to Brody and her heart raced in her chest waiting for a yes or no from the man who held their lives in the balance. She felt useless sitting there in the back of the sedan; but at this point there was little either of them could do but wait.

After a moment of hesitation, it looked like the man gave his consent and Scott waved them to the door.

“Come on,” he said, when they reached the house. “Let’s get inside.”

After introductions were made, Brody offered them a drink while they got settled.

“The girls probably need some sleep, Brody,” Scott said.

“I’m fine,” Liz said. “But you flew all night. You could barely keep your eyes open on the road. Why don’t you go have a nap and I’ll let Serena sleep for a while.”

“Very well,” Scott said, standing up and picking up his glass. “Why don’t you fill Brody in on what’s happened.”

“Are you sure we can trust him?” she asked.

“Why don’t you ask him about the communication device,” he said, with a nod. “That will be your answer.”

Scott led Serena back to the bedrooms and Liz looked over her shoulder as Scott bid Serena a good sleep and went into the room across the hall.

“You want to see it?” Brody asked, his accent coming through strong as he looked carefully at Liz.

“The communication device?” she asked.

“Come with me,” he stood and led Liz into the kitchen and opened a door. He led the way down a set of stairs into a basement and the most highly technological computer labs she’d seen outside of the estate.

“What is this place?”

“I made a lot of money on the internet a few years ago,” he said, smiling at her. “But my hobbies bothered my boss, so I sold the remaining stocks and moved away from California.”

“What hobbies?” Liz said.

“Since you came in with Scott,” Brody said, leaning across his desk and picking up a tin container.

“I have a thing for aliens,” he continued.

Liz nodded. At this point, she’d believe anything he said.

“This,” he said “is a communicator.” The tin popped open and inside, Liz saw the sister of the black device she’d found in the bunker. “It’s like a calling card, a beacon. The messages come through this device like Morse Code.”

“How do you know this?” Liz asked, taking a step toward the artifact.

“I used to believe that I was being abducted,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy to a regular person, but you know the truth about our friends. It turns out that my brain, the way it’s wired, is capable of harnessing the energy of the alien technology. Basically my body was being used as an avatar.”

Liz stopped and looked carefully at him. This day was getting weirder by the minute.

“You were being used like a cell phone by the aliens?”

“Kinda,” he shrugged.

She watched him as he spoke, and didn’t see any resentment toward the alien races.

“So, how did you get caught up in all this?” Liz asked, waving her hand around the room.

“During one of the inter-galactic conference calls,” he said, with a grimace. “I woke up,” he shrugged. “I found myself in the middle of a warehouse in LA speaking a language I didn’t understand with Isabel and Zan in the room. There were also about ten other ‘abductees’ in the room.”

“Oh my,” she said, feeling weak in the knees.

“When they realized that I had come out if it, Zan was the one to convince the others that I should be kept alive.”

“So, the philanthropist strikes again,” Liz said.

“He might be rough around the edges, but Zan is a noble man.”

“So you moved to Roswell, why?”

“With the money I had, I figured the best place to be was the alien capital. Besides all the research I need to accomplish could be done here, and I bought the UFO Museum on Main Street just to have something to do.”

“That’s across the street from my parent’s diner!” Liz said.

“The Crashdown? I eat lunch there almost every day,” he said with a grin. “Best sandwiches in town.”

“So, you’re really another member of this conspiracy, huh?” Liz asked, leaning against the wall.

“Conspiracy? No. Taken in and protected by some of the nicest people out there? Yes.”

“What do you know about Rath?” Liz asked.

“Just that he was supposed to be dead,” Brody said, placing the cover back on the tin and putting the beacon down. “At least that’s all I knew until Scott contacted me this morning.”

“What are we going to do?” Liz sighed. “With John and Elena dead, I don’t even know who’s in charge of the companies.”

“I don’t have a clue,” Brody said. “I would assume that because Michael is still legally a resident, that they would all be his companies. But I don’t know what John would have in his will to run the companies.”

“We need to talk to the lawyers,” Liz said, her memory immediately remembering the lawyer from Nederland.

“I think it would be best to let Scott handle this one, Liz,” Brody said. “I know you were close with Michael, but he knows the other people in the company that would be in on this.”

“But, we left the scene of the crime,” Liz said, grimacing at the whine in her voice.

“Please let Scott handle this stuff ” he said, placing a hand on her wrist. “Or go wake him up and ask him, but don’t contact anyone else.”
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 23 6/11

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Carolyn and Sarah, thanks for the feedback. I'm so happy you're enjoying it.

Hang tight, dear readers. Things are getting messy. And stakes are being raised :twisted:

Chapter 23

It wasn’t until later that afternoon that Liz was woken up by Serena. Brody managed to get a change of clothing for her. After getting changed, Liz noticed a throw-away cell sitting on the nightstand.

She picked up the phone and pocketed it, knowing that her own dead phone could not be used any longer.

“How are you feeling, Serena?” Liz asked, walking out into the living area.

“Exhausted,” she sighed. “And lost.”

Liz nodded.

“I can’t begin to thank you two for the help you’ve given us today,” Liz said, looking at Scott and Brody.

“But what’s going to happen with the estate?”

“I put in a call to my boss.” Scott said. “The company is handling everything from there. We will need to stay put for now and only use cash until he calls me back. With the guardians killed and the estate compromised, Roswell is the safest place for the weapons until we get the okay to move.”

“So we’re alone,” Serena sighed. “The only alien on the planet that we know for sure is Rath.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Scott said, piping up. “There are more guardians on this planet than you may think.”

“Yeah,” Liz noted, remembering the guard who’d helped her with Serena. It was possible that he was an alien, but she wasn’t sure that he was still alive. “Do you know any for sure?”

“No,” Scott said. “But I can try to find out. It may take days though. This information isn’t necessarily just sitting in their HR files.”

Liz noted his grimace. He could probably spend months working through the employee rosters for the dozen or so companies under the Guerin name and still not be any closer than they were now.

“What about the beacon,” Liz asked. “Can we use it to contact Zan and Michael?”

“Using that technology might also alert the others to your location. I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“What other options do we have?” Liz asked. Rath had the orbs, the granolith was gone, they had the book and the beacon and the weapon part they'd found on the grounds and they faced their alien enemies with a pregnant energy sparkling woman and a man who was used as a cell phone to talk to other aliens.

“I’ve been thinking something,” Brody said, leaning forward on his spot on the couch. “What do you think about trying to reverse the avatar effect?”

“What are you talking about?” Serena asked.

Brody quickly explained about his situation.

“The man who used me, he was in the inner circle of royalty on Antar. I’ve been thinking. I know that the connection has to do with electric currents, what if I shock myself hard enough to trigger the effect?”

“I don’t know, Brody,” Scott said. “Do you know how much electricity you’d need to synthesize such a jolt?”

“Enough to kill me, probably,” he replied, looking down at the ground. “But wouldn’t it be worth it to try?”

“Not if we don’t know if the man is loyal to Lonnie or Zan,” Serena said. “He could potentially be working with Rath, couldn’t he?”

“I don’t think so,” Brody said. “The memories I share with Larek, meeting and conversing with the other aliens are good memories, ones where he and Zan are friends.”

“I don’t feel good about the idea. Besides, what if something goes wrong? We won’t be able to help you,” Liz said. “And if it did work, what if we brought Rath directly to our location? We could be dead before we’d know if our attempt did any good.”

“Well then, what would you propose?” Scott asked Liz.

“Maybe there’s something in the book about this,” she said, grasping at straws. “Brody has Larek’s memories; maybe he can read the language. Maybe there’s a way we can use the communicators instead of possibly killing one of our only allies.”

“What book?” Brody said, looking at the group.

“I found it in the bunker at the estate,” Liz said. She walked over to the box that they’d placed on the kitchen table and shuffled through it to get the book from the bottom.

Handing it over to Brody, she waited anxiously to see if he could recognize the characters enough to piece together some information.

He flipped through the pages, one at a time, slowly. The seconds ticked and Liz’s hopes were quickly flying out the window.

“I’m sorry, Liz,” he said, his voice thick with tension. “I know I’ve seen the language before, but I can’t translate it.”

“It was a shot,” she said, feeling disappointment ripple through her.

A cell phone rang, catching the group’s attention and Serena apologized as she reached over the couch to get it.

“I’m so sorry,” she grimaced. “It should have been off.” Serena looked down at the caller ID on the screen. “It’s a local number.”

Liz frowned, she didn’t know who locally had Serena’s cell number; but Serena answered it.

“Hello?”

Liz could hear a squealing over the line while Serena ripped her ear away from the earpiece.

“Yes, she’s ok, Maria. She’s fine, and I’m fine. She’s right here. You wanna talk to her?”

Serena shrugged as she reached over and handed Liz the phone.

“Ohmygod!” Maria said, after Liz answered. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Maria. Why?”

“I’ve been trying to call you for five hours,” she said. “On the news they said that the Guerin Estate was completely destroyed in a freak fire.”

Liz closed her eyes.

“Shit,” she muttered, looking up at the ceiling in anguish. Now she’d have to make sure her parents knew she was okay.

“Where have you been?” Maria squealed.

“I’m fine, Maria. Really. My phone died last night, I’m sorry. It’s just been so crazy these last few hours.” Liz sat down on a nearby chair. She didn’t realize that word would get out so fast about the estate, and it hadn’t occurred to her that the news would be all over and that her parents might be worried.

“The news said there were only a few survivors. I can’t believe the videos of the devastation.”

“Maria, can you call my parents and let them know I’m OK? I just am really busy with the police right now.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Maria said.

“I promise I’m okay. I’ll call you back later tonight.”

“Yeah,” Maria said, sounding distracted. “Sure, I’ll give ‘em a call. But promise you’ll call back.”

“I do. I just can’t talk right now.”

“Later, Liz,” Maria said, hanging up the phone.

“The police,” she said, looking around the room. “What are we going to tell them?”

“We won’t tell them a word,” Scott said.

“What a mess,” Liz said, leaning her head back against the back of the chair. “I’m so sorry I brought you into all of this, Scott.”

“I was already in it, darlin’,” he said. “We’ve already got my boss on clean up. We just need to agree on a story if the cops manage to track us down.”

“We were witnesses,” Serena said, “of course they’ll want to talk to us. Not to mention we could be accomplices if they somehow get a hold of the video from the security offices.”

Liz groaned, remembering the vision of Rath shifting his appearance to take on her feminine shape.

“Security won’t allow that to happen,” Scott said. “I asked them about it before we left. The discs were burned beyond use in the security rooms.”

“But surely they have back ups,” Serena said.

“They didn’t say anything to me about back ups and they know damn well not to mention it to the police. The people working at the house are like me, Liz,” Scott looked over at her. “We all owe our lives to the Guerin family, in ways that are more important to us than any intimidation attempts.”

“But we need to have something,” Liz said. “Just in case they follow the trail to Roswell.”

“I don’t know,” Scott said. “Would they believe you borrowed the helicopter for a family emergency?”

“On the same night that ten people die on the estate?” Liz asked, incredulously. “Unlikely.”

“What about the guards at the estate? Would they know any other aliens within the company?” Serena asked.

Liz hadn’t thought about that.

“That kind of information was need to know only,” Scott said. “If I didn’t even know about others, surely Michael wouldn’t have spilled the beans to them.”

Liz nodded. Fair enough, she thought.

“Liz,” Serena said, catching their attention. “I think you need to go to the Sheriff about this.”

“What? The Sheriff?” Brody asked, his head turning quickly to look at Liz.

“He’s a family friend,” Liz explained, before turning back to Serena. “Are you sure about this?”

“He has contacts, I’m sure he can get this all hushed up, maybe he can even be an alibi that we weren’t there.”

“You know what you’re asking me to do, right?” Liz asked. “I’d need to tell him everything.”

“We need all the help we can get right now,” Serena said. “We need someone in the actual legal system to cover up our involvement.”

“He could lose his position for this.”

“I know,” Serena said, grimacing. “But we don’t know what’s out there. Hell, maybe the FBI gets involved in this and find out about the research we were doing. We need to use every connection we can.”

“There are actions already in process as far as the company is concerned,” Scott says.

“But Serena is right, if the wrong person finds out about who we are, this thing will blow up in our faces.”

“So what do we do?” Liz asked, looking around the room.

“Brody and I will see what we can do about the book and contacting the Royals. We are not capable of dealing with this. You and Serena need to go to Sheriff Valenti and get some help.”

“Alright,” Liz sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “Let’s get this over with.”
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 23 6/11

Post by Europolarist »

Chapter 24

Two hours later, Liz and Serena sat in the warm night air at the abandoned quarry. Thankfully Brody allowed them to take his car so they wouldn’t have to use the rental. Unsure just how much Rath or their other enemies knew about them, Liz didn’t want to meet the Sheriff anywhere that might be bugged.

The sound of gravel being kicked up caught their attention and Liz saw the familiar SUV driving down toward them on the old unused road. The lights flashed at them and Liz waved him down.

A couple minutes later, Liz found herself standing near the edge of the quarry and looking at the man she was about to entrust with the biggest secret she’d ever had.

“Serena,” Jim said, tipping his hat in her direction. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Hey, Sheriff,” she smiled.

“So, Liz what’s all this secrecy about?”

“You remember, around Christmas, when you told me I could trust you with anything?”

He nodded.

“Well, Serena and I may be in danger,” she said, looking at her companion.

“Does this have to do with the fire at the estate?” he asked.

“It’s worse than just a fire, Jim,” she said, worrying her bottom lip.

“What is it then? You’re beginning to worry me.”

“Sheriff, we’re being targeted because of who we work for,” Serena said.

“The Guerin family?” he said, scratching his chin. “What are they? Mafia or something?”

“Something,” Liz said. “In January, I was abducted by Michael’s enemies, I know now that they were the ones who followed us through Roswell. They tortured me for weeks to get information about Michael and his family.”

“Say what now? Tortured,” he asked, looking completely stunned.

“They kept me drugged and tied to a lab table where they conducted experiments on my body and tried to get me to reveal what I knew about the Guerin family. What their secrets are. Sheriff, I’ve spent my entire life trusting you. I hope that trust is well placed. I need help."

“Whatever it is, Liz, I will protect you with my life,” he replied instantly.

“Jim,” she continued, feeling a lump in her throat. “What Serena and I do on the Guerin estate was top secret scientific testing on tissue samples that were not of this earth,” she said, grimacing at her own words.

“Like samples from meteorites or something?”

“More than that. Actual Alien tissues, stem cells, skin samples, blood, everything.”

Jim only nodded, looking a bit skittish.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” she said, looking up at the darkening sky. “But Michael’s family came from a planet on the other side of the galaxy and in addition to needing a sanctuary on this planet; they wanted to help humans discover cures for diseases.”

She spoke quickly, suddenly wanting everything out in the open.

“They’re pulling a V thing and inoculating everyone with mind control?” he asked, referencing the short lived TV show.

“No,” she said. “We only use their tissues with our technologies to find cures for things. But that’s not exactly why we’re here.”

“So why are you here?” He didn’t sound angry, but Liz noted the confusion in his voice. She knew that there was an overload of information that he was receiving. Liz wished there was an easier way to go about sharing this information.

“Last night one of their enemies came to the house where I was staying and forced me to give him access to the estate. He came and took what he wanted and then killed Michael’s parents in cold blood. In order to save Serena and I from possible exposure, I sent for a friend who flew us to Roswell to keep us safe. Everyone else who was trusted with this secret is either dead or being held by the Alamosa police department for questioning about the deaths of Elena and John. We need your help to stay hidden.”

“Why?” Jim asked, looking carefully at the women. “You haven’t done anything wrong, except maybe leaving.”

“Because,” Liz said.

“I’m pregnant,” Serena continued, stopping Liz. “I’m pregnant with an alien King’s child, and when his enemies find out, I will surely be hunted and killed.”

“Michael’s kid, but I thought?” Jim started. Looking over at Liz.

“Not Michael,” Liz said. “But Zan. It’s a long story, and as each day passes it gets more complicated.”

“So what about Michael and Zan, I thought you said they’d been lost in South America. I’m assuming that’s a lie?”

“War broke out on their home planet,” Liz said. “The crown was betrayed and Zan had to go back to ensure the safety of their people. They could be dead, we haven’t heard anything since they left,” Liz struggled to say the words. “But we are still here and Serena is pregnant and there’s every chance that she will be found out by our enemies.”

Valenti nodded, seeming to take all this information in a lot better than Liz guessed.

“My parents can’t know I’m here. Maria, Alex, Kyle, they can’t know I’m here. At least not for now. The more people in on this, the more likely it is that we’ll be found and taken.”

“We need to find a safe place for you to stay,” he said.

“Right now we are safe,” Liz replied. “There’s a local man who is trusted by Zan. Together we’re trying to get in contact with Michael and Zan, but there’s no guarantee that we will be able to reach them. As far as we know, there are no other people that they trusted with this information. And until we can make sure that the companies won’t breech whatever security they have, we can’t contact anyone else.”

Jim nodded carefully.

“I know I’m trusting you with a lot right now. But I hope and pray that you’ll be able to help us somehow.”

“I’ll do what I can, Liz,” Jim said, reaching out and touching her shoulder. “But I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to help. What do you even want from me?”

“Keep an ear out for anything that might involve the Guerin Investigation. Any news could potentially be bad news. And if they start looking into where Serena and I are, tell us so we can get out of here. Or better yet, throw them off course and tell them we went to Mexico or something.”

“I don’t know how much that will help, but I think I understand.”

“It’s desperate, I know,” Liz said, looking around. “But our lives are at stake, Sheriff. If the wrong people find out where we are, Serena might not live to see her child born. Surely you can understand that.”

Jim nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“If you hear anything,” she said. “Call the disposable cell phone.”

“I will, Liz,” he said. “I’m sorry about all this.”

“Me too, Jim,” she replied.

“I’ll keep you updated.”

Jim nodded and started to step away, heading toward the car. Instead, he turned around and wrapped Liz and Serena in a hug.

“Be careful,” he said.

After saying goodbye to Jim, Liz and Serena drove back to Brody’s house. During the half hour drive back to his neighborhood, Liz was tempted to stop at the diner, but squashed all thoughts of appearing at home. She just wanted the chance to say goodbye to her parents if worse came to worse over the next few weeks.

Parking the car, Liz noticed that Serena hadn’t said a word while they’d driven back. She watched Serena carefully as they walked toward the door. Stepping up the stairs at the walkway, Liz felt Serena grip her arm. She spun around and tried to catch Serena as she fell to the ground. Fear ripped through her as she watched the now familiar sparks dance along Serena's skin.

“Damn it,” she ground out. On top of everything that happened today, now Serena was having another attack.

She placed Serena carefully on the grass and rushed to the front door, barging in and asking for help.

“It’s Serena,” she said, waving them over. “She’s had another attack.”

“What kind of attack?” Brody asked, shoving his chair out from under him.

“Just help me get her inside.”

Scott was at the door first and rushed past Liz to the lawn and picked Serena up easily.

“Clear off the couch,” he said, carrying Serena in his arms.

Brody and Liz shoved pillows out of the way and pushed the coffee table away from the couch.

“Can you get some water for me?” Liz asked Brody.

Brody nodded and ran to the kitchen, while Liz watched Scott put Serena on the couch. Liz wrapped her friend with a blanket, tucking the material tightly underneath her to keep Serena from kicking out in her epileptic state.

“Sit her up just a little,” Liz said. “The seizure is almost over.”

Scott nodded and Liz knelt at her friend’s side brushing some hair out of her face.

“Come on, Serena,” she said. “Hear me and come back.”

“Here’s the water,” Brody said.

“Thanks,” Liz took the cup. “Can you tilt her head back for me in a minute and I’ll force some water into her once the seizing is done.”

Brody nodded and set himself up next to Serena’s head, waiting for her instructions.

Liz watched her friend carefully, waiting for her eyes to stop fluttering in her head.

“Alright,” Liz said a few minutes later. The green electric streaks still flickered on Serena’s chest, but she would be safe enough to ingest some of the water.

Brody placed a hand on either side of Serena’s head and a shrill scream exploded inside the room.

Liz jumped back to see Brody’s eyes go blank, staring off into the distance as a green light rippled through the room.

“What’s going on?” an ethereal voice said, coming through Brody’s open mouth.

“Larek?” Liz asked, carefully stepping toward the entranced man.

“Yes, who are you?” the man said.

“Please tell me, who is the king?” she asked, needing to know.

“Zan is the crowned king of Antar, but barely,” he replied.

Relief flooded through her when his words came through.

“Larek, my name is Liz Parker. I am a friend of Michael’s. We have a message for Zan.”

“How did you contact me?” he said.

“It wasn’t intentional. We don’t have a lot of time. You need to tell Zan that Rath is alive. I think he’s working for the enemy. Rath killed John and Elena last night. He got the blue egg-shaped orbs; I don’t know how to stop him or what they are for. You need to tell him that Serena is pregnant with the heir. We are safe for now, but we are alone. Please get the message to them.”

“I,” Larek’s voice said.

Brody collapsed onto the carpeted floor. Liz cried out and watched Serena suddenly sit all the way up gasping for air.

“Oh my god.”

Scott rushed around to see if Brody was okay.

“Serena, are you okay?” Liz asked, grabbing her friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Serena said, looking around the room. “What happened?”

“I think,” Liz said. “Your child just let us communicate with Larek.”
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 24 6/19

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Happy Friday!

Chapter 25

A couple days later, Liz woke up to an arm wrapped around her waist, the body spooned into her from behind. The scent was familiar and until her eyes opened Liz prayed that it was Michael that was behind her. But the scent was too girly and Liz knew that Michael was a hundred thousand light years away.

Serena stirred in her sleep and Liz crawled out of the bed that they had shared. Scott took the couch overnight so the girls could sleep on a proper bed.

“Good morning,” the sleepy girl said.

“How did you sleep?” Liz asked, looking over at Serena.

“Eh,” she shrugged, stretching a little.

“You know,” Liz said. “We’re really gonna have to send Brody and Scott out to get us more clothes.”

“Yeah,” Serena nodded, looking down at the oversized t-shirt Brody had leant her to sleep in.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Serena said. “Exhausted, but I can’t complain. You know, Maria gets married in two weeks,” Serena said, changing the subject.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You should probably make plans for the bachelorette party.”

“She didn’t want one,” Liz said, partially grateful to not have to deal with stripping men when she felt so terrible.

“Maybe you can arrange a spa day for her at least. I’m sure that would be nice. Maybe we can tell Maria we’re coming down early.”

“I don’t know, Serena. The idea of letting someone know we’re here, who knows how quickly word will get out.”

“Just think about it,” Serena said, climbing out from under the covers. “We haven’t heard anything from the Sheriff yet.”

A knock on the door and Scott peaked his head in.

“The police are getting ready to release a report about the estate,” he said. “You might wanna come see this.”

Liz nodded and walked out into the living room, Serena just a few steps behind her, to see Brody on the couch watching the news.

“…Detective Stonewall.”

“We have concluded our initial investigation to the explosions that rocked the estate where John Guerin, founder and CEO of Guerin Research, was found dead. The evidence reports that the attack on the estate that killed many of the employees on the grounds was caused by multiple bombs set up along the perimeter and inside the very homes of those living within the compound. We have notified the families of those who died in the tragic event of their losses and hope that the media gives these families the privacy they need in this tragic time. The bombs look to be the terroristic action of a group of activists who protested the research that the company was involved in. In addition to the religious paraphernalia found on the grounds, there have been multiple eyewitness accounts that corroborate with the findings. Memorial services will be announced at a later time for John and Elena along with the many friends and family who perished within the blaze.”

Liz stared at the television wondering how that story came about. Whether Rath or the security guards had actually set up the evidence or if Scott’s contact had managed to finagle the story, at least it bought them some time.

“Have you heard anything from the Sheriff?” Scott said, glancing in her direction.

“No,” Liz shook her head. “He promised only to contact me if it was an emergency. And this,” she said pointing toward the screen. “Actually helps us.”

Scott nodded.

“We’ve been thinking that I might announce my arrival to Roswell,” she said, looking over at Serena.

“Really?” Brody asked. “You think that’s wise?”

“I’d have to show up next week anyway, for Maria and Alex’s wedding. I might as well get to sleep in my own bed and get out of your hair. It would be a perfect way to test the waters, see who’s out there and if anyone is watching.

“Besides,” she continued. “Serena hasn’t had any more episodes And I, for one, am going stir crazy.”

“I don’t think you should be going alone to your parents’ house,” Scott said.

“I promise that I’ll have Jim go through it with me. We’ll make sure there are no bugs or cameras or anything in there.”

“Liz, Rath could show up at any time,” Brody said, looking concerned.

“And living in fear of him is making me crazy. If he shows up again, I’ll be ready for him.”

“If everything is safe, I can come a few days later and stay at the house,” Serena said.

“Liz, I can’t protect you from there,” Scott said.

“It’s not your job to protect me, Scott,” Liz replied. “Besides, it’s Serena that is important, not me.”

Scott sighed, sounding resigned.

“Very well,” he said. “Go on home. I guess I can’t stop you. But if anything happens…”

“I’ll either call or show up at the doorstep. I promise.”

Later that afternoon, Liz found herself sitting in Sheriff Valenti’s office waiting for Kyle to get in from his patrol.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Liz?” Jim asked, looking at her carefully.

“It’s the perfect excuse to have the house searched and keep surveillance on the comings and goings.”

“It is,” he said, simply.

Their entire conversation had been tinged with innuendos since she’d called him that morning. They’d agreed on the story that she’d been in Denver over night and in case the sheriff’s office was bugged, Liz kept up with the lies.

“I just want to feel safe, ya know?”

“Fair enough. It’s lucky you weren’t in town when they attacked.”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Hey, dad,” Kyle said, barging into the back office. “Liz!” he stopped suddenly, looking at her carefully. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Kyle,” she smiled, standing to give him a hug.

“What are you doing in dad’s office?” he asked.

Jim quickly explained the agreed upon information with Kyle, about Liz wanting to be in town for the wedding and scared after the attack on her place of business. Jim told his son that he was going to assign Kyle to a 24/7 watch on the diner and Parker home.

“Of course,” Kyle readily agreed. “Are you sure you want me on this?” he asked, looking at Liz.

Liz knew what he was implying and despite whatever reservations she had about putting Kyle in this position, she knew he’d be the only one to trust in this situation. Kyle was family.

“No matter what has happened between us,” she said. “You’re the only one I trust on this. I know you’ll keep me safe.” Liz hated bringing his loyalty up, not wanting the truth to come out; but knowing that playing on his emotions and their past would cement the deal.

Kyle nodded, looking serene.

“I understand,” he said. “I’ll protect you with my life.”

“Kyle, when all is said and done, I’ll owe you more than my life.”

She caught the confused look from Kyle but didn’t say another word. For now he’d have to remain on the outside.

A few hours later, Liz found herself doing a walk through of the Parker’s apartment over the diner. Her parents were busy with their shift and promised to be upstairs for dinner; but she preferred to do this without her parents knowing.

“Thanks, Kyle,” she said, as they walked through the hallway. “I appreciate this.”

“No problem, Liz,” he said.

The EMF detector in his hand beeped and they stopped to examine the area.

“It’s probably just wiring,” he said, running his hand over the wall. “I wouldn’t worry about anything less than one hundred on this reader.”

“You don’t think I’m being paranoid, do you, Kyle?” she asked, walking a few steps behind him.

“Not at all,” he said. “The place where you lived and worked was just blown up by a bunch of religious freaks. If this happened at the station, I’d be checking my house too.”

Liz nodded.

“What are you going to tell your mom about me staying here?” he asked, glancing down at the reader as they walked down the hall.

“I’ll just explain my concerns. They are valid,” she said. “Even you think so.”

He nodded.

“So,” he said, looking over at her. “How are you holding up? I mean, about Michael being missing still.”

“I’m worried,” she said. “I haven’t given up hope that he’s out there somewhere, but it’s hard.”

“You really love him, don’t you?” he said, stopping near her bedroom door.

Liz could only nod as she felt tears spring up in her eyes.

“I can’t describe it, Kyle,” she said. “My heart breaks every day that I wake up and he’s not here. I just wish I knew that he was okay, that he was alive. Even if he decided that where ever he is was better for him, I’d just want him happy and healthy.”

“I wish I’d met him,” he said. “Anyone who’s captured your heart must be an amazing guy.”

Liz nodded.

“I hate seeing you in so much pain,” Kyle said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I just miss him so much,” Liz admitted, realizing that this was the first time she’d mentioned it out loud in months. Tears rolled down her face as she sobbed into the crook of his arm.

Kyle wrapped her in a hug and rested his cheek against hers, letting her cry uninterrupted for a few minutes.

When her sobs slowed, Liz swallowed the lump at the back of her throat, feeling terrible for unleashing herself on Kyle.

“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling away from his hug. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Hush, Liz. It’s alright,” his hand rubbed her back. “I understand. You feel the same way about him as I feel about you.”

Liz stopped and looked up at him, looking carefully into his eyes.

“Kyle?” she asked, barely registering her own voice.

“We don’t need to talk about it, Liz. I just wish I could figure out a way to get him back for you.”

“If I knew, Kyle, I’d tell you.”

He nodded, and leaned in. Liz looked at him and closed her eyes as he pressed a kiss into her cheek.

“Come on,” he said after a painful moment of silence. “Let’s finish the sweep of your house.”

She smiled and followed him into her bedroom where he kept checking for electronic devices.
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/Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 2

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Sorry this is so late, dear readers! The hubby had surgery last week and I was busy playing nurse instead of enjoying July 4th celebrations... Hah! Happy Roswell Anniversary!

Chapter 26

The next week and half passed without incident while Kyle slept in the guest room of the Parker’s apartment.

Liz could admit to the fact that the entire affair was strange; but her parents seemed okay with the situation as long as she was safe. Serena slept in the bedroom with her while Kyle kept watch. Liz felt bad, confining the man to her house; but the companionship between the once-dating couple brightened the mood considerably.

Liz spoke to Jim at least once a day and he gave her information that he could get from office gossip, though there wasn’t much to go on.

Scott called a few times to ensure that the girls were okay. As the official private pilot of Guerin Research Inc, Scott returned to the Denver offices the day that Serena moved into the Parker’s apartment, citing the need to at least pretend to work and return the helicopter to the hanger. The helicopter needed, at the very least, a proper gas-up and a maintenance check.

The morning of the DeLuca-Valenti/Whitman wedding dawned brightly as Liz and Serena prepped to have their hair and makeup done. Serena, wanting to help Maria save a bit of money, offered to do the beauty routines for the ladies. The tiny wedding party, consisting of just Maria and Liz, could have their hair done in an hour or so. Both the mothers would also be having their hair done and Liz knew Serena would have a busy morning. At least, she thought, busy enough to distract her for a few hours.

Liz had sent Kyle ahead with a couple of deputies to check out the Whitman’s home, just in case. Kyle had no problem making sure that their families would all be safe.

By noon, all the women were prepped and ready to go to the house.

“Maria,” Liz said, helping her friend climb into the limo. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks,” Maria said, beaming brightly. The mermaid-style dress was a simple gown of satin and chiffon overlay. The corseted top was tied along the back with ribbon that matched her hair piece. The floral wreath pinned to the crown of Maria’s head was made up of white roses and baby’s breath, a trail of silk and beaded ribbon entwining through her curls.

“Can you breathe?” Liz asked, after entering the limo from the other side.

“Barely,” Maria grinned.

It didn’t take long for the limo to drive through the neighborhoods to the Whitman’s home.

When they arrived, Liz helped Maria out of the car, the tight bodice hindering her movements.

“Thanks, Liz,” she smiled.

“I’m so happy for you,” Liz said, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

“Don’t you start, chica,” Maria said, glaring at her with a smile. “No crying until I’m walking toward Alex, remember?”

“You have tissues, right?” Liz asked.

“My something blue,” Maria said, pulling a baby-blue handkerchief out of her bosom.

“Maria,” Liz guffawed.

The ceremony was beautiful, Liz thought, standing at the gazebo half an hour later. Maria was escorted by Jim down the aisle, looking rather dapper in his suit. Liz had expected him to be in a dress uniform, but he’d opted for a rented tux.

“He’s in his uniform every day,” Maria said earlier. “He wanted the chance to dress up as well.”

Liz could only laugh.

Looking around at the guests, Liz counted at least twenty officers, a mix of sheriff deputies and highway patrolmen, in the seats. Nearly all of the protective force of Roswell was in this backyard.

The ceremony was quicker than Liz expected, but she was happy that the party was underway nearly an hour after they arrived at the Whitman home.

Liz and Serena sat together at a table near the dance floor, the new couple opting for a sweetheart table instead of the traditional wedding party head table.

“May I have this dance?” Kyle asked her a few minutes later.

“Sure,” Liz took his hand and let him lead her to the rented dance floor on the pavers.

Liz snuggled up against Kyle as he rocked back and forth, leading the dance. It was nice, she thought, to have a few hours away from the terror they’d been living with. Kyle wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her pulled close.

At the very least, he deserved a medal for all he’d done to ensure she was safe.

His feelings toward her weighed heavily on her mind, but he hadn’t brought it up since that night in the apartment.

A few fingers tapped her on the shoulder and Liz turned around to see who was asking to cut in.

“Brody!” she whispered sharply. She wasn’t aware that he’d been asked to the wedding, and Liz wondered if something was wrong.

Liz nodded back to Kyle that it was alright and he bowed his head slightly to let Brody take his dance partner.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, whispering in his ear.

“It’s not Brody,” the voice said, missing its accent. Liz’s eyes shot open suddenly, but let him lead her across the floor.

“Larek?”

“The orbs have been used,” he replied, his lips nearly brushing her ear. “You need to prepare for the possibility of war. The weapon has to be moved, in any event. We have word that they know where you are.”

“How can I do that? I’m human. I don’t have any powers,” she asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

“Keep vigilant,” he said, cryptically.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “You can’t just leave it there with nothing to do on.”

“We are sending a small battalion to you from another site on Earth that can protect the weapons while the King is dealing with issues on Antar.”

“There are more of you here? Why weren’t we told? They could have been helping from the beginning.” Anger flared in her chest, how could they not have told Scott, at the very least, that there were others.

“We wouldn’t have such important weapons left to just three or four,” he said. “Your protection will arrive sometime tomorrow I believe.”

“How will I know it is them?” Liz asked, looking around the reception area.

“They will bear the markings of the royal four, and the leader will be familiar to you.”

“Who is he?” she asked, wondering out loud.

“It’s a beautiful evening for a wedding,” he replied, his accent returning.

Liz felt weak as Larek gave up control of Brody’s body.

“I guess he needed to speak to you?” Brody said, handling the shift of consciousness surprisingly well.

Liz nodded, feeling her eyes tear up.

“We’ve been compromised,” she said. “Larek is sending some soldiers to help us and keep the rest of the weapons safe. I think we’ll be leaving soon.”

Brody nodded, spinning her around to the music.

Pulling her back in close, Brody whispered in her ear.

“We’ll talk after the party’s over.”

Liz nodded, swallowing her fear.

“I need to go give Scott the heads-up.”

“We’ll be over as soon as we can.” Liz said, and watched as Brody broke off their dance and walked away from the group quickly.
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 26 7/8

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Carolyn! Hi!!! The hubs is doing well. He went to his first PT appointment today and he's healing well!
As for this new chapter, I hope you like it!! But

*spoiler alert*

it might be a while before you see the Royal 4

Chapter 27

Saturday night, after cooking dinner for the Valenti men, Liz was in the truck with the Sheriff. With Amy gone for a few days at a convention and Maria and Alex on their honeymoon, Liz thought it would be safe enough to make dinner for the two men who’d saved her life these past weeks. Kyle had barely said two words for most of the night, and Liz knew that he was wondering about the whole situation. If it took much longer for the soldiers to come out of hiding, Liz would tell Kyle the truth.

Sitting in the truck, Liz listened to the light music in the background, Jim singing lowly along with the lead. He’d offered to take her back to Brody’s house, where Serena and Liz had been hiding since the Sunday after the wedding. There was no point, at least in Liz’s mind, to jeopardize her parents’ lives and the patrons of the diner for any longer.

Just a block from Brody’s house, Liz saw a couple of cars parked along the street at the corner lot.

“Drive past,” she said, as he slowed the car. “We can park a few houses down and check it out.”

Jim nodded and pulled into a nearby cul-de-sac. After parking, he checked his gun and tucked it into his holster.

“I thought you were expecting someone?” Jim asked.

“I am, but, I can’t be too careful,” she said looking over at him, remembering Rath’s appearance all too well. “Just in case the bad guys found them, I want to have the jump on them.”

Jim nodded, seeming to understand what she meant.

Liz followed him as the sheriff cut through a couple back yards.

“Stay here,” he whispered, waving his hand at her. “I’ll take a peak and let you know what I find.”

Liz nodded and waited with baited breath as Jim moved toward the house and peered into a window.

He waved her over, reholstering his gun.

“They’re just talking,” he said. “It should be alright.”

Liz looked inside when they walked toward the front door. Her stomach fell to the floor when she saw the people who’d come to protect them and the weapons.

Using the key that Brody had made for her, Liz opened the door and walked inside, the Sheriff a few steps behind her.

“Scott, you’re back,” she said, looking at the pilot.

“I was given the assignment to bring the new guardians to you,” he said, with a smile.

“James, Caroline” she said, turning her head to look at the man who’d hired her and the board member from Begonia’s. That night seemed so long ago in her mind. She couldn’t believe that both of them had been in on this entire thing. If she’d had any hint on their status, she would have…

Realization hit her as Larek’s words turned in her mind.

James was an alien.

“It’s good to see you alive again, Ms. Parker,” he said, with a smile. “Serena has been regaling us with your tale.”

“Sorry,” Serena said, with a blush.

Liz nodded, Serena and James had worked together well before Liz arrived at Origins Tech. She couldn’t blame them for getting caught up, even in the otherworldly situation they were in.

“I didn’t know you had any idea about this,” she said, looking at the man carefully.

“You weren’t supposed to know,” he replied, a mischievous glimmer in his eye. “Besides, how would you have reacted if you knew I was trying to set you up with one of my best friends?”

Liz stood shocked for a moment, remembering suddenly James’ actions during the board meeting.

“Jim Valenti,” James said, distracting her from her thoughts. “I believe I need to thank you for protecting these four companions.”

Jim shook his hand.

“Anything for Liz,” he said, looking over at Liz.

Heat rose on her cheeks, knowing just how much Jim had turned into another father-figure for her over the past month.

James introduced the rest of the group, three other men and women who’d been sent to watch over various artifacts hidden on the planet.

“I think it’s for the best if the group of us will relocate the items to another safe-house. Scott has done a remarkable job of covering your tracks, but we need to get the weapon parts to another safe place.”

“What about Serena?” Liz asked, looking at her friend. “She’s just a few weeks from giving birth. Elena said she’d be giving birth at about thirty weeks.”

“Yes,” James said, looking over at the pregnant woman’s stomach. “She has, what? A month?”

“Just about,” Serena said, running her hand over the protruding belly.

“Larek reported to us her body’s reactions to the baby,” James said, looking back at Liz. “And how its powers allowed for the link between worlds.”

“I’ve been having seizures every few days since the half-way mark.”

“The baby’s abilities are forming,” James said. “It’s not a surprise, at least not to us,” he said.

Liz nodded. From everything Elena said this alien-human pregnancy had been in-line with the Antarian reproductive cycles.

“Will I be okay to give birth?” Serena asked, looking at the woman in the group. “Elena hadn’t told me everything before.” Serena trailed off, and Liz’s heart squeezed. She completely forgot the fact that Serena would need more than just her help for the arrival of the baby and Liz had no idea how an alien birth would work.

“You should be fine,” Beatriz, the other female guardian, said. “We’ll be able to help you through the next few weeks.”

Relief flooded Serena’s features and she nodded.

“We want to get the ladies moved within the next day or so, along with the weapons. We can’t be sure how secure this location is.”

“Where are you moving them?” Jim asked.

“I can’t tell you,” he said, “at least not here. But I’ll allow Liz to contact you when she’s settled.”

“That’s fine,” he said, giving Liz a look.

Liz nodded, she was okay with that.

The next morning, before dawn, Liz had another disposable phone in her hand, brought to her by James, as they packed the rented SUV with the few items that they still owned. The aliens loaded the weapon, a large cannon-esque machine, into the back of a 15 passenger van. Shaped almost like the engine from a plane, the weapon hovered over its base, balanced on a thin metal arm, with gyroscopic gems spinning around the thicker half.

As planned the night before, Liz saw Jim’s SUV coming down the road with another sheriff’s station vehicle following him. She knew that Jim was going to escort them to the state line; but from there, James hadn’t even told her where they were going.

The two cars stopped and Liz watched as Kyle jumped out of the back vehicle and ran toward them. Liz was glad to see the weapon was hidden in the back already.

“Liz,” he said, wrapping his arms around her a few moments later. “I hate to see you go,” he said.

“Thank you, Kyle,” Liz said. “For everything you’ve done these last few weeks.”

He looked down, almost embarrassed, pulling away from their hug a little.

“I’ll let you know when I get to the safe place,” she said, glancing over at Jim.

“I know you’re hiding something,” Kyle whispered into her ear.

“Maybe one day I can tell you everything.”

Kyle nodded.

“Stay safe, Liz,” he said, pulling away from their hug. “Michael needs someone to come back to.”

He lifted her chin and closed the distance between them, his lips brushing against hers. The kiss was tender and sweet, and Liz felt tears begin to form as he said good-bye.

“I love you, Liz,” he said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Liz nodded and James coughed slightly nearby. Their time was up if they wanted to get out of Roswell before sunrise.
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 28 7/23

Post by Europolarist »

Chapter 28

It was the day before Christmas Eve when Liz walked into the safe-house, her arms full of grocery bags. She’d gone out shopping with James and though the pickings were rather slim at the local store, she’d been glad to find everything they needed to cook their holiday meal.

The house her companions had moved to was on a two hundred acre lot in the middle of nowhere in the hills of Mississippi. Located about an hour north of Jackson, the land was once used for deer hunting, but now, it was surrounded by a state of the art security system with the house built in the middle of the acreage.

John Guerin had purchased the land nearly four decades earlier and had slowly built the large rancher under a pseudonym. Michael and James had been out here hunting a few years back and James decided that the land would be the best place to hide the weapons for now. With no one else nearby and the muggy air enough to keep most trespassers inside, the group had agreed that moving the artifacts to the basement was the best idea.

Liz shared the house with James, Serena and the three other aliens that they’d traveled with. Scott had returned to his post back in Denver, so he could keep the helicopter safe and ready should they need it again. Serena was given the en-suite master bedroom near the middle of the house, where she’d have room with the baby and still be close to everyone else. Liz knew that the baby would be the number one priority until Zan returned.

Already, the house was filled with the scent of baking pies as James opened the door for her.

“Seems like Serena’s already prepping for tomorrow night,” she grinned at her old boss.

“She won’t have much time after the baby arrives,” he noted.

“You really think that this baby will be a Christmas baby?”

“You never know,” he grinned. “Even we can’t tell when a mother will give birth.”

Liz nodded and walked the bags to the kitchen. Renato, the last of the four guardians, stood against the doorframe that led to the utility room holding a couple tools and a ripped up towel.

“Hey,” he said, his accent thick. Having spent the last twenty years or so protecting weapons in Brazil, the alien had spoken Brazilian Portuguese for most of his human life.

Liz raised an eyebrow in his direction, surprised to see him in the kitchen.

“Scoot,” Serena said, appearing from behind Renato. Her arms were full as she carried a roasting pan filled with root vegetables.

She nearly laughed out loud when Serena stepped out into the lit kitchen. Though the pony tailed girl started out clean, she now looked like a picture from a sitcom. With tufts of hair framing her face, flour covering her apron, and her shoes tossed in a corner, Serena looked like Lucille Ball on a bad day.

“What is going on?” Liz asked, smiling.

“I had a little issue with the mixer,” she said, pointing to the wayward perpetrator in the corner. “And this stomach is way too big for this kitchen.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Liz replied. “So, what can I help with?”

A couple hours later, Liz was finally granted a rest by her kitchen slave driver. The turkey was in a brine, the casseroles and vegetable dishes were prepped and in the fridge for Christmas day. Serena had worked hard herself on the dishes for her family’s traditional Seven Fishes meal on Christmas Eve. The clam sauce was ready for the pasta, the salted cod puffs had been fried, and the stuffed calamari were sitting in red sauce ready to be baked.

The two women worked hard to prepare the meals for their alien guardians. Though the four had celebrated Christmas a few times, in order to keep up appearances, they’d never been through the entire holiday experience and Liz and Serena were determined to enjoy the biggest holiday of the year.

Serena shooed James and Caroline out of the kitchen hours ago, wanting them to be impressed with the big spread tomorrow instead of seeing everything tonight.

Now, the six companions sat in the living room, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and watching a movie.

Liz had to admit that it was nice, living in the middle of nowhere with the guardians.
There was a sense of calm in the house, even though the world rested on the shoulders of those who lived inside. At least, she thought, they could pretend to be normal for a few hours. It didn’t hurt that Liz and Serena were being accompanied by powerful fighters if they were going to be attacked again.

Liz glanced over to Serena, who was cuddled up against James’ side. She was glad that Serena seemed happy and relaxed for once, the last few months had been terribly stressful; and with the alien baby due to arrive soon, Liz knew her friend needed a break.

The group hadn’t heard a word from Larek since the night that the guardians arrived. All they knew was that the weapons needed to be kept safe.

“Serena?” James said, suddenly sitting up from the couch.

Liz turned to see her friend shaking with another seizure. The guardians immediately jumped up and pulled her to the ground, where they would normally channel the energy into their bodies to lessen the pain.

“The baby,” she said, bending herself in agony.

Panic raced through Liz as the house suddenly went into a frenzy. Caroline and Beatriz immediately sprang into action, rushing into the back bathroom where they’d been storing everything for this very event. Renato and James helped strip Serena of her clothes, and cleaned up the mess she’d made when her water broke.

“How long have you been feeling contractions,” James said, looking carefully at the mother.

Liz only smiled; she’d grown more and more comfortable with the idea of them as a family unit since they’d settled into the house.

“A couple hours, I guess,” she said. “But,” Serena paused, gripping James’ biceps and grimacing as another contraction rolled through her body.

“But,” she said after a moment. “I just thought it was normal pain. He moved in my stomach all morning, I knew he was getting in place.”

Liz noted that Serena had finally learned what gender the baby was. Since they couldn’t very well get an ultrasound, Serena hadn’t been able to see the baby’s gender, but Caroline insisted that the baby would eventually let the mother know.

“Keep walking around,” Caroline said, coming back into the room. “It will help with the pain.”

Serena grimaced and nodded. Liz held her hand and paced through the room with the expectant mother.

Feeling bad that there was nothing she could really help with, Liz knew that her assignment was merely something to keep both the women busy.

Another contraction ripped through Serena’s body and she cried out in agony; gripping Liz’s hand like a vice.

“Deep breath,” Liz urged, glancing over at the guardians. She rubbed her free hand on Serena’s stomach.

“It won’t be long,” Caroline said, coming up behind them.

Liz nodded, and noticed the first sparks of energy rippling over Serena’s stomach.

An hour later, Liz was kneeling at her friend’s side, dabbing away sweat on her forehead. They’d moved her to the floor in the living room, where there was plenty of room for the six of them. Two guardians kept a meditative state, sitting on either side of Serena’s body, and channeling the energy that the alien heir was producing. Renato stood nearby, holding a camera and recording the event; not only for the medical and scientific reasons but also for Zan to be able to see the birth of his son when he returned.

Beatriz sat between Serena’s legs, guiding her through breathing exercises and watching for the baby’s head.

“He’s crowning,” she said, looking up at the others in the room.

Beatriz continued guiding Serena and within a handful of precious moments, the healer had pulled the Antarian heir from his mother and cut the umbilical cord. A shrill cry filled the air and Serena collapsed into the pillows at her back.

“He’s beautiful,” Beatriz said.

Liz glanced over to see Serena looking exhausted.

“One more push,” Beatriz said, handing the baby over to Caroline to clean.

It didn’t take long for Serena to get her first chance to hold the baby boy.

Liz’s heart melted as she saw Serena’s child, cuddled in his mother’s arms. She glanced over to see Beatriz and James cleaning up the afterbirth and Renato helped Serena sit more comfortably in the floor.

“Oh, Liz,” Serena said, her voice quiet. “He’s beautiful.” Her fingers lightly brushed the reddened face of the crying baby.

Tears sprang to her eyes, realizing just how many people were missing this miraculous event.

“He’s breathtaking,” she replied a moment later.

Though it was nearly two a.m. by the time everything was cleaned up, Liz watched Serena’s eyes dance with giddiness as she held her baby.

“I’ll stay up with you for a few more hours if you’d like,” Liz said, looking at the mother and her son.

“I’ll be okay,” Serena said, looking over at Liz. “I’m going to follow Beatriz’ instructions and wake her up in an hour so I can get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?” Liz asked, feeling the pull of her bed.

“Yep,” Serena smiled.

“Good night then,” Liz said, taking a few steps toward the door.

“Liz?” Serena called out. “Thank you.”

“No problem, hun,” Liz replied, stopping by the doorway and looking back at her friend, who’d been moved to the couch, a baby carrier on the ground.

“No,” Serena said. “I owe you so much after all this. You could have easily moved home and forgotten about us. You’ve sacrificed so much and received so little.”

“Serena,” Liz said. “I think by now that you should know, we’re sisters. After everything we’ve been through with Origins, we might as well be joined at the hip. I would never have left you alone to deal with this.”

“It means the world to me,” Serena said, tears in her eyes.

Liz crossed the room and placed a kiss on Serena’s cheek.

“Get some rest soon,” Liz said, and walked out the living room toward her room.
Europolarist
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Re: Finding Family, Finding Home (UC, AU, Adult) Ch. 28 7/23

Post by Europolarist »

AN: Soooooo... I was gonna just post this chapter, but... since it's my birthday today, YAY 29! I'm gonna give you two chapters...

Chapter 29

Spring came quickly that next year in the hills of the Mississippi delta. Before she’d realized how fast time traveled, Liz found herself sitting on the porch of the sprawling estate in the middle of April. The anniversary of Zan and Michael’s leaving was just a few weeks away. The memories of the departure saddened her greatly, but Liz worked hard to not let her feelings show.

Just a few weeks after the birth of Jonathon Alexander, Renato moved back to the secure Brazil site, in order to resume his duties as guardian. Beatriz stayed on to ensure the health of the heir, and Caroline moved back to Denver to her place on the board of directors at Origins Tech.

Since the birth of Jon, Serena’s seizures had all but disappeared. What didn’t surprise Liz was the appearance of alien powers in her friend. The nearest that they could figure was because her body had to adapt to the child, the makeup of her DNA changed to the point where she could harness the abilities that her son had been gifted with. Serena underwent testing daily to ensure that she was still healthy despite the changes her body had gone through.

The little boy was a great distraction for both women, in fact, Liz found the guardians just as enamored with the prince as she was. With the days growing longer, Liz learned just how much she loved the little ray of sunshine. Though she felt guilty that Zan couldn’t watch his son grow bigger each day, she did her best to help Serena mark every day. Jon quickly grew accustomed to the flash of a camera as Liz documented each smile and burp for the missing father. Neither of the human women wanted Zan to feel like he missed out.

“I think I’m going to head to Jackson for the day,” Liz said, early that Tuesday morning. She needed to get away for a few hours, take a breather from the nearly crippling feelings she had within the house. “I need to pick up a few things and the Wal-Mart in Yazoo City just isn’t cutting it anymore.”

“Are you taking James with you?” Serena asked, looking up from her breakfast.

“I was thinking I’d leave him here,” Liz said. “There’s no point in dragging him around to the shops.”

Serena nodded.

“And your gun?” she asked.

Liz sighed. They’d been training with weapons for the past few months. James insisted on the women at least knowing how to shoot their target in case Rath showed up again.

“I doubt I’ll need it. It can stay here. I’ll be back this afternoon,” she said, grabbing her purse.

Liz was in the SUV and on her way to the capital city within minutes. She knew she should probably take James or even Beatriz with her; but having an escort all the time was beginning to wear on her nerves.

Spending most of her time at the Dogwood Promenade, just outside Jackson, Liz headed toward Ridgeland where her favorite strip mall was and indulged herself with a mani-pedi at her favorite salon.

Sitting in the chair, her feet soaking in the tub, Liz felt the back of her neck bristle. She turned quickly; feeling like someone was watching her, but saw only the young asian women looking back at her.

With her nails still wet, Liz debated whether or not she should check in with Serena and see if they found anything else that they needed.

Twenty minutes later, her stomach grumbled with hunger and Liz was paying for her mani-pedi.

Checking her phone, Liz was surprised to see that Serena hadn’t even texted her within the last hour. Granted she’d let Serena know where she was; but usually that didn’t stop her friend from checking in.

Climbing into the car a few minutes later, Liz dialed the number for Serena’s cell. It rang five times before the voicemail kicked in. Hanging up, Liz dialed the number for the house. This time the phone rang off the hook.

Liz’s stomach flip-flopped. If something was wrong she was nearly two hours away from the house.

She called the emergency cell that James carried on his person, and it too went to voicemail after ringing four or five times.

No answer.

She kicked the SUV into gear and sped toward the Natchez Trace Parkway.

When she finally got onto Highway 49, Liz tried the numbers again with no luck.

Needing to talk to someone, Liz hit Scott’s speed dial on her phone and prayed that at least he would pick up.

“Liz?” he said, voice crackling over the Bluetooth in the car. “What’s going on?”

“I can’t reach anyone at the house,” she said, struggling not to start crying.

“Where are you?” he asked.

Quickly she told him of her shopping excursion and how it had been nearly four hours since she left the grounds. She told him that she last heard from Serena around noon and that no one was answering their phones.

“What if something’s happened?” she asked.

“Don’t say that yet,” he replied. “Just get home. But if anything is wrong, do not go near the house.”

“I know, I know, but,”

“But nothing, Liz,” he said. “Get home and assess the situation then give me a call. If everything is alright, fine, but if not, I’ll head right over.”

Liz nodded, brushing away a few tears that had fallen in her angst. She felt terrible as her stomach flip-flopped and threatened to make her throw up.

“Deep breath and be careful. You already know what you’re facing if the estate has been discovered. Don’t go get yourself killed.”

Liz hung up with Scott a few minutes later. She’d pulled over to the side of the road and talked to him while he calmed her down and her tears dried up. It would do her no good to get into an accident if the others were being compromised.

An hour later, Liz came to a stop just outside the gate that blocked the road to the house. The lock was secure around the chain, making it look like no one had been on the land in years; but Liz knew better. There were two cameras hidden up in the trees watching the entrance to the estate.

She took her key and went to open the lock when she realized that the padlock had been melted shut. Most decidedly not how she left it this morning.

Grabbing her phone from her pocket, Liz texted Scott with a 911, to let him know. She didn’t have time to waste on a phone call while her friends were inside and in trouble. There was one other entrance to the estate, and Liz was suddenly very glad that James agreed to purchase the off-terrain vehicles. If she could have, Liz would have jumped the fence; but being electrically set, Liz wasn’t about to have 300,000 volts shot through her body.

She jumped in the open door and kicked the SUV into gear, speeding quickly to the next turnoff, where she could drive to the other gate. It took five long minutes to get the car around to the other gate and Liz prayed that this one wasn’t melted too.

After parking the large vehicle behind some foliage, Liz ran around the back end and toward the gate. If anything else, she wanted to be able to get away. An explosion rocked the ground beneath her, as Liz reached the lock. The trees were too thick here for her to see where it originated, but she prayed that her friends were still alive.

With a shaking hand, Liz pushed the key into the lock and opened the gate. She raced down the road toward the old house when she heard shouting and screaming. When the house came into view, Liz ducked behind a few trees catching her breath. The last thing she needed was for the skins or whoever was launching this attack to find her because she was breathing heavily.

Calming herself down, she closed her eyes wanting to gather strength for whatever she found out there. It would be hours before Scott got here, and its possible that the two guardians wouldn’t be able to hold off the attackers for much longer to begin with.

Keeping low to the ground, Liz rushed toward the large oak tree near the house. Inside the trunk they kept a few pistols and some spare ammunition. She quickly loaded the 9mm Smith and Wesson, a style that she’d been training with. The pink holstered one that James bought her was in the house, in her room still.

Making sure that the safety was still on; Liz tucked it behind her back and snuck around the outskirts of the house’s clearing to get a better view of the house. The carport smoked as the fire spread through the rancher, Liz wondered what was going on inside.

Sneaking up to the closest bedroom window, Liz peered inside, but couldn’t see anything. She tried to jimmy the lock, but it was tight. Moving around the back side of the house, Liz saw that the back door was blown open. Shouting and screaming filled the air.

Liz rushed to the door and saw Beatriz and James standing face to face with an obscured figure in the smoke. A green protective shield surrounded Serena, who cowered in a corner holding Jon.

Rage boiled inside Liz as she saw a blast of red hot fire racing toward the guardians. Darting across the open doorway, Liz hid against the wall. Peaking inside, she could see a black figure through the smoke. With her hands shaking she pulled the pistol out of her pants and aimed it at the thing attacking her friends, flipping the safety off.

The shot rang out in the air as Liz pulled the trigger and stepped back with the shock. The figure stumbled, but eventually turned toward her. She’d hit him, or her, or it; but hadn’t killed the intruder. She aimed again, but before she could pull the trigger a blast of green energy erupted from the person and raced toward her friends.

A scream rippled through the air, and Liz glanced over to see Beatriz kneeling on the floor, hurt. Their shielding failed.

Liz didn’t waste time worrying about it, she could check on the healer when the alien was dead.

She aimed her pistol again and shot into the smoke.

A growl erupted from the darkness and Liz took a shaky step back.

What the hell was hidden in the house?

The smoke rushed at her, like it was alive, and Liz tried to duck out of the way. But her movements were heavy and the living smoke knocked her to the ground. Sprawled in the dirt, Liz tried to pull herself up but the air pressure around her kept her pinned down.

She growled at the thing that covered her field of view.

Serena screamed and Liz called out to her.

A gun fired twice and Liz realized she didn’t have her pistol anymore. Had that thing just taken her gun and killed her friend?

Liz bucked against the smoke, trying to kick at something solid; but whatever it was, seemed impervious to her actions.

“Liz, you alright?” Renato said, through the thick smoke.

“Yeah,” she said struggling against the thing. She wasn’t dead yet.

She pushed and kicked and bit at the air, trying anything she could to get free of the being; when a loud explosion ripped through the estate and Liz’s eyes went blurry.

The shock wave was intense and Liz knew she could have been knocked out in the release. After a few moments, the world righted itself around her and Liz pushed herself off the ground.

The smoke was finally clearing and the first thing Liz saw was the hopefully dead body of the alien attacker. It looked to be a skin or a shapeshifter like the guardians were, completely human on the outside.

After a moment, the body began collapsing on itself and turning to ash. The scientist in Liz was intrigued for a few seconds watching the rapid decay of the alien.

“Serena,” she gasped, remembering her friend.

She rushed over to the place where Serena’s limp body lay, hearing Jon’s crying from underneath her. Liz fell to her knees at Serena’s side and flipped her over. Blood was rushing from a wound on Serena’s thigh.

Cradling Jon in her arms, Liz reached out to feel for Serena’s pulse. Her pulse point on her wrist was still, and bile rose in Liz’s throat. She checked the point at her carotid artery, it too was still.

“Serena,” she said, placing the baby on the ground and starting to give Serena chest compressions.

“James,” she called out, terror flooding through her body. “Please, help!”

Looking around, Liz saw Beatriz’s prone form on the ground nearby. Smoke rose from a spot in her chest. Liz let out a shaky breath at the realization that the healer was dead.

Why hadn’t the guardians protected them better?

She turned her attention back on Serena and the compressions.

“One, two, three, four, five,” she said, counting out each movement.

“One, two, three, four, five,” Liz repeated, tears brimming along her eyes.

She continued for many long minutes, not even knowing where James was or if he was dead too. Liz just prayed desperately that Serena’s breath would catch and prove that her heart was still trying to work.

“Liz,” James’ familiar voice called out to her. “Liz, she’s gone,” he said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“But I can still,” she started.

“No,” James said, kneeling at her side and picking Jon up off the floor. “Her brain has been without oxygen for too long. Even if she hadn’t been shot.” James trailed off.

Liz sobbed, knowing the truth of his words. Her friend, companion, sister was dead.
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