Forgotten Memories (Adult M/L - sequel) ch.14 1/14/07 [WIP]

This is the place where fics that have not been updated in the past three months will be moved until the author asks a mod to move them back to an active board.

Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators

User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Forgotten Memories (Adult M/L - sequel) ch.14 1/14/07 [WIP]

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Title: Forgotten Memories
Author: To_Kiss_A_Frog
Pairings: M/L and all other CC
Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize
Summary: The Sequel to Chasing Memories.
After six years of captivity, Liz Parker finally makes it back to Roswell but nothing is as it once was. She now finds herself thrown into a world that doesn't make sense with people she no longer knows. Has too much time passed or can Liz somehow win back the happiness that was stripped away from her all those years before?



<center>Image</center>


Chapter 1

“Something bad happened here, mommy” Anya declared woefully and scrunched her eyes closed while covering her ears with her hands. At five years old she didn't yet have much control over her empathic ability which led to a lot of headaches and tears. “It hurts” she sniffled.

Liz felt her own heart break as her daughter bravely tried to hold in the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. “It’s okay, baby” Liz assured and rubbed her hand over her daughter’s head, taking away as much of the pain as she could.

“If you touch any of them I will kill you with my bare hands” she warned and spat in his face.

Before she could blink, Nicolas slapped her hard across the face, nearly knocking her out of the guard’s hold with the force of his blow. “Listen, little girl” he hissed and grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing her to look up at him. “There’s no one here to protect you now. All those powers you have inside of you are useless” he stated and openly leered at her body.


“It’s better now” Anya informed and buried her face in the crook of her mother’s neck. “Thank you” she murmured.

“You’re welcome, baby” Liz replied and tried to hide how shaken up the vision had made her feel. “Come on. Let’s see if we can…” she trailed off as the vortex opened again. With her hand poised, ready to attack, Liz maneuvered her body so that she stood between her daughter and the swirling abyss.

Instead of a soldier sent to bring them back, a tall woman with burgundy colored hair fell to the ground in front of them. “Blast!” she yelled and stayed flat against the dirt and concrete floor as Liz let loose a string of power blasts. Bits of skin rained down around them but the vortex closed once more without emitting any other arrivals.

“Villandra” Liz gasped and gently set Anya on the ground. “I can’t believe you escaped” she said and held out both hands to help the other woman up.

“Thankfully you inflicted enough damage against the rebellion guards” Villandra stated and pulled Liz into a warm embrace. “Nicolas is dead, by the way” she added and opened her arms to Anya, who wasted no time running forward for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Angel” she said and ran her hands through Anya’s chestnut curls before handing her back to Liz.

“Good” she said simply, reluctant to ask any questions for Anya’s sake.

“What is this place?” Villandra queried after giving the room a once over. “Do you recognize it?”

“No” Liz shook her head and held her daughter a little closer, remembering the vision Anya’s empathy had given her. “I don’t remember it at all.”

“Well hopefully we aren’t too far away from civilization” Villandra replied and looked down at her body. “Do you suppose we’d be too conspicuous out there?” she inquired, referring to the uniforms they had “borrowed” to blend in with the rest of the rebellion guards.

The images from her vision flashed before her eyes in rapid succession, coming and going before Liz had the opportunity to blink. “I’d say so” she answered, recalling the jeans and t-shirt she’d worn in the memory. “We’ll get rid of the jackets and change the colors of our shirts” she suggested and released Anya long enough to shed the heavy, red and silver coat. Both women wore tank tops beneath in the same crimson shade and each was eager to get rid of the maddening color.

“What about me, mommy?” Anya questioned anxiously.

Liz stared down at her daughter with a critical eye, certain that there wasn’t much she could do to turn the Lycra suit into something earthier. “Perhaps we could shorten the length and sleeves on one of the jackets.” Villandra offered. “It should cover her suit.”

“That’ll probably have to do” Liz agreed and grabbed her jacket up off the ground.

In less than a minute, they managed to convert the jacket into a much smaller one. Then, because she couldn’t stand to see any more red, Liz changed the color to a deep purple and melded the silver ornamentation into the material. The result was a glittery coat that Anya absolutely adored.

“Okay” Liz sighed and glanced at the doorway with a reluctant look on her face. “I guess its time.”

“Don’t be scared” Anya coached, wearing a solemn expression. Timidly, she slipped her much smaller hand into Liz’s and stared ahead at the closed door.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Evans, I need those floorplans on my desk and I need them five minutes ago” barked Kathleen Topolsky, Max’s boss and the current bane of his existence. “Move!”

The moment her door slammed shut behind her, Max ran a frustrated hand over his face. “I guess someone forgot to take her Midol this morning.” The muttering came from his partner, Jesse Ramirez who for once, was not on the receiving end of Kathleen’s temper. “If she doesn’t get laid soon, someone’s gonna have to take one for the team. I shit you not, my ears are still ringing for at least an hour after I leave this place every night.”

Smirking, Max tossed his pencil down on the desk and gathered up the blueprints Kathleen asked for. “That’s all you, buddy. I’m not into drill sergeant sex.”

“What do you mean?” Jesse inquired with open curiosity.

“You know the type” Max replied. “In… out… in… out…” he directed using the deepest voice he could muster.

“Are you kidding me” Jesse laughed. “That’s like every woman I’ve dated since college” he admitted shamelessly. “I like being ordered around in bed.” Disgusted, Max held his hand up to stop his friend from saying anything else.

“Way too much information.”

“Are you deaf and dumb Evans? Get your ass in here now.” Neither noticed the reappearance of their boss but the moment they heard her voice, their smirks instantly disappeared.

“Good luck, man” Jesse offered and shook his head in amusement when he spied the reluctant expression Max wore. Then the exact moment the door closed again, Max’s desk phone began to ring. Not one to let it go unanswered whether it was for him or not, Jesse reached across his workspace and grabbed the receiver. “Max’s phone… Jesse speaking.”

“Haven’t they fired you yet?”

“Pretending you hate a guy when you’re secretly in love with him is really junior high, Tess” he couldn’t resist teasing. “When are you gonna quit pretending and just admit you want to jump my bones?” He couldn’t help but grin when he heard her muttered curse and decided to goad her a little further. “Seriously, blondie… I’m getting real lonely waiting for you.”

“In your dreams, Ramirez” Tess dismissed. “Now put Max on the phone so I can have an actual conversation with someone who’s IQ is higher than his belt size.”

“Well aren’t you shit out of luck? He’s in with the dragon lady” Jesse informed.

“Fine” Tess sighed. “But after she’s chewed him up and spit him out, tell him to call me.”

“Something wrong?” Jesse queried, sounding sincere for the first time since answering the phone.

“No, not really” Tess assured. “Isabel’s just driving me crazy and I was hoping he could talk her into toning it down a little. Lord knows she won’t listen to me.”

“The velvet steam roller” Jesse muttered under his breath. “I wouldn’t go up against her if you paid me. Hell, I’d rather pick a fight with my crazy ass boss than disagree with Isabel Evans” he admitted, causing Tess to laugh out loud. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that funny” he defended.

“You’re such a baby” Tess declared. “Just tell Max to call me back, okay.”

“Sure thing” Jesse agreed and mock saluted, despite the fact that he knew Tess couldn’t see him.

“How the hell did you manage to graduate if this is the kind of work you turned in to your professors?” The voice of Kathleen Topolsky rang out loud and clear through the closed mahogany door. Shaking his head, Jesse returned the phone to its cradle and sympathized with his friend. He’d received a tongue lashing just as bad the day before and knew by the tone of her voice that Topolsky was just getting started.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Elizabeth?!” All three females turned as a tan Ford Explorer pulled to a stop beside them. The man inside wore dark tinted sunglasses and a white Stetson that covered up the majority of his graying hair. His expression was a mixture of surprise and disbelief but something about his face seemed familiar to Liz.

“Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean I won’t give you a ticket the next time I catch you speeding” he warned sternly. “And if I have to do that, I’ll take away your keys for a month.”

“You know, there’s something to be said for nepotism” he replied then quickly held his hands up in defense. “Kidding. I swear I was kidding.”

“Just make sure you and Elizabeth get back to the CrashDown in one piece.”


“Do you know me?” Liz queried once he’d walked around the Explorer so that he could get a better look at her. Despite knowing that Anya would have warned them if he meant any harm, old habits died hard and Liz once again put herself between her daughter and the unknown. In this case… a stranger who seemed to recognize her.

“Of course I know you” he stated and pulled Liz into a fierce hug. At the first touch of his hands, she visibly stiffened in the embrace though he didn’t seem to notice. “God, we were worried sick about you. Where have you been? When did you get back?” he questioned.

“Please don’t” Liz murmured and placed both her palms flat against his chest to push him away.

“Wha… Elizabeth, what’s wrong?”

“She doesn’t like to be touched” Villandra intervened in a hard tone. “Who are you and how do you know her?”

“They did something to you didn’t they?” he asked back, ignoring Villandra’s questions. “Kyle kept saying you’d been taken. He knew you wouldn’t just leave like that.” The name sparked another image in Liz’s mind but it coincided with a memory from Antar. One face with two sides. “He’s been looking for you.”

“Stop it!” Anya screamed, startling the sheriff with her outburst. “Stop it. You’re hurting mommy” she declared and scrunched up her eyes in obvious pain.

Quickly forgetting her own inner turmoil, Liz blocked Anya from her mind, halting the reading she was getting from her demeanor. “It’s okay, baby. I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t mean to scare you.” She apologized and crouched down to Anya’s level. “It’s okay now” she assured and swept her up her arms.

“Oh god, you’re a mother” Valenti muttered as he watched the two cling to one another. “How old is she?” he asked but after taking one good look at her face, he was positive that she was at least five. There was no mistaking those eyes and who they had come from. “Elizabeth… she’s Max’s daughter, isn’t she?”

“That’s none of your business” Villandra stated before Liz had the opportunity to answer. “Who are you?” she asked, repeating her earlier question.

“Huh… oh, I’m… Sheriff Jim Valenti. I’m Kyle’s father” he provided but his eyes were still on the small child in Liz’s arms.

“Well then, Sheriff Valenti… do you suppose you could drive us into town? We have people we need to see.” With his mind still in shock, it took the sheriff a moment to register what the other woman had just asked. Immediately after, his expression shifted from surprise to pensiveness. It was obvious that Liz had holes in her memory which was why he was having trouble finding the words to explain that she no longer had family in Roswell.

“Sure, I can give you a lift” he agreed and slowly backed away. “Climb on in” he invited and pulled open one of the backside doors.

While Liz and Anya slid into the backseat, Villandra decided to sit up front so that she could keep an eye the sheriff. Since Anya hadn’t said anything negative about him, she decided it was okay to trust his motives but only as much as she needed to. She’d take what he said with a grain of salt and she would watch over Liz and Anya while they got everything straight in their minds.

Yet even vulnerable, mother and daughter had more strength between them than anyone could defend against. Villandra had no doubt that if anyone posed a threat to Anya, Liz would put aside every single one of her personal issues to protect her daughter. She’d done it more than once before but Villandra hoped they’d never be in a situation where Liz had to do it again.

“What is that?” Anya whispered in Liz’s ear and pointed out the window to a passing plant.

“That’s a cactus” she answered while a small smile spread across her lips. Being on Antar had robbed Anya of most her innocence. The anger and desolateness… fear and resentment were all emotions she was forced to feel because of her gift. Liz did her best to lessen the pain of it all and when she could… make Anya forget, but that was a difficult task since many of her daughter’s worst memories were tied to something else that she couldn’t forget. At that point it became a challenge of trying to pick her battles.

Now Liz was willing to do anything and everything in her power to make sure the last of Anya’s nightmares were over.

She wanted her daughter to find peace. She wanted Anya to be able to hear a loud sound without flinching or raising her hand. Liz hoped that they’d finally find that peace of mind on Earth, now that she was positive neither Khivar nor Nicolas would ever follow them.

“Elizabeth, when we get into town, I’m going to take you to my house” Valenti stated and attempted to glance back at Liz through the review mirror. “My wife, Amy is there and we’ll call Kyle and the others… if that’s alright with you” he added when Liz didn’t immediately reply.

At least a half dozen memories slammed into Liz’s consciousness simultaneously, causing her to grimace in pain.

Again, the names were triggering memories that she didn’t quite have access to. Liz was fighting two halves that were both threatening to swallow her whole.

Yet even as she was pushing away the pain, she was also pushing her daughter out of her head, ensuring that she didn’t feel a modicum of her emotions. “That’s fine” she managed and turned to look back out at the passing scenery. “Look at the desert” Liz whispered to Anya once everything had faded back into her subconscious. “See how the air wrinkles out there.” She continued on as though Valenti had never spoken and as though she’d never had any pain. “That’s because of the heat. It makes the air dance in wavy lines” she explained to her daughter who looked positively enthralled.

“What else?” she eagerly queried and crawled into Liz’s lap so that she’d be closer to the window.

Silently, Villandra listened to the two and vowed to herself that she’d make up for all the damage she caused.

Liz said on more than one occasion that she didn’t blame her for any of it but despite the words that were so obviously sincere, Villandra couldn’t help but continue to blame herself. So much had been taken away from Liz and her daughter as a result of her own inability to decipher the truth and until she made things right, Villandra couldn’t and wouldn’t forgive herself.

“Here we are” Valenti announced, interrupting their thoughts and conversations.

Instantly, Anya curled up closer to Liz though she suspected her daughter’s move was more about her own desire to protect rather than fear for herself. She was definitely a strong little girl. One who adored her mother and often stayed by her side.

“Before we go inside, I just want to say to you that Amy and I both know about… about where you’re from” he stated after struggling to find words that wouldn’t offend any of the three females. “Kyle told us about it some time ago so you don’t have to be afraid or anything. We’re perfectly okay with it.”

“He’s telling the truth, mommy” Anya whispered in her mother’s ear.
Last edited by To_Kiss_A_Frog on Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:40 pm, edited 16 times in total.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Thanks for the great feedback! Warning in advance, some characters might piss you off from time to time but there are reasons for everyone's behavior. Thanks again!

Sternbetrachter
Jason's Lover
Emz80m
L-J-L 76
tequathisy
FSU/MSW-94
Augustus Snodgrass


Chapter 2


“How is it possible that with your sister in Boston and me in Roswell, she still manages to drive me up a wall?” Tess half asked, half demanded. Instinctively, Max held the phone a safe distance away from his ear, convinced that she was about to let loose and angry tirade.

It was almost as if the moment she found out she was pregnant, her hormones decided to go into overdrive. Since then it was always one extreme to another. Overly cheerful and upbeat or angry enough to spit nails. “Whoa… calm down or your head’ll start spinning and green gunk will come flying out of your mouth” Max warned, brave because she couldn’t actually do anything to him a state away. “What’d Isabel say to you this time?” he inquired and knew from the sound of her deep breaths that she was holding herself back from berating him for his comment.

“She’s acting like she’s the one carrying a child” Tess exclaimed. “Does she have a baby? No, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t. So should she be telling me what I can and can’t do? No, I’m pretty sure she shouldn’t.” This time when Max held the phone away, it was so that Tess wouldn’t hear him laughing. He was positive she wouldn’t take too kindly to his amusement considering the fact that she was already so annoyed.

“So tell her to back off” Max advised as though it was as simple as that.

“And when has Isabel Evans ever backed off from anything?” Tess questioned but Max could tell her anger was beginning to deflate a little.

“Then tell if her you’ll make your friend, Kara the godmother instead of her if she doesn’t lighten up” Max suggested, picturing the look of astonishment that would undoubtedly light up his sister’s face if she were to hear that particular threat. “That oughtta do it.”

“Right, and then she’ll hold it against me for the rest of my life” Tess sighed dramatically.

“Well…” Max said and leaned back in his chair, stifling a yawn. “As much as she’s driving you crazy, remember that she’s only trying to help. You might not like the way she’s going about doing it but… that’s Izzy for you” he reminded. “Plus she’s all the way up in Boston and probably doesn’t know what else to do to help you besides nag.”

“Probably” Tess giggled. “I guess I just sometimes forget how grateful I am for her. I mean, even with all those miles between us, she’s still trying to be there for me… unlike the slime ball that knocked me up” she stated while Max bit back a scathing description of the guy who ran off on his best friend. “Maybe I should just grin and bare it.”

“Maybe” he agreed.

“And I should also get going. If I don’t eat something soon I’m gonna get cranky” she informed while Max just barely stopped himself from commenting.

“Okay. Just take care of yourself and call me if you need anything.”

Once he heard the dial tone on the other end, Max set the phone down on the coffee table in front of him and rubbed a tired hand over his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a good night’s sleep and wondered how long it would be before he actually got more than four hours before waking up again.

Looking around his small apartment, he also couldn’t help but wonder when it was going to finally feel like home.

It had been nearly a year since he left campus housing in Michigan and trekked back down to the hot climate of Phoenix, Arizona. He got a job, got an apartment and made a life for himself there but he still felt like something was missing. There were days when he could forget and then there were times when it snuck up on him so fast that he had no defense against it. When that happened, he was left feeling even more alone than before.

Isabel had tried on more than one occasion to get him to move up east with her and Alex but each time, Max always refused. Then both Philip and Diane had asked if he ever planned on returning to New Mexico but he said no to them too. He swore on the day he left that he’d never go back and he hadn’t. His parents pretended that they understood but he knew that they didn’t… that they couldn’t.

So much had happened to him there that sometimes when he thought about it, he couldn’t breathe. Every bad memory he had was tied to that place and he just didn’t think he was strong enough to go back. He didn’t even think that the birth of Tess’ baby would have him returning for a visit.

So instead he tried to forget.

He put on a mask for the world to see but behind the closed doors of his apartment, he let go of the charade he played. He stopped pretending that everything was perfect… that he was a regular guy and instead drank until he was numb or listened to music so loudly that it was impossible to hear his own thoughts. He felt ashamed for it but he had no other way of getting through it all.

When the phone began to ring again, he reached for it, half expecting it to be Tess with a new bit of information to add. “Hello” he answered and was instead greeted by the voice of his sister’s boyfriend.

“Hey. Before I start, Isabel is fine” Alex stated, causing Max to sit up, concerned. “But there’s no easy way to say this… I got a call from Sheriff Valenti earlier today. He left a message on the machine and when I called him back, he told me that… Max, he found Liz. She’s back in Roswell.”

His heart hammered violently against the inside of his chest. He didn’t know what to believe or think and slowly, the phone slipped from his fingers.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


With Anya tucked into the bed in Maria’s old room, Liz paced back and forth in front of the door, unwilling to let her daughter out of eyesight. “Sweetie, maybe you might want to sit down” Amy suggested and placed a gentle hand against Liz’s arm. Instinctively she flinched away and shook her head, causing Amy to take an involuntary step back.

“I’m fine here” she stated and couldn’t help glancing back into the room.

“I know you think you’re fine Liz but you look so tired, yourself. Maybe you should…”

“We’re fine” Villandra repeated and confidently strode forward, halting Amy’s second attempt. “Thank you” she added and turned her back on the older woman.

For her part, Liz wasn’t trying to be rude, she just didn’t trust easily. Her first priority was her daughter and everything afterwards came a very distant second, including her own fatigue. “Right…yes, thank you” Liz added in a somewhat kinder tone than Villandra had used.

“Well I called Kyle. He was already more than half way here for the anniversary party” Valenti informed as he appeared with a cordless phone in his hand. He’d shed both his hat and jacket, and Liz found herself studying him the way he stood. It was familiar almost, but the moment she tried to remember why, the feeling disappeared completely. “I also called Alex and he said he’d let the others know.”

“What others?” Villandra quickly asked.

“Michael and Maria… Isabel, Kal and… Max, of course” Valenti explained, momentarily taken aback by the tall red head’s instant inquiry.

“Mr. Valenti, I appreciate that you picked us up and that you’re letting Anya get some rest here but I don’t want anyone else to know” Liz stated as she finally ceased her pacing long enough to look the older man straight in the eye. “All I want is to provide a secure and happy life for my daughter. I don’t need a reunion with old friends that I don’t remember.”

Both Amy and Jim shared a look that Liz didn’t pay much attention to. She had already turned her back on them to instead check on Anya once more. “Elizabeth… I’m not going to pretend that I understand any of this but the others can help you” Valenti finally said. “They’re your family and I’m sure they can help you figure things out.”

“With all due respect, I really don’t think there’s anything any of them can do to help me” Liz replied in a quiet voice.

With the late afternoon sun streaming in through the curtains, Anya was bathed in a soft golden light that almost caused tears to spring to Liz’s eyes. For once, her daughter wasn’t tossing and turning, confined to a fitful sleep because of all the hateful emotions she picked up even in her dreams.

“Excuse us” Villandra added and gently herded Liz into the bedroom. “As much as I just want to get away and take a very long nap, perhaps it would be a good to see some of them, Ava. They can fill in the missing pieces of your memory and if nothing else, Anya deserves to meet her father. She’s craved it ever since Khivar tried to steal that role.”

“That’s a cheap shot and you know it” Liz stated and closed her eyes, trying to block the pain she had begun to feel so that Anya wouldn’t pick up on it. “Especially since we don’t know what these people are like. What if Anya meets her father and he turns out to be just as bad as Khivar, minus the sadistic power? She’ll be crushed and I don’t know how I could help her back from that” she admitted.

“I doubt that’ll be the case” Villandra instantly disputed. “You obviously cared enough for him to go to bed with him. Do you really believe your judgment was that impaired” she asked, despite the fact that on Antar it would have been entirely inappropriate given their differing stations. Liz, however, didn’t seem at all surprised or appalled with the question. She had long since become accustomed to the other woman’s bluntness and inability to sensor her words.

“You’re forgetting that I also married Khivar in my past life” Liz reminded. “So yes, it is possible that my judgment was less than perfect.”

The thought alone was enough to have her gritting her teeth, remembering both her life and Antar and his death.

“But Anya’s isn’t” Villandra stated, glancing at the child for a moment before returning her gaze to the petite brunette beside her. “Khivar wasn’t able to fool her and this guy… Max, won’t be able to fool her either, Ava. At least consider it.”

“Where is she?!”

Both women turned at the loud sound of a door slamming, followed by a booming voice that seemed to get closer by the second. “Stay with her” Liz instructed and hurried out of the room.

“Liz?!” he called out. Something in his voice instantly triggered a memory, one that quickly tried to assault her mind. Yet instead of succumbing to it… waiting to see the image it gave her, she walked into the living room with her palm outstretched in defense. “Liz” he repeated, this time a fraction quieter.

Amy and Jim moved out of the way and Liz was given a clear view of the person who seemed so adamant to see her. She saw his eyes first and then looked at the rest of his face. “Ah!” she screamed and crumbled to her knees. Unlike the first one, she wasn’t able to ignore this vision and fell into it before she had the opportunity to push it back.

“Where is the granolith” he demanded and grabbed her hair, tilting her head back so that she had no choice but to stare up at his cold, lifeless blue eyes. “You wouldn’t want me to accidentally miss and hit you right… here” he stated and ran the cool steel of his blade over her exposed stomach. “Would you?”

“Touch me there again and I’ll bite your hand off if I have to” she threatened and refused to scream as he pulled her hair even harder. “You know, they say men who beat women actually do it because they have a really small dick.”

“You bitch” he yelled, temper flaring.

Violently he brought his hand down against her face, slapping so hard that she fell limply onto her side.


“You,” Liz gasped. Her heart beat a vicious staccato and her breathing was labored but it only took an ounce of strength to throw him against the front door with a flick of her wrist.

“Kyle!” Amy screamed and hurried to his side.

Valenti reached for his gun which had remained holstered on his side and pointed it at Liz. “Just put your hand down slowly” he instructed and took a few steps back when Liz looked over at him with unseeing eyes. “Elizabeth… now” he warned.

“Helos” called out Villandra as she ran into the room and saw Kyle trying to pick himself up from the floor. Without hesitation, she also raised her palm, prepared to strike if he took so much as one step towards Liz. “Stay right where you are.”

“Helos? No, Liz it’s me… Kyle… Zan.” There was pain etched into his expression that had little to do with his collision with the wall.

“Zan” she murmured and snapped her eyes shut as another wave of images flashed before her eyes.

“Princess!” Zan called out, trying to rouse her from the daze that had enveloped her mind as it became one with the granolith.

<center>~*~</center>

“Rath…Zan” she said, holding out the two crystals for each male to take.

<center>~*~</center>

“Dude… stop thinking so loud or you’re gonna make me deaf here.” Looking up, she couldn’t but smile as Kyle leaned against the employee lockers, grinning like the fool Michael accused him of being.


“Mommy!” Anya screamed and came barreling down the hall. Villandra barely had the opportunity to move out of the way before the young child hurtled herself at Liz. “Mommy” she said again, this time a much quieter whisper and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. Liz felt Anya’s hot tears against her skin and held her close against her body, providing the comfort and warmth she needed.

“Baby, what do you feel” she asked in a gentle tone and rubbed her hands soothingly over her Anya’s back.

“Fear” she whispered and peeked at Kyle from beneath lowered lashes. “Everywhere.”

“Anya, do you feel Helos in the room?” Liz then queried, more confused about the entire situation than she was willing to admit to anyone or reveal to her daughter.

“No.” She shook her head back and forth before burying her face back in the crook of Liz’s neck.

“Okay” Liz agreed and shared a look with Villandra. “But mommy needs to talk to everyone right now so I want you to go back to the room with Villandra, okay? She’ll take care of you.” With her eyes closed, she projected an image into her daughter’s head that was soothing enough for her to easily agree. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes” she assured and handed her child over to her best friend.

By then, Valenti had lowered his gun and was now staring at Liz was a mixture of concern and confusion. There was fear on Amy’s face and more confusion on Kyle’s. Yet no one spoke a word until the two females had gone, leaving on Liz to ask the questions and explain her reasons. “God, Liz… I don’t even know where to start” he admitted, garnering her full attention. “What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?” he asked. “How did… is… is she Max’s daughter?”

“Why do I look at you and see both a friend and a monster?” she asked in a soft, almost inaudible voice. “I close my eyes and I feel Zan. Then I open them and I see Helos. Why?”

“Liz…”

“I’m sorry for hurting you” she apologized with her eyes still closed. “But I can’t stay here. For my daughter’s sake I need to go.” Liz didn’t wait for a response from the three stunned listeners and instead began to walk away. Then as though her movements were enough to rouse them all from their confusion induced dazed, Kyle hurried forward and held his hand out to touch her. It was only her sudden turn around that caused him to pull back his hand before he made contact. “What?”

“Liz, you can’t go. You just got here. You… you can’t” Kyle said, looking so unbelievably vulnerable that Liz almost felt his pain.

“I’m sorry but I don’t… don’t trust you.”

With her head down, she walked away once more and this time made it into the bedroom where Anya and Villandra waited. “What do you want us to do, Ava” her best friend asked. After spending so much time together, both trying to survive and escape, Villandra had come to a point where she trusted Liz without question. She didn’t always agree with or even understand the choices her young queen made but she trusted in them. Now she was letting Liz know that that hadn’t changed once they crossed over into a different world where she was no longer the royal leader.

“Leave” she replied and reached for Anya’s discarded jacket. “I don’t know where, I just know that we need to go.”

“So be it” Villandra stated but when she looked over, she saw Kyle loitering in the doorway.

“If you really want to go, at least let me take you somewhere” he offered once Liz had turned to face him.

“We don’t know where we’re going.”

“So then go to the CrashDown” Kyle invited and quickly amended himself when he saw their startled expressions. “It’s a café. There’s an apartment upstairs that no one uses. You can stay there” he explained. There was barely restrained curiosity and hurt on his face. It was strange for Liz who was so used to seeing nothing but anger and mania when she looked at the man that mirrored her torturer.

“The café… will we be safe there?”

“I promise” Kyle stated and looked at each female before returning his gaze to Liz. “Try. Try to trust me, I mean. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Before Liz had a reply, Anya tentatively walked forward and reached out to touch Kyle’s hand. It was soft, almost imperceptible but he felt it and looked down into her wide, innocent hazel eyes. “I trust you” she murmured.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Hello everyone! Thanks for the feedback and interest. I know there are lots of questions but not all will be answered right away. Some are going to take some time to come out but they will come. Thanks again all, have a great day! Can you tell I'm in a good mood :lol: :wink:

LairaBehr4
FSU/MSW-94
maya
Ellie
pandas2001
Jason's Lover
Sternbetrachter
tequathisy
imnotlc


Chapter 3


After talking to Alex, Max packed, unpacked then re-packed over and over again. This behavior went on for at least an hour as he struggled with the decision to go back to Roswell. There resided the single person that could ever make him return but he was scared to see her.

Alex said there was a problem with her memory. She didn’t know Sheriff Valenti when he happened upon her on the highway and according to his shape shifting friend, she didn’t seem at all like herself. No one knew what had happened to her or where she had been, only that she traveled with another woman who seemed extremely protective of her. Max didn’t even attempt to figure out who the woman was because she didn’t fit the description of anyone he had ever known before.

By the time the phone rang again, Max’s nerves were shot to hell and it took him several moments to even find the ringing object that rested right in front of him. “Max. Good, you’re still there” came the relieved voice of his twin sister.

“What is it?” he asked and began re-packing again.

“Kyle just called us. He’s in Roswell now and he saw Liz” she stated but seemed reluctant to say anything else. Max could hear it in her voice and instantly became suspicious.

“What else, Isabel?” Max questioned in a no nonsense voice.

“Just for the record, I didn’t want to tell you this on the phone but Alex had a good point and… well, you need to know this before you just show up there” she stated, further worrying Max. “When Liz turned up in Roswell, there was someone else with her… besides that woman Alex told you about, I mean.”

“Wait, Izzy… are you telling me she was with some guy?” Max felt a mixture of so many different emotions that he couldn’t pin point any of them. Over the years at least a thousand different scenarios had played themselves out in his mind, yet strangely enough, none of them had ever involved Liz ending up with another guy. He didn’t know why it had never occurred to him before and now, he wished it had. Maybe then he’d be better prepared.

“No!” Isabel quickly declined. “No, not a guy. Another girl… a much younger one” she attempted to explain but seemed to have trouble finding the right words to do it with.

“Isabel, just spit it out. What about this other girl?” Max questioned, conveying the impatience he felt.

“She’s her daughter” Isabel blurted out. “And… and we think she’s your daughter too.”

If Max believed things couldn’t get any more complicated than they already were, he was sorely mistaken. “What?” he asked and sat down heavily on the edge of his bed. “Could you… could you please repeat that?” he requested but it wasn’t any less confusing the second time or third for that matter.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Why is there a part of me that wants to remember this place?” Liz asked as she stared out the window. The large concrete balcony in front of her was empty and plain. Dust coated the floor and spider webs occupied the corners. It was abandoned, unlived in but something inside of her told Liz that it hadn’t always been that way. “Why does Anya feel a connection to this home, if its never been hers?”

“Maybe because it used to be yours” Kyle quietly answered but one look at his face told her that he was trying hard not to say anything else. Liz had a pretty good idea what he wanted to ask but she wasn’t ready for it. Not in the least.

“Zan… K-Kyle” she fumbled at first. “I just can’t answer any of your questions right now. I don’t know enough to answer them and….”

“Can’t you at least tell me something… anything?” Again, she heard the sadness in his voice and felt remorse because she knew she was the cause. “You’ve been gone for six years now Liz. Can’t you tell me what happened or where you were or why? Please.”

She turned back to the window because it was the only way she could talk to him without picturing all the cruel things she’d seen his face do. Her first instinct was to not trust him but Anya did and she was the one who could feel a person’s true spirit. So Liz trusted her daughter’s instincts instead of her own and quietly sighed before giving Kyle a ghost of an answer.

“I was on Antar. For revenge and the location of the granolith” she stated and closed her eyes to ward off a rush of emotions that came along with the memories of where she’d been and why. “I’m tired. I’d like to get some sleep, please” Liz added.

It wasn’t enough but Kyle realized it’d have to be until she was ready to tell him more about what happened. “If its okay, I’m gonna stick around for a little while. In the living room, I mean… on the couch” he said, hoping that she wouldn’t have any of the objections that he had already prepared himself for given her earlier reaction. “Liz…?”

“If Villandra’s okay with it, then I am too” Liz replied and didn’t turn around again until she heard the door close behind Kyle.

Slowly, he walked into the kitchen where he found Villandra opening and closing cabinet doors, inspecting everything she found inside. “I talked to Liz and I offered to stay for a little while. She said she was fine with it as long as you were” he stated and leaned against the refrigerator with his arms crossed over his chest while Villandra turned to regard him curiously.

“If Ava is willing to put herself through it, then I will too” she finally stated, thoroughly confusing Kyle in the process.

“You mean, Liz” he stated, focusing first on the fact that he’d now heard the other woman refer to his friend by her past life name twice already.

“I mean Ava” Villandra stated unwaveringly.

“No. That’s who she was before. Now she’s Liz Parker. She’s…”

“No, now she’s Ava” Villandra corrected, silencing Kyle with those simple words. “Liz Parker still exists somewhere inside of her but the person in that bedroom right now is Ava, Queen of Antar. That is who she is and who she has been for a very long time now.”

“You mean since the seal activated inside of her… she’s been Ava?” Kyle questioned though even as he said it, it didn’t make much sense to him. Now that he knew more about his heritage, about where they had all come from, he had a pretty good idea of how things worked. As far as he knew, the seal wouldn’t have made Liz revert into the person she once was, it just would have given her the memories the seal held. Nothing more should have happened after that, according to everything Kal and Larek had explained.

“No, that isn’t what happened at all” Villandra stated and seemed to be struggling with something before she finally gave him a glimpse into the last six years on Antar. “I can’t tell you exactly what happened to her and even if I could, I still probably wouldn’t but I will say one thing” she said. “Every single day, she was tested. Emotionally… physically… mentally… to the point where Liz Parker was no longer strong enough to sustain the pain of it all. So she let go… she let go and allowed the part of her that was Ava to take over because Ava is stronger than Liz.”

He couldn’t speak at first as he took in everything Villandra had to say. Sadness and Anger were at the forefront of his emotions but behind them was confusion. He still didn’t completely understand one thing that Villandra had said. “But if she’s Ava, then how does she remember things that happened to Liz? I mean, I know she doesn’t really remember but earlier today, I swear that for one second, she looked at me and remembered Kyle instead of Zan or… or Helos, whoever that is. Who is that, by the way?”

“Helos is a shape shifter. One of Ava’s torturers who bears an identical resemblance to you. No doubt a ploy that Nicolas came up with to make things that much worse on Ava.” Kyle could hear the anger in her voice too as she talked about the skin that apparently had caused a great deal of problems on both planets. “As for her memory, my guess would be Anya. She keeps Ava grounded in a way that prevents her from completely falling into the past.”

“And she is Max’s daughter, right?” Kyle queried though he had come to the same conclusion Valenti had when he first saw the little girl. With eyes like hers it was impossible to believe her father was anyone else but Max Evans.

“It is not my place to discuss with you who the queen does and does not bed” Villandra stated, now back to sounding defensive again.

“I’ll take that as a yes” Kyle muttered but was spared from a further tongue lashing when his cell phone began to ring. Curiously, Villandra watched him pull the small object from his pocket and made no secret of it while he talked to the person on the other end.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Hey... what’s wrong?” Alex quietly asked as he strolled into the living room, bleary eyed and sleepy. On the couch sat his girlfriend of four and a half years, tucked into the corner with a blanket over her lap and a cup of something hot and steamy in her hands. “Couldn’t sleep?” he queried and sat down beside her. Instantly, Isabel shifted and curled into his embrace, soothed by presence and the simple way he stroked his hand over her hair.

“I’m worried about Max” she admitted and offered up her mug of hot chocolate.

“No thanks” Alex replied but took the cup anyway and set it down on the coffee table. “Tell me what you’re worried about.”

“I’m scared that he won’t be able to handle going back” Isabel confessed without obvious concern in her voice. “If I close my eyes, I can still picture the expression on his face when he came out of the Crashdown and told us that Jeff Parker was dead. He looked so guilty that he hadn’t gotten there in time to save him. Like he let Liz down or something. What if it all slams into him again the second he sets foot inside the café? Who’s going to help him deal with it when everyone will be focused on finding out what happened with Liz and her daughter?”

“Well… Tess is there and she knows how hard it was for him. She won’t let him go through it all alone” Alex assured but he knew it wasn’t good enough. Isabel would be concerned until she saw with her own eyes that her brother and best friend were handling their respective lives without trouble. Unfortunately there was no way she could take time off without completely falling behind in her classes.

Law school was hard enough to get through without adding absence and stress into the mix.

“It’s going to be okay, Izzy. Max will get through it and… more importantly is that this is something he really wants to do.”

“I just never want to see that look on his face again. That destroyed expression when he found out Liz was gone or the guilt on his face after the skins had been killed and he found Jeff’s body in the café. He doesn’t deserve to have a reason to wear that look ever again.”

Instinctively, Alex’s arms tightened around her, holding Isabel close to his body because it was the only thing he could think of to help her. He didn’t have the perfect words to reassure her but he wanted her to know that no matter what, she could always lean on him.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


Liz could barely make it half way through the night before she woke up, scared to keep her eyes closed for any longer. Every sound unnerved her. The chirp of crickets… the inconsistent noise of passing cars filled with excited teenagers who wanted to celebrate their latest sports victory. Even Kyle’s snores from several rooms away had her flinching every few minutes.

She was used to noise but had grown to hate its sound.

Heavy boots on steel or marble floors echoing in an otherwise empty room. The hum of pistols charging up, waiting to be used in the absence of powers. Screams from a corner as one child had to bare witness to her mother’s torture. Then the frightened cries of that same little girl as she relived it again in her nightmares.

Then there was pleased laughter from all those that inflicted the pain. Elation from having made her scream and then curses of frustration when she still didn’t break.

Liz knew that at two AM she was done sleeping for the night. Rather than sit there and possibly wake Anya, she pushed the covers away from her body and quietly stepped towards the one window in the room. With slow, unrushed movements, she lifted up the glass pane and crawled out onto the balcony.

Looking down at the floor, she paced the length of the small rectangle, counting her steps from one side to the other.

“One…. Two…. Th-three….”

“That’s it baby. Good job” Liz coached from where she sat, watching Anya count her wobbly steps from one end to the other. Tucked into the corner of the small cell, she was able to hide the bruises and cuts that covered her left arm by pressing it against the wall. Then the shadows covered what she could not. “Four…” she slowly said with Anya, gently nudging her onto the next number.

“Four….” Anya repeated. “Five… six….”


“Seven. Eight. Nine….” Liz continued to count.


~*~*~*~


When Max called Tess and told her what had happened, she welcomed his visit and offered up one of her guest bedrooms for him to stay in. Admittedly, he had hoped she would because the prospect of going back to the house he had grown up in was an undesirable one. Everything may have been forgotten, at least for his parents, but Max would always hold onto the memory of telling Philip and Diane Evans the truth about Liz and his own growing powers.

To say that they reacted badly would be an understatement.

Max expected confusion and questions but he had hoped they’d eventually accept it like Sheriff Valenti and Amy had. Or even the way Tess and Isabel did. Both girls were surprised to say the least and asked countless questions and for uncountable demonstrations but at some point they finally just came to terms with it.

Philip and Diane Evans, unfortunately, did not.

On the drive into Roswell, what surprised Max the most was the realization that he could feel her again. For so long he walked around with what felt like an empty space inside of him. Wondering if anyone or anything could ever fill it again. Then he just assumed it would be something he’d have to live the rest of his life with. He accepted it and even became used to it but as he drove, he felt it slowly starting to fill again. She was filling him again with her presence and he was still at least forty miles away.

“Hello” he said sometime later when his cell phone rang. Max reached out to lower the radio and realized he hadn’t even noticed it was on until Tess swore she couldn’t hear his voice over the loud music. It was something else that he had grown accustomed to. Noise. Sometimes the only distraction he could find.

“Before you come by the house, would you please pick something up from that convenience store on 285?” she requested. “I’m starving and I want something kind of spicy. Like nacho chips and picante or something.”

Max was tempted to ask whether or not she was kidding and to point out that it wasn’t even six AM yet but he wisely held his tongue. Instead he politely agreed to make the stop for her and after at least three assurances that he was okay and the drive was fine, she finally let him hang up the phone.

Another thing he kept to himself was how much she had begun to sound like a mother hen. Not that she hadn’t always been protective of him and Isabel.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“I’m hungry” Anya declared later that morning. Her tiny fists rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stood before Liz with one ponytail lobsided and barely hanging on. She was practically swimming in the t-shirt she’d slept in, one they found in a drawer full of clothes the evening before. Emblazoned across her body were the words “Property of West Roswell Athletics” and for reasons unknown to Liz, her daughter absolutely adored it.

“I can grab something from downstairs” Kyle offered. Even though he’d made it through the night without getting a warning or a palm in his face, he knew he still needed to tread lightly. Liz wasn’t likely to quickly get over everything she’d been put through by a torturer that wore his face. As much as it pained Kyle, he knew the woman standing in front of him wasn’t his best friend anymore but he was determined to make things easier for her. He’d take the strange looks and leery glimpses because he knew she couldn’t help it. No matter how horrible it felt for him. “The café is already open. If people see you, they’ll probably have a lot of questions” he added in explanation.

“Okay” Liz agreed and waited until he was gone before helping Anya get cleaned up and changed. Then once her daughter was taken care of, Liz sent her to Villandra.

With the bedroom door closed, Liz slowly pulled the t-shirt off her body, revealing a slew of bruises still marring her skin.

Standing in front of the mirror, she lightly fingered the raised skin of a scar that extended across her stomach. Even with her eyes open she could recall with perfect clarity the day she got it. Then there were minor scrapes and cuts, the result of her escape the day before. “Has it only been a day” she murmured to herself.

“Ava!” she heard Villandra call out in a frantic voice and quickly scrambled to pull on a new shirt. “Ava, quick!”

Liz wrenched open the door and hurried to the living room where Villandra knelt in front of Anya, gently trying to coach her. The moment she saw her, Villandra moved out of the way so that Liz could take her place. “Anya… Anya look at me” she coaxed and instantly formed a connection with her daughter. “Baby, tell me what’s wrong?” she said, all the while searching for whatever was troubling her.

“Too… much” Anya panted, struggling to breathe. “Feels… too… full.”

The look on Villandra’s face was pure concern but Liz refused to forgo her composure. If she panicked, Anya would sense it and panic more, herself.

“Put your hands here” Liz said and placed her daughter’s palms against her chest. “Feel that? Now I want you to breathe with me” she gently coached and kept her own breathing even so that Anya would continue to feel the steady beat of her heart. “Just like that, baby. That’s good. Breathe… good. Breathe….”

Slowly but surely, Anya’s breathing evened out and the pressure she felt against her chest began to dissipate. There were tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around Liz’s neck and buried her face against her shoulder. “I’m sorry” she whispered in her ear with so much remorse that Liz found that she had momentarily lost her ability to breathe.

“Anya, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault” she assured and kept her arms wrapped around her small body even after the front door opened. Then she felt too. The tightness in her chest. The overwhelming feeling of being too full.

Then she felt Anya raise her head and looked in front of her where Liz assumed Kyle stood with breakfast A small gasp fell from her lips moments before she slid out of Liz’s embrace and ran forward.

“Anya” she called out and began to turn but froze as she heard one word fall from her daughter’s mouth.

“Daddy!”
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Hello everyone! Thanks for the great feedback! I know there are some questions and yes I am the devil incarnate for leaving it there but this chapter should give you a few more answers... and may raise a few more questions. Sorry :oops: Thanks again everyone and i hope you enjoy!

tequathisy
FSU/MSW-94
imnotlc
Ellie
pandas2001
Alien614
Sternbetrachter
Emz80m
nibbles2
RosyLady


Chapter 4


Slowly, Liz turned to face the two men. Kyle stood, looking uncertainly between everyone in the room all the while wondering if he’d done the wrong thing by bringing Max upstairs when he saw him down in the café. “I felt you” Anya stated, the first to speak. Her hands clutched at the bottom of his shirt, unwilling to let him go now that she’d found him. “It was everywhere. All inside of me. I knew it was you.”

Max wanted desperately to reach down and hug her but he was scared to touch her. He was afraid of what he’d make her see.

“Mommy, it’s okay” Anya stated suddenly. She turned to her mother whose strength was wavering at the sight of another torturer standing so close to her daughter. “I know him. This one’s not Nicolas.” Despite her greatest efforts to remain upright, the wave of emotion and memories hit her so strongly that she felt herself falling long before her feet fell out from beneath her.

“Ava!” Villandra called out as she rushed to her side.

Max and Kyle hurried forward but when she fell, it was Max that let go of his fear and reached out to lift her from the ground. Carefully, he tried to hold her so that his hands didn’t touch an inch of her skin. It was the only thing he could think of to prevent the flashes from starting.

Then with her small body cradled in his arms, he carried her to her room. A place he hadn’t set foot in since she was taken away from him.

“Ah… it hurts” Anya crumbled and clutched the sides of her head. “Make it stop… please” she begged in a voice so broken it halted Max in his task. Villandra was already kneeling in front of her but she wasn’t making any progress. Max had no idea what the problem was but he felt himself at a loss, unsure of which girl he needed to help first. “It… hurts” she repeated with tears already forming in her eyes.

“Take Liz” he said and gently placed her in Kyle’s arms. “Just watch over her. Make sure she’s okay” Max requested and went to Anya.

The moment his shadow fell over them, Villandra looked up at him with distrustful eyes. “Please” Anya kept repeating over and again. “Please stop…”

Ignoring the other woman’s obvious feelings, Max knelt down beside her and tentatively took one of Anya’s hands. He thought about the words she’d spoken only a minute before. She said she felt him… that she somehow knew who he was. So Max held her hand, hoping that somehow his presence would soothe her. “It’ll be… okay” he slowly said with uncertainty in his voice.

“Mommy, look” Anya encouraged and waited until Liz had raised her eyes before changing the color of a button from silver to gold. “I can do it too. Just like I saw in your head” she excitedly told, causing Liz to smile. “See!?” Then just as quickly, their smiles faded away as a guard walked passed, eyeing them both suspiciously. Frightened, Anya crawled into Liz’s lap, knowing that her mommy would keep her safe.

When he came out of the flash, Max felt disoriented and confused. The images had been childlike and bombarded by Anya’s fear and sadness. Max wasn’t sure what exactly she and Liz had been through on Antar but he was certain that it hadn’t been good. “You gave me pictures” Anya whispered and Max was glad to see that her tears had begun to subside. “Just like mommy does.”

Max opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find something to say back to her. Finally he settled on, “What’s your name?”

“Anya” she proudly declared.

“It’s nice to meet you, Anya” he softly replied.

“Mommy’s scared. Because of the bad people. She still sees them” Anya informed in a quiet voice so that only Max could hear. “I feel it and sometimes it hurts.”

“Why does it hurt?” Max queried as he looked uncertainly between his daughter and Villandra.

“Mommy calls me a… a… empath.”

That fact unnerved Max the instant it registered what exactly had happened a few moments before. “So then you feel emotions? The way people feel?” he asked, trying to keep his questions as simple as possible. There was no doubt she was smart, just like her mother but she was still just a kid and Max didn’t want to confuse or overwhelm her.

“Uh huh” Anya agreed.

“Angel, why don’t you come with me to check on your mommy?” Villandra intervened before anything else could be said.

Torn between going to her mom or staying with her dad, Anya looked at both Max and Villandra. “Can you come too?” she finally asked him, biting her bottom lip the same way Liz did whenever she was nervous about something. “Please.”

For Max, it was almost as if none of it had sunk in yet. Here he was, kneeling in front of his daughter who had the ability to sense him despite having never met him before. All the while Liz, the love of his life, was out cold in her bedroom because apparently she saw bad people. He was more than a little confused, a bit apprehensive and at a loss as to how he was supposed to react. Yet despite that, he found himself nodding his head in reply. “Sure. I can go with you.”

While he would have just simply walked to Liz’s room, Max was halted in place when he felt Anya slip her hand into his.

Unable to control them, he began to see more images from his daughter’s memory. Still, he continued to walk as though nothing was wrong, now suddenly conscious of the fact that she could feel whether or not he was bothered.

Liz was just beginning to stir when Anya bounded into the room and climbed on the bed beside her. Max felt dizzy from the constant rush of images and was grateful for the temporary reprieve. “Can we… talk in the other room?” Kyle quietly requested while the three females were otherwise occupied.

Wordlessly nodding, Max followed him back into the living and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

The two friends hadn’t seen each other in a long time. At least two and half years by Max’s count. Not since the last time he and Kal declared that they had somehow figured out what had happened with Liz. After that… after another dead end, Max went away again and stayed away.

He supposed another small part of it had to do with loyalty to Tess.

She had been so angry and hurt by Kyle all those years before. Max sympathized with him and the decision he made, as well as the choice Michael had but that didn’t stop him from being angry that his best friend had been emotionally bruised by the man standing in front of him. “What is it?” he asked after casting a worried glance in the direction of Liz’s bedroom.

“Last night I had a talk with Villandra, her guard dog” Kyle added when he saw the confused look Max wore. “Liz was afraid of me when she first saw me at my parent’s house but I had no idea why. Then Villandra told me that the people who tortured Liz up there were shape shifters or skins that wore husks to resemble us. At least I’m assuming it was all of us since I don’t think my face was the only one they wore” he stated. “Which might also explain the way she just collapsed when she saw you.”

It took more than a few seconds for Max to wrap his mind around the new bit of information. When he finally gathered his thoughts, there was an almost agonized lilt to his voice. “You mean, she not only doesn’t remember me or… any of us from before but what she actually does remember, is being tortured by people that look exactly like us?”

“In a nut shell… yeah. Pretty much” Kyle answered sympathetically.

“Nicholas” he muttered darkly. “He’s the one that looked like me. That’s why Anya told Liz that I wasn’t him.”

“Which means we need to find out as much as we can about how Liz escaped” Kyle added. “That way we can figure out whether or not we need to be worried about a visit from him, the skins or Khivar.”

“Well what about her powers? Do you know if Liz still has them?” Max queried, wishing that the power he’d developed had been more useful offensively as opposed to the current one which just drove him crazy. At least then he’d be able to help ward off any enemies that may show up as a result of the escape.

“She definitely has her powers” Kyle stated, still feeling a slight crick in his back from where he was flung against the wall. “And they’re a lot stronger than they used to be.”

“Okay. That’s… good, I think” he replied, shooting Kyle a strange look as he began to rub his lower back. “But what about Michael. Did he decide to come back down here?”

“Dad didn’t know” Kyle shrugged. “He got the impression that Maria really wants to but Michael’s afraid of putting her in danger. He doesn’t want to take the chance if its possible more skins will come after us.” Max didn’t blame him. He may have just met his child but he’d walk through fire to protect her and Liz. He didn’t doubt Michael’s own willingness to do the same those he cared about.

It was why he understood that Michael wouldn’t want to chance putting Maria in jeopardy again.

“So then we’ll find out what we need to know from Villan… wait a minute” Max paused as something occurred to him.

“What? What is it?”

“I worked as an apprentice in one of the research facilities. It was where I met my best friend, Villandra” Liz added as she tried to focus on the story at hand. “She was this brilliant scientist that taught me about genetics… cloning… DNA… so many advances that scientists here could only dream about.”

“The night her seal activated… when we all went out to Puhlman Ranch.” It was a night that had reenacted itself over and again his mind since Liz’s disappearance. Everything had changed that night and because of it, none of them had ever been the same again. “After everyone left, Liz and I stayed behind to talk. She was telling me about Khivar and about some of her past life memories. Including one about her best friend who was killed by Khivar for accidentally discovering a weapon against the skins. Her best friend… Villandra.”

“But… that’s not possible” Kyle stated though there was uncertainty in his voice. “It had to be someone else. Someone with the same name, maybe” he offered but it sounded flimsy even to his own ears. “If it is her, how did she come back? And is it possible that Liz isn’t…”

“Isn’t what?” Villandra asked as she appeared in the room.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Any news?” Maria fidgeted as she stood in the doorway of the bedroom she and Michael shared. She noticed the paint splattered boots he was lacing up and instantly knew that no one else had called. He was going into the studio to work and he never went in so early unless there was something on his mind. “Michael?”

“No. Nothing new” he quietly answered.

“Maybe we should…”

“No” Michael shook his head, finally looking up and meeting her concerned emerald gaze. The sight of her looking so nervous had his own features softening. “It’s not that I don’t want to see Liz or that I don’t want you to see her. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to go back to Roswell until we know for sure whether or not the skins followed her.”

“And what if they have” Maria asked with defiance in her voice. “Are you just going to let them fight alone? You’re a warrior, Michael. In that life and in this one. You’ll never forgive yourself if the skins show up and something bad happens to them because they didn’t have enough power to defend themselves.”

“And I would die if anything happen to you!” he yelled, startling Maria with his outburst. With purposeful steps, he walked towards her and lifted the right sleeve of her shirt up to her shoulder. “I hate this” he stated, looking down at the skin that had fused and webbed back together after being violently scorched. “Not because I think its ugly or because it’s hard to look at but because it’s a sign that when you needed me the most, I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Michael” she stated unwaveringly. “I’ve never blamed you for what happened and I think its time that you stopped blaming yourself.”

“I can’t” he replied in a low, controlled voice.

Gently, she lifted her hand and placed it against his cheek. Her eyes softened as he leaned into her touch and allowed his eyes to close for just a moment before refocusing on her gaze. “Holding on to this isn’t doing either of us any good. We can’t live our lives always looking behind us because we’re waiting for the next shoe to drop. Liz is your family. She needs you.”

“Liz will always be my sister and Kyle and Alex will always be my brothers but you… you are my family. You come first with me.”

“They already took so much away” Maria quietly said. “Max lost six years with Liz. Nancy lost Jeff. Kyle drove Tess away. You and I lost all of them. They already took so much away from all of us. Don’t let them take away one more thing. Don’t let them take away our ability to do what we want.”

“But what if…”

“No, Michael. Okay? No. I think its time we went back to Roswell.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Do you remember when Khivar told you he was your father?” Liz asked as gently as possible. She remembered how devastated Anya had been to learn the truth after spending so long waiting and wanting to meet the man who helped create her. “Do you remember how you felt around him?”

“Yes” Anya replied in a small voice with little more than a simple nod.

“Does it feel like that now with… with Max?”

“No” she shook her head again. “I feel it inside me. He fills me up. There’s no more holes.”

“So it isn’t just your empathy? You can sense him, like the way you sense me?”

“Just like you” Anya agreed. “He gave me pictures too. He was real sad before. There were all these pictures of you in his head. You were laughing and smiling but then you were gone. And that’s when the pictures got sad.”

It was a cruel and vicious move on Khivar’s part as he attempted to use Anya’s desire for a father in order to manipulate her. Liz could say that it wasn’t the truth but with holes in her memory, Khivar used them to play on Anya’s own confusion. He tried convincing her that Liz didn’t remember because she had been sick or because something had happened to her memory. He filled her with nothing but lies and empty promises until Anya began to get a grasp on her empathy and finally saw his true nature.

To say she had been devastated would have been an understatement.

“How did he give you pictures? Did you connect with him?” Liz queried, wondering what he saw in return. Assuming he saw anything at all.

“No. He just touched my hand and there they were in my head. Pictures.”

Mystified by this information, Liz offered Anya a small smile and lifted her out of her lap. “Do me a favor, baby and wait here for a few minutes, okay? I need to go talk to Villandra and… and your… dad.”

When she walked into the living room, Liz caught the tail end of what was obviously a heated discussion. “You’re damn right it’s my business. Anya is my daughter and Liz is…” Max trailed off as they all became aware that she was listening. His voice… his face… it was too much for her as she again felt pulled in two different directions. “How are you?” he began to ask when she held up her hand to stop him.

Kyle flinched, expecting to either be flung across the room again or to see it happen to Max. Instead, nothing at all happened aside from Liz tightly shutting her eyes. “Don’t” she said. “Please.” With her eyes closed she tried to focus on the person Anya sensed him to be as opposed to the person she recognized by face.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Thanks everyone for your great feedback! Sorry I'm a little late with this part. Michael questions aren't answered in this chapter but they'll be more M/M and A/I soon. Hope you all enjoy!

FSU/MSW-94
Jason's Lover
Angel Kisses 70
RosyLady
LairaBehr4
tequathisy
Sternbetrachter
imnotlc
Ellie
Alien614


Chapter 5


“Who else is there?” Liz questioned, unable to open her eyes. She tried to rely on her ability to sense people but all she could find was the familiarity as opposed to their nature as her daughter could. “Anya trusts you and I trust Anya. So I need you to tell me if there are any more of you walking around with the faces of the men I knew on Antar.”

“Ava, this can’t be good for you right now. I’ll handle it” Villandra gently offered and in her words, Liz heard something she couldn’t allow.

Slowly turning back to face them all, Liz raised her lashes and met the gazes of every person in the room. There was defiance in her eyes and a strength that she tightly held onto as she faced Max. “One that’s tall. Black hair and light eyes. Like an orthom stone. Then another in the same height. Light hair and dark eyes. Broad, wide across the shoulder. Do these descriptions remind you of anyone?” she asked, figuring that those two faces were the most likely to be found on earth. All the other tortures came and went, playing insignificant parts in her captivity but there were four that always remained the same.

“Alex and Michael.”

“Who are they to me?”

“Alex is part shape shifter. He’s the son of Larek and Sarina” Kyle explained, temporarily drawing Liz’s gaze away from Max. “And Michael is the reincarnated form of Rath.”

The news, while not surprising, left Liz feeling even more confused inside.

It was easy to look at their faces and feel anger because of their sins. It was another to know who they were inside and to feel the conflict of uncertainty because their true nature did not match their faces. At least not the faces Liz remembered from her time on Antar.

“Villandra, would you please stay here with Anya? She’s in my bedroom right now” Liz requested and took a tentative step forward. “Would the two of you please take me somewhere. There’s something I think I’d like to see.”

“Ava, that’s not a good idea” Villandra quickly protested.

“Who’s to say what’s good or not? Certainly not me” Liz replied. “But Anya’s readings don’t lie and for whatever reason, she trusts these two men. So if there is one person here who I can rely on to guide me through my confusion, I pick my daughter.” It wasn’t meant to be rude or mean but in her current state, Liz didn’t want someone to coddle her, she needed someone to give her answers.

There were days and months and even years spent locked up in a tiny cell with little comfort outside of Anya to get her through the pain. A Trithium Amplification Generator chip had been placed inside her skin, just at the top of her spine to prevent Liz from ever finding a way to use her powers. It also prevented her from self healing, ensuring that her cuts and bruises lasted for days at a time.

Then there was her time with Khivar. Weeks, perhaps even months where her torture came in a different form.

Yet she got through it.

Now, Liz was using the strength she knew she had buried inside to help her through the next phase of torture. Only this time it wasn’t physical or even really mental but more along the lines of emotional. Now she had to withstand the constant pulls and learn to look past the faces of men she despised.

“I trust Anya and at this point that’s really all I can do.”

Villandra seemed to understand that Liz was trying to say and offered only a simple, compliant nod. “Then I’ll stay here and watch over Anya” she agreed.

“So where are we going?” Kyle inquired once the other woman had retreated down the hall.

“To the granolith chamber.”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


For the first time in three months, Tess had someone to talk to and cook for so she decided to make the best of Max’s visit while she could. It was why she wandered into the guest bedroom she’d given him and began rifling through his luggage. One by one she hung up all his clothes and placed what couldn’t be hung in the chest of drawers. Then she took his shaving bag into the adjoining bathroom and laid out the entire contents for him.

Satisfied that everything was neat and in its own place, she returned to the kitchen and began cleaning the already spotless granite countertop.

When her parents had divorced three years before, both decided that neither of them wanted to keep the house they’d lived in. Instead, Suzanna Harding moved back to her hometown in Georgia while Ed chose to relocate his medical practice to Las Cruces.

Maybe it was nostalgia or maybe they just couldn’t agree on a price but in the end, the two decided not to sell their former house in Roswell.

Originally, Tess had only intended to live there until she’d worked at her new job for a few months. Then she’d find her own place to rent but fate stepped in and changed those plans for her. Instead she met a man she thought she could one day grow to love. Tess believed he might even feel the same way but when she learned she was pregnant, he didn’t take the news nearly as well as she might have hoped.

Time was what he said he needed but by the following morning, there was no sign of him left in Roswell.

So she stayed in her parents’ house because it was big and because she couldn’t afford somewhere else with a baby on the way. Most days it was so quiet she could actually hear her thoughts echoing. It almost reminded her off her childhood except then it was one extreme or another. Complete silence or arguments so loud that they drifted through the walls. Tess didn’t want that for her child. She didn’t want her little girl or boy to grow up feeling out of place the way she had.

A few minutes later when the doorbell rang, Tess dropped her dishrag with a small frown marring her face. She could have sworn she’d given Max a spare key and wondered if he’d forgotten it in his haste to leave earlier that morning.

On her way to the door, she straightened up various objects that seemed out of place. A vase here… a picture frame there…. Assuming it was Max on the other end, Tess didn’t bother to look through the peep hole before placing her hand on the locks. “Did you forget your…” she trailed off when instead of her best friend, she found the father of her child standing on the other end. “What are you doing here?” she asked in a voice conveying both her anger and confusion.

“I’m here for you, Tess. For you and our baby” answered Dave Fisher. Former deputy at the Roswell Sheriff’s Department.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“How’d you remember where it was?” Kyle asked as they stood at the base of an outcropping.

“I just… do” Liz replied and began walking up the gradual incline. Nodding, Kyle followed after her but Max found himself rooted in place. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. All he could do was stand there as a rush of images filled his mind.

Did I do this to you?”

“No” Liz shook her head. “I was always meant to remember, I just… you helped me open up. My heart… my mind…” she whispered. “My body… it all added up. My soul. This isn’t your fault. You made me whole” she said through the tears that continued to fall. “I love you.”

Several tears fell from the corners of Max’s closed eyes but he made no move to wipe them away. “You made me whole too” he murmured and took her lips in an urgent kiss.

Without hesitation, Liz kissed him back… pouring all the love she felt for him into that single kiss.

She wanted him to know… to feel how much he meant to her. Liz needed him to know that her past didn’t matter anymore. Khivar and everything that happened between them was nothing more than a memory. It was something she wished she could take back and it was something she hoped she could one day forget.

“I don’t want to lose you either” he said against her lips.

“You have me” Liz whispered and reached for the hem of her sweatshirt.

Gone was the shy timidity she had earlier tonight. All her inhibitions had fallen away because she knew this was what she wanted. Liz had no doubts in her mind that she wanted to be with Max. “What if something happens to you again” he asked, stilling her hands.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Max” she assured and pressed another kiss to his lips. “I promise.”

Instead of releasing her hands, he helped her lift the obtrusive material away and gently sets it aside. Even with the moon and stars providing the only light, Liz could still see the way his eyes darkened as he silently perused her body. “So beautiful” he whispered before pulling her close and taking her lips again in another kiss that left them both breathless and desperate for more.


He hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes until the memory faded back into the deepest recesses of his mind. “Hey! Are you coming?”

The voice came from Kyle but it took Max several moments to register the words.

“Yeah, I’m… coming” he answered and shook head to clear out the remaining stagnant images.

With slow, unhurried movements he continuously pushed deep inside of her. Liz’s throaty cries filled his ears and he felt her writhing beneath him, pushing her hips up to meet his thrusts. “Max…” she moaned but her voice was only a ghost of a whisper.

Their eyes locked and their hearts beat frantically inside their chests.

“I’m…close. So close” she murmured and locked her legs tighter around his waist. “Max…” she cried out as they both let go and rode the euphoric waves of their shared release.


Halfway up the rocks, Liz stopped her climbing and veered off to the left where she found a small stretch of dried out bushes. Though they seemed so out of place, Liz didn’t seem to notice. Instead, her gaze remained focused on a single spot. With a wave of her hand, a silver handprint appeared, etched at least several inches in the rock. “Liz?” Kyle asked but she ignored him. Without hesitation, she placed her hand inside the mould, causing a small portion of the cliff to open up.

“It’s this way” she murmured and climbed inside before either male could say or do anything to stop her.

Lined up against the back wall sat three large, empty pods. Once they had contained a pool of sustenance made up of artificial amniotic fluid and enzymes which would help their Antarian side develop at the same rate as their human ones. Now their insides were dried out with only bits of brittle fluid left to coat the corners.

“Stay here” Liz instructed without looking back to see the wide eyed expressions Kyle and Max wore.

Both men watched, perplexed as Liz swatted away the remains of the membrane that covered the center pod’s opening. Their eyes remained trained on her as she crawled inside, followed by a bright white light and a loud explosion that shook the room. “Liz!” Max called out and attempted to go after her but a translucent blue barrier materialized itself between him and the pods.

“Wait, that’s her shield” Kyle stated and turned from one end of the room to the other. It divided the room completely in half, ensuring that there was no opening for them to pass through. “That means she’s okay. She’s the one who created this.”

“So then what are we supposed to do? How do we get to her?”

“We don’t” Kyle sadly shook his head. “All we can do is wait.”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Ah!” Liz cried out as her back slammed against the chamber wall. She felt like she’d just been run over by a truck and needed several moments before she was able to pull herself up off the floor. “Damn it” she swore and clenched her fists so tightly that her hands shook. Her energy was building in excess, fueled by the granolith and her own overwhelming emotions.

Liz needed an outlet to release it in but she was too scared of damaging the chamber.

Instead, she crawled back out through her pod and walked through the shield she’d conjured to keep out Max and Kyle. Again, not waiting to see whether or not they followed, she climbed out of the opening and ran down the rocks. She couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t even when she heard the two men yelling behind her. She just kept running until she reached a flat surface and aimed her palms out into the distance.

She screamed, venting out all her frustrations while pushing large amounts of energy out of her body. The blasts were continuous and powerful enough to completely decimate anything that got in their way. Her breathing became labored and she dropped to her knees but still, she pushed every last bit of excess power out of her body.

Finally, when she had nothing left to give, she collapsed on the dried up gravel and just laid staring up at the early morning sun.

Max was the first to reach her but his own hands shook as he had to remind himself not to touch any part of her skin. From what he just saw, he didn’t think she could handle it if they connected again. This Liz didn’t know or trust him. She wouldn’t want to see anything his mind had to give hers.

Harsh sobs wracked her body as she curled up into a fetal position. “No” she murmured over and again through her tears.

From the moment she realized she was pregnant, Liz had refused to be anything less than strong. No matter what her torturers did or said, she held on to her resolve because if she crumbled, then her child wouldn’t stand a chance. Liz knew she had to live in order to keep her baby alive so she never gave in to the torment she felt.

Anya sensed too much and Liz didn’t want to burden her daughter with her own inner angst. So she blocked it all out. She became numb to the pain so that there would be no agony for Anya to feel.

She let go of so many things just to make it through the days and in all that time, there wasn’t a moment left for her to just feel.

The anger and sadness… remorse, pain, darkness… it was all there but blocked by sheer will.

Now in the middle of the desert with several miles between her and her daughter, Liz finally gave in to the maelstrom of torment she felt. She gave in and cried for all she had been through. All she and Anya lost in Khivar’s quest for revenge and power. All that was stolen by cruelty. “Make it stop… please” she begged, unknowingly uttering the same words as her daughter had less than an hour before. “It hurts. It hurts so much.”

“There’s a blanket on the back bench of my jeep. Get it… please.” Though it was obvious that Kyle had no idea why Max requested such a thing, he rushed over to the old vehicle anyway and retrieved the item.

“I don’t think she’s cold” Kyle said, referring to the way Liz shook.

“I know” Max replied but wrapped her up in it anyway. She was limp and unmoving as he cradled her in his arms. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry they took you” he whispered in her ear as her tears began to soak through his shirt. “I’ll take care of you, I promise. I’ll make it stop hurting. If it’s the last thing I do… I’ll make it stop hurting.”

His own tears leaked from the corner of his tightly shut eyes. Soundlessly, the fell into Liz’s hair as he continued to rock back and forth with her in his arms.

What scared Liz more than anything was her to desire to believe him.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Hello everyone! Thanks for the great feedback!

Sternbetrachter
LairaBehr4
FSU/MSW-94
Angel Kisses 70
Ellie
imnotlc
tequathisy


Chapter 6


With a deep sigh, Isabel hit the end button on her cell phone and began keying in a different number. Two very impatient rings later was all it took to hear Alex’s voice on the other end. “Dave Fisher came back to Roswell” she stated without preamble. “That asshole showed up at Tess’ house this morning and claimed that he wanted to be a part of hers and the baby’s life.”

“Hello to you too” Alex greeted, instantly making Isabel feel contrite.

“I’m sorry, honey. Hello. How’s your day so far” she asked in a considerably calmer tone.

“It’s good” Alex laughed, not in the least bit offended. “So tell me more about Tess. What’d she say to Dave?”

“Well she told him that she didn’t want to see him and that she didn’t need him but… I could tell that she isn’t too sure about her decision” Isabel revealed and began pacing back and forth. With another ten minutes to go until her next class began, she could hardly sit still. The idea that her best friend could end up with the sleaze that dumped her after finding out he was going to be a daddy left Isabel feeling angry and helpless.

While she understood that it wasn’t her decision or place to say anything, Isabel wanted nothing more than to council her friend into saying no.

“I think she really wants to believe that he’ll be there for her” she continued. “It’s one of her biggest fears that her baby will grow up feeling unwanted like she did.”

“Maybe, but I’m sure she hasn’t forgotten how hurt she was when he disappeared” Alex reminded and glanced up to find his boss standing in the doorway. “Izzy, I have to go but I’ll see you at home.” Her response was an understanding okay just before Alex replaced the receiver on its cradle. “I’m sorry, sir. Did you need something?”

“We’ve just been contracted to do a new job” stated Richard Stevens, the supervising manager in Alex’s division. “Full electronic surveillance on this residence. In place and functional by this time tomorrow” he informed before leaving Alex to get started.

“Sounds important” he said to himself and began thumbing through the dossier he’d been given the moment the door closed behind his boss. In a matter of minutes, Alex read through all the specifications of the surveillance before finally ending with the owner of the residence.

James Valenti Jr.
Amy Marie Deluca-Valenti
2316 Citrus
Roswell, NM


Eyes widening, Alex flipped to the final page of the file where he found a seal pressed into a sheet of stock card. There were no words and no address to accompany it. There was only the FBI seal. “Looks like the special unit is ready to play hardball” he muttered before reaching for his cell phone.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“A little help here would be nice” Maria called out as she struggled to carry several shopping bags inside the apartment. Quickly hurrying from his place on the couch, Michael relieved her of the burden and hefted the bags onto the kitchen table. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” Michael asked, seeming perplexed though Maria wasn’t fooled.

“You have that look in your eye. Kind of conflicted… you know the level above your usual broodiness” she explained and began putting the groceries in their rightful places. “So what happened? Did you miss a re-run of a hockey game or something?”

“Maria, we have to go back to Roswell” Michael stated without preamble.

“I know. I thought we already covered that last night” she said, not in the least bit surprised or perturbed by declaration.

“No, you don’t understand” he shook his head. “This isn’t just about Liz anymore. I got a call from Alex and… it’s happened” Michael stated and watched as Maria slowly turned around to face him. “It just landed on his desk this morning.”

“Who?”

“Your mom and Jim.”

Sighing, Maria pulled a chair out and heavily dropped herself down on the seat. “Do they know yet? Is someone able to call them?”

“Alex said they sent a team out there a half hour ago. Full treatment” Michael explained and sat down on the chair beside her. “It’s out of Las Cruces and Alex wasn’t sure how much time they had so he said he’d call Tess. You know, since she’s the one least connected to it all.”

“Well… we all knew this might happen some day, right?” Maria added, trying to sound positive despite how frightened she felt inside. “I mean, that’s why we took all those precautions. The phone tree… the files… the prepaid cell phones. We’re prepared for this, aren’t we?”

It was easy to see the concern she held for her family in her green gaze. Maria had never been the type of person to hold anything back and no matter how much she may have wanted to hide it, Michael knew how scared she really was. “Come here” he said and wrapped his arms around her when Maria sat down in his lap. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure out.”

“Why can’t everyone just leave us alone?” Maria demanded as her frustration began to get the better of her. “You aren’t mean or vicious or killers. None of you have ever hurt anyone so why do they… why do they keep targeting us all?”

“Maria…”

“No, Michael. What if it’s you this time? What if they decide that a…”

“It won’t happen” he interrupted. “I won’t let it” he vowed in a hard voice that was very reminiscent of the warrior he was once.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“This is a nightmare” Kyle stated as he paced back and forth along the length of his father’s office. “We were stronger and more capable when we didn’t know what we were doing. Now we know exactly what we could be up against and if they try… a lot of us might snap.”

“Well then we just won’t give them a reason to come back here” Valenti stated as he stood behind his desk, his hands braced on the hardwood top while he waited for Kyle to stop his erratic movements. “Amy and I can handle things on our end. Just take care of everything on yours and we’ll all be fine.”

“I want to keep Max and Liz out of this for as long as we can. Even if it means having to ask Villandra for help instead.” While it was obvious that the headstrong red head took orders from no one, Kyle had no doubt that she’d help if it was the only way to protect Liz and Anya. “It’s more important for the two of them to work on getting her memories back than helping us fight the special unit.”

“What did Max have to say about that when you told him your thoughts.”

“I haven’t yet” Kyle replied. “I mean, I know he could handle it but… I just don’t want to put him in that place right now. Not when he has the best chance of getting through to Liz.”

“Well why can’t you involve Liz?” Valenti then wondered. “She’s obviously been in critical situations before and managed to get herself out of them twice, if I remember your stories correctly. It seems to me like she’d been asset against those sons of bitches.”

So many years spent listening to his father talk about the existence of aliens had prepared Jim for the day when Kyle finally told him the truth. He’d be the first to admit that he didn’t handle it particularly well in spite of everything. But it had been Maria who was finally able to get through to him and Amy. She had been so vehement about how good Kyle and Michael were. She refused to back down until she forced them both to see past the stereotypes and to really look at the son he had raised.

With time, both he and Amy came around. Now it was impossible to think there had ever been a time where Jim didn’t fully support his son’s true heritage.

“You didn’t see her today. The way she fell apart out in the desert” Kyle replied, haunted by the anguished cries she emitted while destroying several large boulders. “What they did to her was probably equivalent to the white room times a hundred. I can’t take the chance that the unit will come after us and grab her. Not after everything she already suffered through.”

“Kyle, I don’t want to see any of you ending up back in that white room and we’ll make damn certain that it doesn’t happen. So we need to stick together and frankly, I think the only way to do this is to have no secrets between any of us. Including Liz.”

“Maybe… but it’ll be hard to get her to trust me when I’m walking around looking like some asshole who tortured her” Kyle replied.

“So then have Larek or Kal do it. She still trusts them, doesn’t she?”

“I’m not sure and I don’t know if we could risk having them come down either. Everything has to continue to flow like usual. There’d be no reason for Larek and Sarina to come into Roswell now that Alex lives out east” Kyle reminded, all the while wondering if they could figure out some excuse to bring Kal or Cero in from the institute. “I guess they could shape shift to look like someone else but… I don’t know what won’t and what will draw attention to us.”

“I think you also need to think about taking out the UFL. Maybe with them gone, Vanessa Whitaker won’t be nearly as powerful as she is right now” Valenti pointed, adding one more thing to the ever growing list of tasks they needed to complete. Kyle couldn’t help but wonder when it would all be enough. How many more people would they have to fight before they could finally have peace to live their lives?


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“I thought you left” Villandra quietly stated as she walked out of her room and found Max still in the apartment. He had been leaning against the doorjamb to Liz’s bedroom, watching as she slept with Anya curled into her side. “What are you still doing here?”

“I just wanted to make sure she was okay” Max replied without ever taking his eyes of the two slumbering females.

“Well she’s okay. You don’t have to stand there to make sure it stays that way” Villandra informed.

“Look, I get that you want to protect her. Thank you for that but you don’t have to protect her from me” Max stated and stared down at her with unreadable expression on his face. “The very last thing in the world that I would ever do to Liz or Anya is hurt them. I promise you that.”

“Your promises mean little to me. Especially when both Liz and I spent the last few years being lied to” Villandra replied, not in the least bit impressed by his announcement. “Words are easy. It’s actions that are hard to fulfill but in the end they’re the ones that always mean more.”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


Some time later, Liz awoke to find her bed and room empty. Then she heard it. Drifting in from the hallway was the sound of Anya’s childish laughter, making Liz’s heart warm in response. “Sweetheart, what are you…” she trailed off as she walked into the living room and found her daughter sitting beside Max. “…doing?”

“Daddy told me about…” Anya trailed off and looked at Max once before turning back to Liz. “Football” she proudly informed. “It’s a game. They have this ball and quart-quartaback and he throws it to the other boys. Then they run for a touchdown.”

“I should probably get going” Max added when he saw the uncertain look in Liz’s eyes.

“Stay. Please?” Anya said and tugged on his hand to halt him from getting up.

His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he received a flash from his daughter. It was a brief, too brief for him to see anything before it was over. “I’ll come back” he promised after gently extracting his hand from her hold. “When you’re not busy” he added, remembering that it wasn’t just up to him. It had to be okay with Liz too. “Then I’ll tell you about another game or something.”

“And you need to eat something” Liz stated in a motherly tone. “You only had cold eggs for breakfast.”

“Nope. Villandra made them hot again” Anya informed.

“Well hot or cold, you still need to eat” Liz replied. “Max, could I talk to you for a moment before you go” she added, thoroughly surprising him before she offered her daughter a smile and walked back to her bedroom. Not more than a minute later, he followed and Liz got her own surprise when she sensed him walk through the door.

“What’d you need?” Max queried and stuffed his hands in his pockets nervously.

“I don’t know you” Liz bluntly stated.

“Okay” he slowly responded while fear settled in the pit of his stomach as he waited for her to continue.

“I see someone else when I look at you and its hard knowing that you aren’t that person” she softly added and turned away when sadness crept into his gaze. “The truth is that I don’t know what to think or believe. My instinct is to shut you out because I’m… but that isn’t an option for me because you’re Anya’s father and no matter what I feel, her needs have to come first. So I’m stuck.”

“Liz, I know that this isn’t easy for you but you have to know that I would never hurt you. It’s just not possible” Max stated, imploring her to believe in him. “I just… I want to be there for you and for Anya. I’ve already missed so much of her life and I don’t want to miss anymore. I want to be a father to her and I want to be a… to be there for you.”

“But you can’t” Liz all but cried out. “At least you can’t be here for me. Know your daughter because she desperately wants to know you but that’s it. I have nothing to give you. I can’t even look at…” she trailed off and wiped at the tears steadily falling from her eyes.

“My heart hurts” Max whispered because he feared his voice would break if he spoke any louder. “You look at me and you see a monster that hurt you. It tears me apart inside to know that you don’t remember the truth. That you can’t feel how much we loved each other. How strong and unbreakable it was between us.”

“And it tears me apart to see my daughter laughing with the man who wears the face of a cruel, sadistic monster” Liz cried brokenly. “I’m not trying to hurt you but I can’t help but be hurt inside.”

“Please” he said though he had no idea what he was begging her to do. All Max knew was that he needed to somehow get through to her. “Look past what you know. Just close your eyes and feel. You were always able to feel me. You looked… you looked into my soul. You looked so deep that you brought me back to life.”

“I-I’m sorry” she whispered.

He had so much to say but Max couldn’t speak. There was a tightness in his chest that refused to go away. It hurt so much that he wondered if his heart literally had broken in pieces. “You can try to push me away” he finally said and waited until raised her eyes to his. “But I won’t give up on you. Ever.”

With that said, he walked out of her room and a few moments later, out of the apartment.

“Mommy, I think Daddy was on Antar” declared Anya as she came bounding in the room.

“What makes you say that, baby?”

“Because he was in this room, like you. He couldn’t get out and there were bad people there. They hurt him.”

“Anya, how do you know that” Liz questioned, disturbed by what her daughter described.

“I saw it in my head. When I touched his hand” she explained and climbed onto the bed. With a sad look on her face, she hugged a pillow against her chest and stared up at Liz. “He was scared and alone. In this big white room.”
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Thanks for the feedback! I'm sure you're all surprised, two parts in two days but I have an exam coming up at the beginning of the week so I'll be spending the majority of the weekend studying. Thus, my decision to post this part early. Thanks again all!

Sternbetrachter
LairaBehr4
Angel Kisses 70
tequathisy
imnotlc


Chapter 7


“Are you going to push me away too? What about Jim and my mom? Are you going to walk away from Max or even Michael and the Whitmans?” Maria demanded and hurried to stand in his way when Kyle would have walked out the door. “Answer me. Are you going to push everyone away so that you can be alone. So that you can sit there and blame yourself for everything that went wrong?”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Kyle dismissed with angry eyes. Eyes that refused to meet his step-sister’s gaze.

“Don’t I? God, I am so sick and tired of this bullshit,” Maria cried out. “It’s not your fault that Max became a target. Liz is the one who healed him and brought him into all of this but he doesn’t blame her. After everything that happened he never once blamed her so what makes you think anyone blames you, huh?” she demanded. “You weren’t the king or even the strongest one in the group. She was. If she couldn’t prevent anything that happened, why do you think you could have?”

“Shut up, Maria. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyle repeated and braced himself when she used all her strength to push him backwards. “Are you done? Do you want to do it again. Go ahead. Do it again. Push me. Knock me down. Take out all your frustrations,” he goaded and didn’t even flinch when she slapped him once across the face. “Did that make you feel better?”

“Did it make
you feel better,” she asked back. “That was what you wanted, right? You wanted me to hit you because you think you deserved to be punished. Am I right?”

“I don’t have to listen to this,” he answered and attempted to walk passed her again but she wouldn’t let him through. She kept trying to block his path and even as angry as he was, he refused to lay even a finger on Maria to move her away. “Get… out… of my way” he slowly demanded.

“We’re all here. We’re alive and we’re…”

“No!” he yelled as every swirling emotion he had inside finally got the better of him. “We’re not all here and alive. Liz is gone. Her strength and her power and her friendship… it’s all gone. They took her from us,” Kyle declared through gritted teeth. “So you can ridicule my choices. You can yell and hit and whatever you want to do but the bottom line is that I was brought here to protect her and I failed. I couldn’t even protect the person who needs her the most right now.” There was a glint in his eye that Maria had never seen before and of her leg’s own volition, she found herself stepping back. “So I’m sorry if you don’t approve of my breakup with Tess but frankly, you couldn’t possibly understand what this feels like.”


“Bad dream?” Michael queried as Maria jerked away. The clock on the dashboard revealed she had only been asleep for a half hour but already she could feel a crick in her neck. Looking around, she didn’t recognize any of the passing scenery but the road signs showed they were still in Texas.

“Where are we?” she asked instead, evading the question.

“We just got out of Midland about fifteen miles back” he answered and reached into the console for the bottle of water he’d been drinking out of. “I talked to Tess a few minutes ago. Supposedly Kyle called Max and decided it was best if he stayed out of things for now. Something about taking care of Liz instead.”

“That doesn’t surprise me” Maria stated and waved away the bottle when Michael offered it. “He wants to control everything and seems to think he’s responsible for every bad thing that happens to this group. Must be an Antarian thing” she said, adding the last part as a joke to Michael.

“Maria…” he said, warningly.

“Withdrawn” she stated and raised her hands in surrender. Then digging around in her purse, she searched for her cell phone. Naturally it was at the very bottom, buried beneath an assortment of gum, lip gloss, receipts and other various items. “Here we go” Maria said and dialed a familiar number. “Hi mom… Jim. It turns out that I was able to get some time off from work so Michael and I are driving up for the anniversary party. We should be there some time before ten. Talk to you later.”

“Machine?”

“Yeah. I figured that was sweet enough, right?” Maria inquired.

“Should work” he agreed and offered Maria a small grin. “So I guess we’re roughing it in your old bedroom, huh?” Michael asked, grin widening when he heard Maria’s exaggerated groan.

“I’m too old to be sharing a bathroom with Kyle Valenti” she muttered under her breath.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


Hours after Max left, Liz still couldn’t shake the images her mind had conjured up because of Anya’s declaration. The idea that someone she couldn’t help but fear might actually be the one person who could understand what she was going through seemed almost surreal. Fate had a funny way of playing dirty tricks on people, she couldn’t help but think.

So she walked around her bedroom, running her hands over all the furniture to see if she could get a flash.

Liz needed something plausible. Something she could see or feel that would convince her Max wasn’t the enemy. But nothing she touched evoked even the smallest hint of recognition.

A bed with a faded duvet cover that had probably once been a vibrant shade didn’t offer the tiniest prickle. Small trinkets and knick knacks on the book shelves didn’t hold any visual memories. Clothing… text books… a spotless desk or a tarnished door knob were of no help.

Liz had all but given up before she spied several small cardboard boxes on the top shelf of her closet. There was only one with the word “Personal” written across its side in big bold letters, instantly piquing her interest.

Hoping it wouldn’t be too heavy, Liz dragged the desk chair towards the closet and stepped up on its raised height. Then reaching up with both hands, she pushed the others out of the way and grasped the cardboard she wanted before easily hefting it down onto the carpeted floor.

Hands shaking, she pulled on the strips of tape holding it closed and slowly pushed back the four flaps.

There she found the reason it had been so light. The majority of its contents had been paper. Letters and postcards from a woman named Claudia Parker. Notes from Maria. Old report cards and event programs. Frowning, Liz continued to pull out various things, searching for something more. Then she found a vinyl and plastic sleeve filled with photographs and their negatives.

A blonde woman with green eyes and a wide smile. Her arms were wrapped around a tall boy. The same she had described to Max and Kyle earlier that day only his face was smiling. His eyes were shining and he had both his arms wrapped around herself and the mystery blonde. What shocked Liz even more than that was the smile her picture self wore on her face as she participated in the group hug.

Along with that one photograph were several more that resembled it. Some had just her, Kyle and the one they told her was Rath. There was laughter and smiles… happiness and camaraderie, she assumed.

Placing them aside, Liz continued her search until she came across a strip of photographs. Four in vertical line.

She smiled for the camera in the first. Looked at him in the second. Kissed him in the third and wrapped her arms around him in the fourth. Gently, Liz fingered the images and felt tears begin to fill her eyes. He had been right. They had loved each other. It was impossible to look at their faces and not see it in their eyes.

She sat on his lap and he held her close to his body. When they kissed, he cupped her cheek and closed his eyes. There was love in every movement. Even in a still picture she could see it.

Anger began to well up in her body again but Liz knew she didn’t have the luxury of expelling all the excess energy it would bring as she had out in the desert. Pushing the box away, Liz stood up and looked all around her before heading towards the window and lifting its pane. Once she had climbed through, she pushed it back down again and tightly clenched her hands in fists. Pacing, she tried to control emotions. Her eyes closed and she took long, deep breaths. That was when she heard it.

“Do you believe in destiny?”

“Define destiny?”

“I guess I’m asking whether or not you believe our lives are already predetermined. Do you think there are certain people we’re supposed to meet in life… certain things we’re meant to go through before it’s all over?”

“I’m not sure what I believe anymore. I feel like there are two people inside of me. Two sets of ideas and beliefs… two different opinions. I’m not sure which set are mine and which set are hers.”


It wasn’t a vision of any kind.

There were no images to accompany the voice but she heard it in her head as though someone had whispered the words in her ear.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


Nearly twenty four hours passed before Tess finally told Max about her visitor the day before. After the response she received from Isabel, the idea of telling another Evans the truth seemed a little daunting. It was tempting to not say anything at all but with him staying at the house, Tess knew the two men would cross paths sooner or later. “You’ll never guess who I saw yesterday” she finally blurted out while standing in front of the stove with a spatula in her hand.

“Who?” Max responded though it was obvious that he was distracted. Tess didn’t blame him and felt a momentary twinge of guilt when it occurred to her that his distraction might help her get through her confession.

“Dave, actually. He came by yesterday while you were at the Crashdown. Two pancakes or three?” she threw in so her admittance would be the last thing he heard.

“Hmmm? Oh, I’m not… wait, did you just say Dave? As in Dave Fisher?” Max questioned, turning inquisitive amber eyes on his long time friend.

“Well he is the only Dave I know” Tess shrugged, trying to make it seem as though it were no big deal. “He’s back. For good, I mean. He wants to help me raise our baby and… well, I told him no but I was really mad at the time. Who knows, you know? Is two okay?” she added and held up a plate laden with two large chocolate chip pancakes.

“He’s gonna hurt you, Tess.”

“Yeah… well… Liz is hurting you right now but you still love her” Tess argued without heat. “And you should because that’s what forgiveness is all about, right. Letting go of the hurt when someone is truly sorry” she attempted to rationalize. “Dave seemed really sorry. He was just scared and he made a mistake but he came back. That should count for something.”

“What’s going on with Liz right now and what Dave did to you are two very completely different things” Max stated and took the plate out of Tess’ hand. Carefully, he set it down on the counter before turning to face her again. “You were scared too, Tess but you didn’t abort your baby. You didn’t walk away from this pregnancy but… he did. How do you know he won’t do it again.”

“Well did you ever think that maybe that’s just my role in life? That maybe I’m just not meant to have companionship” Tess questioned.

“Of course that isn’t…”

“I’ll get that” she volunteered and retrieved the cordless phone from the breakfast nook as it began to ring. “Hello?”

“Hi… could I speak with Max Evans, please?”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


When he arrived at the Crashdown, Max bypassed the café in favor of taking the side entrance. It was early but there was already a steady stream of customers in the dining area, ensuring that the waitresses and cooks stayed too preoccupied to notice him.

Upstairs, Liz sat alone in the living room, obviously waiting for his arrival. “Anya’s not here” she immediately informed. “In case you thought that’s why I asked you to come over. A woman named Maria came by and we talked a little. She and Villandra took Anya to a park. Nearby, I’m told.” Max wasn’t used to seeing Liz fidgeting and he wondered what had brought on the change after everything she said the night before. Not that he was complaining that she wanted him to stop by.

“What’d you want to talk to me about?” he queried and sat down on a chair opposite the sofa. However, the moment he sat down, she stood up and began pacing in front of him.

“Well I guess the best place to start is… I haven’t slept. Last night I basically tore my room apart looking through photographs and letters and… old school papers, receipts tossed into the bottoms of desk drawers” Liz told before returning to her place on the couch. “Maria was by herself this morning because her parents told her about my reaction to all of you and-and she didn’t want to scare me by showing up with Rath…Michael.”

With her sudden subject change, Max was temporarily thrown but kept quiet, waiting to see where Liz was headed.

“I had friends. People that I smiled beside in pictures and who wrote me notes in class” she continued. “I found a rose pressed into the pages of a yearbook and when I picked it up, I had a flash of you giving it to me. I was wearing this red dress and you were smiling at me. So I kept looking and there was this strip of pictures and a t-shirt with an alien head that gave me a flash of the desert. Lots of people, music, children running around. Again, with the smiles. So many smiles.”

“Liz…”

“You were telling the truth last night” she whispered and angrily wiped away a few stray tears. She was tired of crying but since falling through the vortex, Liz felt like all she did was cry. “You loved me. He stole your face because you loved me.”

When he would have reached out to her, she got up once more and resumed her pacing. Max wasn’t sure if she didn’t want to be touched or if she simply hadn’t noticed.

“Last night I had no idea what to believe. I went through so many scenarios, trying to come up with one that fit the flashes I’d gotten but so many things didn’t make sense” Liz stated and finally looked down at him with watery eyes. “You asked me if I believed in destiny. You were scared that you had caused some change in me. You held me while I cried and we watched the stars together. You smiled and you laughed and you looked at me like you never wanted to look away. If you really loved me like I’m starting to realize you might have, then I need you to answer something.”

“Anything” he instantly replied.

“Tell me what happened to you. Why did Anya get a flash of you in a white room?”

“She…” Max trailed off, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him. “How did she… I mean, when did she…” he shook his head. “What exactly did she see?” he asked, finally stringing together a complete sentence.

“It wasn’t what she saw, it was she felt” Liz clarified. “She thinks that someone took you and put you on Antar because she associates the fear you felt with all the emotions she picked up from me. She cried for you. Not at first because it’s difficult for her to understand a lot of the emotions she receives. It takes time for her to get a grip on it… a lot of concentration and sometimes it really hurts her. Last night she just… she felt for you.”

She wasn’t used to censoring herself around adults and Liz didn’t immediately realize how hurtful her words might have come across to Max. It hadn’t been her intention. Despite all her confusion and residual anger, she didn’t try to make him feel bad for the things that obviously hadn’t been his fault.

“I’m still scared of you and I realize now that it isn’t your fault. You aren’t the one who hurt me” Liz quietly said and stilled her back and forth movements. “But something else I realized is that I may have hurt you. You might have a reason to be scared of me. So would you please tell me what happened? Tell me if it was my fault.”

“Liz, it….”
Last edited by To_Kiss_A_Frog on Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback and exam well wishes! Sorry I am so late in getting this one out to you :oops: I wasn't too sure about this chapter. I re-wrote it and I'm still not really satisfied with it but hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. Thanks again!

Sternbetrachter
LairaBehr4
Emz80m
Angel Kisses 70
maya
RosyLady
tequathisy
nibbles2
Alien614
thetvgeneral


Chapter 8


“Liz, it… it isn’t as simple as that,” Max stated and shook his head sorrowfully because he had no idea how to explain his feelings to her.

“If you’re afraid to tell me the truth because you think I’m going to break or something… don’t,” Liz said after watching Max wordlessly open and close his mouth several times. “I know that I haven’t been…” she trailed off because in truth, she didn’t know if she was acting like herself of not. “It won’t help either of us if you try to coddle me. Whatever happened to you, I think you should tell me because maybe then I’ll be able to give Anya some sort of explanation if she gets anymore flashes.”

“She won’t,” Max replied but even as he said it, he didn’t know if he could assure Liz that it wouldn’t happen.

Alex had tried teaching him how to control his power. He sat with Max and tried explaining how it all worked but his wasn’t the same and in the end, Max wasn’t able to learn any of it. So he gave up and resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t touch anyone. The simple graze of his fingers against someone’s skin and there was a picture in his mind. He couldn’t block it out and he couldn’t stop it.

Max wanted to believe that his desire to keep away his past heartaches from both Anya and Liz would be enough. He wanted to believe that sheer will would keep him from passing along any more images. Max just didn’t know if that desire was strong enough.

“You probably wouldn’t believe me but the truth is that I really do want to trust you,” Liz stated, breaking through Max’s thoughts. “Regardless of anything I’m trying to deal with, I refuse to let Anya suffer because of it. She deserves to have two parents. She deserves to have them get along and more than anything, I want that for her. So I need you to be honest with me. I don’t promise that I’ll understand everything or that it’ll even be easy but I promise that I’ll listen if you just… talk.”

With a quiet sigh, Max looked Liz straight in the eyes before saying, “You won’t like what I have to say.”

“Say it anyway,” she strongly replied.

He cleared his throat and picked a spot on the wall to stare at while he searched for a place to begin. “Yes. I was placed in a white room where I was poked and prodded and… tested. But that isn’t where this story begins,” Max slowly explained. “It had been almost a year since you were taken and in all that time, there wasn’t ever a sign that any enemies were still around. Kal and Cero were always looking and they both kept a pretty close watch on everything but there was just… nothing.”

“When was it? That I was taken, I mean. When was it?”

“November of 2000,” Max replied. “I could give you the date and the day too if you want.”

“No, I just… I couldn’t remember,” she admitted and gestured for him to continue.

“My sister’s birthday was about a week away so Tess and I went to Las Cruces to find birthday presents. Maria went into Dexter to deliver some stuff for the café and everyone else was… here, pretty much,” Max went on. “I didn’t really understand it at the time. When the skins did it, Kal’s explanation was something about time existing in multiple subset dimensions. There was an active energy field and when they set it off, all the humans here in Roswell just…”

“Disappeared,” Liz finished for him, only to then notice the strange expression Max wore. “Multiple subset dimensions. It’s like being on Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern Time all at once. The human body couldn’t function so it would simply just disappear into another dimension or plane of existence,” she attempted to explain.

For a moment, Max saw the teenager girl he used to know. Little Miss Scientist with her answers and the glint she got in her eyes whenever she was in her element.

“Sorry. I keep interrupting you,” she quietly added.

“It’s okay,” Max briefly smiled. “But you’re right… about what happened, I mean. All the humans were gone but Tess, Maria and I were still around because we didn’t get back until after the skins set off the original pulse.” There was one other fact he left out but Max wasn’t sure how much of her past she knew and how much she wondered about. For now, he decided there were some things that were best left unsaid. “To make a very long story short, we were finally able to destroy the energy field. It brought all the humans back and no one was the wiser.”

“How?” Liz queried.

“At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, all the guys stayed behind to hold off the skins while Sarina took Tess and Maria outside the city limits. It was where the energy rod was stuck to a billboard,” Max answered, remembering the look of anger and devastation on Michael’s face when Maria returned. There were a lot of skins around to guard the billboard, too many for Sarina to take out on her own and Maria had gotten injured in the crossfire.

“Somewhere in the middle of all it, I had this strange surge of energy in my hands. Almost like green lightning dancing up and down my arms,” Max continued and instantly realized that Liz had no idea why he had powers. The confusion was written all over her face. “No one told you, did they?” he asked even though he already knew the answer.

“No,” she shook her head. “But was that why? Is it because I gave you powers and not because we were… had been together?” she asked uncertainly.

“Liz, last night when I asked you to look deep inside of me. When I said you looked so deep that you saved my life, it… it wasn’t just a metaphor. You literally did save my life,” Max softly told her but found no recognition in her expression. “I was lying on the kitchen floor in the café with a bullet in my stomach. You asked me to look at you. You put your hands on me and… and you dissolved the bullet and fixed everything inside of me.”

For some strange reason, the idea of skin attacks and unnatural time shifts weren’t nearly as hard to hear as Max’s description of what she had done. As Ava, she never connected with anyone. Not even Khivar during their happier post-war days. To her it had always been the most personal thing she could ever do, even more personal than sex.

“Did you ever feel me?” Liz asked with a desperate look in her gaze.

All at once, emotions she didn’t know she had slammed into her chest and left her feeling breathless. Something in the back of her mind tingled and she wondered if it was a memory trying to break through of its confines. Yet, as much as she wanted to remember her past, a very prominent part of her heart was too scared. Liz wasn’t sure how she could handle feeling the weight of her feelings towards Max, when she was only starting to look past his face.

“Did you ever close your eyes and feel me walk into a room?” she asked and closed her own eyes. “Did I ever calm you with the touch of my hand? Did you ever look, really look inside of me and feel me? Do you feel me right now?”

Now Max was the uncertain one again. He was confused and didn’t understand where the questions had sprouted up from.

“Tall and blonde… you loved her. There was affection and-and care for another one… blonde hair, curls, big blue eyes,” Liz mumbled under her breath. “A bunch of boys in a group, a field and lots of lights. They’re all screaming, chanting… you felt excitement and… and-a-and a thrill. Then there a lab, a small one with rows of tables… raised up, tall stools and glass. Beakers, test tubes… me. Care, affection, mystery… a flutter. You felt me. I looked inside and I felt you too…” she continued to murmur.

“Liz? Liz?!” Max called out, trying to get her attention but she wouldn’t open her eyes and she wouldn’t stop muttering. “Liz!” he tried once more and placed his hands on her shoulders, hoping to somehow rouse her from whatever trance she had fallen into.

The feel of his hands were enough to shock her eyes open but the moment she lifted her lashes, she met Max’s concerned gaze. Then there was no going back.

“We’re closed” she dryly stated as she pushed the door open.

“Which means you can come to the festival with me after all” Max grinned, obviously pleased with himself. Rolling her eyes, Liz couldn’t help but smile amusedly at his relentlessness. “So… why don’t you go upstairs and put on something skimpy and we’ll get out of here” he suggested innocently, unaffected by the look of exasperation on Liz’s face.

“The Crash Festival is an alien costume party” she felt the need to remind. “Why would I wear something skimpy?” Liz inquired, quirking her brow in question.

“Because you’re already an alien” Max stated as though the answer should have been obvious. “So you put on something skimpy and voila… space prostitute”

<center>~*~</center>


“Even after I take this out, it’ll be a while before you regain the full use of your powers,” Villandra explained as she made the first initial cut. “I’m sorry,” she murmured as blood began to slowly pour from the fresh wound.

“Don’t be,” Liz replied. After everything else that had been done to her body, she hardly felt the pain as Villandra attempted to cut out the Trithium Amplification Generator chip. “Just do whatever you have to in order to get this thing out of me.”

“Almost there,” Villandra stated and used the tip of the scalpel to dig out the small square.

Liz felt a sharp sting and then… nothing.


<center>~*~</center>


“Would it scare you if I said I loved you too?” Liz queried with such innocence that Max felt his love for grow even more if that was possible.

“It would probably be the best thing you’ve ever said to me” he stated in the same quiet tone.

“You know, I really didn’t expect you, Max. All these years I always thought you were just some jock. A guy who liked to party and toss a football around with his buddies. I guess I didn’t give you enough credit” Liz remorsefully admitted. “But then you accepted me… all of me. Secret and all. You’ve been the perfect boyfriend. The guy that says and does all the right things at all the right times. So much more than the guy I used to think you were.”


<center>~*~</center>


“Ah!” he cried out in tortured pain and clutched desperately at the sides of his head. Writhing on the floor, he tried calling out to her, begging for a reprieve. “Please!”

“Please, what?” Liz asked in a hard, controlled voice. “Please show you mercy? Please spare your life? Please make the pain stop? I wanted all of those things too. I asked you and I cried to you and I begged you to stop. You showed me No mercy!” she cried and intensified her mental assault. “You made her sit there and watch while your men hit me. While you raped me! You sadism tore her apart. You cruel, inhuman unforgivable Bastard!

Crouching down beside him, Liz fisted her hands in the material of his jacket, holding him right in front of her. “You’re just a monster with an obsession for something you’ll never have. I could never love you. You’re beneath me,” she said, repeating the same words she had used before her first escape over fifty years before. “So when you take your last breath, I want you to think of me…” she whispered and placed her hands around neck. Pulling forth every bit of energy and strength she had left, Liz tightened her grip. “And choke on it!” she all but growled.

His anguished yells died in his throat as she incinerated him from the outside in, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and a small sense of peace.


“Oh god!” Liz whispered and threw up all over the floor.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“So what’s going on now?” Isabel queried as she stood in the doorway and watched Alex work. Though he had gotten at least a few hours the night before, he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. A ghost of stumble was already making itself prominent on his cheeks and his eyes, which were normally filled with amusement, were instead bloodshot and weary. Files and pages of printouts were spread out all over their kitchen table, taking up every inch of available space.

“Well from what they just faxed to me, Maria showed up at the café earlier this morning then left with a tall red head and child,” Alex informed and tossed his pencil down in frustration. “They aren’t just monitoring the house but everyone who goes in and out of it. They even have a tail on both Michael and Kyle.”

“No doubt they’ll be watching the café now too,” Isabel stated and walked further into the room. Gently, she ran her fingers through Alex’s disheveled hair and offered him a small smile before taking the seat opposite him.

“Until we can figure out how to take down the special unit once and for all, I think the only safe way to communicate with each other is to connect,” Alex deduced and missed the look of apprehension on Isabel’s face. “One of us always paired with one of you. Everyone keeps themselves open and we just… send images.”

“Alex, I don’t think anyone will go for that idea,” Isabel admitted after a thoughtful moment. “After everything we’ve all seen… no one will want to open up and possibly pass along something we’ve been guarding,” she said, thinking about Liz and Max, then also Michael, Kyle, Maria and Tess. Each one with something dark in their past. Each one most likely unwilling to share it.

“I really don’t see what other choice we have,” Alex replied and ran a frustrated hand over his face. “This surveillance is way above and beyond the standard package. This is too thorough.”

Sighing, Isabel nodded and reached for one of the pages. “Do you think we’d be able to find out more info on the Special Unit if we get to the UFL?”

“Doubtful. Whitaker is probably the only one who knows anything about it and she’d die before she gave up any information,” Alex responded and looked over at his cell phone with a weary expression when it began to ring. “Hello?” he answered and closed his eyes in dread when he received another order from his boss.

“What? What is it?”

“Full surveillance on the Crashdown Café” Alex replied and banged his fist against the table in frustrated anger.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Kyle, no. No, you can’t do this. You can’t shut me out like this,” Tess cried and grabbed his arm when he attempted to walk away. “You don’t get to say its over. You don’t get to make that choice for me,” she declared with tears streaming down face. “Please.”

“They could have killed him, Tess. He isn’t one of us and when they figured that out… they would have killed him,” Kyle tonelessly said. “What do you think they would do to you? Do you think they would have cut you open and put you in ice baths?” he asked. “No. It would have been worse. Because you’re this… beautiful, vibrant girl and they would have wanted to break you. In anyway they could.”

“But they won’t. They have no reason to. I’m not a threat to them I wasn’t healed or… or anything,” she argued back.

“Cruelty doesn’t have restriction or limitations with people like them. Because you know me and because I care about you… you’re a threat to them.”

“No…no” she whispered over and again. Each sound tearing him up a little more inside until it was almost too much for him to bare. Now he was the one who wanted to break and knew that he would if he didn’t walk away. “Kyle… no.”

“I love you. Please don’t think that I didn’t,” he murmured and gently extracted her hand from his arm. “Bye, Tess.”

“No,” he heard once more before the door closed behind him.

Kyle struggled for his next breath with every step he took away from the first and only girl he had ever loved.


“Kyle!” Tess gasped as she turned the corner and found him standing in the cereal isle.

“Tess,” he quietly greeted.

“Honey, was this the one you wanted?” asked a dark haired guy with a southern accent and a mischievous grin. “Oh, I don’t realize you were talking to someone. Howdy, the name’s Dave Fisher. The father of Tess’ baby,” he said and smiled wider when Kyle dropped his shopping basket in surprise.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Thanks for the great feedback! I know that so far its been a lot of back and forth with aliens and FBI and such but after the pod squad takes care of a few little things, you'll get more interaction between everyone and more coupledom. Hope you keep enjoying til then.

Ellie
imnotlc
Spicy trini1
LairaBehr4
Sternbetrachter
tequathisy
RosyLady
RhondaAnn
L-J-L 76
Behrystrwbry
midnightstar29


Chapter 9


“How exactly can they call for surveillance on a restaurant?” Isabel questioned and reached for Alex’s hand. Slowly, she rubbed her fingers over his knuckles and hoped the simple gesture would help calm her boyfriend down. “I mean… there are a few dozen people going in and out all day, everyday. How would they even begin to keep track of all those customers?”

“This sort of thing is a little different,” Alex replied and gently extracted his hand so that he could dig around in his pile of papers. “They can do phone taps or position someone inside but for the most part, it’s more along the lines of watching the perimeter to see if anything suspicious happens. The comings and goings of the Deluca-Valenti family and as soon Liz steps out of the apartment, they’ll look into her sudden reappearance. That’ll also mean searching for Anya’s birth records and finding out her paternity.”

Isabel was beginning to see just how deep things had gone. They had tried it one way and failed miserably when the guys managed to retrieve Max. Now, it seemed, they were trying a whole new tack in hopes of getting better results.

“There has to be some way we can warn them and get all our stories straight,” Isabel stated and let out her own frustrated sigh. Law school wasn’t even the issue anymore. The moment the FBI contracted Alex’s firm, it became impossible for either of them to have anything to do with the situation. There were too many risks involved and they couldn’t chance that the company would turn their suspicions on Alex. “And what would happen if Liz and Anya left Roswell? Would the special unit back off of Valenti?”

Unfortunately, Valenti was the only one they could go after. Vanessa Whitaker knew exactly who the hybrids were and without the Whitmans and Parkers, it only left the town sheriff. It also seemed to hurt his credibility that everyone remembered how adamant his father had once been about the existence of aliens.

“I doubt it,” Alex replied honestly. “And even if they do, it isn’t the end of our problems because they’ll just shift their attention to Liz, Anya and Max.”

“God, this is a nightmare,” Isabel shook her head and tried not to let Alex see how angry she was.

No matter how great things were between them, Isabel knew that in the back of his mind, Alex still wondered whether she would be better off without him. Tess had been hurt emotionally and both Maria and Max were physically injured. For whatever the reason, Isabel was the only one who had remained unscathed.

Then a couple years before, some flashes told her what Alex wouldn’t. He feared that her time would eventually come, just like it had with all the others. It was one his biggest fears that that day might come and he wouldn’t be around to protect her. Isabel believed that it was probably something that stemmed from the guilt they all knew Michael felt. In his mind, he had failed to take care of Maria and nothing she said ever managed to change his mind on the subject.

“But we will get through this,” she added. “We know more now. We’re all better prepared and we have Liz and Villandra on our side. We just need to be patient and look at things from all angles before making a move,” Isabel confidently stated.

“I love you. You know that, right?”

“I know,” she smiled and lifted her face up to accept the soft kiss he bestowed on her lips.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“I heard you were back in town,” Tess stated and bit her lip nervously as Kyle retrieved the dropped items from his basket. “For your parents’ anniversary party, I mean,” she quickly added for Dave’s benefit. “I haven’t seen Jim or Amy this week but tell them I said congratulations.”

“You too,” Kyle quietly responded and briefly glanced down at her still flat stomach.

“We’re excited about it,” Dave cut in and merely grinned when Tess shot him a strange look. “So this anniversary party… that’s tonight, huh?” he queried. “I used to be a deputy here, you know. I really liked your dad. He’s a very… interesting man.”

Rather than respond, Kyle merely gave him a bored look and glanced down at his watch. “I’ll see you around, Tess.” Then without a word to Dave or a backward glance in their direction, he took his items up to the cash register. “Hey,” he said to the young cashier and cracked his knuckles in irritation as he heard their voice drifting down the isle.

He couldn’t get out of the store fast enough and wanted nothing more than to go a few rounds with someone to relieve his anger. If it hadn’t been for the tight surveillance, he would have asked Michael into the desert. Instead, he was stuck gritting his teeth and baring it like any human.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“What happened?” Villandra queried as Liz finally opened her eyes and sat up in bed. “You look like death has warmed over you, no offense, Ava.”

“None taken,” she murmured and tried stifling a yawn. “Where’s Anya?”

“In the living room learning about some sport with Max.”

Nodding, she picked at bits of invisible lint on the faded comforter before zeroing in on her friend. “Villandra… what was I like when they first brought me to Antar? Before I started to forget everything?” Liz inquired suddenly and didn’t miss the uneasy expression Villandra wore. “Please. You’re the only who knows me now, that can actually tell me what I was like then. Are they all right about me?”

“In some ways, I suppose,” Villandra shrugged. “You were undoubtedly strong and quick mouthed, like you are now. You were just… younger, I guess is the right word for it. Everything about you was young despite the things you knew,” she stated and sat down on the edge of Liz’s bed. Then with carefully thought out words, she continued her assessment. “There was fear in your eyes but by the end… it was all gone. It was impossible to read you.”

“Fear is for the unknown,” Liz quietly replied and lowered her eyes in remembrance. “I already knew the cruelty they were all capable of. There was nothing left for me to fear. I’d already seen it all.”

Sighing, the tall redhead offered Liz an encouraging smile. “Just don’t rush yourself, Ava,” Villandra then solicited. “I don’t know anyone that could withstand that kind of torture for a year, much less six. You have every right to be scared or uncertain,” she opined. “No one would fault you from keeping yourself at a distance if what you think is best.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Villandra. I have to put Anya’s needs in front of my own and right now, what she needs is her father,” Liz stated without a trace of uncertainty. “The only thing he’s guilty of is being someone I once cared for. He isn’t that man who came into my cell and punished me for not giving up the granolith. He’s someone who stayed behind on earth and worried about me while I was away. He’s someone that once loved me.”

When they connected and his memory gave her the beautiful images of love, adolescence and fun, Liz was blown away by how much she craved those emotions. Then it hit her that he had seen some of the worst times in her captivity on Antar and the idea of it all made her sick. She couldn’t stand knowing that he’d witnessed a cruel and violent murder at her hands. Nor did she ever want for him to see the bruises and scrapes on her body as she waited to get rid of the chip.

It didn’t make sense. His opinion shouldn’t have mattered but for whatever reason, it did. Perhaps it was some sort of unconscious reaction but either way, she was afraid that she’d look into his eyes and see fear. She was afraid that he’d be disgusted by her now that he knew she had the ruthless capacity to kill.

What Liz hadn’t anticipated was the sorrow in his hazel eyes.

If anything, he had only seemed sad. Maybe it was because of what he realized she had gone through or because he now knew Anya had a front row seat to all the horrid acts. Later, Liz knew she’d have to tell him that the moment she got her powers back, the first thing she did was mind warp as much of the ugliness out of Anya’s mind as she could.

Certain impressions remained but it was only so that Anya could tell the difference between a good person and a bad when her empathy flared up.

“I want to trust him, Villandra. I want to put my faith in him, I’m just…” Liz trailed off, loathsome to use the word scared.

“Mommy!” Anya called out as she came barreling into the room. “You’re awake,” she declared and planted a big, sloppy kiss against Liz’s cheek. “Guess what?! I played on a swing and went down a slide. It was high but I wasn’t scared. Then Ria bought me ice cream. It was really cold and she said I could call her Ria, cuz I’m special,” Anya proudly informed. “Daddy taught me bout ba-basketball. Its bout this really big ball and you throw it in a big circle,” she smiled.

“You’re certainly a little ball of energy,” Liz replied and hugged her close as Anya curled up in her lap. “Where’s your daddy now?” she queried and didn’t notice how easily the question slipped out or how domestic it sounded.

“In the other room. Waiting for me.”

With one hand, Liz smoothed away the soft strands of her daughter’s light brown hair and tucked it behind her ears. “Honey, why don’t you go back into the living room and sit with him for a little while? I’ll be along in a few minutes,” she suggested and planted a small kiss on her forehead before Anya climbed off the bed.

“Okay,” she said simply and ran back out of the room.

“She attached herself to him very quickly,” Villandra commented observantly.

“He’s her father and she sees the good inside him,” Liz defensively retorted, unaware of how adamant she sounded.

“I wasn’t criticizing, Ava. I was just noticing.”

It didn’t seem as though Liz had even heard her friend reply as she pushed the comforter away and set foot onto the floor. The large blue and gold t-shirt she changed into before climbing into bed down now fell to her knees and hid the small pair of shorts she wore beneath it. Hair up in a haphazard bun, Liz was the spitting image of her high school self, a fact that didn’t escape Max’s notice when she finally joined the two in the living room.

“Hi,” he quietly greeted and offered Liz a small smile. “How’d you sleep?”

“Okay,” she replied and fidgeted nervously under his gaze. “I didn’t know you stayed. It’s okay, I mean,” she quickly added when he looked ready to apologize. “I’m just saying… I didn’t know.” Yet even as she said it, a part of her knew he wouldn’t have just left. There had been so much concern on Max’s face after they came out of the connection. Liz had seen a readiness to help and an uncertainty as to what he could do for her.

It wasn’t a lie when she said she wanted to trust him. Liz truly wanted to get to a point where she could look at Max and Kyle and not see the monsters who’d stolen their faces. That desire, unfortunately, didn’t stop her from feeling scared.

The idea of allowing herself to get close to the others left Liz feeling uneasy inside. On Antar, she learned that the only way to survive was to rely on no one. Help was good, but not vital and Liz feared that she’d loose her hardness and strength if she opened herself up to friends who cared enough to help her through all her obstacles.

“Mommy, I feel something weird,” Anya spoke up, garnering the attention of both parents.

“Weird how?” Liz questioned and hurried to her side.

Liz didn’t even blink when Max did the same. “Like… weird,” Anya shrugged and looked between them before finally settling her gaze on Liz again. “My stomach feels kind of funny and it’s like… not knowing or something,” she added in a small, fearful voice.

“Oh.”

That one word seemed to say it all. It encompassed understanding, remorse and even sympathy.

“Honey, it’s called nervousness. It’s when someone is uncertain or…”

“Tense,” Max chimed in them smiled embarrassedly when both Liz and Anya looked up at him. “Or apprehensive.”

“What’s ap-ap…aprehen-sive?”

“Nervousness,” Liz shrugged simply.

“Oh,” Anya replied in the same tone her mother had earlier used.

“Kind of hard to block it out, huh?” Max inquired conversationally, thinking about how difficult it was for him to control his own ability.

“Sometimes,” Anya shrugged. “If it’s just me and mommy, she blocks me. So I don’t feel anything, you know. But I’m not good at blocking anybody yet,” she explained and grinned widely when Max offered her an encouraging smile. “I guess you were the nervous one then, daddy.”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“You’re really good with her,” Liz commented and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

She was starting to believe that it was easier to deal with Max when she was scared of him, as opposed to when they were getting along and smiling. Believing in him made Max a much bigger danger as far as Liz was concerned. “I didn’t think I would be,” Max admitted and stuffed his hands inside his pockets uncertainly. “But I did feel her too. That first day when I came here, I mean. Then… then she called me daddy and it was like… instant. You know?”

“I know,” Liz agreed, remembering the first time she laid on eyes on her sweet angel.

“Anyway, I should get going.” Before he had the opportunity to say or do anything else, Liz took a step back and placed her hand on the door knob. “Call me if you need anything or if… well, if you just want to talk or ask questions or something.”

“Right, we uh… we still need to talk about your…experience,” Liz reminded and frowned when she saw darkness cloud his otherwise expressive gaze.

“Right,” he said though his agreement sounded hollow.

A few minutes later, Max stepped out into the mid-day sunshine and pretended not to notice the guy sitting at one of the outdoor tables with a newspaper. From the description he’d gotten from Kyle, it seemed to be the same guy who’d followed Amy around the grocery store the previous night.

Six years ago they probably wouldn’t have even noticed. Now, they all knew what to look for and had perfected their subtle glances and unaffected expressions when they encountered a man in black.

Max knew that Kyle and the others wanted to keep him and Liz out of the loop as far as the special unit was concerned. Max also knew that it wasn’t because they believed he couldn’t handle it but because they didn’t want him to have to. At least not after everything he went through the first time around.

Guilt was something they all carried around in spades.

Someone was always remorseful about something. Regret had become a natural emotion for them all, one that never seemed to wane with time.

Still, Max was glad that the sheriff had talked Kyle into telling Max the truth about everything. With all the time he hoped to spend with Anya and Liz, it would be helpful for him to know exactly what they were dealing with. Especially since it would only be a matter of time before they started digging around in Liz’s past.

Though that was where Larek came into the picture.

The old shape shifter was an even bigger genius than his son when it came to computers and technology. From the moment they received word about Liz being back, he began working on fabricating evidence of her existence over six years. Parking tickets, registrations, college credits and most importantly, a birth certificate for Anya. Little by little he was dropping Easter eggs for the special unit to find in hopes that it would be enough to temporarily stifle their search. It also added to the small bits they put out there while she was gone, just to keep anyone from asking too many questions.

Digging inside his pockets, Max retrieved his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

He had been putting it off since he first rolled back into town but Max knew he couldn’t keep up the hiding game forever. With agents following every possible lead, it would be too suspicious if Max returned to Roswell after a four year hiatus and didn’t go see his parents.

“Hi mom. How are you?” he asked.
<center>Image
User avatar
To_Kiss_A_Frog
Addicted Roswellian
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by To_Kiss_A_Frog »

Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I'm glad you're still enjoying what I'm writing about ;)

Sternbetrachter
LairaBehr4
midnightstar29
RhondaAnn
Ellie
Behrystrwbry
tequathisy
vampyrax
littlewind


Chapter 10


“Hey… how are you?” Isabel tentatively asked as she stood in the doorway to Max’s bedroom. In her hand she held a steaming cup of hot chocolate and fidgeted nervously before taking a few small steps inside. “I brought you some cocoa,” she added, holding the cup out in offering.

“No thanks,” Max quietly replied without once looking in his sister’s direction.

“The others came by but uh… I told them you were resting,” she informed while setting the mug down on his desk.

“Okay,” he said simply.

“Right,” Isabel murmured and paced in front of his bed twice before finally sitting down on the edge of the mattress. “Would you talk to me, please? I’m worried about you and… and I know you’re tired but I have so many questions and…” she trailed off uncertainly when her words didn’t seem to make a dent in his aloof demeanor. “Max?”

“Not now, Izzy. Right now, I just… can’t.”

“Okay,” she quietly replied but didn’t walk away. Instead she sat there and waited in case he changed his mind or needed something.


“Max!” Diane Evans greeted as she swung open the front door and found her son standing on the other side. “Oh, honey it’s so good to see you,” she said and pulled him into a tight, mothering embrace. “Come inside. Your father had to go into the office for a couple hours to finish up some work but he should be back soon,” she informed and ushered him into the living room without preamble.

Nothing, Max thought, had changed.

All the same photographs still sitting in the same spots. Not a speck of dirt in sight or a knick knack out of place. “Max, it isn’t that I’m not thrilled to see you,” Diane began, recapturing her son’s attention. “I’m just really surprised that after all this time, you finally came back. Can I ask why?” she queried tentatively while Max easily heard how hard she was trying not to offend him.

Oddly enough, he had never really been angry at his parents after they reacted badly towards his newfound abilities. He had just felt hurt.

Isabel had been uncertain in the beginning too but then she sat down and listened to him talk about Liz and the amazing capabilities she had. The fact that the powers he had inside him, stemmed from a healing that saved his life seemed to be enough of a reason for Isabel to accept it all. Naturally there had been a lot of questions and curious stares but in the end, she stood by him. Max would never be able to voice how much her support meant to him.

Now that he was a parent, however short his stint as one had been, he couldn’t imagine ever rejecting Anya because of something she did. Max couldn’t fathom how a parent who truly loved their child could ostracize them for something going on beyond their control. And he did love her. He may have only known his daughter for a short time but he already loved her so much.

“It was just… time, I guess,” Max replied and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

He knew that he needed to mention something about Liz but Max had no idea what to say. There would inevitably be a lot of questions, most of which he wouldn’t be able to answer. “Oh. Well did you just get in this morning?” Diane queried and then took Max’s arm. He was grateful that he’d worn a long sleeved shirt so there were no flashes to receive. “Come sit with me,” she invited.

“It’s been about a day,” he replied, fudging the time line just a bit.

“Well where have you been staying? Did… oh, wait. You’re staying with Tess.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. “I haven’t seen her recently but I heard about her relationship with that young deputy. It’s a shame that he didn’t stay in town,” she quietly commented and seemed genuinely remorseful for whatever hardships it was causing Tess.

Deep inside, Diane had always been a very compassionate person. After so many years of Tess being around both siblings, Diane eventually began looking at her like a second daughter. Max knew how much that meant to his best friend, especially since she had a tenuous relationship with her own parents. “Well she’s doing fine,” Max replied and didn’t bother revealing that the father in question had suddenly come back into the picture.

“That’s good to hear,” Diane added and offered her son a small smile.

Growing up, there had always been so much stability in his family. Philip had a good job that provided well for his family. Diane was mostly a stay at home mom who tried to cook meals every night and always fretted over her two children. They took vacations together, played the occasional board game and every Friday night, all three were somewhere in the crowd while Max played the game he loved.

It seemed that everything changed the night he finally told them the truth about himself.

It hadn’t been an easy conclusion to come to but Isabel had been insistent. She swore that their parents would understand and even stood beside him the entire time he relayed the story. Isabel was also the one to offer encouraging smiles when neither Philip nor Diane could form a coherent word afterwards.

Time was what the two siblings believed their parents needed. They would come around, Isabel told him more than once. Eventually, Max believed it too but as more time went by, he realized that nothing was changing. There was still uncertainty in their glances and at times, even a hint of fear.

While they were grateful that Liz had saved his life, they were also bothered that she’d given him his newfound ability. Embarrassing questions soon followed, like whether or not they’d had sex and if she could have made him sick because of it. They wondered if Liz had simply just up and left because she didn’t want to deal with the fallout of her actions and at that point, Max went from tentative to angry.

There were arguments and harsh words. Both parents wanted to talk to Nancy and ask how she could have had an alien child under her roof without knowing it. Max was sure that wouldn’t be the extent of it though and he also believed it was the last thing Mrs. Parker needed.

With both Jeff and Liz gone, the burden of running the café had fallen on her shoulders. It was struggle for her just to get out of bed every morning. At least that was what Maria said after hearing Amy and Jim talking about it one night.

In the end, Max made a choice. It was easier to make the two forget than it would be to make them understand.

Isabel was skeptical at first but eventually, she too agreed. So they told their two hybrid friends and Kyle, being the more accurate mind warper, had been the one to make it all go away.

“Max, honey I know that it’s been difficult for you to come back ever since… well, ever since your old girlfriend ran away,” Diane softly began and Max had to bite his tongue from arguing over her belief. To both Diane and Philip, entertaining the idea that anything else happened just wasn’t something they could bring themselves to think. Especially since they believed the Parkers weren’t even looking for their daughter.

Though how could anyone say, well we believe our daughter’s no longer on earth so we have to rely on the word of teenagers and a shape shifting astronomy teacher?

“But I’m really glad that you’ve finally decided to put the past behind you,” she continued, unbeknownst to her son’s inner turmoil. “It really wasn’t healthy to be so attached to someone you hardly knew. Especially given the fact that she obviously had some problems. Enough of them anyway to make her leave town on her own.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to inform her of the truth but Max also knew that it was a can of worms he couldn’t open again. He couldn’t handle it this time around. Not when the love of his life didn’t even remember him. Not while he was trying to work through her inner demons, all the while trying to finally exorcise his own. “Actually, I can’t stay,” Max finally replied and stood up, trying not to be swayed by the frown his mother wore. “I told Tess that I’d help her with something,” he fibbed.

“Oh, but you just got here. Your father will be home soon and…”

“I know and I’m sorry,” Max said and offered his mother an apologetic look. “But I’ll be in town for a few more days so I’ll come by again later to see dad,” he assured. “It was good to see you, mom.” The hug he gave her was swift and less than the warm embrace she’d given when he first arrived. “Bye.”

Because she had no recollection of it all, Diane had been puzzled for years as to why her son seemed so distant and cold at times. In the beginning, she worried that something was wrong with him but as time went by and she noticed how close he still was to Isabel, if not closer, she realized it had something to do with herself and her husband. The question was, what had they done wrong. Yet despite asking it more than a dozen times, Max never had an answer.

“Bye,” she softly echoed as the door closed behind her son.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“What’s going on in that empty melon of yours?” Maria teased as she walked into her step-brother’s room and found a pensive expression on his face.

“Funny,” Kyle sarcastically retorted and resumed the task of adjusting his neck tie. “That dress brings out the dark circles under your eyes, by the way,” he added, holding in a mischievous grin when Maria narrowed her green gaze at him menacingly. “Not getting enough sleep?” he innocently queried.

“I sleep just fine, thank you,” Maria huffed. “Although I noticed you’re looking a little pudgy around the middle,” she added and primly sat down on the edge of his bed. “Too many doughnuts during break time at the institute?” she asked with a mock sympathetic expression adorning her face.

“Actually, I work so hard in the observatory that I rarely get the chance to stop and eat,” Kyle replied, referring to his job with Cero at the science institute. “But you… I hate to break it to you but you look like you’ve put on a couple pounds. And not in a good way,” Kyle sadly informed.

“Ah!” Maria gasped. “You small minded, piece of…”

“Ready?” Amy asked as she poked her head in the doorway. Looking between each other, both Maria and Kyle nodded dutifully. “Great. Let’s go,” she excitedly added and gestured for the two to hurry up.

“Nag,” Kyle murmured to his sister out of the side of his mouth.

“Moron,” Maria insulted back and all the way out the front door.

Michael, who was used to their strange relationship, merely shook his head and followed the argumentative pair.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


When Max walked into the house later that evening, the first thing he heard was Tess’ angered voice. “I haven’t even made a decision yet,” she argued, red faced and eyes blazing. “You have no right to walk around acting like we’re a couple because we’re not. At least not anymore.”

“What does it matter, Tess? I am the baby’s father and I have a right to admit to that,” Dave argued back, seemingly unaware of how big a strain it was putting on Tess.

“What’s going on here?” Max questioned as he walked into the kitchen and set eyes on the elusive Dave for the first time. Instantly, he went to Tess’ side and squared off against the man who seemed to cause nothing but trouble. “You do realize how bad it is for Tess to be upset, right? You are aware that her blood pressure has been running a little high lately, aren’t you?” he questioned despite already knowing the answers.

“Do you realize that this is none of your business?” Dave retorted, seemingly ignoring the health issues Max had just mentioned.

“That’s it. I want you out,” Tess commanded and pointed to the back kitchen door. “Right now.”

“Tess, we aren’t finished discussing the…”

“I said, now” she interrupted in a harsh voice. “And I don’t want you to come back here until you can stop acting like you own me,” Tess stated, then after a quick glance up at Max, she added, “And until you can treat my friends with the respect they deserve.”

The ice blue of his eyes seemed to chill into a frosty gray in a matter of seconds. In a hard tone he replied, “Make no mistake, Tess. I will be a part of this child’s life. Whether you and your friends like it or not,” he informed, finally forgoing the charm he’d initially tried using to get his way.

When he strode forward, Max took a step to the side and shielded Tess’ body from view with his own. Burning amber met ice blue in an unspoken challenge. “If you hurt her, you’ll pay,” Max’s eyes told. “If you get in my way, I’ll hurt you,” Dave’s eyes seemed to retort.

Silently, Dave walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him. “Are you okay?” Max immediately asked and turn to look at Tess with a critical eye. “He didn’t lay a hand on your or anything, did he?”

“No,” Tess shook her head. “But I guess Izzy was right,” she added with a humorless laugh. “I should have never even given him the chance to come near me again. I should have known better,” she scolded herself and blinked back angry tears. “God, I am such a fool. Just a trusting fool.”

“That’s not true,” Max said and pulled her into a brotherly embrace. “You’re a good person, Tess. That’s why you wanted to see the good in him, it just that… well some people don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. That guy just happens to be one of them.”

“What am I gonna do, Max? I don’t want Dave in my life and I sure as hell don’t want him in baby’s life either,” she admitted and released him from her hold. Sadly, she reached across the counter for a paper towel and began dabbing at her watery eyes. “But technically he hasn’t done anything wrong. I don’t see how I can fight to keep him away when there’s nothing to fight with.”

Leaning back against the kitchen table, Max crossed his arms over his chest and gave Tess a sympathetic look. “I’m not sure but we’ll find something. Maybe we can talk to Isabel. She might have read something in one of her law books and if nothing else… well then we’ll ask my dad. Family law is his specialty,” he added, causing Tess to slowly smile.

She knew how he felt towards his parents and the fact that he was willing to go to his dad for help spoke volumes to Tess.

“Thank you for… everything. All your support. It means the world to me, you know?”

“I know,” Max replied, thinking about how much she’d helped him after Liz first disappeared. “Trust me, I know.”


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“…X, Y, Z. Now I know my ABC’s. Next time won’t you sing with me,” Anya eagerly sang and smiled proudly when Liz clapped. “What next?” she anxiously queried and mimicked her mother’s actions as Liz tucked her legs beneath her. “The spider song or the rain song?”

“How about… the time for bed song?!” Liz answered with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“That isn’t one?” Anya declared, not at all deterred by her mother’s obvious desire to get some sleep.

On Antar, when the guards had finished their rounds and returned to the control center, Anya would climb into her mother’s lap and request a story. Sometimes Liz made it up and other times she recited a fairy tale she had stored away somewhere in her mind. But when she ran out of new stories to tell, Liz began teaching Anya nursery rhymes she somehow remembered from her own childhood.

Even at the young age of three, she picked it all up quickly and before long, she was the one singing to Liz at night.

“Okay,” Liz replied exaggeratedly, causing Anya to giggle at her mother’s silliness. “Then how about we sing… the number song?” she suggested.

“Okay,” Anya agreed. “One, two… buckle my shoe. Three, four… shut the door. Five, six… pick up sticks. Seven, eight… lay them straight. Nine, ten… a big fat hen,” the two sang together and laughed amusedly. Then with both arms wrapped around Anya, Liz pulled her down gently and began tickling a fit of giggles out of her.

From the doorway, Villandra stood watching the pair with envy in heart.


<center>~*~*~*~</center>


“Who are you calling?” Isabel queried as she watched her boyfriend, bleary eyed and fatigued, reach for his cell phone.

“My dad,” Alex replied, all the while never turning his gaze away from the laptop screen. “I’m not sure yet so I need his help authenticating some stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“The information you asked me to look into,” Alex replied and finally turned to Isabel. “Honey, I’m not sure that Dave Fisher actually exists.”
<center>Image
Locked