Chapter 31
Maria stirred and woke up, her first conscious feeling - even before her first conscious thought – flooding through her and making her whole being sing with joy and delight. Michael loved her and she loved him. Totally, completely, unconditionally - and in every known position…and a few more she hadn’t known about until they’d discovered them together. Michael was sooooo inventive…and, not to be outdone, (she giggled at her own pun) she had a few ideas herself.
Heaving a happy sigh, she wriggled carefully round in his arms ready to kiss him awake and maybe do a little more research in how to extend the boundaries of pleasure for them both.
When she arrived at his mouth, she found it pressed together in a grim line and his brown eyes hard as flint.
Uh-oh. Maybe she should have tested the water before making plans for their morning swim in the ocean of love. Looked like stormy weather ahead…
Maria kissed the tip of Michael’s nose anyway, sending him a wave of her own love and personal appreciation of his strength and talents. His eyes softened and she felt the immeasurable power and depths of his love for her well up and meet her own in the softest, lightest butterfly kiss.
Suddenly shaken by the immense force of their feelings, they both retreated into the private places of their own minds in awed wonder at the revelation, each instinctively understanding the other’s need for a moment of space as they admitted their own.
Then a soft hand slid around Michael’s c*ock and squeezed purposefully as Maria’s soft lips kissed his cheek. Her mind kissed his again and the spicy sweetness of her thoughts in contrast to the earthy directness of her actions set all his senses alight in anticipation of their lovemaking before they had to face the morning and confront the new problems that had arisen during the night.
On their return from Liz’s dramatic scene at 3 am, both had gone straight back to bed without any further discussion, either aloud or in their private speech. Each reluctantly accepted the fact that uninterrupted sleep was now a necessity before they could find the will or energy to think of anything else. It looked like another big problem was about to hit them and they had to be ready.
One night’s sleep after nearly a week on the road, missing family and worrying about their enemies’ pursuit, followed by one rest day - interrupted by another crisis - was not nearly enough time to allow any of the group to recover back to full strength.
Michael and Maria had sealed themselves away from the world and just slept for as long as their tired minds and bodies dictated. They hoped the others had the sense to do the same.
Entwined, unconscious and relaxed in their warm, comfortable bed, with the steady drumbeat of the rain lulling them, they found rest for a few more hours.
In the early dawn, Maria had half-woken to find Michael’s stiff c*ock buried between her ass cheeks from behind while he thrust gently in time with his deep breathing, hardly moving at all, at the same time enclosing one breast with a large hand and rubbing her nipple with his thumb in matching rhythm as he slept peacefully on. She moved a little so that her clit was in the right position to feel his steel and then she started a tiny, but effective, counter thrust that eventually built up into a silent climax so shattering for them both that Michael woke up startled.
She had softly kissed away his confusion, than made him dry off the wet patch as usual, before cuddling up again and falling back to sleep on his shoulder.
Isobel’s brisk voice from the other side of the wall interrupted their current dalliance to the deep annoyance of both.
“Wake up, you two. The morning’s half gone already and we’re wasting time.”
*** Looks like duty calls and Isobel brooks no defiance… We’ll finish this later, Spaceboy***
***That’s what you said yesterday, princess, but all we got was a quickie on that little beach where we healed my scars last night… I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was great, but what happened to all the serious nookie we promised ourselves, let alone enough sleep?***
***Oh, Spaceboy, are you feeling deprived…?***
***More like depraved, if we don’t get some real time together, real soon…***
Michael scowled rebelliously in the direction of the invisible alien girl and pulled Maria against him, settling down for a kiss that must last them until they could find a seriously private time and place to be together.
Maria couldn’t help but notice that Michael’s usual toxic morning breath was no longer evident and assumed that the enforced change from his previous mainly junk food diet was already beginning to kick in. He caught the thought and gave her a playful slap on the butt in retaliation, which then turned into a sensual exploration of her smooth curves.
Isobel’s bossy tones intruded twice more before Michael reluctantly tore his mouth from Maria’s and let her go find something to cover her beautiful nakedness. He idly thought that when they got a place of their own, he would try to talk her into running around nude all the time…
***If you succeed in talking me into it – and I’m no pushover – then I will if you will, Spaceboy. Deal? ***
***Deal, princess. You’ll be bare-assed before the door slams shut on our first day…***
***Well, duh, that’s a given, Michael, first thing we’ll do as a house warming gift to ourselves is make love on the floor, of course. So, yes, you got that part right, but as for the 24/7 nudity plan – still have to convince me, Spaceboy…***
***Won’t be a problem. I got a few ideas already…***
Isobel’s voice sounded once more and this time it carried a threat to come in and drag them out herself if they weren’t ready in two minutes by her watch starting now.
Michael scrambled into his jeans, boots and a sweatshirt in 30 seconds and then spent the remaining 90 seconds sucking the special erogenous zone on Maria’s neck while frantically rubbing her clit through her panties to give her a record-breaking climax that left her breathless on their bed before he stood up, blew her a kiss, pushed aside the canvas door with his powers and stepped impassively out to confront an impatient Isobel, who was dressed in Kyle’s bathrobe and waiting by the tent doorway, where she’d been frowning at the now gentle rain outside.
When she turned to face him, his eyes were flint-hard again and the grim line of his mouth was back.
“Tess.”
It was a statement, not a question, and it conveyed everything he needed to say.
Isobel nodded, but didn’t speak.
“We’ll have breakfast first, then we talk. If the bitch is really back, then we’ll all have to be on guard mentally, as well. I don’t know what we do about Liz, either…”
There was a long, thoughtful, pause during which the sound of Maria rustling among her possessions in their room and singing silently to herself made Michael smile inside despite his current distractions.
A few minutes later, Maria emerged to join them, bare-legged under her parka and clutching a couple of rolled up towels. She went over to stand between them and peer out at the dull, wet morning. No mountain peaks were visible today; the lake was a dull metallic grey, ruffled by raindrops. The paths and grassy areas of the campsite were pooled with patches of surface water everywhere, and the low, dark clouds looked too heavy to move far.
Maria’s sunny mood clouded over to match the morning. Michael’s comment had belatedly reminded her that Kyle’s news and Liz’s reaction wasn’t a bad dream in the night after all. Now she had to face it.
“Is this still your Czhekoslovakian weather magic, guys? ‘Cos if so, can you please blow it away so we can at least have a sunny day, if nothing else? Breakfast sounds good, too, but I think it will have to be eaten indoors this morning…”
As she spoke, she pulled on her boots, ready to go out into the rain and forage for breakfast things after her shower.
“Wait for me, Maria, I’ll come with you. And the weather is no longer alien influenced, it’s become the natural conditions for today. We haven’t got time to mess around with it this morning anyway…”
Isobel quickly blocked what she (wrongly) suspected were Michael’s plans for a leisurely shower with his girlfriend. She wanted no frivolous delays in discussing the new developments and she needed to talk to Kyle urgently about last night’s dreams…
Michael found his own outdoor gear and followed them out into the rain but headed first to the edge of the lake to work his weather magic. If Maria wanted a sunny day, then she should have one. A few minutes concentration and the rain clouds began slowly to pick up speed and move south to bring rain to the desert. Isobel would not approve, but that didn’t bother Michael in the least.
He went over to the shower block next, but once undressed again he couldn’t be bothered to get wet after all, so he gave himself the pleasure of an ‘alien’ scrub-down, the fizzy tingle on his skin refreshing him so much that he felt ready to face the troubled morning ahead of him.
He quickly dressed again to paddle over to the Chevy, where Kyle was asleep in the rear seats, huddled into a ball and clutching an empty mug. As Michael opened the passenger door to climb in, a cloud of heat billowed out into the chilly morning air and the newest alien stirred and shivered in protest.
“Wha – what?” He opened a bleary eye, saw Michael and closed it again, retreating further into himself to conserve warmth. “Cold, man. Too cold and too early. Go away. Wanna sleep…”
Michael grinned evilly.
“Too bad, Valenti. It’s past 9am and Isobel’s gonna be on your case any minute, so you’ve gotta wake up and at least try to defend yourself…she’s a hangin’ judge, so you might want to hire a good lawyer. Oops, bad taste moment there. Seriously, we gotta talk, man. What the f*uck’s been goin’ on with you and Tess?”
Kyle groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He recalled wanting to talk to Maria first, but it looked as though that wasn’t in the script. He sighed in resignation and started to pour it all out to Michael instead.
“It’s all been happening in dreams. The first night we got here, you know I had that weird dream with Max, Tess and Isobel. It scared me, Guerin, I don’t mind admitting it now. The Tess image was focused on Max. Max was entranced by some shadowy sex scene – and so was my own dream image for a while. Then Isobel herself appeared and I knew she shouldn’t be there, so I somehow pushed her out. Then the green forcefields surrounding Max and me merged and somehow linked us. I could feel the pull in my real self, not just in the dream image. Then Tess noticed me and I felt this real sense of menace…”
He stopped and took a deep breath. Michael said nothing, but his expression was intent as he waited for more.
“Afterwards I got more and more spooked by it. I – I think I knew then that Tess was back, but I wouldn’t or couldn’t admit it to myself… I knew she must have made a connection with Max, that he wasn’t just using it as an excuse to run away, so I tried to avoid any more shared dreams by sleeping during the day and staying awake at night. Well, I managed to sleep quite a lot yesterday, but I didn’t stay awake last night, as we all found out when Liz made her feelings clear…”
He winced at the memory. He thought she might have even left bruises.
“Anyway, after we left you, Liz and I talked about our new powers and then she asked me to stay with her until she fell asleep, which I did. I was practising my control over the lantern one minute, then the next thing I knew I was watching myself in the kitchen at home with Tess cooking dinner. Then it changed to my bedroom and I soon realised it wasn’t really a dream, but a memory…”
Kyle stopped and gazed out of the window as the sun came out through the clouds and sparkled on the lake for a moment. It didn’t register, as his mind was replaying the bedroom scene and he was beginning to burn with anger.
“It was a memory she’d stolen from me when she mind-warped me to forget about what had gone on between us before she, you know, she killed Alex….”
Michael’s expression didn’t change, but he wasn’t as surprised as he might have been. There had been a time when Kyle and Tess had seemed a little more than friendly –around the time they all went to Vegas, as he recalled - and this had taken the heat off Max for a while.
Kyle carried on talking, describing the dream in some detail as if it was cathartic to spill everything at last. If talking helped, then his friend could talk away until he felt better, but Michael wasn’t interested in Kyle’s sex life, so he just waited until Kyle said something relevant to the current issue.
Finally, a remark caught his attention.
“…almost sure she was in Isobel’s dreamwalk with Max again this morning…”
“Whoa, Valenti, what dreamwalk? Isobel dreamwalked? How do you know?”
“That’s what I was just about to tell you – Isobel dreamwalked Max and I got dragged into it somehow.”
There was a knock on the window as Isobel and Maria, both now fully dressed, smelling deliciously of flowers and fruit, opened the doors and slid inside.
“OK, what have we missed?”
Isobel was suspicious, but Maria knew for sure that Kyle had been confiding in Michael although, of course, she hadn’t heard the actual conversation, only felt his reactions. She could tell he wasn’t too happy about what he had learned, so she replied lightly to her friend’s question with a practical suggestion.
“Not breakfast, at least… I’m starving and desperate for coffee. Let’s eat and catch up with Kyle’s news at the same time. We’ll probably have to eat in the vestibule, but as the rain’s stopped -”
***By the way, thanks for that, Spaceboy***
***You’re welcome ***
“- we can cook outside on the grill after all. There are still some fresh supplies in the icebox, so is it toast, eggs, bacon and links for everyone?”
Nobody objected, so all four gathered companionably under the canopy over the grill and prepared the first meal of the day together. Alien powers provided the heat to cook with as none of them wanted to delay their discussion any more than necessary.
When they were ready dish up breakfast, Maria set out a plate for Liz and volunteered to take it to her tent. Before Michael could object to this, Isobel suggested that Kyle go instead.
“You need to make peace with her. This is a good excuse.”
“Well, ok, I guess – although I think she was way out of line to take it out on me so violently. It wasn’t as if I did it on purpose…”
Isobel was snappish.
“Oh, stop bitching, Kyle, and just get on with it. The sooner you two make up the sooner we can all get back to talking to each other and the sooner we can deal with this Tess thing. Liz has a duty to contribute to our defence, too. We are all in this together.”
Maria mildly pointed out what they all seemed to have forgotten in the rush of events.
“She doesn’t know about all the weird dream stuff, remember? We never told her because she was so upset about Max already and we didn’t want to make it worse. She only heard Kyle calling Tess’ name in the night. Her outburst was probably a delayed reaction and only what she should have done to Max at the time… Liz doesn’t want to believe that Tess is still alive.”
“None of us do, Maria, but we’ve just got to deal and so has she.”
Isobel was in her Ice Queen mood this morning. The dreamwalk with Max and Kyle had upset her and she didn’t know whether to be angry or sad for them, but she knew she was afraid so she covered her fear with bossy hauteur.
Kyle reluctantly set off with a loaded plate and a glass of milk towards Liz’s tent and returned a few minutes later with the contents strewn artistically about his person.
He licked with apparent pleasure at the milk streaming down his face, and chewed on a slice of toast as he strolled towards them.
“Food eaten outside always seems to taste better somehow, don’t you think, Isobel?”
He sarcastically quoted her remark from the first meal they’d eaten on the evening of their arrival.
There was a breathless pause, then a simultaneous burst of helpless hysteria took them all, Michael included. Maria frantically made gestures for them to keep the noise down and they all tried hard, snorting and wheezing, so that Liz wouldn’t hear them and be offended even more than she was already.
In fact, perversely, this display served to raise her stock a little in the general estimation of the group. Maybe Liz Parker was beginning to be less of a doormat after all, away from the influence of the ex-King of Antar.
A giggling Isobel proceeded to clean up Kyle, gingerly removing the fried egg from his shoulder with kitchen tongs and depositing it in the trash bag, then giving in and waving her hand over him, leaving an unsullied surface behind.
He winked at her in thanks, and she affectionately brushed a non-existent crumb from his collar as they shared the unexpected laughter that had become a necessity to both in their continuing struggle to retain their sanity and survive.
Laughter was lacking a short time later when all four sat around the vestibule as they had the previous night, while the sun shone down outside and the ground steamed as it dried out from all the rain. Kyle and Isobel brought them all up to speed with the events in their dreams.
Kyle tried again to explain why he’d had such a strong reaction to the first dream and why he’d involuntarily called out Tess’ name when he realised that she could actually see him in the memory dream.
“After she left for Antar, I used to have these dreams sometimes, where we would all be a happy family, you know, Tess, my dad and me. I used to wake up missing her, before I remembered what she did to Alex. She messed with his mind for months before she killed him. I hate her, God knows I do, but that memory – it was so vivid… I really did have feelings for her back then and I’m sure she felt something for me too…we might have been great together, if she hadn’t destroyed it all. That’s when I recognised her re-living the memory with me…”
Michael frowned. He was interested, but not particularly sympathetic, and he certainly had no time for maudlin thoughts about ‘might have been’. Tess could yet turn out to be a new threat to their safety. He had to make Kyle face reality; to guard against Tess manipulating him by using sentimental memories from the past, if that was what she was doing.
Some brutal directness should bring his friend back to his senses.
“So you f*ucked her, then she wiped your memory, killed Alex and used you to dispose of his body. What a sweetheart. No wonder you miss her…”
Kyle rolled his eyes in angry frustration.
“No, Guerin. I’m trying to say that I DON’T miss her - when I’m awake, that is. I’m trying to say that I think she’s messing with my mind again and I’m sh*t-scared. She’s already reeled Max in. Is it me next?"
He looked round at their startled faces.
"What does she want and who’s she gonna kill to get it this time?”
TBC…
Lost In America (M&M/all Mature/Adult) 02/20 Ch 39{WIP}
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candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Bright sunlight sparkled on the water in an invitation to explore the lovely morning outside, but those within the tent were oblivious.
Fear and panic gripped them all as Kyle’s words brought the horror of the past few weeks back into their still-shocked minds. Nobody had yet remembered it was a week ago tonight that they had been driven from their homes and families into an uncertain and dangerous future.
Isobel looked angry and scared. All her old fears rushed back to overwhelm her; she remembered Alex and felt a sickening wave of grief and loss pass through her.
Maria looked at Michael, anxiety clouding her green eyes. He stared back, and she could hear his thoughts before he spoke and feel his protective instincts battle through his own sense of shock and revulsion at the reappearance of the tiny girl.
“She used Max, she killed that poor bastard Alex and now she may be trying to use Kyle. If it wasn’t for that, I’d say we ignore her and keep well away from the little bitch. But we gotta defend Kyle and the rest of us. Can’t just let her take whatever she wants without a fight from us.”
Maria looked round at the other three and went straight to the point.
“Whatever she wants, she must want it real bad for her to give up her baby, destroy her spaceship, pretend to be dead and take off alone…”
Michael’s warrior instincts were rising to the surface and his long-held philosophy – ‘know your enemy’ – began to kick into play.
“She isn’t defenceless with that mind-warping power, and the fire-storm thing, so taking off alone wouldn’t bother her. What we need to know now is just where has she run to?”
Isobel came out of her trance to join in their speculation.
“Max is heading north-east, so I’d guess New York City…”
“Yeah, Isobel, and who do we know in NooYawk City…?”
Realisation dawned.
“Rath and Lonnie! Oh, my God, Michael. You think she’s hooked up with them?”
“How would I know, Iz? I’m just guessing. We still don’t know what she wants, but it seems she can dreamwalk somehow, too, now. What else can she do and what defence have we got against her?”
They had been so engrossed in their conversation that the noise of a vehicle approaching came as another shock and they all froze into inaction for a moment, until Michael stood hurriedly up and walked out of the tent, leaving the others to follow.
Maria was hard on his heels, catching his elbow and being towed along with him as he strode over to meet an older man in a Ranger’s uniform, who was stepping out of a big 4x4 parked nose to nose with the Chevy.
Michael tried hard to be casual and relaxed, but he was still too tense and suspicious from the Tess revelations and he radiated such barely controlled hostility that the smile on the Ranger’s face faltered for a moment.
Maria sent Michael a quick reassurance that she would deal with this and she felt him relax slightly.
***Chill, Michael, he doesn’t look like he’s going to attack right this minute. Leave it to me…***
She beamed at the man, whose silver-streaked blond hair and rugged good looks were distinguished and also faintly familiar. He turned to her with an air of slightly amused appreciation.
“A smile from a beautiful girl always adds an extra sparkle to a lovely morning like this one.”
***Hey, what? Is he hittin’ on you? I’ll –***
***Chill, Michael, chill. He’s only being friendly and charming. Down, boy…***
***Like hell he is. Any more “friendly charm” directed at you and I’ll make him itch so much he won’t be able to…***
***Just cool your jets, Michael. It’s sooo nothing. Let me just find out what he wants, without you scowling at him like he’s the big, bad and making him suspicious…***
Their mental exchange was so fast that the man noticed nothing and was still smiling at Maria as she replied to his pleasantry.
“It certainly is a beautiful day now, although we thought the rain last night was never going to stop.”
“Weather in the mountains is unpredictable, sometimes dangerously so, and that’s really what brings me out here today. I’m Steven Yardley, Ben’s father. His mother and I want to thank you kids for rescuing my son during the storm yesterday. If you hadn’t brought him into the ranger station so quickly he might easily have lain unconscious out there for much longer and died of cold and exposure before the rescue party found him...”
Michael had relaxed enough to join in the conversation, although he was still wary of this stranger and not entirely convinced that his interest in Maria was completely innocent. He’d watched enough guys check out his girlfriend in the Crashdown not to recognise the signs.
However, he made an effort to sound friendly and interested.
“No need for thanks, we were just glad to help. How is …Ben, this morning? Last we heard, he was on his way to hospital for an overnight stay…”
The man gave Michael an approving smile, pleased that he had dropped the initial hostile manner, even if the friendliness was strained. He was used to teenage boys and their hormone-driven attitudes, so he graciously ignored the lapse in manners. The blonde girl was pretty enough for any boy to be jealously possessive over.
“Ben is doing fine, he’s coming home today and the doctor says he has to rest, so his mother is happy that she can fuss over him for a few days. I think she’s the one who’s suffered most over the ordeal so she wants him under her eye where he can keep out of trouble. He doesn’t remember anything about it at all; the last thing he recalls is meeting your friends in the woods and running for shelter in the boathouse. Are they around so I can thank them, too?”
Maria was horrified to find that she couldn’t remember their ID names, even her own. To her relief, Michael prompted her.
*** I should have put the practice in. My bad. Thanks, Spaceboy. ***
***Whatever. Just tell the guy…***
“Sure, ..er…Ellie and Dave are still finishing breakfast – we all woke up late this morning – and Susan’s still asleep, I think. I’ll go wake her up.”
“No, don’t disturb her rest. Some folks find they need a few days to acclimatise to the mountain air. Rick, back at the station, said that your friend was a little sensitive and shaken up by the ordeal, but wouldn’t let the medics check her over. Is she ok now?”
While they had been talking, Isobel and Kyle had emerged from the tent and come over to join them. Isobel overheard the question and spoke up as she reached the little group by the Chevy.
“She was fine last night, just very tired. I expect she’ll sleep late today.”
The Ranger knew a classic beauty when she smiled at him and hurried to introduce himself.
“I’m Steven Yardley, Head Ranger here at River Lake Falls, and as I just told your friends, I’ve come to thank you for saving my son’s life yesterday. Ben maybe wouldn’t have made it without you all…and although I know your names from the accident report, I can’t yet put names to faces….”
Isobel smiled at him again.
“I’m Elinor Morgan, you’ve just met Lisa Cooper and Mark Hammett and this is David Jameson.”
She gestured to Kyle, who was as silent and wary as Michael had been. However, he leaned forward and politely shook the hand extended by the older man.
Isobel didn’t want them to appear to be in any rush to be rid of the man. After all, they were supposed to be on vacation, so she turned on her charm and hospitality.
“Can we offer you some coffee - it’s freshly made and still hot?”
Steven Yardley politely refused as he had a busy day ahead, but he lingered to ask a favor and offer an invitation.
“I know that Ben will want to meet you all to say thank you himself. He’s a guy who feels trapped inside four walls and visitors of his own age will be good for him. How about you all come over and stay for dinner tomorrow evening. My wife is looking forward to it and we would be very pleased if you’d accept.”
Just as the others, embarrassed, were casting round for polite ways to refuse, they all heard Michael accept the invitation with something approaching alacrity and were shocked into silence as Ben’s father named the time and gave directions, before waving his farewells and departing.
Isobel and Kyle turned furiously on Michael as soon as the 4x4 disappeared along the track.
“What the hell were you thinking, Michael? Our lives are in danger; he could be the enemy. We should be avoiding people, not partying.”
“Yeah, what happened to ‘trust no one’, Guerin?” Kyle suddenly discovered some lingering doubts about the lack of pursuit theory.
Michael was unmoved by their complaints.
“This isn’t a matter of trust. Of course I don’t trust him. I’d be the first one to say no, if I thought it was suspicious, but Liz needs to check out her ‘vision’ in case it’s a real threat to us. This is the best way - invitation innocently accepted, no suspicious effort needed on our part. We take all the precautions we can.”
“What if it’s a trap? We just can’t risk it…”
Isobel’s voice rose in the beginnings of panic. She wasn’t ready to back down so Michael tried to reassure her.
“We will be ready to run if we need to. We’ll get as much stuff packed up ready in the truck as we can. The tents can be struck and packed real quick by ‘alien’ methods if we have time to get back to the camp.”
“What if we can’t get back here to collect our things, Michael?”
“Then we leave them, Isobel and we start over. We’ve done it once; we can do it again. We’ll carry everything we can with us in the Chevy in case we have to take off, but I don’t believe we will. I don’t believe it will come to that, Iz.”
Maria, seeing her distress, had already moved to take the taller girl’s hand in her own.
“It’s only been a week since we had to run from Roswell. We’ve made it this far ok and we can keep running if we have to. We’re strong together as a unit, Isobel and we’ve got powers not of this Earth on our side. We’ll do what we have to do to survive. You know we will, don’t you, chica?”
Isobel nodded and looked a little less strained. There was a short silence when nobody knew what to say next, then Kyle abruptly announced that he needed a bathroom break and headed off across the campsite.
The others moved away from the truck and back towards the tent, but Michael really didn’t think it was good for them all to continue the tense, fearful mood of their interrupted discussion about Tess, now with the added prospect of dinner with strangers tomorrow evening.
They’d all had yet another stressful, interrupted night and it would be a waste of precious time to spend the rest of the day obsessing over things as yet out of their control.
“Hey, why waste a morning like this when we can talk about everything this evening round the fire after dinner? There’s nothing any of us can do today about any of it, so let’s chill like we’re on vacation.”
This attitude surprised and disconcerted Isobel, who expected him to share her anxieties and want an instant plan of action. She sounded cross.
“What’s wrong with you, Michael? You were always the impatient one, the one who saw danger everywhere and wanted instant action: always bugging Max and me to do something stupidly impulsive instead of taking time to think things through properly. Now you’re saying don’t worry, have fun?"
Michael automatically dried off the picnic table and benches with his powers and waited until they all sat down before he replied to her question.
“That was Roswell, this is now. It’s a new life, Iz. It’s freedom to be whoever we want to be. I was trapped in Roswell. Not just waiting for the ship to come get us, but by everyone’s expectations of me. Well, nobody had any expectations of me except the worst - they just saw me as a loser. Called me a screw up who always had to be rescued from all the trouble I brought down on us. But it seems to me that my screw ups weren’t really so many or so bad as all that - some of them, in fact, even had good results – but I still got the bad rep… and I wallowed in self-pity – so what?”
Maria, sitting next to him, slid a hand onto his knee in silent support as he carried on talking, his bitterness and anger growing with every painful memory recalled.
“I lived down to people’s expectations and, ok, I admit I sometimes liked to shock them with just how far I would go. I told myself I didn’t care, but I really did. Only it wasn’t until I met Maria that I thought there might be some hope for me not to be alone on this planet. But I always knew that I would have to run some day and I always knew I’d have to be prepared in order to survive. It’s true that knowledge is power. ‘Know your enemy’ isn’t a joke, as I keep on telling everyone.”
He paused and looked hard at Isobel, who was shocked yet again into silence.
“You once asked me what secrets I kept from you and Max. Well, one of them was education. I’m very far from stupid, Isobel. Our ‘designer’ DNA would have to make sure of it. You and Max should have recognised that, at least. I made some stupid mistakes, yeah, but who doesn’t? I’m still a teenager; it’s normal. Not gonna beat myself up over what’s past anymore.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he ignored her and carried on. Now he’d started, it seemed he couldn’t stop.
“Neither of you ever asked where I went when I couldn’t sleep on Max’s floor. I got used to the fact that Max didn’t care, but I knew you did, Iz. You used to make me food parcels for Christmas and Thanksgiving and all the other human holidays and pretend it was a family tradition to give them to all your friends. I hated it, but I loved you for it too. You were the only one who cared enough to worry that I had enough to eat…”
His voice had lost it’s anger and he smiled across at her. Then he noticed that her eyes were shining with tears and reached for her hand.
“Hey, Iz, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. You did good. I used to hole up in the public library for countless nights, many times with your special holiday food parcels, and all the books I could wish for. I loved it. Don’t feel sorry for me, Iz. I wasn’t so good at using my powers, and maybe I hid behind my stonewall, but that’s how I gave myself an education, ready for surviving in the big world outside Roswell, when the day came to run…”
He gently released her hand as Isobel smiled shakily at him through her unshed tears and tried to get a grip on herself. Kyle joined them having come back from his shower via his tent to change. He picked up on the emotional vibes, but not the reason for them.
Isobel repeated her first comment, not yet having got a satisfactory answer.
“Still don’t understand why you want us to have fun, Michael. We’re still under threat. Surely we should be making plans for our defence…?”
“We need to relax whenever we get a chance, Iz. We must be at the top of our game when we need to react to danger, so we can’t be on red alert the whole time or we’ll get too tired and lose our edge.”
Maria backed him up.
“We need time out. That’s what this stay in the park is for. So let’s go with Michael’s plan and have as much fun as we can. Anyone got any ideas on where to start?”
They all looked out over the now calm, blue lake reflecting the sky and snow-capped mountain peaks rimming the bowl.
“We could…um…take a picnic and go for a hike to find the famous waterfall, or take a boat out on the lake.”
“The picnic hike sounds good, but let’s save that for tomorrow. Too much energy needed for that. Maybe we can take a boat out this afternoon, though. Get an idea of where we are, maybe scout a beach for an evening barbeque…”
Kyle was getting into it, pleased not to have to think about his worries until the evening. Michael had made a good point there. Time out was a necessity to rebuild their strength.
***Let’s make sure we have a boat to ourselves, Spaceboy. Maybe we can find another, more private beach…***
***I think maybe you just read my mind, princess…***
Kyle remembered another of the aims for their ‘vacation’ in the park and reminded Michael that the fishing gear hadn’t yet been unpacked ready for use.
“This morning would be a good time, as the fish should be rising from all the recent rain. This is a designated fishing area, so let’s try to catch lunch from the rocks…”
Michael was up for it and the two guys dragged the gear out of the Chevy and over to the picnic table to unpack it. Kyle was secretly pleased to be the teacher to Michael’s student for once.
Meanwhile the girls were discussing what they might do for the rest of the morning. Maria was keen to get some chores out of the way before she could think about having fun. Not that she didn’t find this domestic goddess thing surprisingly satisfying, too.
“I need to go to the store at some point for fresh stuff for dinner tonight. I need to choose a recipe and write out a list first.”
“Best to go this morning, as we don’t know if we’ll have time to get back from the boat trip before the store closes. We need to see about hiring a boat, too…is there anything in the handouts we’ve got? I think they’re in the Chevy somewhere.”
“Let’s leave Liz to wake up and join us when she’s ready. We can leave her a note if she hasn’t surfaced by the time we go to the store. She'll have calmed down and won’t want to miss the boat trip.”
Isobel went to find the handouts while Maria hunted in the tent for her cookbook and something to write on. Both girls felt their friendship deepen and grow stronger as they organised their morning.
Finally, they annexed the other picnic table near to the girls’ tent and sat down companionably to read and write together in the morning sun as the guys set off towards the lake with their fishing rods.
The sun had grown hotter as it rose in the sky and after a few minutes Isobel remembered her sunhat and shades, back in her tent. She reminded Maria about this and the small girl left to stroll over to her own tent to fetch hers after writing a note for Liz.
“Leave it outside her door now, so we don’t have to disturb her again when we go to the store.”
Isobel approached her own tent quietly, trying to avoid disturbing Liz, still fast asleep.
She pulled aside the canvas door and went in, re-arranging the the molecules to fix the note to the inner wall where Liz would see it. Then she found her hat and shades and took a peek through the half-open doorway into Liz’s ‘room’.
Liz’s bed was neatly made, but there was no sign of her outdoor clothes or her backpack.
It looked like Liz had gone…
TBC…
Bright sunlight sparkled on the water in an invitation to explore the lovely morning outside, but those within the tent were oblivious.
Fear and panic gripped them all as Kyle’s words brought the horror of the past few weeks back into their still-shocked minds. Nobody had yet remembered it was a week ago tonight that they had been driven from their homes and families into an uncertain and dangerous future.
Isobel looked angry and scared. All her old fears rushed back to overwhelm her; she remembered Alex and felt a sickening wave of grief and loss pass through her.
Maria looked at Michael, anxiety clouding her green eyes. He stared back, and she could hear his thoughts before he spoke and feel his protective instincts battle through his own sense of shock and revulsion at the reappearance of the tiny girl.
“She used Max, she killed that poor bastard Alex and now she may be trying to use Kyle. If it wasn’t for that, I’d say we ignore her and keep well away from the little bitch. But we gotta defend Kyle and the rest of us. Can’t just let her take whatever she wants without a fight from us.”
Maria looked round at the other three and went straight to the point.
“Whatever she wants, she must want it real bad for her to give up her baby, destroy her spaceship, pretend to be dead and take off alone…”
Michael’s warrior instincts were rising to the surface and his long-held philosophy – ‘know your enemy’ – began to kick into play.
“She isn’t defenceless with that mind-warping power, and the fire-storm thing, so taking off alone wouldn’t bother her. What we need to know now is just where has she run to?”
Isobel came out of her trance to join in their speculation.
“Max is heading north-east, so I’d guess New York City…”
“Yeah, Isobel, and who do we know in NooYawk City…?”
Realisation dawned.
“Rath and Lonnie! Oh, my God, Michael. You think she’s hooked up with them?”
“How would I know, Iz? I’m just guessing. We still don’t know what she wants, but it seems she can dreamwalk somehow, too, now. What else can she do and what defence have we got against her?”
They had been so engrossed in their conversation that the noise of a vehicle approaching came as another shock and they all froze into inaction for a moment, until Michael stood hurriedly up and walked out of the tent, leaving the others to follow.
Maria was hard on his heels, catching his elbow and being towed along with him as he strode over to meet an older man in a Ranger’s uniform, who was stepping out of a big 4x4 parked nose to nose with the Chevy.
Michael tried hard to be casual and relaxed, but he was still too tense and suspicious from the Tess revelations and he radiated such barely controlled hostility that the smile on the Ranger’s face faltered for a moment.
Maria sent Michael a quick reassurance that she would deal with this and she felt him relax slightly.
***Chill, Michael, he doesn’t look like he’s going to attack right this minute. Leave it to me…***
She beamed at the man, whose silver-streaked blond hair and rugged good looks were distinguished and also faintly familiar. He turned to her with an air of slightly amused appreciation.
“A smile from a beautiful girl always adds an extra sparkle to a lovely morning like this one.”
***Hey, what? Is he hittin’ on you? I’ll –***
***Chill, Michael, chill. He’s only being friendly and charming. Down, boy…***
***Like hell he is. Any more “friendly charm” directed at you and I’ll make him itch so much he won’t be able to…***
***Just cool your jets, Michael. It’s sooo nothing. Let me just find out what he wants, without you scowling at him like he’s the big, bad and making him suspicious…***
Their mental exchange was so fast that the man noticed nothing and was still smiling at Maria as she replied to his pleasantry.
“It certainly is a beautiful day now, although we thought the rain last night was never going to stop.”
“Weather in the mountains is unpredictable, sometimes dangerously so, and that’s really what brings me out here today. I’m Steven Yardley, Ben’s father. His mother and I want to thank you kids for rescuing my son during the storm yesterday. If you hadn’t brought him into the ranger station so quickly he might easily have lain unconscious out there for much longer and died of cold and exposure before the rescue party found him...”
Michael had relaxed enough to join in the conversation, although he was still wary of this stranger and not entirely convinced that his interest in Maria was completely innocent. He’d watched enough guys check out his girlfriend in the Crashdown not to recognise the signs.
However, he made an effort to sound friendly and interested.
“No need for thanks, we were just glad to help. How is …Ben, this morning? Last we heard, he was on his way to hospital for an overnight stay…”
The man gave Michael an approving smile, pleased that he had dropped the initial hostile manner, even if the friendliness was strained. He was used to teenage boys and their hormone-driven attitudes, so he graciously ignored the lapse in manners. The blonde girl was pretty enough for any boy to be jealously possessive over.
“Ben is doing fine, he’s coming home today and the doctor says he has to rest, so his mother is happy that she can fuss over him for a few days. I think she’s the one who’s suffered most over the ordeal so she wants him under her eye where he can keep out of trouble. He doesn’t remember anything about it at all; the last thing he recalls is meeting your friends in the woods and running for shelter in the boathouse. Are they around so I can thank them, too?”
Maria was horrified to find that she couldn’t remember their ID names, even her own. To her relief, Michael prompted her.
*** I should have put the practice in. My bad. Thanks, Spaceboy. ***
***Whatever. Just tell the guy…***
“Sure, ..er…Ellie and Dave are still finishing breakfast – we all woke up late this morning – and Susan’s still asleep, I think. I’ll go wake her up.”
“No, don’t disturb her rest. Some folks find they need a few days to acclimatise to the mountain air. Rick, back at the station, said that your friend was a little sensitive and shaken up by the ordeal, but wouldn’t let the medics check her over. Is she ok now?”
While they had been talking, Isobel and Kyle had emerged from the tent and come over to join them. Isobel overheard the question and spoke up as she reached the little group by the Chevy.
“She was fine last night, just very tired. I expect she’ll sleep late today.”
The Ranger knew a classic beauty when she smiled at him and hurried to introduce himself.
“I’m Steven Yardley, Head Ranger here at River Lake Falls, and as I just told your friends, I’ve come to thank you for saving my son’s life yesterday. Ben maybe wouldn’t have made it without you all…and although I know your names from the accident report, I can’t yet put names to faces….”
Isobel smiled at him again.
“I’m Elinor Morgan, you’ve just met Lisa Cooper and Mark Hammett and this is David Jameson.”
She gestured to Kyle, who was as silent and wary as Michael had been. However, he leaned forward and politely shook the hand extended by the older man.
Isobel didn’t want them to appear to be in any rush to be rid of the man. After all, they were supposed to be on vacation, so she turned on her charm and hospitality.
“Can we offer you some coffee - it’s freshly made and still hot?”
Steven Yardley politely refused as he had a busy day ahead, but he lingered to ask a favor and offer an invitation.
“I know that Ben will want to meet you all to say thank you himself. He’s a guy who feels trapped inside four walls and visitors of his own age will be good for him. How about you all come over and stay for dinner tomorrow evening. My wife is looking forward to it and we would be very pleased if you’d accept.”
Just as the others, embarrassed, were casting round for polite ways to refuse, they all heard Michael accept the invitation with something approaching alacrity and were shocked into silence as Ben’s father named the time and gave directions, before waving his farewells and departing.
Isobel and Kyle turned furiously on Michael as soon as the 4x4 disappeared along the track.
“What the hell were you thinking, Michael? Our lives are in danger; he could be the enemy. We should be avoiding people, not partying.”
“Yeah, what happened to ‘trust no one’, Guerin?” Kyle suddenly discovered some lingering doubts about the lack of pursuit theory.
Michael was unmoved by their complaints.
“This isn’t a matter of trust. Of course I don’t trust him. I’d be the first one to say no, if I thought it was suspicious, but Liz needs to check out her ‘vision’ in case it’s a real threat to us. This is the best way - invitation innocently accepted, no suspicious effort needed on our part. We take all the precautions we can.”
“What if it’s a trap? We just can’t risk it…”
Isobel’s voice rose in the beginnings of panic. She wasn’t ready to back down so Michael tried to reassure her.
“We will be ready to run if we need to. We’ll get as much stuff packed up ready in the truck as we can. The tents can be struck and packed real quick by ‘alien’ methods if we have time to get back to the camp.”
“What if we can’t get back here to collect our things, Michael?”
“Then we leave them, Isobel and we start over. We’ve done it once; we can do it again. We’ll carry everything we can with us in the Chevy in case we have to take off, but I don’t believe we will. I don’t believe it will come to that, Iz.”
Maria, seeing her distress, had already moved to take the taller girl’s hand in her own.
“It’s only been a week since we had to run from Roswell. We’ve made it this far ok and we can keep running if we have to. We’re strong together as a unit, Isobel and we’ve got powers not of this Earth on our side. We’ll do what we have to do to survive. You know we will, don’t you, chica?”
Isobel nodded and looked a little less strained. There was a short silence when nobody knew what to say next, then Kyle abruptly announced that he needed a bathroom break and headed off across the campsite.
The others moved away from the truck and back towards the tent, but Michael really didn’t think it was good for them all to continue the tense, fearful mood of their interrupted discussion about Tess, now with the added prospect of dinner with strangers tomorrow evening.
They’d all had yet another stressful, interrupted night and it would be a waste of precious time to spend the rest of the day obsessing over things as yet out of their control.
“Hey, why waste a morning like this when we can talk about everything this evening round the fire after dinner? There’s nothing any of us can do today about any of it, so let’s chill like we’re on vacation.”
This attitude surprised and disconcerted Isobel, who expected him to share her anxieties and want an instant plan of action. She sounded cross.
“What’s wrong with you, Michael? You were always the impatient one, the one who saw danger everywhere and wanted instant action: always bugging Max and me to do something stupidly impulsive instead of taking time to think things through properly. Now you’re saying don’t worry, have fun?"
Michael automatically dried off the picnic table and benches with his powers and waited until they all sat down before he replied to her question.
“That was Roswell, this is now. It’s a new life, Iz. It’s freedom to be whoever we want to be. I was trapped in Roswell. Not just waiting for the ship to come get us, but by everyone’s expectations of me. Well, nobody had any expectations of me except the worst - they just saw me as a loser. Called me a screw up who always had to be rescued from all the trouble I brought down on us. But it seems to me that my screw ups weren’t really so many or so bad as all that - some of them, in fact, even had good results – but I still got the bad rep… and I wallowed in self-pity – so what?”
Maria, sitting next to him, slid a hand onto his knee in silent support as he carried on talking, his bitterness and anger growing with every painful memory recalled.
“I lived down to people’s expectations and, ok, I admit I sometimes liked to shock them with just how far I would go. I told myself I didn’t care, but I really did. Only it wasn’t until I met Maria that I thought there might be some hope for me not to be alone on this planet. But I always knew that I would have to run some day and I always knew I’d have to be prepared in order to survive. It’s true that knowledge is power. ‘Know your enemy’ isn’t a joke, as I keep on telling everyone.”
He paused and looked hard at Isobel, who was shocked yet again into silence.
“You once asked me what secrets I kept from you and Max. Well, one of them was education. I’m very far from stupid, Isobel. Our ‘designer’ DNA would have to make sure of it. You and Max should have recognised that, at least. I made some stupid mistakes, yeah, but who doesn’t? I’m still a teenager; it’s normal. Not gonna beat myself up over what’s past anymore.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he ignored her and carried on. Now he’d started, it seemed he couldn’t stop.
“Neither of you ever asked where I went when I couldn’t sleep on Max’s floor. I got used to the fact that Max didn’t care, but I knew you did, Iz. You used to make me food parcels for Christmas and Thanksgiving and all the other human holidays and pretend it was a family tradition to give them to all your friends. I hated it, but I loved you for it too. You were the only one who cared enough to worry that I had enough to eat…”
His voice had lost it’s anger and he smiled across at her. Then he noticed that her eyes were shining with tears and reached for her hand.
“Hey, Iz, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. You did good. I used to hole up in the public library for countless nights, many times with your special holiday food parcels, and all the books I could wish for. I loved it. Don’t feel sorry for me, Iz. I wasn’t so good at using my powers, and maybe I hid behind my stonewall, but that’s how I gave myself an education, ready for surviving in the big world outside Roswell, when the day came to run…”
He gently released her hand as Isobel smiled shakily at him through her unshed tears and tried to get a grip on herself. Kyle joined them having come back from his shower via his tent to change. He picked up on the emotional vibes, but not the reason for them.
Isobel repeated her first comment, not yet having got a satisfactory answer.
“Still don’t understand why you want us to have fun, Michael. We’re still under threat. Surely we should be making plans for our defence…?”
“We need to relax whenever we get a chance, Iz. We must be at the top of our game when we need to react to danger, so we can’t be on red alert the whole time or we’ll get too tired and lose our edge.”
Maria backed him up.
“We need time out. That’s what this stay in the park is for. So let’s go with Michael’s plan and have as much fun as we can. Anyone got any ideas on where to start?”
They all looked out over the now calm, blue lake reflecting the sky and snow-capped mountain peaks rimming the bowl.
“We could…um…take a picnic and go for a hike to find the famous waterfall, or take a boat out on the lake.”
“The picnic hike sounds good, but let’s save that for tomorrow. Too much energy needed for that. Maybe we can take a boat out this afternoon, though. Get an idea of where we are, maybe scout a beach for an evening barbeque…”
Kyle was getting into it, pleased not to have to think about his worries until the evening. Michael had made a good point there. Time out was a necessity to rebuild their strength.
***Let’s make sure we have a boat to ourselves, Spaceboy. Maybe we can find another, more private beach…***
***I think maybe you just read my mind, princess…***
Kyle remembered another of the aims for their ‘vacation’ in the park and reminded Michael that the fishing gear hadn’t yet been unpacked ready for use.
“This morning would be a good time, as the fish should be rising from all the recent rain. This is a designated fishing area, so let’s try to catch lunch from the rocks…”
Michael was up for it and the two guys dragged the gear out of the Chevy and over to the picnic table to unpack it. Kyle was secretly pleased to be the teacher to Michael’s student for once.
Meanwhile the girls were discussing what they might do for the rest of the morning. Maria was keen to get some chores out of the way before she could think about having fun. Not that she didn’t find this domestic goddess thing surprisingly satisfying, too.
“I need to go to the store at some point for fresh stuff for dinner tonight. I need to choose a recipe and write out a list first.”
“Best to go this morning, as we don’t know if we’ll have time to get back from the boat trip before the store closes. We need to see about hiring a boat, too…is there anything in the handouts we’ve got? I think they’re in the Chevy somewhere.”
“Let’s leave Liz to wake up and join us when she’s ready. We can leave her a note if she hasn’t surfaced by the time we go to the store. She'll have calmed down and won’t want to miss the boat trip.”
Isobel went to find the handouts while Maria hunted in the tent for her cookbook and something to write on. Both girls felt their friendship deepen and grow stronger as they organised their morning.
Finally, they annexed the other picnic table near to the girls’ tent and sat down companionably to read and write together in the morning sun as the guys set off towards the lake with their fishing rods.
The sun had grown hotter as it rose in the sky and after a few minutes Isobel remembered her sunhat and shades, back in her tent. She reminded Maria about this and the small girl left to stroll over to her own tent to fetch hers after writing a note for Liz.
“Leave it outside her door now, so we don’t have to disturb her again when we go to the store.”
Isobel approached her own tent quietly, trying to avoid disturbing Liz, still fast asleep.
She pulled aside the canvas door and went in, re-arranging the the molecules to fix the note to the inner wall where Liz would see it. Then she found her hat and shades and took a peek through the half-open doorway into Liz’s ‘room’.
Liz’s bed was neatly made, but there was no sign of her outdoor clothes or her backpack.
It looked like Liz had gone…
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 33
Isobel’s anxious eyes fell on a scrap of paper lying beside Liz’s pillow and she walked over to pick it up.
‘I need time out from everything today, so I’ll stop by the visitors’ center for a map of the hiking trails then I’m going to head for the falls. I’ll be back before dark. Don’t worry about me. Liz.’
Isobel shook her head sadly. She thought that it would take more than a day’s hiking to sort Liz out. Willingly or not, she’d soon have to learn more about the mysterious reappearance of Tess and that would only mess with her head even more.
Going outside into the morning sunshine again, she saw Maria returning with her sunhat and shades and went to meet her. After the small blonde read the note, with a heavy sigh that clearly conveyed her feelings, they both wandered over to find the guys out on the rocks.
Both were deeply engrossed in the fishing lesson. Kyle was showing Michael how to cast his line with the correct twist and flick of the wrist to place his bait exactly where he wanted it to drop into the water. Michael was laughing as he used his powers to untangle and re-wind a ‘bird’s nest’ of fishing line where his first cast had gone spectacularly awry.
It made Maria feel warm inside to see her Spaceboy having a truly carefree time enjoying himself with a friend for once. Her own growing closeness to Isobel was a secret comfort to herself, as well. The day had stretched ahead offering the rare prospect of irresponsible pleasure until they had found the note from Liz...
Michael already knew Maria was on her way over and looked up to watch her approach along the rocks to the spot that Kyle had chosen – one a little further to the north of their campsite.
Kyle tried not to stare at Isobel as openly as Michael was looking at Maria, but it was hard when both girls were wearing tiny t-shirts and shorts, showing lots of smooth, satin, sun-kissed skin.
***Oh, God, Maria, why do you have to wander around practically naked in public? Do you really have to torture me like this? I want you so bad, it’s just too cruel. Go cover up before I…lose my...mind. Not that covering up would do any good. I know what’s underneath. I want you real bad, real soon, princess. Oh, God… ***
By this time Maria had arrived and deliberately added to his torment by wrapping herself around him, laughing delightedly as she felt his incipient erection and rubbing herself lightly against him. He smacked her ass hard, but the sting unexpectedly increased her enjoyment, which made catch her breath and giggle again, grabbing his ass to pull him even closer.
***Ditto, Michael. I want you soooo bad, too. Oh, God, how I want you… but you know we just can’t right now, too public. Besides, Liz has…***
*** Liz! I should have f*ucking expected it! It just had to be Parker again, ruining the moment, didn’t it…? Ok, where is she? What’s she done now?***
This brought them both abruptly back to their surroundings and he took the opportunity to turn her around and hold her against him, partly to hide his erection, (now rapidly deflating at the thought of Liz Parker and, inevitably, more trouble) and partly just for the rare opportunity to touch his girlfriend, in public, during daylight hours.
Isobel had wisely avoided looking in their direction, suspecting that something - undoubtedly of an embarrassing nature - would be taking place between those two. Maria’s giggles gave it way. To be fair, they had been discreet in displaying their affections so far, with the exception of the unwittingly noisy early morning encounter that everyone had heard through the walls in the last motel, but she knew it must be very hard for them in the camp with no real privacy.
She decided to suggest the group took two boats out after lunch and go their separate ways to explore the lake. She stopped herself before her thoughts carried on any further in that direction. No point in stirring up any more grief with private longings for her lost husband’s attentions. Today was for mindless relaxation. She looked over at Kyle, whose attention was focussed on carefully reeling in his line to prevent snags.
“Liz has left a note and gone off on her own for the day.”
Both guys looked up at Isobel’s announcement.
“Good and not so good, I guess.”
“Why so, Guerin? She needs to chill and if this is a good way for her to calm down, then let her go.”
“It’s good that she’s doing something positive for herself for a change. Hope it helps. Not so good she’s out there on her own, with no food or water and she attracts trouble, no doubt about it…”
“Don’t worry about the food and water, Spaceboy. She’s going to stop by the visitor’s center to pick up a map of the hiking trails and then head for the falls. She won’t starve; she’ll buy food at the store and she said she’ll be back before nightfall.”
“Oh, then it gets even better. She’s probably a celebrity at the visitor’s centre for heroically rescuing ranger-boy from certain death. Lucky they don’t know that she was responsible for it in the first place. Anyway, they might easily make a big fuss of her and ask all kinds of personal questions. Way to avoid attention. Who knows what answers she’ll give? Then when we turn up in her wake to book boats and buy our own supplies, we may get just as much attention and it’ll look damn suspicious if we don’t read from the same script.”
“Quick, then, Isobel, we’ll take the Chevy and head her off at the pass. It’s been about an hour since she left, if she took off straight after dumping her breakfast on Kyle. It’ll take her well over an hour to walk, but we should be only ten minutes in the truck, so there’s a good chance we can catch her before she gets there.”
“Let’s go, Maria. See you guys later, ok.”
The two girls took off over the rocks back to the camp, leaping and hopping as fast as they could without falling. Maria jumped into the passenger seat of the Chevy while Isobel zapped the engine on with her powers and pulled out in a hurry.
Liz was wandering along beside the trail, hat and shades in place and backpack on her shoulders, when the truck pulled up beside her and Isobel leaned out.
“Liz, get in, we need to talk.”
Liz hesitated, looking mulish for a moment, then it hit her that it might be trouble, so she hurried to comply.
“What’s wrong? Is there trouble?”
“Not yet, but there might be. Good thing we found your note just in time. We came to warn you that there might be questions at the visitors’ center.”
Maria leaned over the back of her seat to look earnestly at Liz.
“Yes, Michael says that you’ll probably be a celebrity because you rescued Ben and if anyone recognises you they’ll be sure to ask questions. We haven’t thought to work out a plausible background story for us all yet and we would look suspicious if we’d turned up later ourselves with different answers about where we come from…”
Liz looked surprised, then thoughtful.
“Michael’s right, I never thought of that. We should agree on a story, if we’re going to the store right now…”
Isobel remembered that she’d set up the basics when they’d first met Ben.
“All anyone knows right now is what I told Ben when we met, plus the information in the accident report yesterday”.
Maria summed it up.
“So the three of us are step-sisters from ‘all over’ and Michael and Kyle drove here from Iowa. We’re here on the last summer vacation before college: a road trip to Mexico. What info did you put in the report?”
“Just all our ID names and false addresses for me and Michael. I had to think on my feet, so Michael is from Iowa Falls and I’m from Seattle. We didn’t need to go into detail about the rest of us, thank goodness. Too complicated. I’m already regretting I said we were step-sisters…”
“Never mind, Izzy, we can sort it out tonight. Today, we just have fun…”
“What do we say if anyone does ask us questions at the center?”
“Just that we were glad to help and so sorry, but we are in a hurry to get back to the camp right now. That’s all the public needs to know. We can block any other questions as intrusive. Just be vague or ignore the question. If you must answer, then remember what you said and report it to the rest of us. We’ll need to make it an extra good story by tomorrow night, though. It won’t be so easy to avoid questions then.”
Liz was suspicious and it sounded sharply in her voice. Were they excluding her again…?
“What’s happening tomorrow night? Did I miss something?”
Isobel was cool on that one.
“You missed a lot, Liz, but we’ll bring you up to speed tonight after dinner when we all share what we know. Michael wants us to relax and have fun today. If you hadn’t taken off without telling anyone this morning, you’d know we’re going to hire boats after lunch to explore the lake and maybe find a beach for a barbeque one night.”
Liz didn’t miss the chill in her tone, so she turned to Maria. In times long gone it seemed, Maria could be relied upon to provide a shoulder to cry on, but recently her attitude had been unpredictable and sometimes even hostile, so Liz didn’t always find the sympathy she expected.
“That sounds like fun. I’ll think I’ll come with you, instead. I’ve been hiking for over than an hour and it’s more tiring than I thought. I can easily change my plans. I was going to buy food at the visitors’ center. I’m so hungry right now and I was going to take a picnic for later…”
She suddenly recalled that she’d thrown her breakfast over Kyle and blushed in embarrassment. However, the other two suddenly grinned at her and Isobel started the engine so she bit her lip and kept quiet.
The visitors’ center was there before they knew it. Liz had been closer than she’d thought so Maria and Isobel had only just caught her in time.
The parking lot was surprisingly busy, with several cars and trucks loaded with camping gear obviously recently arrived. It occurred to all of them that this could mean that they’d be lucky and escape unwanted attention after all. However, it could also mean new neighbors…
Pulling up as far as possible from the Rangers’ station, the girls headed towards two adjoining outbuildings of rustic appearance that catered to the needs of the guests staying in the park. The larger one was devoted to camping and outdoor pursuits, but the separate store next to it sold a surprisingly wide range of food, including excellent fresh produce, some of which was enticingly displayed in half-barrels outside. Maria had discovered this when she’d shopped for their evening meal after they’d ‘rescued’ Ben and was confident that she could find what she needed inside today, too. Camping was an increasingly luxurious and sophisticated pastime, it seemed.
Once in the store, Liz headed for the fresh snacks cabinet, needing something quick and filling to eat. She chose a small cheese-and-salad filled baguette and, in a rush of daring, a small carton of strawberry-flavored milk. Then she went to find Isobel and Maria to tell them she would be eating her sandwich in the truck as she was too hungry to wait for them. Both shrugged indifferently. Maria, her woefully incomplete list left back at the camp, was deep into trying to recall the ingredients and quantities she’d need to feed five hungry people for dinner that night, plus enough milk, bread and fresh supplies for lunch today, breakfast tomorrow and the picnic hike. Isobel was keeping track of the list, prompting her and arranging the items in the shopping cart ready for efficient packing at the check-out.
It took them 45 minutes but finally they emerged into the sunshine pleased with themselves and their efforts. Liz was sitting in the Chevy, watching the comings and goings of the other guests and staff. When the others arrived, she got out to help them load their groceries into the cargo space.
“It’s way past noon. What took you so long? You’ve been forever and I was about to come find you…Michael was right about the celebrity thing. Several of the park staff waved or stopped to say hello in passing and the woman who offered us drinks at the ranger station stopped to thank us and stayed on to give me an update on Ben’s condition. Luckily she was in a hurry and rushed off without asking any personal questions.”
Isobel and Maria exchanged an eloquent glance. Both desperately wanted to say something scathing but both knew that the resulting hostilities would ruin the day for all of them, not just the self-centered girl before them, complaining in faintly sulky tones at their tardiness.
“We were planning and shopping for our next four meals, Liz. That does take some time, you know…
“Four meals? You really don’t need to shop so far ahead, Maria. We could easily have come here again tomorrow. The produce would be fresher, too. Look, that sign says it’s fresh daily…”
Isobel had now had just about enough of hearing Maria being patronised by Liz Parker.
“We’re trying to keep a low profile here, Liz, but after your little episode with Ben yesterday, we are in danger of becoming local celebrities. Already we are booked for dinner with Ben and his parents tomorrow night, purely so you can have another try at getting a vision.”
Liz gasped in horror at the prospect. Isobel ignored her and continued speaking to her like she wasn’t the smartest girl in the class.
“Meanwhile, we can’t make too many guest appearances here at the visitors’ center in case people get too friendly and ask questions – even supposedly innocent ‘where are you from?’ type questions – and remember us too clearly for safety. Our enemies are still out there somewhere, even if we’ve shaken them off for the moment. Understand, Liz? Oh, and the other reason, which you’d know if you hadn’t sneaked off this morning thoughtlessly worrying us all, is that the rest of us plan to go on an all-day picnic hike to the falls tomorrow and we need food for that.”
Liz took offence at the tone, after all she couldn’t choose when she got her visions and she hadn’t meant to hurt Ben. However, Isobel was right in part, she should have told someone where she was going instead of just leaving a note.
It was lucky for her that they’d found her, because she had begun to regret her decision to spend the whole day alone and would now much prefer to spend it having fun in a boat instead. So she meekly accepted Isobel’s attitude and said nothing.
Maria finished loading the last bag into the truck and turned to Liz.
“Do you want to come with us or stay with the truck while Izzy and I go book the boats? It’s only in the camping store over there, I saw the poster as we passed by earlier…shouldn’t take long.”
Liz elected to go with them, figuring it looked a little unfriendly to remain with the truck and, besides, she really wanted to be friends again. She noted jealously that Maria was now calling Isobel by a pet name. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Maria’s friendship, especially to Isobel, so she resolved once more to mend her ways and pay attention to her best friend. Starting today.
The desk where the boats could be booked was at the back of the camping store, so that customers had to wander around among the merchandise before they found it.
The girls, however, were not tempted to browse as they had seen too many similar places in the last week and were all shopped out for camping gear.
When they reached the desk, the clerk was friendly and helpful, offering a choice between sailboats or wooden rowboats and finally booking two rowboats, but with no outboard engines as they were against park policy. Muscle power was the only acceptable means of propulsion, said the clerk proudly. Maria briefly considered asking why then did they use 4x4s in the park when horses would be more appropriate to that theory, but she let it go.
A few minutes later, arrangements had been made for the boats to be ready for them by 2pm at the pier nearest to their campsite, together with someone who would give them a short lesson in handling the boats and instructions in basic safety. However, they had to be returned to base by dusk. No sailing was permitted after dark.
It was only when Isobel showed her fake ID that the guy seemed to recognise them, although he was a stranger to all three.
“You’re the kids who rescued Ben Yardley when he was struck by lightning in the storm yesterday! All the staff at the station when you brought him in say that you saved his life. What exactly happened out there?”
The clerk leaned forward, eager to hear their version of events with his own ears.
They all smiled bashfully and Isobel told him their story, ending on a prosaic, low-key note.
“No heroics were involved and, thankfully, Ben was not even hurt, as his father told us earlier this morning. We were just glad to help and thankful that he’s ok.”
The clerk seemed a little disappointed with the lack of dramatic detail and was about to ask further questions, when Maria chimed in to say that they had to hurry back to cook lunch now if they were to be ready when the boats arrived. She smiled at him to soften the blow, and he handed over a form with the date, time and details of their boat hire agreement for Isobel to sign.
A few moments later they were on their way back to the camp again, Liz making an effort to talk about their plans for the afternoon and the places of interest to look out for around the lake. Liz sounded relaxed, optimistic and friendly, eerily like the ghost of her old, pre-Max self, and Maria felt suddenly hopeful that her carefree, childhood friend was still in there somewhere.
“We won’t be going very far, though, if we have to row everywhere and get back in time for dusk.”
“Never mind, Liz, just being in a boat on the lake is excitement enough for me. You know I’ve never even been in a boat of any kind, so this is a real adventure. How about you two? Any salty sea stories to share?”
“I’ve been out in sailboats when I was in…um…Florida, and sometimes in rowboats when we went on family vacations. I enjoyed it, but I never learned to sail or row. Maybe we can both try this afternoon… What about you, Isobel?”
“I’ve sailed during vacations when I was much younger. My dad used to take us out on sailboats when we went to the coast to visit our grandparents, because he lived by the sea when he was a child. I remember Max was usually seasick…”
Liz didn’t want to hear about Max and Isobel didn’t really want the pain of recalling happy-family memories, so both were glad to arrive back at camp.
The guys were still out of sight along the shore, so the girls unpacked and stored the groceries, leaving out only those needed for lunch a little later on and then freshened up before going to find out how many fish they’d caught. Maria had felt Michael’s excitement from halfway down the track, so the dramatic scene that met their eyes wasn’t a total surprise to her, though she hid it well, determined to keep their secret mind-link private to themselves.
Kyle and Michael each had a fishing rod held upright, with the tip bent over by a taut line stretching out into the deep waters of the lake.
Michael’s rod was resting in a metal holder jammed among the rocks while he knelt several feet away beside Kyle, who was excitedly reeling in his line with something splashing fiercely on the end. Michael had a net in his hand and was leaning forward ready to catch the struggling fish as it came within his reach. Both guys were shouting encouragement to each other, oblivious to their audience of mostly admiring girls. Liz held back, still not having forgiven Kyle.
When the fish lay gasping in the net, Kyle showed Michael how to kill it with a sharp blow of the weighted fish club and remove the fly-baited hook to use again.
Both guys were flushed with pride and achievement at their catch. Kyle had caught many fish with his dad over the years, but never lost the feeling of triumph every time he landed one.
Michael, too, hadn’t felt so much excitement at catching wild food since he’d hunted rabbits for the pot with Jed on their expeditions to Frasier Woods.
The very real prospect of having to be self-sufficient in the backwoods for several months seemed more do-able now that they had both hunting and fishing skills at their command.
The girls would certainly have to learn to fish soon, if not hunt.
***Already told you I can do anything if I have to, Michael, hunting and fishing included. When you catch your first fish I’ll be ready to cook it, same for your next rabbit, you’ll see***
***I know you will, Maria, I have faith. It’s the other two who’ll have to be convinced. How did you get on at the visitors’ center? See you found the runaway. Did she put up much of a fight?***
***None at all, Michael. We found her just in time and we only met one guy who asked questions. Isobel handled it by keeping strictly to the storyline and being bashfully reluctant to talk about it***
As they conversed in their private way, the group began to pack up the fishing gear and move back across the rocks to their camp, Kyle jauntily carrying his fish and giving an unexpectedly interested Isobel a moment by moment account of the battle.
Liz, still avoiding him, followed beside Maria in sympathetic silence thinking she must be pre-occupied with the daunting prospect of cooking the fish for lunch. In reality, Maria was still bringing Michael up to speed with events.
***Liz has decided to come on the boat trip this afternoon. I think she secretly regretted going off alone quite soon after she started off, so she came back with us instead***
***No way – NO F*UCKING WAY - is she coming with us in the boat, Maria. I’m going to have you all to myself all afternoon without her materialising like some demonspawn from ‘Buffy’ at all the wrong moments. She can butt out for once and go bother Isobel. Ok, so she’s still not speaking to Kyle, but he brought it on himself by sleeping with her in the first place. Let them fight it out in the middle of the lake. I’m sick of the sight of her ***
Maria’s sudden burst of shock and outrage took him by surprise.
***Kyle SLEPT with her? And you didn’t TELL me? What were you THINKING, Michael?***
***Chill, princess. I wouldn’t keep that kind of news from you, no way. Wouldn’t dare. He didn’t SLEEP with her the way you mean, just stayed with her until she fell asleep last night, because she asked him to, then he fell asleep as well and had the latest ‘Tess’ dream that he told you about himself. So, no need to get excited, princess. Save that for later when YOU. SLEEP. WITH. ME… or better yet, …don’t sleep…***
***Ok, have you finished shouting yet?***
***ME shouting? YOU started it… ok, it’s old. Kyle wants his fish cooked for lunch.***
***You can stop with the sneaky diversionary tactics, Spaceboy. I don’t have a bet with Kyle. He can cook his own fish…***
Moments later she announced that fact to the fisherman himself, when he batted his eyelashes at her hopefully.
“Sorry, Kyle, you’re on your own for this one. I haven’t quite reached that chapter in the cookbook yet…”
Kyle grinned. Well, it had been worth a try.
He went over to fire up some briquettes on the grill and find a sharp knife and fresh water to clean and gut the plump, iridescent fish. Maria followed his every move with close attention, forgetting the rest of the preparations for lunch in her need to learn. Michael, amused, set about doing it for her, slicing fresh-baked crusty country bread, tearing and tossing salad, unwrapping butter, cheese and cold cuts, selecting fruit and filling pitchers with iced water.
Liz, sitting quietly at the table, watched with deep interest as he did all this speedily and efficiently while most of his attention was focussed on Maria intently watching and questioning Kyle as he prepped his fish to cook.
When Isobel had set out the plates and glasses on the table she joined Maria and watched Kyle cook his catch, too. He was deft at this and regaled them with funny, fishy stories of his camping trips with his dad, in between instructions and fish-cooking tips for Maria.
Michael eventually came over to be entertained as well, trailed by Liz who stood at the edge of the group, caught on her feelings of anger towards Kyle and reluctant amusement at his humor. His charm soon won her over, though, and when he shared out hot, delicious morsels of the delicate white flesh among them all, he winked at her and she smiled back apologetically as she licked her scorched fingertips.
As they all sat down to the rest of their lunch, Liz stood up and addressed Kyle in front of everyone.
“Kyle, I want you and everyone to know how sorry I am for my behaviour towards you since last night. I know I’ve been unfair and unreasonable, not just to you, but to everyone around this table for days. I really will try hard to make sure I don’t lose your friendship because it really does mean more to me than I can say. I’ve been an idiot and I’m so sorry…”
Kyle smiled at her and pulled her down beside him, kindly teasing that she only needed a little more drama practice and she’d be ready for Broadway.
Michael’s expression remained neutral, but Isobel and Maria smiled at her, too, although in her relief that Kyle had forgiven her she didn’t notice that the smiles weren’t quite as warmly forgiving as she had hoped for. There were still serious reservations among the very people she most wanted to impress with her sincerity. Only time would tell if true friendship and trust could be restored between them.…
Then Maria looked at her watch and exclaimed at the time. Everyone ran around: Isobel and Liz cleared up after the meal, while Maria hurriedly found some grocery bags and divided the plentiful lunch leftovers into a picnic for each boat. Then they each transferred their private valuables from their tents to their backpacks. Michael stashed their cash in his backpack, too. Then he checked the Chevy and unobtrusively secured and alarmed it against intruders. If anyone came prowling in the group’s absence, they’d find nothing identifiable, but they’d be forced to leave evidence of any serious intrusions during their visit…
Finally ready, they headed out in a line along the southern lakeshore. As they passed by the rock with Kyle’s footprints burned into it, Isobel quietly stopped to smooth out the evidence of his early lessons in power before following her friends towards the pier where the boats awaited them on a sunny afternoon devoted to fun and relaxation at last.
TBC…
Isobel’s anxious eyes fell on a scrap of paper lying beside Liz’s pillow and she walked over to pick it up.
‘I need time out from everything today, so I’ll stop by the visitors’ center for a map of the hiking trails then I’m going to head for the falls. I’ll be back before dark. Don’t worry about me. Liz.’
Isobel shook her head sadly. She thought that it would take more than a day’s hiking to sort Liz out. Willingly or not, she’d soon have to learn more about the mysterious reappearance of Tess and that would only mess with her head even more.
Going outside into the morning sunshine again, she saw Maria returning with her sunhat and shades and went to meet her. After the small blonde read the note, with a heavy sigh that clearly conveyed her feelings, they both wandered over to find the guys out on the rocks.
Both were deeply engrossed in the fishing lesson. Kyle was showing Michael how to cast his line with the correct twist and flick of the wrist to place his bait exactly where he wanted it to drop into the water. Michael was laughing as he used his powers to untangle and re-wind a ‘bird’s nest’ of fishing line where his first cast had gone spectacularly awry.
It made Maria feel warm inside to see her Spaceboy having a truly carefree time enjoying himself with a friend for once. Her own growing closeness to Isobel was a secret comfort to herself, as well. The day had stretched ahead offering the rare prospect of irresponsible pleasure until they had found the note from Liz...
Michael already knew Maria was on her way over and looked up to watch her approach along the rocks to the spot that Kyle had chosen – one a little further to the north of their campsite.
Kyle tried not to stare at Isobel as openly as Michael was looking at Maria, but it was hard when both girls were wearing tiny t-shirts and shorts, showing lots of smooth, satin, sun-kissed skin.
***Oh, God, Maria, why do you have to wander around practically naked in public? Do you really have to torture me like this? I want you so bad, it’s just too cruel. Go cover up before I…lose my...mind. Not that covering up would do any good. I know what’s underneath. I want you real bad, real soon, princess. Oh, God… ***
By this time Maria had arrived and deliberately added to his torment by wrapping herself around him, laughing delightedly as she felt his incipient erection and rubbing herself lightly against him. He smacked her ass hard, but the sting unexpectedly increased her enjoyment, which made catch her breath and giggle again, grabbing his ass to pull him even closer.
***Ditto, Michael. I want you soooo bad, too. Oh, God, how I want you… but you know we just can’t right now, too public. Besides, Liz has…***
*** Liz! I should have f*ucking expected it! It just had to be Parker again, ruining the moment, didn’t it…? Ok, where is she? What’s she done now?***
This brought them both abruptly back to their surroundings and he took the opportunity to turn her around and hold her against him, partly to hide his erection, (now rapidly deflating at the thought of Liz Parker and, inevitably, more trouble) and partly just for the rare opportunity to touch his girlfriend, in public, during daylight hours.
Isobel had wisely avoided looking in their direction, suspecting that something - undoubtedly of an embarrassing nature - would be taking place between those two. Maria’s giggles gave it way. To be fair, they had been discreet in displaying their affections so far, with the exception of the unwittingly noisy early morning encounter that everyone had heard through the walls in the last motel, but she knew it must be very hard for them in the camp with no real privacy.
She decided to suggest the group took two boats out after lunch and go their separate ways to explore the lake. She stopped herself before her thoughts carried on any further in that direction. No point in stirring up any more grief with private longings for her lost husband’s attentions. Today was for mindless relaxation. She looked over at Kyle, whose attention was focussed on carefully reeling in his line to prevent snags.
“Liz has left a note and gone off on her own for the day.”
Both guys looked up at Isobel’s announcement.
“Good and not so good, I guess.”
“Why so, Guerin? She needs to chill and if this is a good way for her to calm down, then let her go.”
“It’s good that she’s doing something positive for herself for a change. Hope it helps. Not so good she’s out there on her own, with no food or water and she attracts trouble, no doubt about it…”
“Don’t worry about the food and water, Spaceboy. She’s going to stop by the visitor’s center to pick up a map of the hiking trails and then head for the falls. She won’t starve; she’ll buy food at the store and she said she’ll be back before nightfall.”
“Oh, then it gets even better. She’s probably a celebrity at the visitor’s centre for heroically rescuing ranger-boy from certain death. Lucky they don’t know that she was responsible for it in the first place. Anyway, they might easily make a big fuss of her and ask all kinds of personal questions. Way to avoid attention. Who knows what answers she’ll give? Then when we turn up in her wake to book boats and buy our own supplies, we may get just as much attention and it’ll look damn suspicious if we don’t read from the same script.”
“Quick, then, Isobel, we’ll take the Chevy and head her off at the pass. It’s been about an hour since she left, if she took off straight after dumping her breakfast on Kyle. It’ll take her well over an hour to walk, but we should be only ten minutes in the truck, so there’s a good chance we can catch her before she gets there.”
“Let’s go, Maria. See you guys later, ok.”
The two girls took off over the rocks back to the camp, leaping and hopping as fast as they could without falling. Maria jumped into the passenger seat of the Chevy while Isobel zapped the engine on with her powers and pulled out in a hurry.
Liz was wandering along beside the trail, hat and shades in place and backpack on her shoulders, when the truck pulled up beside her and Isobel leaned out.
“Liz, get in, we need to talk.”
Liz hesitated, looking mulish for a moment, then it hit her that it might be trouble, so she hurried to comply.
“What’s wrong? Is there trouble?”
“Not yet, but there might be. Good thing we found your note just in time. We came to warn you that there might be questions at the visitors’ center.”
Maria leaned over the back of her seat to look earnestly at Liz.
“Yes, Michael says that you’ll probably be a celebrity because you rescued Ben and if anyone recognises you they’ll be sure to ask questions. We haven’t thought to work out a plausible background story for us all yet and we would look suspicious if we’d turned up later ourselves with different answers about where we come from…”
Liz looked surprised, then thoughtful.
“Michael’s right, I never thought of that. We should agree on a story, if we’re going to the store right now…”
Isobel remembered that she’d set up the basics when they’d first met Ben.
“All anyone knows right now is what I told Ben when we met, plus the information in the accident report yesterday”.
Maria summed it up.
“So the three of us are step-sisters from ‘all over’ and Michael and Kyle drove here from Iowa. We’re here on the last summer vacation before college: a road trip to Mexico. What info did you put in the report?”
“Just all our ID names and false addresses for me and Michael. I had to think on my feet, so Michael is from Iowa Falls and I’m from Seattle. We didn’t need to go into detail about the rest of us, thank goodness. Too complicated. I’m already regretting I said we were step-sisters…”
“Never mind, Izzy, we can sort it out tonight. Today, we just have fun…”
“What do we say if anyone does ask us questions at the center?”
“Just that we were glad to help and so sorry, but we are in a hurry to get back to the camp right now. That’s all the public needs to know. We can block any other questions as intrusive. Just be vague or ignore the question. If you must answer, then remember what you said and report it to the rest of us. We’ll need to make it an extra good story by tomorrow night, though. It won’t be so easy to avoid questions then.”
Liz was suspicious and it sounded sharply in her voice. Were they excluding her again…?
“What’s happening tomorrow night? Did I miss something?”
Isobel was cool on that one.
“You missed a lot, Liz, but we’ll bring you up to speed tonight after dinner when we all share what we know. Michael wants us to relax and have fun today. If you hadn’t taken off without telling anyone this morning, you’d know we’re going to hire boats after lunch to explore the lake and maybe find a beach for a barbeque one night.”
Liz didn’t miss the chill in her tone, so she turned to Maria. In times long gone it seemed, Maria could be relied upon to provide a shoulder to cry on, but recently her attitude had been unpredictable and sometimes even hostile, so Liz didn’t always find the sympathy she expected.
“That sounds like fun. I’ll think I’ll come with you, instead. I’ve been hiking for over than an hour and it’s more tiring than I thought. I can easily change my plans. I was going to buy food at the visitors’ center. I’m so hungry right now and I was going to take a picnic for later…”
She suddenly recalled that she’d thrown her breakfast over Kyle and blushed in embarrassment. However, the other two suddenly grinned at her and Isobel started the engine so she bit her lip and kept quiet.
The visitors’ center was there before they knew it. Liz had been closer than she’d thought so Maria and Isobel had only just caught her in time.
The parking lot was surprisingly busy, with several cars and trucks loaded with camping gear obviously recently arrived. It occurred to all of them that this could mean that they’d be lucky and escape unwanted attention after all. However, it could also mean new neighbors…
Pulling up as far as possible from the Rangers’ station, the girls headed towards two adjoining outbuildings of rustic appearance that catered to the needs of the guests staying in the park. The larger one was devoted to camping and outdoor pursuits, but the separate store next to it sold a surprisingly wide range of food, including excellent fresh produce, some of which was enticingly displayed in half-barrels outside. Maria had discovered this when she’d shopped for their evening meal after they’d ‘rescued’ Ben and was confident that she could find what she needed inside today, too. Camping was an increasingly luxurious and sophisticated pastime, it seemed.
Once in the store, Liz headed for the fresh snacks cabinet, needing something quick and filling to eat. She chose a small cheese-and-salad filled baguette and, in a rush of daring, a small carton of strawberry-flavored milk. Then she went to find Isobel and Maria to tell them she would be eating her sandwich in the truck as she was too hungry to wait for them. Both shrugged indifferently. Maria, her woefully incomplete list left back at the camp, was deep into trying to recall the ingredients and quantities she’d need to feed five hungry people for dinner that night, plus enough milk, bread and fresh supplies for lunch today, breakfast tomorrow and the picnic hike. Isobel was keeping track of the list, prompting her and arranging the items in the shopping cart ready for efficient packing at the check-out.
It took them 45 minutes but finally they emerged into the sunshine pleased with themselves and their efforts. Liz was sitting in the Chevy, watching the comings and goings of the other guests and staff. When the others arrived, she got out to help them load their groceries into the cargo space.
“It’s way past noon. What took you so long? You’ve been forever and I was about to come find you…Michael was right about the celebrity thing. Several of the park staff waved or stopped to say hello in passing and the woman who offered us drinks at the ranger station stopped to thank us and stayed on to give me an update on Ben’s condition. Luckily she was in a hurry and rushed off without asking any personal questions.”
Isobel and Maria exchanged an eloquent glance. Both desperately wanted to say something scathing but both knew that the resulting hostilities would ruin the day for all of them, not just the self-centered girl before them, complaining in faintly sulky tones at their tardiness.
“We were planning and shopping for our next four meals, Liz. That does take some time, you know…
“Four meals? You really don’t need to shop so far ahead, Maria. We could easily have come here again tomorrow. The produce would be fresher, too. Look, that sign says it’s fresh daily…”
Isobel had now had just about enough of hearing Maria being patronised by Liz Parker.
“We’re trying to keep a low profile here, Liz, but after your little episode with Ben yesterday, we are in danger of becoming local celebrities. Already we are booked for dinner with Ben and his parents tomorrow night, purely so you can have another try at getting a vision.”
Liz gasped in horror at the prospect. Isobel ignored her and continued speaking to her like she wasn’t the smartest girl in the class.
“Meanwhile, we can’t make too many guest appearances here at the visitors’ center in case people get too friendly and ask questions – even supposedly innocent ‘where are you from?’ type questions – and remember us too clearly for safety. Our enemies are still out there somewhere, even if we’ve shaken them off for the moment. Understand, Liz? Oh, and the other reason, which you’d know if you hadn’t sneaked off this morning thoughtlessly worrying us all, is that the rest of us plan to go on an all-day picnic hike to the falls tomorrow and we need food for that.”
Liz took offence at the tone, after all she couldn’t choose when she got her visions and she hadn’t meant to hurt Ben. However, Isobel was right in part, she should have told someone where she was going instead of just leaving a note.
It was lucky for her that they’d found her, because she had begun to regret her decision to spend the whole day alone and would now much prefer to spend it having fun in a boat instead. So she meekly accepted Isobel’s attitude and said nothing.
Maria finished loading the last bag into the truck and turned to Liz.
“Do you want to come with us or stay with the truck while Izzy and I go book the boats? It’s only in the camping store over there, I saw the poster as we passed by earlier…shouldn’t take long.”
Liz elected to go with them, figuring it looked a little unfriendly to remain with the truck and, besides, she really wanted to be friends again. She noted jealously that Maria was now calling Isobel by a pet name. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Maria’s friendship, especially to Isobel, so she resolved once more to mend her ways and pay attention to her best friend. Starting today.
The desk where the boats could be booked was at the back of the camping store, so that customers had to wander around among the merchandise before they found it.
The girls, however, were not tempted to browse as they had seen too many similar places in the last week and were all shopped out for camping gear.
When they reached the desk, the clerk was friendly and helpful, offering a choice between sailboats or wooden rowboats and finally booking two rowboats, but with no outboard engines as they were against park policy. Muscle power was the only acceptable means of propulsion, said the clerk proudly. Maria briefly considered asking why then did they use 4x4s in the park when horses would be more appropriate to that theory, but she let it go.
A few minutes later, arrangements had been made for the boats to be ready for them by 2pm at the pier nearest to their campsite, together with someone who would give them a short lesson in handling the boats and instructions in basic safety. However, they had to be returned to base by dusk. No sailing was permitted after dark.
It was only when Isobel showed her fake ID that the guy seemed to recognise them, although he was a stranger to all three.
“You’re the kids who rescued Ben Yardley when he was struck by lightning in the storm yesterday! All the staff at the station when you brought him in say that you saved his life. What exactly happened out there?”
The clerk leaned forward, eager to hear their version of events with his own ears.
They all smiled bashfully and Isobel told him their story, ending on a prosaic, low-key note.
“No heroics were involved and, thankfully, Ben was not even hurt, as his father told us earlier this morning. We were just glad to help and thankful that he’s ok.”
The clerk seemed a little disappointed with the lack of dramatic detail and was about to ask further questions, when Maria chimed in to say that they had to hurry back to cook lunch now if they were to be ready when the boats arrived. She smiled at him to soften the blow, and he handed over a form with the date, time and details of their boat hire agreement for Isobel to sign.
A few moments later they were on their way back to the camp again, Liz making an effort to talk about their plans for the afternoon and the places of interest to look out for around the lake. Liz sounded relaxed, optimistic and friendly, eerily like the ghost of her old, pre-Max self, and Maria felt suddenly hopeful that her carefree, childhood friend was still in there somewhere.
“We won’t be going very far, though, if we have to row everywhere and get back in time for dusk.”
“Never mind, Liz, just being in a boat on the lake is excitement enough for me. You know I’ve never even been in a boat of any kind, so this is a real adventure. How about you two? Any salty sea stories to share?”
“I’ve been out in sailboats when I was in…um…Florida, and sometimes in rowboats when we went on family vacations. I enjoyed it, but I never learned to sail or row. Maybe we can both try this afternoon… What about you, Isobel?”
“I’ve sailed during vacations when I was much younger. My dad used to take us out on sailboats when we went to the coast to visit our grandparents, because he lived by the sea when he was a child. I remember Max was usually seasick…”
Liz didn’t want to hear about Max and Isobel didn’t really want the pain of recalling happy-family memories, so both were glad to arrive back at camp.
The guys were still out of sight along the shore, so the girls unpacked and stored the groceries, leaving out only those needed for lunch a little later on and then freshened up before going to find out how many fish they’d caught. Maria had felt Michael’s excitement from halfway down the track, so the dramatic scene that met their eyes wasn’t a total surprise to her, though she hid it well, determined to keep their secret mind-link private to themselves.
Kyle and Michael each had a fishing rod held upright, with the tip bent over by a taut line stretching out into the deep waters of the lake.
Michael’s rod was resting in a metal holder jammed among the rocks while he knelt several feet away beside Kyle, who was excitedly reeling in his line with something splashing fiercely on the end. Michael had a net in his hand and was leaning forward ready to catch the struggling fish as it came within his reach. Both guys were shouting encouragement to each other, oblivious to their audience of mostly admiring girls. Liz held back, still not having forgiven Kyle.
When the fish lay gasping in the net, Kyle showed Michael how to kill it with a sharp blow of the weighted fish club and remove the fly-baited hook to use again.
Both guys were flushed with pride and achievement at their catch. Kyle had caught many fish with his dad over the years, but never lost the feeling of triumph every time he landed one.
Michael, too, hadn’t felt so much excitement at catching wild food since he’d hunted rabbits for the pot with Jed on their expeditions to Frasier Woods.
The very real prospect of having to be self-sufficient in the backwoods for several months seemed more do-able now that they had both hunting and fishing skills at their command.
The girls would certainly have to learn to fish soon, if not hunt.
***Already told you I can do anything if I have to, Michael, hunting and fishing included. When you catch your first fish I’ll be ready to cook it, same for your next rabbit, you’ll see***
***I know you will, Maria, I have faith. It’s the other two who’ll have to be convinced. How did you get on at the visitors’ center? See you found the runaway. Did she put up much of a fight?***
***None at all, Michael. We found her just in time and we only met one guy who asked questions. Isobel handled it by keeping strictly to the storyline and being bashfully reluctant to talk about it***
As they conversed in their private way, the group began to pack up the fishing gear and move back across the rocks to their camp, Kyle jauntily carrying his fish and giving an unexpectedly interested Isobel a moment by moment account of the battle.
Liz, still avoiding him, followed beside Maria in sympathetic silence thinking she must be pre-occupied with the daunting prospect of cooking the fish for lunch. In reality, Maria was still bringing Michael up to speed with events.
***Liz has decided to come on the boat trip this afternoon. I think she secretly regretted going off alone quite soon after she started off, so she came back with us instead***
***No way – NO F*UCKING WAY - is she coming with us in the boat, Maria. I’m going to have you all to myself all afternoon without her materialising like some demonspawn from ‘Buffy’ at all the wrong moments. She can butt out for once and go bother Isobel. Ok, so she’s still not speaking to Kyle, but he brought it on himself by sleeping with her in the first place. Let them fight it out in the middle of the lake. I’m sick of the sight of her ***
Maria’s sudden burst of shock and outrage took him by surprise.
***Kyle SLEPT with her? And you didn’t TELL me? What were you THINKING, Michael?***
***Chill, princess. I wouldn’t keep that kind of news from you, no way. Wouldn’t dare. He didn’t SLEEP with her the way you mean, just stayed with her until she fell asleep last night, because she asked him to, then he fell asleep as well and had the latest ‘Tess’ dream that he told you about himself. So, no need to get excited, princess. Save that for later when YOU. SLEEP. WITH. ME… or better yet, …don’t sleep…***
***Ok, have you finished shouting yet?***
***ME shouting? YOU started it… ok, it’s old. Kyle wants his fish cooked for lunch.***
***You can stop with the sneaky diversionary tactics, Spaceboy. I don’t have a bet with Kyle. He can cook his own fish…***
Moments later she announced that fact to the fisherman himself, when he batted his eyelashes at her hopefully.
“Sorry, Kyle, you’re on your own for this one. I haven’t quite reached that chapter in the cookbook yet…”
Kyle grinned. Well, it had been worth a try.
He went over to fire up some briquettes on the grill and find a sharp knife and fresh water to clean and gut the plump, iridescent fish. Maria followed his every move with close attention, forgetting the rest of the preparations for lunch in her need to learn. Michael, amused, set about doing it for her, slicing fresh-baked crusty country bread, tearing and tossing salad, unwrapping butter, cheese and cold cuts, selecting fruit and filling pitchers with iced water.
Liz, sitting quietly at the table, watched with deep interest as he did all this speedily and efficiently while most of his attention was focussed on Maria intently watching and questioning Kyle as he prepped his fish to cook.
When Isobel had set out the plates and glasses on the table she joined Maria and watched Kyle cook his catch, too. He was deft at this and regaled them with funny, fishy stories of his camping trips with his dad, in between instructions and fish-cooking tips for Maria.
Michael eventually came over to be entertained as well, trailed by Liz who stood at the edge of the group, caught on her feelings of anger towards Kyle and reluctant amusement at his humor. His charm soon won her over, though, and when he shared out hot, delicious morsels of the delicate white flesh among them all, he winked at her and she smiled back apologetically as she licked her scorched fingertips.
As they all sat down to the rest of their lunch, Liz stood up and addressed Kyle in front of everyone.
“Kyle, I want you and everyone to know how sorry I am for my behaviour towards you since last night. I know I’ve been unfair and unreasonable, not just to you, but to everyone around this table for days. I really will try hard to make sure I don’t lose your friendship because it really does mean more to me than I can say. I’ve been an idiot and I’m so sorry…”
Kyle smiled at her and pulled her down beside him, kindly teasing that she only needed a little more drama practice and she’d be ready for Broadway.
Michael’s expression remained neutral, but Isobel and Maria smiled at her, too, although in her relief that Kyle had forgiven her she didn’t notice that the smiles weren’t quite as warmly forgiving as she had hoped for. There were still serious reservations among the very people she most wanted to impress with her sincerity. Only time would tell if true friendship and trust could be restored between them.…
Then Maria looked at her watch and exclaimed at the time. Everyone ran around: Isobel and Liz cleared up after the meal, while Maria hurriedly found some grocery bags and divided the plentiful lunch leftovers into a picnic for each boat. Then they each transferred their private valuables from their tents to their backpacks. Michael stashed their cash in his backpack, too. Then he checked the Chevy and unobtrusively secured and alarmed it against intruders. If anyone came prowling in the group’s absence, they’d find nothing identifiable, but they’d be forced to leave evidence of any serious intrusions during their visit…
Finally ready, they headed out in a line along the southern lakeshore. As they passed by the rock with Kyle’s footprints burned into it, Isobel quietly stopped to smooth out the evidence of his early lessons in power before following her friends towards the pier where the boats awaited them on a sunny afternoon devoted to fun and relaxation at last.
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 34
Two wooden rowboats and a young park employee were waiting for them when the group arrived at the pier. There were several other small boats tied up there too, most covered with protective tarpaulins. The guy, after briefly asking them a couple of friendly questions about their supposed ‘rescue’ of Ben Yardley, confirmed that they were the only ones out on that part of the lake so far that day, but that business would be picking up tomorrow as there had been a number of recent arrivals in the park.
He took time to explain the safety rules, and warned them to use plenty of sun protection and to keep wearing their sun hats out on the lake, even if they used the awnings. Then he instructed Michael briefly in the basics of rowing a heavy, wooden boat, and watched him manoeuvre the craft for a few minutes to check that he would be competent to handle the long, unwieldy oars. Kyle demonstrated at the same time that he already knew what to do and when the guy was finally satisfied that he could let them out onto the lake alone, he stepped back and turned to the girls, ready to hand them into the boats.
Isobel stepped confidently down to Kyle, lightly touching his outstretched hand for balance, and sat firmly in the generously cushioned stern facing him.
Maria was next, clinging to the boatman’s hand until Michael stood up and helped her down to sit on the wide seat in the stern of the unsteady craft, staying to hold her hands long after it settled in the water again. A few provocative insults at her display of nervousness stiffened her resolve to be brave, as he had known they would, and she relaxed a little more because she could feel the comforting mental reassurance underlying his teasing. She began to look forward to the long afternoon again…
Finally there was only Liz left standing on the pier and it immediately became painfully obvious to the others that she assumed she would go with Maria and Michael.
Just as Maria began to feel embarrassed and Michael was about to lose his temper in the most spectacular way, Isobel came to the rescue.
Catching the boatman’s eye, she signalled to him to hand Liz down into the boat with her and before Liz quite knew what had happened, she’d been swept aboard to sit with Isobel and Kyle had started to pull away from the pier, heading out across the lake to follow the western shore.
“Oh, but wait, I thought I was going to go with Maria and Michael…”
Liz’s plaintive cry reached them across the rapidly widening stretch of water and, as he pulled their own boat away from the pier, Michael’s lips curved in a smile that he just couldn’t hide.
***I owe Isobel big, Maria. If Parker had managed to slither aboard, I’d have had to drown her in the deepest part of the lake…***
***She wouldn’t have made it that far before I beaned her with an oar. Forget Liz, this afternoon is just for us, Michael. Now we’re actually here, though, I can see this boat is far too small, cramped and dangerous for anything …um…interesting to happen between us…***
Michael just looked at her…
In the other craft, Isobel and Kyle were tactfully trying to convince a mulish Liz that she was with them for her own safety and not only because they were giving Michael and Maria a chance for some much needed privacy... Both had seen her face fall when she’d realised what they meant and they had become aware that was an explanation she didn’t want to hear.
“Michael and Maria are both beginners at boating, so it’s safer if Michael only has Maria to worry about if anything goes wrong….”
“Kyle and I are much more experienced so it makes sense for you to be with us…”
Although their logic was suspect, after all she had been in rowboats before, Liz let herself be pacified and settled back on the cushioned seat beside Isobel to watch the spectacular scenery float by. The sun was hot on the lake, even with the gusty little breeze, but this was much better than a long, sweaty, hike alone on the mountain paths.
Isobel had noticed a roll of fringed green canvas lying along the bottom of the boat and suddenly recalled a picture from the posters around the camping store.
“Look, isn’t that a sun awning? I noticed photos of boats with sun awnings at the store this morning. This must be what the boat guy meant. Let’s try to fix it up, shall we? Some shade would be good right now, the heat is becoming a little uncomfortable for me. What do you think, Liz?”
Liz enthusiastically agreed it was a good idea and so Kyle tried to keep the boat steady while the girls worked out how to erect the little awning on the thin metal poles provided.
The boat rocked violently many times over the next ten minutes as they struggled with the canvas, laughing and complaining all the time, but at last they all sat under it in shared satisfaction at their achievement, enjoying it’s welcome shade.
Liz had relaxed and now felt more comfortable with the other two than she had done for a while. Kyle remembered the picnic things that Maria had provided and suggested that a snack and a cold drink might revive his energy enough to carry on rowing.
Liz offered to organise this and was pleasantly occupied for some time among the bags and water bottles while Kyle rowed strongly and steadily on through the cold, indigo waters of the lake.
Isobel trailed her hand lazily over the side, heating the icy water as it passed over her skin and watching the scenery, taking note of other groups of campers in the various sites they passed. The park was more heavily populated than they had realised. Some people waved at them in friendly acknowledgement, others were too engrossed in sunbathing or fishing to notice their silent passage.
Michael and Maria had raised their boat’s awning, too, with much less difficulty than the others, and were now following a roughly parallel course on the near side of the lake - not too close to the shore, as Michael was cheating occasionally by powering the boat along with a little ‘alien’ help. Not too often, though, because Maria made it clear that she enjoyed watching the strong muscles of his arms and shoulders sliding smoothly beneath his tanned skin as he pulled rhythmically on the heavy oars… and pleasing Maria was the whole and entire point of the afternoon…
Maria was on the lookout for a secluded bay where they could beach the boat and be alone together at last.
However, this was much less easy than they’d expected. Maria was surprised to find that there were more people camping around the lakeshore than they’d been aware of and Michael had been nervous and disturbed by this for a few minutes until he made the decision to put it out of his mind until later. He was confident that he’d at least made the Chevy as secure as he could and that would just have to be enough this time. He’d be sure to scout carefully around the camp on their return to check it out before he let the others back into it again.
Meanwhile, Maria was seated demurely in the shade before him wearing her sunhat and far too many clothes for his taste and he could feel her burning need for him matching his for her and getting more explosive by the second. The strong, rhythmic movements of his rowing were making them both increasingly hot and sweaty.
If they didn’t find somewhere soon, he was gonna cum just looking into her emerald eyes - and her sultry voice in his head groaning ***ditto, Spaceboy *** nearly finished him off right there. In desperation he looked around and seeing nobody close enough to watch their activities, he ‘fixed’ the oars safely in position and quickly moved to kneel down in front of her where she reclined on the cushions in the deep, wide seat at the stern.
Her tiny shorts were ripped apart at the seams and tossed aside in a microsecond and her long, silky, bare legs were over his shoulders before she had a chance to react. Her delicate, wet, pink folds were wide open to him and his tongue lapping at her sensitive clit found she tasted better than Tabasco ice-cream on a desert summer day…
Maria was already so close to climax that the unexpected touch of his teeth scraping over the tiny pearl pushed her over the edge to writhe helplessly on the cushions as he muffled her cries with his hand.
His shorts were constricting his c*ock so painfully that without a thought they were gone the way of hers a moment ago and only the shock of a tiny, cool breeze against his throbbing heat gave him a second to control himself before she was on him, pushing him roughly back down into the well of the boat to sheath him completely from base to swollen tip in one fluid movement. He came on the instant without even one thrust, she clasped his length so tightly.
Maria swallowed her own name from Michael’s lips as the echo filled her mind, making her overloaded senses ignite again in the wild shock of his pleasure.
Orgasmic aftershocks continued to ripple gently through them both as they lay breathless, still joined together, in the bottom of the boat slowly drifting downstream on the edge of the river’s current …
Michael recovered first, no longer able to ignore the edge of the wooden seat cutting painfully across his back. He opened his eyes on darkness, found that his sunhat had fallen over his face, straightened it and shifted very carefully to relieve his discomfort, still awkwardly on his knees between the seat in the stern and the central wooden plank. He tried not to disturb Maria who was still lying against his chest, one happy grin from blonde head to painted toenails. He felt exactly the same way and they exchanged a fleeting kiss before they drew stickily apart and carefully resumed their previous seating arrangement, setting the boat rocking unsteadily again for a few moments.
During their brief, passionate interlude, they had drifted closer to the shore and, by a stroke of luck, found they were passing the perfect, idyllic spot they had been searching for.
A low, crumbling cliff topped with a dense tangle of trees and bushes cupped a tiny inlet, a mere bite out of the rocky shore, half-hidden by a tiny, green-splashed spur of rock curving out into the lake, lapped by the blue water and offering the promise of privacy from all eyes.
Maria was enchanted.
“This is it, Michael, our own private little bit of Heaven for the afternoon…”
“Just gonna check what’s in the next bay along, princess – don’t need an audience of millions if we can avoid it…”
He used his powers to push the boat faster in his hurry to make sure there were no nosy neighbors next door. To their relief, they found another lonely, deserted, little beach, lacking only the tiny promontory that gave theirs the precious privacy they needed.
A few minutes later, the boat was hidden out of sight, tied to a jutting rock at the edge of the little inlet, and Michael was pressing Maria back against the cushions, passionately grateful for the time and privacy to devote himself unhurriedly to kissing her at long, long last.
At the same time, across the lake, Liz was handing Kyle another cup of cool water as he rested his arms from the exertions of rowing. The awning provided some welcome shade from the relentless heat, but he needed a longer break to recover.
“How about we drop anchor and explore, ladies? It looks cool and shady in those woods over there…”
“This boat doesn’t have an anchor, Kyle – we just have a rope to tie it up …oh, you were joking…”
Her voice tailed off as she saw his expression and then he laughed.
“Yeah. I see you’ve still got that “mission to inform”, Liz.”
She laughed a little sadly at herself and it struck her once again that now she’d lost her twin dreams – Max and the chance to go to college - the future was bleak for her…
Isobel directed Kyle towards a tree-shaded beach and as the boat crunched against the pebbles, she jumped out into the shallow water and waded round to the prow to grab the mooring rope and fix it to an overhanging branch.
Kyle carefully stowed the oars and then hopped over the side while Liz gathered the picnic bags. He took them from her and turned to carry them ashore leaving Liz to follow him. As an afterthought, she returned to collect the cushions from the seat.
Only Kyle was hungry, but they were all grateful for Liz’s party-trick - the ice-cold Tabasco cherry coke produced from the tepid drinking water in their bottles.
It was as cool under the trees as Kyle had predicted and soon all three of them had grabbed a cushion or two and lay drowsing in the shade.
Liz became restless after a time and rose to wander along the beach, picking up driftwood with the vague aim of using it for their fire but gradually letting the memories of her childhood in Roswell with her family and Maria rise gently in her mind.
She sat down on a rock and thought about her recent jealousy of Maria and burning resentment of Michael.
It was time to let it go. Maria was her best friend, she deserved to be happy, and Michael – well, he had surprised her again as he sometimes had in Roswell. She had to accept that he really was their leader now, leader in his own right, not living in Max’s shadow. Michael appeared to have left the gauche, belligerent, moody boy behind him to suddenly emerge as a powerful, controlled, thoughtful guy maturing rapidly into the kind of man she’d dreamed that Max would some day be…
Max.
It was still too hard to do more than flinch away from the razor edges of the pain, but she knew that with time it would become easier, because the guy she had fallen in love with no longer existed. Maybe never had... His once–shining image in her mind was so tarnished she barely recognised it now. His love for her was no longer whole-hearted and she felt somehow diminished because she hadn’t been enough for him in the end. Max had been weak and Tess had won.
At that thought, the black clouds of anger roiling within her since Max had first cried out the hated name suddenly coalesced into a diamond-hard determination that Tess would never win. The thought that the little alien murderess was still alive after all sent a sudden savage thrill of satisfaction through her whole being and Liz Parker hurled a chunk of driftwood far out into the calm blue water and vowed that revenge would somehow be hers…
Isobel, strolling along the beach a little later in search of Liz, was surprised to find her bright-eyed and composed, with a new air of determination about her, but carefully didn’t ask questions.
Out on the lake once more, both she and Kyle were slightly taken aback at Liz’s peremptory demand to take over the oars, but Kyle was happy to show her what to do and retire to the stern next to Isobel to watch the scenery. He hoped Michael was making the most of his opportunity, because he had a gut feeling the peace wouldn’t last.
Michael was, indeed, making the most of his opportunity.
The long-missed sensual pleasures of prolonged kissing had left them both in a state of dazed desire again but this time with no clothes on and no sense of urgency.
Michael had then moved on…
Now Maria lay across the seat gazing up at him through half-closed, dreamy, submissive eyes, waiting for his next move. Her knees were bent over the side of the boat with her toes occasionally dipping into the water as the boat rocked in time with her involuntary responses to Michael’s lazy stirrings in the secret folds between her legs, as he brought her to a long series of teasingly exquisite, near-but-not-quite-orgasmic peaks which were driving her slowly wild as they sensitised her entire being.
As he watched the changing expressions on her beautiful face and his mind felt her open and emotional responses to his loving touch, the thought that only he was the one privileged to make her feel this way gave him a thrill so intense that he had to use his other hand to squeeze the base of his c*ock to stop himself cumming too soon. He wasn’t going to waste that. He had other plans in view and as his urgent erection subsided a little, he roused himself from his haze of pleasure.
The seat on the boat, though cushioned and shady, was still too small for the action they both wanted so Michael made himself sit up and look around to consider their options. Maria was momentarily bereft, then smiled lazily as she caught his sensuous assurance that he’d barely even started…
***‘Barely’ is truly the word, Michael. You’re so beautiful naked, you should stay that way all the time…***
***We got plans for that, remember? 24/7 in our own place…***
***Mmmm, maybe…Well, this is our own place – at least for the rest of the afternoon – but 24/7 is still too far away to call, so just stand up and let me look at you, Spaceboy…***
***Have a little patience, princess. First I gotta get us to the shore and find a comfortable, shady spot for you to worship my body properly…***
***Okaaay, sex god, go for it…***
Michael stood up, flexed his muscles for her in mock-heroics, and jumped overboard into the blue water of the inlet.
His howl of shock reverberated off the rocks and through Maria’s head. She threw herself to the side of the boat to see him splash hurriedly through the waist-high water to the beach, to arrive hunched and shivering with cold from his icy immersion, his hands cupped protectively round his groin.
He heard her concern turn to laughter in his mind as she caught on to what had happened and his first angry shock and humiliation gave way to reluctant laughter as he warmed up enough to begin to see the funny side of it, too.
A moment later he was shocked again when she followed his example and jumped in after him.
She was turning blue with cold and shock herself as he waded back in to carry her to the shore and hold her close to his rapidly warming body, rubbing all the skin he could reach as she shivered against him in the hot sun.
***Why the hell did you do that, Maria? You knew it was freezing cold, so why be so stupid…***
***Sunstroke, Spaceboy***
He could hear her wry, self-mocking tone as she spoke in his head.
***Sunstroke or- well, just overcome with a need to share, I guess…***
She joked about it but he felt her truth and understood what she couldn’t put into words or even feelings, because he was the same way about her.
He leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead and then on the lips raised to his and she reached up solemnly to return the gesture. Neither could say why the moment suddenly resonated with significance between them, but then their lips joined once more and as they sank on to the sun-warmed rocks, pure happiness swept them both away in a shining flood to heights and depths of feeling they had never reached before.
The rocky beach was a painful place for two people who desperately needed to express their feelings in an actively physical way and Michael was concerned for Maria’s comfort so he used his manipulative powers to flatten an area of rocks into a smooth, soft, yielding texture that was much kinder to sensitive, silky skin….
Then he left Maria sitting there for a moment and went back into the lake, this time sensibly heating the water around him to the temperature of a warm bath. He grabbed the awning from the boat, then the cushions from the seat and, very pleased with himself, carried them back to fling down on the smoothed ground. Then he re-erected the awning in moments, raising and extending it with his alien talents so that it covered the smoothed out area, and stood back for her approval.
Maria saw that he had made a small, comfortable and shady pavilion for them and was deeply touched by his thoughtfulness and imagination. He took her hand and led her to their improvised couch where he stretched out and smiled down at her.
“Comfortable, princess? Anything else you want, besides me?”
She laughed and drew him down to kiss him in appreciation but before their lips met, he remembered something else. He laid a finger against her mouth.
“Don’t move – one more thing I forgot…”
She read his mind and agreed that a picnic would be perfect later on, so she watched with impatient anticipation as he rose to his feet and returned to the boat once more to collect the food she’d packed earlier. He knew he’d be too lazy to fetch it later…
She’d been right when she’d called him beautiful. His was a very masculine, sensuous beauty: tall, wide-shouldered body, all long, strong bones and muscles under smooth, tanned skin, with a truly impressive c*ock made to give and receive infinite pleasure. Male beauty defined his strong, sensitive face distinguished by his dark brown, enigmatic eyes that only softened for her and those full, sensual lips that she longed to ravage with her own as he emerged dripping from the water with the picnic bags in one hand.
He placed them in the shade behind the cushions at the rear of the little pavilion and walked back to stand in front of her, caressed by the sun, displaying himself proudly and unselfconsciously before her in fulfilment of her earlier wish. He was fully aware of the effect his nude body had on her and he revelled in his power.
Watching his Maria reclining against the cushions - her small, perfect body aroused and inviting, ready and eager as her beautiful, sultry green eyes travelled slowly over him, lingering here and there in sensual appreciation - his c*ock pulsed and throbbed against his thigh then soared to it’s full, hard length against his belly. To his delight, she blushed deeply at this and her pink tongue darted out to moisten her luscious parted lips.
“Thirsty, Spaceboy? You’ve been working so hard to please me. Let’s have something cool before we …um…get hot again…”
He loved listening to her smoky voice whether she spoke aloud or in his mind and for a moment he just let the music of it bathe his senses before the actual words registered. Then he blinked.
“What?”
God, was she teasing him again? Didn’t she know what torture it was for him to deny them both the fulfilment they craved? Her low, sexy laugh sounded and told him that she knew exactly what she was doing to him and was enjoying herself very much indeed…
She sat up and turned over onto her knees to reach for the water bottle from the bags, revealing the creamy globes of her sexy ass, and his eyes narrowed as his attention was diverted to one of his favorite pastimes – making leisurely love to her delicious derriere…
Maria didn’t even make it beyond the cushions as Michael’s hands on her ass signalled the promise of the very thrill she’d teased him to give her…
He smoothed his palms lightly all over the peach-like cheeks, loving the feel of the firm plumpness, watching it yield to the increasing pressure of his long fingers, as he gently rolled and kneaded the warm flesh beneath the smooth skin, eliciting loud purrs from his small goddess as she knelt, hips raised high, arms outstretched in front of her, face buried in cushions, anticipatory pleasure already beginning to send secret shafts of sensation to the hot liquid center between her legs.
She trembled with excitement when she felt his teeth close gently on her sensitive flesh, the pleasure akin to the first bite taken from a sun-ripened peach, the tiny pain instantly soothed by his lips and tongue dragged over the marks left behind.
He indulged himself by leaving his initial M in teethmarks on her tender ass as he bit and licked and kissed her lushness as freely as he wished to their mutual enjoyment.
He would make sure that she saw his mark on her before it faded - that had always given her a special private kick and usually initiated another amorous encounter between them wherever they were.
They’d played this game a lot during the few short, carefree weeks last summer after Tess had departed in the Granolith, when they first discovered sex and only had each other to please with no thought or fear of the future.
Sometimes he had teased her and chosen the most public places to reveal it and she got so turned on that they had almost been caught several times. It had started as a joke but his little love had shown a budding taste for sex in risky places that he had really only just begun to appreciate himself before it was all over.
Max and Liz had robbed a store at gunpoint in a stupid, obsessive, bungled pursuit of his child and dragged Michael’s life down the toilet again and he’d got too busy and then, of course, they’d split, so he hadn’t gotten any at all, until Maria had come back to him and left her life in Roswell to join her destiny with his.
The fear and danger of this past week had made the game too dangerous to play. Their make-up sex, though incredible and better than ever before, had been hurried and infrequent, though there had been a couple of gas station washrooms that had seen some risky action recently… He fleetingly wondered if the whole risk thing had really begun at the Crashdown way back in that December heatwave, when any passer-by could have seen their first real encounter in the half-lit restaurant, so secretly crazy for each other that nothing else had mattered that night.
Maria arched her back like a graceful cat and thrust her bottom at him to recall him to the present, urging him mentally and physically to move on to the climax of this game.
Obediently, he parted her cheeks, taking a long moment to gaze at the private secrets of her body revealed trustingly to him. Then he dipped his face to the hot, wet centre of her pleasure, where he found and fondled her with his tongue. He licked and sucked teasingly around her clit, blowing his cool breath on it, lapping all her sweet, spicy juices, denying her the relief she craved in provocative punishment for the teasing torture she’d inflicted on him earlier.
Listening to his name used in pleading cries and wanton moans of pleasure drove him wild with lust until he finally gave her what she wanted. As his hands continued to roughly stroke and squeeze the heated flesh of her ass, he took her clit delicately in his teeth, swirling his tongue back and forth over it as she fell headlong into a blazing orgasmic rush that continued for so long they both thought she was never going to stop cumming…
As the intensity began to ease, he guided his stone-hard, slick-tipped c*ck into her dripping, welcoming c*unt and howled her name out loud at the unbearable relief of being inside her at last.
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, to command himself, buried up to his hilt in her, the echoes of her extraordinary climax still throbbing through their minds and bodies.
Slowly he began to move inside her, the slick hot walls gripping him tight as a glove, his balls squeezed gently between his own body and her soft resilience. The pleasure began to build again, surging in time with his rhythm; his balls began to slap harder against her, adding another delicious friction to the intensity of feeling.
Then they tightened in warning and the strong muscles inside her gripped him hard and held him as he came with a ferocity that took them both to the edge of infinity and beyond.
Then they lay stretched out together in the cool shade of the awning, light-headed and panting, hot salty skin sticky with sweat and the tiny cool breeze off the lake playing over them like a sensual breath that whispered promises of further delight to their heightened senses.
***Thought you were goin’ to get us some drinks, Blondie. What kept you? I’m thirsty. You were right – pleasing you is hard work…***
***If you must know, I was rudely interrupted by this incredibly hot sex god making love to me – but you wouldn’t know him, Spaceboy. I’ll tell you about it some other time…***
He playfully slapped her ass, avoiding his mark that still showed up red on one perfect, pale cheek as she raised herself on her elbows and surveyed the bags he’d fetched from the boat. She congratulated him on his forethought– neither of them had the energy right now to drag themselves back out to the boat, and their growing thirst was getting to be uncomfortably urgent now.
Taking a bottle from the bags, she handed it over and looked at him expectantly.
He grinned at her and slid his hand down the clear plastic, leaving a trail of cold condensation where it passed.
***Any particular flavor, Maria?***
***I don’t mind – if you want Tabasco cherry coke, then that’s fine with me. I’m getting to almost like the taste by now, although really it’s the cola I always hated, not the cherry Tabasco thing...***
She carried on, abruptly changing the subject and speaking aloud, articulating the loving feelings she was sending him in response to his own sudden overwhelming happiness…
“…I love you, Michael, I always did… I know you know that now, but I like to say it out loud. Since we got our connection, it seems like I’m telling the whole world when I speak aloud to you instead of silently in our minds. Do you think the others suspect anything?”
“No, why would they? We never used to say much to each other in front of people anyway, except when we fought, so nothing has changed there.”
He had passed his hand over the bottle again and uncapped the top for her to drink from it. Cups had been one item she’d forgotten in the rush.
She lifted it to her lips and found that the flavor she hadn’t known she wanted until now was tart and refreshing on her tongue.
***Sour Lemonade, Spaceboy…how did you know?***
***It’s the taste I felt in your mind when I asked you what you wanted to drink. I guess you were too busy loving me to pay attention to your own wishes…but if you won’t do it for yourself, then I guess it’s just got to be me…***
He took a long drink for himself, unexpectedly enjoyed the sharp, clean taste just as much as she did and felt his long loyalty to cherry coke dissipate without regret. It was just too …Roswell. He leaned over and kissed her again, tasting the tang of lemon on their tongues. He wondered what it would taste like with Tabasco…and maybe a touch of honey…
***Is there any food in those bags I hauled over here or was it just for ballast to keep the boat steady…***
****Lay back and re-charge your energies, Spaceboy. I’m going to peel you a grape…***
Michael just looked at her…
A long, lazy hour had passed and Kyle, who was enjoying the mindless exercise, took one of his frequent rests from rowing to stare longingly at the shore. Liz had given it her best shot, but had collapsed with exhaustion after less than five minutes struggling with the oars. Isobel had taken her turn and, naturally, had done considerably better, but it still came back to his turn far too soon, in his opinion.
“It’s 4.30. Anyone want to stop for a picnic before we head for home? I sure could use a break from rowing and so could my ass…”
“Sounds good to me, too. How about you Liz?”
“Oh, yes, but if we stop over on the other side of the lake we’ll get the evening sun longer and it’ll be a shorter row home after the picnic break… What do you think, Kyle?”
He smiled at her approvingly. She’d finally stopped being the royal pain in the ass of the last week, at least for the afternoon.
“Good thinking, Liz. Choose your landing site and guide me to it. I’m starting to feel hungry again…”
It took them ten minutes to row back across the lake and for Liz to select one of the many tiny, secluded bays in this part of the shore.
She chose a deserted beach, backed by trees and tumbling rocks with a miniature waterfall emerging from among them to flow into the lake.
Kyle, at least, was amused.
“Not the famous River Lake Falls, I trust? If so, I will be demanding a refund.”
“It’s pretty. Good choice, Liz. Perfect spot for a picnic.”
Isobel smiled. The afternoon on the lake had been an inspired idea. Liz seemed to be returning to her old self and Kyle looked more relaxed then he had done since they arrived.
Gazing at the immense grandeur of the scenery, she found its elemental nature had soothed her soul and temporarily reduced her problems to nothing in the overall scheme of things. How many lives had and would her spirit live through…? The thought had sown a tiny seed of comfort in her heart, knowing that some part of her would continue on into eternity…
She shook herself back to reality and immediately forgot her musings - only keeping the gift of a lighter heart that the afternoon on the lake had given her.
This time they spread a picnic out on the rocks and all three devoured the feast hungrily. Rowing, however leisurely or however long, used up lots of energy, already depleted from their travels. Maria’s thoughtfulness was appreciated and toasted in Tabasco cherry coke.
Given the choice of lying drowsy and full on the beach in the sun now losing it’s heat at last, or on the boat under the awning, Isobel and Kyle departed for the boat.
Liz sat in the sun for a while, finishing an apple, then went for a walk along the beach and climbed cautiously up among the rocks beside the waterfall to see what lay at the top.
She found a wood, too overgrown to explore, so she climbed down and carried on along the beach in the opposite direction, where a spur of rocks jutted into the lake. Climbing along the edge, she found her way to the top to look over at the next bay.
The shock of what she found nearly sent her tumbling backwards into the lake, but her curiosity kept her glued to the rocks, though she knew it was wrong. She just couldn’t stop herself watching...
A boat was tied up to a rock on the edge of the tiny inlet below. Not far away on the beach, a secluded, cushion-scattered area shaded by the boat’s sun awning framed a scene that made her eyes widen with shocked fascination.
Michael had clearly created a special place for Maria’s comfort and her heart burned jealously within her as she watched…
Maria, completely nude, was kneeling astride Michael’s naked body, bouncing around on his magnificent c*ock and making happy mewing sounds as she fed him wine-red grapes. She interspersed these offerings with lavish kisses that he apparently accepted with equal pleasure.
Michael himself lay back among the cushions like some oriental potentate, watching her laughing, accepting her offerings, sometimes reaching out to caress her face or stroke her breasts or even give an unexpected thrust of his hips to try to throw her off-balance.
They both seemed so playfully happy that Liz nearly bit though her lip in an effort not to scream aloud.
At that moment, the mood changed abruptly. Michael sat up and slid one of his arms behind Maria’s shoulders, drawing her close to him so that his head was level with her breasts and Liz could see him lean forward to take one jutting tip into his mouth while his hand cupped and played with the other.
Maria’s fine, straight blonde hair lifted and swished around her face as she rode him with a new intensity, the playfulness now gone. She reached behind her to stroke his sensitive balls now crushed beneath her soft bottom. Then with a swiftness that took Maria - and Liz - by surprise, Michael suddenly rolled them over so that she was underneath him and he thrust urgently into her, gazing into her eyes as she wrapped her legs around his hips and met his powerful rhythm with her own.
They both must have reached climax together, as their voices mingled in a passionate cry that reached to her hiding place among the rocks but Liz had belatedly closed her eyes and put her fingers in her ears to try to block the sight and sounds of their pleasure.
When she looked up again, Maria was now lying blissfully among the cushions while Michael stood tall at the water’s edge, bathed in sunlight – magnificently endowed, strong, naked and beautiful – every inch the man Liz knew that Max could never be.
Liz Parker felt intuitively that a man like that needed a woman who could be his equal in strength, passion and power.
In that moment, she knew she wanted Michael for herself…
TBC…
Two wooden rowboats and a young park employee were waiting for them when the group arrived at the pier. There were several other small boats tied up there too, most covered with protective tarpaulins. The guy, after briefly asking them a couple of friendly questions about their supposed ‘rescue’ of Ben Yardley, confirmed that they were the only ones out on that part of the lake so far that day, but that business would be picking up tomorrow as there had been a number of recent arrivals in the park.
He took time to explain the safety rules, and warned them to use plenty of sun protection and to keep wearing their sun hats out on the lake, even if they used the awnings. Then he instructed Michael briefly in the basics of rowing a heavy, wooden boat, and watched him manoeuvre the craft for a few minutes to check that he would be competent to handle the long, unwieldy oars. Kyle demonstrated at the same time that he already knew what to do and when the guy was finally satisfied that he could let them out onto the lake alone, he stepped back and turned to the girls, ready to hand them into the boats.
Isobel stepped confidently down to Kyle, lightly touching his outstretched hand for balance, and sat firmly in the generously cushioned stern facing him.
Maria was next, clinging to the boatman’s hand until Michael stood up and helped her down to sit on the wide seat in the stern of the unsteady craft, staying to hold her hands long after it settled in the water again. A few provocative insults at her display of nervousness stiffened her resolve to be brave, as he had known they would, and she relaxed a little more because she could feel the comforting mental reassurance underlying his teasing. She began to look forward to the long afternoon again…
Finally there was only Liz left standing on the pier and it immediately became painfully obvious to the others that she assumed she would go with Maria and Michael.
Just as Maria began to feel embarrassed and Michael was about to lose his temper in the most spectacular way, Isobel came to the rescue.
Catching the boatman’s eye, she signalled to him to hand Liz down into the boat with her and before Liz quite knew what had happened, she’d been swept aboard to sit with Isobel and Kyle had started to pull away from the pier, heading out across the lake to follow the western shore.
“Oh, but wait, I thought I was going to go with Maria and Michael…”
Liz’s plaintive cry reached them across the rapidly widening stretch of water and, as he pulled their own boat away from the pier, Michael’s lips curved in a smile that he just couldn’t hide.
***I owe Isobel big, Maria. If Parker had managed to slither aboard, I’d have had to drown her in the deepest part of the lake…***
***She wouldn’t have made it that far before I beaned her with an oar. Forget Liz, this afternoon is just for us, Michael. Now we’re actually here, though, I can see this boat is far too small, cramped and dangerous for anything …um…interesting to happen between us…***
Michael just looked at her…
In the other craft, Isobel and Kyle were tactfully trying to convince a mulish Liz that she was with them for her own safety and not only because they were giving Michael and Maria a chance for some much needed privacy... Both had seen her face fall when she’d realised what they meant and they had become aware that was an explanation she didn’t want to hear.
“Michael and Maria are both beginners at boating, so it’s safer if Michael only has Maria to worry about if anything goes wrong….”
“Kyle and I are much more experienced so it makes sense for you to be with us…”
Although their logic was suspect, after all she had been in rowboats before, Liz let herself be pacified and settled back on the cushioned seat beside Isobel to watch the spectacular scenery float by. The sun was hot on the lake, even with the gusty little breeze, but this was much better than a long, sweaty, hike alone on the mountain paths.
Isobel had noticed a roll of fringed green canvas lying along the bottom of the boat and suddenly recalled a picture from the posters around the camping store.
“Look, isn’t that a sun awning? I noticed photos of boats with sun awnings at the store this morning. This must be what the boat guy meant. Let’s try to fix it up, shall we? Some shade would be good right now, the heat is becoming a little uncomfortable for me. What do you think, Liz?”
Liz enthusiastically agreed it was a good idea and so Kyle tried to keep the boat steady while the girls worked out how to erect the little awning on the thin metal poles provided.
The boat rocked violently many times over the next ten minutes as they struggled with the canvas, laughing and complaining all the time, but at last they all sat under it in shared satisfaction at their achievement, enjoying it’s welcome shade.
Liz had relaxed and now felt more comfortable with the other two than she had done for a while. Kyle remembered the picnic things that Maria had provided and suggested that a snack and a cold drink might revive his energy enough to carry on rowing.
Liz offered to organise this and was pleasantly occupied for some time among the bags and water bottles while Kyle rowed strongly and steadily on through the cold, indigo waters of the lake.
Isobel trailed her hand lazily over the side, heating the icy water as it passed over her skin and watching the scenery, taking note of other groups of campers in the various sites they passed. The park was more heavily populated than they had realised. Some people waved at them in friendly acknowledgement, others were too engrossed in sunbathing or fishing to notice their silent passage.
Michael and Maria had raised their boat’s awning, too, with much less difficulty than the others, and were now following a roughly parallel course on the near side of the lake - not too close to the shore, as Michael was cheating occasionally by powering the boat along with a little ‘alien’ help. Not too often, though, because Maria made it clear that she enjoyed watching the strong muscles of his arms and shoulders sliding smoothly beneath his tanned skin as he pulled rhythmically on the heavy oars… and pleasing Maria was the whole and entire point of the afternoon…
Maria was on the lookout for a secluded bay where they could beach the boat and be alone together at last.
However, this was much less easy than they’d expected. Maria was surprised to find that there were more people camping around the lakeshore than they’d been aware of and Michael had been nervous and disturbed by this for a few minutes until he made the decision to put it out of his mind until later. He was confident that he’d at least made the Chevy as secure as he could and that would just have to be enough this time. He’d be sure to scout carefully around the camp on their return to check it out before he let the others back into it again.
Meanwhile, Maria was seated demurely in the shade before him wearing her sunhat and far too many clothes for his taste and he could feel her burning need for him matching his for her and getting more explosive by the second. The strong, rhythmic movements of his rowing were making them both increasingly hot and sweaty.
If they didn’t find somewhere soon, he was gonna cum just looking into her emerald eyes - and her sultry voice in his head groaning ***ditto, Spaceboy *** nearly finished him off right there. In desperation he looked around and seeing nobody close enough to watch their activities, he ‘fixed’ the oars safely in position and quickly moved to kneel down in front of her where she reclined on the cushions in the deep, wide seat at the stern.
Her tiny shorts were ripped apart at the seams and tossed aside in a microsecond and her long, silky, bare legs were over his shoulders before she had a chance to react. Her delicate, wet, pink folds were wide open to him and his tongue lapping at her sensitive clit found she tasted better than Tabasco ice-cream on a desert summer day…
Maria was already so close to climax that the unexpected touch of his teeth scraping over the tiny pearl pushed her over the edge to writhe helplessly on the cushions as he muffled her cries with his hand.
His shorts were constricting his c*ock so painfully that without a thought they were gone the way of hers a moment ago and only the shock of a tiny, cool breeze against his throbbing heat gave him a second to control himself before she was on him, pushing him roughly back down into the well of the boat to sheath him completely from base to swollen tip in one fluid movement. He came on the instant without even one thrust, she clasped his length so tightly.
Maria swallowed her own name from Michael’s lips as the echo filled her mind, making her overloaded senses ignite again in the wild shock of his pleasure.
Orgasmic aftershocks continued to ripple gently through them both as they lay breathless, still joined together, in the bottom of the boat slowly drifting downstream on the edge of the river’s current …
Michael recovered first, no longer able to ignore the edge of the wooden seat cutting painfully across his back. He opened his eyes on darkness, found that his sunhat had fallen over his face, straightened it and shifted very carefully to relieve his discomfort, still awkwardly on his knees between the seat in the stern and the central wooden plank. He tried not to disturb Maria who was still lying against his chest, one happy grin from blonde head to painted toenails. He felt exactly the same way and they exchanged a fleeting kiss before they drew stickily apart and carefully resumed their previous seating arrangement, setting the boat rocking unsteadily again for a few moments.
During their brief, passionate interlude, they had drifted closer to the shore and, by a stroke of luck, found they were passing the perfect, idyllic spot they had been searching for.
A low, crumbling cliff topped with a dense tangle of trees and bushes cupped a tiny inlet, a mere bite out of the rocky shore, half-hidden by a tiny, green-splashed spur of rock curving out into the lake, lapped by the blue water and offering the promise of privacy from all eyes.
Maria was enchanted.
“This is it, Michael, our own private little bit of Heaven for the afternoon…”
“Just gonna check what’s in the next bay along, princess – don’t need an audience of millions if we can avoid it…”
He used his powers to push the boat faster in his hurry to make sure there were no nosy neighbors next door. To their relief, they found another lonely, deserted, little beach, lacking only the tiny promontory that gave theirs the precious privacy they needed.
A few minutes later, the boat was hidden out of sight, tied to a jutting rock at the edge of the little inlet, and Michael was pressing Maria back against the cushions, passionately grateful for the time and privacy to devote himself unhurriedly to kissing her at long, long last.
At the same time, across the lake, Liz was handing Kyle another cup of cool water as he rested his arms from the exertions of rowing. The awning provided some welcome shade from the relentless heat, but he needed a longer break to recover.
“How about we drop anchor and explore, ladies? It looks cool and shady in those woods over there…”
“This boat doesn’t have an anchor, Kyle – we just have a rope to tie it up …oh, you were joking…”
Her voice tailed off as she saw his expression and then he laughed.
“Yeah. I see you’ve still got that “mission to inform”, Liz.”
She laughed a little sadly at herself and it struck her once again that now she’d lost her twin dreams – Max and the chance to go to college - the future was bleak for her…
Isobel directed Kyle towards a tree-shaded beach and as the boat crunched against the pebbles, she jumped out into the shallow water and waded round to the prow to grab the mooring rope and fix it to an overhanging branch.
Kyle carefully stowed the oars and then hopped over the side while Liz gathered the picnic bags. He took them from her and turned to carry them ashore leaving Liz to follow him. As an afterthought, she returned to collect the cushions from the seat.
Only Kyle was hungry, but they were all grateful for Liz’s party-trick - the ice-cold Tabasco cherry coke produced from the tepid drinking water in their bottles.
It was as cool under the trees as Kyle had predicted and soon all three of them had grabbed a cushion or two and lay drowsing in the shade.
Liz became restless after a time and rose to wander along the beach, picking up driftwood with the vague aim of using it for their fire but gradually letting the memories of her childhood in Roswell with her family and Maria rise gently in her mind.
She sat down on a rock and thought about her recent jealousy of Maria and burning resentment of Michael.
It was time to let it go. Maria was her best friend, she deserved to be happy, and Michael – well, he had surprised her again as he sometimes had in Roswell. She had to accept that he really was their leader now, leader in his own right, not living in Max’s shadow. Michael appeared to have left the gauche, belligerent, moody boy behind him to suddenly emerge as a powerful, controlled, thoughtful guy maturing rapidly into the kind of man she’d dreamed that Max would some day be…
Max.
It was still too hard to do more than flinch away from the razor edges of the pain, but she knew that with time it would become easier, because the guy she had fallen in love with no longer existed. Maybe never had... His once–shining image in her mind was so tarnished she barely recognised it now. His love for her was no longer whole-hearted and she felt somehow diminished because she hadn’t been enough for him in the end. Max had been weak and Tess had won.
At that thought, the black clouds of anger roiling within her since Max had first cried out the hated name suddenly coalesced into a diamond-hard determination that Tess would never win. The thought that the little alien murderess was still alive after all sent a sudden savage thrill of satisfaction through her whole being and Liz Parker hurled a chunk of driftwood far out into the calm blue water and vowed that revenge would somehow be hers…
Isobel, strolling along the beach a little later in search of Liz, was surprised to find her bright-eyed and composed, with a new air of determination about her, but carefully didn’t ask questions.
Out on the lake once more, both she and Kyle were slightly taken aback at Liz’s peremptory demand to take over the oars, but Kyle was happy to show her what to do and retire to the stern next to Isobel to watch the scenery. He hoped Michael was making the most of his opportunity, because he had a gut feeling the peace wouldn’t last.
Michael was, indeed, making the most of his opportunity.
The long-missed sensual pleasures of prolonged kissing had left them both in a state of dazed desire again but this time with no clothes on and no sense of urgency.
Michael had then moved on…
Now Maria lay across the seat gazing up at him through half-closed, dreamy, submissive eyes, waiting for his next move. Her knees were bent over the side of the boat with her toes occasionally dipping into the water as the boat rocked in time with her involuntary responses to Michael’s lazy stirrings in the secret folds between her legs, as he brought her to a long series of teasingly exquisite, near-but-not-quite-orgasmic peaks which were driving her slowly wild as they sensitised her entire being.
As he watched the changing expressions on her beautiful face and his mind felt her open and emotional responses to his loving touch, the thought that only he was the one privileged to make her feel this way gave him a thrill so intense that he had to use his other hand to squeeze the base of his c*ock to stop himself cumming too soon. He wasn’t going to waste that. He had other plans in view and as his urgent erection subsided a little, he roused himself from his haze of pleasure.
The seat on the boat, though cushioned and shady, was still too small for the action they both wanted so Michael made himself sit up and look around to consider their options. Maria was momentarily bereft, then smiled lazily as she caught his sensuous assurance that he’d barely even started…
***‘Barely’ is truly the word, Michael. You’re so beautiful naked, you should stay that way all the time…***
***We got plans for that, remember? 24/7 in our own place…***
***Mmmm, maybe…Well, this is our own place – at least for the rest of the afternoon – but 24/7 is still too far away to call, so just stand up and let me look at you, Spaceboy…***
***Have a little patience, princess. First I gotta get us to the shore and find a comfortable, shady spot for you to worship my body properly…***
***Okaaay, sex god, go for it…***
Michael stood up, flexed his muscles for her in mock-heroics, and jumped overboard into the blue water of the inlet.
His howl of shock reverberated off the rocks and through Maria’s head. She threw herself to the side of the boat to see him splash hurriedly through the waist-high water to the beach, to arrive hunched and shivering with cold from his icy immersion, his hands cupped protectively round his groin.
He heard her concern turn to laughter in his mind as she caught on to what had happened and his first angry shock and humiliation gave way to reluctant laughter as he warmed up enough to begin to see the funny side of it, too.
A moment later he was shocked again when she followed his example and jumped in after him.
She was turning blue with cold and shock herself as he waded back in to carry her to the shore and hold her close to his rapidly warming body, rubbing all the skin he could reach as she shivered against him in the hot sun.
***Why the hell did you do that, Maria? You knew it was freezing cold, so why be so stupid…***
***Sunstroke, Spaceboy***
He could hear her wry, self-mocking tone as she spoke in his head.
***Sunstroke or- well, just overcome with a need to share, I guess…***
She joked about it but he felt her truth and understood what she couldn’t put into words or even feelings, because he was the same way about her.
He leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead and then on the lips raised to his and she reached up solemnly to return the gesture. Neither could say why the moment suddenly resonated with significance between them, but then their lips joined once more and as they sank on to the sun-warmed rocks, pure happiness swept them both away in a shining flood to heights and depths of feeling they had never reached before.
The rocky beach was a painful place for two people who desperately needed to express their feelings in an actively physical way and Michael was concerned for Maria’s comfort so he used his manipulative powers to flatten an area of rocks into a smooth, soft, yielding texture that was much kinder to sensitive, silky skin….
Then he left Maria sitting there for a moment and went back into the lake, this time sensibly heating the water around him to the temperature of a warm bath. He grabbed the awning from the boat, then the cushions from the seat and, very pleased with himself, carried them back to fling down on the smoothed ground. Then he re-erected the awning in moments, raising and extending it with his alien talents so that it covered the smoothed out area, and stood back for her approval.
Maria saw that he had made a small, comfortable and shady pavilion for them and was deeply touched by his thoughtfulness and imagination. He took her hand and led her to their improvised couch where he stretched out and smiled down at her.
“Comfortable, princess? Anything else you want, besides me?”
She laughed and drew him down to kiss him in appreciation but before their lips met, he remembered something else. He laid a finger against her mouth.
“Don’t move – one more thing I forgot…”
She read his mind and agreed that a picnic would be perfect later on, so she watched with impatient anticipation as he rose to his feet and returned to the boat once more to collect the food she’d packed earlier. He knew he’d be too lazy to fetch it later…
She’d been right when she’d called him beautiful. His was a very masculine, sensuous beauty: tall, wide-shouldered body, all long, strong bones and muscles under smooth, tanned skin, with a truly impressive c*ock made to give and receive infinite pleasure. Male beauty defined his strong, sensitive face distinguished by his dark brown, enigmatic eyes that only softened for her and those full, sensual lips that she longed to ravage with her own as he emerged dripping from the water with the picnic bags in one hand.
He placed them in the shade behind the cushions at the rear of the little pavilion and walked back to stand in front of her, caressed by the sun, displaying himself proudly and unselfconsciously before her in fulfilment of her earlier wish. He was fully aware of the effect his nude body had on her and he revelled in his power.
Watching his Maria reclining against the cushions - her small, perfect body aroused and inviting, ready and eager as her beautiful, sultry green eyes travelled slowly over him, lingering here and there in sensual appreciation - his c*ock pulsed and throbbed against his thigh then soared to it’s full, hard length against his belly. To his delight, she blushed deeply at this and her pink tongue darted out to moisten her luscious parted lips.
“Thirsty, Spaceboy? You’ve been working so hard to please me. Let’s have something cool before we …um…get hot again…”
He loved listening to her smoky voice whether she spoke aloud or in his mind and for a moment he just let the music of it bathe his senses before the actual words registered. Then he blinked.
“What?”
God, was she teasing him again? Didn’t she know what torture it was for him to deny them both the fulfilment they craved? Her low, sexy laugh sounded and told him that she knew exactly what she was doing to him and was enjoying herself very much indeed…
She sat up and turned over onto her knees to reach for the water bottle from the bags, revealing the creamy globes of her sexy ass, and his eyes narrowed as his attention was diverted to one of his favorite pastimes – making leisurely love to her delicious derriere…
Maria didn’t even make it beyond the cushions as Michael’s hands on her ass signalled the promise of the very thrill she’d teased him to give her…
He smoothed his palms lightly all over the peach-like cheeks, loving the feel of the firm plumpness, watching it yield to the increasing pressure of his long fingers, as he gently rolled and kneaded the warm flesh beneath the smooth skin, eliciting loud purrs from his small goddess as she knelt, hips raised high, arms outstretched in front of her, face buried in cushions, anticipatory pleasure already beginning to send secret shafts of sensation to the hot liquid center between her legs.
She trembled with excitement when she felt his teeth close gently on her sensitive flesh, the pleasure akin to the first bite taken from a sun-ripened peach, the tiny pain instantly soothed by his lips and tongue dragged over the marks left behind.
He indulged himself by leaving his initial M in teethmarks on her tender ass as he bit and licked and kissed her lushness as freely as he wished to their mutual enjoyment.
He would make sure that she saw his mark on her before it faded - that had always given her a special private kick and usually initiated another amorous encounter between them wherever they were.
They’d played this game a lot during the few short, carefree weeks last summer after Tess had departed in the Granolith, when they first discovered sex and only had each other to please with no thought or fear of the future.
Sometimes he had teased her and chosen the most public places to reveal it and she got so turned on that they had almost been caught several times. It had started as a joke but his little love had shown a budding taste for sex in risky places that he had really only just begun to appreciate himself before it was all over.
Max and Liz had robbed a store at gunpoint in a stupid, obsessive, bungled pursuit of his child and dragged Michael’s life down the toilet again and he’d got too busy and then, of course, they’d split, so he hadn’t gotten any at all, until Maria had come back to him and left her life in Roswell to join her destiny with his.
The fear and danger of this past week had made the game too dangerous to play. Their make-up sex, though incredible and better than ever before, had been hurried and infrequent, though there had been a couple of gas station washrooms that had seen some risky action recently… He fleetingly wondered if the whole risk thing had really begun at the Crashdown way back in that December heatwave, when any passer-by could have seen their first real encounter in the half-lit restaurant, so secretly crazy for each other that nothing else had mattered that night.
Maria arched her back like a graceful cat and thrust her bottom at him to recall him to the present, urging him mentally and physically to move on to the climax of this game.
Obediently, he parted her cheeks, taking a long moment to gaze at the private secrets of her body revealed trustingly to him. Then he dipped his face to the hot, wet centre of her pleasure, where he found and fondled her with his tongue. He licked and sucked teasingly around her clit, blowing his cool breath on it, lapping all her sweet, spicy juices, denying her the relief she craved in provocative punishment for the teasing torture she’d inflicted on him earlier.
Listening to his name used in pleading cries and wanton moans of pleasure drove him wild with lust until he finally gave her what she wanted. As his hands continued to roughly stroke and squeeze the heated flesh of her ass, he took her clit delicately in his teeth, swirling his tongue back and forth over it as she fell headlong into a blazing orgasmic rush that continued for so long they both thought she was never going to stop cumming…
As the intensity began to ease, he guided his stone-hard, slick-tipped c*ck into her dripping, welcoming c*unt and howled her name out loud at the unbearable relief of being inside her at last.
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, to command himself, buried up to his hilt in her, the echoes of her extraordinary climax still throbbing through their minds and bodies.
Slowly he began to move inside her, the slick hot walls gripping him tight as a glove, his balls squeezed gently between his own body and her soft resilience. The pleasure began to build again, surging in time with his rhythm; his balls began to slap harder against her, adding another delicious friction to the intensity of feeling.
Then they tightened in warning and the strong muscles inside her gripped him hard and held him as he came with a ferocity that took them both to the edge of infinity and beyond.
Then they lay stretched out together in the cool shade of the awning, light-headed and panting, hot salty skin sticky with sweat and the tiny cool breeze off the lake playing over them like a sensual breath that whispered promises of further delight to their heightened senses.
***Thought you were goin’ to get us some drinks, Blondie. What kept you? I’m thirsty. You were right – pleasing you is hard work…***
***If you must know, I was rudely interrupted by this incredibly hot sex god making love to me – but you wouldn’t know him, Spaceboy. I’ll tell you about it some other time…***
He playfully slapped her ass, avoiding his mark that still showed up red on one perfect, pale cheek as she raised herself on her elbows and surveyed the bags he’d fetched from the boat. She congratulated him on his forethought– neither of them had the energy right now to drag themselves back out to the boat, and their growing thirst was getting to be uncomfortably urgent now.
Taking a bottle from the bags, she handed it over and looked at him expectantly.
He grinned at her and slid his hand down the clear plastic, leaving a trail of cold condensation where it passed.
***Any particular flavor, Maria?***
***I don’t mind – if you want Tabasco cherry coke, then that’s fine with me. I’m getting to almost like the taste by now, although really it’s the cola I always hated, not the cherry Tabasco thing...***
She carried on, abruptly changing the subject and speaking aloud, articulating the loving feelings she was sending him in response to his own sudden overwhelming happiness…
“…I love you, Michael, I always did… I know you know that now, but I like to say it out loud. Since we got our connection, it seems like I’m telling the whole world when I speak aloud to you instead of silently in our minds. Do you think the others suspect anything?”
“No, why would they? We never used to say much to each other in front of people anyway, except when we fought, so nothing has changed there.”
He had passed his hand over the bottle again and uncapped the top for her to drink from it. Cups had been one item she’d forgotten in the rush.
She lifted it to her lips and found that the flavor she hadn’t known she wanted until now was tart and refreshing on her tongue.
***Sour Lemonade, Spaceboy…how did you know?***
***It’s the taste I felt in your mind when I asked you what you wanted to drink. I guess you were too busy loving me to pay attention to your own wishes…but if you won’t do it for yourself, then I guess it’s just got to be me…***
He took a long drink for himself, unexpectedly enjoyed the sharp, clean taste just as much as she did and felt his long loyalty to cherry coke dissipate without regret. It was just too …Roswell. He leaned over and kissed her again, tasting the tang of lemon on their tongues. He wondered what it would taste like with Tabasco…and maybe a touch of honey…
***Is there any food in those bags I hauled over here or was it just for ballast to keep the boat steady…***
****Lay back and re-charge your energies, Spaceboy. I’m going to peel you a grape…***
Michael just looked at her…
A long, lazy hour had passed and Kyle, who was enjoying the mindless exercise, took one of his frequent rests from rowing to stare longingly at the shore. Liz had given it her best shot, but had collapsed with exhaustion after less than five minutes struggling with the oars. Isobel had taken her turn and, naturally, had done considerably better, but it still came back to his turn far too soon, in his opinion.
“It’s 4.30. Anyone want to stop for a picnic before we head for home? I sure could use a break from rowing and so could my ass…”
“Sounds good to me, too. How about you Liz?”
“Oh, yes, but if we stop over on the other side of the lake we’ll get the evening sun longer and it’ll be a shorter row home after the picnic break… What do you think, Kyle?”
He smiled at her approvingly. She’d finally stopped being the royal pain in the ass of the last week, at least for the afternoon.
“Good thinking, Liz. Choose your landing site and guide me to it. I’m starting to feel hungry again…”
It took them ten minutes to row back across the lake and for Liz to select one of the many tiny, secluded bays in this part of the shore.
She chose a deserted beach, backed by trees and tumbling rocks with a miniature waterfall emerging from among them to flow into the lake.
Kyle, at least, was amused.
“Not the famous River Lake Falls, I trust? If so, I will be demanding a refund.”
“It’s pretty. Good choice, Liz. Perfect spot for a picnic.”
Isobel smiled. The afternoon on the lake had been an inspired idea. Liz seemed to be returning to her old self and Kyle looked more relaxed then he had done since they arrived.
Gazing at the immense grandeur of the scenery, she found its elemental nature had soothed her soul and temporarily reduced her problems to nothing in the overall scheme of things. How many lives had and would her spirit live through…? The thought had sown a tiny seed of comfort in her heart, knowing that some part of her would continue on into eternity…
She shook herself back to reality and immediately forgot her musings - only keeping the gift of a lighter heart that the afternoon on the lake had given her.
This time they spread a picnic out on the rocks and all three devoured the feast hungrily. Rowing, however leisurely or however long, used up lots of energy, already depleted from their travels. Maria’s thoughtfulness was appreciated and toasted in Tabasco cherry coke.
Given the choice of lying drowsy and full on the beach in the sun now losing it’s heat at last, or on the boat under the awning, Isobel and Kyle departed for the boat.
Liz sat in the sun for a while, finishing an apple, then went for a walk along the beach and climbed cautiously up among the rocks beside the waterfall to see what lay at the top.
She found a wood, too overgrown to explore, so she climbed down and carried on along the beach in the opposite direction, where a spur of rocks jutted into the lake. Climbing along the edge, she found her way to the top to look over at the next bay.
The shock of what she found nearly sent her tumbling backwards into the lake, but her curiosity kept her glued to the rocks, though she knew it was wrong. She just couldn’t stop herself watching...
A boat was tied up to a rock on the edge of the tiny inlet below. Not far away on the beach, a secluded, cushion-scattered area shaded by the boat’s sun awning framed a scene that made her eyes widen with shocked fascination.
Michael had clearly created a special place for Maria’s comfort and her heart burned jealously within her as she watched…
Maria, completely nude, was kneeling astride Michael’s naked body, bouncing around on his magnificent c*ock and making happy mewing sounds as she fed him wine-red grapes. She interspersed these offerings with lavish kisses that he apparently accepted with equal pleasure.
Michael himself lay back among the cushions like some oriental potentate, watching her laughing, accepting her offerings, sometimes reaching out to caress her face or stroke her breasts or even give an unexpected thrust of his hips to try to throw her off-balance.
They both seemed so playfully happy that Liz nearly bit though her lip in an effort not to scream aloud.
At that moment, the mood changed abruptly. Michael sat up and slid one of his arms behind Maria’s shoulders, drawing her close to him so that his head was level with her breasts and Liz could see him lean forward to take one jutting tip into his mouth while his hand cupped and played with the other.
Maria’s fine, straight blonde hair lifted and swished around her face as she rode him with a new intensity, the playfulness now gone. She reached behind her to stroke his sensitive balls now crushed beneath her soft bottom. Then with a swiftness that took Maria - and Liz - by surprise, Michael suddenly rolled them over so that she was underneath him and he thrust urgently into her, gazing into her eyes as she wrapped her legs around his hips and met his powerful rhythm with her own.
They both must have reached climax together, as their voices mingled in a passionate cry that reached to her hiding place among the rocks but Liz had belatedly closed her eyes and put her fingers in her ears to try to block the sight and sounds of their pleasure.
When she looked up again, Maria was now lying blissfully among the cushions while Michael stood tall at the water’s edge, bathed in sunlight – magnificently endowed, strong, naked and beautiful – every inch the man Liz knew that Max could never be.
Liz Parker felt intuitively that a man like that needed a woman who could be his equal in strength, passion and power.
In that moment, she knew she wanted Michael for herself…
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 35 - maybe it's the heat...
Liz gasped aloud at the shocking thought that flashed into her mind. Where had that come from? No way did she want Michael…
All the way back over the rocky beach to the little waterfall, she told herself it was a bad idea. She told herself that she was in love with Max, that even though it was over she couldn’t just stop loving him and fall for someone else – could she?
Then she remembered Sean, back in Roswell, and admitted to herself that she had found him very attractive indeed, even though her heart had belonged to Max and, of course, she’d saved herself for him. Although she’d used Sean and maybe even hurt him in the end, she had still wanted him enough to do… a little more than kiss him on their secret nights at the bowling alley. She’d told herself it wasn’t betrayal – after all, she and Max weren’t together...and Sean was so hot for her.
She and Max no longer had the flashes when they kissed, and that had been a relief to her in many ways… Her warning visions were the only mental images they had shared since then. Although she had seen starscapes both times when they’d made love, they hadn’t shared any personal memories since way back. But Sean - Sean had been a little secret she'd kept to herself...nothing on the scale of Max with Tess.
Then there had been that recent little jolt of attraction between herself and Ben…
Despite yesterday’s drama, there was something disturbingly sexy about him, sleazy though he was, that gave Liz a tiny trickle of sensation between her legs even now… So maybe attraction to other guys wasn’t going to be a problem after all. Unlike Maria, alien loving hadn’t spoilt her for all other men.
Michael was different, though. Michael was powerful. Michael was hot. Michael was with Maria – even if she hadn’t just seen the stunning evidence with her own eyes, she knew it wouldn’t be right to hurt her best friend by taking her man.
But she had to admit that she’d had unexpected physical reactions to Michael over the last few days and, somehow, she just couldn’t seem to shake the thought of him out of her head now it was there.
Her mind reluctantly re-played over and over again the scene she had just witnessed on the beach, each time censoring more of it out until only the clear image of Michael standing powerful, naked and alone at the water’s edge was all that remained.
Liz sat down at the foot of the waterfall in the sun and splashed her hot face with the cold water while she tried to make sense of her confused thoughts.
She knew she hadn’t been thinking too clearly since the pain of Max’s betrayal had sent her emotions out of control, clouding her judgement so she had lost her grip on her normally rational thought processes.
Max was her weakness, her Achilles heel. Nobody had the power to hurt her or make her happy like he could and she’d finally had enough.
Now she needed to think clearly enough to analyze her sudden attraction to Michael, after all these years of mutual antagonism.
She’d never liked him – he’d been rough, rude and deliberately gross-mannered - and he’d made it insultingly plain to everyone that he considered her a bore and a humorless pain in the ass.
He’d been unexpectedly kind once or twice in the early days– he’d given her back her journal when he could easily have destroyed it and he’d sent Maria to comfort her when Tess first kissed Max and – well, that was it, really. She’d more than repaid that by giving up her bed for him when he’d been hopelessly drunk and heartbroken at New Year. Otherwise - mutual hostility. She’d even been the one to suggest that he should die in order that Max might regain his powers, and she still thought it had been a good idea.
Why would she want him now?
Apart from the fact that he’d suddenly become all the things she dreamed of and wanted in a man… and he was their leader…and she was about to become his equal in alien powers … and … because he belonged to Maria…
She laughed aloud, aware of the underlying hysteria, knowing all those answers were true.
What had she thought? Strong, passionate and powerful? She knew she was all those things and more: highly intelligent, strong - surviving the alien abyss proved that – passionate - in her admittedly limited sexual experience - and soon to be his equal in alien powers. She was the logical mate for him. He really was worthy of her now.
And Maria – what about her best friend’s feelings? She truly loved her, but if she was brutally honest with herself, she’d already outgrown small-town Maria, who’d thrown away her one big chance for success. Liz knew she would probably have forgotten Maria’s existence soon after she left Roswell for college. Indeed, even as the acceptance letter arrived from Northwestern, she couldn’t wait to leave Roswell and everyone - maybe even Max – behind her as she began her new life and an absorbing, high-flying career.
She’d seen that sad knowledge cross Maria’s face when she’d ecstatically announced the news, but it hadn’t given her a moment’s regret. Her life had been about to move on to greater things but there were inevitably those destined to stay behind.
But destiny had screwed up and here she was with no future and – she faced it - probably no friends if she didn’t make an effort to be a real part of the group. Her apology at lunch had been genuine – she didn’t want and couldn’t afford to lose their friendship – but it was all for nothing if she was on the verge of ruining everything by giving in to her new desires right now.
She’d jeopardised her position when she’d lashed out and hurt Maria - even though she’d been truly thankful to have her wacky sidekick along in their exile - because Maria, incredibly, now had what she herself had always expected and deserved.
The best.
Being it, having it, wanting it.
That was the main reason she went to intern in the Skin Congresswoman’s Florida office – not only to escape the Max-Tess destiny thing, but to begin to learn the art of power politics in readiness for her future career.
Everyone always assumed her to be the sweet, innocent, doe-eyed little Liz Parker because that was who they wanted her to be – even Max, who’d seen her memories, had somehow managed to edit out the darker desires within her...
But if they’d given any thought to her declared ambition they should have known that nobody got to be the head of any large organisation by being sweet, gentle and kind. Nice girls finished last. Even, or especially, in high-profile mega-bucks academic research when only ruthless ambition and power politics achieved the real success.
Now, although she truly loved her friend, Maria had what she wanted and when it came down to the wire, even sweet Maria was expendable if she stood in the way of Liz Parker’s desires…
Liz sighed heavily. Her mind seemed to be emerging from it’s long state of emotional confusion at last and she was beginning to see things more coldly and clearly than she had for many, many months.
Her earlier depressed thoughts about the bleakness of her future, together with her recent vows to mend her ways, were forgotten. She saw unemotionally that her current over-riding priority was to be protected by the group until her future choices became clear.
So, although she really did want the new, powerful, attractive Michael and all the devotion and …pleasure… he currently gave Maria, she decided to do nothing overt to jeopardize that protection again. She could wait until she was ready.
However, the desire was now planted in her mind and she thought the first step would be to make Michael see her in a more positive light…
Meanwhile, she would plan to have her revenge on Tess.
She stood up and strolled over to the remains of the picnic to fix herself another ice-cold, cherry coke.
Kyle woke up from his post-picnic doze among the cushions that he’d wrested from Isobel, pointing out that she had the wide, flat stern-seat to curl up on, whereas the inside of the boat was a framework of wooden struts that would be impossible to relax on without the cushions. He’d told her that she was welcome to change places with him – one cushion in the stern was all he needed for his head, she could have the rest – but she’d just thrown the cushions at his head until he’d collected enough to make himself comfortable, his back against one side of the boat and feet against the other.
He looked over at her, curled up tightly on the seat asleep as if she had no cares in the world and he wished with all his heart that were true.
He guessed that tonight’s meeting to discuss the revelation that Tess wasn’t dead would mean that they’d soon have to alert Max to their theory about the bug on the bus and his heart quailed at the prospect of somehow finding a way of breaking it gently to Isobel that Jesse might be involved…
Her eyelids fluttered and for a moment her brown eyes were soft and happy, then reality came swooping back at her and he saw horror dawn before she closed them tightly again. He looked away and a few moments later her voice called his name.
“Kyle. Kyle, are you awake? C’mon, Kyle, I know you are. You can’t fool me. We can’t stay here too much longer, it’s nearly time to start back if we’re to reach the pier by dusk…”
“Ok, but you’ll have to row, Isobel, because my ass is broken. Oh, yes it is. It’s got permanent ridges in it, too, from having to sleep on the bottom of this ancient ark.”
“Cranky after your nap, huh? Stand up and stretch, you’ll soon feel better…”
As she spoke, Isobel leaned over the side and swirled her hand in the water, warming it up in a wide swathe. Then, taking them both by surprise, she stood up, removed her shoes, shorts and shirt to reveal a stylish black swimsuit and jumped in.
The boat rocked dangerously as Kyle happily removed everything but his shorts and leapt in too.
It was just warm enough to be comfortable and cool enough to be refreshing and they both rolled and dived in the water like seals for as long as they could, playfully splashing each other, before finally hanging breathless and laughing from the side of the boat.
Kyle looked up to see Isobel’s soft brown eyes filled with laughter only inches away from his own. His breath caught and his heart stopped. Next instant her eyes changed and she turned quickly to duck under water and re-surface several feet away.
His heart re-started, and the world began to move on as though nothing had happened.
In the little inlet, Maria had opened her eyes to a sight that made her sigh with pleasure – Michael’s bare ass.
She lay there for some time contemplating his back view, unaccountably missed out of her earlier inspection, as he stood at the water’s edge gazing out over the narrow view of lake and mountains at the entrance to the inlet. She could feel Michael’s deep sense of happiness and completion; he was committing their private little paradise to memory, and Maria was touched by his sudden sense of wonder that he’d never before noticed the world was so beautiful.
She left him to his private thoughts and reached once more for the picnic bags, this time looking for something more substantial than grapes, delicious though they had been.
Michael stood on the sun-warmed rocks and felt his trapped soul expand and breathe in the freedom to truly be himself in a way that he had never known. He’d never before left Roswell, apart from the fraught and fateful trips to Marathon and Las Vegas, and this place had been a revelation to his senses.
The infinite colors of the lakes and mountains sang in his mind. The cold, clear air; the quality of the light as it changed over the course of the day; the newborn responses awakening inside himself: all this made him want to stop and capture each moment to remember forever.
He knew – had known since he’d painted the picture of the dome at Marathon – deep within that some day he would no longer be able to deny the growing need to capture and express his feelings in some outside medium because they were just too big to contain within himself.
The acceptance of this knowledge brought a kind of relief and a knot of tension always inside him broke as a new inner peace was born.
Maria called him to eat. He padded over and stretched himself out opposite her like a big cat, overtly powerful, inherently dangerous, but right now lazily relaxed and interested in food.
They browsed languidly, using their fingers, feeding each other, until they were both satiated and ready to rest for a while.
Then Michael lay back against the cushions in the now warm shade with Maria stretched out at his side, head on his shoulder and a hand curled lightly in his, listening to the birds beginning to call to each other in the trees on the cliff above and sharing the bottle with it’s endless supply of ice-cold, sharp lemonade.
***Gotta go back soon, Maria, but we’ve still got time for some more lovin’ before that…***
***Mmmm…***
He turned onto his side and looked at her, blonde hair tousled from lovemaking, lips parted as she watched him, emerald eyes half-closed in anticipation. And his, all his…
***Body and soul forever, Michael…***
***Ditto, Maria***
He dipped his face to hers, tasting the lemon on her lips and the sweetness of her mouth as she caught the faint Tabasco tang that would never leave him.
***Love me, Spaceboy…***
Her plea was answered as she spoke. Their mind connection allowed them to feel and respond instantly to the other’s pleasure and each time they found a new depth of trust and confidence in their love.
It was a long time before Michael and Maria waded back to their boat and left the little blue inlet enshrined in their memories forever.
Liz arrived conscientiously back at the boat with the picnic trash and tidied it away for disposal back at the camp. She sat back in the stern with Isobel; then Kyle cast off and pulled out of the bay into open water. They were all silent as they made their way back.
Kyle was hoping to regain the mindless pleasure in rowing that he’d found earlier, Isobel was choking back longing for Jesse, and Liz was wondering just how to go about subtly attracting Michael’s attention.
A few minutes later, Kyle noticed the other boat nose into his line of sight and saw Maria waving at him. He grinned and waved back, and the girls, who turned round to see what was happening, waved languidly, too.
The gap was too wide for conversation and so both boats continued their unhurried progress in the early evening sun.
They all met up on the pier and, after leaving the boats to the same guy they saw earlier, followed Michael’s example and moved to sit in a row in the sun, dangling their feet just above the water.
Liz had managed to manoeuvre herself next to Michael while his attention was on Maria. She was content with that, and did nothing else to draw attention to herself, having decided that getting him used to her presence was the first thing she needed to do. Like taming a wild beast, she thought to herself, first you had to let it get used to having you around before you could begin to gain it’s trust...
“Everyone have a good time?”
Michael’s laconic question proved to Isobel just how much her almost-brother had changed in only a week. Before, it would never have occurred to him to ask about anyone else’s feelings, now here he was apparently actually concerned about the group’s enjoyment. Hers was not the only mind broadened by travel, it seemed.
Liz saw no harm in responding with the truth, and seized the chance, aiming a big-eyed smile into his eyes when he turned immediately on hearing her voice.
“Oh, yes, Michael. It was a great idea. Thanks for thinking of it. I feel totally relaxed for the first time in… months, I guess.”
She got a warning glare and a hissed rebuke from the guy she’d meant to impress.
“Yeah, Susan, and I’m sure we’ll all feel even more relaxed if you at least made an effort to remember the names we’re using around strangers.”
Her face flushed and her hand rose to cover her mouth, embarrassed and annoyed at herself for her mistake when she had meant only to compliment him. Great start to her campaign, she thought, mortified.
“Anyway, it was Dave’s idea – you should be thanking him.”
Isobel gave credit where it was due. Liz turned a genuine smile on Kyle.
“Um, …Dave, it really was a great idea. It was so peaceful and it gave me a chance to really get my head together, so thanks.”
The boat guy called farewell to them as he locked up the little storage cabin and headed for home on a mountain bike.
Once he was out of sight, Michael got up and stood frowning down at them.
“Stay here with Kyle. Maria and me, we’re gonna check out the camp for visitors, see if it’s safe to go back.”
***I can come with you, Spaceboy?***
***Not letting you out of my sight, Maria. We’re in this together***
She jumped up and kissed him as Kyle stood up, too.
“I’ll come with you, Guerin…”
“No, Valenti, you need to guard the girls if anything goes wrong. If we’re not back in twenty, take a boat and hide in the woods. Don’t stay for us. Steal a car from one of the campsites when it gets dark, then run. We’ll meet you at the airport in Denver one week from today, at noon near the Avis desk.”
Kyle and the girls looked shocked and scared. This was an unexpected development just when they were starting to feel secure.
Liz ran over and hugged Maria. Then Isobel turned from hugging Michael to grab Maria tightly, too. Kyle and Michael nodded grimly at each other.
Michael and Maria picked up their packs and walked off along the track that led back to the campsite, leaving the others to wait with gnawing anxiety to see if they returned…
TBC…
Liz gasped aloud at the shocking thought that flashed into her mind. Where had that come from? No way did she want Michael…
All the way back over the rocky beach to the little waterfall, she told herself it was a bad idea. She told herself that she was in love with Max, that even though it was over she couldn’t just stop loving him and fall for someone else – could she?
Then she remembered Sean, back in Roswell, and admitted to herself that she had found him very attractive indeed, even though her heart had belonged to Max and, of course, she’d saved herself for him. Although she’d used Sean and maybe even hurt him in the end, she had still wanted him enough to do… a little more than kiss him on their secret nights at the bowling alley. She’d told herself it wasn’t betrayal – after all, she and Max weren’t together...and Sean was so hot for her.
She and Max no longer had the flashes when they kissed, and that had been a relief to her in many ways… Her warning visions were the only mental images they had shared since then. Although she had seen starscapes both times when they’d made love, they hadn’t shared any personal memories since way back. But Sean - Sean had been a little secret she'd kept to herself...nothing on the scale of Max with Tess.
Then there had been that recent little jolt of attraction between herself and Ben…
Despite yesterday’s drama, there was something disturbingly sexy about him, sleazy though he was, that gave Liz a tiny trickle of sensation between her legs even now… So maybe attraction to other guys wasn’t going to be a problem after all. Unlike Maria, alien loving hadn’t spoilt her for all other men.
Michael was different, though. Michael was powerful. Michael was hot. Michael was with Maria – even if she hadn’t just seen the stunning evidence with her own eyes, she knew it wouldn’t be right to hurt her best friend by taking her man.
But she had to admit that she’d had unexpected physical reactions to Michael over the last few days and, somehow, she just couldn’t seem to shake the thought of him out of her head now it was there.
Her mind reluctantly re-played over and over again the scene she had just witnessed on the beach, each time censoring more of it out until only the clear image of Michael standing powerful, naked and alone at the water’s edge was all that remained.
Liz sat down at the foot of the waterfall in the sun and splashed her hot face with the cold water while she tried to make sense of her confused thoughts.
She knew she hadn’t been thinking too clearly since the pain of Max’s betrayal had sent her emotions out of control, clouding her judgement so she had lost her grip on her normally rational thought processes.
Max was her weakness, her Achilles heel. Nobody had the power to hurt her or make her happy like he could and she’d finally had enough.
Now she needed to think clearly enough to analyze her sudden attraction to Michael, after all these years of mutual antagonism.
She’d never liked him – he’d been rough, rude and deliberately gross-mannered - and he’d made it insultingly plain to everyone that he considered her a bore and a humorless pain in the ass.
He’d been unexpectedly kind once or twice in the early days– he’d given her back her journal when he could easily have destroyed it and he’d sent Maria to comfort her when Tess first kissed Max and – well, that was it, really. She’d more than repaid that by giving up her bed for him when he’d been hopelessly drunk and heartbroken at New Year. Otherwise - mutual hostility. She’d even been the one to suggest that he should die in order that Max might regain his powers, and she still thought it had been a good idea.
Why would she want him now?
Apart from the fact that he’d suddenly become all the things she dreamed of and wanted in a man… and he was their leader…and she was about to become his equal in alien powers … and … because he belonged to Maria…
She laughed aloud, aware of the underlying hysteria, knowing all those answers were true.
What had she thought? Strong, passionate and powerful? She knew she was all those things and more: highly intelligent, strong - surviving the alien abyss proved that – passionate - in her admittedly limited sexual experience - and soon to be his equal in alien powers. She was the logical mate for him. He really was worthy of her now.
And Maria – what about her best friend’s feelings? She truly loved her, but if she was brutally honest with herself, she’d already outgrown small-town Maria, who’d thrown away her one big chance for success. Liz knew she would probably have forgotten Maria’s existence soon after she left Roswell for college. Indeed, even as the acceptance letter arrived from Northwestern, she couldn’t wait to leave Roswell and everyone - maybe even Max – behind her as she began her new life and an absorbing, high-flying career.
She’d seen that sad knowledge cross Maria’s face when she’d ecstatically announced the news, but it hadn’t given her a moment’s regret. Her life had been about to move on to greater things but there were inevitably those destined to stay behind.
But destiny had screwed up and here she was with no future and – she faced it - probably no friends if she didn’t make an effort to be a real part of the group. Her apology at lunch had been genuine – she didn’t want and couldn’t afford to lose their friendship – but it was all for nothing if she was on the verge of ruining everything by giving in to her new desires right now.
She’d jeopardised her position when she’d lashed out and hurt Maria - even though she’d been truly thankful to have her wacky sidekick along in their exile - because Maria, incredibly, now had what she herself had always expected and deserved.
The best.
Being it, having it, wanting it.
That was the main reason she went to intern in the Skin Congresswoman’s Florida office – not only to escape the Max-Tess destiny thing, but to begin to learn the art of power politics in readiness for her future career.
Everyone always assumed her to be the sweet, innocent, doe-eyed little Liz Parker because that was who they wanted her to be – even Max, who’d seen her memories, had somehow managed to edit out the darker desires within her...
But if they’d given any thought to her declared ambition they should have known that nobody got to be the head of any large organisation by being sweet, gentle and kind. Nice girls finished last. Even, or especially, in high-profile mega-bucks academic research when only ruthless ambition and power politics achieved the real success.
Now, although she truly loved her friend, Maria had what she wanted and when it came down to the wire, even sweet Maria was expendable if she stood in the way of Liz Parker’s desires…
Liz sighed heavily. Her mind seemed to be emerging from it’s long state of emotional confusion at last and she was beginning to see things more coldly and clearly than she had for many, many months.
Her earlier depressed thoughts about the bleakness of her future, together with her recent vows to mend her ways, were forgotten. She saw unemotionally that her current over-riding priority was to be protected by the group until her future choices became clear.
So, although she really did want the new, powerful, attractive Michael and all the devotion and …pleasure… he currently gave Maria, she decided to do nothing overt to jeopardize that protection again. She could wait until she was ready.
However, the desire was now planted in her mind and she thought the first step would be to make Michael see her in a more positive light…
Meanwhile, she would plan to have her revenge on Tess.
She stood up and strolled over to the remains of the picnic to fix herself another ice-cold, cherry coke.
Kyle woke up from his post-picnic doze among the cushions that he’d wrested from Isobel, pointing out that she had the wide, flat stern-seat to curl up on, whereas the inside of the boat was a framework of wooden struts that would be impossible to relax on without the cushions. He’d told her that she was welcome to change places with him – one cushion in the stern was all he needed for his head, she could have the rest – but she’d just thrown the cushions at his head until he’d collected enough to make himself comfortable, his back against one side of the boat and feet against the other.
He looked over at her, curled up tightly on the seat asleep as if she had no cares in the world and he wished with all his heart that were true.
He guessed that tonight’s meeting to discuss the revelation that Tess wasn’t dead would mean that they’d soon have to alert Max to their theory about the bug on the bus and his heart quailed at the prospect of somehow finding a way of breaking it gently to Isobel that Jesse might be involved…
Her eyelids fluttered and for a moment her brown eyes were soft and happy, then reality came swooping back at her and he saw horror dawn before she closed them tightly again. He looked away and a few moments later her voice called his name.
“Kyle. Kyle, are you awake? C’mon, Kyle, I know you are. You can’t fool me. We can’t stay here too much longer, it’s nearly time to start back if we’re to reach the pier by dusk…”
“Ok, but you’ll have to row, Isobel, because my ass is broken. Oh, yes it is. It’s got permanent ridges in it, too, from having to sleep on the bottom of this ancient ark.”
“Cranky after your nap, huh? Stand up and stretch, you’ll soon feel better…”
As she spoke, Isobel leaned over the side and swirled her hand in the water, warming it up in a wide swathe. Then, taking them both by surprise, she stood up, removed her shoes, shorts and shirt to reveal a stylish black swimsuit and jumped in.
The boat rocked dangerously as Kyle happily removed everything but his shorts and leapt in too.
It was just warm enough to be comfortable and cool enough to be refreshing and they both rolled and dived in the water like seals for as long as they could, playfully splashing each other, before finally hanging breathless and laughing from the side of the boat.
Kyle looked up to see Isobel’s soft brown eyes filled with laughter only inches away from his own. His breath caught and his heart stopped. Next instant her eyes changed and she turned quickly to duck under water and re-surface several feet away.
His heart re-started, and the world began to move on as though nothing had happened.
In the little inlet, Maria had opened her eyes to a sight that made her sigh with pleasure – Michael’s bare ass.
She lay there for some time contemplating his back view, unaccountably missed out of her earlier inspection, as he stood at the water’s edge gazing out over the narrow view of lake and mountains at the entrance to the inlet. She could feel Michael’s deep sense of happiness and completion; he was committing their private little paradise to memory, and Maria was touched by his sudden sense of wonder that he’d never before noticed the world was so beautiful.
She left him to his private thoughts and reached once more for the picnic bags, this time looking for something more substantial than grapes, delicious though they had been.
Michael stood on the sun-warmed rocks and felt his trapped soul expand and breathe in the freedom to truly be himself in a way that he had never known. He’d never before left Roswell, apart from the fraught and fateful trips to Marathon and Las Vegas, and this place had been a revelation to his senses.
The infinite colors of the lakes and mountains sang in his mind. The cold, clear air; the quality of the light as it changed over the course of the day; the newborn responses awakening inside himself: all this made him want to stop and capture each moment to remember forever.
He knew – had known since he’d painted the picture of the dome at Marathon – deep within that some day he would no longer be able to deny the growing need to capture and express his feelings in some outside medium because they were just too big to contain within himself.
The acceptance of this knowledge brought a kind of relief and a knot of tension always inside him broke as a new inner peace was born.
Maria called him to eat. He padded over and stretched himself out opposite her like a big cat, overtly powerful, inherently dangerous, but right now lazily relaxed and interested in food.
They browsed languidly, using their fingers, feeding each other, until they were both satiated and ready to rest for a while.
Then Michael lay back against the cushions in the now warm shade with Maria stretched out at his side, head on his shoulder and a hand curled lightly in his, listening to the birds beginning to call to each other in the trees on the cliff above and sharing the bottle with it’s endless supply of ice-cold, sharp lemonade.
***Gotta go back soon, Maria, but we’ve still got time for some more lovin’ before that…***
***Mmmm…***
He turned onto his side and looked at her, blonde hair tousled from lovemaking, lips parted as she watched him, emerald eyes half-closed in anticipation. And his, all his…
***Body and soul forever, Michael…***
***Ditto, Maria***
He dipped his face to hers, tasting the lemon on her lips and the sweetness of her mouth as she caught the faint Tabasco tang that would never leave him.
***Love me, Spaceboy…***
Her plea was answered as she spoke. Their mind connection allowed them to feel and respond instantly to the other’s pleasure and each time they found a new depth of trust and confidence in their love.
It was a long time before Michael and Maria waded back to their boat and left the little blue inlet enshrined in their memories forever.
Liz arrived conscientiously back at the boat with the picnic trash and tidied it away for disposal back at the camp. She sat back in the stern with Isobel; then Kyle cast off and pulled out of the bay into open water. They were all silent as they made their way back.
Kyle was hoping to regain the mindless pleasure in rowing that he’d found earlier, Isobel was choking back longing for Jesse, and Liz was wondering just how to go about subtly attracting Michael’s attention.
A few minutes later, Kyle noticed the other boat nose into his line of sight and saw Maria waving at him. He grinned and waved back, and the girls, who turned round to see what was happening, waved languidly, too.
The gap was too wide for conversation and so both boats continued their unhurried progress in the early evening sun.
They all met up on the pier and, after leaving the boats to the same guy they saw earlier, followed Michael’s example and moved to sit in a row in the sun, dangling their feet just above the water.
Liz had managed to manoeuvre herself next to Michael while his attention was on Maria. She was content with that, and did nothing else to draw attention to herself, having decided that getting him used to her presence was the first thing she needed to do. Like taming a wild beast, she thought to herself, first you had to let it get used to having you around before you could begin to gain it’s trust...
“Everyone have a good time?”
Michael’s laconic question proved to Isobel just how much her almost-brother had changed in only a week. Before, it would never have occurred to him to ask about anyone else’s feelings, now here he was apparently actually concerned about the group’s enjoyment. Hers was not the only mind broadened by travel, it seemed.
Liz saw no harm in responding with the truth, and seized the chance, aiming a big-eyed smile into his eyes when he turned immediately on hearing her voice.
“Oh, yes, Michael. It was a great idea. Thanks for thinking of it. I feel totally relaxed for the first time in… months, I guess.”
She got a warning glare and a hissed rebuke from the guy she’d meant to impress.
“Yeah, Susan, and I’m sure we’ll all feel even more relaxed if you at least made an effort to remember the names we’re using around strangers.”
Her face flushed and her hand rose to cover her mouth, embarrassed and annoyed at herself for her mistake when she had meant only to compliment him. Great start to her campaign, she thought, mortified.
“Anyway, it was Dave’s idea – you should be thanking him.”
Isobel gave credit where it was due. Liz turned a genuine smile on Kyle.
“Um, …Dave, it really was a great idea. It was so peaceful and it gave me a chance to really get my head together, so thanks.”
The boat guy called farewell to them as he locked up the little storage cabin and headed for home on a mountain bike.
Once he was out of sight, Michael got up and stood frowning down at them.
“Stay here with Kyle. Maria and me, we’re gonna check out the camp for visitors, see if it’s safe to go back.”
***I can come with you, Spaceboy?***
***Not letting you out of my sight, Maria. We’re in this together***
She jumped up and kissed him as Kyle stood up, too.
“I’ll come with you, Guerin…”
“No, Valenti, you need to guard the girls if anything goes wrong. If we’re not back in twenty, take a boat and hide in the woods. Don’t stay for us. Steal a car from one of the campsites when it gets dark, then run. We’ll meet you at the airport in Denver one week from today, at noon near the Avis desk.”
Kyle and the girls looked shocked and scared. This was an unexpected development just when they were starting to feel secure.
Liz ran over and hugged Maria. Then Isobel turned from hugging Michael to grab Maria tightly, too. Kyle and Michael nodded grimly at each other.
Michael and Maria picked up their packs and walked off along the track that led back to the campsite, leaving the others to wait with gnawing anxiety to see if they returned…
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 36
Michael and Maria walked quietly along the track towards the camp, alert for any signs of disturbance.
They approached with caution, stepping off the path into the trees well before they came within sight of the camp.
The areas round all the campsites that edged the lake were carefully managed by the park authorities, so the trees were well spaced to allow light in and the undergrowth cut back so that it was possible to walk through the woods without too much difficulty.
Michael led the way, wary and cautious, stopping frequently to use his enhanced alien senses. He didn’t seriously expect intruders at the camp, as he was fairly confident that they had not been followed in the Chevy, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Maria knew from his thoughts that the chances of danger were probably minimal by now, but she was tense anyway. Deep inside, tingles of fearful excitement shot through her and she followed him closely as he threaded his way carefully through the bushes.
At last he stopped abruptly on the edge of the clearing, pushing Maria back when she tried to peer round him to see what was going on.
***What is it, Michael? What’s wrong? Let me see…***
***Sh*it, Maria – stay back. We have company…***
Of the three back at the pier, two were in danger of falling apart with the strain of waiting.
Isobel, a wild beast caged, endlessly paced the pier in nervous frustration, almost at the point of chewing on a perfect fingernail. It was driving Kyle nuts.
He sat on the steps of the storage cabin, using his Buddhist meditation techniques to help him remain calm while following Michael and Maria in his imagination every step of the way back to camp and checking his watch a little too often.
Liz, by contrast, was serene to the point of indifference.
The fierce flare of emotion that had suddenly sent the lost loving Liz running to hug Maria in fear of losing her to fresh danger had quickly died into icy numbness as her mind returned to it’s new state of cold detachment. Danger, loss and grief no longer had the power to interest her, let alone touch her, and so she sat in the sun idly waiting for whatever was going to happen next.
“Isobel, will you stop pointlessly patrolling the pier and just chill? There’s probably nothing at all to stress about…Nothing’s happened since we arrived here, Michael’s just taking precautions…”
Kyle sounded a lot more confident than he felt. Michael's theory made sense, but even so it was still a theory. Then he remembered that neither Isobel or Liz had yet been told about that theory. Isobel wasn't panicking needlessly after all...
Before Isobel could snap his head off, there was an unexpected comment from the other girl.
“Michael’s doing the right thing, checking the camp out after we’ve been gone all afternoon. No need to freak just because he has a contingency plan in case of danger. It’s a good idea.”
Isobel stopped pacing and Kyle raised his eyebrows as both turned to look at Liz in surprise. She looked back at them, a picture of wide-eyed innocence.
“Did I just hear Liz Parker defend Michael Guerin?”
“I heard it, too, Kyle, but you’re right – it is hard to believe…”
“So what’s with, Liz? Why the sudden one-eighty?”
She stood up and walked over to sit beside Kyle on the cabin step.
“I’ve finally had time to think this afternoon and I’ve got my head together after this last insane week. I really meant it when I said I didn’t want to lose your friendship and I realized I’ve been hard on Michael, too.”
Isobel came over to join them.
“I’m glad you finally noticed that. Michael’s the one who saved us all from the Feds, held us together and got us this far safely. He doesn’t deserve to be blamed for Max’s problems.”
Liz nodded earnestly in agreement. She’d been so wrong to take her frustrations with Max out on Michael.
“He’s changed so much since we left Roswell, it’s like he’s grown up suddenly and I’ve just been so blind to everything. I - I’m going to try hard to be a part of the group and make up for my behaviour last week…”
She looked anxiously between Isobel and Kyle. Kyle put his arm approvingly round her shoulders and hugged her. Isobel, leaning back against the cabin wall, was more reserved and Liz realized that she hadn’t entirely convinced the alien girl of her sincerity. She concentrated her attention on the Sheriff’s son.
“You don’t really think that there’s anything to worry about back at the camp, do you, Kyle? We haven’t seen any sign that we’ve been followed since we left Roswell…”
“We can’t let our guard down, Liz. That warning vision of yours – we don’t know what that’s about yet, either, or when it will happen…”
Liz looked scared for a moment, but then bravely smiled up at Kyle. Before she could speak, Michael and Maria arrived back to join them.
All three stood up and waited, alert and apprehensive, for their friends’ report.
Michael frowned round at them all, then stared hard at Liz.
“We’ve had a visitor while we were out…”
Maria interrupted him, wide eyed and excited.
“A bear… There was a real, live bear in our camp. It was so big and fierce and it stood up on it's hind legs and growled at us – God, those teeth - but Michael chased it away…”
Michael looked very pleased with himself for a moment as the others gasped in horror and his girlfriend gazed up at him admiringly. Then his expression changed to grim warning.
“I took care of it, but it could have done a lot of damage to the tents and the Chevy if we hadn’t got there just at the right moment…and it may still be a real danger, thanks to Goldilocks, here.”
He eyed Liz’s currently cropped blonde hair disparagingly. Liz looked bewildered. Why was he picking on her?
Isobel wondered, too.
“What’s Liz got to do with it? She was with us all the time, she had nothing to do with the bear…”
“When she dumped her breakfast over Kyle this morning, she didn’t bother to make sure the stuff that missed him was picked up and thrown in the trash, so the bear finished the leftovers. We all read the warnings in the park literature about not leaving garbage around and we made a big effort to make sure the supplies were protected so they didn’t attract bears and then Parker goes and leaves food lying around near her tent.”
Maria gazed reproachfully at Liz, too.
“The bear’s likely to come back and check us out again, now it’s found a food source.”
Liz, taken aback, stammered out some sort of apology, while her face burned red once again. Stupid, she railed at herself, how could she have been so stupid? Now Michael was looking at her like she was a bad smell again and Maria was criticizing her, too.
Then Kyle unexpectedly rode to her rescue and, to her surprise, Isobel backed him up.
“Give her a break, Guerin, she’s been under as much stress as the rest of us. So what if she forgot about bears and food – I did too.”
“We all did, Michael. None of us remembered about bears and we all saw what Liz did to Kyle and even got a laugh out of it. We should have thought of the danger, too, but we didn’t.”
“So Liz made a mistake in the heat of the moment. Don’t get on her case; no harm was done.”
Michael shrugged and turned away, his expression blank again but Maria wasn’t about to let it drop so easily.
“What do we do about the bear coming back? Now we’ll have to set a guard again tonight because we can’t be sure that rain will keep it away and we’ll all miss yet another night’s sleep…”
“If that’s what we have to do, then we’ll do it, but it’s not going to be a real problem for us. If it turns up again, we’ll hear it and chase it away. Don’t worry, Maria, there’s no need for any of us to miss any sleep tonight.”
Kyle felt protective of Liz and thought Michael and Maria had been too harsh in blaming her for the bear, but he wanted to reassure Maria, too. It wouldn’t be a problem to scare away if it did come back. Four aliens would be a match for any number of bears.
Michael had already set off back along the track to their camp and Maria hurried to catch him up. He draped his arm over her shoulders and she rolled her eyes at him as they carried on walking ahead. He half-smiled in return, then instantly forgot Liz and the others, letting his mind join hers in recalling the shared pleasures of the afternoon as he let his hand slide down and squeeze her ass possessively, reminding her that his mark was on her. She responded mentally and physically with a rare public kiss, in sensual anticipation of their next close encounter.
Liz, following behind with the other two, didn’t miss the easy intimacy between Michael and Maria and a flash of raw sexual jealousy consumed her. Her frustration was suddenly raging out of control and she felt a deep, aching need inside. An involuntary moan escaped her, bitten off instantly, but not before Isobel flicked her a curious glance.
When they arrived back at the campsite Liz didn’t wait for the others but ran straight over to her tent and disappeared inside, emerging moments later to head over to the showers with her towels and fresh clothes. Isobel stared after her thoughtfully for a moment before going across to the Chevy.
When the group had left the camp deserted while they were on their boating expedition, all their basic survival necessities had been hurriedly packed in the Chevy for security while they were away and now Isobel wanted a drink before the unloading process started. She opened the tailgate and began to fix one for herself, then Kyle came up and bitched at her for not including him, too. They squabbled amicably as they made their way over to the table by the grill where Maria was sitting, gazing dreamily out over the lake.
Michael and Maria had checked out the tents and the Chevy after he’d chased the big black bear back into the woods with a several sharp smacks on the rump with his power. To their relief, nothing had been disturbed by animal or human. Now Michael came back from a second check around the area to find Isobel and Kyle sitting at the table with his girlfriend. The other two had already made their drinks, but Maria had waited for him.
He barely acknowledged the presence of the others as he reached for Maria’s hand, tugging her to stand up beside him and suggesting silently that they go over to sit on the rocks at the edge of the lake.
***I’m not ready to socialize yet, princess. Plenty of time for that later over dinner***
***Fine by me, Spaceboy. I’ve got to make dinner but it’s only pasta and salad tonight, so it won’t take long***
They left Isobel and Kyle still sitting at the table among the trees and drifted down to the lakeshore out of sight of the camp to watch as the sun slid down towards the mountains and the air cooled against their skin.
Michael wrapped an arm round Maria and she rested her head on his shoulder. After a long silence Michael reluctantly admitted what was making him increasingly anxious as evening approached.
***I gotta tell Isobel about the bug in the bus theory tonight, Maria. Not gonna be pretty…***
Maria sighed and stirred within his arm.
*** We’ll tell her together, Michael, but like we agreed, we won’t accuse Jesse of anything. Let her work it out for herself… All we can do is be there for her when she does. It won’t be easy for any of us, but she’ll be so hurt by his betrayal… ***
***That f*ucking bastard.…***
Michael clenched his fists and a distant rumble of thunder in the clear sky echoed his anger and frustration.
***Are you going to make it rain again tonight, Spaceboy?***
***Guess so. We’ve let our guard down a bit over the last few days, so it won’t do any harm to remind ourselves we’re still in danger. Maybe a whole day away hiking isn’t such a great idea after all…***
***It’s not going to make much difference, Michael, if anyone was going to ambush us anyway. We just pack up the Chevy again and hide it somewhere off-road in the woods ready for a getaway. Nobody knows our plans, so they won’t be lying in wait at the waterfall. We can check the tents when we come back, same as we did today***
****Yeah, it’s a plan, princess… I guess the hike’s on, then... if anyone is still up for it after tonight***
Maria’s thoughts turned sad and apprehensive.
***I forgot for a moment– even if Isobel is still speaking to us, she won’t be in the mood for a picnic hike. Are we going to share everything we know tonight?***
***Not everything. Haven’t told Kyle about Watercress Creek, yet. Not going to, until we know what’s happening with this Tess/Max mind connection. That secret’s between you and me, Maria and it’s gonna stay that way until I can really trust him again***
***It’s not his fault, Michael.***
***You think I don’t know that? But he’s got Tess visiting his dreams, so I don’t want her finding out anything about us that she can use for her own ends, ok?***
***Do you think it could be Khivar again? I always thought he gave in much too easily…***
*** God knows – but we have to make sure that Max checks out the bus before we do anything else. I would have left it a couple more days before we let him off the hook as he’s still on the move, but now this Tess thing looks serious, we better warn him. Can’t risk the Feds closing in and distracting us...***
***Yes, I think Tess may be more of a danger to us at the moment and until we know what she wants with Max and Kyle we’d better be careful…***
***This dream thing is really screwing with Kyle’s head, but at least he looked more relaxed this afternoon on the lake***
***Come on, Spaceboy, I’ve got prepare a sauce for the pasta and then shower before dinner***
***I’ve heard bears like showers, too, Blondie – want me to check the place out first…?***
Maria slid an arm round his neck, whispering softly into his ear so that her hot breath tickled him and made him shiver a little.
“Did I tell you how brave you are, Michael? That bear was so big; I was scared it was going to attack but you were so cool about it…my hero…”
It wasn’t just Michael’s ego that swelled a little at his girlfriend’s stroking, but he couldn’t be anything but truthful, since she could read his emotions. He reacted to her touch, but he replied honestly, resisting the urge to brag about it.
“It wasn’t looking for trouble, Maria, it was just as surprised as we were. I only chased it on its way, no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me, Spaceboy. It was a dangerous, unpredictable wild animal and you protected me…”
She kissed him with passionate abandon and he tangled his fingers in her hair, unwilling to let her go until they were forced apart to breathe.
“Do you think Kyle is right and we’ll hear it if it comes back?”
“It probably won’t be back at all, 'cuz I gave it a bad memory of this place. No need to think about it any more. Just think about us, Maria. Maria….”
His lips found hers again.
Seeing Michael with Maria on the way back from the lake had made Liz’s jealous frustration burn hotter and the only answer had been to hide away and pleasure herself until the need was assuaged.
In the privacy of the shower cubicle, she had rapidly stripped off her sweaty clothes and adjusted the water temperature to cool, standing under the spray to let it soothe her hot skin. Her overheated mind was a different problem.
Her eyes closed and she bit her upper lip as her hands slid around and over her small breasts, cupping and circling closer to her pale pink nipples, then rolling and pinching them lightly until they peaked under her own touch, before sliding a hand down between her legs to find and finger the little hidden button that would take the edge off her burning frustration.
Exploring herself with light, feathery strokes at first, she rocked and thrust her hips as she tried to picture Michael’s image in her mind, but it refused to come into focus. It was Sean’s face which kept intruding until she gave in and let herself remember the nights in the dark, deserted bowling alley when he had broken in and taught her to slide laughing along the polished lanes with him, freeing her love-lorn mind from alien control for a few precious hours and introducing her to the illicit thrill of bad-girl power as she lay secretly with him in the darkness, tentatively exploring his body with her hands and mouth as she allowed him to explore hers…
She slid a finger, then two, inside herself, pumping more urgently as she remembered the silky feel of his c*ock in her hands, hardening under her control, responding to her touch as his thrusting tongue invaded her greedy mouth in time with her delicate hands pulling on his shaft until he broke their kiss to gasp commands to her - ‘faster, baby, faster, yes, yes, that’s it baby, ohhh yes’ – and Liz suddenly came hard against her own hand with the memory of his voice clearly whispering inside her head.
She slid slowly down the wall to sit on the cold, wet floor of the shower unit with her legs spread and her c*unt still glowing from her quick climax, smiling in temporary relief from her growing frustration.
Sean had taught her what a man could do with his lips and tongue and hands to give her incredible pleasure, and she’d taken cool advantage of his generosity to her in everything she demanded of him. Warmth now flooded through her as she remembered all the things he had done to her without pushing her too hard for the final gift she was still saving for another man.
Although finally making love with Max had been as gentle and romantic as she’d wished - and with a great finale - she’d expected that the performance itself would be amateur compared with Sean’s undoubted experience. That it wasn’t so inept after all, she now realized with a shock, was down to the time he had spent with Tess…
Liz and Max had been sexually restrained almost to the point of masochism – idealistic romantic yearning had been the true key to their relationship - and nearly all of their times together had been spent doing not much more than kissing.
The few more intimate encounters that took place when during ‘research’ into the flashes, again immediately after Tess’ departure and then after her death, were the only significant occasions when anything like serious sexual contact took place before their decision to finally make love on the night before Graduation. When she looked back on it, their long relationship was tragically close to celibate.
On the night before the departure, when he’d appeared once again at her moment of need, Sean’s hard body had been more familiar to her than Max’s and right now she regretted the opportunity she had wasted. She wondered what he would have felt like. Would his human c*ock pounding inside her have given her as much pleasure as Max’s alien shaft eventually had? It was not in the same league as Michael’s, but was about the same as Max’s length – her mind vividly pictured the comparisons, and she involuntarily licked her lips.
Liz admitted to herself that Sean had, in their secret ‘playtimes’ together, awakened her body’s responses and also taught her something of how to please a guy. Then Max had released her from her virginity and given her an incredible ‘star-flash’ alien orgasm (the second one was memorable for another reason and she didn't didn't count it). Now fuelled by her new attraction to Michael, she was quickly beginning to recover confidence in her own sexuality, diminished when Max had called out Tess’ name.
She made a big effort to concentrate and reached to heat up the now chilly water. Then her hand was plunging between her legs for a repeat performance with more secret memories of Sean to make her moan with pleasure again before she had to dress for dinner…
…because Sean was a distraction from the disturbing mental images of Max and Michael that she was determined to keep at bay.
Outside, Isobel and Kyle sat on under the trees in a silence that gradually grew more tense as the evening closed in.
Michael and Maria came wandering back from the lake and Maria started to prepare the fresh tomato sauce for the pasta she was cooking for dinner, while Michael made the salad.
Liz arrived freshly showered and dressed in warmer clothes against the cold night ahead. She took a seat at the table with Kyle and Isobel and sat quietly watching the lake and Michael as he moved around the grill.
It was getting late by the time everyone had unpacked the truck, changed into warmer clothes and finally sat down to eat.
The relaxed atmosphere of the afternoon had dissipated and now the whole world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the night to come...
TBC...
Michael and Maria walked quietly along the track towards the camp, alert for any signs of disturbance.
They approached with caution, stepping off the path into the trees well before they came within sight of the camp.
The areas round all the campsites that edged the lake were carefully managed by the park authorities, so the trees were well spaced to allow light in and the undergrowth cut back so that it was possible to walk through the woods without too much difficulty.
Michael led the way, wary and cautious, stopping frequently to use his enhanced alien senses. He didn’t seriously expect intruders at the camp, as he was fairly confident that they had not been followed in the Chevy, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Maria knew from his thoughts that the chances of danger were probably minimal by now, but she was tense anyway. Deep inside, tingles of fearful excitement shot through her and she followed him closely as he threaded his way carefully through the bushes.
At last he stopped abruptly on the edge of the clearing, pushing Maria back when she tried to peer round him to see what was going on.
***What is it, Michael? What’s wrong? Let me see…***
***Sh*it, Maria – stay back. We have company…***
Of the three back at the pier, two were in danger of falling apart with the strain of waiting.
Isobel, a wild beast caged, endlessly paced the pier in nervous frustration, almost at the point of chewing on a perfect fingernail. It was driving Kyle nuts.
He sat on the steps of the storage cabin, using his Buddhist meditation techniques to help him remain calm while following Michael and Maria in his imagination every step of the way back to camp and checking his watch a little too often.
Liz, by contrast, was serene to the point of indifference.
The fierce flare of emotion that had suddenly sent the lost loving Liz running to hug Maria in fear of losing her to fresh danger had quickly died into icy numbness as her mind returned to it’s new state of cold detachment. Danger, loss and grief no longer had the power to interest her, let alone touch her, and so she sat in the sun idly waiting for whatever was going to happen next.
“Isobel, will you stop pointlessly patrolling the pier and just chill? There’s probably nothing at all to stress about…Nothing’s happened since we arrived here, Michael’s just taking precautions…”
Kyle sounded a lot more confident than he felt. Michael's theory made sense, but even so it was still a theory. Then he remembered that neither Isobel or Liz had yet been told about that theory. Isobel wasn't panicking needlessly after all...
Before Isobel could snap his head off, there was an unexpected comment from the other girl.
“Michael’s doing the right thing, checking the camp out after we’ve been gone all afternoon. No need to freak just because he has a contingency plan in case of danger. It’s a good idea.”
Isobel stopped pacing and Kyle raised his eyebrows as both turned to look at Liz in surprise. She looked back at them, a picture of wide-eyed innocence.
“Did I just hear Liz Parker defend Michael Guerin?”
“I heard it, too, Kyle, but you’re right – it is hard to believe…”
“So what’s with, Liz? Why the sudden one-eighty?”
She stood up and walked over to sit beside Kyle on the cabin step.
“I’ve finally had time to think this afternoon and I’ve got my head together after this last insane week. I really meant it when I said I didn’t want to lose your friendship and I realized I’ve been hard on Michael, too.”
Isobel came over to join them.
“I’m glad you finally noticed that. Michael’s the one who saved us all from the Feds, held us together and got us this far safely. He doesn’t deserve to be blamed for Max’s problems.”
Liz nodded earnestly in agreement. She’d been so wrong to take her frustrations with Max out on Michael.
“He’s changed so much since we left Roswell, it’s like he’s grown up suddenly and I’ve just been so blind to everything. I - I’m going to try hard to be a part of the group and make up for my behaviour last week…”
She looked anxiously between Isobel and Kyle. Kyle put his arm approvingly round her shoulders and hugged her. Isobel, leaning back against the cabin wall, was more reserved and Liz realized that she hadn’t entirely convinced the alien girl of her sincerity. She concentrated her attention on the Sheriff’s son.
“You don’t really think that there’s anything to worry about back at the camp, do you, Kyle? We haven’t seen any sign that we’ve been followed since we left Roswell…”
“We can’t let our guard down, Liz. That warning vision of yours – we don’t know what that’s about yet, either, or when it will happen…”
Liz looked scared for a moment, but then bravely smiled up at Kyle. Before she could speak, Michael and Maria arrived back to join them.
All three stood up and waited, alert and apprehensive, for their friends’ report.
Michael frowned round at them all, then stared hard at Liz.
“We’ve had a visitor while we were out…”
Maria interrupted him, wide eyed and excited.
“A bear… There was a real, live bear in our camp. It was so big and fierce and it stood up on it's hind legs and growled at us – God, those teeth - but Michael chased it away…”
Michael looked very pleased with himself for a moment as the others gasped in horror and his girlfriend gazed up at him admiringly. Then his expression changed to grim warning.
“I took care of it, but it could have done a lot of damage to the tents and the Chevy if we hadn’t got there just at the right moment…and it may still be a real danger, thanks to Goldilocks, here.”
He eyed Liz’s currently cropped blonde hair disparagingly. Liz looked bewildered. Why was he picking on her?
Isobel wondered, too.
“What’s Liz got to do with it? She was with us all the time, she had nothing to do with the bear…”
“When she dumped her breakfast over Kyle this morning, she didn’t bother to make sure the stuff that missed him was picked up and thrown in the trash, so the bear finished the leftovers. We all read the warnings in the park literature about not leaving garbage around and we made a big effort to make sure the supplies were protected so they didn’t attract bears and then Parker goes and leaves food lying around near her tent.”
Maria gazed reproachfully at Liz, too.
“The bear’s likely to come back and check us out again, now it’s found a food source.”
Liz, taken aback, stammered out some sort of apology, while her face burned red once again. Stupid, she railed at herself, how could she have been so stupid? Now Michael was looking at her like she was a bad smell again and Maria was criticizing her, too.
Then Kyle unexpectedly rode to her rescue and, to her surprise, Isobel backed him up.
“Give her a break, Guerin, she’s been under as much stress as the rest of us. So what if she forgot about bears and food – I did too.”
“We all did, Michael. None of us remembered about bears and we all saw what Liz did to Kyle and even got a laugh out of it. We should have thought of the danger, too, but we didn’t.”
“So Liz made a mistake in the heat of the moment. Don’t get on her case; no harm was done.”
Michael shrugged and turned away, his expression blank again but Maria wasn’t about to let it drop so easily.
“What do we do about the bear coming back? Now we’ll have to set a guard again tonight because we can’t be sure that rain will keep it away and we’ll all miss yet another night’s sleep…”
“If that’s what we have to do, then we’ll do it, but it’s not going to be a real problem for us. If it turns up again, we’ll hear it and chase it away. Don’t worry, Maria, there’s no need for any of us to miss any sleep tonight.”
Kyle felt protective of Liz and thought Michael and Maria had been too harsh in blaming her for the bear, but he wanted to reassure Maria, too. It wouldn’t be a problem to scare away if it did come back. Four aliens would be a match for any number of bears.
Michael had already set off back along the track to their camp and Maria hurried to catch him up. He draped his arm over her shoulders and she rolled her eyes at him as they carried on walking ahead. He half-smiled in return, then instantly forgot Liz and the others, letting his mind join hers in recalling the shared pleasures of the afternoon as he let his hand slide down and squeeze her ass possessively, reminding her that his mark was on her. She responded mentally and physically with a rare public kiss, in sensual anticipation of their next close encounter.
Liz, following behind with the other two, didn’t miss the easy intimacy between Michael and Maria and a flash of raw sexual jealousy consumed her. Her frustration was suddenly raging out of control and she felt a deep, aching need inside. An involuntary moan escaped her, bitten off instantly, but not before Isobel flicked her a curious glance.
When they arrived back at the campsite Liz didn’t wait for the others but ran straight over to her tent and disappeared inside, emerging moments later to head over to the showers with her towels and fresh clothes. Isobel stared after her thoughtfully for a moment before going across to the Chevy.
When the group had left the camp deserted while they were on their boating expedition, all their basic survival necessities had been hurriedly packed in the Chevy for security while they were away and now Isobel wanted a drink before the unloading process started. She opened the tailgate and began to fix one for herself, then Kyle came up and bitched at her for not including him, too. They squabbled amicably as they made their way over to the table by the grill where Maria was sitting, gazing dreamily out over the lake.
Michael and Maria had checked out the tents and the Chevy after he’d chased the big black bear back into the woods with a several sharp smacks on the rump with his power. To their relief, nothing had been disturbed by animal or human. Now Michael came back from a second check around the area to find Isobel and Kyle sitting at the table with his girlfriend. The other two had already made their drinks, but Maria had waited for him.
He barely acknowledged the presence of the others as he reached for Maria’s hand, tugging her to stand up beside him and suggesting silently that they go over to sit on the rocks at the edge of the lake.
***I’m not ready to socialize yet, princess. Plenty of time for that later over dinner***
***Fine by me, Spaceboy. I’ve got to make dinner but it’s only pasta and salad tonight, so it won’t take long***
They left Isobel and Kyle still sitting at the table among the trees and drifted down to the lakeshore out of sight of the camp to watch as the sun slid down towards the mountains and the air cooled against their skin.
Michael wrapped an arm round Maria and she rested her head on his shoulder. After a long silence Michael reluctantly admitted what was making him increasingly anxious as evening approached.
***I gotta tell Isobel about the bug in the bus theory tonight, Maria. Not gonna be pretty…***
Maria sighed and stirred within his arm.
*** We’ll tell her together, Michael, but like we agreed, we won’t accuse Jesse of anything. Let her work it out for herself… All we can do is be there for her when she does. It won’t be easy for any of us, but she’ll be so hurt by his betrayal… ***
***That f*ucking bastard.…***
Michael clenched his fists and a distant rumble of thunder in the clear sky echoed his anger and frustration.
***Are you going to make it rain again tonight, Spaceboy?***
***Guess so. We’ve let our guard down a bit over the last few days, so it won’t do any harm to remind ourselves we’re still in danger. Maybe a whole day away hiking isn’t such a great idea after all…***
***It’s not going to make much difference, Michael, if anyone was going to ambush us anyway. We just pack up the Chevy again and hide it somewhere off-road in the woods ready for a getaway. Nobody knows our plans, so they won’t be lying in wait at the waterfall. We can check the tents when we come back, same as we did today***
****Yeah, it’s a plan, princess… I guess the hike’s on, then... if anyone is still up for it after tonight***
Maria’s thoughts turned sad and apprehensive.
***I forgot for a moment– even if Isobel is still speaking to us, she won’t be in the mood for a picnic hike. Are we going to share everything we know tonight?***
***Not everything. Haven’t told Kyle about Watercress Creek, yet. Not going to, until we know what’s happening with this Tess/Max mind connection. That secret’s between you and me, Maria and it’s gonna stay that way until I can really trust him again***
***It’s not his fault, Michael.***
***You think I don’t know that? But he’s got Tess visiting his dreams, so I don’t want her finding out anything about us that she can use for her own ends, ok?***
***Do you think it could be Khivar again? I always thought he gave in much too easily…***
*** God knows – but we have to make sure that Max checks out the bus before we do anything else. I would have left it a couple more days before we let him off the hook as he’s still on the move, but now this Tess thing looks serious, we better warn him. Can’t risk the Feds closing in and distracting us...***
***Yes, I think Tess may be more of a danger to us at the moment and until we know what she wants with Max and Kyle we’d better be careful…***
***This dream thing is really screwing with Kyle’s head, but at least he looked more relaxed this afternoon on the lake***
***Come on, Spaceboy, I’ve got prepare a sauce for the pasta and then shower before dinner***
***I’ve heard bears like showers, too, Blondie – want me to check the place out first…?***
Maria slid an arm round his neck, whispering softly into his ear so that her hot breath tickled him and made him shiver a little.
“Did I tell you how brave you are, Michael? That bear was so big; I was scared it was going to attack but you were so cool about it…my hero…”
It wasn’t just Michael’s ego that swelled a little at his girlfriend’s stroking, but he couldn’t be anything but truthful, since she could read his emotions. He reacted to her touch, but he replied honestly, resisting the urge to brag about it.
“It wasn’t looking for trouble, Maria, it was just as surprised as we were. I only chased it on its way, no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me, Spaceboy. It was a dangerous, unpredictable wild animal and you protected me…”
She kissed him with passionate abandon and he tangled his fingers in her hair, unwilling to let her go until they were forced apart to breathe.
“Do you think Kyle is right and we’ll hear it if it comes back?”
“It probably won’t be back at all, 'cuz I gave it a bad memory of this place. No need to think about it any more. Just think about us, Maria. Maria….”
His lips found hers again.
Seeing Michael with Maria on the way back from the lake had made Liz’s jealous frustration burn hotter and the only answer had been to hide away and pleasure herself until the need was assuaged.
In the privacy of the shower cubicle, she had rapidly stripped off her sweaty clothes and adjusted the water temperature to cool, standing under the spray to let it soothe her hot skin. Her overheated mind was a different problem.
Her eyes closed and she bit her upper lip as her hands slid around and over her small breasts, cupping and circling closer to her pale pink nipples, then rolling and pinching them lightly until they peaked under her own touch, before sliding a hand down between her legs to find and finger the little hidden button that would take the edge off her burning frustration.
Exploring herself with light, feathery strokes at first, she rocked and thrust her hips as she tried to picture Michael’s image in her mind, but it refused to come into focus. It was Sean’s face which kept intruding until she gave in and let herself remember the nights in the dark, deserted bowling alley when he had broken in and taught her to slide laughing along the polished lanes with him, freeing her love-lorn mind from alien control for a few precious hours and introducing her to the illicit thrill of bad-girl power as she lay secretly with him in the darkness, tentatively exploring his body with her hands and mouth as she allowed him to explore hers…
She slid a finger, then two, inside herself, pumping more urgently as she remembered the silky feel of his c*ock in her hands, hardening under her control, responding to her touch as his thrusting tongue invaded her greedy mouth in time with her delicate hands pulling on his shaft until he broke their kiss to gasp commands to her - ‘faster, baby, faster, yes, yes, that’s it baby, ohhh yes’ – and Liz suddenly came hard against her own hand with the memory of his voice clearly whispering inside her head.
She slid slowly down the wall to sit on the cold, wet floor of the shower unit with her legs spread and her c*unt still glowing from her quick climax, smiling in temporary relief from her growing frustration.
Sean had taught her what a man could do with his lips and tongue and hands to give her incredible pleasure, and she’d taken cool advantage of his generosity to her in everything she demanded of him. Warmth now flooded through her as she remembered all the things he had done to her without pushing her too hard for the final gift she was still saving for another man.
Although finally making love with Max had been as gentle and romantic as she’d wished - and with a great finale - she’d expected that the performance itself would be amateur compared with Sean’s undoubted experience. That it wasn’t so inept after all, she now realized with a shock, was down to the time he had spent with Tess…
Liz and Max had been sexually restrained almost to the point of masochism – idealistic romantic yearning had been the true key to their relationship - and nearly all of their times together had been spent doing not much more than kissing.
The few more intimate encounters that took place when during ‘research’ into the flashes, again immediately after Tess’ departure and then after her death, were the only significant occasions when anything like serious sexual contact took place before their decision to finally make love on the night before Graduation. When she looked back on it, their long relationship was tragically close to celibate.
On the night before the departure, when he’d appeared once again at her moment of need, Sean’s hard body had been more familiar to her than Max’s and right now she regretted the opportunity she had wasted. She wondered what he would have felt like. Would his human c*ock pounding inside her have given her as much pleasure as Max’s alien shaft eventually had? It was not in the same league as Michael’s, but was about the same as Max’s length – her mind vividly pictured the comparisons, and she involuntarily licked her lips.
Liz admitted to herself that Sean had, in their secret ‘playtimes’ together, awakened her body’s responses and also taught her something of how to please a guy. Then Max had released her from her virginity and given her an incredible ‘star-flash’ alien orgasm (the second one was memorable for another reason and she didn't didn't count it). Now fuelled by her new attraction to Michael, she was quickly beginning to recover confidence in her own sexuality, diminished when Max had called out Tess’ name.
She made a big effort to concentrate and reached to heat up the now chilly water. Then her hand was plunging between her legs for a repeat performance with more secret memories of Sean to make her moan with pleasure again before she had to dress for dinner…
…because Sean was a distraction from the disturbing mental images of Max and Michael that she was determined to keep at bay.
Outside, Isobel and Kyle sat on under the trees in a silence that gradually grew more tense as the evening closed in.
Michael and Maria came wandering back from the lake and Maria started to prepare the fresh tomato sauce for the pasta she was cooking for dinner, while Michael made the salad.
Liz arrived freshly showered and dressed in warmer clothes against the cold night ahead. She took a seat at the table with Kyle and Isobel and sat quietly watching the lake and Michael as he moved around the grill.
It was getting late by the time everyone had unpacked the truck, changed into warmer clothes and finally sat down to eat.
The relaxed atmosphere of the afternoon had dissipated and now the whole world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the night to come...
TBC...
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 37
There was no dessert for dinner.
Somehow, it didn’t seem right to eat frivolous alien ice-cream when they had serious issues to discuss and so Maria’s spicy tomato pasta and Michael’s honey-and-Tabasco-dressed salad were eaten without comment.
The evening meal took even longer to finish than usual because no one was in any hurry to start the discussion. No one was really hungry; there was no conversation, everyone was silent, lost in his or her own thoughts.
Finally, when the clean dishes were stored away and the usual coffee and hot chocolate had been brought to the table it became impossible to delay any longer. Nobody thought of sitting round the firepit tonight. There was an instinctive need for a more formal gathering around the table, a sense of impending danger that grew in each of them as the wind rose and blew rustling through the darkness of the surrounding woods.
Maria moved closer to Michael, suddenly needing to feel his physical strength as well as his mental connection. On his other side, Liz moved in as close as she dared without making it obvious. Kyle and Isobel sat facing the others, a friendly, comfortable distance apart but close enough for tacit reassurance.
Michael took a big gulp of his coffee, stared down into his cup for inspiration, then looked up and collected everyone’s attention with one word.
“Tess.”
It dropped into the pool of silence like a stone.
Suddenly, the dam broke as everyone started to talk at once, exclaiming about her reappearance or simply cursing the small blonde’s existence until Michael spoke again, cutting through the babble of voices.
“Quiet. Everyone will get a chance to talk. That’s what we’re here for…”
When he had everyone’s attention again, he folded his arms on the table and leaned in. All the others mirrored his action and they huddled round like conspirators in the lamp-lit night.
“Kyle, you first. Tell us all about the dreams you’ve had. Don’t leave anything out.”
Kyle began to talk, though he spared the girls the intimate details of his memory dream.
“…but she didn’t seem at all hostile or menacing that time. Just the opposite, in fact…”
Although Kyle was reporting his dreams as objectively as he could, Liz still gave him a look of pure distain. He glanced away, feeling too guilty to meet her eyes.
Isobel took over and contributed comments from her own dreamwalking perspective, before going on to describe the details of those she’d shared with Max.
Liz finally allowed herself to be curious about all the things she’d studiously ignored.
“This green glow thing…is it just your forcefield? You said there was some kind of link with Max. Did you feel anything when it happened? Is that the first time she made contact? Could she have been inside your head during the times you were out of it?”
“Not that I recall. I don’t remember anything during the times I was out of it. The dreams only started since we got here, the dreams when Tess was here…”
Kyle felt deeply uncomfortable and faintly guilty again, as if it was somehow his fault that Tess was back. The rising wind in the surrounding trees didn’t help, making a high, eerie whine that distracted him from the conversation when he needed to concentrate.
“Well, yeah, I suppose she could have been there from the beginning but I only remember the dreams from the last two nights. I certainly didn’t feel any kind of connection to Max when we were in that shared sleep thing before my powers kicked in… I don’t remember dreaming at all then. ”
“You did once, Kyle, now that I think about it. It was one time when we were in the bus, you were glowing green and sleeping a lot. You called me ‘Tess’ and said you missed her. Liz, you were there, too, and upset by it then as well. Max had called you Tess again, but we didn’t have time to think about it as we were too busy running from the FBI…”
There was a pause, while everyone remembered that they were still supposed to be on watch for the Feds even if, for three of them, it was now almost a token gesture. Coffee cups were refilled all round and Michael heated up more hot chocolate for Maria, who was feeling increasingly in need of comfort. The night was now very cold, the wind was rising and they huddled in their warm clothes, each secretly wishing they were snug in their tents.
Then Michael sat back and collected the attention of the group ready for what he was about to say.
“Speaking of the Feds, I think it’s time we talked about Max. All we know is he’s alone out there, heading north-east, possibly to New York, to find out what the Tess thing is all about. Now, if it was just that, I’d say let him be – it’s his choice and it’s my responsibility to keep the rest of us safe.”
“But you’re saying it’s more than that, Michael?”
Isobel was surprised and wary.
“I think so, Iz. I have a theory – I can’t prove it – but it seems logical to me.”
Sensing that Maria was on the verge of backing him up, he sent her a private warning to keep quiet. He realised he now had to talk to Isobel and Liz without antagonising them by revealing that they had been excluded from discussing theories.
“I’ve been thinking and I’m as sure as I can be that we haven’t been followed since Roswell. I know we’ve changed our disguises and got the Chevy, but anyone tailing us closely still had a damn good chance of keeping track of where we went and plenty of places to capture us. So why do you think we haven’t been picked up yet? We’ve driven for hours through the middle of nowhere, on long stretches of empty road for the last 24 hours, too. That was the ideal chance to get us without any fuss. Now we’re here, it just makes it much more difficult to mount an operation in this type of terrain.”
“So we’re safe, Michael? Is that what you’re saying?”
Isobel suddenly looked like she might faint with relief. She hadn’t realised just how very much she had dreaded pursuit and capture until now when the threat might be over.
“My thought is that we probably are but we must still keep our guard up. The attack on us was a weird set-up all together. Only a few operatives involved and at a high-profile ceremony in a school. They didn’t even have the place surrounded in case we escaped. That would have been over-confident if we were normal, but insane if they knew or suspected we had alien powers. FBI operations are usually covert – they just wouldn’t be so public – they could have taken us from our homes without anyone noticing, if they’d wanted to. That’s why I’m not sure it was an official FBI operation, after all. Something just doesn’t smell right…”
Isobel and Liz looked surprised and then thoughtful.
“Who could it be, then Michael? Who else is out to get us?”
“For a while I thought it could be Khivar or the Skins, but now I don’t think so…”
“So we’re free after all, since we got away?”
Isobel was suddenly glowing with hope and Kyle wasn’t the only one who felt bad for her as Michael continued.
“However - and this is where Max comes into it – I think there’s a strong chance whoever it was didn’t bother using physical pursuit because they somehow got an electronic tag on us….”
Both Liz and Isobel went pale, their shocked gazes locked on a grim Michael so that they didn’t notice the lack of reaction from Maria and Kyle.
“Electronic tag? Oh, God, then they know where we are…there’s no escape…”
The horrified whisper came from Liz.
Michael’s voice was quiet and controlled, as he went on to reveal the point he needed to make. This new, controlled side of him had emerged in response to the challenge of leadership and assuming responsibility for the group. All the strength of character and resource that got him through a lifetime of physical abuse and loneliness was now turned to the defence of the group and he didn’t flinch from telling the frightening truth to the two people in the world that cared most for Max.
“The most likely place to hide a tag would be the bus. That’s why I think that it’s Max who is in real danger.”
He hurried on with his idea, anxious that Isobel should have no time at this stage to consider Jesse’s part in all this.
“Isobel, can you reach Max tonight and dreamwalk him with a warning? He needs to check the bus for a hidden bug and then if he finds one - get rid of it fast.”
Isobel still looked dazed, unconsciously twisting her wedding ring endlessly round her finger in her familiar nervous habit, but she nodded. Michael continued.
“Tell him not to just throw the bug away– that might tell our enemies to come looking for him. His best chance is to wait until he reaches a major truck stop and attach it to a long-haul truck, heading in another direction, preferably south. That way our enemies will still think we’re moving around the country, the truck driver will be safe when they realise what happened and, finally, Max and the rest of us should be safely lost somewhere in America by then.”
Maria reached for Michael’s hand. It was a good plan and there was no reason why it shouldn’t work. She hoped that Max would see reason and take Michael’s advice. Meanwhile, she just needed the physical comfort of Spaceboy’s touch.
He felt and tried to comfort Maria’s anxiety, smoothing his thumb across the back of her hand, understanding her need for physical contact with him as much as he needed her.
She prompted Kyle when the silence threatened to go on too long.
“What are we going to do about Tess? Isobel said you called her Tess before you got your powers…”
“Oh, that’s right, Maria. Kyle, didn’t I tell you at the time?”
“Uh, maybe you did and I forgot. I guess I must have been dreaming then, after all. Just don’t recall them. If I was, then Max probably was, too.”
“Means she’s been around in your dreams at least as soon as we left Roswell…and that was only a couple weeks after she arrived back from Antar and ‘died’ to protect us…”
Michael sounded thoughtful, but then Maria added another comment that sent a frisson of alarm through the others...
“Khivar could be behind Tess – it can't have been easy to steal a spaceship without his knowledge…? Do you think she somehow increased her powers when she was on Antar? It must have taken a lot to destroy the whole military base like that and then mind-warp her way out of it? Seems she can even dreamwalk now, too …”
“Then why couldn’t she hold the mind-warp for just a few minutes when she was in back of the car with the kid at the check-point…?”
“I guess she was just real tired by then, Michael. After all, she’d just crashed landed from another planet and was running for her life.”
“Could be, I guess…”
He shrugged
Liz’s voice was cold and hard as she leaned forward and swept her gaze over them all.
“The bitch has tricked us before and if it’s really her calling to Max she can only have tricked us again about dying in the explosion at the base.”
Maria privately thought this was merely stating the obvious, but she bit her lip and refrained from commenting, instead trying to move their speculation on.
“It seems it’s you and Max that she’s interested in, so far, Kyle. What does she want with the both of you? Have you any clue what it could be?”
“Maybe it’s because we both slept with her, or maybe just because I was linked with Max when my powers were developing and she was connecting with him? I’ve got no clue, Maria.”
It was at this point that Kyle suddenly recalled Max’s accusation about stealing his powers but when he told the others he admitted that he was uncertain of the truth regarding this.
“I suppose it could be true, I did feel a link when our forcefields connected in the dreams, but I really don’t think so...I think I would know if I was. But then, I guess I also thought I would develop my powers in a way more like, oh, like contagion, same as Liz when she got hers from Max. You never had any connection like mine with Max, did you, Liz? Your forcefield just appeared…”
Liz agreed, and dispassionately considered the evidence.
“All we have in common is that he healed us both. He didn’t appear to lose any of his powers, except when he died and got a new body. Max lost his kingly powers then, of course, but he had only to take them back from Michael to restore his birthright. It didn’t seem to affect him at all.”
Liz’s comment instantly sparked a reaction in Maria of mixed relief and anger at the memory – profound relief that Michael had regained his human self and deep anger that Max had been so ruthlessly brutal when he’d torn the mark of alien kingship out of the body of his ‘second-in-command’. To Maria’s anger at Max was added fury that Liz had been and could still be so callus about killing Michael to enable Max to regain his powers.
Michael felt the surge of anger and tried to calm her down.
***Cool it, Maria. Chill. Just calm down, ok? Now is not the right time to lose it with Parker, babe. Some other time, maybe, but not right now…***
He knew she’d caught his involuntary memory of that time, but his own flash of remembered disgust with himself was what made her contain her emotions and apply herself to the task of mentally reassuring him. In the few moments that Liz carried on speculating about the shared transference of alien powers, Maria had regained control of her emotions and only Michael knew how close she’d come to losing it with Liz.
The others hadn’t noticed anything amiss and attention was on Liz as the conversation continued oblivious to the moment of emotional turmoil now under control again.
“So why would he think you are stealing his powers? What did it feel like to you, Kyle?”
“In the dreams it was painful, I guess, but to me it felt more like we were somehow connecting, not really like I was draining his energy or anything…but yeah, it was painful. Max was angry…”
“Of course he would be, maybe he was in pain, too…”
Isobel’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered her brother’s odd mix of arrogance, pain, and loneliness.
“There’s something badly wrong with Max – it must be Tess. He said she was becoming more real to him than Liz and me… I’m scared, Michael…first the Feds or whoever and now Tess, too.”
Her voice suddenly took on all the imperiousness of a Royal Command. The Ice Queen spoke.
“He’s in danger. We must go after him.”
Michael shook his head in disbelief.
“Iz, we are on the run from our enemies who tried to kill us and must still want to. The best we can do is to stay together and stay out of sight for as long as we can. We can’t go chasing after Max. I’m telling you again - it was his choice to leave the group and go after Tess. Besides, we don’t yet know what she wants or where she is. It’s too dangerous to act until we know more. Anyhow, what the hell can we all do for him that you can’t do quicker and safer in a dreamwalk tonight?”
He watched her open her mouth in angry protest and then slowly compress her lips into a thin, hard line as she angrily fought against the truth in his argument.
“You don’t care about him, Michael, do you? He’s always been there for you your whole life, and here you can just ignore the danger he’s in and let Tess use him again. You’re still running away from problems, like you always did. You’re just using the group as an excuse.”
Even knowing that Isobel was lashing out in her fear and pain and that she’d feel bad afterwards, Maria wouldn’t forgive her for deliberately hurting Michael like that nor would she let it stop her from springing to his defence.
“How can you even think that? Of course Michael cares about Max, but he cares about the rest of us, too, which is why he won’t put us all in danger by following Max. Why can’t you see it, Isobel?”
Isobel looked across at the frowning blonde and than met Michael’s shadowed eyes. She spoke wearily and contritely, brown eyes pleading for forgiveness and still full of pain.
“I’m sorry, Michael. That was wrong of me. I know Max is just as much your brother as mine and I know you’d go after him in a heartbeat if you didn’t have to protect the rest of us, but still…”
Isobel’s distress was evident. Then Liz put in a bitter comment that stopped her cold.
“Max didn’t worry about leaving the rest of us behind with an unknown killer when he thought he was leaving for Antar with Tess. Neither did you.”
She gazed speculatively at the alien girl.
“I don’t think you’d be in such a rush to go to the rescue if it was anyone but Max out there, either… Michael’s right. Why should we risk our lives any more for him when he ran out on us?”
Isobel’s eyes narrowed in anger and a touch of guilt. Liz had a point. Maybe she wouldn’t have felt such a desperate need for action if it were one of the others instead of Max. Then she looked round at them all and knew that Liz was wrong. She might have been right not so long ago, but right now Isobel would have fought to the death for any of them.
She decided to ignore the antagonistic attitude and looked pleadingly over at the girl she was convinced still loved Max and might be persuaded to help him once again.
“Liz. I guess I know why you feel that way and where you stand in all this but, please, won’t you fight for him one more time so Tess doesn’t win again?”
Liz met her eyes for an unreadable moment and then slowly nodded her head.
Finally Isobel looked round at Kyle, a silent onlooker, and smiled confidently at him.
“What about you? What’s your vote on whether we should go after my brother?”
“I’m against it. I vote no.”
Kyle’s voice and expression were calm and neutral. Somehow that enraged Isobel more than anything else.
“Kyle, I know you’ve never liked him, but he saved your life and your father’s too. I guess it’s too much to ask you to return the favor now, huh?”
Whatever his feelings for her, Kyle wasn’t about to let Isobel needle and taunt him into any rash actions.
“No point in trying to push me into doing what you want, Isobel, it won’t work. I agree with Michael. Blindly following Max to wherever he’s going isn't a good idea and will likely end in all our deaths.”
The wind whipped the trees around and a sudden scatter of cold raindrops blew into their faces. Michael looked round at the sad and angry group.
“Looks like the action’s gonna take place in dreams tonight, anyway, so it doesn’t matter where we are, physically, does it?”
He avoided Isobel’s eyes. Her angry words had hurt him, despite her apology, and made him feel guilty, too, just as she’d meant them to. A barrier went back up inside him and he had withdrawn behind it. He could feel Maria in his mind fuming and silently cursing Isobel and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, warning her not to react publicly. She should know he would deal...when they were alone and he could lose himself and find comfort in her unconditionally loving mind and body.
“The only thing you can do for Max right now is tell him to check for an electronic bug on the bus and send it off in another direction.”
Michael’s voice was unusually gentle. Isobel’s fear for her brother was understandable, but her impulsiveness would lead them all into disaster for sure.
“Going after Max into the unknown is too dangerous. We could be walking into a trap. I’m not risking the rest of the group because Max has run after Tess. He chose to go and he stole the bus to do it. Leaving aside if it’s bugged or not, he didn’t give a f*ck about us…”
“How can you say that? It’s so not true…”
Maria suddenly lost patience and interrupted her.
“Whatever, Isobel, the fact is that only you and Liz voted to go after Max. Until we know more about what’s going on, we stay here and stick to our original plans.”
Michael backed her up.
“It’s the dreams tonight that are important. Isobel, you tell Max he needs to check out the bus soon. Kyle, I guess you’re gonna risk another visit from Tess. Maria and I will be right there next to you if you need us, ok?”
Kyle nodded, feeling apprehensive already. Michael turned to Isobel.
“Do you and Liz want to share our tent tonight? You can bring your sleeping bags over so we’ll all be together…”
Isobel and Liz shared a brief glance and then both shook their heads in unison.
“We’ll stay in our own tent tonight; Liz will be with me and we’ll call if we need you, ok.”
Liz would force herself to be there when Isobel talked to Max, as she’d reluctantly sided with the alien girl during the argument. She must put her plans for Michael on hold for the present. There would be plenty of time for winning him round later. If she was to get her revenge on Tess, she needed to know what was happening to Max.
So the group broke up, quickly heading into their tents as the wind sighed through the dark woods and blew the rain around in another cold, wet night, this time without alien intervention.
Only Kyle hung back, ignoring the rain, clearing the cups away, spending a long time concentrating on cleaning them with his powers. Then he snuffed the lanterns and went to sit in the Chevy, listening to the country music stations and gathering his courage to go to sleep, perchance to dream…
TBC…
There was no dessert for dinner.
Somehow, it didn’t seem right to eat frivolous alien ice-cream when they had serious issues to discuss and so Maria’s spicy tomato pasta and Michael’s honey-and-Tabasco-dressed salad were eaten without comment.
The evening meal took even longer to finish than usual because no one was in any hurry to start the discussion. No one was really hungry; there was no conversation, everyone was silent, lost in his or her own thoughts.
Finally, when the clean dishes were stored away and the usual coffee and hot chocolate had been brought to the table it became impossible to delay any longer. Nobody thought of sitting round the firepit tonight. There was an instinctive need for a more formal gathering around the table, a sense of impending danger that grew in each of them as the wind rose and blew rustling through the darkness of the surrounding woods.
Maria moved closer to Michael, suddenly needing to feel his physical strength as well as his mental connection. On his other side, Liz moved in as close as she dared without making it obvious. Kyle and Isobel sat facing the others, a friendly, comfortable distance apart but close enough for tacit reassurance.
Michael took a big gulp of his coffee, stared down into his cup for inspiration, then looked up and collected everyone’s attention with one word.
“Tess.”
It dropped into the pool of silence like a stone.
Suddenly, the dam broke as everyone started to talk at once, exclaiming about her reappearance or simply cursing the small blonde’s existence until Michael spoke again, cutting through the babble of voices.
“Quiet. Everyone will get a chance to talk. That’s what we’re here for…”
When he had everyone’s attention again, he folded his arms on the table and leaned in. All the others mirrored his action and they huddled round like conspirators in the lamp-lit night.
“Kyle, you first. Tell us all about the dreams you’ve had. Don’t leave anything out.”
Kyle began to talk, though he spared the girls the intimate details of his memory dream.
“…but she didn’t seem at all hostile or menacing that time. Just the opposite, in fact…”
Although Kyle was reporting his dreams as objectively as he could, Liz still gave him a look of pure distain. He glanced away, feeling too guilty to meet her eyes.
Isobel took over and contributed comments from her own dreamwalking perspective, before going on to describe the details of those she’d shared with Max.
Liz finally allowed herself to be curious about all the things she’d studiously ignored.
“This green glow thing…is it just your forcefield? You said there was some kind of link with Max. Did you feel anything when it happened? Is that the first time she made contact? Could she have been inside your head during the times you were out of it?”
“Not that I recall. I don’t remember anything during the times I was out of it. The dreams only started since we got here, the dreams when Tess was here…”
Kyle felt deeply uncomfortable and faintly guilty again, as if it was somehow his fault that Tess was back. The rising wind in the surrounding trees didn’t help, making a high, eerie whine that distracted him from the conversation when he needed to concentrate.
“Well, yeah, I suppose she could have been there from the beginning but I only remember the dreams from the last two nights. I certainly didn’t feel any kind of connection to Max when we were in that shared sleep thing before my powers kicked in… I don’t remember dreaming at all then. ”
“You did once, Kyle, now that I think about it. It was one time when we were in the bus, you were glowing green and sleeping a lot. You called me ‘Tess’ and said you missed her. Liz, you were there, too, and upset by it then as well. Max had called you Tess again, but we didn’t have time to think about it as we were too busy running from the FBI…”
There was a pause, while everyone remembered that they were still supposed to be on watch for the Feds even if, for three of them, it was now almost a token gesture. Coffee cups were refilled all round and Michael heated up more hot chocolate for Maria, who was feeling increasingly in need of comfort. The night was now very cold, the wind was rising and they huddled in their warm clothes, each secretly wishing they were snug in their tents.
Then Michael sat back and collected the attention of the group ready for what he was about to say.
“Speaking of the Feds, I think it’s time we talked about Max. All we know is he’s alone out there, heading north-east, possibly to New York, to find out what the Tess thing is all about. Now, if it was just that, I’d say let him be – it’s his choice and it’s my responsibility to keep the rest of us safe.”
“But you’re saying it’s more than that, Michael?”
Isobel was surprised and wary.
“I think so, Iz. I have a theory – I can’t prove it – but it seems logical to me.”
Sensing that Maria was on the verge of backing him up, he sent her a private warning to keep quiet. He realised he now had to talk to Isobel and Liz without antagonising them by revealing that they had been excluded from discussing theories.
“I’ve been thinking and I’m as sure as I can be that we haven’t been followed since Roswell. I know we’ve changed our disguises and got the Chevy, but anyone tailing us closely still had a damn good chance of keeping track of where we went and plenty of places to capture us. So why do you think we haven’t been picked up yet? We’ve driven for hours through the middle of nowhere, on long stretches of empty road for the last 24 hours, too. That was the ideal chance to get us without any fuss. Now we’re here, it just makes it much more difficult to mount an operation in this type of terrain.”
“So we’re safe, Michael? Is that what you’re saying?”
Isobel suddenly looked like she might faint with relief. She hadn’t realised just how very much she had dreaded pursuit and capture until now when the threat might be over.
“My thought is that we probably are but we must still keep our guard up. The attack on us was a weird set-up all together. Only a few operatives involved and at a high-profile ceremony in a school. They didn’t even have the place surrounded in case we escaped. That would have been over-confident if we were normal, but insane if they knew or suspected we had alien powers. FBI operations are usually covert – they just wouldn’t be so public – they could have taken us from our homes without anyone noticing, if they’d wanted to. That’s why I’m not sure it was an official FBI operation, after all. Something just doesn’t smell right…”
Isobel and Liz looked surprised and then thoughtful.
“Who could it be, then Michael? Who else is out to get us?”
“For a while I thought it could be Khivar or the Skins, but now I don’t think so…”
“So we’re free after all, since we got away?”
Isobel was suddenly glowing with hope and Kyle wasn’t the only one who felt bad for her as Michael continued.
“However - and this is where Max comes into it – I think there’s a strong chance whoever it was didn’t bother using physical pursuit because they somehow got an electronic tag on us….”
Both Liz and Isobel went pale, their shocked gazes locked on a grim Michael so that they didn’t notice the lack of reaction from Maria and Kyle.
“Electronic tag? Oh, God, then they know where we are…there’s no escape…”
The horrified whisper came from Liz.
Michael’s voice was quiet and controlled, as he went on to reveal the point he needed to make. This new, controlled side of him had emerged in response to the challenge of leadership and assuming responsibility for the group. All the strength of character and resource that got him through a lifetime of physical abuse and loneliness was now turned to the defence of the group and he didn’t flinch from telling the frightening truth to the two people in the world that cared most for Max.
“The most likely place to hide a tag would be the bus. That’s why I think that it’s Max who is in real danger.”
He hurried on with his idea, anxious that Isobel should have no time at this stage to consider Jesse’s part in all this.
“Isobel, can you reach Max tonight and dreamwalk him with a warning? He needs to check the bus for a hidden bug and then if he finds one - get rid of it fast.”
Isobel still looked dazed, unconsciously twisting her wedding ring endlessly round her finger in her familiar nervous habit, but she nodded. Michael continued.
“Tell him not to just throw the bug away– that might tell our enemies to come looking for him. His best chance is to wait until he reaches a major truck stop and attach it to a long-haul truck, heading in another direction, preferably south. That way our enemies will still think we’re moving around the country, the truck driver will be safe when they realise what happened and, finally, Max and the rest of us should be safely lost somewhere in America by then.”
Maria reached for Michael’s hand. It was a good plan and there was no reason why it shouldn’t work. She hoped that Max would see reason and take Michael’s advice. Meanwhile, she just needed the physical comfort of Spaceboy’s touch.
He felt and tried to comfort Maria’s anxiety, smoothing his thumb across the back of her hand, understanding her need for physical contact with him as much as he needed her.
She prompted Kyle when the silence threatened to go on too long.
“What are we going to do about Tess? Isobel said you called her Tess before you got your powers…”
“Oh, that’s right, Maria. Kyle, didn’t I tell you at the time?”
“Uh, maybe you did and I forgot. I guess I must have been dreaming then, after all. Just don’t recall them. If I was, then Max probably was, too.”
“Means she’s been around in your dreams at least as soon as we left Roswell…and that was only a couple weeks after she arrived back from Antar and ‘died’ to protect us…”
Michael sounded thoughtful, but then Maria added another comment that sent a frisson of alarm through the others...
“Khivar could be behind Tess – it can't have been easy to steal a spaceship without his knowledge…? Do you think she somehow increased her powers when she was on Antar? It must have taken a lot to destroy the whole military base like that and then mind-warp her way out of it? Seems she can even dreamwalk now, too …”
“Then why couldn’t she hold the mind-warp for just a few minutes when she was in back of the car with the kid at the check-point…?”
“I guess she was just real tired by then, Michael. After all, she’d just crashed landed from another planet and was running for her life.”
“Could be, I guess…”
He shrugged
Liz’s voice was cold and hard as she leaned forward and swept her gaze over them all.
“The bitch has tricked us before and if it’s really her calling to Max she can only have tricked us again about dying in the explosion at the base.”
Maria privately thought this was merely stating the obvious, but she bit her lip and refrained from commenting, instead trying to move their speculation on.
“It seems it’s you and Max that she’s interested in, so far, Kyle. What does she want with the both of you? Have you any clue what it could be?”
“Maybe it’s because we both slept with her, or maybe just because I was linked with Max when my powers were developing and she was connecting with him? I’ve got no clue, Maria.”
It was at this point that Kyle suddenly recalled Max’s accusation about stealing his powers but when he told the others he admitted that he was uncertain of the truth regarding this.
“I suppose it could be true, I did feel a link when our forcefields connected in the dreams, but I really don’t think so...I think I would know if I was. But then, I guess I also thought I would develop my powers in a way more like, oh, like contagion, same as Liz when she got hers from Max. You never had any connection like mine with Max, did you, Liz? Your forcefield just appeared…”
Liz agreed, and dispassionately considered the evidence.
“All we have in common is that he healed us both. He didn’t appear to lose any of his powers, except when he died and got a new body. Max lost his kingly powers then, of course, but he had only to take them back from Michael to restore his birthright. It didn’t seem to affect him at all.”
Liz’s comment instantly sparked a reaction in Maria of mixed relief and anger at the memory – profound relief that Michael had regained his human self and deep anger that Max had been so ruthlessly brutal when he’d torn the mark of alien kingship out of the body of his ‘second-in-command’. To Maria’s anger at Max was added fury that Liz had been and could still be so callus about killing Michael to enable Max to regain his powers.
Michael felt the surge of anger and tried to calm her down.
***Cool it, Maria. Chill. Just calm down, ok? Now is not the right time to lose it with Parker, babe. Some other time, maybe, but not right now…***
He knew she’d caught his involuntary memory of that time, but his own flash of remembered disgust with himself was what made her contain her emotions and apply herself to the task of mentally reassuring him. In the few moments that Liz carried on speculating about the shared transference of alien powers, Maria had regained control of her emotions and only Michael knew how close she’d come to losing it with Liz.
The others hadn’t noticed anything amiss and attention was on Liz as the conversation continued oblivious to the moment of emotional turmoil now under control again.
“So why would he think you are stealing his powers? What did it feel like to you, Kyle?”
“In the dreams it was painful, I guess, but to me it felt more like we were somehow connecting, not really like I was draining his energy or anything…but yeah, it was painful. Max was angry…”
“Of course he would be, maybe he was in pain, too…”
Isobel’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered her brother’s odd mix of arrogance, pain, and loneliness.
“There’s something badly wrong with Max – it must be Tess. He said she was becoming more real to him than Liz and me… I’m scared, Michael…first the Feds or whoever and now Tess, too.”
Her voice suddenly took on all the imperiousness of a Royal Command. The Ice Queen spoke.
“He’s in danger. We must go after him.”
Michael shook his head in disbelief.
“Iz, we are on the run from our enemies who tried to kill us and must still want to. The best we can do is to stay together and stay out of sight for as long as we can. We can’t go chasing after Max. I’m telling you again - it was his choice to leave the group and go after Tess. Besides, we don’t yet know what she wants or where she is. It’s too dangerous to act until we know more. Anyhow, what the hell can we all do for him that you can’t do quicker and safer in a dreamwalk tonight?”
He watched her open her mouth in angry protest and then slowly compress her lips into a thin, hard line as she angrily fought against the truth in his argument.
“You don’t care about him, Michael, do you? He’s always been there for you your whole life, and here you can just ignore the danger he’s in and let Tess use him again. You’re still running away from problems, like you always did. You’re just using the group as an excuse.”
Even knowing that Isobel was lashing out in her fear and pain and that she’d feel bad afterwards, Maria wouldn’t forgive her for deliberately hurting Michael like that nor would she let it stop her from springing to his defence.
“How can you even think that? Of course Michael cares about Max, but he cares about the rest of us, too, which is why he won’t put us all in danger by following Max. Why can’t you see it, Isobel?”
Isobel looked across at the frowning blonde and than met Michael’s shadowed eyes. She spoke wearily and contritely, brown eyes pleading for forgiveness and still full of pain.
“I’m sorry, Michael. That was wrong of me. I know Max is just as much your brother as mine and I know you’d go after him in a heartbeat if you didn’t have to protect the rest of us, but still…”
Isobel’s distress was evident. Then Liz put in a bitter comment that stopped her cold.
“Max didn’t worry about leaving the rest of us behind with an unknown killer when he thought he was leaving for Antar with Tess. Neither did you.”
She gazed speculatively at the alien girl.
“I don’t think you’d be in such a rush to go to the rescue if it was anyone but Max out there, either… Michael’s right. Why should we risk our lives any more for him when he ran out on us?”
Isobel’s eyes narrowed in anger and a touch of guilt. Liz had a point. Maybe she wouldn’t have felt such a desperate need for action if it were one of the others instead of Max. Then she looked round at them all and knew that Liz was wrong. She might have been right not so long ago, but right now Isobel would have fought to the death for any of them.
She decided to ignore the antagonistic attitude and looked pleadingly over at the girl she was convinced still loved Max and might be persuaded to help him once again.
“Liz. I guess I know why you feel that way and where you stand in all this but, please, won’t you fight for him one more time so Tess doesn’t win again?”
Liz met her eyes for an unreadable moment and then slowly nodded her head.
Finally Isobel looked round at Kyle, a silent onlooker, and smiled confidently at him.
“What about you? What’s your vote on whether we should go after my brother?”
“I’m against it. I vote no.”
Kyle’s voice and expression were calm and neutral. Somehow that enraged Isobel more than anything else.
“Kyle, I know you’ve never liked him, but he saved your life and your father’s too. I guess it’s too much to ask you to return the favor now, huh?”
Whatever his feelings for her, Kyle wasn’t about to let Isobel needle and taunt him into any rash actions.
“No point in trying to push me into doing what you want, Isobel, it won’t work. I agree with Michael. Blindly following Max to wherever he’s going isn't a good idea and will likely end in all our deaths.”
The wind whipped the trees around and a sudden scatter of cold raindrops blew into their faces. Michael looked round at the sad and angry group.
“Looks like the action’s gonna take place in dreams tonight, anyway, so it doesn’t matter where we are, physically, does it?”
He avoided Isobel’s eyes. Her angry words had hurt him, despite her apology, and made him feel guilty, too, just as she’d meant them to. A barrier went back up inside him and he had withdrawn behind it. He could feel Maria in his mind fuming and silently cursing Isobel and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, warning her not to react publicly. She should know he would deal...when they were alone and he could lose himself and find comfort in her unconditionally loving mind and body.
“The only thing you can do for Max right now is tell him to check for an electronic bug on the bus and send it off in another direction.”
Michael’s voice was unusually gentle. Isobel’s fear for her brother was understandable, but her impulsiveness would lead them all into disaster for sure.
“Going after Max into the unknown is too dangerous. We could be walking into a trap. I’m not risking the rest of the group because Max has run after Tess. He chose to go and he stole the bus to do it. Leaving aside if it’s bugged or not, he didn’t give a f*ck about us…”
“How can you say that? It’s so not true…”
Maria suddenly lost patience and interrupted her.
“Whatever, Isobel, the fact is that only you and Liz voted to go after Max. Until we know more about what’s going on, we stay here and stick to our original plans.”
Michael backed her up.
“It’s the dreams tonight that are important. Isobel, you tell Max he needs to check out the bus soon. Kyle, I guess you’re gonna risk another visit from Tess. Maria and I will be right there next to you if you need us, ok?”
Kyle nodded, feeling apprehensive already. Michael turned to Isobel.
“Do you and Liz want to share our tent tonight? You can bring your sleeping bags over so we’ll all be together…”
Isobel and Liz shared a brief glance and then both shook their heads in unison.
“We’ll stay in our own tent tonight; Liz will be with me and we’ll call if we need you, ok.”
Liz would force herself to be there when Isobel talked to Max, as she’d reluctantly sided with the alien girl during the argument. She must put her plans for Michael on hold for the present. There would be plenty of time for winning him round later. If she was to get her revenge on Tess, she needed to know what was happening to Max.
So the group broke up, quickly heading into their tents as the wind sighed through the dark woods and blew the rain around in another cold, wet night, this time without alien intervention.
Only Kyle hung back, ignoring the rain, clearing the cups away, spending a long time concentrating on cleaning them with his powers. Then he snuffed the lanterns and went to sit in the Chevy, listening to the country music stations and gathering his courage to go to sleep, perchance to dream…
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 38
Michael had gone over to the shower block leaving Maria to rapidly shed her outdoor clothes and hang them in the vestibule. She made a mental note to herself to think about their laundry tomorrow. They didn’t have too many clothes and if she didn’t watch Michael he would live in his black sweatshirts until they fell to rags and tatters...
It was cold in the tent and she hurried to throw an extra blanket over Kyle’s sleeping bag as well as their own. Only the basic necessities had been unpacked from the Chevy earlier and neatly arranged ready for the night again, so she pulled back the covers, stripped off the rest of her clothes and slid into the chilly sleepingbag, shivering and mentally growling at Michael to hurry up.
Then, in a swirl of wind and rain, he was there grinning at her while he threw off his own clothes, the canvas doors apparently sealing themselves behind him.
***Not much time, Kyle will be back soon…***
Maria held out her arms towards him in the dim lamplight.
*** Then what are you waiting for, Spaceboy? Come here…***
He didn’t waste any time, just crawled in beside her, slid an arm around her, cupped her face with his other hand and took her lips with his own. Then he trailed his hand down her neck and further on down to a creamy breast where he lingered, stroking the rosy tip with his thumb while his tongue stroked hers and his mind met her own in the rising heat of their urgent desire.
She reached down to find his thick c*ock already springing eagerly up to meet her and he groaned into her mouth as her hand curled round it and her thumb smoothed lightly over the sensitive tip, mirroring his own actions on her responsive nipples.
Her other hand raked through his hair and she gasped as he broke away from her mouth to leave a necklace of kisses round the base of her throat, then gently closed his teeth on the delicate skin just below her ear so that she shivered in delight.
Michael’s c*ock was now rock hard in Maria’s hand and she was already so wet for him, both of them panting and gasping the other’s name, that when he moved to hold himself poised above her, about to slide into her, she wrapped her legs around his ass and greedily pulled the whole thick, steel-hard length of his c*ock up into her tight, velvety, searing heat. It was his turn to gasp in surprise as she encased him completely.
Their gazes locked as he began to thrust slowly inside her and she rocked against him, reaching up to grip his shoulders and dig her nails into his smooth muscle as the rhythm built quickly in fast, furious need, then his mind soared with hers into ecstatic infinity as they found their bliss in each other again and collapsed breathless on the pillows.
Still panting and laughing a little at their desperate need to make love fast before Kyle returned and caught them, they slowly came back to earth lying in each other’s arms, with Maria scattering soft, loving kisses over Michael’s cheek.
It was, in fact, some little time before they heard Kyle go to bed and by then Michael was lazily rolling a thumb over one of her cherry-tipped breasts while Maria’s teasing fingers were beginning to have a rousing effect on his anatomy again. They both sighed in reluctant agreement that this activity must stop while other serious duties took precedence.
“You go to sleep, Maria. I’ll keep watch on Kyle for an hour or two and I’ll wake you if anything happens…”
“Promise, Michael? No letting me sleep through it for my own protection, or else I’m warning you there’ll be biiig trouble…”
“Ok, I promise to wake you whatever happens…now go to sleep. You practically are anyway…”
“Am not. I’m just as wide awake as you aaaaaare…”
An enormous yawn overcame her, smothered by her hand, and then she grinned up at him, rolling her eyes in self-mockery before kissing him goodnight and turning on her side to snuggle beneath his arm against his warm body.
He waited until her breathing slowed, felt her mind quickly sliding into sleep, before he silently moved the molecules to open the door onto the dark vestibule so that he could listen more easily for Kyle on the other side of the canvas wall.
He wasn’t sleepy anyway and this Tess business worried him more than he was willing to admit. Isobel’s taunts had hit him hard and he wondered uneasily if he was wrong not to go after Max. Maybe she was right and he was running away from his problems again…maybe they should just pack up the Chevy and head out tomorrow morning, try to catch up with Max in the bus before it got to wherever Tess wanted it to be.
Then Maria’s silent, sleepy voice was in his head scolding him, while her arms went round his neck and she pulled his face down to hers until they were nearly nose-to-nose. Her green eyes gazed fiercely into his.
***Listen to me, Michael. Isobel’s wrong. You know she just wanted to push your buttons to send you on a guilt trip so you’d rush after Max. You made the right decision – keeping the group safe is the most important thing right now and Max is perfectly capable of looking after himself when he finds out what’s going on with Tess... He knows what she’s like and he’ll certainly be on his guard against her tricks***
There was a pause as she kissed him to emphasise her love and support. He kissed her back, hugging her close, feeling the sting of Isobel’s barbs fade almost to nothing in the loving intensity of Maria’s feelings for him. He could never forget his childhood, and it would always shape how he looked at the world, but he was shedding it’s emotional hold over him like an outgrown skin as he grew and changed under the impact of creating a new life for himself and Maria.
Because that was what was really happening – the chance for a new life together once they’d solved the immediate problems of dealing with their mysterious FBI enemies, who wanted to kill them, and Tess – whose intentions were still unknown.
‘The past is another country, they do things differently there’ – he’d read it somewhere, but couldn’t recall the author – and the quotation seemed apt for the new Michael he was learning know and wanted to keep…
***I’ll love you whoever you turn out to be, Spaceboy…***
He’d momentarily forgotten that she could hear his private thoughts if he let her, but this time he didn’t mind. He knew she understood. He hugged her tighter.
After a time Maria spoke again, slowly, considering her words as she struggled to express her feelings and suspicions.
***I’ve been thinking about Max tonight and… I don’t trust him, Michael… or – or Liz, either. I can’t believe I’m saying it, she’s been my best friend forever, but … I don’t think she’s quite sane any more…***
Michael snorted in amusement and then realised she was serious.
***Not gonna get an argument from me on that one, Maria, but why do you suddenly think she’s nuts?***
***It’s not really so sudden, Michael, I just didn’t notice until we all were forced to live so close together, like 24/7, this last week... I don’t think it’s just because of the Tess thing, either. Lately, she’s been – I don’t know – kind of detached with me and everyone else. Well, ok - with me, when she isn’t being insulting or clingy. I guess she’s always been kind of indifferent to anyone else except Max***
***True, she’s never been real friendly to the rest of us – but then who cares? So what makes her any different now – she’s always been hostile to me, no change there***
***She’s too – I don’t know… I’m not even sure what it is about her that makes me think she’s losing it, Michael. I mean, dumping her breakfast over Kyle this morning was funny to us, but her rage against him is unreasonable and it’s going on far too long. Ok, so he slept with Tess and had feelings for her. That was way back. Why hold a grudge now? At first I thought her behaviour was an extreme reaction to the stress of leaving Roswell and then breaking up with Max; but I now think maybe it started when she began to develop the powers and went away to school and then Max showed up and - and attacked us…***
Michael held her tight and stroked her hair comfortingly, suppressing his burst of fury as the memory of being nearly strangled by Max replayed in her mind before she realised he had seen it. Instinctively, he soothed her with his lips and hands while he told her fiercely that she was safe with him.
*** I know Liz said it wasn’t really Max, it was that old Meta-Chem guy in Max’s body, but…I-I only saw Max’s face and somehow I haven’t been able to completely trust him since…and this leaving Liz and running after Tess thing doesn’t help***
*** God, Maria, why didn’t you tell me? You shouldn’t have had to deal all by yourself… and if not me, hell, Liz is your best friend and she was there – couldn’t you have talked to her?***
Maria laughed.
***She had her own worse life-threatening experiences with Max and then she was so focussed on taking things slow with him afterwards, she never really registered that I had been there, too… I guess I just had to deal – and I have, Michael, I have, don’t worry. It’s just once in a while that I look at him and remember his face and what it felt like with his hands around my throat choking me…***
Maria suddenly sobbed into Michael’s chest and tried to apologise at the same time.
***I’m just being stupid, Michael, it wasn’t a big deal; it was over so fast, he didn’t really hurt me and it wasn’t really Max doing it, I know that. Don’t worry, it’s old, now …***
Michael hugged and patted her helplessly. He couldn’t stand to see her cry and he felt a cold, irrational anger with Max for hurting the innocent, defenceless Maria, even if it wasn’t really him doing it - and an equally cold fury at Liz, selfishly oblivious to her friend's feelings.
***Hey, hey, c’mon, Maria, you’re not being stupid. You were attacked, and to you it looked like Max did it. Of course you’re not gonna trust him after that…***
Maria sat up, sniffed and reached across for a tissue from the pack by the bed.
***Sorry I got all weepy, Spaceboy. I think it was just the excuse that I needed to let everything else out, too. You know - my mom, and now Tess and everything. I feel better now, thanks…***
Michael remembered his plan to dreamwalk Amy DeLuca and suggested he try a little later before they went to sleep. Maria lit up at the prospect and threw herself back down to kiss him again, to which he didn’t object at all.
Then he remembered that Maria hadn’t finished telling him why she thought Parker had lost it. When he reminded her, she turned serious again.
*** I mean, when I found her at that school, Liz was angry, her powers were showing up and she was drinking heavily. I know she never quite trusted Max again afterwards, even though she'd seemed to have some kind of connection to him. Like, she knew when he ‘died’ – you remember I called you to check on him because she was so convinced there was something wrong?***
***Yeah, I remember – there were a few things goin’ on with Isobel and Jesse at that time, too, as I recall***
***Well, ever since that time, Liz has been, like, riding an emotional rollercoaster –extreme reactions about everything***
***Maria, it's my guess she’s always had extreme reactions – she just kept a lid on them so she can be Little Miss Perfect Parker – what’s changed now?***
***The lid’s finally blown off under pressure, I guess. Anyway, she told me after we left Roswell that she thought it was like some romantic movie with her as the heroine on the run with a powerful alien king for her lover – don’t laugh like that, Michael, I think it’s kind of romantic, too, being with you...***
He tried to muffle his laughter so he didn’t wake Kyle. It was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time – Liz Parker, Screen Goddess - but Michael finally sobered up before Maria got seriously pissed at him.
***Yeah, well, the point is - you think it’s kinda romantic just being with me, human or not, Maria*** He leaned in for a kiss.
Michael eventually continued his thought, when he could think again.
***Liz Parker’s really in love with the whole alien-king, royalty stuff, and all the drama that goes with it… If Max hadn’t revealed our secret, she’d never have noticed him. She’d still be with the captain of the football team. Kyle’s one damned lucky guy…and you can bet he knows it. Liz is ambitious, attracted to power and Max is literally the most powerful guy she’s ever met. I don’t think she’ll ever give him up completely***
***But listen, Liz also said that she suspected Max was only with her out of guilt that he’d ruined her life. Then he goes and proves it to her by calling her Tess when they made love and running after the murdering bitch at the first opportunity. ***
***Yeah, but was that real or was that Tess herself inside his head? Liz is still traumatised – it’s only been a week – and her usual pattern is to give him another chance eventually, because they’re ‘soul mates’. She’ll blame Tess for everything, as usual, and Max will get yet another chance***
***Still, she actually criticised him publicly tonight, when she accused him of not caring about us humans left behind, even if next minute she did agree to side with Isobel about going after him. I’m sure she really does love him, but I’m not so sure she’ll give him another chance this time... I mean, it’s no wonder she’s screwed up, Michael, and I feel so sad for her but - I just don’t quite trust her anymore. I think she’s become a little unbalanced…***
She heard Michael’s derisive snort.
*** A lot unbalanced, if you ask me… She’s driving me nuts, anyway, and it’s only been a week – what will happen if we’re isolated deeper in the wilderness?***
***Maybe I’m being too hard on her and she’ll calm down soon. She’s been through so much in the past few weeks***
***We all have, Maria, and though I’ll even admit she’s maybe had it a little tougher than the rest of us lately what with Max an’ all, I notice she’s still bein’ carried by the group… Liz never lifts a finger except to make that damn cherry coke. Kyle’s made much better progress with his powers, but she doesn’t appear to make any attempt at all. She’s gotta get off her ass and start doing more of her share of the chores, at least***
Maria could feel Michael’s irritation grow at the thought of Liz Parker’s enforced company for the foreseeable future.
***Tell her tomorrow, Spaceboy, tonight we have to watch for Kyle. He’s very quiet so far. Do you think he’s asleep yet?***
They both listened hard, but the buffeting wind and rain outside the tent drowned all other sounds. Eventually, Michael looked at his watch and gave up. There was no point now in waiting until dawn - Kyle would wake them if and when he had some news.
***It’s late. Want to try to contact your mom now, princess?***
Her nakedly desperate hope suddenly reminded him how very deeply she missed her mom and he was impatient to make contact as quickly as he could.
They snuggled down together in the warmth of their bed, the air in the tent nearly as chill as the cold night outside.
Michael spooned up behind Maria, relaxed and ready for sleep now while Maria was the one wide awake.
***Show me your mom, Maria, try to see her as clearly as you can so I can focus on her image in your mind, ok…?***
There was no hesitation, no blurriness – just a sharp, instant picture of Amy DeLuca’s face there in her daughter’s mind’s eye.
***What do you want me to tell her?***
***Just tell her I love her and that we’re together. She won’t believe you’re really in her dream and it might take a few more visits to convince her of the message, but she’s already familiar with dream interpretation…you may have to plant a few specific symbols in future visits to let her work it out for herself***
***Ok, Maria. Just don’t try to follow me into her dream, yeah? It’s too dangerous until I’ve had more practice and I know what I’m doing…***
Maria reluctantly saw the sense in Michael’s warning and agreed to stay out of his dreaming mind. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, closing his eyes and re-focusing on Amy’s face as he sank gently into sleep.
This time, however, the mists failed to part and all Michael found as he moved blindly through them was a pervading sense of fear. It puzzled him until he realized the answer.
Amy DeLuca was too afraid to sleep…
TBC…
Michael had gone over to the shower block leaving Maria to rapidly shed her outdoor clothes and hang them in the vestibule. She made a mental note to herself to think about their laundry tomorrow. They didn’t have too many clothes and if she didn’t watch Michael he would live in his black sweatshirts until they fell to rags and tatters...
It was cold in the tent and she hurried to throw an extra blanket over Kyle’s sleeping bag as well as their own. Only the basic necessities had been unpacked from the Chevy earlier and neatly arranged ready for the night again, so she pulled back the covers, stripped off the rest of her clothes and slid into the chilly sleepingbag, shivering and mentally growling at Michael to hurry up.
Then, in a swirl of wind and rain, he was there grinning at her while he threw off his own clothes, the canvas doors apparently sealing themselves behind him.
***Not much time, Kyle will be back soon…***
Maria held out her arms towards him in the dim lamplight.
*** Then what are you waiting for, Spaceboy? Come here…***
He didn’t waste any time, just crawled in beside her, slid an arm around her, cupped her face with his other hand and took her lips with his own. Then he trailed his hand down her neck and further on down to a creamy breast where he lingered, stroking the rosy tip with his thumb while his tongue stroked hers and his mind met her own in the rising heat of their urgent desire.
She reached down to find his thick c*ock already springing eagerly up to meet her and he groaned into her mouth as her hand curled round it and her thumb smoothed lightly over the sensitive tip, mirroring his own actions on her responsive nipples.
Her other hand raked through his hair and she gasped as he broke away from her mouth to leave a necklace of kisses round the base of her throat, then gently closed his teeth on the delicate skin just below her ear so that she shivered in delight.
Michael’s c*ock was now rock hard in Maria’s hand and she was already so wet for him, both of them panting and gasping the other’s name, that when he moved to hold himself poised above her, about to slide into her, she wrapped her legs around his ass and greedily pulled the whole thick, steel-hard length of his c*ock up into her tight, velvety, searing heat. It was his turn to gasp in surprise as she encased him completely.
Their gazes locked as he began to thrust slowly inside her and she rocked against him, reaching up to grip his shoulders and dig her nails into his smooth muscle as the rhythm built quickly in fast, furious need, then his mind soared with hers into ecstatic infinity as they found their bliss in each other again and collapsed breathless on the pillows.
Still panting and laughing a little at their desperate need to make love fast before Kyle returned and caught them, they slowly came back to earth lying in each other’s arms, with Maria scattering soft, loving kisses over Michael’s cheek.
It was, in fact, some little time before they heard Kyle go to bed and by then Michael was lazily rolling a thumb over one of her cherry-tipped breasts while Maria’s teasing fingers were beginning to have a rousing effect on his anatomy again. They both sighed in reluctant agreement that this activity must stop while other serious duties took precedence.
“You go to sleep, Maria. I’ll keep watch on Kyle for an hour or two and I’ll wake you if anything happens…”
“Promise, Michael? No letting me sleep through it for my own protection, or else I’m warning you there’ll be biiig trouble…”
“Ok, I promise to wake you whatever happens…now go to sleep. You practically are anyway…”
“Am not. I’m just as wide awake as you aaaaaare…”
An enormous yawn overcame her, smothered by her hand, and then she grinned up at him, rolling her eyes in self-mockery before kissing him goodnight and turning on her side to snuggle beneath his arm against his warm body.
He waited until her breathing slowed, felt her mind quickly sliding into sleep, before he silently moved the molecules to open the door onto the dark vestibule so that he could listen more easily for Kyle on the other side of the canvas wall.
He wasn’t sleepy anyway and this Tess business worried him more than he was willing to admit. Isobel’s taunts had hit him hard and he wondered uneasily if he was wrong not to go after Max. Maybe she was right and he was running away from his problems again…maybe they should just pack up the Chevy and head out tomorrow morning, try to catch up with Max in the bus before it got to wherever Tess wanted it to be.
Then Maria’s silent, sleepy voice was in his head scolding him, while her arms went round his neck and she pulled his face down to hers until they were nearly nose-to-nose. Her green eyes gazed fiercely into his.
***Listen to me, Michael. Isobel’s wrong. You know she just wanted to push your buttons to send you on a guilt trip so you’d rush after Max. You made the right decision – keeping the group safe is the most important thing right now and Max is perfectly capable of looking after himself when he finds out what’s going on with Tess... He knows what she’s like and he’ll certainly be on his guard against her tricks***
There was a pause as she kissed him to emphasise her love and support. He kissed her back, hugging her close, feeling the sting of Isobel’s barbs fade almost to nothing in the loving intensity of Maria’s feelings for him. He could never forget his childhood, and it would always shape how he looked at the world, but he was shedding it’s emotional hold over him like an outgrown skin as he grew and changed under the impact of creating a new life for himself and Maria.
Because that was what was really happening – the chance for a new life together once they’d solved the immediate problems of dealing with their mysterious FBI enemies, who wanted to kill them, and Tess – whose intentions were still unknown.
‘The past is another country, they do things differently there’ – he’d read it somewhere, but couldn’t recall the author – and the quotation seemed apt for the new Michael he was learning know and wanted to keep…
***I’ll love you whoever you turn out to be, Spaceboy…***
He’d momentarily forgotten that she could hear his private thoughts if he let her, but this time he didn’t mind. He knew she understood. He hugged her tighter.
After a time Maria spoke again, slowly, considering her words as she struggled to express her feelings and suspicions.
***I’ve been thinking about Max tonight and… I don’t trust him, Michael… or – or Liz, either. I can’t believe I’m saying it, she’s been my best friend forever, but … I don’t think she’s quite sane any more…***
Michael snorted in amusement and then realised she was serious.
***Not gonna get an argument from me on that one, Maria, but why do you suddenly think she’s nuts?***
***It’s not really so sudden, Michael, I just didn’t notice until we all were forced to live so close together, like 24/7, this last week... I don’t think it’s just because of the Tess thing, either. Lately, she’s been – I don’t know – kind of detached with me and everyone else. Well, ok - with me, when she isn’t being insulting or clingy. I guess she’s always been kind of indifferent to anyone else except Max***
***True, she’s never been real friendly to the rest of us – but then who cares? So what makes her any different now – she’s always been hostile to me, no change there***
***She’s too – I don’t know… I’m not even sure what it is about her that makes me think she’s losing it, Michael. I mean, dumping her breakfast over Kyle this morning was funny to us, but her rage against him is unreasonable and it’s going on far too long. Ok, so he slept with Tess and had feelings for her. That was way back. Why hold a grudge now? At first I thought her behaviour was an extreme reaction to the stress of leaving Roswell and then breaking up with Max; but I now think maybe it started when she began to develop the powers and went away to school and then Max showed up and - and attacked us…***
Michael held her tight and stroked her hair comfortingly, suppressing his burst of fury as the memory of being nearly strangled by Max replayed in her mind before she realised he had seen it. Instinctively, he soothed her with his lips and hands while he told her fiercely that she was safe with him.
*** I know Liz said it wasn’t really Max, it was that old Meta-Chem guy in Max’s body, but…I-I only saw Max’s face and somehow I haven’t been able to completely trust him since…and this leaving Liz and running after Tess thing doesn’t help***
*** God, Maria, why didn’t you tell me? You shouldn’t have had to deal all by yourself… and if not me, hell, Liz is your best friend and she was there – couldn’t you have talked to her?***
Maria laughed.
***She had her own worse life-threatening experiences with Max and then she was so focussed on taking things slow with him afterwards, she never really registered that I had been there, too… I guess I just had to deal – and I have, Michael, I have, don’t worry. It’s just once in a while that I look at him and remember his face and what it felt like with his hands around my throat choking me…***
Maria suddenly sobbed into Michael’s chest and tried to apologise at the same time.
***I’m just being stupid, Michael, it wasn’t a big deal; it was over so fast, he didn’t really hurt me and it wasn’t really Max doing it, I know that. Don’t worry, it’s old, now …***
Michael hugged and patted her helplessly. He couldn’t stand to see her cry and he felt a cold, irrational anger with Max for hurting the innocent, defenceless Maria, even if it wasn’t really him doing it - and an equally cold fury at Liz, selfishly oblivious to her friend's feelings.
***Hey, hey, c’mon, Maria, you’re not being stupid. You were attacked, and to you it looked like Max did it. Of course you’re not gonna trust him after that…***
Maria sat up, sniffed and reached across for a tissue from the pack by the bed.
***Sorry I got all weepy, Spaceboy. I think it was just the excuse that I needed to let everything else out, too. You know - my mom, and now Tess and everything. I feel better now, thanks…***
Michael remembered his plan to dreamwalk Amy DeLuca and suggested he try a little later before they went to sleep. Maria lit up at the prospect and threw herself back down to kiss him again, to which he didn’t object at all.
Then he remembered that Maria hadn’t finished telling him why she thought Parker had lost it. When he reminded her, she turned serious again.
*** I mean, when I found her at that school, Liz was angry, her powers were showing up and she was drinking heavily. I know she never quite trusted Max again afterwards, even though she'd seemed to have some kind of connection to him. Like, she knew when he ‘died’ – you remember I called you to check on him because she was so convinced there was something wrong?***
***Yeah, I remember – there were a few things goin’ on with Isobel and Jesse at that time, too, as I recall***
***Well, ever since that time, Liz has been, like, riding an emotional rollercoaster –extreme reactions about everything***
***Maria, it's my guess she’s always had extreme reactions – she just kept a lid on them so she can be Little Miss Perfect Parker – what’s changed now?***
***The lid’s finally blown off under pressure, I guess. Anyway, she told me after we left Roswell that she thought it was like some romantic movie with her as the heroine on the run with a powerful alien king for her lover – don’t laugh like that, Michael, I think it’s kind of romantic, too, being with you...***
He tried to muffle his laughter so he didn’t wake Kyle. It was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time – Liz Parker, Screen Goddess - but Michael finally sobered up before Maria got seriously pissed at him.
***Yeah, well, the point is - you think it’s kinda romantic just being with me, human or not, Maria*** He leaned in for a kiss.
Michael eventually continued his thought, when he could think again.
***Liz Parker’s really in love with the whole alien-king, royalty stuff, and all the drama that goes with it… If Max hadn’t revealed our secret, she’d never have noticed him. She’d still be with the captain of the football team. Kyle’s one damned lucky guy…and you can bet he knows it. Liz is ambitious, attracted to power and Max is literally the most powerful guy she’s ever met. I don’t think she’ll ever give him up completely***
***But listen, Liz also said that she suspected Max was only with her out of guilt that he’d ruined her life. Then he goes and proves it to her by calling her Tess when they made love and running after the murdering bitch at the first opportunity. ***
***Yeah, but was that real or was that Tess herself inside his head? Liz is still traumatised – it’s only been a week – and her usual pattern is to give him another chance eventually, because they’re ‘soul mates’. She’ll blame Tess for everything, as usual, and Max will get yet another chance***
***Still, she actually criticised him publicly tonight, when she accused him of not caring about us humans left behind, even if next minute she did agree to side with Isobel about going after him. I’m sure she really does love him, but I’m not so sure she’ll give him another chance this time... I mean, it’s no wonder she’s screwed up, Michael, and I feel so sad for her but - I just don’t quite trust her anymore. I think she’s become a little unbalanced…***
She heard Michael’s derisive snort.
*** A lot unbalanced, if you ask me… She’s driving me nuts, anyway, and it’s only been a week – what will happen if we’re isolated deeper in the wilderness?***
***Maybe I’m being too hard on her and she’ll calm down soon. She’s been through so much in the past few weeks***
***We all have, Maria, and though I’ll even admit she’s maybe had it a little tougher than the rest of us lately what with Max an’ all, I notice she’s still bein’ carried by the group… Liz never lifts a finger except to make that damn cherry coke. Kyle’s made much better progress with his powers, but she doesn’t appear to make any attempt at all. She’s gotta get off her ass and start doing more of her share of the chores, at least***
Maria could feel Michael’s irritation grow at the thought of Liz Parker’s enforced company for the foreseeable future.
***Tell her tomorrow, Spaceboy, tonight we have to watch for Kyle. He’s very quiet so far. Do you think he’s asleep yet?***
They both listened hard, but the buffeting wind and rain outside the tent drowned all other sounds. Eventually, Michael looked at his watch and gave up. There was no point now in waiting until dawn - Kyle would wake them if and when he had some news.
***It’s late. Want to try to contact your mom now, princess?***
Her nakedly desperate hope suddenly reminded him how very deeply she missed her mom and he was impatient to make contact as quickly as he could.
They snuggled down together in the warmth of their bed, the air in the tent nearly as chill as the cold night outside.
Michael spooned up behind Maria, relaxed and ready for sleep now while Maria was the one wide awake.
***Show me your mom, Maria, try to see her as clearly as you can so I can focus on her image in your mind, ok…?***
There was no hesitation, no blurriness – just a sharp, instant picture of Amy DeLuca’s face there in her daughter’s mind’s eye.
***What do you want me to tell her?***
***Just tell her I love her and that we’re together. She won’t believe you’re really in her dream and it might take a few more visits to convince her of the message, but she’s already familiar with dream interpretation…you may have to plant a few specific symbols in future visits to let her work it out for herself***
***Ok, Maria. Just don’t try to follow me into her dream, yeah? It’s too dangerous until I’ve had more practice and I know what I’m doing…***
Maria reluctantly saw the sense in Michael’s warning and agreed to stay out of his dreaming mind. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, closing his eyes and re-focusing on Amy’s face as he sank gently into sleep.
This time, however, the mists failed to part and all Michael found as he moved blindly through them was a pervading sense of fear. It puzzled him until he realized the answer.
Amy DeLuca was too afraid to sleep…
TBC…
-
candylovespell
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:50 pm
Chapter 39
In the other tent Liz sat beside a sleeping Isobel and watched with detached interest as the alien girl dreamed of Max, far away tonight in both mind and body, sleeping in another anonymous motel somewhere beside an endless highway.
Isobel was on the dream plane, alone in the cold, starlit desert, wondering where her errant brother was.
The huge moon rose slowly over the dark horizon, shining pale and full, revealing Max’s dream image standing in the shadow of the rocks.
He made no move towards her this time, nor did he speak, but she knew he was aware of her presence.
Although the urgency of her message was uppermost in her mind, Isobel was wary as she closed the distance that separated them. She saw him turn away to go sit, a dark silhouette against the moon, on a nearby boulder, then wait until she was standing directly in front of him before he spoke, so quietly that she could barely hear him.
“We’re not alone…”
Then he raised his voice to normal levels and greeted her, annoyance plain in his voice.
“Isobel, at last. I’ve waited so long that I was beginning to think you weren’t coming tonight. What kept you?”
He said it with a demanding arrogance that automatically raised her hackles, until his rapid, low whisper came again.
“She’s here. Don’t tell me anything…”
She made herself sound just as pissy and arrogant - which wasn’t too far from the truth - as he had when he spoke aloud, but her mind registered what he was really saying as she replied to his overt greeting.
“Hello, Max, nice to see you, too. I’m not late; it’s not even midnight yet. Why are you so worried? It’s not like you don’t have all night to sleep and dream.”
Continuing aloud with enquiries about his health and current location (crossed into Illinois, apparently, but sleeping in the bus tonight) she rapidly reviewed her plans. Should she warn him about the possible bug in the bus? Would that also be information he didn’t want Tess to know?
She quickly made up her mind. The FBI, or whoever, were Tess’s enemies too and although Isobel wouldn’t lift a finger to help the girl who killed Alex, it was Max who needed the protection. Isobel herself had strong doubts about Michael’s theory – she didn’t see how the bus could have been rigged so fast before they left - but she decided to go ahead and deliver the warning message, as she’d agreed.
“Max, listen. There’s something you need to check out fast – Michael has a theory that maybe the FBI or someone bugged the bus. They could track us and pick us off at their leisure and that’s why we haven’t been followed. Now you’re the one in danger...”
Max’s response to this was the most natural since she had started these dream walks during the nights since he’d left to follow Tess’ call. His image suddenly brightened with life, recalling the ghost of the Max of old, automatically pouring cold water on one of Michael’s hot-headed ideas.
“What? No way, I just don’t believe it. It was Jesse who gave us the bus – and there wouldn’t have been time for a bugging device to be planted on it.”
“That’s what I think – but Michael’s right in that it looks like we haven’t been followed in the Chevy. He says he just wants to make sure that the bus is clean, too…”
“Well, ok, I’ll just go check it out right now…”
“Wait, Max, don’t rush off just yet. If you do find one, Michael says don’t destroy it – he wants you to keep it until you can find a long-haul truck, preferably heading south, and send our enemies off on a wild goose chase. Then we’ll be free and clear…”
“Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. I’ll go take a look now…Catch you later, Isobel…”
He looked hard at her, winked, then rolled his eyes in a significant glance upwards. She saw his finger discreetly lift and point behind him at the moon shining down over his shoulder.
Isobel just managed to stop herself glancing upwards, knowing that Max didn’t want her to reveal that she had caught on to his clues. Could it be that Tess might still believe that her presence in Max’s dreams had been undetected, since she had so far only appeared disguised as the moon? Still, Isobel remembered that Tess must know that Kyle had seen her in his own dreams… She would think about that puzzle later. Now she had to let Max wake up and check out the bus. She carefully kept her eyes fixed on his face.
“I’ll try to dreamwalk again in a while, Max, give you a chance to investigate, ok?”
His dream image nodded and then Isobel faded out of the scene and woke up.
She found herself looking up into Liz’s intent brown eyes; the wide, unblinking stare fixed on her own from the other girl’s position a few inches away, curled up by the bedside.
“Did you see Tess?”
The abrupt question surprised Isobel, who had expected Liz to ask about her brother. Next moment, she recognised her error. Liz obviously had no intention of inquiring into Max’s current situation and was simply waiting for Isobel’s answer.
“Well, no, not exactly… but she was there. I think that she was disguised as the moon. It’s appeared in every dream Max has had so far. He gave me the heads up tonight…”
Liz looked sceptical.
“Is that for real? You said he was acting strange before - maybe Tess has him under her spell this time, too… I really don’t think we can trust him anymore.”
Max’s sister was immediately defensive, surprised again at how detached, even indifferent, Liz appeared to be to her ‘soul mate’ now. Maybe she really was serious about moving on, but Isobel still couldn’t quite bring herself to believe it.
“He was different this time, Liz – still that arrogant attitude, but secretly whispering that we weren’t alone and warning me not to tell him anything … Max wouldn’t say that if he was really trying to find out anything about us for her. It’s put us on our guard now, if we weren’t already.”
“Did you give him Michael’s message?”
“Yes. I think it’s best for Max’s protection, even if it helps that bitch, too. Not that he’ll find anything – there wasn’t enough time for the Feds to wire up the bus. I think we took them by surprise when we made our escape so fast, that’s why we haven’t been followed. Anyway, Max is checking it out now – he’s sleeping in the bus tonight - and I’ll give him an hour before I dreamwalk him again.”
Liz shifted her position to make herself more comfortable and Isobel warmed up the chilly air in the tent again as the temperature had dropped while she was asleep. Liz apparently either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared.
After a long, absent silence, Liz spoke her thoughts aloud.
“Max said Tess was calling him because she needed help or something. Then he acted weird and creepy when he talked to you and wanted to know where we are. Now you say he’s warning you not to tell him anything? What is going on with her? Max is on his way to see her, without much of a fight, just as she wanted. Despite Alex’s death and everything else that’s gone down, she’s got him interested enough to run after her again.”
Isobel noticed that Liz didn’t sound too concerned at that aspect anymore. It was Tess’s motives that interested her now.
“I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do, Liz, but I do know that Max must be in some kind of trouble. I still think we should go after him, even though the others don’t. I’m so worried about him. I know I went too far earlier when I tried to persuade Michael, but - ”
Liz interrupted her.
“Yeah, you were pretty hard on him and Kyle, but I think they understand that you’re afraid for Max and they’ll forgive you. You’re closer to them than I am. I’m the outsider now…”
The resentment showed through in her voice and Isobel took note. It was true, but Liz had brought most of it on herself by her attitude.
“Well, maybe insulting Michael and Maria and attacking Kyle last night wasn’t the best way to go, but you apologised to everyone and I’m sure things will settle down again soon. Kyle’s forgiven you, anyhow.”
“Michael hasn’t. I know he’s never liked me, but I’m really going to try harder to be friends now we only have each other - in the group, I mean. Have you observed how much he’s changed? Did you notice he’s become so strong and protective of the group now and he’s got real leadership qualities. I never saw that in him back in Roswell…”
Just for an instant Isobel saw Liz’s eyes become as dreamy and hopeful as they used to be when she was with Max, but it passed so fast she thought she must have imagined it. Then Liz carried on talking aloud, half to herself, and Isobel’s eyebrows gradually rose in astonishment.
“He’s so concerned about Maria now, he never lets her out of his sight. Ironic, when you think how badly he treated her for so long. When she came with us I was pleased for me, of course, but I was really surprised – she was so uncertain of their relationship right up to the moment we left and, remember, Michael was planning to go off on his own. I’m starting to wonder if she made the right choice. After all, she’s the only one of us without powers. Michael’s protecting her now, but I’m so worried she’ll find it too hard to be the only human among us…”
Isobel had heard enough and her temper flared. She had sympathised with the girl’s grief and loss over Max, and understood when she wanted to move on and forget about him but Liz Parker didn’t seem to see anyone else’s point of view except her own. Jealousy over Maria’s happiness was unfair and wrong. Time to put her right.
“She’ll be fine, Liz. You’ve seen them together this last week and I don’t think you need to worry about Maria. It’s plain that Michael adores her, and she’s just as bad over him. As for being the only human, we all love her for herself, who cares if she has powers or not? I think it’s great she’s with us. I don’t know if I could have even survived without her.” Isobel’s voice softened. “I know it’s hard seeing them so happy when we’ve lost the ones we love, Liz, but - ”
Liz was highly indignant.
“I am not jealous, Isobel, and I really wasn’t trying to be bitchy - it’s just that I was surprised, that’s all… Anyway, you have to admit they’ve never gone so long without a fight before… ”
Isobel laughed and agreed that harmony had reigned between their famously volatile friends for so long now it must be a record. Despite their long association, she really didn’t know Liz well. Maybe she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and maybe Liz really was genuinely concerned for her best friend. Isobel reserved her judgement.
She sat up and reached for the supplies that Maria had left ready in the tents. A cup of hot chocolate would help her relax so that she could dreamwalk Max again. He must surely have had time to search the bus and go back to sleep by now. She said as much to Liz, who absently agreed as she accepted her cup and sipped slowly, eyes remote again.
Finally, Isobel decided that enough time had passed for Max to be ready again and she settled back down in her sleeping bag once more under Liz’s watchful gaze.
She closed her eyes and in a little while the mist rose up around the image of her brother’s face. However, nothing happened and she searched fruitlessly until she finally gave up and sank back into her own natural sleep.
All too soon, someone shook her shoulder, rousing her not so gently, and called her name. Groaning, she reluctantly opened her eyes on Liz again.
“No good, Liz. He must be having problems getting back to sleep, so I can’t dreamwalk him again yet. It’s not worth using up all my energy to try to contact him when he’s awake. You and I should both get some rest for a few hours. I’ll wake you up at 4 and I’ll try again then, ok?”
Liz nodded and stood up stiffly, reluctant and disappointed, to go back to her own sleepingbag without news.
Promptly at 4am Isobel’s watch beeped, dragging her from dreams that vanished as she woke so that she couldn’t quite recall their nature. This left her with a faintly uneasy feeling so that she snapped out Liz’s name impatiently through the dividing wall to call her ready for the dreamwalk.
Once the other girl was settled sleepily beside her bed again, Isobel lay back, closed her eyes and summoned her brother’s face.
This time there was no bar to her way forward and she immediately found herself back in the moonlit desert darkness again.
Max was waiting, pacing up and down in front of the rocks under the bright moon. He didn’t bother to greet her this time, just strode towards her talking as he came, his agitation clearly visible.
“Michael was right, Isobel. There is a bug, hidden under a metal plate in the floor. God, I just can’t believe it. What do I do now? What did Michael say to do?”
“He said to attach the bug to a long-haul truck, lead our enemies away from us, make them think we’re heading south again…”
Max immediately calmed down, now that he had an aim to focus on, and his confidence returned.
“Good plan. Tell Michael that when I hit a major north-south intersection, I’ll find a truck stop and do it tonight.”
“Why wait until then, Max?”
“It’s safer to do it under cover of darkness. Can’t do it now, I’m in the middle of nowhere here, just parked off the highway by an all-night diner. It’s real quiet, no one else is around.”
“It’s nearly dawn now so if you’re ok with doing that, Max, I’ll see you again tonight.”
He smiled affectionately and nodded briskly at her, seeming more natural and relaxed than he had appeared since she first visited his dreams a few nights ago. Neither of them had so much as glanced at the moon, still hanging low above them in the star-filled night sky. Isobel left him there, somehow a little less anxious now that she sensed her brother was back in control and closer to being his old self again, although she was still worried and puzzled about the constant presence of Tess in his dreams.
Back inside her own mind, waking in her warm sleeping bag to find Liz still watching her like a cat at a mousehole, she reported the bad news.
“Oh, my God, Isobel… Michael was right. You get dressed while I go tell him. Don’t worry, I can just slip my coat on over my pyjamas… But I still don’t understand - how did they have time to do it? Or get Jesse to buy that particular bus? Oh, God, we have so much we need to talk about…”
Isobel stopped her with a gentle gesture, wryly amused at the other girl’s urgency, even as she felt a new revelation welling up in her own mind - explosive knowledge she was too afraid to identify and desperately, frantically, wanted to deny. She fought for control, speaking calmly in a voice that didn’t sound like her own, focussing her attention on Liz, who was gaping at her in surprise.
“There’s no rush, Liz. We can’t do anything right now and Michael won’t be happy to see you if you wake him up in what he considers to be the middle of the night. Tell him at breakfast, that will be soon enough for him…”
As she spoke, Isobel was climbing out of her bed and searching for her own clothes, struggling into them hastily, not stopping to brush her tangled hair or button her jacket as she rushed outside into the wet and windy morning.
She never saw the dawning comprehension on Liz’s face or her frantic flight in pyjamas and bare feet, screaming Michael’s name in panic as she tried to claw her way into his tent.
Isobel was running and stumbling blindly down to the cold, grey lake, her mind reeling from the revelation that Jesse, the man she loved, lied to and left behind, had betrayed her and wanted her dead…
TBC…
In the other tent Liz sat beside a sleeping Isobel and watched with detached interest as the alien girl dreamed of Max, far away tonight in both mind and body, sleeping in another anonymous motel somewhere beside an endless highway.
Isobel was on the dream plane, alone in the cold, starlit desert, wondering where her errant brother was.
The huge moon rose slowly over the dark horizon, shining pale and full, revealing Max’s dream image standing in the shadow of the rocks.
He made no move towards her this time, nor did he speak, but she knew he was aware of her presence.
Although the urgency of her message was uppermost in her mind, Isobel was wary as she closed the distance that separated them. She saw him turn away to go sit, a dark silhouette against the moon, on a nearby boulder, then wait until she was standing directly in front of him before he spoke, so quietly that she could barely hear him.
“We’re not alone…”
Then he raised his voice to normal levels and greeted her, annoyance plain in his voice.
“Isobel, at last. I’ve waited so long that I was beginning to think you weren’t coming tonight. What kept you?”
He said it with a demanding arrogance that automatically raised her hackles, until his rapid, low whisper came again.
“She’s here. Don’t tell me anything…”
She made herself sound just as pissy and arrogant - which wasn’t too far from the truth - as he had when he spoke aloud, but her mind registered what he was really saying as she replied to his overt greeting.
“Hello, Max, nice to see you, too. I’m not late; it’s not even midnight yet. Why are you so worried? It’s not like you don’t have all night to sleep and dream.”
Continuing aloud with enquiries about his health and current location (crossed into Illinois, apparently, but sleeping in the bus tonight) she rapidly reviewed her plans. Should she warn him about the possible bug in the bus? Would that also be information he didn’t want Tess to know?
She quickly made up her mind. The FBI, or whoever, were Tess’s enemies too and although Isobel wouldn’t lift a finger to help the girl who killed Alex, it was Max who needed the protection. Isobel herself had strong doubts about Michael’s theory – she didn’t see how the bus could have been rigged so fast before they left - but she decided to go ahead and deliver the warning message, as she’d agreed.
“Max, listen. There’s something you need to check out fast – Michael has a theory that maybe the FBI or someone bugged the bus. They could track us and pick us off at their leisure and that’s why we haven’t been followed. Now you’re the one in danger...”
Max’s response to this was the most natural since she had started these dream walks during the nights since he’d left to follow Tess’ call. His image suddenly brightened with life, recalling the ghost of the Max of old, automatically pouring cold water on one of Michael’s hot-headed ideas.
“What? No way, I just don’t believe it. It was Jesse who gave us the bus – and there wouldn’t have been time for a bugging device to be planted on it.”
“That’s what I think – but Michael’s right in that it looks like we haven’t been followed in the Chevy. He says he just wants to make sure that the bus is clean, too…”
“Well, ok, I’ll just go check it out right now…”
“Wait, Max, don’t rush off just yet. If you do find one, Michael says don’t destroy it – he wants you to keep it until you can find a long-haul truck, preferably heading south, and send our enemies off on a wild goose chase. Then we’ll be free and clear…”
“Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. I’ll go take a look now…Catch you later, Isobel…”
He looked hard at her, winked, then rolled his eyes in a significant glance upwards. She saw his finger discreetly lift and point behind him at the moon shining down over his shoulder.
Isobel just managed to stop herself glancing upwards, knowing that Max didn’t want her to reveal that she had caught on to his clues. Could it be that Tess might still believe that her presence in Max’s dreams had been undetected, since she had so far only appeared disguised as the moon? Still, Isobel remembered that Tess must know that Kyle had seen her in his own dreams… She would think about that puzzle later. Now she had to let Max wake up and check out the bus. She carefully kept her eyes fixed on his face.
“I’ll try to dreamwalk again in a while, Max, give you a chance to investigate, ok?”
His dream image nodded and then Isobel faded out of the scene and woke up.
She found herself looking up into Liz’s intent brown eyes; the wide, unblinking stare fixed on her own from the other girl’s position a few inches away, curled up by the bedside.
“Did you see Tess?”
The abrupt question surprised Isobel, who had expected Liz to ask about her brother. Next moment, she recognised her error. Liz obviously had no intention of inquiring into Max’s current situation and was simply waiting for Isobel’s answer.
“Well, no, not exactly… but she was there. I think that she was disguised as the moon. It’s appeared in every dream Max has had so far. He gave me the heads up tonight…”
Liz looked sceptical.
“Is that for real? You said he was acting strange before - maybe Tess has him under her spell this time, too… I really don’t think we can trust him anymore.”
Max’s sister was immediately defensive, surprised again at how detached, even indifferent, Liz appeared to be to her ‘soul mate’ now. Maybe she really was serious about moving on, but Isobel still couldn’t quite bring herself to believe it.
“He was different this time, Liz – still that arrogant attitude, but secretly whispering that we weren’t alone and warning me not to tell him anything … Max wouldn’t say that if he was really trying to find out anything about us for her. It’s put us on our guard now, if we weren’t already.”
“Did you give him Michael’s message?”
“Yes. I think it’s best for Max’s protection, even if it helps that bitch, too. Not that he’ll find anything – there wasn’t enough time for the Feds to wire up the bus. I think we took them by surprise when we made our escape so fast, that’s why we haven’t been followed. Anyway, Max is checking it out now – he’s sleeping in the bus tonight - and I’ll give him an hour before I dreamwalk him again.”
Liz shifted her position to make herself more comfortable and Isobel warmed up the chilly air in the tent again as the temperature had dropped while she was asleep. Liz apparently either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared.
After a long, absent silence, Liz spoke her thoughts aloud.
“Max said Tess was calling him because she needed help or something. Then he acted weird and creepy when he talked to you and wanted to know where we are. Now you say he’s warning you not to tell him anything? What is going on with her? Max is on his way to see her, without much of a fight, just as she wanted. Despite Alex’s death and everything else that’s gone down, she’s got him interested enough to run after her again.”
Isobel noticed that Liz didn’t sound too concerned at that aspect anymore. It was Tess’s motives that interested her now.
“I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do, Liz, but I do know that Max must be in some kind of trouble. I still think we should go after him, even though the others don’t. I’m so worried about him. I know I went too far earlier when I tried to persuade Michael, but - ”
Liz interrupted her.
“Yeah, you were pretty hard on him and Kyle, but I think they understand that you’re afraid for Max and they’ll forgive you. You’re closer to them than I am. I’m the outsider now…”
The resentment showed through in her voice and Isobel took note. It was true, but Liz had brought most of it on herself by her attitude.
“Well, maybe insulting Michael and Maria and attacking Kyle last night wasn’t the best way to go, but you apologised to everyone and I’m sure things will settle down again soon. Kyle’s forgiven you, anyhow.”
“Michael hasn’t. I know he’s never liked me, but I’m really going to try harder to be friends now we only have each other - in the group, I mean. Have you observed how much he’s changed? Did you notice he’s become so strong and protective of the group now and he’s got real leadership qualities. I never saw that in him back in Roswell…”
Just for an instant Isobel saw Liz’s eyes become as dreamy and hopeful as they used to be when she was with Max, but it passed so fast she thought she must have imagined it. Then Liz carried on talking aloud, half to herself, and Isobel’s eyebrows gradually rose in astonishment.
“He’s so concerned about Maria now, he never lets her out of his sight. Ironic, when you think how badly he treated her for so long. When she came with us I was pleased for me, of course, but I was really surprised – she was so uncertain of their relationship right up to the moment we left and, remember, Michael was planning to go off on his own. I’m starting to wonder if she made the right choice. After all, she’s the only one of us without powers. Michael’s protecting her now, but I’m so worried she’ll find it too hard to be the only human among us…”
Isobel had heard enough and her temper flared. She had sympathised with the girl’s grief and loss over Max, and understood when she wanted to move on and forget about him but Liz Parker didn’t seem to see anyone else’s point of view except her own. Jealousy over Maria’s happiness was unfair and wrong. Time to put her right.
“She’ll be fine, Liz. You’ve seen them together this last week and I don’t think you need to worry about Maria. It’s plain that Michael adores her, and she’s just as bad over him. As for being the only human, we all love her for herself, who cares if she has powers or not? I think it’s great she’s with us. I don’t know if I could have even survived without her.” Isobel’s voice softened. “I know it’s hard seeing them so happy when we’ve lost the ones we love, Liz, but - ”
Liz was highly indignant.
“I am not jealous, Isobel, and I really wasn’t trying to be bitchy - it’s just that I was surprised, that’s all… Anyway, you have to admit they’ve never gone so long without a fight before… ”
Isobel laughed and agreed that harmony had reigned between their famously volatile friends for so long now it must be a record. Despite their long association, she really didn’t know Liz well. Maybe she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and maybe Liz really was genuinely concerned for her best friend. Isobel reserved her judgement.
She sat up and reached for the supplies that Maria had left ready in the tents. A cup of hot chocolate would help her relax so that she could dreamwalk Max again. He must surely have had time to search the bus and go back to sleep by now. She said as much to Liz, who absently agreed as she accepted her cup and sipped slowly, eyes remote again.
Finally, Isobel decided that enough time had passed for Max to be ready again and she settled back down in her sleeping bag once more under Liz’s watchful gaze.
She closed her eyes and in a little while the mist rose up around the image of her brother’s face. However, nothing happened and she searched fruitlessly until she finally gave up and sank back into her own natural sleep.
All too soon, someone shook her shoulder, rousing her not so gently, and called her name. Groaning, she reluctantly opened her eyes on Liz again.
“No good, Liz. He must be having problems getting back to sleep, so I can’t dreamwalk him again yet. It’s not worth using up all my energy to try to contact him when he’s awake. You and I should both get some rest for a few hours. I’ll wake you up at 4 and I’ll try again then, ok?”
Liz nodded and stood up stiffly, reluctant and disappointed, to go back to her own sleepingbag without news.
Promptly at 4am Isobel’s watch beeped, dragging her from dreams that vanished as she woke so that she couldn’t quite recall their nature. This left her with a faintly uneasy feeling so that she snapped out Liz’s name impatiently through the dividing wall to call her ready for the dreamwalk.
Once the other girl was settled sleepily beside her bed again, Isobel lay back, closed her eyes and summoned her brother’s face.
This time there was no bar to her way forward and she immediately found herself back in the moonlit desert darkness again.
Max was waiting, pacing up and down in front of the rocks under the bright moon. He didn’t bother to greet her this time, just strode towards her talking as he came, his agitation clearly visible.
“Michael was right, Isobel. There is a bug, hidden under a metal plate in the floor. God, I just can’t believe it. What do I do now? What did Michael say to do?”
“He said to attach the bug to a long-haul truck, lead our enemies away from us, make them think we’re heading south again…”
Max immediately calmed down, now that he had an aim to focus on, and his confidence returned.
“Good plan. Tell Michael that when I hit a major north-south intersection, I’ll find a truck stop and do it tonight.”
“Why wait until then, Max?”
“It’s safer to do it under cover of darkness. Can’t do it now, I’m in the middle of nowhere here, just parked off the highway by an all-night diner. It’s real quiet, no one else is around.”
“It’s nearly dawn now so if you’re ok with doing that, Max, I’ll see you again tonight.”
He smiled affectionately and nodded briskly at her, seeming more natural and relaxed than he had appeared since she first visited his dreams a few nights ago. Neither of them had so much as glanced at the moon, still hanging low above them in the star-filled night sky. Isobel left him there, somehow a little less anxious now that she sensed her brother was back in control and closer to being his old self again, although she was still worried and puzzled about the constant presence of Tess in his dreams.
Back inside her own mind, waking in her warm sleeping bag to find Liz still watching her like a cat at a mousehole, she reported the bad news.
“Oh, my God, Isobel… Michael was right. You get dressed while I go tell him. Don’t worry, I can just slip my coat on over my pyjamas… But I still don’t understand - how did they have time to do it? Or get Jesse to buy that particular bus? Oh, God, we have so much we need to talk about…”
Isobel stopped her with a gentle gesture, wryly amused at the other girl’s urgency, even as she felt a new revelation welling up in her own mind - explosive knowledge she was too afraid to identify and desperately, frantically, wanted to deny. She fought for control, speaking calmly in a voice that didn’t sound like her own, focussing her attention on Liz, who was gaping at her in surprise.
“There’s no rush, Liz. We can’t do anything right now and Michael won’t be happy to see you if you wake him up in what he considers to be the middle of the night. Tell him at breakfast, that will be soon enough for him…”
As she spoke, Isobel was climbing out of her bed and searching for her own clothes, struggling into them hastily, not stopping to brush her tangled hair or button her jacket as she rushed outside into the wet and windy morning.
She never saw the dawning comprehension on Liz’s face or her frantic flight in pyjamas and bare feet, screaming Michael’s name in panic as she tried to claw her way into his tent.
Isobel was running and stumbling blindly down to the cold, grey lake, her mind reeling from the revelation that Jesse, the man she loved, lied to and left behind, had betrayed her and wanted her dead…
TBC…