Second Time Around (CC ALL, Teen, Ch.20 AN 9/29} [WIP]

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montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Well, I've pretty much torn it apart... let's see if I can put it all back together :P


===================================================================

Chapter Ten

“So that’s the place?”

“That’s it alright.” Isaac lowered the binoculars to the ground beneath him. “Are Rayden and his people
ready?”

Kayla nodded. “They go in one hour.”

“Then it’s time for us to prep the last of our gear and get to the jump off point.”

Three days of hard travelling had seen them make it to a small town overlooking Lake Abert, only a few
miles from the original Antarian landing site. After meeting with local resistance, they had outlined the
plan they had come up with on the road, then spent the next twenty four hours resting from their trip. Once
back on their feet, they met with the leadership of the group, who had taken what Isaac had proposed and
refined it, honing his ideas to a razor’s edge with split second timing. They had assumed the young pair were
there under orders from Max, and Isaac and Kayla had not said or done anything to disabuse them of the
idea.

Making their way down to the lakes edge, they pulled on their wetsuits and pushed off from shore on the
wakeboards that had been provided. They paddled their way across, little higher than the water surface itself
to avoid detection, until they reached the far side that the research facility had been built on and made their
way into the outflow pipe that had been constructed to dump the waste produced into the lake. Producing
a small plasma cutter from his pack, Isaac quickly cut the grating free and they made their way to the
processing station, where he consulted his watch.

“One minute until they hit the gate, and then we go. Last chance for you to bail out if you want to.”

Kayla snorted. “Yeah, great idea Doofy. And how do you plan on getting through that wall without me?”

“Minor detail.” He reached down, taking her hand in his. “Look, before we do this, I just need to say…”

“Sshhh.” Kayla placed her other hand on his lips. “You don’t need to say it. I see it every time you look at
me, and I feel the same. Lets just make sure we get past this so we can do something about it.”

Before they could say anything else, a low rumble was heard and sirens began to shriek across the complex.
As planned, the local cell had staged a mock attack on the main entrance in the hope of drawing security forces
away from the lab and making it easier for the two of them to slip in through the back door.

“I guess time’s up.”

“Then we better get going. Our people won’t hold them for long.”

She took his hand and they made their way through the wall and into the hall beyond. Cautiously working
towards the elevator, they took it down to the lowest level and made steady progress, until they reached
the entrance to Serena’s laboratory. They hadn’t been picked up yet, but neither knew how long that would
last. Rayden was given standing orders to pull back once the guards started to make contact with his
people in an effort to minimise losses, and given some of the best troops Kivar had brought in served at the
facility, there was no guarantee how long the distraction would be effective.

Kayla ghosted just enough to slip her face through the wall and check for any guards, then pulled back and
held up two fingers. Isaac reached into his pack, pulling out a stun grenade and handing it to her. She
leaned in to confirm where the guards were standing before pulling the pin out and sliding it across the floor.
She withdrew quickly and a couple of seconds later there was a loud krumping sound and a brief flash of
light around the door seals. Isaac punched in the entry code for the lab and they slipped inside to find the
guards face down and unconscious. He quickly bound their wrists and ankles and gagged them before
moving to the computer terminal and activating the system. He removed the control crystal from his pack
and placed it in a socket on the workstation, then began tapping away on the keyboard with desperate
speed.

“What are you doing? Come on, let’s get going!”

“I just need a minute! Scramble the door so the guards can’t get in!”

Kayla ran over to the door and ran her hand through the control panel, fusing the circuits and rendering
the controls useless. Just as she did, however, a beep sounded from it and the door began to open. It slid
open about an inch, then jammed solid, and she could hear the shouts of frustration coming from the other
side of the door.

“Dammit, Zach!”

“I know, I know. I’m nearly there!”

“So are they!”

A low hum began to fill the room, rising in pitch as the light from the Granilith grew stronger, powering
up for the jump they were preparing to make. Kayla rushed to Isaac’s side as a bar was slipped into the
gap between door and frame and whoever was on the other side began working to pry the door open and
get to them. Isaac finished entering the commands he had typed out, and lines of text began running up the
screen at a rapid pace. There was a screech as the door was forced another couple of inches, and the
console beeped as the program finished running and the screen cleared. Isaac snatched it up and ran to the
Granilith, inserting the crystal rod into the socket on the base it stood on and reaching for Kayla.

*Are you sure you’re ready for this?*

*Hell of a time to ask. Let’s go*

She ghosted her entire body one last time, and slipped inside his frame, the two of them becoming one
person. A beam emerged from the top of the Granilith and scanned the area before settling on him. A
musical tone sounded in his mind, and in a heartbeat he found himself looking out at the lab from inside
the crystal. The hum had grown until it was like he could feel it rather than hear it and time seemed to
slow to a crawl. The door was forced far enough for one of the guards to get through, and he dropped to
one knee, raising his weapon to his shoulder. Isaac could clearly see his finger tighten on the trigger, and
there was a blinding flash. And then…nothing……….

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzzzzzz*
*bzzz-*

“…’lo.”

“Max, it’s me.”

“Izzy?” Max lifted his head from the pillow and forced his eyes to focus on the alarm clock next to his bed.
He quickly wished he hadn’t bothered.

“Is, it’s one in the morning. What are you doing? Where did you go?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Just listen to me very carefully. I’ve already called Michael, and he’s coming
over to get you. I need the two of you to meet me right now. I’m at the pod chamber.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Just get here, Max. I’ll explain it all then.” *click*

Max dropped back down face first onto his pillow with a groan. *Why did she have to be my
sister. And why did I ever let them talk me into getting a vibrating phone??“
He forced himself
into sitting up, and began feeling around his bed for the shirt he had taken off when he first got in. *I
better get ready. Michael will be cranky enough with getting up. If he has to wait for me when he
gets here, I’ll never hear the end of it….*


===================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

So where is everyone? Don't tell me I scared you all away. :lol:

===================================================================

Chapter Eleven

Ten minutes later he was standing on the side of the road still trying to wake up as Michael pulled up to
the curb in Maria’s Jetta. He jumped in and buckled the belt as Michael pulled out, and turned to him with
a raised eyebrow.

“So what did Maria say when you showed up at her place?”

“Didn’t have to. After what happened earlier, she wanted some company, so she crashed at my place for
the night.”

“And she didn’t mind you sneaking out with her car at one in the morning?”

“Didn’t ask her. She was asleep. I thought if I wake her up, she’d have a go at me, and if I didn’t wake her
up and ask, she’d have a go at me. So I figured I might as well just take the keys and split. At least that way
she can have a go at me after a good night’s sleep. She gets cranky when she’s tired.” He smirked.
“Besides, you know what they say - it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.”

Max grimaced. “Rather you than me my friend, that’s all I can say.”

“Nah, it ain’t that bad. You start to get used to it after a while. Besides, just between you and me, she’s
kinda cute when she gets all riled up.” His expression grew serious. “So, did Izzy tell you what this is all
about?”

“Not a word. All she said to me was you were on your way to get me, and to meet her at the pod chamber
as soon as we can. I just hope she hasn’t had another run in with some Skins.”

They made the rest of the trip in silence, and soon found themselves at the now-familiar rock formation.
Leaving the Jetta at the base of the hill, they made their way up to the chamber and entered, to find Isabel
pacing furiously and chewing her nails. She spun and threw herself at Max, almost knocking him over in
the process.

“Thank God you guys are here!”

“Whoa, whoa. Izzy, calm down a sec.” Max grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back a step so he
could see her face. He realised it wasn’t just the cold that had her trembling. “What’s this all about?
What’s happened?”

“It’s real Max! I found it!”

“Found what?”

“The Granilith.”

Max looked over her head to glance at Michael, who frowned, shrugged and shook his head.

“Okay Is, listen. You need to sit down and take this from the start for us.”

She sighed and slumped down onto the floor.

“Okay, try and follow me here. I left the party tonight to find Tess, because I kept having visions of
her injured. I found her out at the old power station outside of town where I faced off with Whittaker.
After I… she… I mean, after we left there, I came here to be alone for a while, to think about what had
happened. The Granilith was what she said she was looking for to save her kind, and it’s been here all
along.”

“Here in this cave?”

“Yes! If you crawl through the gap between the pods, there’s a second chamber behind them. That’s where
the Granilith is, and more besides. Max,” She looked around worriedly. There’s two people in there - a guy
and a girl. I was in there looking at it, and it starting shining brighter and making this weird humming noise. I
put my hand on it, and the next thing I know there’s a flash of light, and this guy is lying on the floor next to
it. I saw this girl just… come out of him, and then she collapsed. They haven’t come out yet, and I haven’t
risked going back in.”

“Okay Izzy, just wait here. The two of us will get it sorted. Michael?”

“On it.” Michael dropped to his hands and knees, crawling through the space Isabel had indicated and
quickly rising to his feet on the other side with Max just behind him. Just in time, he saw, as the male lying
on the floor was beginning to stir…

Isaac groaned and lifted a hand to remove the axe he felt like someone had tried to split his head open with.
Rolling onto his stomach, he tried to look around him, while reaching through his link to find Kayla.

*Kayla, you there? Kay? Where are…*

He spotted her a few metres away lying still on her back on the ground - lying too still. He crawled over to her
side and raised her head placing it in his lap and extending his touch, searching desperately for a hint of
her consciousness through the link they shared. What had been a comfortable warmth was now a bitter
cold, and he felt as if he were only just staying afloat on a surface where everything was darkness. He searched
desperately, and finally spotted a faint glow far beneath the surface. Diving for all he was worth, he
managed to reach it in time - the essence of what made Kayla who she was, now reduced to a dim glow and
little larger than a golf ball. He wrapped his hands around it protectively and kicked for the surface with all he
had, clutching it to his chest.

*Come on Kay, don’t you dare do this to me. We made a deal to get through this together,
remember?*


He felt her beginning to respond to his touch, the glow from his hands growing brighter and brighter the
faster he moved, and as he broached the surface and opened his hands, what had been in darkness now
erupted with light. He mentally stepped away from the link they had, and looked down to see her chest rising
and falling in a regular rhythm. He gently brushed a few stray hairs back from her face and was rewarded with
a tired smile as her eyes opened.

“Hey Beautiful.”

“Hey yourself. I guess we got through then?”

“Either that, or heaven really needs a new decorator.”

He eased her to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head against his shoulder.
Looking around the room, he finally realised the two of them had company, and given how fuzzy he still
was from the time jump, it took him a minute or two to recognise the face before him without the grey hairs he
had earned over the years.

“…Max?”

Max stared at the guy in front of him suspiciously. How did he know his name? He certainly couldn’t
remember seeing him around, and Max had found he usually had a good memory for faces. He took
another look at the girl with him, and felt that tingling sensation at the base of his skull. She did look
familiar for some reason, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“That’s me. And you are…?”

“Max, it’s me.” As soon as he said it out loud, he realised how foolish it must have sounded. *Idiot! This
isn’t your Max, he doesn’t know you from a bar of soap!*
“Let me rephrase that. My name is Isaac
Johnson, and this is my….. friend Kayla.” He winced as she jabbed him in the stomach with the point of her elbow.

*Oh, so now I’m just your friend?*

*Can we please save this til later?*

“Well Isaac, apparently you already know I’m Max. The stone wall next to me is my friend Michael.”

“Michael?” Kayla repeated, the colour draining from her cheeks. *Zach, do you realise what this means??*
“You’re my… my…”

“Yeah, I’m Michael. Is that supposed to mean something?”

The emotional whiplash was too much for her on top of everything else that had happened, and she burst
into tears. *Zach, he doesn’t even know me, who I am!*

*C’mon Kay, it’ll be alright, I promise. I’ll find a way to make it right.*

“God Michael, could you be any more insensitive?” Isabel had slipped through behind them unnoticed, and
pushed him to one side as she approached the young strangers on the floor. She squatted down on the floor
and took Kayla’s hand in her own. “Kayla, right? I’m Isabel. Look, don’t let Michael get to you too much. He’s
not much of a people person, but once you get to know him, he’s a good sort.”

Kayla laughed and wiped the tears from her face. “I’m not usually like this, it ‘s just been a long day. I
guess the trip here was a lot rougher than we were expecting.”

“You’re Isabel Evans?” Isaac’s voice trembled and he swallowed hard, blinking a few times as he tried to
keep his emotions in check. “It’s… nice. To meet you. Finally.” The corner of his mouth twitched, and he wasn’t
sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

Isabel took her first good look at the young man in front of her and as their eyes met, she felt an
overwhelming urge to protect him with everything she had and keep him safe that was so intense she
couldn’t help but gasp at it.

“So where is it you guys have come from? I mean, most people just catch a bus to get to Roswell. I’m guessing
from the way you arrived that you aren’t exactly… locals.”

Isaac laughed. “That’s the irony. Both of us are Roswell born and bred. Just not in the way you might expect.”

“So then, how did you-”

“Well, that’s where the story gets interesting. I can’t tell you all of it yet, but I’ll say what I can.” Isaac turned
to Max and Michael. “Before I start though, there’s something I need to know.”

Michael snorted. “Listen pal, you answer our questions, or you don’t get the time of day from us.”

“That’s fine, I don’t need the time. What I need is today’s date.”

“October 13th.”

“What year?”

Isabel was getting more confused as the conversation went on. “2000, of course. What else would it be?”

“October 13th, 2000.” Isaac repeated. *Why does that sound so familiar….* Then it suddenly hit him.

*Isaac, you heard her. It’s only 2000. We didn’t go back far enough. It’s all been for nothing.*

*Not yet it isn’t. Just follow my lead and let me do all the talking!*

“October 13th. Which means Tuesday will be the 15th. Your birthday.” Isaac stared at Isabel. “In the year
2000, so you must be about to turn 18.”

“Look, either you start telling us how you know all this stuff about us, or-”

“Whoa, Michael, relax!” Isaac held his hands up to surrender. “Look, I said I’ll tell you what I can, and
that’s what I’m going to do. I just needed to sort out where we were first, okay? Let‘s just breathe here.” He
sighed, and lowered his hands. “How about you guys grab a seat. We could be here a while.”

===================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all the Candy Clanners in the audience. I hope I do them proud :lol:

Oh, and bonus poinnts to whoever spots the tribute to one of my favourite eppys :wink:

Also, if you guys wouldn't mind looking at the poll I've added when you have time... Thanks.

===================================================================

Chapter Twelve

“So you honestly expect us to believe you two are time travellers??”

“Michael!” Isabel snapped. “We said we would hear them out and that’s exactly what we’re going to do!”

“Ah come on Isabel, this is a crock of B.S. and we all know it!”

Kayla laughed out loud. “Yeah, I can see the headlines now. ‘Time Travel is Impossible! The Aliens said so!’
You mean to tell me you won’t even consider the idea?” Michael gave her a hard stare, but quickly found she
could return it just as strong, and he ended up being the one to break eye contact with her.

“So you two were handpicked to attempt this mission and be sent back?”

“More like we were volunteers.” Isaac replied. “It was felt that the two of us, given our ages, would find it
easier to blend in with you all. Mind you, the original plan was to travel a couple of years further back than
this, so we may have to wing it a little.”

“So this resistance group you were a part of, who was in charge?”

“In each sector there were regional commanders but overall, you all were. We spent quite a bit of time
being given all this information from you in the first place.”

Michael spoke up from the corner he sat in. “Yet you didn’t know enough to recognise me until Max told
you my name.”

“We didn’t get the chance to get to know all of you. Some of you were… elsewhere.” Isaac swallowed hard.
“Look, I don’t blame you for not buying into this story, but what if I could give you something that would
support it?”

Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’d be willing to consider it. What do you have?”

“In the pack I bought with me, there’s a small black diary. Pass it to me.“

Max tossed it to him, and he opened the diary and ripped out the first page in it. Snapping the book shut,
he stretched his arm and gave the loose page to Max

“See if this looks familiar. Go ahead and read the last couple of lines on that page.”

Max did so, and started violently, fixing his gaze on Isaac. “Is this for real?”

He shrugged. “You tell me. I thought you’d recognise her writing far easier than I’d be able to.”

“It certainly looks a lot like it…”

Isabel arched her eyebrow. “So what does it say?”

Max cleared his throat. “ ‘The year is 2023. My name is Liz Parker-’” *Evans? She was - will be - my wife??*
“Welcome to the end of the world.”

A sullen silence fell over the group as they absorbed what he had said until Max spoke again. “There’s an
easy way to find out if it is Liz’s writing.” He checked his watch: 8 a.m. “She should be at the
Crashdown by now, getting ready for the day. If we go now, we can make it there early enough to
have a good half hour or so before they open for business.” He looked over at Isaac and Kayla. “When
did you two last have a decent meal?”

“The last time we ate was about twelve hours ago. As for a decent meal, your guess is as good as mine.”
Isaac replied. “To be honest, I think I left my stomach somewhere around 2010.”

“Let’s go then. Breakfast is on me.”

Isabel led the way to the exit, with the other two close behind. As Max went to follow them out, Michael
grabbed his arm and held him back.

“You aren’t honestly buying into this, are you?”

Max grimaced. “I’m not saying I believe them or not, but it’s something we need to check out either way.
Besides, if they are so hungry, we put a big plate of food in front of them and they’ll concentrate on that so
much they won’t be concentrating on keeping their story straight.”

“Sneaky. I like it.” Michael nodded. “Okay, let’s go. I have to get the car back anyway.”

They made their way out to the Jetta and headed back to town, and Isabel, in the middle of the back
seat, had to struggle to avoid throttling Max and Michael due to the smirks on their faces. Isaac and Kayla,
on either side of her, had dropped off to sleep and had their heads resting on her shoulders. They parked
up outside the Crashdown, and Max jumped out of the car and went over to knock on the door, which Liz
opened.

“Max! Hi, is everything okay?”

“Um, I’m not too sure to be honest. Listen, I know you guys aren’t open yet, but could we come in? I need
to show you something, and I need somewhere quiet to talk to a couple of people. We’ve got some visitors
from… out of town.”

“Oh.” The way he’d said that… “Um, yeah, it should be fine. The corner is free so that will have plenty of room
for you. Do you want breakfast while you’re here?”

“It won’t be a problem will it? I know you guys are busy getting ready to open.” Max turned and waved for
the others to join him.

“I think we can come up with something for you. Come on in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Max led them to the corner booth and slid into a seat with Kayla, as Isabel and Isaac sat on the other
side and Michael pulled over a single chair to the end of the table where he sat. They were quickly joined
by a blonde-haired waitress.

“Hey guys, anything I can help you with? Max?” Her voice drop to a more sultry tone. “Michael?”

“Thanks Courtney, but we’re good.” Max replied. “Liz has us covered.”

“Mmm, that’s a shame.” She smiled down at Michael and turned to leave. “I was looking forward to
covering you.”

“Courtney.” The tone of her voice could have frozen the sun. “Don’t you have a shift to prepare for?”

“Of course I do, Maria. But you know what they say about all work and no play.” She headed out to the kitchen
and Isaac grinned at Max. “I can see why you like this place so much.” Everybody looked at him, but any
further comment was forestalled by Maria coming over with drinks for them all. Almost. Michael looked up
with a frown.

“Where’s mine?”

“Where’s my car?”

“Out the front in the car park, where I left it.”

“Oh I see. Here I was thinking I would find it in the driveway at your place. You know, where I left it.”

“Look, Maria, I-”

“Oh no, not this time. I don’t want to hear any more of your tired excuses. I want a real explanation
this time, or you’re in big trouble, mister.”

“What happened-”

“I mean honestly Michael, I was there last night because I thought you would need some company after
everything that happened, and I wake up to find you’ve taken off in the middle of the night, and just to
really top it off, you take my car to do it! Did you think I wouldn’t notice or something? Not to mention that
I had to get Liz to come and get me since I was stranded at your place.”

“But I-”

“You know something, I don’t know why I bother with you at times. I would have thought by now you
would have learnt enough to get around without acting like some knuckle dragging caveman, but I guess I
expected too much from you.”

“…..”

“So what, you’re just gonna sit there with your mouth hanging open like some two-legged goldfish and not
say anything? Fine, I don’t care. You hear me? I. DON’T. CARE. See, that’s the great part about being
the one this stuff happens to instead of being the one that’s doing it. I can say that and everyone agrees with
me, but when you say it, you’re just being an insensitive jerk! Here, you can make yourself useful.” She pulled
out a dishcloth and threw it in his face. “Jorge rang to say he’s going to be late, so you can get in the kitchen
and help us clean the last of the dishes before we open. Make it snappy - I’ve got a deep fryer out there that
needs the grease scraped off, and it’s got your name all over it!” She spun on her heels and marched out
to the kitchen, leaving the rest of them sitting there shaking with silent laughter.

“Well, gee Michael, you sure told her.”

He pointed a finger in Max’s face. “Let me tell you something, Maxwell. I don’t have to answer to her or to
any-”

“GUERIN! Don’t MAKE me come back in there!”

Max grinned at the expression on his friend’s face. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Real cute.”

He rose to his feet with a snarl, kicking the door open as he got to it and narrowly missing knocking Liz over
as she came out with a tray full of food, which she placed on the table in front of the group of four. She
paused for a moment to look at the young man sitting next to Isabel. Then took a second look at the
both of them sitting side by side, their faces so similar in many ways.

“Here you go guys. The cookers are still cold, but we had some food left from last night’s party, so you can
help yourselves to that. If there’s anything else, just give me a call and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Hey Liz, can I ask you something?”

Liz fired a quick look at Max, wondering how this strange girl knew her name, but he simply gave a short
nod.

“Sure, what would you like to know?”

Kayla fidgeted in her seat. “Well, I was wondering. I mean, Michael and Maria…. Are they always like that?”

Liz grinned cheekily. “Not always, no. Sometimes they don’t get along.” She winked and headed out to the
kitchen as Michael was marching past the door tying an apron around his waist with Maria hot on his heels.

“And when you’re done with that, you can grab these rubbish bags and take them….”

Isabel looked across at Max with a grin on her face and rolled her eyes.

“Just another day in Deluca-ville.”

===================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

[eminem] Guess who's back, back again.
Montee's back, tell a friend[/eminem] :lol:

Sorry, couldn't resist. So where were we? :wink: Time for a familiar face or two....

===================================================================

Chapter Thirteen

“Okay, hang on a minute, that doesn’t add up.”

“Which part?”

Max sat back and looked at Isaac.

“What you told us is Serena reported that only one person at a time could travel through the Granilith. If
that’s the case, how did the two of you make it back?”

“Ah, well, that’s where Kayla’s talents came into play.” Isaac gazed across the table. “You wanna
show them?”

“Sure.” She reached under the table and a few seconds later her hand started to appear rising out of the
middle of the table, followed quickly by the rest of her arm. “We call it ghosting. I can do that to my entire
body, or anything else I’m in contact with. It allows me to move through solid objects, and if I concentrate
hard enough, I can even walk on air.”

“What she did was to ghost her entire body and then hide it inside mine.” Isaac continued the story. “It was
the only way to make it work. In fact I’m not even sure if it did work. It may have been what caused us to
be pitched out early instead of completing the jump to the time we had aimed for.”

“Okay, I can see how that would work. But if that’s the case, that means no one could stop Kivar from
sending someone else back as well, now that he has the Granilith and the control crystal.”

“Nothing but the fact that I destroyed them, anyway.” Isaac said with a smug grin.

“What do you mean, destroyed?” Kayla objected. “Serena said it couldn’t be destroyed!”

“No she didn’t. What she said was there was no point in destroying it when we could make use of it.
What she didn’t say, but I picked up from her memories, is that the crystal can be reprogrammed to
create a feedback loop in the Granilith which would shut them both down. That’s what I was doing on the
computer terminal - I set it up as a sleeper program to take effect seconds after we jumped.”

“So we shouldn’t have to worry about someone coming back after us?”

“I shouldn’t think so. It’ll take a couple of years to get a new one set up, and quite frankly I doubt he has
that much time left to him.”

They were interrupted by the scraping of a chair on the floor, and Isaac found themselves joined by
another familiar face. Max was the first to react.

“Morning, Kyle.”

“Evans. Thought I’d swing in while I’m going past and let you know Tess is doing fine. You know, seeing as
how you haven’t been over to find out for yourself.” He grabbed some peanuts and threw them in his mouth.
“So who’re the newbies?”

“Friends of ours from out of town.”

“Friends of yours? Must be way out of town.”

“Look Kyle, we’re kind of in the middle of something, so if you don’t mind…”

“No, I don’t mind at all.” The only move he made was to reach for another handful as the doorbell
tinkled and Alex walked in. He glanced in Isabel’s direction, then made his way to a counter seat, completely
missing the smile on her face and the slight blush in her cheeks. He mumbled something to Liz and she
poured him an orange soda with ice in it and placed it in front of him, a look of sympathetic amusement on
her face.

“Well, if it isn’t Isabel’s favourite policeman, Inspector Clueless.”

Kyle turned back with a grin until he saw the look Isabel was giving him, hard enough to melt steel. He
choked on his peanuts and sat there coughing as he tried to wash them down with water. Eventually
recovering, he stood to make his exit.

“Well, you said you were in the middle of things, and I have to go do…. something.” He headed for the door
as quickly as he could and took off down the road.

“So Kyle knows Tess?”

Max nodded. “She’s been living with Kyle and his dad since she had nowhere else to go.” He noticed the
expression on Isaac’s face. “Is that a problem?”

“It could be. It depends on how far into their heads she’s managed to get by now. Has she been there long?”

“Only about a week or so. What’s this all about?”

“She isn’t who you think she is. Not in the way she’s told you, anyway.”

“So you’re saying she isn’t one of the Four of us?” Isabel said confused.

“No, what I mean is, she is one of the four, but not part of your four.” Isaac had now completely
lost them. “Okay, look, where’s Michael. He’s the one I need to talk to.”

“I’ll be right back.” Max headed out the back and returned a couple of minutes later with Michael in tow, who
slouched down into a chair with a bored expression on his face.

“Listen, I’m up to my elbows in soap suds out there, so whatever you got to say, make it quick.”

Isaac grimaced. “Okay, listen Michael, I know you don’t trust us, but I need you to help us out here. Have
you spoken to Carver yet?”

“Who’s Carver?”

“A World War Two pilot that was based here in ‘47. You haven’t spoken to him?”

“I’ve never even heard of him. Why would I want to talk to some old guy?”

“Have any of you heard about a get together for a group of bomber pilots coming up?”

“That I do know.” Michael said. “The 509th is meeting on Saturday. I heard about it from Liz’s dad - he’s
doing the catering for them.”

“Okay, listen.” Isaac paused and gathered his thoughts. What was it they had told him… “Your history teacher
is gonna give you a hard time about failing his class, and tell you to interview one of the pilots who are
in town this week. The guy you want to talk to is named Carver - he’s got all sorts of information about you
guys and what happened to you. He was a captain at the air force base in 1947, so he was there when the
crash first happened, and the clean up they had to do afterwards.”

Michael snorted. “Sounds like a great story. How are you going to explain it when it doesn’t happen?”

“I guess I’ll think of something. How are you going to explain it when it does?”

Michael nodded thoughtfully. “I guess we’ll have something to talk about. We’ll know soon enough - I’ve
got history for second period tomorrow.” He turned and saw Maria standing there with her arms
folded, tapping her foot impatiently. “I better get back to it before she calls in the feds.”

After Michael had left, Max turned to Isaac. “So, assuming we accept all of this, what do you propose we do
about Tess? We cant just leave her there as a threat to Kyle and his dad.”

“I hate to say it, but at this point I don’t think we have any alternatives. The greatest advantage you have
over her at this point is that she doesn’t know that you know she’s up to something. It isn’t much, I know,
but it may be enough. Besides, there are other priorities. The first is that she cannot find out about me and
Kayla and who we really are, not from anyone. If she does, she may move before we’re ready, and
everything will spiral out of control.”

“Hang on a minute, if you’re suggesting we should sacrifice the Valenti’s to protect you two, you don’t know
us at all.”

“Of course I’m not. What I’m suggesting is if we do this right we don’t have to sacrifice anyone, which
brings me to my second point.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Do you know a guy named ‘Alex’?”

“Alex Whitman? Yeah, that’s him sitting at the counter talking to Liz.” Max said quietly. “Want him over here too?”

No. He can’t know about this just yet either, for his own sake.”

*Zach, what are you doing?*

*I have to, Kay. This is what we came back for.*

“What do you mean, for his sake?” Isabel said, growing concerned. “What will happen if he finds out?”

Isaac sighed. “Look, there’s no easy way to say this to you, so I’m just going to have to say it. In our future,
when we travelled back in time… Alex wasn’t there. He had already died because of what Tess had done to
him.”

“What Tess has done? But… he’s Alex. I mean, why him? What could he do to her? Besides, you said you
travelled back twenty years or more, so we must still have plenty of time, right? I mean, we have to!”

Isaac took Isabel’s hand in his, trying to offer what comfort he could as the tears welled up. “I’m sorry. I
wish there was a better way to do this, but…”

“How long?!”

“Assuming that it happens the same way it did for us and I have the dates right… seven months. The day after the prom.”

“Seven months.” Isabel repeated and suddenly her sadness was transformed into rage. “Seven
months?! Like hell! I’ll throttle her with my own bare hands if I have to, before I sit back and let that happen!
I’m gonna go over there now and I’ll…” She went to rise from her seat before Isaac grabbed her around the
wrist and pulled her back down.

“Listen! Listen to me! You can’t just go tearing over there and bash her up, regardless of how much you
may want to! Your priority has to be keeping Alex alive, which means keeping him safe, and keeping him
AND yourself away from her!” He saw the truth of it start to sink in, but she still wasn’t quite ready to give
in just yet.

“And why should I listen to you about it? You said yourself you didn’t know him, so you won’t lose out
on anything if he’s alive or not, will you??” She could see from the look on his face she had scored with that
comment.

“Won’t lose… How can you sit there and say that?” Kayla exploded. “We’ve come back to now,
throwing away everything and everyone we’ve ever known, and even if we do get the job done, all that means
is we may never be born! The only reason it wouldn’t cost us anything is because we have nothing LEFT!”

A shadow fell across the table and the four of them turned to see Alex standing at the end of the table with
his arms folded across his chest, a scowl on his face.

“So, is there something you’d like to explain to me?”

===================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Jennifer24 wrote:hey Montee! I just took a moment to get updated on this story and I am really loving it so far!

It's sad to think that Isaac may never be born tho... Oh well, we'll just have to see what happens!
hey Jenn, welcome back! Glad you're enjoying it. As for Isaac, well... you never know what the future holds.... :wink:

===================================================================

Chapter Fourteen

“Alex.”

“Morning Max. Isabel.”

“Alex, hi. Um, listen, I know this looks bad but it’s not what you think.”

“Really? And what do you suppose I think it looks like when a guy I’ve never seen around here before has
a grip that tight around your wrist, while your brother sits on the other side of the table not doing a thing
about it?”

Isaac looked down at her arm - he hadn’t even realised. He let her go instantly, and winced at the imprint
his fingers had left on her.

“Isabel, I… I’m sorry.”

“So you should be.” Alex observed coldly.

“Alex.” She implored, but he was too angry to listen.

“Listen, Alex, right? Look, we’ve never met before pal, but believe me, this is between me and her.”

“I’m sure it is. Just as sure as I am that from now on, what’s going to be between you and her is me.” Alex
curled his hands into fists and leaned forward on them on the table top. “And you best believe this. If
you think that’s the way to treat any lady, especially this one, you and I will be many things - but ‘pals’ will
never be one of them.”

“Alex!” This time she got his attention. “Look, this is complicated. You’ll just have to trust me on this, there’s
parts of this you don’t know about.” She placed a hand on his upper arm and started rubbing it, shocked with
how tense it felt. “Look, how about we get out of here and go see a movie or something. You were saying the
other day there’s some good ones on. C’mon, just the two of us. I’ll even let you pay for it.” She smiled teasingly,
and Alex couldn’t help the tug of a smile that came to his face.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He held out his hand to help her up from her seat. “I’d say we’re done here.”

He led her to the door and held it open for her as they exited onto the footpath and headed towards the
theatre. Max sat there, stunned at the strength of Alex’s reaction. He turned and saw the expression on
Isaac’s face, but before he could say anything he felt the touch of Kayla’s hand on his arm. She shook her head
and jerked it towards the back of the room, and he nodded and got to his feet.

“I’ll be back in a minute. I just need to see if Liz is free.”

He headed to the back of the room, and Kayla reached across the table for Isaac’s hand.

*Are you okay?*

*I will be, I just… Now I know how you felt when Michael said what he did in the cave.*

*And do you remember what you said to me at the time? It is going to be alright, you know. Not because you’re
going to make it happen - it’s because we’re going to make it happen.*


Max found Liz in her dad’s office pouring over the staff rosters for the coming week, and he took a seat
next to the desk and waited until she was free to talk. She caught the movement from the corner of her
eye and smiled without looking up.

“So, do I want to hear this?”

“It’s a big story, that’s for sure. It may be just as well you’re sitting down for this.” He took a deep breath before
continuing. “Isabel ended up back at the pod chamber after she left here last night, and when she got there, she
found a second room behind the pods which has the Granilith in it.”

“Okay, what’s a Granilith?”

“At this point, I have no idea. It looks like a giant crystal, and apparently it can be used as a transporter of some
kind. Just after she found it, she said it started glowing, and when she touched it Isaac and Kayla appeared to…
fall out of it.”

“Fall out of it?” Liz sat back, tapping her pen against her bottom lip as she thought it over. “Some kind of
teleporter, maybe? Like on Star Trek?”

“Actually, the explanation they gave was… time travel. They say they travelled back almost twenty five
years from their time to ours to prevent a war that could end up destroying the planet.”

“Time travel… did they give you any proof?”

“A few bits they claimed were proof.” He looked at the expression on her face. “You mean you believe them?
That they can travel through time?”

“Scientists have talked about it for years here on Earth, and we both know your people are far ahead of us.
Besides, you said yourself that you don’t know what this Granilith thing is, or how it works. All I’m saying is, unless
you can prove they’re lying, you may want to think about giving them the benefit of the doubt.” Her eyes grew
distant as she pondered the concept, then they snapped back into focus. “What did they offer as proof.”

“Well, to start with, there’s all the things they know about us that they shouldn’t know. They gave Michael
some information about one of his teachers giving him a hard time in the next couple of days, so we’re waiting
to see if that happens.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper which he passed
to Liz. “Isaac also gave me this. He said he got it from one of your diaries from his time.”

Liz unfolded the paper and read it through - then paused, and read it again from the beginning, taking her
time over every word. She lowered her pen to the paper, taking a deep breath before closing her eyes and
scribbling something across the page. When she was done, she opened her eyes and looked down at what
she had done.

“Oh my God.”

“Liz, what is it?”

She handed back the paper with a stunned expression and he looked at the bottom of the page. Underneath
the last line she had copied it, without looking at her own writing, to compare the two.

“It looks identical.”

She nodded. “It even has the little kink I use in the tail when I write a small e. I’m no writing expert, but I
think we may have to start taking them a lot more seriously. Are they still here?”

“They were when I came back here to find you.”

“I’ll need to talk to them. We still have about ten minutes before we have to open up.”

He led the way back into the restaurant and to the corner booth where Kayla had shifted and now sat next
to Isaac. Liz smiled at the young couple as she slid in to the other side of the table.

“So, Isaac and Kayla, right? I hear you already know who I am.”

Kayla smiled. “It’s good to see you again Liz. Or for the first time, depending on how you look at it.”

She nodded and slid the note across the table. “I found this interesting. Tell me, when did I give it to you?”

“Well, let’s see, that would have been…”

“You didn’t.” Kayla cut Isaac off, and Liz gave her an even look.

“If I didn’t give it to you, how did you get it?”

“I stole it from your room just before we left. I knew you’d recognise your own writing, but there was no
way you’d let us just take it. You’ve always been protective of your diaries - even Max wasn’t allowed to
read them.” Kayla returned Liz’s look. “But then you knew that, didn’t you? If we had stuck with the story
that you handed it over to us freely, you would have known we were lying, and we would have lost any
chance we might have had that you‘d be willing to hear us out.”

Liz smiled. “Well, at least you know me well enough to know that.” She saw her father crossing the room to
open up the doors. “Do you have anywhere to stay while you’re here?”

Isaac shook his head. “I was thinking we’d stay at the pod chamber. It isn’t five star, but we’ve slept in
worse conditions.”

“I think we can do better than that. Just follow my lead.” She turned to her father. “Dad, could I talk to you
for a minute?”

“Sure, Lizzy.” He strolled over to the table. “Morning Max. How’s Isabel doing? I heard she wasn’t too well
at her party last night.”

“She’s feeling a lot better now, Mr Parker. Thanks for asking.”

He smiled. “So, what can I do for you kids?”

“Dad, this is Kayla and Isaac. They’re exchange students at school, and they’re in a bit of trouble.” She
swallowed, trying to keep her voice level. “They just got in on Monday, and Max and I are about the only
people they know, because they were partnered with us in science class. Now the people they were going to
be staying with have had a family emergency and are leaving town, and they don’t really have anywhere to
go. Would we be able to open up the spare room for them? It should only be for a little while.”

Kayla was stunned. “Liz, I-”

“I don’t see why they can‘t stay as long as they like. It beats moving in here and then having to shift their
stuff all the way back again. I’ll need to talk to your mother first, of course, but I can’t think of any
reason why she might object. I’ll speak to her as soon as she gets back and let you know.”

“Thanks Dad, you’re the greatest.” She smiled as he retreated, laying her hands on the table in front of her.

“Liz… Thank you so much.”

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Liz said dryly. “There’s still the matter of a stolen diary to sort out yet.” She
rose from her seat as the first customers of the day entered. “Look, I need to get to work. You can stay
if you want, but I doubt things will change much. Max, maybe you could show them around, so they can see
where everything is in town? I’ll call your mobile once I’ve heard.”

“Okay then.” He slipped an arm around her waist and held her close, feeling her tense up as he whispered
in her ear. “Thank you, Liz. For everything.” The three of them made their way to the door, and joined the flow
of people outside.

===================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Hey Guys, thanks for all the comments. Rest assured I take them all on board, and they have, in more than one
case, prompted re-writes that have really improved the story.

Now I know I usually try to comment on each of you seperately, but y'all seem to be saying the same sorta thing, so
I'm just gonna cheat a little on this round. I trust no one minds. :P

It's safe to say that Liz's role is far from over - in fact, it may take her further than even she thinks possible.
:wink:

As for Alex, well... okay, I'll cop to that being a little over the top, but only a little - considering what he did to
Michael when he thought he was messing around on Maria, Isaac may be grateful all he got was a few harsh words!
:lol:

This next chapter was my absolute favourite to write so far, and is dedicated to all my fellow Gazers. Keep
the love alive! :D

===========================================================================

Chapter Fifteen

“So that one there is Cassiopeia?”

“That’s right. And the one above it is…”

“Hang on, this one I do know. It’s, um…. Oh, that’s right! That’s Andromeda.”

Alex laughed at the joy written all over Isabel’s face. “Very good. You go to the head of the class.”

“It helps when you have such a good teacher.”

It was almost ten o’clock at night, and the pair had made their way out to the quarry in the convertible VW Beetle
that Alex had borrowed from his mother. The roof was down, the seats were leaning back, and the young couple
were wrapped up to their armpits in a pair of blankets Alex had grabbed from his room before they had left, gazing
up at the stars in the sky above them.

“So are you sure you didn’t mind missing the movie?”

Alex nodded. “I’m sure. It wouldn’t have done much to improve my mood any, not after what happened this morning.”

“Alex, I know it looked bad and you were worried about me, but it was just a misunderstanding.”

“So you keep telling me, but it doesn’t make it right.” He said forcefully, and turned away from her for a moment.
“Look, can we please not argue about this? Not now.”

“Of course.” She said soothingly and reached out to play with the curls of hair he had growing at the base of his neck.
She smiled, in a playful mood. “So is there anything you would like to argue about?”

“Not so much argue about, but there is something I need to know.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“Why.”

She looked at him, mystified. “Why? Why what?”

He turned to face her, but still couldn’t look her in the eyes for fear of losing what self control he still had left,
being where he was and who he was with. “I mean why. Why us, why now? Why like this? It wasn’t that long
ago you said to me you weren’t ready for a relationship with anyone. Then Grant comes along and, well…
y’know.” He finished lamely.

“I did everything but throw myself at his feet in front of you.” Isabel said quietly.

“I didn’t want to be the one to say it.”

Isabel smiled. Even after everything she’d put him through, his biggest concern was still her happiness, even
if it meant being with someone else.

“That’s what sets you apart from most guys I’ve known. Even if you did want to say it you wouldn’t, though
plenty of people would think I’d deserve it if you did.” She chewed on her bottom lip, suddenly nervous. What if
she was already too late? “I can try and explain it, if you’re willing to hear me out.”

Alex reached over and took her hand in his. “You remember that night we were left in the Crashdown just after
Tess arrived in town? I told you then I’d do anything I could for you - I’m pretty sure that includes listening when
you need someone to talk to.”

Isabel had to swallow hard, fighting back the tears that threatened. *How could I not see him
for the guy he really is, and not just the clown he pretends to be?*
She thought back to what the others
had told her that morning, about the future Alex could be facing in less than a year. *What if it
happened there too? If I didn’t see what I had until it was too late…. Never again!*


“To be honest… Grant was a mistake. After everything that happened to us all lately, I just wanted to get away
from it all. I wanted to forget all about the FBI, and killer aliens, and messages from another planet, and all
of it. I just wanted to be a normal girl, having a normal relationship with a normal guy and not have him know
anything about me being part alien princess who crashed on earth fifty years ago.”

Alex reached over with his other hand and pulled her head into his shoulder, running his fingers through
her hair. “So what happened? Did you change your mind about what you wanted?”

“No, not exactly. I guess I just changed my mind about who I wanted it with. You know what it’s like when
something is happening, and it’s really obvious to everyone else, but you still don’t see it? And then, someone
else says something or does something, and it becomes completely clear to you?”

“I’ve been there once or twice, yeah.”

“That’s what happened to me. I realised that I can’t have a normal relationship with a guy if I’m spending
half my time lying to him about who and what I am. Then I started thinking about all the things you’ve said
and done for all of us, the times you were the first to step up for us, no matter how strange things were getting.
Even when you found out who and what I am, you were still able to look past it and see the real me.” Alex felt a
wet patch on his shoulder and realised she was crying. “When I’m with you, it’s like I really can be the normal
girl with a normal life that I’ve always wanted to be, and I don’t have to hide behind masks or keep any more
secrets. If I lost that, if I lost you - I’m not sure I’d be able to keep going.”

Alex sat there, absorbing everything she had just told him. Isabel Evans, the hottest girl at West Roswell High,
possibly in the entire state of New Mexico, and she said she needed him to keep her going?

“Do you remember when I promised to do anything I could for you? Did you believe me?”

She sat up and looked at him with a confused look on her face.

“Of course I did. You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean it. What’s that got - “ She was cut off as he placed
his fingers across her lips.

“Then here’s another one you can believe. I promise you’ll never have to go on without me. I’ll always be here for
you. I-” He swallowed hard at the thought of what he was about to say out loud. “ I… love you, Is.”

She smiled through the tears, placing a hand on each side of his face and lowering her head until her forehead
rested on his and the tips of their noses were touching. “I love you too, Alex.” Their lips met, tentative at first,
but as Alex slid his hands to the small of her back, pulling her tighter against him, it deepened into something
stronger. Their lips parted as their tongues sampled each other’s unique taste, and as they let themselves surrender
to the passion they felt for each other, overhead, almost unnoticed, a certain V-shaped constellation seem to
glow just a little bit brighter…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So do you really have to go?”

“I wish I didn’t, but yeah. Mom’s gonna need the car for work tomorrow.” He chuckled to himself. “Well, today
now, isn’t it? It might be a bit of time before I’m free again - she’s probably gonna read me the riot act for
being out this late as it is.”

It was a quarter past midnight and they had only just arrived back at the Evans’ house, being in no rush to get
there after the day they had spent together. Making their way to the front door they stood there, Isabel with her
arms around Alex’s neck, and his hands on her hips. She started playing with the hairs on the back of his neck
again and giggled at the fire it raised in his eyes.

“Izzy…” He said, almost pleading. “C’mon, you know what that does to me.”

“Of course I do.” She replied, playfully. “Why do you think I’m doing it?”

He reached up and took her hands in his, bringing them down behind her back and pulling her closer. “You should
be more careful princess, people may start talking.”

“Maybe. We could always take Bonnie Rait’s advice on the subject.”

“And what, dare I ask, was her advice?

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about.”

“If you keep this up much longer, I’m gonna have to get your brother out here to protect me.”

“It wouldn’t help. I fight dirty.”

“Really? How’s that?”

“I know all his tickle spots.” She smiled and gave him one last kiss goodnight. “Go on, get. Before I change
my mind.”

“Of course, my lady.” He smiled as he walked backwards down the steps and all the way to the car, not taking his
eyes off her. She waited until he had pulled away from the curb and departed before entering her house with
a happy sigh.

===========================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Hey peoples!

My apologies for not being back sooner. RL has been a real bear for me lately, and it doesn't help any that
my muse has completely up and died on me :cry: It's a case of knowing exactly where I've come from and where
I'm going to, it's just the bit in between that's giving me problems. Hopefully this will ease the wait...

=====================================================================

Chapter Sixteen

“So they were right?”

“So far they have been. I copped a lecture from Bernstock just like they said I would. I rang the guys organising
the reunion and they confirmed Carver arrived in Roswell last Friday. I have first period after lunch free, so I’ve
made arrangements to meet him and see what he says.” Michael let out a sigh. “I know I was blowing them off
yesterday Maxwell, but they’re starting to look like they could be the real thing to me.”

Max nodded. “Liz said the same thing after I showed her the page from ‘her’ diary that they gave me.”

“What does Isabel think about it all?”

“I don’t know yet, I haven’t been able to talk to her since she left the Crashdown yesterday.” A series of catcalls
and wolf whistling erupted from the other side of the Quad, and Max straightened in his chair to see over the
heads to what was happening. “But if I had to guess, I’d say she believes them.”

Michael turned to see Isabel in the middle of the lunch area, dressed in tight black pants with inch high heels and
a red blouse. She had a lunch tray in one hand, and the other was gripping the front of Alex’s shirt as if her
life depended on it, pulling him into a lip lock so tight it was hard to tell where she ended and he began. After a
minute or two they separated, talking and smiling softly to each other before he picked up his guitar from the
ground and made his way towards the music room, and she walked over to join Max and Michael at their table.

“Hey guys.” She said gushingly, a smile from ear to ear lighting up her face. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

Michael looked at her with an expression that suggested she had grown a second head. “I’ll bet Alex sure thinks it is.”

“Oh please, like you and Maria are any different when it suits you.” Isabel turned to Max, who was about to speak.
“And you certainly can’t say anything. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it used to be, having to
watch you and Liz in public? I mean, honestly Max, there were times I just wanted to scream at you two to go
get a room or something.” She pulled a packet of Tabasco sauce out of her pocket and spread it all over the top
of her pizza. “Look, Alex and I just spent a lot of time talking last night. We sorted out a bunch of stuff and we
both agreed we wanted to take a chance on being together. Considering the way you reacted when Grant showed
up at my party the other night, I thought you’d both be thrilled at not having to worry about what to tell my
boyfriend the next time we have to sneak off at one in the morning.” She raised an eyebrow in Michael’s direction
and he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

“How much have you told him?”

“Nothing so far. He needs to be told, but in the right way and at the right time. So how about you guys? Have you
made any progress?”

“Some.” Michael admitted. “So far what we’ve been told pans out.”

“Told about what?” A voice came from behind them, and Michael saw Isabel’s expression tighten as Tess slid
into the seat next to him, but she did her best to act normally.

“Tess, how are you feeling?”

“A lot better thanks, Isabel. Most of the damage was superficial and I took care of it myself. There wasn’t much
left for Max to do when he came over yesterday.”

“It was the least I could do.” Max said.

“So what were you guys talking about?” She inquired, innocently. *Or trying to sound like it!* Isabel fumed.

“We were… just talking about our folks.” Max scrambled to cover for them. “Their anniversary is coming up, and
we were thinking about booking a weekend getaway for them. Michael’s been ringing around some places to find out
prices, so we don’t have to worry about them walking in on us doing it, and spoiling the surprise.”

“Yeah, I mean, Mr. E. helped me get away from Hank when things were getting difficult. So I feel kinda like I owe
him, y’know?”

“Oh, you guys are so sweet! Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I mean, we’re all family, right?”

Isabel almost choked on that comment, and she pulled out her water bottle, taking a deep drink to cover her
reaction, when she spotted Liz on the other side of the Quad looking in her direction. She quickly rose to her feet.

“’Scuse me guys, I just remembered I have an assignment I need to work on with Liz.”

“But what about your lunch?”

Isabel smiled sweetly as she rose from the table. “I guess I’ve just lost my appetite.” She shouldered her bag and
headed towards the library, arriving a few steps behind Liz, and they made their way into one of the private
study rooms where they knew they wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard. Liz decided to get straight to
the point.

“They told me about Alex last night. I thought you might like a reason to get away from her.”

Isabel sat on the edge of the table and let out a sigh. “Do you think they’re right about all of this?”

“The coincidences are starting to pile up. I saw Michael this morning with Mr. Bernstock, just like they told him would
happen. To be honest, I’m running out of other explanations for it all.”

“Have they told you any more about what happened and why they came back?”

“Not really. We spoke last night, but just about general things. I was tempted to ask for the rest of the diary, to
see what it says in it, but I’m almost scared to. I mean, what else is in there? What if Alex isn’t the only one that…”
Liz couldn’t bring herself to complete the thought out loud, and Isabel placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, think of it this way - if we know in advance what will happen, it’ll make it easier for all of us to work together
and stop it from happening the second time around. Hopefully we can make things better for all of us”

Liz smiled up at her taller friend. “It certainly seems to have done the trick for you and a certain guitar playing
individual I could think of.”

“Oh really? And what about you and that no-good brother of mine?”

“That’s different.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Isabel said, chuckling at the shade of red Liz was rapidly turning.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… well you heard the message back in the cave. It’s supposed to be Max
and Tess that get together.”

“I heard it. It also said Michael and I are supposed to be together too, but you don’t seem to have much of a problem
with us ignoring our so-called destiny.” Isabel shook her head - she could see what it had done to both Max and Liz
with the two of them being apart from each other. Why couldn’t they? “I know we haven’t known each other long
Liz, but I’d like to think we know each other well enough. I didn’t think you were the type to just give up on
something that’s so important to you.”

Liz bit back on a choice thought or two, but before she could say anything the buzzer sounded signalling the end of
lunch, and she grimaced. “Saved by the bell.”

Isabel sighed. “Look, Liz, I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to tell you what to do, but can I ask you to at least
think about it? You said yourself that it looks like it’s working for me and Alex - why should we be the only ones?”

Liz nodded, then seemed to brighten. “So while we’re on relationships, are we still on for our chick flick night
tomorrow? I was thinking I might invite Kayla along - we’ll just have to keep a lid on what we say in front of
Tess.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Maybe we could have some real fun with Tess, and get Notting Hill again. She enjoyed it
so much the last time.” Isabel smiled, a gleam in her eye, then checked her watch. “We better run, or we’ll miss
the second bell.”

“You go ahead, I have a study period.”

“Okay then.” Isabel gave Liz a quick hug, then headed for the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

=====================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Hey All!

I'd like to take a minute to say thank you all for your comments and patience with me as I work through
this dry patch. I realise the updates are getting further apart, and believe me, I'm not too happy with it either.
I really appreciate your support.

A/N: The closing scene posted in this chapter is taken from Summer of '47, and no infringement
of copyright is intended.

======================================================================

Chapter Seventeen

Late the following night Max, Michael and Isaac were sitting at a table in the Crashdown waiting for the girls to
finish upstairs so they could all head for home, and discussing what information Hal Carver had given to
Michael earlier the day before. Max sat there, his head in his hands.

“You mean there’s another set of the four of us out there somewhere? Did he give you any ideas where?”

Michael shook his head. “Nothing. He set off the alarms, then bailed out over the fence. He said he hasn’t seen
any of them since, and considering how much he’d already given me, I’d say he’s telling the truth.”

“So when you were saying Tess is one of the four, but not one of us…”

Isaac nodded. “The pod he said was leaking was Ava’s. They discovered that the damage to her pod had
retarded the development of her abilities, not to mention that she had too many human tendencies to be suitable
for their plans. So she was essentially mind-raped into believing she was the second stringer and left with them
while Tess was taken by your buddy Nacedo to be trained for what he wanted.”

“What exactly was it he wanted?”

“The biggest problem Kivar has had, is that he has no legitimate claim to the throne. That’s one of the reasons
the war is still continuing in the home systems. But if he can produce the woman who was the queen of Antar,
especially if she shows up with your child…”

“Whoa, whoa, my child?? There’s no way I’d do that. It’s Liz I want, that could never happen.”

“Never’s a real long time, Maxy.” Isaac said, a knowing tone in his voice that made Max feel ill.

“Well if that’s what he’s after why waste his time with me? Why not just use this other set to produce the child
he wants?”

“Because only the true King bears the seal of the five royal houses. Your Dupe would not have that mark, and
therefore couldn’t pass it on to his child.”

“So how do we find them? If Carver doesn’t know where they were taken, they could be anywhere!”

“Well, I can help narrow it down a bit.” Isaac said. “I was told you met them in a place called New York.”

“New York? The centre of the known universe? The Big Apple?” Michael grinned. “ Sounds like a road trip’s
called for.”

“Not so fast, Mikey. These guys are dangerous - things you struggle with come as easy as breathing to them.
They know what they’re capable of, and they won’t hesitate to send you home in a bag if they feel like it.”

“So how do we get Ava out of there? Can we get her out?”

“Not without a plan, and plenty of backup. I have an idea that could help with that, though. I just need you
guys to give me a coupla days to confirm something before we discuss it.” Any further comments were
stalled as a group of female voices from the back grew louder, and the girls came trooping through the
swinging door into the dining area, Maria supporting Kayla who had tears running down both cheeks.

“I can’t believe they did that to him! I thought for sure he was going to make it off that boat. And to think,
that old lady had kept the necklace all those years until she could return it where it belonged…”

Tess rolled her eyes behind her. “I can’t believe that was the first time you’ve ever seen that movie. I mean,
everyone was talking about it when it first came out.”

“I guess I had other priorities.” Kayla laughed at herself as she wiped both cheeks, and Tess turned to Maria.

“Any chance I could get a lift home with you?”

Maria nodded. “I don’t see why-”

“No.”

Maria looked at Michael, standing there with his arms folded and an expression on his face that wouldn’t
tolerate argument.

“No?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“We have plans.”

“We do? Since when?”

“We do. Since now.”

“Oh.” She turned back to Tess. “Sorry, I guess we have plans.”

“That’s okay, we have to go past the Sheriff’s house to get home anyway, so we can do it.” Max piped up from
where he was sitting. Isabel shot him a filthy look but he just ignored it. *I’m sure I’ll hear about it soon enough
on the way home.*
Pulling the keys for the Jeep out of his pocket, he rose to his feet and stretched. “Speaking
of which, we best get going. I have an early start tomorrow.” He headed out the door with Michael close behind as
the girls lingered over their farewells. Eventually they were ready to go, and climbed into the Jeep as Max started
the motor. Michael and Maria stood side by side watching as Max pulled out from the curb and head down the
street, then Maria turned to face him.

“So what are these big plans we have?”

“I have something I need to show you.”

“Something to show me?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “This isn’t one of those you show me yours and I’ll
show you mine things is it?”

“Course not.” He replied, smirking. “Besides, if it was, we ain’t got that much left to show each other.”

“True.” She grinned cheekily and threw him the car keys. “Here, you drive. See you later, Chica.” She called
out, waving back to Liz as they walked to the car.

“Talk to you tomorrow, ‘Ria.” Liz called out from the Crashdown door. Shutting it behind her, she made sure
the locks were all bolted correctly, then switched off the lighting and made her way upstairs to the room
where Isaac and Kayla were staying. She knocked lightly on the door frame and poked her head around
the corner.

“Do you have a minute?”

“Sure, come on in. Zach’s just jumped in the shower to freshen up before bed.”

Liz walked over and took a seat on the bed next to Kayla, idly wondering how quickly the two of them had
managed to settle in with nothing more than a single pack of equipment between them.

“So, what’s up?”

“I’ve come to ask a favour.” Liz took a deep breath. “I want to read the diary you guys have with you.”

Kayla nodded her head. “I wondered how long it might take before you came asking for it. Before I give it to
you though, I need to ask: Are you sure? There’s a lot of stuff in there you may not want to know about, about
all of us.”

“I’m sure. We can’t make things right if we don’t know where we went wrong in the first place.”

Kayla rose and walked over to where the pack lay on the ground, bending down and removing the diary. She
turned and handed it to Liz as the door opened and Isaac walked in, bare-chested and still towelling his hair dry.
He paused, taking in the scene before him, and smiled at Kayla.

“Looks like your guess was closer than mine.” He turned to Liz. “You know that once you read this, things could
change between us, don’t you?”

“I know.” Liz’s eyes widened a little as she suddenly recognised the pendant hanging around his neck, and
she looked down at the floor to cover her surprise.

“Okay then.” Isaac nodded. “It will probably leave you with even more questions than you have already, but
we’ll do what we can to answer them. All I ask is that you talk to us before you tell the others anything
about what’s in there. Some parts of it, they may not be ready to hear.”

“I promise.” She said, as another piece of the puzzle seemed to slide into place in her mind. *No wonder he and
Isabel looked so similar. I wonder if…*
She gave Kayla an intense look as well. *Something about her eyes… I
guess I’ll know soon enough if I’m right.*
“While I’m here, is there anything else you guys need? Do you
have enough blankets and stuff?”

“Yeah, thanks, we’re good.”

“Okay then. I’ll leave you guys to it. And thanks again, for… well, whatever is in here.” Liz clutched the
diary tightly to her chest and exited, making her way to her own room, where she stretched out on her bed and
drifted off to sleep, wondering what she would find between the covers of the book she‘d just been given….

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They stood in the chamber, bathing in the glow coming from the Granilith.

“Well, yesterday I had a little history lesson, and here's the thing...I owe more to you than I can imagine. To Liz,
Alex, Valenti, to some old guy named Hal who lives in Tampa and plays shuffleboard. I never realized it...so
here it is.” Michael reached out to Maria with his hands, and she took them in hers. “Thank you.”

Maria smiled up at him. “You're welcome.” She saw the expression on his face begin to twist, and she grew
concerned. “What's wrong?”

“You know those pods that housed Max, Isabel, Tess, and me? “

“Yeah, before you were born?”

Michael nodded. “Well, there's another set of them, and they're somewhere out there.”

===========================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

=====================================================================

Chapter Eighteen

“Hello, Courtney.”

She spun, startled at the voice that came from behind her. It had been pretty busy even for a Friday,
and she had been enjoying a quiet fifteen minute break while she had the chance, but she began to relax
once she saw who was speaking.

“Oh, hey… Isaac, right? You’re the new guy staying at Liz’s place.”

“That’s me.” He grinned. “I was hoping we could talk for a minute.”

“I‘d like to, but I have to get back to work. We’ve been busy all day.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s okay, I talked to Liz and she agreed to cover for you for a while.”

“So we could hang out in the alley behind her father’s restaurant? Sorry stud, I’m not that kinda girl.”
She turned and placed her hand on the doorknob, but his next words stopped her cold.

“Believe me, I know exactly what kind of girl you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I said. I know who you are. I know what you are. I know you’re staying close
to Michael because your people believe his leadership would have prevented the destruction you
all continue to blame Max for, in his former life.” He paused and smiled, looking like the proverbial cat
that caught the canary. “Feel free to correct me at any time.”

“You’re crazy.” She spat, turning to glare at him. “I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Of course you know. You’re the one who told me about it.”

“Oh, really? And how did I manage that, when this is the first time I’ve spoken to you?”

*Because some people don’t need to speak to be heard loud and clear.*

She was stunned at being able to hear his voice ringing through her mind, even though his mouth
remained closed, and every instinct she had screamed at her to run. She turned to flee down the alley,
but before she could take another step Max and Michael both stepped out from behind the dumpster,
blocking the only exit she had. She backed away a few steps, reaching for the small of her back, when
she felt a shock run through her system and she passed out, collapsing on the spot.

“Perfect timing. How long will she be out?”

“It varies between humans and Skins.” Kayla said. “In her case though, it should give us a half hour or
so.”

“That should be long enough.” Max winced as Isaac snapped a set of handcuffs around her wrists,
locking her hands in place in front of her stomach. “Are those really needed?”

“What’s really needed are answers. There’s parts of the story that we still don’t know, but here’s one I
do know - on her back is a fail-safe switch.” Isaac looked up at him. “If she hits that switch, her husk
cracks, in which case she’s dead and all the info she has dies with her, which means all this is for
nothing.” They were dazzled for a moment as a pair of headlights turned into the alley and grew closer,
to reveal Isabel in Max’s jeep. Isaac and Michael loaded Courtney into the back of the jeep as Isabel and
Max switched places, then threw a couple of blankets over her and climbed in after her. The guys
left the alley, and Kayla and Isabel headed in through the back door to the kitchen area. They spotted
Liz out the front taking an order from Alex, who was sitting with his back to the kitchen, and waved to get
her attention. She finished writing down what Alex wanted and made her way back to join them.

“How did it go? Are they all okay?”

“About as well as we expected.” Kayla confirmed. “They’ve taken her somewhere they can get
some answers without having to worry about being disturbed.”

“You know, I just realised something - with Courtney gone, you’re going to be pretty short handed. I
should stick around and help you out after all you’ve done.”

“Thanks, Isabel, but I think we can-”

“No, I insist.” She snatched the order book out of Liz’s hand and scanned the page, reading what Alex
had ordered, and a sly smile came to her face. *Well, if the special is what he wants, lets give
him a real alien blast.*
“Do you have a spare waitress’s uniform?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“She’s starting to wake up. You ready for your part?”

Michael nodded. “Strong but sympathetic. Got it.”

The three guys had made their way out of town to the pod chamber, where they had lain Courtney
down in the corner on a couple of sleeping bags and waited for her to regain consciousness. She
had started to stir and her eyes slowly opened, wincing at the headache she had been left with. She
focused on her surroundings and saw them sitting there, and she felt disgusted at how easily they
had taken her. Michael crossed the room and knelt down in front of her.

“Sorry bout the cuffs, but we couldn’t let you hurt yourself. If you promise not to try anything, I’ll take
them off for you.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Yeah, but the alternative probably ends with a whole lot of your people dead for no good reason. But
it’s your call.” He said, evenly. She considered what he was saying, then nodded reluctantly and held
her hands up. Michael pulled the key out of his pocket and undid the cuffs, and she rubbed her
wrists as they fell to the floor with a clatter.

“So, you’re a Skin, just like Whittaker was, right? One of her people? What is it you’re after us for?”

Courtney sighed. “The first thing you need to know is that they aren’t just my people. They’re our people.
Max was our High King, Zan, and you as Rath were his champion and second in command. Our
Queen, Ava, is the one you call Tess, and Isabel was Vilandra, Zan’s sister. We’re all from the
same race, and in our tongue we’re known as the Ul’Shai. Apart from that, though, Whittaker and
I share little else. There are three major factions amongst our people, with various splinter groups
of each. The first are the Royalists, who continue to wait for the day that Zan will return to save his
people. The second group, which I’m a part of, want to see Rath on the throne of Antar. We believe
that had it been this way to start with, Kivar would never have been able to seize control in the first
place.” She looked in Max’s direction with contempt. “You would have been willing to take the
necessary steps to deal with him, instead of trying to be reasonable and negotiating with him. His idea
of being reasonable was to give you the choice of being hung or shot, and we’ve been paying for it
ever since.” She observed bitterly. “Our two groups combined would cover about thirty percent
of the population, but because of the politics involved we spend as much time fighting each other as
the real enemy. There’s a further twenty percent or so who are Loyalists, totally committed to Kivar
and his goals, and follow him willingly. Most of the rest of the population are just scared people who
are trying to live their lives and not get caught in a war they never wanted.”

Max sat down on the floor across from her. “Isabel fought Whittaker recently, and she spoke to
Isabel about needing something called a Granilith to save her people. What do you know about
that?”

“On our world there was a climatic shift, and our forms weren’t coping with the stresses of the new
environment. This husk I’m wearing is only good for fifty years or so, and was only meant to be a stop
gap measure by our scientists to give us time for a permanent solution to be found. That solution was
found in the human genetic structure. By splicing our cells with human DNA, it stabilised our new
forms permanently, and the Granilith is what controls the process. Without it, the cells would
never merge - they‘re too different and need a catalyst to allow the bonding, else they would reject
each other.” She shook her head sadly. “It was that technology that prompted Kivar to assault the
castle and take over. He wanted to use the same technology to build an army of clones loyal to him,
and big enough to rule the entire sector of space our world is in. A handful of the scientists
managed to remove the Granilith to a ship they had prepared, along with two complete sets of your
genetic samples, fearing the worst. You had given them orders that if the castle was taken they were
to launch immediately for Earth. It was planned that one set would be used to create decoys of you
all, which we tracked down to New York.”

“So if the information to save your - our - people was lost when Kivar attacked us, why do they
blame Max for what they are facing?”

“Because Kivar lied to them about it. He told the people that you had the answers long ago, but were
keeping quiet to use it for yourself and those who followed you, and planned to let everyone else
die. He described his actions as an effort to bring you to justice, which he ‘proved’ by having you all
executed, and to free the information to all people. Not all of us believed him, but unfortunately there
were enough who did, and prevented us from being able to help you in time.”

“So you know about the duplicates in New York, then?”

Courtney nodded. “We’ve been watching them for about six months now. That’s how we know you’re
the originals - only the true Royal Four would have the Granilith in their care, and we know they
don’t have it.” She watched as the three guys in front of her exchanged a look, and Max nodded to
Michael, who turned back to her.

“Would your people be willing to make a deal?”

“That depends on what sort of deal you have in mind.”

Max cleared his throat. “We have something of a situation. We’ve been given evidence that shows
Ava is the one that should be with us, that Tess is the dupe, and unless we can fix things, we’re all
going to wind up in a world of trouble. The problem is we don’t know enough about them to know
what we’d be facing, or to defend against them if they come after us once we get her back.”

“So what is it you want?”

“We want you to join us.” Michael said simply. “You and any others of your people that are willing
to follow me and Max’s lead. We want you to help us get Ava out, and to deal with the dupes -
permanently, if we have to.”

“So you want us to lay down and die for you, is what you’re saying. What kind of a deal is that?”

“The best kind of deal there is.” Max said. “Because if your people join us in this, they’ll get full access
to the Granilith. We have it, and we can let you use it to save yourselves, maybe even save our world
with the right people behind us.”

“Oh, so when it’s to get what you want, then it’s all about saving our world.” She shook her head.
“Give me one good reason why I should trust you, why I should believe a word you’re saying.”

“How ‘bout coz I’m the one saying it?” Michael said. She turned to him and he nodded. “You said
yourself he’s already blown it once. This time round, it’s my turn. You help us, we help you, and
once Kivar’s dealt with, Maxwell gets to make a pretty speech about how he isn’t fit to lead, and is
giving up the throne. We all get what we want. Besides, you think this is easy for us, to just trust you?
I guess Kivar’d forgive a lot of things for the person that gives him the real Royal Four.”

“I don’t care about his forgiveness. What I want is his head.”

“Then I guess we are on the same side after all.” Michael stuck his hand out, and after looking at it for
a few seconds, Courtney took it in hers and gave it a tight squeeze.

“I’ll need to talk to my people, but there should be plenty willing to sign on with what you’re offering.”

“Thought you might.” Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a key which he handed to her. “The
bike’s at the base of the cliff with a helmet and a full tank of gas. Should be enough to get you
wherever you need to go. Just make sure you bring her back in one piece.”

“I’ll do that.” She pulled him close for a quick kiss, then headed for the door to exit the pod chamber.
“Look after yourself, Mikey G.” She made her way down to the bike and kicked it to life, leaving behind
a cloud of dust as the guys gathered around the Jeep and watched the tail light fade into the distance.

======================================================================
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
User avatar
montee916
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:18 am

Post by montee916 »

Evenin all. Back again with the latest offering.

I'd like to give a quick shoutout to Tequa and Rhonda specifically. The comments you guys have made
are what served to inspire the opening scene with Michael and Maria in this chapter.
[Ali_G] RESPECT! [\Ali_G] :lol:

Monkey, glad you liked that touch. It was one of my favourites from season one, seeing Izzy in that
outfit.

Jenn, yeah, it is about time we started having someone figure it out. Gee, I wonder who it could be.... :wink:

=================================================================

Chapter Nineteen

They made their way back to the Crashdown to find them locking up, the others waiting out the front for
them to arrive. Liz had gone to bed early, complaining of a migraine and leaving strict instructions she
wasn’t to be disturbed. Alex and Isabel decided to make the most of the clear night and opted to walk
home, Isabel’s antennae bouncing merrily as they made their way down the street. Michael stepped up
behind Maria and slipped his arms protectively around her waist.

“Think they’d let you take your uniform home?”

She laughed. “In your dreams, Spaceboy.”

“Every night.” He confirmed, and she smiled with a sigh as he leant down to lightly kiss her neck.

“So Courtney’s gone to phone home, huh?”

“Yep. Told you you had nothing to worry about.”

She leant back against his chest, pulling his arms even tighter around her. “I know, I should’ve
listened to you in the first place. It’s just…. They way she used to hang around you had me worried,
and then we find out from Isaac who she really is, and that she knew you… before.” She turned to
face him, and looked up at him.

“I know how important it is to you to find out who you are and where you came from. I thought that if
she could give you some answers, then that might… change things. Between us.”

“That wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let it happen.” Michael said confidently. “For two good
reasons. First, it doesn’t matter how well she knew me then - that isn’t who I am now. The second is
‘coz there isn’t anything she could teach me about being an alien. I’ve felt like one since we first woke up.
But you were the first one to make me feel human.”

He heard a sniffle and looked up to see Kayla struggling to hold back tears, and he blushed when he
realised the others were all standing close enough to have heard every word. He gained a sudden
fascination with a crack in the footpath at his feet, and it was a few seconds before Max spoke.

“Michael, I really hate to say it, but I need to get going, so if you need a ride…?”

“No.”

Michael looked down at Maria.

“No?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“We have plans.”

“We do? Since when?”

She looked up with a smile on her face and a fire in her eyes “We do. Since now.”

“Oh.” He turned back to Max with a smirk. “Sorry Maxwell, I guess we have plans.”

Max laughed. “Okay then, I’ll see you… whenever.” He headed for the Jeep as the others moved
towards the Jetta, and Isaac lead Kayla inside and locked the door behind him.

“Are you gonna be okay?”

Kayla nodded. “It’s just seeing them like this. It’s like there’s a whole other side to her that I never
got to know about because he wasn’t around to bring it out.” Isaac dropped an arm around her
shoulders as they made their way upstairs to the room they shared.

“So Courtney bought into it?”

“It looks like it. She accepted it a lot easier coming from Michael than she would have from Max, anyway.
For now, all we can do is hope the rest of them are willing to go along with it.”

They entered their bedroom to find Liz waiting for them, sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms
folded across her chest and her eyes puffy, as if she had been crying.

“Liz? What is it, what’s happened?”

She looked up without saying anything and rose unsteadily to her feet. Reaching into her dressing gown,
she pulled out a small package and tossed it onto the bed next to where she had been sitting. It needed a
couple of looks before Isaac recognised it for what it was.

Her diary.

“There’s only one thing I want to know.” She looked up at Isaac as her eyes misted up, and the hint of
a smile played across her face. “Did you really call me Aunty Libby?”

He smiled at the thought of what were, in some ways, happier times. “Yeah, I really did.” She
threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, reaching out blindly to grab Kayla’s arm and
pull her into it as well, and the three of them stood in the middle of the room alternating between
laughter and tears in their group hug. After a few minutes they had settled enough for Liz to step
back and take a good look at the young pair.

“So my cousin Nathan is your dad?? And you.” She turned to Kayla and cupped a hand on her cheek.
“Michael and Maria for parents? That explains a lot.” The three of them sat on the bed, and her face
grew more serious. “Have you told the others about your… connections with them?”

“Not yet.” Kayla replied, shaking her head. “We had talked about it, but we had to explain enough to
them as it is. Our first priority is preventing the future we came from, from happening again. After
we deal with the things we have to do, then we can start thinking about the things we want to do.
Besides, can you imagine their reaction if I go up to them and say, hey guys, I know we look the same
age, but you’re really my parents? It’s safe to say it wouldn’t go down well.”

“Not to mention that if we do succeed in what we’re planning, we may very well cease to exist.” Isaac
added. “We could be gone as easily as turning off a switch. Do you think it would be any easier for them
to deal with if they did know who we are?”

Liz nodded. “I can understand what you’re saying, but you also need to consider that you might not
disappear at all. I mean, in this timeline, the two of you are already here, and what you’ve told us should
have already caused changes. If it was going to affect you, shouldn’t we have seen signs of it by now?”

Isaac rubbed a hand against his forehead. “At this point, I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.”

Liz laughed. “Okay, how about something a bit easier. Why did you aim for this time to travel to?”

“We didn’t.” Isaac replied. “Our arrival now was by accident. The target we were aiming for was about
eighteen months to two years ago. The original plan was to prevent your shooting from ever happening
in the first place, which would have avoided raising the attention of the sheriff or anyone else. That
would have given us so much more time to work with Max and the others, training them in the use of their
talents.”

“That’s why we’ve told you all so much so fast.” Kayla chipped in. “With our arrival being when it was,
our biggest concern is that events are already in motion, and we may not have enough time to turn things
around, whatever we try. It’s so close to the point where things started going wrong the last time.”

“Do you think your being here, now, could have been because of Isabel being there?”

“What do you mean?”

“From what she told me, she was touching the Granilith when the two of you arrived. Given that she’s
your mother…”

“The Granilith may have somehow recognised the genetic link.” Isaac completed the thought. “Causing
our trip to be cut short, and us arriving when we did. It’s certainly possible, and as good a theory
as anything I‘ve been able to come up with. Even with everything I got from Serena, there’s still plenty
that I don’t know about it, or how it does the things it’s capable of doing.”

“So, do you know what caused things to go badly originally?”

“Not exactly, but I know it happens soon. Before this year was out, you and Max had a major falling out,
which resulted in him turning to Tess for comfort, and they…. got together. In every sense.“ He
gulped. “After what happened with Alex, the split between humans and aliens got even bigger and she
ended up having you all convinced she was carrying Max’s child. She had the others talked into leaving
Earth and returning to Antar with her, because the child was dying from the atmosphere here.”

“That makes absolutely no sense.” Liz said confused. “How could any baby she was carrying be affected
by the atmosphere here when it‘s still in her womb? Besides, they have no problems living here, so why
should any child they produce die from it? What could Max have been thinking to believe any of it?” Liz
saw the expressions they wore and she closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Alright, forget the last one.
I can guess what he was thinking.” She sat in silence, absorbing what she had been told and running through
it all in her mind when she recalled the other thing she wanted to ask them about.

“Okay, one last question for the night. In the diary, I was talking about meeting with Ava, and she gave
me information that changed everything. Do you know what it was she said to me?”

Isaac shook his head. “Only the people that were there know what was said. That was you, Kyle, and
Dad, and none of you ever told us anything about it. I didn’t even know she had said anything ‘til I read
it for myself.” He felt Kayla grip his arm and looked at her.

“Your dad was one of the people there to hear what Ava said.”

“Yeah. But what…?”

“Remember what he said before we left the last time?” Kayla jumped up and crossed to the pack on the
floor, rifling through the contents and dumping them all over the floor. “I know it’s here somewhere… There
it is!” She stood with a triumphant grin on her face and an envelope in her hand, and Isaac finally caught up
with her train of thought as his father’s voice rang in his mind. *This is for Liz, but not until she has seen
the diary you‘re carrying. Like I said, I thought you might try something like this, so I prepared a little
something for her.*
He grinned at her. “Told you I wouldn’t get the job done without you.”

She laughed at him. “Like that’s a surprise.” She sat back down and handed the envelope to Liz. “This
is from Nathan. He said to give it to you after you’d read the diary. Maybe that can answer some of your
questions.”

Liz took a deep breath and opened the envelope with trembling hands, and removed the single sheet of
paper inside it. She unfolded it and carefully read the words written on it. She then turned it over to see if
anything was written on the back of it. Finding nothing, she flipped it back, reread the front of it, and checked
inside the envelope to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, the frown on her face growing as she
confirmed it was empty.

“This came from Nathan?”

“That’s right.” Kayla said, feeling a growing concern. “What does it say?”

Liz held up the sheet and read it aloud. “You are more than you know. Find Anwyn.”

“Okay, who’s Anwyn?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never heard the name before.” She shook her head in frustration. “Typical for Roswell.
You go looking for answers and end up with more questions. What about you guys? Did you ever meet, or
hear of, anyone in your time with that name?”

“Not that I can recall.” Isaac replied, frowning. “I don’t get it. Why would he tell you to find someone you
don’t know?”

“Not to mention the rest of it. ‘You are more than you know’? Sounds like something from ‘Outer Limits’.”
Kayla looked up to see the expression on the faces of the other two. “What? I couldn’t sleep the
other night, and they had a marathon on Sci Fi.”

“Speaking of sleep…” Liz rose from the bed yawning, shaking her head ruefully. “I need to hit the sheets,
or I’ll be a mess. I still need to figure out what to do about Whittaker - I can only stall people for so long
before they start to wonder why she isn‘t calling back.” She shook her head. “Another one to deal with
tomorrow. Good night, guys.”

===================================================================[/i]
Third Time Lucky - my first fic

Second Time Around - the sequel to 3TL
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