Apocalypse (CC,ALL,MATURE) Ch. 16 [WIP]

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse

Author: vegas312

Rating: Mature

Coupling: All CC

Summary: Post Graduation. It's 2014 again, and the end of the world has occurred again. What if Future Max was right? What if their worst enemy was the only one that could save them all?

AN: Song below is "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. The lyrics do not belong to me, and copyright infringement is not intended so yeah please don't sue me. Also one of the scenes below came from the eppy "Balance," which I do not own either so yeah please don't sue me.

AN2: I know, I know I'm late. lol Better late than never right? Anyway this part hasn't been beta as I was anxious to get it up and out there. lol Any mistakes are mine, so my apologies. Also next part will a bit more stargazer and candy. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

'There's no one in town I know
You gave us someplace to go
I never said thank you for that
Thought I might get one more chance

What would you think of me now?
So lucky
So strong
So proud
I Never said thank you for that
Now I'll never have a chance'


No one said anything as they stared helplessly at the slumbering girl lying before them, and all wondered when Kyle would return with Isabel. Each had their own questions as to the events of the future that would lead a future version of Kyle to have come back to save them all. No one knew who exactly Serena was, and how she came to be in such a state that not even Max would be able to heal her without help from Isabel. Well one person did have some inklings who Serena was, and she was slowly putting everything that she had heard and felt that night, and nothing was looking too good.

Liz paled as she thought of everything she had done to help make sure that the world would be safe from their enemies. 'Has everything I done worth nothing? Or am I the reason that the end of the world happened again? I must have broken my promise and told Max everything. Kyle knew all about Future Max, so I must have told him and probably everyone else including Max. Oh God, what have I done? How can I fix this?' Looking back down at the girl who future Max proclaimed was a friend of theirs, she bitterly wondered whether would her need for love, rather her love for Max, was the reason for everything. "This is all my fault," she whispered softly to herself.

"Babe, are you okay? Maybe you should rest for a bit. You did faint after all." Maria placed a hand on Liz's arm startling her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine. Really I'm okay." Liz grabbed hold of Maria's hand and gave it a squeeze. Seeing the disbelief on her friend's face, Liz gave her a shaky smile before moving away and walking over to her bed. A blue and white quilt with a star pattern laid across the end of her bed. She picked up the spread and hurried back over to Serena. Bending down she laid the quilt across her, and when she was done she rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet staring sightlessly. Maria looked down at her friend in concern before turning to catch Max's attention. With a nod of her head towards Liz, she mouthed, 'Do something.'

Max nodded before tilting his head towards the door. Maria getting the hint walked past him and gave him a brief smile. Stopping at the door where Michael was leading against it, she resisted the urge to make him hold her. She still remembered what had happened last night when she caught him at Courtney's house. Sometimes she thought understood him, then other times she was left standing trying to figure out what had just happened. Fighting the urge she rubbed her hands down her arms to give herself something to do. "Michael, we should probably go downstairs and close the restaurant. We don't want the customers trying to call Mrs. and Mr. Parker and telling them Liz fainted earlier."

For a minute Michael didn't answered rather he continued to stare intently at the unconscious form of Serena. He shook his head as if to clear it before he turned back to Maria. "Yeah, we better go check on the restaurant." Moving away from the door he opened and motioned Maria to go before him. Maria hesitated and stared at him before walking out the door with Michael right behind her. Closing the door behind them, they headed downstairs leaving their friends alone to deal with each other.

Oblivious to what was going on around her, Liz continued to rock back and forth while staring at the wall. Silently Max stared openly at Liz and took in the dull look in her eyes, the tear tracks that had dried on her cheeks, the stray hair that flew around her, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't recognize the girl before him as the same girl who had only told him yesterday that she didn't want anything to do with him, the same girl who had once demanded that he let her fully into his life, the girl whose spirit called him from the first day he had laid eyes on her. No matter what had happened yesterday, he couldn't stand to see her broken like this...it was if a light had gone off inside her.

Feeling as if someone was staring a hole through her head, Liz ran her fingers through her hair and froze as she found herself drowning in eyes the color of amber that seemed to be turning the color of warm honey. Max. Her heart thumped and her body leaned forward of it's own accord. It was like swimming in love because that had to be the emotion that shone so bright in his eyes. It was an emotion that she had seen thousands of times in the mirror when she thought of him. 'How can he still love me after everything that I've done to him? He should hate me! He did hate me otherwise Future Max wouldn't have disappeared last night. God, why am I obsess with being love by him? We're not meant to be. I have to stop it and just let him go once and for all.'

Anguish and longing shone in her eyes as she stared back at him. Breaking the eye contact, she turned away before she gave into the urge to let the sudden sheen of tears that cover her eyes fall down.

"Liz, don't do that. Don't shut me out." Max's voice sounded harsh and rough in the quiet of the room. He could see her closing herself off from him again. She loved him. He had saw it. It was a brief moment, but she had shown him. 'Why did everything between us have to be so hard? Wasn't teenage love supposed to be carefree?' He thought bitterly. Nervous he licked his dry lip as he thoughtfully eyed Liz. "Liz, we're going to have to talk eventually. Would you please talk to me about what's going on?"

"No. I think we've said everything that had to be said last night." She didn't raise her head to look at him.

"Last night huh? What was last night? What kind of show were you putting on? If you wanted me out of your life that bad all you had to do was say so instead of pretending to sleep with Kyle." He snapped at her no longer caring that he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

The color drained out of her face as she snapped her head up to meet his heated gaze. She opened her mouth to say something when the air next to them started to change and a light filled the room. As the white light dimmed, there standing in the room now was Isabel, Alex, and Future Kyle.

Sensing the tension in the room, Alex looked back forth between Liz and Max and raised an eyebrow. "Hey guys, you've totally missed catching the new transportation of the future....Air Kyle." He gave a weak smile when no one laughed and turned to Isabel with a bewildered look. Isabel squeezed his hand as to give him reassurance that everything would be okay. He squeezed back and smiled. Future Kyle cleared his throat and hurried over to where Serena laid between Liz and Max. Bending down beside her he slowly pulled the quilt back. He swore as he took in the sight before and ripped the rest of the quilt off her. Everyone gasped as they looked at Serena only to find that what looked to be spider webs were binding her to the floor.

"What the hell is going on? What did you guys do while I was gone?" Kyle glared first at Max and then Liz.

"Calm down Kyle. We've seen those before when Michael was sick," Isabel reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "Although I'm not sure why Serena has the spider webs on her unless she's out of balance."

"Out of balance? I think Maria told me this about one time something about Michael almost dying because he was out of balance. But I'm not sure what this has to do with Serena. Whatever it is we have to hurry because I think we're running out of time." Kyle picked up Serena's arm and felt for a pulse. He sighed as he felt the weak pulse that seemed to be slowing down even more if that was even possible.

"I'll go get some water." Liz spoke up startling them all. Standing up, she wobble a bit before up riding herself and straightening her shoulders. "I should probably go downstairs and grab Michael and Maria as well."

"I'll go with you." Alex frowned in concern of his friend and hurried over to catch up with her. Liz smiled gratefully at him before heading towards the door. The two headed out the door leaving the others behind watching them.

Hearing the click of the door, Kyle shook his head and went back to holding Serena's hand. "Serena. I know you're in there listening to what's going on around you. Now you have to stop taking a nap and wake up now because I need your help. I really need your help if we're going to save the world because I don't think I can do it on my own." He searched her face for any signs of consciousness and closed his eyes in pain when he didn't see anything. "Come on and fight. I know you can do this."

No one said anything as they all waited for the others to come back not sure what to say or do. A few moments later footsteps could be heard outside the door, and the door open with Maria, Michael, Liz, and Alex hurrying in.

"Shit! Whitman wasn't lying when he said she had grew spider webs." Michael stood staring incredulously at the sight of Serena covered in spiderwebs. "Don't we need the stones to make this work?"

"No. We don't have the time to get them. Plus Isabel can get us into her subconscious." Kyle motioned for everyone to get closer. "Her pulse is dropping as we speak, and if we have to run off and get the stones it'll be too late then we're all screwed."

Moving quickly everyone formed a circle around Serena with Kyle holding her right hand and Isabel holding her left hand while everyone clasped hands to form a connection...a chain to each other so no one would get lost when they entered Serena's consciousness. Isabel took the bowl of water from Liz and took a drink before handing to Alex, who took a drink as well and passed it along until finally everyone had taken a drink.

"Are you sure I can do this Kyle?" Isabel looked worriedly at the still form of Serena. "I could make things worst, and I'm still not even sure I can get into her subconscious much less all of seven of us there."

"You can do it. You've done it before. Just concentrate." Kyle smiled encouragingly at her.

Isabel took a deep breathe and turned to Alex and gave him a smile when she felt him squeeze her hand. "Thanks," she whispered to him. Instructing everyone to close their eyes, she waited until she was sure everyone had followed her instructions before she closed her own. Nothing happened at first and blew out a frustrated breath before she concentrated harder to connect with Serena. Again nothing happened and just when she was getting ready to open her eyes, she felt the familiar circulation of her powers and then nothing. Taking a deep breath she smelled strangely enough the ocean as if she was standing right on the beach. She opened her eyes to see all of them standing on a beach with a lone figure sitting in the sand staring at the water as the sun started descending in the sky.

"We did it. Guys! Open your eyes." She told them excitedly as she hadn't believed that it would actually worked.

As everyone took in the beach scene, Kyle moved away from them and started down towards the lone figure that was sitting in the sand. As he got closer he noticed the wind blow and teased what had to be Serena's long dark hair. Finally arriving he sat down next to her and waited until she noticed him.

"You know when a girl tells someone that she's dying, she at least hopes that people will let her die peacefully." She pushed a dark strand of hair out of her face before turning to stare at Kyle.

"Your eyes are blue!" He said the first thing that came to mind. "Your eyes are usually brown, so why are they blue now?"

Amusement danced in her eyes as she leaned her chin on her hand as she stared back at him. "My eyes are blue? That's all you can say to me? You're such a charmer really." She let out a soft chuckle as she moved to stand up. Seeing the others she started towards them and called over her shoulder when she realized that Kyle wasn't behind her. "Are you coming or not?"
By the time he got up, she was already standing with the others and waiting for him. "So I guess the first thing I should say is 'welcome.'"

"Welcome to what?" Alex asked.

"Welcome to the consciousness of the Granolith. Not many people make it here." She smiled at them as they all stared at her in varies degrees of shock.

"Huh? What do you mean the Granolith?" Kyle asked not sure what was going on now, but not liking the paleness of Serena's face.

"I mean that..that.." Serena paused and tried to take a deep breathe. Clutching her stomach, she bent over as pain racked her body.

"Are you okay?" Kyle gently grabbed her arm and made her sit down on the sand.

"All of you are going have to leave. This body will not last any longer, and you can't be in my consciousness when I stop breathing otherwise you could end up trap here."

Everyone looked on confused not sure what was going on except that danger was coming closer and closer.

"Wait I thought you said this was the consciousness of the Granolith." Max spoke up and looked on with concern at her. He moved hesitantly at first, "Is is possible for me to heal your body from inside here?"

"Thank you, but even your healing cannot heal me. The time traveling took a toll on my body and it's against the rules for there to be two of me in one timeline. As for your question about the Granolith, yes this is the consciousness. A long time ago when the Granolith was given to the very first ruler of Antar, a High Priest was chosen to guard it and advice the ruler of the wishes of the Granolith. This was a tradition that continued until the rule of King Zan of Antar, whose High Priest had slowly been seduced by power and became corrupted. King Zan asked the Granolith to appointed him a new advisor one that could not become so easily corrupted, so the Granolith instead created me and inserted its consciousness in me."

"Zan of Antar?" Max asked curiously. "Was that me?"

"That was you, but that's a story for another time." She smiled at him before turning to stare back at the sunset. "I'm sorry but we're out of time. Once you leave here I will no longer exist, well this version of me anyway."

"You can't die!" Kyle yelled and turned her to face him. "I can't do this on my own. I can't face another person dying around me. I just...I just can't."

Serena started to tell another joke, but stopped once she saw lines of sorrow and unhappiness that resided in his eyes. She moved slowly until there wasn't even an inch separating them, and wrapped her arms around his with her head resting on his shoulder. He raised his arms and hugged her back to him tightly.

"Listen to me Valenti. I know I always joked around and teased you about your capabilities, but you're one hell of a guy. You can do this. You're the only one who can do this. I know it's hard to have all these memories of losing everyone you've ever loved, but this is your chance to save them."

"Serena," he interrupted, but stopped when she reached up and placed her fingers on his lips to silence him.

"Right now everything might seem hopeless, but you have to believe and not give up faith that everything will turn out all right. There's a lost soul right that needs you to help her find her way home, and I think you need her to so that you can find your way home. It's okay to fall in love, and sure it hurts to lose someone, but just ask yourself if you rather be alone and not know love and then make your choice. Also you got to remember that you're not alone in this timeline for however long you're here. There's six people behind you that have stood beside you and loved you for two lifetimes, so whenever you feel alone remember that."

She stopped and let her words sink into him before she slowly pulled away. She gave him a sad smile before leaning back in and kissing him on the cheek. As she pulled away she whispered to him, "I'll always be around when you need me. When all seems lost go to the Granolith for help, and help will come as soon as possible. Take care of yourself okay?"

Kyle pulled her one last hug and closed his eyes against the pain of losing another part of his family. For years it had just been him and his dad, then their family had grown and expanded over the years thanks in part to the people behind him who changed his life over the years. "Goodbye Serena."

"Goodbye Kyle."

He dropped his arms and stepped away. She waved at the rest of the group and started walking back to where they had found her at first. No one said anything as they watch her settle back down on the beach hugging her knees as she stared out at the water.

Kyle slowly turned away from her and looked at the others. "We're going have to leave now. Isabel, please wake us up."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't there be more for us to do?" Isabel asked worriedly. "Do you want to stay here while we leave so you can have some more time with her?"

"No." That one word conveyed to all of them the hurt and pain that he was trying to keep to himself.

"Okay if you're sure then. Everyone get back into a circle formation and then close your eyes." Isabel waited until everyone followed her instructions again before closing her own eyes and concentrating on waking them up. Again she felt that familiar tingle and opened her eyes with a gasp and found that they had all returned to Liz's room.

Kyle tugged his hands away from Maria and Isabel, and without a word he walked away from them and headed out the window towards the balcony. Isabel started towards the window, but stopped and looked helplessly at Alex. "What are we are going to do?"

"I don't know Isabel. I don't know." Alex pulled her into his embrace.

'And if you were with me tonight
I'd sing to you just one more time
A song for a heart so big
God couldn't let it live

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in'




'May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in'

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse

Author: vegas312

Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell so please don't sue me as all I have are a stack of school books and a broken laptop.

Rating: Mature

Coupling: CC

Summary: See previous chapters for a more detailed summary.

AN: Thanks Trude, Timelord31, Rodney, 83 AlienAngel, and chanks-girl for the awesome feedback. *passes oreos all around* Okay everyone I hope you like this chapter as the muse kind of ran off with it. I promise to do the stargazer/candy moment next chapter. I just had to tie up some loose ends this time around. Enjoy!



I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird:I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train and
It's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd:but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed:but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream but
It's not easy to be me

~It's Not Easy (Superman) by Five For Fighting

Chapter 11

The air was vibrating with the pain and sorrow of the older man as he stood on the balcony staring out blankly at the night not seeing anything really as he remembered losing everyone who ever mattered to him. Over the span of thirty years he had lost his mother, his father, his best friends, his step-sister, comrades, and just anyone who had made the mistake of getting close to him. Was he doomed to repeat all his mistakes this lifetime as well? Until now he had ignored the new pieces of memory that were taking place thanks to his present self. She wouldn't, couldn't love him...she still wanted destiny no matter that he had thought that she wanted differently. New anguish tore at him as he the new memories and the pain that came with a broken heart.

"Am I doom to lose everything and everyone that I've ever loved?" He let out a harsh laugh that scratch his throat from the rawness of it. "Serena was wrong. No matter what I do, I can't save anyone especially the woman I love. I'm such a fool. I've been in love with the same backstabbing, conniving woman to ever live and it was stupid to think that I could have made a difference."

Kyle placed his hands on the edge of the balcony as he leaned over to look down, and quickly shield his mind away from the thought of ending it all. He started to move away when a familiar voice said quietly, "Now that was the stupidest thought that I've ever heard. I can't leave you alone for a minute can I?"

Startled he caught himself before he fell and turned around to see the last person he thought he would see. "Serena?"

She smiled at him before sitting down on one of the lawn chairs and motioning for him to sit beside her.

He could only stare at her and shake his head when she again motioned for him to sit down.

"Valenti, you're being incredibly rude." She plucked a piece of imaginary lint from her yellow skirt as she smoothed the wrinkles from it. "Why is this thing so wrinkle?" She muttered to herself before looking up to see Kyle fall into the chair next to her.

"You're dead." He whispered.

"Yeah, I kind of know that. It's a bit hard for me to miss, but thank you for stating the obvious."

He started laughing only for it to turn to heavy sobs and covered his face with his hands as his shoulders shook. "Its official. I've gone nuts. Why I choose this time to do it is beyond me?"

A second later he felt someone tugging his hands away from his face and looked down at the hands that were covering his. "I don't understand."

Serena squeezed his hand before reaching over to touch his face. Bright blue eyes searched cobalt blue eyes as if all the answers would be there. "You have to stop this course you're taking."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He broke eye contact with her and stared over her shoulders at the wall.

"Yes, you do know what I'm talking about. I heard your thoughts when you looked down at the alley. I know how you feel."

"You don't know what the hell I'm feeling, and anyway you're not even real. So keep your damn opinions to yourself." He yelled angrily as he whipped his eyes back to her to glare at her.

"I will not keep my opinions to myself when you're in so much pain. I know you're worrying that you're going to lose everyone all over again, and that you're also feeling the pain of your present self. And you're wrong I do know what it's like to lose people you love...everyone of your friends were mine as well. I lost them as well even if I didn't know them as long as you. Those people you care about wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. You have to be strong. You are strong. Be the Kyle Valenti I know you are."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not strong. I don't know how to be that person anymore. I'm here to save everyone and the irony is that I can't even save myself." His head dropped as he whispered the rest. "I can't do this."

"It's okay to be afraid you know. Everyday when we were out on some battlefield and I had to watch people I'd trained die beside me, I was afraid. I was afraid that I had failed everyone around me by not training them hard enough, not giving enough effort to save them all, and for not dying in their place." Her voice quivering caused Kyle to look up. "I should have done more. Hell I'm part of the Granolith so I could have done more."

"Hey, stop that! You helped us, all of us, by showing us how to use our powers and preparing for a war that some idiot started a long time ago. You can't take the blame upon yourself."

She smiled sadly at him, "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"Shit! I hate when you do that. You get all logical on me and that's not fair." He rubbed at his face feeling every inch his thirty years and the last twelve years of fighting an intergalactic war.

"I know, but someone has to do it." She leaned back in the lounge chair and tipped her head back to stare up at the stars. Tracing a pattern in the air, she looked out the side of her eye to see Kyle staring at her before he too leaned back in his chair. Serena smiled inwardly that he was at least trying to let some of the tension go.

Comfortable in each other presence, neither said anything as they looked up at the stars just as they had done many times before.

"You know times like this I really wish I could talk to my dad and get his input on everything." Kyle's voice broke the silence between them causing Serena to stop tracing patterns in the sky.

"Why don't you? He's alive right now, so why don't you pay him a visit when you know your present self isn't around?"

Feet hit the concrete with a thud as Kyle sat up and turned to stare at her. "Wait. I thought that was against the rules or something. You know don't let everyone know about the future and whatnot because it'll only make things worst."

"Yes and no. You should only tell the others the reason you're here at this moment, and not tell them things like what battle is going to happen where and whatnot. Things like that you can't tell them because you have no idea if it will happen or not. You can talk to your dad if you want, but you cannot make contact with your younger self because that's a disaster even I don't think I can help with. I wouldn't advice you to to tell everyone you know that you're from the future because it can cause a domino effect of sorts with not only your future changing, but those you tell as well."

"So I can talk to my dad? As long as I don't tell him important things like when battles will take place, when people will die, etc?" Kyle tried to keep his voice calm, but it held a hint of wistfulness and eagerness that he couldn't quite hide. "What about the others? They all know I'm here and am from the future. Wouldn't that cause this domino or ripple effect that you're talking about?"

"Yup, but in this case it was bound to happen once Khivar came to this time with me running behind him. There's already a ripple effect from the three of us crossing time and changing things."

"Son of a bitch! I need to find him before he causes any damage if he hasn't already begun to do so. Still how am I going to defeat him when even of us with our combine powers couldn't do it? And what about this ripple effect that you're talking about? How will that effect the future?"

Serena looked up at the stars once more before looking away and standing up. "Don't worry about the ripple effect for now as it's still anyone idea what's going to happen. It could turn bad or good depending upon everyone's reaction to what's happening. As for Khivar don't worry about him. He's set his own doom when he demanded that I send him back here." She gave an unladylike snort. "He never once thought I had an ulterior motive for actually letting him come back. His arrogance will be his downfall."

"You purposely let him come back? Why? Do you have a death wish for all of us? I was wondering how he got back here, but I figured he threatened Iz and you if you didn't send him back."

"Oh he did some threatening to both Iz and me before I gave in and let him come back as long as he agreed not to hurt any of us. Of course the lying bastard ordered our deaths as soon as he got into the granolith and disappeared. Lucky for Nicholas and his gang of cronies that Max, Michael, and the rest of the guards came right then."

"What do you mean lucky? No, wait I don't want to know. You still haven't told me why you wanted Khivar to come back to this time. What's going on around here, Serena?" He stared at her coldly not liking the thought that she was playing games with his friends' lives.

"I let him through so that they, meaning the innocent teenagers behind us, can see what the future holds for them if they don't let go of their insecurities, distrust, and pain of betrayal. From what I've recalled this is the period when the group starts weakening and leaving open the seeds of destruction that all of you barely recovered from. They're going have to face their worst nightmares a lot sooner and I hope they come out stronger. All of them fear trusting someone, letting someone see the real person that's inside instead they all hide from who they are and what they can really do. They have to face it especially Tess as she's the most vulnerable as she's not sure whether to trust her instincts or not. Khivar will test all eight of them and he knows their weaknesses, so they have a lot to overcome a lot sooner than they thought they would."

He was silent for a minute as he pondered what she had said and the truthfulness behind her words. He knew that she spoke the truth, and that this was the beginning when everything had started going to hell. In a few months, none of them would even be speaking to each other. It would be alien versus human. Serena in her own twisted way had set it up where each of his friends and his younger self would have to deal with everything a lot sooner. "I can't say I like your methods, but it makes sense. I hope this doesn't blow up in our faces."

Serena smiled at him, "Oh don't worry. Humans have proven themselves that even at the worst time that nothing will get them down. Look at how hard it's been for Khivar to completely annihilate the human race despite his many tries to do it. Humans are such stubborn creatures."

"Was that a compliment or an insult? Know what? I don't even want to know." He held up his hands in mock surrender that sent her off laughing.

"Take care of them and yourself. Visit your dad okay? And leave Khivar alone for now. I'll be around when you need me." She reached over and hugged him before stepping away. Giving him a little smile she waved at something over his shoulders before disappearing.

He leaned back into the lounge chair and closed as his eyes as he finally gave into the exhaustion that had been haunting him for days now. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was, 'Serena. Why did she feel so real?'

While Kyle was lying on the lounge chair the others were trying to figure out what to do and what this meant for all them. The guys were talking in low tones as they tried not to upset the girls as they were all staring out the window staring with worry over Kyle.

"Did you see that?" Maria gripped Liz and Isabel's hands not sure what she had just saw. "Please tell me I'm not crazy and that I see dead people now."

"I saw her too," Isabel said incredulously. "I'm just not sure what this means."

When Isabel and Maria didn't hear anything from Liz, they looked over to see her silently staring at Kyle looking lost. The two girls exchanged concerned looks as they weren't used their rational and controlled friend looking so lost and not together. "Babe, did you see that? What do you think that means?"

Liz pulled herself from her thoughts and found Maria and Isabel staring at her in concern. Visibly pulling herself together she gave them a small smile before answering. "I think maybe we're going to be seeing the Serena from this time pretty soon."

"You think so?" Isabel asked.

"Yes, I believe so. Wherever she is she's worry about Future Kyle so we should keep an eye out on him."

"That we can do. At least he's no longer so tense or standing close to the edge of the balcony, so whatever she said to him worked." Maria watched Kyle for another second before moving away to find out what the guys were up to.

Both Liz and Isabel turned away to follow Maria's progress over to the guys, who were still talking in low tones. "Maria is more intuitive than I give her credit for." Isabel said quietly.

"That she is. Just when you think you have her peg she'll surprise you." Liz grinned at Isabel, who found herself grinning back.
"Let's go see what the guys have come up with."

"Sounds like a plan to me, but I think I'll go check on Kyle first." Isabel headed towards the window and stepped out.

Moving to his side she bent down beside him and frowned as she took in the lines that were on his face. "It's going to be okay. We're going to be stronger this time around. We have to."

****************

Across town...

She let out a sigh as she rethought her plan to succeed in twenty four hours to meet Khivar's demand. She moved towards the screen door and paused as she looked up at the stars one more time and again wonder why she didn't feel as excited to be going back home. The only thing that she seemed to be feeling was regret and shame at what she had to do to the others in the group. These were feelings that she hadn't been brought up to know personally, but somehow over the past few months she had been in Roswell she had become familiar with a lot of feelings that she had thought she would never know.

'No matter how much Max says that we're in control of our fates, we really don't have any control over our fates. Destiny will always win over free will despite how much we try to get free of it. My whole life I've been tutored in what my destiny is and now that it's here there's nothing I can do except embrace it. Even if I wanted to change my mind it wouldn't mattered as there's nothing for me here. I'm all alone and I always will be.'

Tess ignored the pang that thought caused and headed into the house. Closing the door softly behind her, she automatically looked towards the couch expecting to find Kyle getting ready for sleep. An empty couch greeted her sight and for a moment she felt a pang at the thought of never seeing him again. Before she could get further depress by that idea she heard noise in the kitchen and she made her way to find Kyle at the stove making hot chocolate. A smile graced her face for the first time since she had come back from her meeting with Khivar. Hot chocolate was a staple in the Valenti's household with the men staying up late drinking hot chocolate before heading to bed. It was a chance for them to catch a few minutes together as to make up the time that wasn't spent with each other the rest of the day. When she had first moved in she had thought it a bit odd that Kyle and Jim would sit around doing nothing more than sitting there drinking hot chocolate. She had thought that until they included her into their hot chocolate club and many nights had been spent with the three of them sipping their drinks and catching up on each other's day.

"Do you need any help?" She asked nervously not sure what her reception would be.

If she hadn't been paying attention, she would have missed the small tick in his chin when he heard her voice. Not turning around he continued to pour hot water in the mug before him. Setting the kettle on the stove top, he reached up and grabbed another mug off the shelf over the stove. He added some cocoa in the mug and poured some water in it and stuck a spoon in it before grabbing the other mug. Walking past Tess he said, "Your chocolate is on the stove. Have a good night."

"Kyle, wait..." she started but was interrupted.

"Goodnight Tess." He kept going leaving her there to stare silently at him.

The kitchen door swung as he left and she slowly walked over to the stove and grabbed her mug of chocolate. She stared at the swirly liquid staring back at her before walking over the sink and pouring it out. She just stood there and continued to stare down at the sink long after the chocolate had draining leaving nothing behind except a hint that it had been there. She didn't know how long she stood there, but finally she headed out of the kitchen towards her room. Pausing as she caught sight of Kyle's still form under the blankets, she said so quietly that she doubt he heard her. "I'm sorry."

Entering her room she locked door behind her before climbing into bed not caring that she still had on her clothes or shoes. Pulling the blanket over her head she closed her eyes hoping with all in her being that today had never happened. That she hadn't been shown "what could have been" if not for destiny.

********************

A siren ripped the air as neighbors stood outside in their bathrobes trying to catch sight of the young woman who others were whispering had been assaulted. It was whispered that the young woman was indeed lucky that one of the neighbors in the apartment complex had been out walking his dog when he had come upon her. Everyone grew silent and pressed forward as they watched the medics load the stretcher carrying the unconscious blonde woman on it.

"Goodness, it looks as if her skin is peeling off. What kind of sicko does that to someone?" A man cladded in a purple bathroom asked his wife who was wearing a matching bathrobe.

"I don't know dear, but goodness those burns must hurt something fierce." She patted his arm as she stood on her toes to get a better view of what was going on. Seeing a deputy going by, she reached over and tapped him on the shoulders to get his attention. The deputy turned around and touched his hat in greetings. "Deputy Hanson, what's going to happen to that young lady?"

"Don't worry ma'am. We're going to get her all the help we can give her, and please be sure to lock your doors tonight. We're combing the area to see if anyone knows what happened." Hearing someone call his name, he nodded goodbye to the lady before heading off to talk with another deputy who was holding something up.

"Harold, I wonder what's going on. What is that he's carrying in his hand?" She peered as far as she could. "Is that a piece of skin? What is that?"

TBC

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse

Author: vegas312

Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, so please don't sue me.

Rating: Mature

AN: I finally got the muse to cooperate with me and get something done. Many thanks to everyone that left feedback and bumps. I totally appreciate everyone for sticking with the story thus far. *passes oreos* Also many thanks to jbangelo for being an awesome beta. *smooches* As always you totally rock, and also thanks to roswellianprincess16 for listening to me ramble on about this chapter all week. lol Finally many thanks to Ilyme4Ever for making the awesome new banner that can be found on page one. Thanks chica!

I hope ya'll enjoy and I'll see you with chapter 13 next Monday.

Chapter 12 "What I've Given Up" (Truth and Consequences)

She huddled in the lawn chair unmindful of the cold night that surrounded her. The night sky was clear and dark with a smattering of stars in clusters streaking through the darkness. She ignored the cold beauty that surrounded her as she stared sightlessly with nothing more on her mind than the conversation that she had with the man who lay a few feet away from her dozing in a similar lawn chair.

'Alex died.'

'I'm from fourteen years in the future.'

Fourteen years. Fourteen years without him. And knowing herself she would bet that she had never told him her feelings. He had died without ever knowing just how important he was to her. She loved him. It wasn't love at first sight a la Max and his falling for Liz in third grade, but she had been drawn to him from the very beginning. Alex Whitman wasn't like any high school boy she'd ever met before. He was an enigma that only grew more and more puzzling as time went by. One minute he could be the self proclaimed band geek who blushed and stammered, yet in the very next breath he was this mature guy who wandered into depths of the so-called alien abyss that would have sent anyone else running away.

A small smile graced her pale lips as she thought of what she had heard about Maria's reaction to the discovery aliens walking among her. 'Now that's a normal reaction, although Maria has definitely come a long way.' Thinking of the fierce and protective blonde, a sigh escaped as she thought of the strained relationship between her adopted brother and Maria. 'Oh Michael, you're going have to stop pushing her away before she gives up completely on you. She gets him like no one else does, but he's determined to keep her far away from him and the danger that surrounds us.' Before she could think anymore on the subject of Michael and Maria, her thoughts flowed back to the topic that really troubled her.

Alex.

'Funny how I can sit here and admonish Michael for not letting Maria in, when I can't even tell Alex what I really feel. I spent fourteen years without him in another timeline, yet knowing that it could happen again I still can't get up the nerve to tell him. What's the matter with me? When did I become such a coward?'

'Tell her it’s okay to love.' The words whispered in her mind as it teased her with the underlying sadness, longing and hope that were given by her future self.

"And what if he doesn't love me? What do I do then?" She spoke to the night not really expecting an answer. There was no one out there who could guarantee that she wouldn't find herself rejected. Maybe once upon a time ago she could have smugly answered that question with a resounding yes, but that was before she had given into her fear and pushed him away. With talks of destiny crowding her at the same time she had faced the startling conclusion just how much he had come to mean to her, she had reverted back to the safety of the shallow ice princess facade.

Love. What did she know about love? Love hurt. Love demanded. Love consumed. Love broke a person into pieces that never mended back quite the same. Love was both beautiful and ugly. She might have lied to herself that she didn't want to be with him because it wasn't safe, but deep down inside she didn't trust in the feelings that shone so brightly in his eyes every time he had looked at her. He had never told her, but his every action and look seemed to bespoke something more than a crush. Still what real example did she have of love lasting besides her parents? Everyday she saw couples at school proclaiming love only to break up and come to hate each other. Love was fickle damn it, especially young love. With all the dangers that followed her, how could she expect and demand him to love her? She couldn't deal with it if one day he decided that he didn't want to love her anymore.

Shifting in the chair, she pushed a loose strand of hair away from her face and wondered if she could stop being in his life period. Could she really not be around him anymore? Could she be that unselfish and let him go live a happy life that didn't include her? Call her selfish because no matter what happened she wanted to be in his life even if nothing more than a friend. Friendship between them lately hadn't been really working since she spent most of the time deliberately ignoring the hurt in the eyes that seemed to follow her around and burn into her very soul. She let out a bitter laugh as she thought about how she thought she could forget the haven she found in his arms as she tried to prove to herself that Alex wasn't the only guy for her. Being with Grant had proven just how wrong she had been.

Her hands wandered through her hair and a frown creased her brow as she realized that she hadn't found someone else that made her feel safe. Tonight was the first night in a long time since she had really felt like it was safe to be herself and not put on a persona of what others expected her to be. All her life she had kept a tight control on what others were allowed to see, and had reined in any impulses to be a carefree normal teenage girl. Normal. She had always thought that to be normal and fit in she had to be like everyone else, yet with Alex she didn't feel that need to rein in what she felt, what she was thinking. It was one of the very things that had drawn her to him, and it was also the very thing that scared her to the center of her being.

Dropping her hands away from her hair, she blinked her eyes before focusing on the display put on by nature. Her eyes traced the skyline and searched the stars before landing on the constellation that she always found herself looking for. Five stars were snuggled further in the sky shining a pale white as they formed what some would deem a v-shape. It was a symbol of a home she would never know and a reminder that she would never be normal. Normal. She might not be normal by other people's standards, but she would create her own definition of normal. All that was left was to take a leap and see where she would land.

"I love him," she said quietly yet without hesitation. There was nothing shy or questioning about her declaration as she continued to stare in determination at the constellation. Unaware that her comrade on the other lounge chair had woken up and was watching her through narrowed eyes, she repeated her declaration a little louder and with that same conviction of rightness.

Cobalt eyes stared at her in concern before approval and a hint of sadness darkened them. Kyle lay still on the chaise as he took in the sight of the girl who would one day be his best friend take the first step towards changing the future. He was happy that she was willing to take a risk on love, as he had learned a long time ago that love wasn't perfect, it wasn't tidy, but the experience was worth it. He wanted that for her. Hell at one time, he had thought maybe he would be the one to give her that very thing, but neither had been ready for anything like that as both were haunted by images and what ifs of those lost to them.

There had always been this unspoken bridge between them to not speak of either Alex or Tess. He could guess as to why she hadn't wanted to bring up Alex except at those rare times when he would catch her looking off into the night sky stargazing and looking lonely. As for himself he knew why he didn't want to bring up the past. His lips tightened into a thin white line as he thought of the utter horror of finding out that the girl he had fallen for had used him in her fanatical quest to fulfill the plan of a hate filled alien. He had been used and betrayed, and still he couldn't find it in himself to forget the glimpses of the girl who had wormed her way into his heart. To his secret shame and guilt those were the memories he found himself seeking on those bleak nights when everything seemed hopeless. He was no longer that naive and lonely boy anymore, but there was a part of him that desperately wanted to save her.

Love had blinded him to her flaws before, but this time he couldn't afford to let his own feelings get in the way of saving the future. He didn't know what he would do if Tess didn't stop from continuing her plans. He knew what he was capable of it, but if it came down to it could he really do it. Did he even want to do it? 'Maybe they’re right that love is indeed for the fool.'

As he struggled with what he knew had to be done and what he wanted to do, he heard Liz's window opening and saw Alex come join them on the balcony. 'Now this should be an interesting conversation. Will either one of them actually fight for what they want, or will they continue this dance of uncertainty?' He knew from listening to Isabel earlier that she had settled whatever doubts had been plaguing her, but he didn't know whether she would actually let go of that iron control that she kept so tightly on her emotions. 'One of us deserves to find some happiness in this lifetime.' Barely moving an inch, he got comfortable in the lounge chair and closed his eyes granting his two friends some privacy.

Isabel was startled out of her thoughts by a warm hand touching her on the shoulder softly. She looked up to see the very guy who had been on her mind standing before her with an indescribable emotion. "Alex, is everything okay?" She reached up to touch his hand but before she made contact he drew his hand away quickly. Confusion and a twinge of hurt started creeping into her mind as she watched him take a couple of steps back that seemed to be more than just a physical distance between them. "Alex?" She repeated his name with the hope that she was imagining indifference on his part.

"No, nothing else happened. Not that I would know anything if it did since I think I'm always the last person to know what's going on. Hell, I think Tess knows more than I do, and if this was Survivor she would have been the first person voted off the island. Me? I’m just the fifth wheel that’s not required to know anything until I'm needed to help with something." Bitterness and anger danced on his words as they burst from him. Emotions lightened up his eyes making them no longer that dark shade of hazel, but a light shade of green.

"That's not true. Maybe in the beginning we didn't tell you everything because we were worried about how you would keep our secrets, but that's not true now. You're not a fifth wheel or anything like that." Feeling trapped in the chair that she only just found her moment of clarity, she leaped out of the chair to face him.

"Isn't it? Then what's going on? There's a future version of Kyle Valenti sleeping a few feet away from you, and Max was trying to ask Liz something about a future version of himself only for her to run from the room. The only person who seems to know what's going on is you. I thought we were finally done keeping secrets from each other. I thought you..." He paused and stared intently at her. "I thought tonight meant that you were finally trusting me and letting me see the real you. The you that I've always thought no one else got to see. I guess I was wrong." Breaking eye contact, he turned away from her not wanting to see her confirm his fears.

He didn't want to think about his hope that tonight everything would change for the better. He didn't want to think about how he had laid so much on the line and left himself wide open with nothing more than hope guiding him. He should have known that the myth of the nice guy always finishing last wasn't a lie at all. Truth. It tasted bitter in his mouth, and his heart felt heavy as he thought of the words he had just hurled at her. Any chance of even a friendship with her was pretty much destroyed by his careless words, even if that was what he really felt.

'Way to go Whitman. I doubt she'll even want to be friends now. Maybe it’s better this way though because it seems no matter what I always find myself falling more for her. I'm always going to be nothing more than the best friend, who's always there to listen.'

As he started to beat himself up more, he was startled by the warmth that seemed to surround him from out of nowhere. He looked down his chest to find one pale hand covering his heart and another sliding down his arm until it reached his hand where he watched long fingers intertwine with his own. A fluttering of emotions filled him and he recognized the strongest one as the one he had previously cursed. Hope. It filled him and gave him the courage to reach up and place his hand on the hand covering his heart. 'Maybe...just maybe.'

Leaning down he laid his forehead on hers and looked into the golden brown eyes that seemed to plague him whether he was awake or sleep. They stood still neither daring to move closer nor move away from each other. No words passed between them, only looks to convey what both were so afraid of speaking and letting out there in the universe.

"Alex?" Her voice broke the spell that they had been wrapped in.

"Yes?" He reluctantly pulled away and straightened up, but kept a tight hold of her hands.

She smiled at the gesture before speaking. The smile slid off her face as she thought of the future and what could still be, and what must be done. "Promise me that you won't have any regrets."

"Isabel?"

"Please promise me."

Hearing the desperation that threaded through her voice, he pulled her into his arms and smoothed her hair away from her face as he promised that there would be no regrets. So they stood in each other's arms unaware of the cold eyes that stared at them from the darkness glittering with the promises of unpleasant things to come.

Coming Soon: Chapter 13 "Hope Alone"

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse

Author: vegas312

Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, so please don't sue me. Really I'm broke enough as it is. lol

Rating: Mature

Summary: Pretty please go back to chapter one.

AN: First off many thanks again to my kickass beta, jbangelo for getting this back to me. Wonderful as always. Also thanks to roswellianprincess16, who lets me ramble on about muses and wriitng outside of the box. Thanks hun!

Secondly, thanks so much to all of you for the awesome feedback and for everyone who's just reading. Thank you! It means a lot to me, and I'm going to do my best to make sure there's at least one update a week. No promises b/c real life can be chaotic at times. lol Still I'm going to try so keep an eye out, or if you want me to pm you when I update just let me know and I will.

AN2: There's a quote below that isn't mine, rather its by Maya Angelou. Its not mine and I have no belief that its mine. lol Also the lyrics at the end of the chapter are from the song "Last Request" by Paolo Nutini, and are so not mine.

Happy reading everyone! See you next week with chapter 14.

Chapter 13: "Hope Alone"


Burning.

The world around him exploded as the sun rose into the once dark sky heating up everything in its path. He was bathed in shades of blue, pink and yellow with his long dark hair shining and his dark blue eyes glowing with an inner light that some would call fanatical. Turning away from the sight surrounding him, he went back to staring at the balcony on the roof across from him, and silently raged at having to hunt down the nuisance of a human who thought to change his future. He had spent the night staving off the frigid air as he tried to burn away the images of his beloved in the arms of another. The arms of a human.


Distaste covered his face as the thought of Vilandra in the arms of some peasant who wasn't even fit to utter her name. Vilandra. How she had lowered herself to be trapped in that particular form he had no idea. Still even in that disgusting form, she radiated the very aura that once had drawn him to her so long ago. Beauty. Power. She had wielded those weapons effortlessly in his lifetime, and he would make sure that she remembered all that had been between them. No one else was worthy of her except for him.

Still he had to deal with the idiot of a human he had to chase through time. 'He thinks he's so smart by coming here to stop my domination of this pathetic world. Poor little human. This time will be his downfall, as he will have to destroy the one thing he wants to save. Ava. She will be his downfall as she's so loyal to her family that she will do anything, even using those close to her. He will see her betray him once again, and there's nothing he can do stop to her. Love. Humans are so gullible to put so much faith in something that's a myth.'


His lips formed a cruel smile as he thought about the pain that was to come to the little band of would be heroes. "Death to them all. Maybe I should put them out of their misery and kill them all now." Pursing his lips as he thought about it, he shook his head and laughed. "No, this way will be tons more fun for me. What better way to see them get their hopes up, then swoop in to crush them all."

He stared through the balcony with its twinkling lights and lounge chairs that were pushed together for a better view of the town and didn't see that, rather he saw once again a couple in an intimate moment that frankly screamed of a togetherness that was unknown to him. Clenching his jaw, he raised his hand and let every bit of rage he was feeling course through his body until light filled his palm. He moved to release the power only for a stiff wind to knock him over and the energy that he had been holding on shoot up into the sky. Catching his breath, he moved to stand up only for the wind to knock him onto his back.

"What the hell? Who's there?" He shouted over the wind and cursed some more when he got no response except for the wind knocking him over every time he tried to stand him. Lying on the ground, he glared at the air not really sure what was going on. "I am Khivar. Ruler of seven planets and conqueror of all that is in my sights. You will pay for this."

Feminine laughter teased his ear as the wind suddenly disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Not sure what was going on, he slowly moved off the pavement and looked around for the source. Everything was still the same, even the sun shining brightly in the sky mocking him with its gentle yet fierce light. Turning away from the sight he looked back over at the balcony and froze at the symbol that had been scrawled on the wall. It was the symbol of the royal house of Antar, which he had long ago banned from his sight, and now there it was.


He hated that symbol that stood for everything that wasn't his, that the fates hadn't deemed to give to him. Instead he had to take with might and cold precision all that should have been his to begin with. The power, the prestige, the admiration, and those who said he would never have it had found out too late just what he would do to gain it all. He should have been ruler of his planet, but instead Ava had been granted leadership because her father had wished to have his heir in control. He should have been the one to make an alliance with Antar, instead he'd had to seduce Vilandra to his way of thinking. Everything had been handed to Ava and Zan, and others of their ilk, while he had to work for what should have been his.

Consuming.

He took a deep breath as he felt emotions try to take over him. He would not be weak and succumb to these emotions that this body he had borrowed carried. He would not be contaminated by such petty things as emotions. He was not human and he would never want to be. His blood carried in it that of ancient conquerors and warmongers, and now his name would be whispered with reverence throughout history. He would not lose. He could not lose. He had created his own destiny and nothing would stop him now.

"Mine. It will all be mine."

Taking a step back, he moved away from the light into the few shadows that still lingered on the roof. His eyes laced with malice before they became veiled, he started to leave when the wind suddenly danced around and curled up close to his ear as it whispered, "You will fall."

Pausing for a second, he didn't look around, but continued to stare ahead before taunting back. "Then I will not fall alone." He continued his journey off the roof and refused to look back.



*********

The same sunrise was being stared at by someone else, but she was enjoying it unlike him. Momentarily forgetting the tiredness that seemed to be not only physical but mental, she looked out the windows of the Crashdown and enjoyed the moment. In the course of two nights, her world had come crashing down and leaving her exposed and alone. She had found the boy she had fallen for with someone else, and now she was being told that the future didn't hold any promises of anything as magnificent as the sunrise before her.

'Most people don't even know what their future holds for them, and I'm stuck with the knowledge that the world is going to go to hell in a hand basket,' she thought wryly. 'And what about my mom and everyone else? Do they survive or will they be killed because we're members of the I know an alien club?'

Green eyes filled with despair at the thought of anything happening to her mother and those she thought of as her family. For so long her family had only consisted of her mom, Liz, Alex, and their families, and she had been content with that. She had the brother and sister that she always wanted, and a father of sorts in Mr. Parker, and up until last year a grandmother in Grandma Claudia before she passed away. Now she found herself with more members in her little family and that included the Czechoslovakians and yes, even one annoying Kyle Valenti.

"I wonder what happened to him. He's so hard, yet so broken. There has to be a lot more than what he's telling us, and I'm pretty sure that Isabel and Liz can add more pieces to it. Although will either one ever tell us anything is highly doubtful." She sighed as she thought of the events from last night when everyone had decided that sticking together would be their best option. "Lucky for us it’s the weekend and the parental don't mind slumber parties that they think is not co-ed." She let out a snort as she thought of her mom's reaction to finding them all sprawled out on pallets in Liz's room.

'I remember when she found Michael staying in my room that one time, and she chased him out with a newspaper.' She smiled before it disappeared as she thought back to the night when she caught him at Courtney's apartment. Shielding her thoughts away from that night, she moved away from the window and glanced at the closed sign before heading towards the kitchen to start breakfast. There would be no customers today, just the seven of them eating and trying to save the world from the madness that was the alien abyss.

Just another ordinary day for them.


‘I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refused to be reduced by it.’

Such a simple quote, yet it spoke a truth that she had lived for so long and refused to stop doing so now. Maybe Michael Guerin wasn’t that special someone whom she was meant to spend her whole life with, but then again not many people had the good luck to meet someone who could easily be their soul mate. She had done everything she could to get him to open up to her, and just when she thought she had gotten through to him he changed his mind and pushed her away.

She had spent a whole summer chasing him around hoping that he would admit those feelings he had only spoken of once. She kept hope close to her heart all the while believing that he would see that he could trust her with everything he was. Where had that hope landed her?

Broken. Broken into small pieces that she wasn’t sure that she would be able to mend back together. The only other guy she had loved had been her father and he had abandoned her the first chance he got. When he had left her and her mother, she had sworn that she would not be her mother searching for someone to love her. She had sworn that she would never let someone have the ability to break her. She wouldn’t let anyone get close enough to because she had believed that there would never be anyone she would trust with everything she was.

Sadness caused her to drop her head as she thought about how one guy had gotten past her defenses and made her care. Really care about someone else who wasn’t related to her, and made her willing enough to share everything that she was. She had sought her salvation, her happily ever after, her forever in him, instead she had fallen without anyone to catch her. Damnation and a fistful of lies was all she had received from letting her guard down.

She wanted to hate him, but even now knowing how little he had to think of her that she couldn’t find it in herself to do it. Love. Hate. Hell she didn’t have the energy for any of it anymore, and she was pretty sure that she couldn’t shed any more tears.

‘God, knows that there’s nothing left in me. What’s the point in wasting tears on someone who couldn’t care less?’

Determined to not dwell anymore on the subject of the emptiness that seemed to be consuming her, she shook her head and turned on the radio that the line cook kept hidden among some of the pots. Moving towards the refrigerator, she pushed away all the doubts and insecurities that plagued her. She wouldn’t be her mother’s daughter and find herself seeking love in all the wrong places.

‘I just can’t be.’

Unbeknownst to her, brown eyes were staring at her with such longing and need that she would have been surprised if she had seen it herself. He stood still not wanting to let her know that he was there, sneaking peeks at her as he now found himself doing since that day when he had pushed her away. His eyes caressed the blonde hair that seemed to burn gold in the sunlight, and he found himself wanting to ease away the tension that literally held her body in such a tall line.

‘We can’t be together no matter how much you think that nothing will hurt you. I can’t risk that someone will try to use you because of who I am. Maybe one day things will be different, but for now I’m going have to keep this wall up between us. You might hate me now for it, but one day you’ll thank me.’

He had made his choice and there was nothing he could do about it. He was alone again. He would always be alone. Maybe he had let himself be seduced by the promises of having someone else in his life, but the reality was that it just wasn’t meant to be. Alone. It was the only certainty he had and understood.

He started to move away from the doorway slowly and as he rounded the corner the last thing he saw was her standing with her back to him singing.

Letting the music surround her, she continued singing with tears gleaming in her eyes. She had caught his reflection in the window when he had first walked in and watched her. For the first time in her life, she couldn’t find the words that she wanted. If she had seen that look on his face even three days ago, she might have gone after him and demanded that he talk to her, but something had changed in her that wouldn’t let her go running after him. Wiping away the few tears that had escaped from her, she turned the radio back up and tried not to think of the irony of the song.

Grant my last request,
And just let me hold you.
Don't shrug your shoulders,
Lay down beside me.
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere,
But one last time just go there,
Lay down beside me

Oh, I've found, that I'm bound
To wander down that one way road.


And I realize all about your lies
But I'm no wiser than the fool I was before.

Coming Soon: Chapter 14 "Tess, Lies, And Breakfast"

[vegas312]

Title: vegas312

Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, so please don't sue me although really if you want to send me the guys I so won't complain.

Rating: Mature

Coupling: All CC

Summary: Based on a challenge. For more details please read chapter one.

AN: Many thanks as always to jbangelo for working her magic pen on this chapter and for getting it back to me so soon. Thanks sweetie! Also many thanks to roswellianprincess16 and Ilyme4Ever for letting me nag them to death about this chapter and not hiding away whenever I made them read bits and pieces of it. LOL Many thanks!

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who's still reading this. Thanks so much! *passes cookies* Alright enough with my rambling and on with the story. Can you believe that we're getting to the end? Five chapters to go by my estimate. Woohoo!

Chapter 14: "Tess, Lies, and Breakfast"


There wasn’t much she could do about her feelings for a certain space idiot who refused to acknowledge that there was something more than a crush between them. She was tired and there was nothing more she could do or wanted to do about the strain between them. Whatever was to happen next was a step he was going to have to take. Looking away from the window where she had seen his reflection, she turned only to find her best friend standing behind her. Words weren’t needed as he just simply opened his arms and she threw herself into them. She wasn’t sure how long they stood together like that, but as she pulled away she felt a bit of the ache that had taken residence in her heart ease a bit.

Neither spoke as he reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before smiling at her. He knew that when she was ready she would vocalize her feelings and what she was thinking, but until then he would offer whatever support he could. Sometimes there was nothing better to ease away the pain than with a laugh and a good cry.

“So I see you’re making breakfast without a fire extinguisher nearby.” He reached over and snagged a piece of bacon that was draining on a piece of paper towel. He pouted playfully at her when she snatched the rest of the bacon out of his reach. “You know you’re supposed to share that right. It’s a basic social tool they teach all of us in kindergarten and I think it’s way past time that you learn it.”

“Right. Do you really expect me to learn how to share now after all these years? If I didn’t share my box of crayons with Celica Michaels on the first day of school, what makes you think I’m going to share right now?” She grinned at him.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe because I’m your best friend and that added to the fact that I’m pretty hard to resist, I would think you would share the wealth. Or in this case the bacon.” His pout became a smile when she reached over and hit him in the shoulder before turning back to the grill in front of her. He was glad that he was able to distract her at least a bit from whatever, or should he say whoever had put that look in her eyes. He had known something was wrong when he come in and she had been singing with such despair and her eyes had a look of acceptance yet heartbreak.

Moving up to her, he bumped his hips against hers before taking over the spatula from her. He kept one eye on the bacon as he watched her stir the pancake mix before she reached over and turned the radio station. Adding the mix to the other side of the grill, she smiled up at him teasingly. “So, Mr. Whitman, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and one blonde alien?”

“Blonde alien? Are we talking about Tess? You know that I would never cheat on Isabel. Ouch!” He let out a small scream before rubbing his shoulder where one small yet powerful fist had left its mark. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re abusive and a bit violent?”

“Ha. Ha. Now you know what blonde I’m talking about. You know the tall, voluptuous one who can freeze any teenage male with a single cold look?” She snorted at the look that crossed his face. “Hey it’s not my fault that your girlfriend can be a bit scary sometimes.” She paused as his looked changed to a goofy smile. “Oh! It’s like that huh?”

“Like what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He felt his face blush as she just continued to stare at him with that knowing look that said she wasn’t up for any bullshit. Turning away he grabbed the last of the bacon that was cooking and turned over some of the pancakes. Still not wanting to say anything, he hurried over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs as well other ingredients he might need. Doing everything that he could think to do before he gave in and looked at the green eyes that were full of mischief. “Okay, okay just stop looking at me like that. I guess you can say that we’re taking another step forward and this time we’re both right where we want to be.”

“A step forward? Does this next step involve kisses and flashes?” She let out a squeak of delight as a blush covered his face. “Alex and Isabel sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

“Maria!”

She danced around him as she continued to sing the old elementary song while he tried to scoop her up and stop her from singing. The two were locked together laughing all the while trying to tickle each other when a throat cleared behind them. They both turned around to find said blonde alien staring at them with an eyebrow raised before she pointed to the grill behind them.

“I don’t know if you know this, but your pancakes seem to be catching on fire.”

“What?!” Both screamed and look to see that the pancakes were indeed burning up. Isabel leaned against the wall as she tried not to laugh at the sight of Alex and Maria running around each asking the other where the fire extinguisher was.

It was strange how a year ago, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine herself doing anything like this. The people in her social group had never been what one would call a friend and she couldn’t imagine any of them singing and dancing around the kitchen much less making breakfast together. This was a new experience for her that she had never willingly participated in before except with her family, and no matter what was coming their way she knew that they would be all the more stronger for it because of the bonds that they were forming here and now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a pair of arms encircling her and she found herself being tickled by Alex as Maria giggled at the pair of them. The kitchen was filled with their laughter and after calming down the three friends settled down to finish making their meal. Soon the rest of their friends came down to the kitchen to the smells of food and the sight of happiness. None of them knew it, but it would be one of the last days of joy that the little band of six would have in the upcoming days.

Kyle stood in the doorway and looked at his friends and captured the lightness of the moment that he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be seeing anytime soon. Too soon there would be nothing but an untold anguish and a testing of the bonds of friendship that they had only now had begun to build. Longing with everything in him to join them, he closed his eyes and let his mind imagine the place that he needed to be. White light circled around him before wrapping itself around him, and with that he disappeared.

Hollow brown eyes that had only been filled with a spark of laughter a moment ago observed his disappearance before finding themselves locked in a silent battle with amber eyes that were brimmed with everything that she had forced herself to no longer feel. Liz caught her breath and deliberately broke the contact before the crack in her indifferent façade shattered completely. Everything that she had been asked to do even sacrificing herself had been done because of love, and to find that it had changed nothing except to destroy those closer to her was unforgivable.

Her eyes drank in the sight of her friends, even Michael, being carefree as they made breakfast and chattered among themselves. They were all so important to her and she had tried everything she could to save them, yet that effort hadn’t been worth anything. Consumed with guilt, anger, and fear that these bright lights before her could be snuffed out, she quietly left the kitchen unaware of the amber eyes that had been constantly studying her. Barely out of the kitchen, she stopped at the bottom steps of the stairs that led to her apartment, and slumped next to the railing as she felt her body tremble.

She had failed them.

It was all she could think as she wrapped her arms around her shaking form. Maybe giving up Max hadn’t been enough to keep Tess from betraying them all. What more did she want from them? She had curved out not only his soul but her own as she tried her best to save them all. What was there left to give? How could she protect them all?

“I gave him up even though everything in me wanted to scream in denial at what was being asked for. There’s a price for every action and I don’t have anything left to give. What more do you want from me? Isn’t giving up whatever happiness I could have had enough?” She wasn’t sure who she was demanding answers from. Whether it be the fates, God, or just the wind, she was pretty sure that she wouldn’t be getting any answers soon. “I’m so tired.”

“You know someone once told me that I didn’t have to share the burden alone. That I wasn’t Superman and I couldn’t do everything by myself.” His voice seemed to come out of the darkness that was the storm that surrounded her. She looked up in panic to find him standing a few feet away from her yet the expression in his eyes clearly told her that the distance was for her benefit only as he could and would cover that distance when he wanted.

“Max? What are you doing out here? Why aren’t you in there with the others eating breakfast?” Her voice quivered and she hated the fact that he was seeing her at her weakest.

“Haven’t had much of an appetite in the past couple of days.” He shrugged and conveyed no other emotion except for the tightening of his lips. He did nothing more than just stand still and stare at her with that intense look in his jewel-colored eyes.

It was a look she knew she had only seen days before in another pair of those exact shade of coloring. His future self had been in sheer desperation yet he had been able to do what he had thought was right. A part of her wanted to hate him for even stepping foot on her balcony that night, yet she knew that the choices that had been made that night had been as much her fault as his. Who were they to decide what the future was to become? Who were they to play the roles of Gods? When in reality they really had no choice as to what their future held for any of them.

“There’s always a choice.”

Again she was startled out of her thoughts and reminded that she wasn’t alone. ‘Anymore.’ Her heart whispered yet her mind rebelled at the thought. Every chance they had at being something more than friends had been ruined and this latest effort to even try would just bring them both more friends. Still as she stared at him, she couldn’t bring herself to move away and hide from him. She knew what she wanted, but she didn’t know if she deserved it and whether there was any chance at being able to keep it. She was just so tired.

He had kept his distance and watched every thought flickered on her face even though he wanted to know what in the world was going on, and what exactly his future self had told her. He had learned bits and pieces of it last night when she had fainted and later broken down in the restaurant and in her bedroom. There were cracks in her calm demeanor and her constant refusal in telling him what really had happened between her and the future version of herself. Maybe it was wrong of him to press his advantage instead of backing off.

‘All’s fair in love and war.’

With that thought in mind, he quickly covered the distance between them and stopped in front of her. No words were exchanged between them, which was ironic since it was the one thing that he had been seeking for the past couple of days. Hand slightly trembling it moved towards the strand of hair that hung over her eyes, and it grew steadier as she didn’t move or push him away. Sliding the hair behind her ear, his hand lingered over her ear then proceeded to cup her chin and tilt her head up leaving her no room to turn away. What he saw there blew away everything he thought he had known about her.

Such rich emotions laced those brown eyes that he had spent most of his life wishing that he could actually stare into. As he searched within himself to ask or rather demand that she tell him what he wanted to know, he realized that wasn’t the way he wanted her to tell him. Guilt pulled at him, especially as he saw those eyes that he spent so much time adoring cloud up with tears. He wanted her to want him the way he wanted her. Reluctantly he moved his hand and started to turn away only for two words to stop him in his tracks.

“I’m sorry.” Her words barely were nothing more than a whisper, but they had the power to keep him there. “I shouldn’t have…” She paused. “It’s all my fault that it’s happening again.”

“How is the end of the world any of your fault or your responsibility?” He asked angry now that she was trying to carry so much on her shoulders. She was strong, but he would ask no one to carry such a burden like that His heart nearly broke at the look on her face that had gone considerably pale with the only color to it being the dull silver lining of her tears cascading down her cheeks. Unable to help himself, he bent back down and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears.

“Because no matter how much I knew what was at stake, I still kept part of you hidden away in my heart. I couldn’t let you go no matter how much I demanded myself to. I shouldn’t have loved you.”

No longer resisting the urge to hold her, he sat on the step and tugged her until she was sitting on his lap. There was a part of him that wanted to be angry that she had taken so much on her own and had made choices for him, but then again there was another part of him that understood what she did because he was pretty sure that he would have done the same. God help them because they were both stubborn and determined to do what was right for the other even if it wasn’t what the other wanted.
“You know not that long ago I remember thinking the same thing. That I shouldn’t be with you because of the danger of being with me. And do you remember what you told me when I tried to keep you away from me?”

She leaned into his arms with her arms wrapped tightly around him as if afraid that he would disappear into thin air. Muttering into his throat where her head was currently buried, she told him. “I told you that the choice was up to me to decide whether to be with you or not, and that no matter what danger was out there that you couldn’t decide for me.”

“Right. That’s the logical Miss Parker that I fell in love with.” He teased her and smiled when she gave a shaky laugh and pulled his hair. Waiting until she was done laughing, he turned his head and gently untangled them until they were facing each other. “I was wrong to push you so hard into telling me what was going on.”

She started to say something, but he just laid his fingers on her lips to keep in whatever words she was going to say. Combing her hair back that had slipped back into her face, he pressed her back into his embrace. Both held on tightly to each other neither saying a word as they relished being together for once without any drama, any hurt, any pain. It was just the two of them against the world in that moment and for that neither one of them would be interrupted with the hurt that they would have to get over sooner or later. They weren’t trying to deny the anger, hurt, and pain that had sprung up between not just these past two days but the whole summer of avoidance. There was much to talk about, but for now they were home again.

Home.

****

Valenti’s household

A white light filled the living room and he had to catch his breath as he tried to wave off the dizziness that momentarily overtook him. He knew he probably should have stayed and had breakfast with everyone else, but there were things that he needed to do. He needed to see his dad just this last time and maybe get some clarity on what he should do. Looking around the room that held so many memories whether it be happiness or filled with tears, he felt the ache in his heart ease a bit. There had been years when there was nothing but a painful silence that existed between him and his dad. Each had been lost in their own pain when his mom had abandoned both of them. Neither knowing how to comfort the other, each had retreated into polite conversations that made them two strangers sharing nothing more than a name and the same cobalt blue eyes. The Valenti men had never cried when others could see, and whatever pain they were carrying was a private moment. The years had stretched into silence with only them talking during their late night chats.

Walking down the hallway he trailed his hands slowly over the walls like a lover greeting someone they haven’t seen in a long time. Each step was heavy and filled with worry as he wondered what his father’s reaction be once he revealed himself. He hadn’t seen him in years thanks to Skins wiping out the whole population of Roswell in order to catch them. The deaths of so many innocents filled him with shame and anger at the senselessness of it all. Killing people who never really knew that aliens walked among them was something that he squarely placed the blame at his enemy’s feet, but he couldn’t help feel guilty that if the Skins hadn’t known that they lived there trouble wouldn’t have followed them home.
He was weary and oh so tired of it all. Year after year things were getting worse no matter how much they tried to change it. This trip back in time was their, no, his last chance to change the world for better. Maybe he couldn’t stop the eventual invasion that was to come, but he could make sure that there was as much standing between their enemies and the innocents. He wasn’t sure when this mission to save his friends and family had become more than personal, but having spent a restless night that was filled with nothing more than nightmares of seeing soldiers that served with him killed because of some guy’s obsession he had thought of the bigger picture.

Moving along he stopped for a moment as he came to the door of his old bedroom and looked at the door before turning away and continuing on for his dad’s room. His memories told him that his dad had the day off and was sleeping in his room. Finally having reached his goal, he opened the door slowly and peeked in only to find an empty room that showed a half made bed. Letting out the breath that he hadn’t known he had been holding, he leaned against the frame before turning away.

“It looks like I’m going have to catch him later. I wonder what happened to pull him out of bed on a Saturday morning. Usually he sleeps in when he gets the chance. I hope we get a chance to talk before I have to leave.”

Not wanting to think about that particular tidbit of him no longer existing after things changed for the better or worst, he moved back down the hallway intending to leave and head back to the others at the Crashdown. That was his intention anyway until he heard a noise coming from his old room. Pausing at the door, he lifted his left hand and stopped it a few inches away from it. A second barely went by before he gave into the need that was clawing at him, and he laid his hand on the door before slowly turning the doorknob. The rational part of his brain was telling him to leave and remind him that he had almost been caught last time he had allowed himself to be tempted to look at her. Ignoring all that, he slowly opened the door and peeked into the room that was only lit up by the sunlight that was streaking the room in pink through the partially closed shades. Glancing around the room, he took in the same décor before focusing his attention on the bed. His eyes drank in the sight of the long blonde hair that was sprawled across the pillow like angel wings, and he knew even before his feet took that first step that he would be tempted to confront her. Salvation and damnation. As it was always between the two of them ever since that day he had learned the truth of just how deep her betrayal ran. Stopping next to the bed, he took in the sight of her curled up so tight with her hands clenched in fists in front of her as if to protect her from whatever monsters that roamed the night. With that one deep look he found that her face was drawn tight even in her sleep as there were lines there that hadn't been before and the traces of silver mingled with black that lined her face weren't something he was familiar with. At least not from her he wasn't. Unable to help himself, his hand reached out to give her the comfort that he wished someone would have given him when he had cried. His fingers traced along her jaw with light touches as to not wake her, before sliding down her neck and ending at the pulse at her wrist.

His breath came out harshly as he struggled with what to do. Right there was what he wanted. And what he couldn’t have. Tightening his fingers around hers, he felt himself slide further on the bed until his head was right next to hers as he laid in silence with nothing more disturbing the peace than the sound of her breathing. He wasn’t sure how long he laid there staring at her, but for the first time in fourteen years he was at peace.

The irony that one so small should impact the world and his life with nothing more than a small whim. The irony that the only person he had been able to love was the same one who had torn his very soul out. Yes indeed, irony was the only way to describe his life these days.

Life. It was there at the tip of his fingertips. His for the taking and he could stop the course of events that had sent him back in the past. As he felt the gentle pulse at the tips of his fingers he knew that he was as still in love with her as he had been when he had been that naïve young man. Feeling the burden of wanting to be loved once in his life and torn between doing what needed to be done to say millions of lives, he stared at her with all of the yearning that had been suppressed for so long. Trailing his fingers away from the pulse at her wrist, he slid his fingers slowly up and down her arm before coming to rest in the palm of her open hand. Before he could do anything, her hand closed around his fingers as she shifted closer to him still asleep, yet seeming aware of his presence.

Home.

It wasn’t a place he was finding out all too quickly, rather it was a person. Gathering up a strand of her hair he twirled it around his finger before setting it back down with regret. He wasn’t sure how long he had laid there, it could have been as long as two years or no longer than a second, but as he reluctantly moved away from the bed the only thing he could think that he was again leaving his home for the unknown. Closing his eyes he let his power gather inside him before the white light consumed him and again he was gone.

********
A couple of hours later…

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and barely recognized herself anymore. Blue eyes took in the smeared makeup under her eyes and the black trail that led from her eyelids down to her cheeks. Her eyes no longer had any kind of life in them, just a bleakness that no matter how many times and ways she smiled that just wouldn’t go away. God, she was tired of everything and all the responsibilities that rested on her shoulders. Just once in her life she wanted to have no worries, no cares, and just be that girl. That girl who got to go out on dates and had no more cares than deciding on what to wear the next day.

But life, destiny, fate, whatever the hell it was called had something different in mind for her. She couldn’t have what she wanted most in life, she couldn’t be that nameless girl no matter how she yearned to be. She couldn’t be with the normal human boy she unknowingly had fallen for.

Kyle.

Everything always seemed to circle back to him, and even now her thoughts were filled with wondering where he was at and whether he hated her now.

He loved her.

She still couldn’t believe that he had put himself out there and declared that he loved her. She hadn’t known that his feelings were that strong and any other time she would have been thrilled, but now she couldn’t even enjoy that. She was no longer an individual, rather she was a queen who had no choice except to sacrifice everything she was to save her planet. She had no choices. With that thought in mind, she raised her hand and as she stared at the broken hearted girl in the mirror, she waved her hand in front of her erasing all traces of who she had been.
Stepping back away from the mirror, she picked up her purse and straightened the jacket she was wearing. All but running from her bedroom that held so many traces of its previous tenant, she hurried out to the living room only to find herself staring at the blanket that he used to sleep in. She started to move to the door but instead she found herself sitting on the couch wrapping herself up in that very blanket. It still contained some of the warmth from his body as well as that unique scent that she associated with him. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t tell him that he held her heart in his hands, yet she couldn’t forsake her duty because of her needs and wants.

Yet a little voice in her head asked why if that was the case, why was she sitting here wrapped up in his blanket. Gripping it tightly around herself, she gave one last sniff to remember his scent before letting go. Moving back to the door, she hesitated as she gripped the doorknob. Duty or need. What would it be? Was there even a choice?

‘For once someone in my life loves me, and what should have been the happiest moment of my life was filled with nothing more than such pain and sorrow. When will I ever get the chance to find happiness? Then again what’s my happiness compared to the loss of millions?’

Reluctantly she turned around back to the door without looking back, and a whispered goodbye fell off her lips as she went through the door. The door closed behind with a thump and finality that she realized was the closing of her last chance to know what it really meant to be happy and wanted. There was a part of her that wanted to do nothing more than rage, cry, and hate the world for what was being asked of her. And there was the part of her that knew that spilled tears wouldn’t do anything to change the course of the path that she was taking.

Leaning against the door, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she focused on that part of her that was alien. The part that needed no emotion and believed in nothing more than cold rationale. She opened her eyes and blinked against the bright sunlight that seemed to surround her. She pulled her coat close to her as she felt a chill go through her skin no matter how warm the air around her was. Taking out her keys from her pocket, she moved off the porch and headed towards her waiting SUV. Getting into the car, she was soon on the road headed towards the first step of her plan, and from where she was pretty sure there was no return once she started it.

A few minutes later she pulled up outside a familiar house, and stumbled her way out of the truck and headed towards the door. Ringing the doorbell, she steeled her nerves and reminded herself why she had to do this. Before she could do anything else, the door opened to reveal a tall, lanky dark haired young man who looked at her curiously. Giving him her best smile, she greeted him. “Hello Alex. Do you think I can come in for a second? I had a question that I think you can help me with.”

“A question? About what?” he asked as he moved away from the door and motioned her inside.

“Oh I was wondering what you thought about the school’s foreign exchange program?”

TBC

Coming Soon: Chapter 15 "Among Us"

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse
Author: vegas312
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, so please don't sue me.
Rating: Mature
Coupling: All CC
Summary: Please read either chapter one or the prologue for the detailed summary.
AN: Many thanks to jbangelo for as always being the best beat ever. Thanks sweetie! *hugs* Also thank you to 83 AlienAngel, Timelord31 (Your question about Alex should be answered in this chapter), thetvgeneral, chanks_girl, Natalie36, cameramandc, and majiklmoon for the lovely feedback and bumps! Thanks guys.

Song lyrics below are "Before It's Too Late" by the Goo Goo Dolls

Chapter 15: "Among Us"



There wasn’t much that could surprise Jim Valenti anymore especially after finding out that aliens really did exist and lived among them. Hell he was friends with the ones that he knew and one had even saved his son’s life. So it was safe to say that when he was woken early this morning by a phone call from one of his deputies that that idiot Deputy Hanson was making inquiries to the FBI about aliens being among them he had been surprised, pissed off, and worried. Even though he knew that all of the kids were safely at home, he had learned that he couldn’t simply ignore the new rumors of an alien that Hanson was telling everyone about. There was so much the kids didn’t know about themselves except for the mumbo jumbo that their former protector had told them, and even that was just bits and pieces with no real information.

Max had told him that Nascedo had warned them of a rival enemy race that was on Earth hiding out among them with nothing more than the simple mission to destroy the four of them. Privately he had thought their shape-shifting protector had failed them when he had focused more on what their duties were rather than tell the kids more about their enemies. How could they plan to succeed when they didn’t even have a clue as to what this so called enemy looked like or what their powers were except for what Nascedo had muttered to Max on his death bed. All they knew was that they were called Skins and that they seemed to leave behind some of their skin.

Now here he sat at his desk with a folder that contained the events last night from what should have been a hideous assault and robbery, but the coffee that he had only moments ago drunk was leaving a bitter and sour taste in his mouth as he read about bits and pieces of the young girl’s skin had begun peeling off where she had been burnt. According to the doctor whom he had called as soon as he finished reading Hanson’s report, the girl was making a miraculous recovery and she appeared to have grown new skin and didn’t even look as if she had been burned to begin with. Yeah he was pretty sure that whomever the assailant was he or she wasn’t a typical nut job out to cause harm and that the victim wasn’t quite human either.

‘Shit,’ he thought humorlessly. Just when things were getting back to boring, staid typical small town life, the alien abyss as his son and his friends called it had opened wide open and was pulling them back into it. How the hell was he supposed to cover all of this up and protect the kids as well? He didn’t care about what he had to do because he would do whatever it took to protect those eight kids he had sworn to protect from all harm. Pushing his hand through his hair in frustration he leaned back further in his chair as he thought of several possibilities and discarded each one as he found a flaw with them although he was enjoying the one where he got to blame Hanson for this entire mess. Thus far he had fended off the calls from the local FBI field office by bluntly telling them that he had no clue why his bumbling rookie deputy had called them when it was nothing more than a nasty assault case on their hands. The field agent had laughed with him when he had joked that there was a daily log of aliens being called in by the residents of Roswell. Another lie but he rather the agent thought they were all nut jobs and dumb hicks than to actually come in and investigate. Still if the agent passed on the story to his colleagues who knows if it would make its way to someone like Agent Pierce. And God help them but they really didn’t need someone with too much power and authority on their trail right now. Nightmares had haunted him all summer of the atrocious acts that he had gotten a glimpse at when they had busted Max out of the White Room. None of them ever really had discussed what had happened that spring, but he had seen the changes in all the kids. They had lost their innocence and he was damned if they would lose anymore because Deputy Hanson had gotten a hero complex on him at the last moment.

Nothing like that was ever going to happen again on his watch, and he couldn’t even think about he would do if something like that did happen again. They had been lucky to break out of a government facility once and this time they were out of shape shifting protectors who could lend help. He wanted to shout with frustration at the situation instead he leaned over and picked up his now cold coffee. Just as he was going to take another sip of it there was a knock on his door. Barking out a ‘come in’ which clearly told the visitor that maybe talking to the sheriff wasn’t going to be sunshine and butterflies, the door opened up and a young woman walked through it. Valenti narrowed his eyes as he noticed the long dark hair and the cobalt blue eyes that seemed vaguely familiar to him. He placed her age to be maybe a year younger than his son and wondered why she was here on a Saturday at 7am when most kids her age where taking advantage of the weekend and sleeping in. Briefly he thought about standing up to greet her, but thought better of it because sometimes he knew that just sitting here was enough to intimate that he wasn’t one to be played with.

Duo colored eyes locked together before the young woman smiled at him and sat down in the chair that he had motioned to. “Hello, Miss…” He let his voice trailed off in a question with just a hint of suspicion since he was pretty sure he knew most of the kids in their town. Roswell wasn’t as small as most people thought it to be, but it did have a close community where everyone tended to know everyone. It was an advantage and yet a disadvantage in living there, but right now with everything that was going on he was looking at this as an advantage.

“Miss White. Serena White.” Her husky voice surprised him as it seemed to be more fitting for one a lot older.

“Miss White, what can I do for you this morning? I mean most kids are at home sleeping the weekend away especially since it’s a three-day weekend with no school on Monday. When I left home this morning, my kids were pretty much dead to the world outside. So what brings you out so early?”

“Kids? How many do you have?” she asked while smoothly sidestepping his questions.

“Yes, I have two. Kyle and Tess. They’re both juniors at West Roswell High. Maybe you know them. What grade did you say you were in?” He wasn’t fooled by her sidestepping his questions and just as smoothly brought the subject back to her.

“Good answer. And as for your question, nope not in this lifetime I don’t and I‘m pretty sure that I‘m too old to be in high school.” She grinned impishly at him as she noticed his confusion and a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

“This lifetime? What’s that supposed to mean?” Jim moved his hand off the desk and causally lowered it to the butt of his weapon that was strapped to his side. Whoever this girl was, he was getting the feeling that she wasn’t exactly a hometown girl more like a visitor from way up North. As he took in the careless grin that she was directing at him, he briefly wondered if she was the person that had attacked one Courtney Banks last night.

“You Valentis and your assumptions. I mean really if I wanted to kill someone then they would be dead. What kind of slacker do you take me for? I don’t know whether to be insulted or insulted. Yeah I’m pretty sure I’m insulted that you think I could be some kind of crazy alien psychopath. Wow, now that was a mouthful.” She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him.

“How did you know what I was thinking? Who the hell are you?” His hand tightened over the butt of the gun and he wondered if he would have time to draw before she blasted him. Whatever happened he had to make sure that all the kids were taken care of. He couldn’t, wouldn’t fail them and leave them alone to deal with things that they weren’t ready for.

“I can’t help it that your thoughts are pretty much screaming all over the place. I mean really it’s rude of you to be thinking that I’m some nutcase while we’re sitting here. Talk about taking suspicion to another level, and while we’re at it do you think you could oh I don’t know move your hand away from your gun. I promise to keep my hands crossed if it makes you feel better.”

“No, that doesn’t make me feel better. How do I know that you’re not one of the bad guys?”

“You’re just going have to trust me when I say that I’m one of the guys wearing the white hats in this situation. Right now there’s things going on that you don’t know about and some things that you won’t be able to protect your charges from. Actually I rather you didn’t try to protect them from what’s about to happen. They’ll either stand on their own feet or die trying.” Seeing that he was looking even more concerned she figured maybe she should just speak as bluntly to him as possible. “Let’s just say that in the next twenty four hours the actions of the ones you’re protecting will set off a chain of events that will be either a whole lot of good or a whole lot of bad. For now I’ll make sure that the FBI doesn’t get a whiff of what’s going down, but you’re going have to take care of the locals and whatnot. Speaking of which you might want to get Michael to come with you to the hospital when you talk to Ms. Banks.”

She slowly uncrossed her arms and held up her hands in the age old sign of peace before she slowly stood up. Valenti still keeping a careful eye on her stood up as well with his hand never leaving the weapon at his side. He wasn’t sure about the things that she was vaguely mentioning, but his instincts were saying that she wasn’t up to anything bad. If nothing else, he trusted his instincts when it came to people and had only been proven wrong a couple of times. The two continued to stand there staring at each other before she turned away and headed towards the door.

When her hand reached the knob, he blurted out, “Are you a shape shifter?”

Laughter filled the room short and quick yet robust and full with her amusement at the comment. Never turning away from the door, she answered, “No, I’m not. It’s not something I was created to do actually so what you see before you is what you get.” Before he could respond to that, she vanished into thin air leaving him to only blink a few times not sure if he had saw what he really saw.

“What the hell?” Was all he could say as he continued to stare at the empty space before him before going back to staring at the chair before him. Shaking his head he sat back down in the chair with a thud before wiping his hand across his face wearily. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know what exactly she was if she wasn’t the enemy or a shape shifter. Picking up the phone, he started to dial a number he was all too becoming familiar with when he was hit with the reason why she had looked so familiar. The phone fell out of his hands as he realized that she did indeed remind him of someone. Serena White looked exactly like his mother did when she was a teenager except for those blue eyes that he himself had inherited from his father and had passed down to Kyle.

It looked like the alien abyss had plans for him that he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know about.

******

With a deep breath, she stepped into the house following him again wondering whether she had the determination to do what had to be done. Despite what her conscience and heart whispered to her, she really had no choice but to consider her duty her first priority. As she walked into what had to be the living room, she was struck not only by the cool air that blew throughout the house rather the welcoming and homey sense that was practically radiating from the house. This wasn’t a house, rather it was a home that told the story of those that lived there. From the family pictures that were spread throughout the living room with obvious pride to the cheery colors that were the décor.

Tess took another deep breath as again her very air was threatened to be cut off by the overwhelming guilt that was creeping through her. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somehow she had over the few months staying with the Valentis had become more influenced by her human self. She, who had grown up with the strict edict that emotions were for the weak and that her human self would do nothing more than drag her down in disgrace before her peers. Now here she stood with a bloody conscience and a barrel full of emotions dragging her every step, where before she would have gone in and simply did what was necessary.

‘Buddha, help me.’ Was her unconscious thought. Just as quickly she realized what she had said and nearly growled at it. Pushing back any thoughts of a certain human and the clouded emotions that went with it, she focused her attention on the boy before her. Reaching for the power that always sat quietly in the back of her mind, she grabbed it and with a last whisper of doubt focused her full power on the mind of the boy before
her.

Alex closed the door behind her and turned to find Tess looking awkwardly around the room before she looked back up at him. Rubbing his hand nervously on the back of his neck, he thought of the meeting they had earlier at the Crashdown about the future events that had brought Future Kyle back into their time. Kyle hadn’t told them much, just that he was there to change one important event from happening, which could prevent the end of the world. One of the things that Kyle had warned them about was that none of them were to be left alone with Tess. It was strange how he hadn’t told them why just that right now that she was still deciding what team to play for.

‘Only Kyle would think in sport terms when discussing aliens. Glad to see that some things hadn’t changed.’ He thought with amusement before he frowned as he thought back to the way Kyle had seemed even more defeated after appearing back into the kitchen of the Crashdown from wherever he had gone to earlier. The image blurred as he felt a fiery pain in his mind as if someone was ripping away his memories. He nearly fell to his knees as other images appeared in his mind and a soft voice whispered to him.

“No. Not like this.” The words were gasped as he clutched at his head before sinking to the familiar grey carpet that he had such memories of from his childhood. The voice and the images only seemed to get louder as he moved his hands fruitlessly over his ears as if it would stop the invading sound. He couldn’t believe that this was how he would spend the reminder of his last few minutes of life. He knew that Kyle had been serious about the danger, but he hadn’t really thought that Tess would actually hurt him. There for a brief second was the idea that he should use his remaining strength to call for Isabel, who was napping in his bedroom, before he pushed it away as he knew deep down inside that Isabel would be left with no choice except to kill Tess.

‘I can’t let her do that. I can’t let there be blood on her hands.’

With that resolve in mind, he pushed away any thoughts of Isabel out of his mind as he didn’t want to alert Tess to the other girl’s presence in the house. Images of people and places he had never been before were invading his mind and replacing his real memories. His family, his friends and the deep emotions he felt for them were changing. Attachment was becoming foreign to him and indifference was becoming familiar. Not only were those memories being changed, but the voice called forth those private memories and thoughts he had of the one girl he had cared for most of his life.

Isabel. The name reverberated throughout his very being all the way to the very essence of him. To have those rare memories violated and ripped from him along with those of his feelings for his family and friends caused a deep rage to shout a denial. ‘Please. God, no.’

For a moment the pain stopped as the power that had been ripping through his mind seemed to freeze in shame and the voice whispered, ‘I’m sorry.’ The brief respite didn’t last long, but the force didn’t push so hard into him as before and the pain that had accompanied it had altogether disappeared. Tears gathered into his eyes and slid down his cheek before dropping onto the carpet that had witnessed so many of his joys and disappointments. As he started to close his eyes to give into the inevitable of losing what was his life, a cool breeze wrapped itself around him as an invisible hand seemed to wipe away the tears.

The fake images that had been taking over his very own suddenly disappeared to be replaced with images of a little girl with wide innocent blue eyes and blonde hair. Quickly the images changed to show the same little girl growing up to become the young woman before him and with each image he felt the loneliness, the rejection, the confusion at not being wanted by the man who was raising her. As the child got older, she had learned from several punishments and harsh words of not letting her human emotions get in the way of her objective. For a child of ten, her life wasn’t filled with nightly reading of fairytales rather a daily dose of what her duty was. Soon the image of Kyle looking at a present version of Tess pleading his heart out and declaring his feelings for her filled Alex’s mind. The image froze for a moment then replayed over and over again until a screamed echo throughout his mind shattering the hold that had taken over his mind and with it burning away the false memories that had started taken hold. The connection that somehow bridged between his mind and Tess’s was tentative yet still there as he could feel her anguish at the memories that she locked away for so long come full force to the surface.

Pushing himself off the floor, he looked up to see a nearly unconscious Tess sprawled out on the carpet next to him. He took in the paleness of her face and the blue tinge around her lips.

“Oh shit!” While a part of him thought that maybe she was reaping what she sowed, there was a bigger part of him that remembered that life was a precious gift and the images of the little girl, who had never really been a carefree child. Gathering what strength he had left, he unsteadily climbed to his feet and made the few inches separating them before gratefully sinking down to his knees beside her.

“I’m sorry.” The words whispered out of her lips as her cloudy and seemingly blind blue eyes looked through him. “Its better this way. Tell him I…” Her eyelashes fluttered before her eyes close leaving Alex with no option but to call for Isabel. As he desperately tried to feel for a pulse, he could only feel nothing but the smooth and now rapidly cooling skin beneath his fingers.

“Alex? What’s going on? I thought I hear you yell for me.” Isabel quickly hurried next to his side when she saw who was lying on the floor. “What is Tess doing here? And why didn’t you call for me when she came knocking on the door?” Her voice was harsh with her barely leashed anger and the worry of the thought of what could have happened while she was sleeping. She had left him unprotected and her blood nearly froze at the thought of that she could have walked in here and found him on the floor instead of Tess.

“I’m sorry Isabel. I didn’t think that she would actually hurt me. I mean yeah she hasn’t always been friendly to me or the others, but I thought in the few weeks that she begun treating us humans a bit better. I didn’t know that she was going to come over here and try to strip me of my memories, but that doesn’t matter right now because I think she’s dying. We have to help her before its too late.”

“What do you mean that she tried to erase your memories and that it doesn’t matter? It matters to me. How do you I think I would have felt if I had come in here and found you sprawled across the floor nearly dead? I can’t lose you. Not again. I won’t, and if it means not saving her then that’s what I’m going to do.” The words had an edge to them that Alex hadn’t heard since the time Michael had gotten sick. He wasn’t sure what she meant by again, but much later he would ask her about it. Right now he wouldn’t let her do this no matter how she thought she was protecting him.

“Isabel, you can’t do this. You have to call Liz and tell her to get Kyle to come with Max.” He was tired and ready to drop himself, but in this he couldn’t afford to not make a stand. “She stopped herself in the middle of the mind warp and somehow sent it back on herself.”

“What? I don’t understand.” Her brown eyes looked into his imploring him to make sense of why Tess would do something like that. “Why would she stop?”

“I don’t know, but we can ask her after Max comes to heal her. Please call him now as I don’t think there’s much time left.” Still there was a hesitate look on her face that made him reach over and pull her into his arms. With her in his arms he felt the tremors that she had so desperately tried to contain. Sliding his hands down her arms and muttering terms of comfort to soothe her, he whispered in her ear. “Please Isabel for me. Forgiveness is part of being human.” Neither moved for a second before he felt her nod her head and then all too soon she was pulling out of his arms and digging into her jeans pocket for her cell phone.

As she dialed the familiar number and waited for someone to pick up, she looked him in the eyes and told him, “I love you Alex Whitman.”

A grin pulled at his lips and lightened up the tired dark blue eyes as he took in her rare proclamation of her feelings. “I love you Isabel Evans.” With that he looked back down at Tess, who seemed even paler and reached over and grasped her hand. ‘No one should ever feel so alone.’ Were his thoughts as he squeezed her hand and told her to hang on.

*********

Outside of the Whitman’s residence, a young woman in a dark blue jogging suit seemed to be stretching and drinking water to the casual observer, while in reality she was listening to the conversation inside the house. Serena had seen a lot in her life and the time spent immobile in the granolith with nothing more than her mind traveling through space and time. She was creator and creation all at once. While this physical body was created to help make sure that the young King of Antar’s final vision would come true as she was to remain nothing more than an impartial observer, she realized that somehow over the years she had developed feelings for her charges.

These eight unwittingly held the balance of two galaxies in their hands as one galaxy would rely on them for the hope and faith to keep fighting the tyrant that had taken hold of their home, while another would look to them in the fight and understanding of the battle that was destined to come here. The invasion would come no matter what the youngsters thought and that was preordained. How it would turn out was something that was up to the eight of them. Such burdens for ones so young made her heart weary and she fondly wondered whether in this lifetime would any of them actually get a breather. “Hell, I need to talk to someone about vacation time that’s for sure.“

Her laughter was quick before quickly dying as she let out the breath that she didn’t even recall having hold. There for a moment she hadn’t known which way Tess would turn and feared that as to her inaction that a young man would die before he could even really see the world. The events of the past two days had strengthen both Alex and Tess leaving them both strong yet vulnerable. She had felt Tess slamming into Alex’s mind and the very moment when Alex’s very soul had yelled back in rage at the violation those thoughts which he held so tightly. The very thing that Alex wanted to protect had been the very thing that Tess herself had longed for. Despite what Khivar or his band of lackeys thought, love was indeed a powerful human emotion and it had pierce Tess with its vulnerability reminding her of the very lessons that she had been learning from another human boy.

‘It seems Kyle had been right all those years when he had said that given a chance love could change a person. But what is he going to think when he finds out that she almost went suicidal there? I hope he doesn’t blame himself because no one is responsible for another’s life.’

Suddenly tired and weary of the journey ahead of her as she knew that this was only the first stage of changing the future, she pushed her hood over her head and stuck the headphones that were hanging out of her coat pocket into her ears. The music pounded in her head as she tried not to think of what had to be done next. A sacrifice would be demanded to ease the burden that time had endured in order to make the future better. There was always a payment and she didn’t know who would have to pay it. Pushing those heavy thoughts out of her mind, she let the music take over her as she ran until there was nothing left.

‘And hold on before it's too late
Until we leave this behind
Don't fall just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives

And the risk that might break you
Is the one that would save
A life you don’t live is still lost
So stand on the edge with me
Hold back your fear and see
Nothing is real til it's gone’


Coming Soon: Chapter 16 "Closure"

[vegas312]

Title: Apocalypse
Author: vegas312
Disclaimer: I so don't own Roswell, so please don't sue me although I wouldn't mind taking season one off your hands.
Coupling: All CC
Rating: Mature
Summary: Based on a challenge. For more info please check out chapter one on page one.

AN: Many thanks to everyone for the bumps and the feedback. My apologies for taking so long to get this out. Of course, I'm blaming Kyle and Future Kyle for holding up production. LOL Also as always many thanks to jbangelo for being an awesome beta, and I got to say that her story I Could Have Loved You is by far one of the best representation of what if Kyle and Tess had talked after everything that had happened in Departure. I doubt I came anywhere close to that, but it definitely inspired as the muse kept thinking.

Enjoy!

Chapter 16: "Closure"


"I'm not calling for a second chance,
I'm screaming at the top of my voice,
Give me reason, but don't give me choice,
Cos I'll just make the same mistake again"

~Same Mistakes (James Blunt)


Chapter 16 “Moment of Forgiveness”

What more could he do than say goodbye? He had been pushed into coming back in time to save the world on his own, but as the past two days had gone by, he still wasn’t sure what more he could do to stop the end of the world. What could a small town guy like him do? What made him so special that he could save the world when everyone who knew him turned away?

Pushing away the plate of eggs that Maria had insisted (or bullied as he was calling it in his mind) that he eat, he rested his head tiredly on his left hand and wondered again since he had come back to the past why he was still here. If he had indeed completely changed the one event to stop the horrible future that awaited the fresh faced youths before him, then why was he still here?

Deep down inside he was afraid to voice the very thought that nothing he said or did would change Tess’s determination to betray them all for the grandeur that she called destiny. ‘Right, what girl would want to give up being royalty for a guy whose main interest is Buddhism and sports?’ A little cynical voice mocked him.

Flinching at the thought, he picked up the fork and stared helplessly at the bright yellow scrambled eggs that also seemed to be mocking him with their cheerfulness. ‘Alright, way to blame the eggs on my problems. Next I’ll be placing my problems on the toast because it has too much butter on it.’

He was startled out of his staring contest with his plate by a warm hand touching his shoulder. Turning around quickly with the fork clenched in one hand and his left hand held up in a defensive position, he found Liz behind him. The young girl’s raised eyebrow was enough to have him grinning sheepishly at her before putting down his hand and the now innocent fork. With a shrug, he motioned towards the stool next to him at the counter.

His first guess that something was wrong was the telltale sign of her biting her lower lip before she shook her head no at the offer. Liz started to open her mouth to say something only for it to get stuck. Pressing her fist to her heart, she tried again but stopped when her whole body shook. Staring hard at her he finally noticed the tears that hadn’t been shed in her eyes as well as the anger that lurked behind them.

Off the top of his head there were only a few occasions where he had seen Liz this angry and most of them were centered around…

Realization cut off his thoughts as the one scenario that he had been dreading since coming back here was now coming true.

‘No,’ his heart whispered before the word tumbled off his lips. He shook his head in denial and looked away from those searching brown eyes. No. He had done so much to stop this and again she had betrayed them all. She had betrayed him and made him feel the fool for spending what would be fourteen years keeping those memories of her like a talisman when he lost hope.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

He froze at the quietness and the accusation that lay beneath the words as he turned around to find Maria standing behind him. The blonde girl had her arms across her chest as if to contain the various emotions that wanted to be free. Her chin was lifted in a purely defensive manner, while her green eyes held that of someone who has seen it all and lost it all. She had hardened somehow, in some manner that he thought he would never see on her face. Even fighting an intergalactic war, she hadn’t lost that optimistic nature that had rallied them all on. Now here she stood like someone who was lost in grief and barely holding on by a thread.

The Maria he had known would have torn into him and slapped him upside the head for not having told them, but she didn’t make a move to do either of these things. That more than anything scared him as he wasn’t sure what to do or what to say. He was already walking a balance between what he could say and what he didn’t want to reveal.

“You knew, didn’t you?” She repeated as she moved to stand directly before him. “You knew what she was going to do the whole time you were spewing nonsense of future consequences and that for now we shouldn’t be alone with her.”

Nothing he could say would change what had happened, and that he had indeed kept the truth from them. He gave a short nod to confirm what she knew already.

“You knew this and still you let us walk around here like sheep while the wolf was hiding among us. How could you? What else aren’t you telling us? You say that we were this small family in the future, but I’m not seeing it.” Her voice had lost its calmness, and the anger and fear that she had kept under control until then spilled out. “We won’t need to wait for killer aliens to come for us because by then we’ll all have died by the hands of one of our own.”

“Maria.” Liz tried to calm her down and hug her friend. “It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not okay. How can you be so calm about this? Because of his arrogance we almost lost our best friend.” She shook her head and moved away from Liz to go stand in front of Kyle. She continued to stare at him. “Damn you for doing this.” She started to move away, but paused when he started speaking.

“You think it’s easy to come back in time armed with knowledge of what’s going to happen? You think it’s easy to choose what to say to someone and hope that you not saying anything won’t make things worst? You think it’s easy to leave what I know to come back here to when we were all so innocent and naïve?” His words came out harshly as he glared at her, daring her to say something else.

“I still wouldn’t go around making decisions for other people,” she said quietly. “Hasn’t that brought enough pain to all of us?” With that she continued walking until she was at the last booth where she sat down and stared at her hands.

Nothing was said among the six, but soon they found themselves gathered around Kyle as he used his teleporation power to take them to Alex's house. A minute later the six found themselves in the Whitmans' living room, and still the silence gathered as they all turned to look at Kyle as to say now what.

He looked away with guilt riding him for not telling them the truth about why he had really come back in time. Somewhere along the way he changed the initial mission of saving the world, to saving HER. It was simple. It had always been about her and the spell she had woven around him.

Not for a million dollars would he have betrayed his friends or let them die, but he had taken a gamble that just maybe with his knowledge he could finally change all their lives for the better. The silence was deafening as the air grew thick with tension that radiated from his friends. There were no words he could say to change what he had done and not enough ‘I’m sorry’ to do any help, but he could fix this and save them the rest of the lost that was to come their way.

Sure, in this timeline Alex hadn’t died, but there was still a chance that Tess would try again to fulfill her mission, and that was something he wouldn’t, couldn’t, have resting on his shoulders.

“Let her die.” The words tumbled off his lips and broke the tension like nothing else could have done. There were a few gasps, a few swear words that would have shocked even the most world weary person, but the one thing Kyle was resolved in doing was this. There had been second chances, third chances, and she kept right on with her obsession. No, there would be no more chances for her.

‘Or me.’ He tried not to flinch at the idea of taking her life.

“What do you mean let her die?” Max unconsciously waved his hands at the others to silence the chatter that had grown as the others wondered out loud what the hell Kyle was thinking. Or rather not thinking.

Light briefly entered his eyes, as he thought of the unconscious kingly act of his friend. ‘Looks like he’s already taking on the responsibilities whether he wants them or not.’

Clearing his throat, he looked away from the wall that he had uttered his words to, and faced the group of six before him. “I said exactly what I meant. Let her die. If she lives, then she’ll bring our destruction upon us once again. I have no choice. There’s nothing left I can do to stop her from going to the other side.”

“You keep saying I, but what about us? Aren’t we in this together? When did this turn into a dictatorship where you declare yourself judge, jury, and executioner? And I thought your whole purpose in coming back was to get Tess to help us.” Isabel moved from where she had been standing next to Alex to stand in front of her friend.

She shook her head at the hard look that had taken over his face, and felt sadness that the humorous boy she knew had somehow lost all innocence somewhere along the way. Was this what happened to people to who get involved with us? Will everything we touch lose its life and just become another casualty because of knowing us? Where does this all end? Will they all become like this?

Turning her head, she met those ever changeable hazel eyes that she loved so much, and worried that he too would become another victim just because he dared to love her for who she was. Refusing to acknowledge that thought anymore, she started to swing back around to demand an answer from Kyle, when Alex gave her a smile of reassurance and of something more.

Faith. It shook her to her core and unnerved her that he had so much faith in her. As she let the smile warm her, it was something she thought that she could get used to. He had faith in her like she had faith in him. Answering his smile with one of her own, she swung back around to see Kyle staring at her with a blank expression and radiating what could only be politely called a cold shoulder.

“I’m saying this because there’s no other way. You don’t know what the future is like, and God willing you won’t see the place that I came from. You think this is the worst of it? You’re wrong. Oh, you’re so wrong. Imagine the world being taken unknown with nothing more to save it than just six of us, and by the time I’d left we weren’t even six anymore. Imagine our enemies coming to torture our parents for any information about us, and that even our own government waited until it was too late to fight back the invasion. You think everything is going to be sunshine and lollipops, but when that day comes when you have to choose between which parent or friend lives then you’ll look back on this moment and wonder why you didn’t let me do this.”

Bitterness, rage, sorrow all flew on his words and pierced their minds with images of what could be, what had been.

“Can you imagine,” he tried to continue only to be interrupted.

“Enough! Just shut up already! We get it. We get that the future isn’t a grand place, but do you really think us committing murder will change anything? Do you even want to do this? Can you do this thing that you’re asking of us? Because the boy I knew, the boy I grew up with, couldn’t have done anything like that. You might be Mr. Bad Ass right now, but somehow I think deep down inside is that same guy I’ve known since kindergarten."

Liz Parker, the girl who would have been voted the most shy of their little band of heroes, had finally reached the breaking point of trying to fix a future that she was finally realizing was going to happen either way. The end of the world was coming no matter how much they went back in time to change it, and she was pretty sure that taking another life wasn’t the best step in trying to save anything.

“Max came back to the past, your friend Serena came back, you came back, and so far we still have our world coming to an end. Maybe it’s not about stopping the end of the world, maybe it’s more about preparing for the battle to come ahead. Sometimes no matter how much you try to change something, if it’s meant to happen it’s going to happen whether you want it to or not. I wonder if any of you ever thought that just maybe it’s not so much that she had to be with us to save the world, rather it’s what we learn from her to help save the world.”

Kyle opened his mouth to argue the point, but found that he couldn’t refute her argument.

“Shit.” It was all he could think of and exactly what he felt like at the moment as the petite girl stared him down. Resisting the urge to look away from those searching brown eyes, he stared back until he couldn’t take it anymore. Looking away he caught Maria’s gaze and raised an eyebrow challengingly at her. “What about you? What do you think of this?”

“What do I think about this? Do you really want to know what I think about this whole thing? Didn’t I give you my thoughts on what exactly I thought of you and your little plan to control us like chess pieces? Now ask me again what I really think.” She narrowed her eyes at him and raised her chin as if issuing a challenge.

Michael snorted and thought it better that Kyle be on the receiving end of Maria’s fury than himself. Feeling a pair of eyes on him, he hurriedly coughed to cover up his snort and spoke quickly. “Now that we’re done with our game of Clue, can we get back to what exactly happened here and what are we going to do with Tess. Because honestly all the philosophy and what ifs might be great for a logic class, but the bullshitting isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“Michael’s right. Never thought I would ever say those words.” A small smile played at Max’s lips and became a full fledged smile when he saw Michael scratching his forehead with his middle finger. Pushing the amusement away as he looked down at the carpet at the girl who had caused so much chaos to come into their lives, he worried about the paleness of her skin. “Alex, Isabel, you guys are going have to give us some more details because I think we’re running out of time here,” he said as he pointed to Tess’s lack of color.

Alex and Isabel shared a look before Alex started telling how everything had come to this very moment. No one said a word as they listened to his description of Tess making the choice to pull away from the mind warp only for it to reverse its course and turn back on her. Finishing his account, he cleared his throat before looking around the room making sure to make eye contact with each person, if only briefly.

“She might have started off with the intention to force me to help her whether I wanted to or not, but you got to remember that she stopped when she could have kept going and none of us would have been the wiser until it was too late. We might hate that she chose to do it, but does letting her die in front of us change what happened or make us feel better.”

“It might make me feel better,” Maria mumbled under her breath, but winced at the fierce look that Alex was giving her. Facing him, she said, “Sweetie, you can’t change my feelings of intense dislike for her at the moment and that’s me being polite. But no, you’re right that I don’t want her blood on my hands. I think…” She paused and looked at Liz, who quickly figured out where Maria was going with her words. “I think the decision is really yours since you’re the one who was hurt by her. Not saying that the rest of us hasn’t been affected by it, but I think the choice is yours and maybe Future Idiot Kyle over there.”

So saying that, she stared at Kyle already knowing that Alex wouldn’t vote to let Tess die.

Knowing what Alex’s answer would be, he cursed silently at the irony that only a moment ago he would have voted to let her die. Funny how he was always searching for the right moment to change everything. Somehow over the years he had become a guy who believed in wishes and what ifs. His lips thinned at the thought and he refrained from wanting to scream his frustration with the whole situation. Just a moment.

One moment. All he thought he needed was one moment to change the world ending, yet as he stared down at the drawn and pale face of the girl that he loved for so long, he realized that it wasn’t about the moment rather it was what he did in that moment. Everything that he had done since coming back in the past had been to save the world, yet he knew that he had really wanted nothing more than the moment to save her and to know why she had betrayed him so long ago.

Leaning down until their foreheads touched, he licked his suddenly dried lips before speaking in a language none of them had ever heard before. It was musical, it was seductive, it was sorrowful, and for some it was something that had been forgotten yet stirred memories of a time long ago. He had been worried that he wouldn’t have anything to say to her, yet he found himself pouring out all that he had wanted to tell her. Dreams of a future that had never been, a love that had somehow been nourished by those rare memories of her that no one else could share in, and of her importance to him.

Pausing to see if any of what he said had gotten through her consciousness, he closed his eyes at the thought that there really was no way to save her. A sigh escaped his lips and as he started to move away, he felt something akin to the wind touching his nose. Startled he opened his eyes to find hazy blue eyes staring back at him. Neither said anything, just stared at each other until he noticed that she was starting to fall back into unconsciousness.

“Stay with me.” There was no hesitation, no hint of the inner battle that had been going on since he had arrived to find her unconscious on the floor close to death. He was no longer conflicted about should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, rather he was more concerned about what was happening in the now. Forgiveness had taken a long time, and he realized that it wasn’t just forgiving her that he needed to do, but he needed to forgive himself as well.

“Kyle?” she asked, uncertain of the change in his appearance. His hair was shorter, his face had lines that hadn’t been there before, and dear God his eyes seemed so old. Or was it haunted? She wasn’t sure whether it was some ghost there to torture her as she took her last breath, or some new way for Khivar to pay her back for rebelling against his plans. Whatever or whoever he was, she didn’t want her memory of him to be tarnished with her sins. If this was her last moment on Earth, then she wanted to remember him for what he had given her.

Laughter. It was what she always associated with him even when he was doing his utmost to be serious. While growing up on the run with Nascedo, there had been no time for laughter even if he had been inclined to indulge in what he called the human waste of air. Then again Nascedo thought just humans breathing was a waste of air. Being with Kyle had shown her that it was okay to get to know that human part of herself and to rejoice in such simple things as laughter.

But lately she remembered with pain there had been no laughter, rather she had done all she could to break his heart and persuade him that she felt nothing more for him than friendship. Her eyes clouded over as her mind flashed back the image of when she chose to do what others planned out for her rather than thinking for herself.

Free will. It was something she had never really understood, but somehow everything inside her craved it like nothing else. She stared up at the older version of Kyle, whom she still thought of as a dream. Maybe an angel guiding her to another place to rest away from politics and a life from long ago. A small smile of contentment touched her lips and she closed her eyes again seeking the oblivion that knew nothing of her sins. Before she could sink fully into that place, she was again pulled from it by the Kyle with the old eyes. She didn’t know what she could do to explain to him that it was okay and that she was ready to go. She, who had been raised a fighter, sought only to finally use her free will for once in her life.

“Let me go.” Her voice startled him with its finality and he worried as he took in the blueness that was starting to settle on her lips.

Shaking his head in denial, he leaned once again until their foreheads were touching and whispered again, “Stay with me.”

She thought about shaking her head, but realized that she just didn’t have the strength for it. Instead she used her eyes to convey what she was thinking. She wanted this. This relief from trying to fit in everywhere, from trying to please everyone except herself. She just wanted peace.

“Why?” The words came out of her from nowhere. Maybe there was still a piece of that part of her that was a fighter lurking around, she thought.

“I…” He paused as he thought of the words that he had told her when she was unconscious. Words that wanted to fly free once again so he could see her reaction. He opened his mouth to continue, but realization set in that he wasn’t the Kyle who lived in this time. At least not anymore he wasn’t. Briefly closing his eyes and wondering whether it was possible to be jealous of his past self, he sought deep inside for the words to make this young woman who had held his attention for so long want to live.

Eyes still closed he told her, “Because I could have loved you. I could have loved you more than I thought was possible. Because for you, there’s another me who expects you to arrive back at home later tonight even if he isn’t sure what to say to you.”

A moment later he felt a small hand tentatively touch his face and trace his eyebrows before ending by his lips. Sucking in his breath, he opened his eyes to find her staring at him.

“You’re real aren’t you? I thought I was…” She broke off and seemed to be lost in thought before she focused back on him. “Okay.” She said it quietly yet with a hint of that determination that he remembered oh so well.

While everyone else wondered what was being said between the two as they had kept their voices no higher than a whisper, Kyle nodded his head and motioned Max over so he could start healing her. He moved to get up, but found his hand trapped in hers so instead he tried to move over to allow Max room. As he looked down at her, he felt that just maybe he done the impossible and saved her after all. And it was just her he realized as he tightened his hold on her hand before looking at the group of friends who had come over time to mean so much to him. As he started to smile, his vision grew blurry and he felt his lungs gasp for breath as they felt like a fire was making its way through him.

The others soon noticed his gasping for air and hurried over to him while Max kept his attention on Tess, who kept glancing over to see what was happening to Kyle.

Kyle fought the invasion that was taking place inside him as the new memories showed him what was happening to the younger version of him.

‘Oh, Buddha, no.’

“Kyle, what’s going on?” Alex asked as he glanced at Liz worriedly. “Do you think we should try First Aid or something?”

“Khivar,” he gasped through the pain. “He has me.” Another gasp. “The present version of me.”

Everyone looked at each other and the same thing was written across their faces. They were so screwed.

*******

Meanwhile across town, he ran around the court and chased the orange ball as if it was an opponent who had done him some great harm. Jumping up, he soared for a brief second in the air as he threw the ball in the basket for three points. Falling back to the ground, he hurried to catch the ball as he again ran around the court while ignoring the demons that seemed to cling to him.

Here. On this court. He could get away from what was happening in his life and just accept the illusion of being Kyle Valenti, varsity player and just plain jock. That guy didn’t have a care in the world and he was the very epitome of perfect.

So why was it that no matter what he did this morning he still found himself thinking about Kyle Valenti the actual guy, not the jock everyone believed him to be?

Not wanting to look too closely at those particular thoughts, he bounced the ball around some more before continuing his match with his invisible opponent. As sweat dripped down his back soaking his white t-shirt, he stopped to catch his breath and wiped the sweat that had begun to drip into his eyes. At least, he told himself, it was sweat and nothing more.

As he stared at the bright ball, a sad smile crossed his face as he noticed that for once he wasn’t enjoying the game that had given him that sense of belonging that he had needed at a young age. An age when another woman had walked out of his life leaving him with nothing more than an old baby blanket that held traces of her scent. If he really concentrated he could hear the sound of her voice, but it was oh so long ago.

‘Love really is for suckers. Suckers, poets, and dreamers.’

Picking up the ball again, he moved to resume his match, but instead found himself sitting down on the concrete ground as he rested his head on his drawn up knees. While he sat lost in thought, he never heard the footsteps behind him. He wasn’t aware of anything until the first power blast hit him from behind, knocking him up against the steel bars of the basket.

In a daze, he glanced up and found a stranger with dark eyes and dark hair smiling cheerfully at him as he raised his glowing hand at him.

‘Glowing? Oh shit,’ was Kyle’s thought as he prayed like no tomorrow to make it off the basket ball court alive.

“Don’t worry, little human. I’ll make this as painful as possible. It’s more fun like that.” The stranger seemed to purr and smile even more at the thought.

The last thing Kyle saw was the glowing light of the stranger’s hand before everything went black.


Coming Soon: Chapter 17 "Time's Sacrifice"