Helen (Roswelllostcause) - Admit it, you hate Tess just as much as L-J-L 76 does
You'll probably not like her any better at the start of the next chapter, but maybe you'll feel a bit better towards the end of the chapter *fingers crossed* Thank you for the feedback!Carolyn (keepsmiling7) - Yup, Tess uses everything "God" (or whoever) has given her to get Max to fall over heels blubbering and slubbering in love with her. Thank you for the feedback!
saori_1902 - Thank you
L-J-L 76
Yikes... You're almost scaring me with all that venom, girl. Yes, Tess is not the best person in the world (to put it lightly, but I felt like I had to balance out your vehemenceI can't believe Tess is working with the FBI. Tess is a mega whore. I hate Tess and I hope someone kills her. I can't believe what she is doing so she can get closer to Max. I hate that mega bitch whore. I hope Max is not fall for what the Slut mega bitch whore Tess's plan.
), but for now we don't know if she's actually working with the FBI. There's a good chance that Tess is just following her own selfish agenda.Some of the truth will come out in this chapter
Thank you for the feedback and all the lovely bumps Eve (begonia9508) - Max will see through Tess soon enough. Maybe sooner than you think. Yeah, it seems as if my wisdom tooth might have to come out after all. I've just been treating it with medication up until now, but it keeps playing up, so... Thank you for the feedback!
Alrighty, I think a quick recap would be good.
Previously on "Lethal Whispers":
- - Liz's mother died in a freak car accident when Liz was barely 4 years old. Max was with his mother in a car behind and being of "non-human" origin, Max "accidentally" healed Liz from fatal injuries.
- Since then, Liz has been haunted by night terrors during various periods of her life and Max has been having dreams of a beautiful brunette and an enticing blonde.
- At one point, Max started getting premonitions about the brunette from his dreams, and she was in danger. Through a party at his sister's workplace, Max happened to find this lady in distress - which turned out to be Liz, the girl from the accident when they had both been children.
- Liz is attacked. Max saves her.
- Liz's attack attracts the unwanted attention of the Special Unit of the FBI, one Special Agent Joel Martin in particular.
- The unwanted attention grows to such magnitudes that the group is forced to leave their homes and go on the run.
- Liz has just been abducted, while they were on the run, and was questioned by the FBI under sedation. For some reason she was returned to the group rather quickly after that.
- Just before being abducted, Liz witnessed Max and Tess making out.
- Being under the impression that Max and Tess were in some kind of relationship, Liz has not really been a happy camper and has avoided Max.
CHAPTER 46
The night before
Tess
The click from the door echoed through the dark and empty motel room. Tess’ eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, making the dim light from the hallway - seeping into the opening door - sting her eyes.
She only needed to confirm that it was her, before she got to work.
Her palms were clammy, pressed up against the wall behind her, as she pressed herself as thinly as she could along the wall. If the person at the door had looked to her left, she would have spotted Tess. But the brunette’s eyes were fixed straight ahead, her hand reaching for the switch to the light.
Before the dark-haired girl could bathe the room in light, Tess closed her eyes and forced herself into the mind of Liz Parker.
It was not hard - considering how tired Liz must be after several nights without proper sleep - to break the barrier to Liz’s thoughts. Tess easily bent Liz’s mind to accommodate Tess’ thoughts and images, foregoing Liz’s own thoughts.
Like a painter, Tess fluidly drew and shaped images of herself and Max Evans in a compromising position. She felt the stabs of Liz’s initial confusion, which quickly rippled into betrayal and hurt, as Liz reacted to the images only she and Tess could see.
In reality, the bed in front of them was empty, Max having left just two minutes earlier for their meeting, and Tess offering to stay behind to leave Liz a note. But instead, Liz was fooled into believing that Tess and Max were close to having sex.
When Tess felt Liz’s resolve crumble, felt the panic build in her victim, and felt Liz turn in the doorway to leave, Tess ended the mind-warp with a satisfied smile.
There. Done.
*****
Present timeLiz
She could feel the warmth of his body pressing against hers as she tried to silence her anxious breathing and calm her racing heart. She could feel his elbow digging into her side uncomfortably as she tightened her arms around her knees in an attempt to prevent her feet from slipping and sliding into view.
There was the sharp bark from a dog, a large dog by the sound of it, and they jumped in unison in their hiding spot. Liz’s effort at controlling her breathing went out the window as she felt his body tighten against hers and his breathing become strained against her ear.
They’ve brought dogs.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Max had any powers for not getting sniffed out by trained police dogs, but from the way his body had reacted to the sound of the dogs she had a sinking feeling that aliens were as helpless as any regular human being against the canine nose.
She wanted to turn her head and look at him. Wanted to see if he was really scared or if he was still in control. She wanted to talk to him and be reassured. But she didn’t dare to move a muscle, was afraid to even flinch.
Their hiding place was covered in shadows and the corner they were crouched in hid them perfectly well from one direction but not very well from the other. There was stomping of feet, of men yelling orders back and forth, and now she could also hear the excited panting of dogs.
She jumped as a dog barked again and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as the dog’s handler, with a soft voice, asked the dog if it had picked up on something. Her heart was thrumming out of her chest and her hands were turning white with the tightness of her holding onto her knees. Max moved subtly next to her and her eyes shot open.
He put his mouth close to her ear, so close that she could feel his lips brush against her skin as he whispered, “We need to move”. And even though she was scared to death, the sensation of his lips vibrating against her ear managed to warm her fingers and beat life into her tightly frightened heart.
With the futile thought of How did I end up here? she stumbled to her feet, ready to follow Max’s direction.
*****
4 hours earlierMax
“Isabel and Tess, you can ride with us,” Maria suggested, but it sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
Max looked at Maria in confusion. “Why? There’s no point in squeezing you into one car.”
Because if Isabel and Tess rode with Maria and Michael, that ensured that Liz and him would be alone in one car. On their own. By themselves. Max didn’t want to look over at Liz and see her reaction, but he was pretty certain he could feel her trepidation wobble through their connection. She was about as eager to ride with him alone as he was.
Apparently, so was Tess as she beat Maria to answer the question by, rather annoyed, adding, “Yeah, why should I go with you? I’d rather go with Max and Liz.”
Max looked over at the blonde girl, who had fury coloring her cheeks red, and considered how blunt that girl could be.
Maria sighed and let her eyes dance over Liz and Max. Max didn’t fail to notice that she ignored Tess when she answered, “I was trying to be subtle about this, but if you’re gonna put up a fight…”
“Ria,” Michael said, “Whatever you’ve got planned, say it quickly, because we don’t have time to stand around here. The police is on our trail.”
“You might not want to acknowledge it, but I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that you,” Maria gave Max a pointed look, “and Liz need to talk. If we’re gonna function as a group - which is more or less vital to our survival at this point - we can’t have two people at odds with each other. Something’s happened between you two and you need to talk it out.”
Max let his eyes drop to the ground, feeling the unmistakable weight of embarrassment, as he heard Michael sigh. “She’s got a point. Alright,” Max raised his glance to see Michael point everyone out by name and then point to assigned cars, “Maria, Tess and Isabel, you’re with me. Max and Liz, you’re on your own.”
Max didn’t need a connection to feel the heat of wrath from Tess standing next to him.
“No. No, I won’t do it,” Tess objected angrily and Max silently questioned why she was so adamant on going with him and Liz.
“Don’t be a baby,” Michael said plainly, ending the conversation, and turned to Max. “Should I take the lead?”
Max had yet to look over at Liz and felt rather bulldozed into inaction. His acknowledgement was given in a mumbled, “Sure.”
Maria and Isabel started to move towards one of the cars and Michael gave the short angry girl rooted to the ground a sharp look. “Tess. In the car. Now.”
Max had a feeling that Tess had several words she wanted to share with Michael, but she pressed her lips tightly together and stomped off towards the assigned car like an obstinate four-year-old not getting her way.
“We need some supplies,” Max said, stopping Michael as he turned towards the almost-full-car he were to chauffeur. “We can’t stay in motels any longer, so we need blankets, maybe a tent-“
Michael shook his head. “It’s too cold to sleep in tents; we’ll freeze to death in our sleep.”
Max nodded, agreeing. “Yeah. I thought so too. We’ll have to try and sleep in the cars, but we need blankets.”
“Let’s stop at the first shopping mall we’ll see, okay?”
Max nodded. “Great.”
He heard the door to the car he was supposed to drive open behind him and Michael gave him a weak sympathetic smile while hitching his chin in the direction of Max’s car. “Good luck.”
Max managed the grimace of a smile, “Thanks”, and heard the passenger door shut behind him.
The Canadian air was cool as it whipped against his face when he turned towards the car. She was hunched up in her seat as he pulled the car door to the driver’s seat open, her hands between her thighs as if she was freezing.
“Are you cold?” he asked as he took a seat, pulled the door closed and put the key into the ignition.
She threw him a fleeting smile and said, “A little.”
Max turned the ignition and reached to turn the car heating on full force. “It’ll heat up soon enough.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled and turned her eyes outwards across the rest stop.
Max held back a sigh and released the hand brake. This was going to be a long ride.
*****
LizIn a way she had hoped that Maria’s plan would work. That Max would talk to her and give her some kind of explanation as to why he had made out (and possibly more) with Tess.
They were not a couple so she couldn’t really be angry with him or feel this betrayed, but she was and she did. The least he could do was offer her an explanation. She was certain that he knew that he had done something wrong and that he also suspected that she knew, based on the expression of deep guilt she had seen on his face directly after she had been returned from the FBI.
What else would he be guilty about?
She chanced a glance in his direction, but he was paying a ridiculously grave attention to the road, as if it was snowfall or heavy rainfall which forced him to concentrate 110%. Except for the fact that the sight was clear and there was no precipitation to speak of.
In actuality, there was nothing to speak of.
They had been riding in silence for 23 minutes now and it was slowly driving Liz insane. She was getting nervous, something that could only be explained by a deep sense of discomfort. Before this whole thing with Tess, she had never been uncomfortable in Max’s presence. He had a way of putting her whole soul at ease.
She only watched for three seconds, but it felt like an eternity as she recorded the nightmare, the real life nightmare, in front of her. Of Tess, with her blonde curly hair glinting in the dim light from the opened front door, merely clad in a black lacy bra, straddling Max who was in his boxers. His hands were running across her overly-exposed back, their lips moving together in a sensual make-out session.
Liz blinked the images away from her mind, feeling that familiar nausea rise in her throat again. Would she ever be able to look at Max without being reminded of his unclad state with Tess? She looked over at Max again, anxiously bunching up the bottom of her jacket in her hands, expecting to see Tess’ lips on his.
Max’s fingers were thrumming against the steering wheel in an irregular agitated beat and his back was as straight as an arrow. She was afraid that if she spoke he might just explode or something.
She couldn’t be quiet any longer. The knowledge of what she knew, of what he had done, was suffocating her. Expecting a detonation, Liz let her fingers loosen their grip on the jacket and cleared her throat, ignored the awareness of Max’s eyes flickering to her profile, and said, “How’s Tess?”
She could feel his eyes glued to her profile, and without meeting his eyes she watched the car slowly drift to the side, the right-sided tires hitting the edge of the ditch. “Max!”
She looked over at him the second his eyes ripped away from her face and he, with a word of obscenity, reeled the car back into the lane. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
She couldn’t help but suspect that her question had rattled him, knowing that it was the sore point between them.
*****
MaxTess? Why was she wondering about Tess? Who cared about Tess? Why did she, the first time they were alone in a long time, want to talk about Tess?
“I don’t know,” he said, not being able to diffuse the confusion out of his tone. “Angry, I guess. That she couldn’t ride with us.”
“It’s no wonder she’s upset about that,” Liz said and Max had to force himself to not repeat his mistake of staring at her and almost driving off the road.
Keeping his eyes on the road, he asked, “And why is that?”
He felt her eyes on the side of his face as she answered, lightly and evenly, “She obviously wants to spend as much time with you as possible.”
He glanced at her, his eyes narrowing. She was trying to act unbothered, but her face was a little bit too smooth, too awash with feelings. “She does?”
Apparently, discussing Tess was important to Liz because she pressed on. “I would have. If I were her.”
Max frowned and unease was crawling into him. “If you were her? Sorry, I don’t follow.”
She was biting her lower lip and he had to consciously tear his eyes back to the road. The deep-rooted attraction for her was flaring up at her movements.
“If I had been kissed like that…”
Max whipped his head towards her and almost stepped on the breaks. The car swerved to the side again, but he caught on to it himself this time, pulling it back so sharply that his left shoulder hit the driver’s door and her left shoulder almost connected with his right.
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this when you’re driving,” Liz said breathlessly. She was bracing herself with her left hand against the glove compartment, possibly expecting him to jumble the car again.
Max felt the frustration build and he looked at her sideways, suddenly wanting to scream at her. He bit back the anger and asked with moderate restraint, “Talk about what?!”
He noticed her face hardening before he had to look back at the road, and she had a tinge of hot anger in her voice as she answered, “I respect that it’s probably none of my business. I mean, we’re not together or anything, but I just thought…”
He turned to look at her, with his mouth open, prepared to word his confusion in a screaming manner, when he saw a tear roll down her cheek before she turned her face away. He choked on his anger and forced himself to calm down and clear his mind, tried to think of what Liz might have misunderstood.
Because it sure sounded like she was implying that Tess and he were together. As in together.
“Liz. What do you think Tess means to me?”
“He’s mine,” the blonde whispered darkly.
“No,” the brunette objected softly, peacefully. “He never was.”
“Who are you?” Max asked the blonde.
“I’m your wife,” she replied with a hard face.
He frowned. “I’m not married.”
“You were,” the blonde answered. “Until death do us part.”
A shimmer next to the blonde pulled his attention back to the brunette and he watched her start to fade. “No,” he pleaded. “No, don’t go.”
“It’s just me and you now,” the blonde smiled.
The image of Tess from his dreams evaporated by a shake of his head and he looked over at Liz at her non-response, adding, “I barely know Tess.”
Liz’s whole body was tense and he could feel darkness through their connection. Hurt and…betrayal?
“You barely know me,” Liz whispered.
“I’ve known you since you were four years old,” Max said simply, without missing a beat.
She turned to meet his eyes, her own widening in surprise. Before him, her expression changed and hurt swam into her chocolate colored orbs. “But Tess shares your origin. I’m human. I would understand if you would chose her. She’s familiar and she understands what you’re going through. What it’s like to be…alien.”
A humorless laugh burst across his lips and he saw offense creep into her features, which hurried his reply, “Tess doesn’t know me. She doesn’t care about me. She cares about a notion that we’re supposed to be together-“
“Are you?” Liz pressed on bitterly. “Are you supposed to be together?”
“Maybe,” Max said regretfully. “But I like to think that I have a choice.”
“But you chose her,” Liz whispered. “I saw you.”
“You…” he looked sideways at her hard profile. “You what?”
“Maybe it’s not something you’re proud of,” Liz said and put her arms around her middle, walling herself off from him. “And maybe that’s why you can’t talk to me anymore. But I just… I want an explanation. I want to know if I’m sacrificing my life here for nothing. If my dad is wondering where I am and if I’m okay for nothing.”
Max swallowed. “You came here for me.” The truth in her words hurt him. He didn’t want her to give up her life just for him. He had thought it was because she was frightened of what the FBI could do to her, and maybe that was part of it, but by the sound of it she mostly left to be with him.
He was floored by the feelings spilling over him. Confusion. Gratitude. Love. Passion. Longing. Hurt. Frustration. She didn’t answer his statement, but her silence spoke volumes.
“We’re not nothing,” Max said quietly, looking back at the road with unseeing eyes. “You and I are not nothing.”
“Then why did you kiss her?” Liz whispered, her voice breaking with restrained tears.
Max’s heart plummeted to his gut and with only a second of hesitation, he pulled the car off the road.
*****
Maria“Um…” Maria’s gaze was locked at the side view mirror, “I think Max just pulled off the road.”
Michael looked up into the rearview mirror to confirm. With a “Damn,” he slammed the heels of his hands against the steering wheel before making a hasty movement to the side which rather unsteadily pulled the car to the side of the road.
*****
LizShe looked at him in surprise as the car came to an abrupt halt and his eyes were piercing and hot, angry, when he turned in his seat towards her. “Who told you that?”
She shrank back against the door reflexively and stubbornly squeezed her lips together. “No one. I saw you.”
He shook his head, “No”, and unfastened his seat belt. “I’ve never kissed Tess.”
She felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks as anger crawled into her face and her arms tightened around her middle. “She was on top of you, half-naked, and you…you were just as eager.”
Darkness roared in his eyes as he leaned in towards her and she was suddenly afraid. Afraid that it was not just the situation that was making him angry, but her. That he was angry with her. Something flickered in his eyes and the harsh edges of his expression were filed down. Which caused her to jump as he suddenly crashed a fist against his car seat.
“Sorry…” he mumbled, looking over at her with downcast eyes. With the anger seeping out of him, he repeated, “Sorry.”
“You’re scaring me,” Liz whispered.
“It’s Tess,” Max said quietly, calmly now.
His statement confused her. Of course it was Tess. This whole thing was about Tess.
“No, no,” Max interrupted as he caught on to the confusion in her eyes. “Not like that. I mean… I’m angry with Tess. Not you.”
He raked his hands across his face and in the seconds of silenced that followed, Liz became aware of her harsh breathing and the erratic beating of her heart. “It’s not just Tess’ fault.”
He inhaled deeply and brushed a hand through his hair before turning to face forward, where Michael and Tess were now visible through the windshield, approaching the car. “Yes. It is.”
Before Michael ripped the car door open on Max’s side, Max turned to Liz, fixed her eyes with his and said with determination, “I. Have. Never. Kissed. Tess.”
Michael poked his head in. “Max, what the hell?”
A breathless Tess came up behind Michael. “We can’t just stop like this. It would look suspicious.”
“What did you do?” Michael grew still as Max directed his quiet and even question at Tess.
Tess paused, looking confused for a second, before she moved her eyes towards Liz. Her mood changed in the fraction of a second and with anger she pointed at Liz, growling, “What did she tell you?”
“No,” Max said, still with calmness, something that made Liz a bit apprehensive. She had seen how angry he had just been. She had a feeling that this calm side to Max was much more dangerous than the angry one. “What. Did. You. Do?”
“She’s making it up,” Tess answered stubbornly and turned to scream at Liz through the windshield. “You bitch, you’re making this u-“
But Tess didn’t get much further than that before Max was out of the car, having almost pushed Michael over in his attempt to reach Tess. She had the chance to take two steps backwards before Max grabbed a hold of her upper arms and shook her.
He was no longer calm.
“Don’t you ever call her that!”
“Hey, Max,” Michael said, but his voice was soft and Liz noted the insecurity and shock in his stance before she unfastened her seat belt and climbed out of the car. Maybe this wasn’t a side to Max anyone was used to see.
“You planted those images in her head, didn’t you?”
Liz felt the chill go through her chest and her head swam with the realization of Max’s words. Mind-warp. Tess could force images and thoughts into your mind.
Before Liz had stumbled around Tess and reached Max, he had shaken a now frightened Tess a couple of times, as if trying to shake the truth out of her. Liz put a hand on Max’s arm and said calmly, “Max.”
His eyes were dark again and anger ignited his face. But when he turned towards her voice, something moved in his expression and he let go of Tess. He tore his eyes away from Liz to look at Tess, who was now crying.
“You mind-raped her,” Max accused through clenched teeth and Liz flinched at his choice of words.
Tess moved a trembling hand through her hair and whispered, “I didn’t mean to, I just-“
“What’s going on?” Isabel came up next to them, with a big-eyed Maria in tow.
“The reason why Liz has hated me lately,” Max said with disgust coloring his voice and took a step back from Tess, “is because of Tess.”
I don’t hate you, Liz’s thoughts objected and looked at Max who was staring Tess down.
“How?” Maria asked.
“Tell them, Tess,” Max ordered and the whole group turned stunned eyes to the red-eyed crying girl shaking between Liz and Max.
“I’m sorry,” Tess blubbered.
Max didn’t seem to have the patience to wait for her explanation, instead clarifying, “She had Liz see a make-out session between Tess and I.”
“Ooh,” Maria said quietly and it was the only thing that was said in those two minutes of silence that followed.
It was Michael who interrupted the quietus. “Well… That sucks. But really, we have to go. Before some police car decides to drive past and find it very odd that we are stopped at the side of the road.”
“This is not over,” Max promised, eyes digging a hole into Tess’ traitorous skull and Liz swallowed with pity for the girl.
What Tess had done was horrible, but being at odds with Max was certainly not something one would wish for.
Max turned his attention to Liz and reached out his hand for her. Not knowing what else to do, she took his hand and felt the familiar spark travel up her arm. They looked to their hands in unison at the touch and Max squeezed her hand. When she looked up at him his eyes were soft and concerned and the discomfort in her heart vanished into thin air. His eyes seemed to ask if she was okay to go with him and unconsciously she nodded.
“Let’s go, Tess,” Michael said sharply behind them, reached between Max and Liz (forcing their hands apart) and grabbed Tess’ elbow. As he pulled Tess away, Michael yelled over his shoulder, “I think there’s a mall seven miles ahead. We’ll stop there.”
“Sure,” Max answered, and with a look at Liz he hitched his head towards the car. “Let’s go.”
TBC...
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