Roswell Fanatics

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LairaBehr4
Sternbetrachter
Augustus Snodgrass
RosyLady
imnotlc
tequathisy
paper
RhondaAnn

Chapter 11

“Do you still remember how to do it?” Max queried, momentarily confusing Liz by referencing a previous time when she’d attempted it. “It’ll probably take a lot of time and… energy,” he said for lack of a better word while Anya sat looking back and forth between the two.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Liz said after a moment’s thought and smiled encouragingly at Anya before placing both her palms against the wall. Eyes closed, she concentrated on manipulating the molecules so that they expanded, causing them to sit air tight against one another. Without breaking a sweat, she completed the task and moved on to the next and then the next until all four walls, including the doors and windows had been sound proofed. “Okay, now what’s this all about?” Liz queried, knowing only that he was anxious.

“Anya, would you please give me and your mommy a few minutes to talk?” Max requested, reluctant to say anything further in front of his daughter. As far as he was concerned, she already worried too much because of the things her empathy picked up. Combined with her prior experiences on Antar, the last thing Max wanted was to add to her worries. Five was too young to feel like you needed to look after your parents, he couldn’t help but think.

“Okay,” Anya slowly said and scrunched up her eyes, obviously trying to read whatever emotions were in the air.

“None of that,” Liz lightly scolded. “Just go keep Villandra company for a little bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Anya repeated, this time disappointedly.

When the door closed behind her, Liz turned curious eyes up at Max and gazed up at him expectantly. “You asked me about the white room but I never got the chance to finish explaining it to you,” Max stated and gestured for Liz to sit. “It’s time for me to finish it now,” he added and sat down on the vacant desk chair while Liz lowered herself onto the edge of the mattress. “The person leading the skins down here is a woman named Vanessa Whitaker but she isn’t just their leader. She’s also a congresswoman who has a lot of pull with the special unit.”

“That name doesn’t sound at all familiar to me,” Liz admitted, going through Max’s statement one point at a time. “How is she their leader? What claim does she have towards their army?” she queried, trying to piece together the information into something she understood.

“She’s Nicolas’ sister,” Max replied but beyond that, he had no idea what other connections she had. Kal had been very tight lipped on her background, causing everyone to assume there wasn’t much to tell about the egomaniacal congresswoman.

“Wait… you don’t mean, Havinessa?” Liz asked, thinking of the skin who once followed Khivar around like a bitch in heat. “I can’t believe she’s still alive,” she admitted before noting the confusion Max held in his features. “Before Khivar gathered his troops to rebel against the throne, Havinessa had shameless crush on him. It was why she did everything she could to help Nicolas rise to his military position. She thought she could benefit from a strong working relationship between him and Khivar,” Liz explained, remembering how embarrassingly complacent the other woman had once been around Khivar.

“Why did you think she was dead?” Max inquired, not catching the link in the story.

“She tried to kill me,” Liz shrugged as though it were no big deal. Though after everything she had recently been through, Max supposed it wasn’t something Liz wasn’t used to. “At that point Khivar still looked at me like a meal ticket. The last thing he wanted was for the only living heir to be killed over jealousy. So he had her taken care of, at least that was what he said but he never elaborated any time I asked. I guess I just assumed wrong.”

Max nodded and began to continue when Liz’s voice interrupted his progress.

“It’s getting easier… to be around you, I mean,” she stated, causing Max to sit up a little straighter in response. “You’re the polar opposite of him. Your mannerisms and even the tones in your voice. It’s nothing like I remember. I mean, it’s still a little unnerving at times but… well, not nearly much as it was when you first showed up here.”

What she didn’t add was that the flashes had gone a long way in helping her get through some of her fears. It was next to impossible to be afraid of the person she felt he had been to her in all those images. Liz wanted him to know that but she also hoped he didn’t have high expectations. While she definitely wanted him in Anya’s life, she wasn’t yet sure if that would always be the extent of it. For all she knew, Max had a girlfriend waiting for him back where he lived. Something she considered but hadn’t gotten around to asking yet.

“I’m glad,” he quietly replied and offered Liz a tentative smile.

Max was surprised when she actually returned it.

“Uh… where was I?” he asked and continued forward before she had a chance to reply. “Anyway, Whitaker has someone on the inside with the Special Unit. They’re this secret, elite team of FBI agents who’s only goal is to catch and dissect aliens,” Max bluntly stated, belatedly realizing how callous that may have sounded. “I’m so sorry, Liz. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, its okay,” she said, holding a hand up before he continued. “At this point in time, it would be extremely hard for you or anyone else to offend me. Just… be blunt. I don’t like it when people beat around the bush with me,” Liz stated then gestured for him to continue with the explanation. “What else?”

“Well the flashes Anya got of me in the white room were because of the special unit,” Max went on to explain after taking a long, deep breath. For the most part, he had learned to live with everything that had happened all those years before but there would be a part of him that would always feel anger and resentment. “It was about a month after the skin attack here in Roswell. Me, Isabel, Tess, Alex, Michael and Maria all went to a carnival in a neighboring town. We didn’t expect anything to happen there and if it did, we would have guessed skin attack, not a kidnapping led by the special unit.”

Max still hated mirrors and had never gone back to another carnival or festival since that fateful day. He suspected he never would either.

“They were looking for three male aliens. If they couldn’t get them all then they’d at least get one,” he continued in a far away voice. Patiently, Liz sat and listened but also studied the planes and creases of his face. The expressions he made told her things that his words didn’t. “I guess they assumed I was the third since Kyle wasn’t with us that night. So I got taken in and… and now those same people who tried to dissect me back in high school are investigating the Valenti family. They have surveillance here at the café too but I don’t think they’ve picked anything up here yet.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because of Alex. He works for a major security corporation and a few days ago, they were contracted by the FBI to begin working here,” Max answered and gestured to their four walls. “Now you see why I asked you to sound proof the room,” he added and crumpled up the sheet he had written the request on.

“But not the others or it’ll seem too suspicious,” Liz added, quickly catching on.

“Right,” Max agreed. “They did the same thing at the Valenti house. Michael and Kyle soundproofed the bathrooms so that they could go in there to talk if something needed to be said.”

“I’ll let Villandra know and I’ll find some way to make Anya understand,” Liz stated while thinking back to everything that had happened in the last couple of days. She wondered if anything they discussed had made out to the special unit monitoring the building. “So what are we supposed to do? About the unit,” she questioned when something else occurred to her. “Max, how did you get away from them when they took you?”

“Kal, Cero and Larek all shape shifted to look like agents. They’re the ones that got me out and Michael, Kyle and Alex were waiting outside to drive us away from the compound,” Max replied and remembered the identical looks of guilt on all their faces. He had been the only human in the group of males but he had been the one captured. His body was a regular healing one that still had scars from two days worth of prodding and dissecting.

Liz felt selfish for thinking that maybe it hadn’t entirely been her fault after all. It seemed like it wasn’t anyone’s fault really, just a very unfortunate mistake that Max ended up paying for. “If these people are linked to Havinessa, are they human?” she asked because it seemed like the next logical question.

“Well I wouldn’t call them human, but yeah… they’re of this earth,” Max answered her just as his cell phone began to ring.

“I’ll go check on Anya,” Liz volunteered, wanting to give him some privacy.

“Hello. Yeah, can you hold on a second,” he requested and held the phone away from his mouth. “Liz?” he quietly called out to her and waited until she turned back around to face him. For what it’s worth, I’m really glad that it’s getting easier to be around me. It kind of makes it easier for me too.”

Her response was a small smile before leaving him to his conversation. Or in that case, an irate Tess who had just learned Kyle was on his way over to her house.


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Tess played over Max’s request in her mind as she paced back and forth in front of her front door. “How am I supposed to just trust him?” she muttered to herself and stared at the door darkly when the doorbell chimed, filling up the house with its melodic sound. “What?” she harshly greeted and swung the door open to find a timid Kyle Valenti on the other side. “Urg! Forget it, just come in,” she invited, quickly switching gears.

“Okay,” Kyle slowly agreed and stepped inside the immaculately kept living room. “Can I use your bathroom?” he then requested and widened his eyes slightly when Tess looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “Please?” he added, hoping that would somehow pacify whatever mood she seemed to be in.

“Sure, why not?” Tess responded and gestured to the hallway.

“Thanks,” Kyle replied and left her standing there in wonderment.

Once the door closed behind him, he placed his hand on the back wall and began the task of sound proofing each of the four. “Hey, Tess could you come here for a second? My hands are wet and I can’t find a clean towel,” he opened the door and called out.

“What?” she muttered and marched over to the sound of his voice. “What do you mean you can’t find a clean towel? I just put one in there a few…” she trailed off as he gently tugged her inside and pulled the door closed behind her. “Sorry stud but this isn’t the eraser room and we aren’t in high school,” Tess stated and pulled her arm free.

Rolling his eyes, Kyle took a step back in the small space and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was sound proofing the room so we could talk freely,” he explained and continued when she opened her mouth to undoubtedly ask a question. “With surveillance at the house and the café, we need to make sure we all have at least one safe room to talk in. Your place might be next so it’s best if we stay prepared.”

“Oh,” Tess replied and decided that Max’s brief, if not vague, explanation now made more sense.

“Right,” Kyle added, suddenly not feeling as confident as he had a few moments before.

“Okay then,” Tess said and turned around to grab at the doorknob. “Thanks,” she called out and hurried out of the room before Kyle had the opportunity to say or ask anything else.


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“Okay, that’s it. You have been up for too many hours and you have work tomorrow,” Isabel stated and pulled the sheets of paper out of Alex’s hands. “It’s time to get some sleep, sweetheart or you’ll be dead on your feet by sun up tomorrow,” she declared and held the pages out of reach when Alex made a vain attempt to pull them back.

“So maybe I’m a little tired,” he acknowledged and tried stifling a yawn behind his hand.

“Come on,” Isabel coached and ushered Alex into their bedroom. She had already turned the lights down and shut the curtains in the room, allowing him a bit of darkness in the middle of the day. “Just get some rest and whenever you wake up, I’ll make dinner,” she volunteered since she had some free time on her hands after finishing up the last of her weekend homework.

“No,” Alex shook his head and pulled Isabel down on to the bed beside him. “I want you here with me,” he said and placed a soft, gentle kiss against her lips.

“Don’t start anything you can’t finish,” Isabel quietly sighed and allowed her eyelashes to flutter open.

“Who says I won’t finish?” Alex asked teasingly and peppered her face and neck with small kisses that had Isabel moaning in delight. Lately all they had been concentrating on was law school and alien hunters. There’d been next to no time for alone, couple time and both relished the extra hours they had with one another.

“Ohh, promise?” Isabel returned and let Alex maneuver her back against the mattress.

“Promise,” he assured and slowly began unfastening the buttons of her shirt. Eagerly, Isabel reached for his belt buckle and began the pleasurable task of divesting her boyfriend of all his clothes.


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“Are you sure you didn’t have somewhere to be?” Liz queried then snapped her mouth shut when she realized how rude she sounded. “That came out wrong,” she stated. “I just meant to ask if you were sure we weren’t keeping you from doing something else that… well, that you needed to do,” she attempted to explain and knew by the amused smile on his face that Max understood her the first time.

“Other than picking up something gross like ice cream and nacho cheese for Tess later tonight, I’m pretty much free today,” Max answered and noted the look of pensiveness his answer put on Liz’s face. He wanted to ask her what it was about but with Anya sitting nearby with a book in her lap, he didn’t rouse too many questions. “How’s the reading coming along?” he asked, causing her eyes, so identical to his own, to snap up in question.

“Good,” she said simply and lowered them back down to the enthralling pages of Dr. Seuss.

“When did you teach her how to read? Or, how old was she?” Max inquired to Liz, eager to know everything he could about his little girl. He had already missed so much of her life and desperately wanted to make up for the lost time.

“Well she learned the alphabet pretty quickly but I wasn’t able to find a book for her until she was about four,” Liz stated, thinking back to a time that was both good and bad for two entirely different reasons. “She picked that up pretty quickly too.”

“Well what about all the other stuff?” Max then asked. “What were her first words? How old was she when she learned to crawl and walk,” he fired off in rapid succession.

Biting her lip in though, Liz considered something for a long moment before finally coming to a decision. “Anya, honey we’re going to go into the other room for just a few minutes,” she informed and gestured for Max to get up. “When you finish your book, you can find us to get a new one.”

“Okay, mommy,” she said and looked up only long enough to smile.

Curiously, Max followed Liz into her bedroom and stood in surprise when she closed the door on her way in. “I don’t do this… ever,” Liz immediately stated. “The last time was an accident but it occurs to me that it’s happened before. I mean, we obviously had sex and if you activated the seal inside of me early, then we must of have connected then. Probably a lot of times before that so what it really comes down to, is whether or not it should happen again,” she rambled, further confusing Max who only managed to pick out select words of her statements. “I can block you from my mind so that you only see what I want you to and at the same time, I can keep myself from seeing anything in yours.”

It took several seconds for her words to register in Max’s mind before he finally asked, “You want to connect with me?”

“I know that it’s a big step but maybe it’ll help us build trust,” Liz tentatively answered and bit her lip again in nervousness when he didn’t immediately reply. “Or not. I mean, you don’t have to. I could just tell you with words instead of…” she trailed off as Max interrupted.

“I want to,” he said with no hint of uncertainty on his face or in his voice.

“You do?” she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“I don’t like to connect with people either, Liz. I avoid if whenever I can but… I want to connect with you,” Max stated unwaveringly. “I already trust you and if this is what it takes to help you learn to trust me then take my hands and we’ll get started” he offered, holding his palms out towards her.

“Okay,” Liz said and slowly lifted her hands so that they rested a fraction of an inch above his. “I’ll get us started,” she volunteered and waited for his nod of agreement before closing the small gap. The moment their skin touched, Liz had to instantly push his presence out of her mind as it immediately invaded her senses. Their gaze locked and she sifted through her memories, all the while holding him at the edge of their connection.

Then once she found the images she wanted him to see, Liz slowly drew him into her subconscious and allowed him to view the precious moments with Anya he’d asked about.

Hello everyone, sorry for the long wait!

LairaBehr4
tequathisy
Sternbetrachter - lol
imnotlc
RhondaAnn
RosyLady
FSU/MSW-94

Chapter 12

“It’s hard for everyone to let people in,” Maria responded, informatively.

“That’s different,” Liz immediately countered as her emotions began to build up inside of her.

“Why?” Maria demanded and angrily set her guitar down on the bed. “What gives him special privileges? What makes you think it’s so much harder for Michael than it is for…”

“Because he was abandoned in the middle of nowhere” Liz yelled before she could stop herself. Her gaze widened as did Maria’s but despite her friend’s shock, she just continued. Something buried deep inside was driving her to keep talking, to somehow get Maria to understand.

“We were all just left there to fend for ourselves but it was worse for Michael,” she stated and shook her head as more images began to assault her mind. “Do you even remember that he lived somewhere else before he moved in with Alex’s family? Do you have any idea what it was like for him to live with that monster, Hank?” she questioned and felt tears quickly fill her eyes as she remembered the bruises on his body. He let her heal the visible ones so that no one at school talked or asked questions but he refused to let her heal the ones hidden by his clothes. He said they were reminders of what happened when he didn’t clean his room or if he forgot to wash his cup when he was through with it.

“He was an abusive drunk but he was also Michael’s guardian and it stung like hell when he disappeared after only a few months,” Liz continued on despite how much it hurt her to think about it. She continued because she knew it hurt Michael more and if she could just find a way to help him, maybe he could slowly start to heal inside. “Its hard for him to let people in because he’s scared to death of opening himself up to one more person who’ll eventually just leave.” Shaking her head, Liz swiped at her tears and noticed that Maria had begun to cry too. “I know that he messed up… that he waited too long to say something to you but if you knew how much he cared about you… how much it took him to go to you,” she trailed off, knowing in that instant that she had already said too much.

“I think I finally understand,” Maria stated late that night and rolled over onto her side to face Michael. “You’re concerned for me, but that isn’t the whole story, is it?” she asked and continued forward when Michael had only a confused expression to respond with. “About coming back here,” she whispered, all the while hoping they’d somehow be able to have this conversation without adjourning to the bathroom for privacy.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michael admitted as he stared up at Maria’s looming features.

“She left you,” Maria softly declared.

“She didn’t leave, she was taken,” Michael corrected in the same quiet tone.

“But you didn’t know that,” Maria countered. “All these years, Kyle always believed that there was more to the story but you accepted it at face value. You genuinely thought that she did leave so even now that you know the truth, it still isn’t any better for you, is it?” she queried and held his gaze when he would have turned away.

“You’re reading too much into things,” Michael informed though not unkindly.

“Really? Then why won’t you go see her?” Maria demanded in a stubborn voice. “And don’t give me some excuse because Kyle and Max have both been there and she didn’t break apart like delicate glass,” she added in a harsh whisper.

“Now isn’t the time, Maria,” Michael said in a definitive voice. “For that or for this conversation.”

“Don’t hide with me, Michael. I can read you like a book and I know what’s really going on inside your head,” Maria responded with little heat. “I love you, Michael. You’re my best friend and honestly, you’re also the love of my life. But right now you’re being a pig-headed fool. I just thought you should know that,” she finished and rolled back over so that she was facing away from his tired expression.


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“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Max asked early the next morning as he stood in the living room with Liz and Anya. “I mean, you were gone for a long time and… well, people are going to ask a lot of questions. The whole town will probably be buzzing with gossip before noon,” he felt the need to inform since Liz didn’t seem even a bit nervous.

“I don’t care,” Liz declared stubbornly. “I’m not going to stay locked up here with my daughter just because people have too much time on their hands and would rather talk about me than go on with their own business.” There was fire in her eyes that Max had rarely seen since he came back to Roswell. Each time she got that glint in her chocolate gaze, he was reminded of the girl he fell in love with all those years before. “I spent too long in a room with four walls and I’m not going to do it again here.”

“I feel nervous again,” Anya intervened before anything else could be said.

“Guilty,” Max said and smiled ruefully at his daughter.

“What aren’t you saying?” Liz queried, rightfully guessing that he was holding something back. Obviously something that was making him feel nervous about her decision to go out into the town. Then for a split second, Liz couldn’t help but wonder whether she wanted the answer or not. When would the uncertain pauses and reluctant expressions cease? “You know what, honey I think we should probably wait a few hours and we’ll go out for lunch instead. How does that sound?” she asked Anya when the look on Max’s face told her he didn’t want to explain in front of their daughter.

“You’re nervous too,” Anya stated in a small voice. “Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Liz admitted honestly and offered her daughter a smile. “But I promise that we’ll talk about it whenever I figure it out,” she assured.

On Antar, Liz kept secrets to protect Anya. There were a lot of things that she tried to shield her daughter from because despite her intelligence, Anya was still just a little girl. As many things as she understood, there were just as many that she didn’t. Every emotion that existed could be felt and recognized by the young empath but she didn’t understand that. At least not entirely. She just learned to associate Liz’s expressions with the emotions she was feeling. From there, she learned the difference between good and bad.

With all the confusion and secrets, Liz did her best to be open and honest with Anya whenever she could. Now, more than ever, Liz wanted to maintain that relationship. So many new people coming in and out of their lives, claiming one thing or another was bound to confuse Anya. Liz wanted her to know that no matter what, she could always trust her mother to be there as a source of love and truth.

Eventually, she would have to sit Anya down and explain to her the situation with Max but until she got it all straightened out in her own head, Liz knew there were certain things best kept quiet. Especially since she, herself, had no idea what to expect with each new revelation.

With a single finger crooked in Liz’s direction, Anya encouraged her mother to lean down so that she could whisper in her ear. “Don’t be scared,” she murmured in the quietest voice she could. “Daddy loves you,” Anya stated and placed a kiss against her mother’s cheek before bounding away.

Eyes widened and stunned into silence, Liz slowly straightened up.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know Max had once loved her. It was impossible to not know it based on the rush of images she’d received from him the very first time they connected. Each memory had been an example of the affection he held towards her but Liz had decided that it was a thing of the past. Though they’d still yet to discuss her present life, she didn’t expect him to still hold the same feeling for her as he did six years before.

Liz wasn’t sure how she felt about Anya’s declaration but figured it would have to wait until later. “What’s wrong?” Max questioned, noticing her look of surprise.

“You tell me,” Liz easily countered and quickly masked the emotions visible on her expression. “This can’t just be about… the stuff you told me about,” she said, struggling to find the right words without saying to much out loud. “Oh, before I forget, would you come to my bedroom for a second. I have curtain that I’m too short to hang?” she requested, deciding that the rest of their conversation was best left to be said in the privacy of her sound proofed bedroom.

Thankfully when Anya left, she retreated into the room Villandra had been sleeping in. Maybe she wanted to see the protective Antarian or perhaps she just sensed that something important had to be said. After all, she did understand that there was significance to sound proofing the room. She knew enough after that to restrict certain comments unless they were inside it.

With door firmly shut, Liz went to sit down on the bed while Max lowered himself into the vacant desk chair. After rolling it forward so that he sat right in front of her, he had to clench his hands in fists to avoid placing them on hers. “What’s this about?” she repeated and pretended not to notice the way he tightly held in his hands.

“It’s about the skin attack here five years ago,” Max stated, all the while wondering how in the world he was going to tell her the next part.

“What about it?” Liz queried in a patient voice. “Max?”

“Sorry,” he apologized and shook his head. “It’s kind of like deja vous. It feels like we’re always sitting in this place, reliving some past horrific memory,” Max explained, hoping that soon they’d be able to take a step forward without having to immediately take two steps back.

“Maybe we are,” Liz replied but offered Max a small smile none the less. For a single moment, brief as it was, she looked at him and saw him rather than Nicolas in disguise. “Maybe we won’t always,” she added on impulse. “Tell me what you’re holding back,” she quietly requested.

“I don’t know how,” Max stated and watched, horrified when she held her palms out to him. “No,” he shook his head definitively. “I can’t show you this. I won’t show you this,” he declared and quickly stood up to put some distance between them. The frown she wore was hurt but it only lasted a moment before she masked her features. Two steps back, he silently said to himself as she visibly closed up in front of him. “Liz, I would show you every single memory in my head if you wanted to see them. I would open myself up completely to you but this one…instance, is just something I have to put into words,” Max attempted to explain.

“But you don’t know how,” Liz concluded, repeating his previous words.

“No,” Max agreed. “I don’t.”

With her gaze focused on the blue of her denim jeans, Liz tried to pick her words carefully. “I know that this isn’t easy for you. It’s like constantly have to break bad news to a child or something since there’s so much I don’t remember,” she quietly said. “The memories are still somewhere inside of me, Max. I know they are but I just don’t have access to them, at least not anymore. I don’t think I can ever really get them back,” she sadly admitted.

“But six years ago you were able to get the memories of your past life as Ava,” Max was quick to argue.

“That was different,” Liz replied, thinking back to her second day in Roswell when they took her to the pod chamber. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the cold stone against her back after the granolith had thrown her against the wall. “I’m different.”

“How?” Max questioned when the look on her face told him that she wasn’t just talking about her captivity on Antar.

“I’m not complete anymore,” Liz said in a voice just above a whisper.

“What do you mean, you aren’t complete?” he gently asked and returned to his seat in front of Liz. His hands shook in an effort not to touch her. More than anything, Max wanted to cradle her body against his until whatever sadness she held inside had dissipated. He wanted to hold her until the horror and fear of everything she went through was nothing more than a vague, distant memory. But it wasn’t a luxury that belonged to him and it broke his heart to acknowledge that.

“I gave up a piece of myself,” Liz murmured. “I’ll never be whole again because I’ll never get that piece back.”

“I still don’t understand,” Max stated when a terrible thought came into his mind. “Wait, do you mean… did you… was it to Khivar?” he finally managed to ask. “Did you give something of yourself up to him?” Despite his best efforts, Max wasn’t able to keep the hatred he felt for the alien out of his voice.

Back in high school, Max had been jealous of him.

As hypocritical as it sounded given the array of ex-girlfriends littering the halls of West Roswell for Liz to see and talk to, he hated the fact that Khivar had loved her first. To know that she loved him back and that she was willing to go against her family to marry him, even if it was in secret, was a hard thing for him to hear. He would never have the power Khivar had and he had been scared that one day, Liz would want him back.

Then after she told him about the way Khivar had betrayed her, he realized that his fears were unfounded. Now, he held a strong hatred towards the alien and wondered what had happened prior to Liz’s escape.

“How could you even ask me that?” Liz questioned, both appalled and angered by the thinly concealed accusation. “You were inside my head, Max. You saw what I did to him. How could you ever think that I would give Khivar anything?” she demanded and moved quickly moved away from him.

“I don’t know, Liz!” Max answered in the same loud tone. Frustration was getting the better of him and he was unable to stop it. “I don’t know much of anything anymore. All I know is that you were here and it was… amazing. I loved you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. They say no one finds their soul mate in high school but I believed I found mine but then… then one day you were just gone and I’ve spent the last six years knowing nothing about you. I don’t know if you changed or how much of you is still the same. I don’t know what happened on Antar outside of the memories of Anya you showed me. I don’t know anything anymore and I hate it! Damn it, I want my life with you back!” he cried out while Liz wrapped her arms around her body and turned away from him.

Anger wasn’t on his face but there were so many other emotions in his voice. Even if he was still like a stranger to her, Liz could hear them all when he spoke.

“Liz….”

“I gave it to Anya,” she whispered but refused to turn around and face him.

“Gave what to Anya?”

“Villandra still looks at me like I’m the queen of Antar,” Liz stated instead. “But I’m not. I haven’t been for a long time but no one knows that. No crown… no seal. What kind of mother am I, Max? How could I give it to her and not tell her?” she asked and slowly turned to meet his gaze. “For five years, Anya has had the seal inside her body but she has no idea it even exists. Much less that it exists inside of her.”


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“What do you mean I’m off the case?” Alex questioned as he looked his supervising manager, Richard Stevens, in the eye. “I set up the entire surveillance team and compiled all the data up to date,” he informed but it was apparent on his boss’ face that none of that mattered.

“Our clients wanted to know who the man in charge was and when they found out you were from Roswell, they decided it was a conflict of interest,” Richard attempted to explain. “For all they know, you might tamper with evidence or let pertinent information leak because you might still have friends and ties down there.”

“I wouldn’t do that sir. Not only is it unprofessional but it’s also unethical,” Alex stated as convincingly as he could manage.

“The FBI is not the type of organization that likes to take chances on things like this,” Richard stated. “So as of this morning, I’m taking over the project. I want all the files and data you compiled on my desk in an hour. No exception or excuse,” he declared and lowered his eyes to begin scanning a different file, an obvious dismissal.

“Yes sir,” Alex replied. “I’ll take care of it now.”

It wasn’t until he was back in his office that he finally let his frustration show.

Hello all! I was gonna wait until tomorrow to post this but a bunch of stuff has come up so I'm posting now otherwise I'll end up procrastinating

Sternbetrachter
RosyLady
LairaBehr4
Tinkerbell_Luvs_Roswell
Ellie
RhondaAnn
imnotlc

Chapter 13

“There were so many things I didn’t remember but I did know that her father was human… that you were a human,” Liz stated in a far away voice. Her arms remained wrapped around her body but she was finally meeting Max’s curious gaze. “And I’m a hybrid. That makes Anya only a quarter Antarian. Not nearly strong enough to ever have a chance of defending or protecting herself if anything happened to me up there.”

Silently, Max continued to listen, all the while finding himself more curious about everything that happened during her six year absence.

“If I had died, the seal would have gone to Anya but it would have been extremely painful and confusing for her,” Liz quietly continued. “She would have been too small and young to understand what was happening and no one would have been able to help her through it. She also would have been Khivar’s next target as the rightful queen.”

Looking back on it all, Liz never regretted what she had done. In her mind and heart, she made the right choice all those years before but it still didn’t assuage the guilt she felt for keeping it a secret from Anya.

Max had a barrage of questions but he didn’t utter a word. Instead he let Liz explain something that was obviously difficult for her to get out.

“I don’t know about human women but giving birth to a child like Anya was physically draining,” Liz said, remembering the day her daughter was born. “I was already so weak from all the interrogations and my powers had been stripped away for at least eight months by that point. I had no extra energy to give and Khivar knew it,” she explained and walked forward to resume her seat on the bed. Max’s eyes followed her movements and settled back on her gaze the moment she looked back at him. “If I died, all the secrets I had inside would die with me and he couldn’t allow that to happen. So he strapped my hands and arms down to a table and his scientists removed the chip in my spine that stunted my powers.”

That day was also the first time Liz met Villandra. Needless to say, she had been shocked beyond words to find that her former mentor was no longer deceased. Not only was she currently a living, breathing hybrid, but she also had no recollection of the events leading to her death more than fifty years before.

“I had leather straps up and down my arms, holding me down as a way of preventing me from using my powers. I couldn’t even mind warp because giving birth was taking every once of strength I had. There was nothing left except what I could give to Anya and keep for myself long enough to get through the delivery,” Liz told while vivid images played across her mind as though they had only happened the day before.

It was sad that her daughter was born inside a prison cell with eight guards pointing energy guns at Liz the entire time. Scientists she didn’t know stood around watching while her legs were propped up on a table and spread out as wide as one scientist deemed necessary. Khivar had stood looming in the corner watching with thinly veiled anger.

There had been a real threat that they’d take Anya away as soon as she was born with the hopes of punishing Liz. She feared they would keep her until she revealed the location of the granolith. Or worse, that they’d kill her. So many fears to swirl in her mind while she was trying her hardest to concentrate solely on bringing her precious daughter into the world.

“I had no idea what was going to happen the moment after she was born. So I made a choice,” Liz stated and took a long, deep breath. She was ashamed to tell Max the truth because of how high the risk had been when she gambled with two lives. “Whether it was adrenaline or my powers or… even just the strength of a mother, I was able to pull my hand free enough to aim and shoot a blast of energy at one of the soldiers. The other just reacted and… shot at me. It wasn’t strong enough to kill me but enough that I was really hurt. I still hadn’t delivered and there was a great chance that I would die on that table so he had all the scientists do whatever they could to prevent that from happening. Including moving me in order to deal with my injuries.”

There were no guarantees that anyone would loosen the straps banding her arms down but by some miracle, it happened. “I was temporarily released while they stripped off what little clothes I still wore. I guess they assumed I was too weak to try anything,” she mused and noticed the anguish on Max’s face as he listened. For a moment, she considered stopping there but it was obvious that he wanted to whole story. Anguish or not. “I pressed my hands to my stomach. I had no idea what I was doing but I followed my instincts. Even today I’m not sure how it happened but I felt it, the moment I gave it up. A big, empty hole inside of me and then she was born less than five minutes later.”

Born with it, Anya would never have to feel the pain of it activating inside her body later in life. It would always be a part of her. “How does she not know she has it?” Max queried while trying to talk through the myriad of emotions he felt after hearing her confession. The question was the one thing he could bring himself to utter.

“Because she’s never known what it feels like to not have it,” Liz quietly answered.

“So… what does this mean for Anya? What does it change?”

“She’s stronger. Has a keener understanding of her powers and just… more strength than she ever would have had before.”

Nodding, Max tried to narrow down all the questions he had to the most important one. “Why didn’t you ever tell Anya when she began learning about her powers?” he finally asked. “Or even Villandra,” Max added, remembering what she had just said about the protective red head still believing she was the queen.

“I suppose I never said anything to Anya because I thought it was the right decision,” Liz stated after a moment’s thought. “I never wanted to lie to her but I did keep some secrets. Things that were better left unsaid for her own protection so that no one could ever use her knowledge against either of us,” she explained while Max realized that her response made a lot of sense. “As for Villandra… well she was my best friend on Antar but I never forgot the fact that was re-created solely to carry out Khivar’s wishes.”

The answer caused Max to think back to the very brief conversation he had with Kyle and the red headed alien. At the time, neither received much of an answer from the enigmatic protector but there had been more pressing things to worry about instead. Liz had been trying to come to terms with the overwhelming influx of new information and Max had been far too concerned about her and his daughter.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Max admitted and waited for Liz to decide that she could explain her statement.

“After he killed her, Khivar had every man in the lab work overtime to genetically re-engineer Villandra for the sole purpose of using her against me,” Liz sadly informed. “She’s the one who discovered the shifts that allowed Nicholas to pass through slips in the atmosphere. Otherwise known as the swirling black abyss he traveled through to get here six years ago,” she stated, deciding that no matter how much damage that discovery cost her, it also allowed her and Anya to return. “After we learned how to pod people, no one really stayed dead for long,” she quietly finished.

“Then how do you know that Khivar and Nicholas won’t come back?” Max questioned as it occurred to him that Liz wasn’t as safe as she’d like to believe.

“Because the lab was destroyed just before the two of them were… just… before,” Liz answered.

“Okay,” Max acknowledged, feeling only a modicum of relief at her answer. “So tell me something else. How is a person… podded?” he asked and shot Liz an apologetic look if his choice of words offended.

“Well…” Liz began. “Antarians believe that the body is just a shell for the spirit. A temporary house that nurtures and protects it for an allotted amount of time,” she said, feeling slightly ridiculous for explaining something that she, herself didn’t believe in. Faith was one thing but Liz was a true science girl at heart. “Once a person dies, a high priestess performs a ceremony that releases the spirit from the body so that it can ascend to the heavens to live out its eternal life. The exception being if a person led a destructive life, their spirit is burned with their body during a process identical to cremation. Flames are supposedly the only thing that can drain the spirit of its… livelihood, I guess would be the right word.”

The customs performed on the dead were foreign to Liz but they hadn’t been to Kal who helped her through it all when Rath and Zan had died. Liz had been able to perform the science and her shape shifting friend had taken care of the rest.

“With the process of podding someone, the spirit is captured somewhere in between death and ascension but I couldn’t really explain how,” Liz continued after pausing long enough to let Max absorb everything.

“And you had a high priestess on board with you when you fled Antar in the 1940’s?” Max wondered once he processed the concept of it all.

“No but among other things, the granolith is known as the most powerful religious icon in the Whirlwind Galaxy,” she stated. “So we used that to our advantage.”

Again nodding, Max sat back against the padded seat. He realized that there were so many things he never thought to ask back in high school. Although in his defense, at the time Liz wasn’t nearly as informed about all things Antarian as she currently was. “So how do you know you can trust her now?” Max asked, returning to the subject of Villandra. He hoped that since Liz had been the one to initially bring it up, she wouldn’t take any offense to the question.

“I don’t know,” Liz admitted. “But Anya does and she hasn’t led me astray even once. So I’m trusting her judgment about Villandra.”

And me, Max silently added, knowing that it was what she wasn’t saying.

“Max, tell me the truth,” she said suddenly. “Why do you think its such a bad idea for Anya and I to take a walk down the street or to have lunch downstairs in the café?” she questioned, unknowingly putting Max right back into the hot seat. “Please. I’ve been as honest with you as I can. I’d really appreciate it if you did the same.”

Put like that, it was almost impossible for Max to say no. Especially when he could acknowledge that the information she was requesting was something she deserved to know. “I still don’t know how to say it but I’ll try anyway,” he agreed and steeled his resolve for the tale he needed to tell. “When the skins attacked, there was another human that I didn’t originally mention. Like me, Tess and Maria, he ended up getting left behind by some strange twist of fate or maybe it was just bad luck.”

“Who was he?” Liz asked, confused because the only males they had mentioned since she arrived were all former aliens.

“Your dad,” Max quietly answered though it didn’t impact Liz as greatly as it might once have. With so many gaps in her memory, it hadn’t occurred to her to ask about parents. She also had no recollection of what they looked like or even what their names were. “He got left behind and ended up back here in the café but your mom disappeared with everyone else in the town.”

“And now he’s dead, isn’t he?”

There was such finality in her voice. It was as though she’d resigned herself to the fact that her enemies had killed him before Max could utter a single word to substantiate that assumption. “He was a good man, Liz. He was strong and generous and… he loved you,” Max said instead because she already knew the answer to her own question. “I’m sorry.”

“What about my mom? Where is she now?” Liz wondered, disappointed in herself that she couldn’t feel sadder.

“She died a year ago from cancer,” Max reluctantly said, knowing that the Liz he knew would have revealed herself in a heartbeat to save her mother.

But all Liz could feel then was anger. It coursed through her veins, sparking her powers as she was once again assaulted with the truth of how destructive her captivity had been. Two innocent people were dead and both those deaths could have been prevented if she had been on earth. Anya would know her father and he would have seen or her first step and heard her first word. Instead everything was so jumbled and complicated. “Was she pretty,” Liz asked once several silent moments had passed.

“Yes,” Max kindly said and offered Liz a ghost of a smile. “She had red hair and freckles. Big light blue eyes and she was friendly. Always talked to the customers downstairs when she wasn’t up here watching a rerun of some sci-fi television show.”

Liz returned his smile but she couldn’t remember anything about the woman he spoke of. “What were their names?”

“Jeff and Nancy Parker.”

“Well why aren’t there any pictures of them or… us, here if this was our home?” Liz asked because nothing in the entire apartment indicated that a family had lived in it. Maybe a person staying over a couple nights a week but aside from her own bedroom, the rest was devoid of anything personal.

“I’m not sure,” Max replied. “But maybe you should talk to Amy Valenti. She’s the one who took over the business part of running the café after your mom passed. If anyone knows what’s going on in this building, it’ll be Amy.”

“Okay,” Liz softly agreed and realized that maybe Max was right. Going out into the town probably wasn’t a good idea yet. There would already be too many questions, something that wasn’t safe until the special unit surveillance team was taken care of. “So then what now? What’s the plan to stop Havinessa and the FBI alien hunters?”

“I don’t know,” Max shook his head. “If someone goes missing, it’ll seem really suspicious but we can’t let them roam around here either.”

“Do they scare you?” she asked. “Not them, exactly but just… what they’re capable of, I mean,” Liz quickly amended.

“I used to be,” Max acknowledged with absolute honesty shining in his hazel eyes. “Back in high school I used to worry that they’d find me and that they’d drag me back there again. But now… I’m not really too worried about that. What scares me is that they’ll try to take my family away.”

“Why would they go after your parents?” Liz wondered aloud.

“They’re not the ones I was talking about,” Max replied and offered Liz a small smile when she nodded in understanding. “I do love my parents but there are only four people in this world that I would give up my life to protect. You and Anya are at the top of that list.”

Isabel was a human living in an alien’s world but she had Alex to protect her. He was someone that would lay down his life to make sure she lived to see a tomorrow. Tess was another member of the ‘I know an alien club’ and Max worried about her involvement in it all, especially now that she was pregnant. He would do his best to take care of her but he knew that when it all came down to safety, Kyle would be the one to put aside every emotion and feeling to protect her. Which left Liz and Anya.

Max knew that both females were more than capable of taking care themselves. Not to mention that they had Villandra by their side. Yet the overwhelming desire to protect them was not something he’d curb. He wanted to take care of his daughter and he wanted to be there for the woman he loved. That was something that hadn’t changed but had only grown stronger over the years.

“Would you close your eyes?” The request came out of the blue and though he had a question on his lips, Max could see in her gaze that this was important to Liz.

Tentatively, Liz raised her hand and allowed it to hover a few scant inches away from his skin. Every feature was remarkably identical to the ones Nicholas wore but the aggravated scowls and sadistic smirks were never present on Max’s face.

“Please don’t flinch,” she whispered and lightly cupped his cheek.

Max’s skin was rough from a couple days away from a razor but Liz thought the darkened shadow suited him well.

Then just as slowly, her fingers danced along the ridge of his jaw, testing the texture of the stubbly skin there before moving back upward. Every plane and shadow were thoroughly examined while Max sat almost rigidly still in his chair. His breathing had grown anticipatory with each new touch.

He feels different, Liz thought. When she touched his skin, there was no fear in her movements. He didn’t feel like a monster or a killer. He felt like the boy in her flashes who teased her about skimpy alien outfits and watched the stars out on her balcony. He was the one who asked if she believed in destiny and gave her a rose on a special night. Even if her eyes had trouble remembering that he wasn’t Nicholas, her senses had no problem recognizing the truth.

“Please don’t flinch,” Liz whispered again and slowly leaned forward. Eyes closed, she closed the distance and gently touched her lips to his.

Something akin to a chill or a shiver raced up the length of her spine the moment their lips met. It was only a hint but it was intoxicating. Liz couldn’t remember ever feeling anything like it so when Max slowly began to kiss her back, she let him.

Every cell in his body had come alive the moment she began her first touch.

Since developing his powers, Max grew scared to touch anyone. He was afraid of the flashes he couldn’t control and wondered if there’d ever be a day when it wasn’t an issue. But the feel of Liz’s fingers dancing over his skin brought Max to another time. She had a right to fear him on appearance alone but she wasn’t afraid. That alone was enough to soothe his body as she explored the nuances of his face.

Then she felt the prickle in her mind, alerting Liz that Max was opening himself up to her.

As much as she wanted to continue kissing him, more flashes were something neither of them was ready for.

Hesitantly, she stilled their kisses until their lips were simply pressed together. “Thank you,” she murmured, eyes still closed and allowed herself the brief luxury of his touch.

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been MIA recently. Initially, I took a little break back in December to prepare for finals but when I sat down again to continue writing, I can't think of a single thing to write. My inspiration for all my stories was just gone but I'm slowly to trying to get back into it and continue my trove of unfinished fics. So thanks for your patience! I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual but I hope you enjoy none the less. Thanks again!

FSU/MSW-94
LairaBehr4
tequathisy
imnotlc
Sternebtrachter
LoveIsForever
Kristy
ultimatepickupline
jojotheorange
Alien614
jentheroswelllover

Chapter 14

“What did you find?” Alex questioned when he spoke to his father later that day. With the case now resting in his boss’ hands, Alex knew they had to exhaust the one possible lead they had and that was whether or not Dave Fisher was really an undercover FBI agent. “Anything we can use?”

“I’ll say one thing,” Larek stated distractedly, obviously still working while he listened to his son’s anxious voice. “Any expert that dug around in his file would see that it’s all authentic,” he began, causing Alex’s shoulder to slump in temporary defeat. “Lucky for us that I’m better than your average expert,” he added a moment later. “This Dave Fisher is a fraud and as we speak, I’m tracing the source. We should have an answer before the day is out,” Larek informed, flooding Alex with relief and hope.

Instantly after came guilt.

Finding out the truth would definitely work in their favor but having to break the news to Tess was something Alex didn’t look forward to. He knew Isabel was the likely choice given how close they were but it wouldn’t be easy for his girlfriend either. Alex only hoped that deep down inside, Tess had been telling the truth when declared she hadn’t been in love with Dave. It would only hurt her more if she did.

“Thanks, dad. We really needed this,” Alex said and set a time to check back in with him before hitting the end button on his cell phone.


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


“Please don’t think that I’m complaining because I’m not, but… what was that for,” Max quietly asked while Liz reluctantly opened her eyes. Whatever he expected to find in her gaze, he hadn’t anticipated that twinkling glint. If anything, he assumed Liz’s eyes would show remorse for what she had done before explaining that it couldn’t happen again. When it was visibly absent, Max found that he enjoyed the actuality much better than his imagined reaction.

“Since I made it back here, I’ve been letting my eyes do all my thinking and feeling,” Liz carefully explained. “But even just talking to you, it’s painfully obvious to me that you’re nothing like Nicholas. You never could be and I guess I just wanted to feel that. I wanted to touch you and prove to myself that you are good inside. Even if my head was already learning it, I wanted to feel it too.”

While it wasn’t a profession of love or a declaration that she remembered who he was, Max could acknowledge that it was a start.

Liz had voluntarily skimmed her fingers over his skin and then she had placed her lips against his.

It was more than he could have hoped for after that first day when he walked into the apartment and found nothing but fear and hatred in her eyes.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,” Liz apologized belatedly.

“No… don’t be sorry,” Max was quick to reply. Opening and closing his mouth, he searched for the right words to explain how he was now feeling. “Liz, despite how hopefully I get some times, I’m not in denial. I do know that you don’t remember me. Not really and while that hurts… I don’t blame you for it,” he candidly told. “But please don’t ever be sorry for taking my hand or wanting a hug… especially a kiss. I don’t want you to be sorry because I’m not,” he explained and watched her nod once in understanding.

“So…what now? What can I do to help Alex stop these special unit surveillances?” Liz questioned and looked out her window, almost as if she half expected to find one of them lurking on her balcony.

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Max remorsefully answered. “It’s strange but I understand all of this… I just have no idea how to make it go away.”

“I wish I could remember,” Liz shook her head.

“Remember what, exactly?”

“Everything.”

Liz felt that despite all the powers she had, she was at a severe disadvantage. There were just so many bits of knowledge that she didn’t have and what scared Liz, was that she’d never get them back either. “We’ll figure this out, Liz. You and Anya will be safe, I promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure of it.”

The smile on her lips was bittersweet as she stared up at him. “There’s only so much anyone can do,” she murmured. “Don’t worry about me, Max. I can protect myself and Anya. You just take care of Tess and her baby. They’ll need you.” The way she said it, Max couldn’t help but wonder if Liz thought there was more between them than he was voicing.

“You know that Tess is my friend, right? Just my friend,” he asked.

“Max, I was gone for six years,” Liz said, quickly getting to the heart of the matter. “You had no idea if I was dead or alive. And if I was alive somewhere else, then that could have meant I just up and left you. So when you really think about it… you had every right to move on with someone else. Maybe you didn’t with Tess but if there was or is someone else… I would understand.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Max queried and walked the length of the room before leaning back against her desk. “Putting aside my feelings for you for just a minute, there’s also the fact that I can’t even touch someone. The smallest hint and I’ll get a rush of images from their mind. Maybe they’ll get them from mine too. And then where will that leave me and this secret?” he questioned. “Dating stopped being an option for me when I was unable to control this power I now have. My life… it’s a really lonely one.”

The admittance caused a frown to mar Liz’s expression. She listened to his words and felt his sadness but she also couldn’t help wondering one more thing. “Who do you blame, Max?”

Shaking his head, Max swore he didn’t hear her correctly before asking for a repeat.

“Who do you blame for the loneliness? Me… because it was my fault that you developed powers. Or you… because you can’t control them?” It wasn’t her intention to offend or even patronize him. All Liz wanted to do was find the root of his thinking. She wanted to understand what it had been like for him all those years while she was on Antar. Because if he wanted her now because she was the only one who could handle his powers, then she would politely tell him a future together just wasn’t in the cards. If he wanted to be with her because he could still look at her and feel love, then maybe… just maybe… they might one day work their way back to one another.

“How could you even ask me that?” Max questioned sadly before he heard the answer whispered in his mind. Because she still doesn’t know you.

“Max, I don’t mean to…” she trailed off when the sound of Max’s ringing cell phone filled the room.

Shaking his head, Max turned away and fished the small object out of his pocket. “Hello?” he answered and carefully listened as his sister relayed her story. “Are they sure?”

“Almost positive,” Isabel stated with a hardness in her voice that Max hadn’t heard in a long time. “Larek should know for sure before the day’s up and then someone is going to have to tell Tess,” she explained though it was obvious that she wasn’t trying to unload that job in her brother. Her tone became resigned, as though Isabel already knew she’d be the one to make the call.

“Just let me know when and I’ll make sure I’m there when you tell her,” Max agreed and spoke to his sister for a few more minutes before snapping the phone shut. “Well it turns out that the father of Tess’ child might be an undercover FBI agent. Probably part of the special unit,” he informed while looking back on how strange the wayward father to be’s timing had been.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Liz quietly replied. “I can imagine how hurt she’ll be when she finds out.”

“Like you were,” Max blurted out without thinking.

Surprised, Liz blinked several times before looking away.

“You should probably get going,” she said instead. “Tess will need you, and… and we’re fine here. So you shouldn’t worry.”

“Liz…”

“I just need some time to myself, okay?” she added, a bit more forcefully.

Sighing, Max had no choice but to nod his agreement. “Okay,” he reluctantly agreed, all the while wondering how things had gone from good to worse in a matter of minutes. “But I will be back, Liz and no amount of reassurance is ever going to make me stop caring or worrying. That’s what you do when you love someone. You keep them in your mind and in your heart no matter what happens or how angry you might feel in a given moment.”

Eyes focused elsewhere, Liz waited until the door closed behind him before letting her tears fall.


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


“Is Roswell really this small?” Tess muttered to herself as she walked out of Senor Chow’s and bumped straight into Kyle Valenti. Instinctively, he held his hands out to steady her. The heat of his palm was almost familiar and though she hated to admit it, even to herself, comforting. “Can you please watch where you’re going? I could have been an old lady,” she declared in a voice that wasn’t quite angry but certainly not friendly.

“You’re in a cheerful mood,” Kyle sarcastically drawled.

“Yeah, well… you’re…you’re…Antarian,” she bit back, only belatedly realizing that she had to watch what she said in public. For all they knew, the special unit had bugged every establishment in town. A possibility that was both daunting and annoying all at once. “Sorry,” she muttered and stared down at her shoes self consciously.

“It’s okay,” Kyle dismissed and looked around for some sign that she wasn’t alone. “Are you out by yourself?”

“No, can’t you see my imaginary friends, Mork and Mindy?” Tess quipped back, only to snap her mouth shut in remorse. “Sorry,” she felt the need to apologize again.

“Okay…” he slowly said, drawing at the word for lack of anything else to say. “Enjoy your take out,” he added and walked away, leaving Tess with sadness over how much had changed throughout the years. Where the two had once tossed quips back and forth playfully, and talked with so much ease, now they couldn’t even have a decent conversation without snapping. At least, she couldn’t.

Despite all the hurt Kyle put her through, Tess couldn’t help but wish they would somehow find a way to at least get back the friendship they once had. Making out in the eraser room and sneaking around weren’t the only things they had done well. No… they had been friends too. They talked honestly and supported one another. At one point, Tess had felt as close to Kyle as she did to Isabel and Max. He just had that way about him. The ability to make her feel comfortable and safe all at once.

Tess missed that and craved it desperately. Even with so many people around, she couldn’t remember ever feeling as lonely as she currently did.