I’ll Never Let You Go (CC M/L MATURE) COMPLETE

[Heavenli24]

Hey, thanks for your feedback :

Zanity - It certainly looks that way, doesn't it? But I'm not going to confirm anything just yet!
Erina - Yes, it would have been scary for them - let's just hope that they'll start solving things soon .
Emz80m - Thanks.
Earth2Mama - Thanks.
Timelord31 - This next part is really just Max and Liz, but the rest of the group will show up again soon .
Maxssoulmate - Thanks, glad you like it .


I think this was a record for me - an entire new part written in 4 days!

Here you go, part 21...

***

Part Twenty-One

Max sighed wearily and ran a hand over his face as he drove. He glanced sideways at Liz, who was turned away from him and staring at the passing scenery. She had woken up shortly after he’d finished explaining everything about Future Max, Ariana and the letter to the others and luckily, was herself again. Somehow, this time she had remembered Ariana’s presence within her mind and all that she had said. Although their friends had questioned both of them about what had happened to Liz earlier, Liz had seemed reluctant to talk about it and had mostly shied away from the conversation. It wasn’t long before Isabel glanced at her watch and realised that they were late for afternoon classes. So, Max had helped Liz to the jeep and this time, Michael, Isabel, Tess and Kyle all rode in Maria’s car to give the other two some time alone.

He shook his head sadly as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Sure, this whole situation was tough on all of them, but Liz had gotten the raw end of the deal. She actually had this entity living inside of her and at the moment, had no way to control its sudden appearances. He tried to concentrate on the road as he drove them back into Roswell, but he couldn’t help notice that something had seemed out of place with Liz since she’d woken up. She wasn’t talking, and he was worried about her.

“So, here we are,” he stated unnecessarily as he pulled into the school’s parking lot. Liz said nothing. “Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

“What?” Her head turned to face him as she spoke in a soft, confused tone. “Sorry; I’m fine, Max.”

“Are you sure? Because if you’re worried about her coming back, we don’t have to go back in.”

“No, it’s not that; it was different this time, I remember what happened and now I can tell if she’s trying to take control again. I don’t think she’ll do it while we’re at school.”

“Oh, okay,” Max nodded and observed her as she got out of the jeep. He was still worried. She had said that Ariana coming back wasn’t the problem, but obviously, something was wrong. The question was: what?

“I really have to get to English class now, but I’ll see you after school?” she asked, her expression somewhere between hopeful and resigned.

“Sure,” Max replied. “We’ll meet here and I’ll drive you home.” What was going on with her?

“Okay, see you later, Max.” She turned and walked towards the school building. Max’s eyes followed her for a moment before he too got out of the jeep and headed towards his next class.

***

Max could barely concentrate on his classes that afternoon, his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of Liz and Ariana and how they needed to fix this mess as soon as possible. He was anxious to carry out this ‘cure’ for Ariana, but first it was more important to find out what had happened to Liz whilst Ariana was in control earlier and why it had had such an effect on her.

He let out a sigh of relief when the final bell rang to indicate the end of the day. He gathered up his book as quickly as he could and rushed out to the parking lot to wait for Liz. His parents were out of town for the next couple of days – something about a conference – so he figured that taking Liz back to his house would be the best course of action for now. Hopefully, they could talk and he would be able to convince her to open up to him about what was on her mind. With any luck, they’d also have time to work on getting rid of Ariana once and for all.

***

If truth be told, Liz was not looking forward to meeting Max at the jeep after school. Something strange had happened earlier today when her body had been taken over by Ariana. It wasn’t like this morning when she’d had no recollection of the event actually taking place, no this time it had been different. Not only did she remember what it had been like to have her own mind shoved aside to make room for someone else’s, but she had been given an insight into the crazy woman’s thoughts and feelings. She had learned more about who Ariana was. She had discovered things that she’d rather not know and that might possibly tear their group apart if the others were to hear them.

And now, she was dreading having to open up to Max about those things that she’d seen and felt. How would he react when she told him what she’d found out? The new knowledge even made her want to throw up. What would happen when everybody found out?

Liz jumped when the final bell rang, and with her heart pounding anxiously in her chest, she took her time in gathering her books and making her way out to Max’s jeep. He was already there when she got there, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched his foot scuff the concrete repeatedly. Despite the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach about what she had to tell him, she couldn’t control the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched him look up and notice her approaching him, a wide smile on his face. He was hers again. Although, she wasn’t sure if he would still feel the same way after she told him about Ariana.

“Hey,” he greeted warmly as she reached the jeep. Sliding an arm round her waist, he pulled her to him and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

“Hey, Max.” Liz tried for a smile, but the jumbled mess of emotions that clouded her mind overshadowed it and she was unsuccessful.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked, the worried expression marring his gorgeous features. “Is it what happened earlier? Because, you know, it’s not your fault,” he told her earnestly.

“Max…” Liz started, but then lost her nerve and avoided his question. “Get we get out of here?”

He smiled, putting his concern for her on hold for now. If she wanted to leave, then he certainly wasn’t going to refuse the request. “Sure, we can go to mine. My parents are out of town, so we don’t have to worry about getting the third degree from either of them just yet.”

“Okay,” she nodded, glad to have been able to put off telling him anything right now. Max held out his hand to her and led her round to the passenger side of the jeep. He helped her in, pressing another quick kiss to her mouth before walking back around to his side and climbing in. With a quick glance in, he started the car and they sped off towards Murray Lane.

***

The uncomfortable silence was beginning to become unbearable. They had arrived at the Evans residence twenty minutes ago and since then, had been sat awkwardly in Max’s bedroom, neither knowing how to broach the subject of this afternoon. Liz was perched on the edge of the bed, whilst Max observed her every so often from his spot at the desk.

Suddenly, Max couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up from the chair abruptly causing Liz’s head to snap up in surprise, and quickly took a seat on the bed next to her.

“Liz,” he started, cupping the underside of her jaw in his hand. “Please…tell me what’s wrong. I can’t stand to see you upset.”

“Max…I want to tell you, I really do…but I just don’t know if I can.”

“Liz, I love you. Please don’t ever be afraid to tell me anything, okay? Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Liz doubted that – he didn’t even know what she had to say yet – but looking into his eyes, so tender and sincere, she just couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Max, you know that I remember what happened earlier…with Ariana?” He nodded. “Well, I don’t just remember that she was there…it was like I took a backseat to her. I could hear what she was thinking and feeling, but I couldn’t do anything to stop her. It was like I was stuck inside my own mind and I couldn’t get out.”

“Liz, I’m so sorry – ” Max started.

“There’s more,” she cut in. “While I was…er, gone…I found out some things from her. It was like I was a part of her mind or something. I just knew things about her.”

“And? What did you find out?”

Liz sighed and closed her eyes, wishing that she didn’t have to voice what he had to know.

“Wow, this is hard,” she exhaled, not bearing to look into his eyes. “Max,” her voice cracked. “It was Ariana.”

Max was puzzled. “What was Ariana?”

“It was her; she killed Alex.”

TBC…


A/N: Okay, I know it sounds like I'm contradicting myself here, but I'm not going crazy, I promise. Everything will be explained in the end .

[83 AlienAngel]

Please post more soon

[Heavenli24]

Okay, the next part is finally done . Hope you enjoy...


***


Part Twenty-Two

“So,” started Kyle casually as the five of them took a seat at one of the Crashdown booths. “Some story, huh?” he grinned.

From the other side of the booth, Isabel shot him an incredulous look. “Kyle!”

“What?”

“What’s going on with Max and Liz is really serious. How can you joke about it?” she frowned at him disapprovingly.

“God, I can’t believe this is happening,” murmured Maria from her spot between Michael and Kyle. She leaned into her boyfriend and his arm tightened around her shoulder in comfort. “First Alex…dies,” she practically choked out, “and now something strange and alien is happening to Liz. How did everything get so screwed up?”

“I don’t know, Maria,” Isabel replied once she’d regained her composure over Kyle’s laidback attitude to all of this. “God, this is like a nightmare.”

“Tell me about it,” mumbled Tess, before continuing with a stronger tone, “I mean, first this Ariana has an affair with my husband on Antar, and now she’s accusing me of killing someone!”

Both Kyle and Isabel shot her sympathetic glances at this. Sure, Tess still hadn’t been fully accepted into the group and the others were tentative about trusting her, but she had been living under Kyle’s roof (and in his bedroom) for months and Isabel had been her friend first, before they discovered who she was. It was only polite to show her some concern at this point.

The table was quite for a moment, the silence only interrupted by the waitress coming up to take their orders, until Isabel turned her gaze towards Michael, who was sitting in the corner of the booth with his arm still around Maria.

“You know, you’ve been awfully quiet about all this, Michael. What’s with that? Usually you’re the first to make your opinion known when something big happens.”

He shrugged, “Well, for a start, Maria and I already knew some of what was going on.” His gaze briefly fell on Tess as he remembered their confrontation out in the desert the day before. At the suspicious expressions of Isabel and Kyle, he elaborated, “Max told me a little of what was going on with Alex, and Liz spoke to Maria about it.”

As the two of them accepted this news, Tess breathed an inward sigh of relief. He hadn’t mentioned their meeting in the desert yesterday. Not that it was that big a deal, but she didn’t want too much attention focused on her right now. After all, she knew that even now, she still wasn’t entirely trusted by the group and she didn’t want what little trust they did have in her to be completely destroyed.

“So, what to we do now?” asked Kyle suddenly.

Maria looked at him in confusion. “Do?”

“About Max and Liz, and this whole situation.”

“Well,” started Isabel calmly. “Max mentioned something about them finding a way to get rid of Ariana for good – sort of an exorcism or something. So, I guess they’ll do that and then she’ll be gone and we can finally figure out what happened to Alex.”

Around the table, the others nodded tentatively and Isabel looked around at them confidently.

Everything was going to work out just fine.

Right?

***

“She what?” Max’s mouth dropped open in shock. He was astounded. “Liz, that’s just not possible! We connected remember? There was no evidence of her inside you at all!”

“That’s just it, Max. That’s what’s so confusing about all this. She didn’t use my body to do it; she couldn’t, because we hadn’t made love yet.”

“Liz, what are you trying to say here?” Max was confused. She wasn’t making sense.

“Somehow…I don’t know how…Ariana managed to transfer her essence to someone else – possess them, I guess – and she used their body to get to Alex.”

“But…” started Max, then stopped when realisation dawned. “Oh my God…this afternoon, when Ariana showed up, she accused Tess of killing Alex. That’s what happened, isn’t it? She took a walk inside Tess’ body and went after Alex!”

Liz could do nothing but nod sadly, her gaze fixed on his chest. Max continued his thoughts aloud, thus saving her from attempting to form words.

“She must have done something to Tess’ mind to prevent her from remembering what happened, which is why she’s been experiencing those blackouts.” It was all beginning to fall into place.

“Yes,” Liz managed softly. “A-and Alex. He was having blackouts too, remember?”

“Yeah,” Max agreed thoughtfully. “But why him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why Alex? This has obviously been going on for a while. It wasn’t like Ariana just decided to take over Tess’ body one day, then go off and kill him. He’d been experiencing strange happenings for several weeks before he died – he even kept a journal detailing the after effects of them. So what did she want with him? Why did she keep manipulating him all that time?”

Liz sighed, looking down at her hands. “I don’t know if you’ll want to hear the answer to that, Max.”

He straightened, his gaze fixed on Liz. “Liz, it’s okay. Just tell me,” he told her, mentally bracing himself for what she was about to say.

“Her plan was to get rid of anyone in her way, starting with the non-aliens of the group and ending with Tess,” Liz started, but Max cut in.

“Non-aliens? You mean Alex, Maria, Kyle and…you?”

“Yes, but not me. She needed my body, remember?”

“Right,” he nodded, “so she was planning to kill Alex, Kyle, Maria and Tess. Why?”

“Well, she wanted the humans out of the way because she considered them tainted and not worthy of your company, and Tess…well I guess that should be obvious. Ariana wants you, Max, and in her mind, Tess is standing right in the way. After all, you were married to her on Antar.”

“But what about Michael and Isabel? Was she not interested in them?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t sense anything from her regarding them. I guess she didn’t feel they were enough of a threat to go to the effort of disposing of them.”

Max nodded slowly, in resigned agreement. Her words made sense, but it was obvious that there was still more to the story. “Okay, so now we know her plan, but that still doesn’t explain what she needed from Alex all these months. Or why both Alex and Tess claim to have thought they were with you during their blackouts.”

“I know, and I’m getting to that, Max,” Liz replied almost sadly. “Ariana was plotting to turn Alex, Kyle and Maria against me…and you. She started with Alex and was then going to move on to Maria and Kyle. It was supposed to be a slow process, first getting Alex to be suspicious of me –”

“God, the file we found on his computer,” Max interrupted suddenly.

Liz nodded, “Yeah…and then planting ideas in Maria and Kyle’s heads, so that when Alex spoke up about his suspicions, they would jump right on the bandwagon with him. The idea was that they would cause a split in the group and then once the three of them were far enough out of the way, she could use Tess to kill them and then have Tess kill herself, making it look like a hate crime against them or something. She figured there was no danger of the two of us actually getting back together and making love anytime in the near future.” She raised her eyebrows at the irony of it all – the fact that Alex was now dead had actually brought them together.

“So, what went wrong? Why is Alex dead now and why weren’t Maria and Kyle affected?” Max was full of questions.

“She didn’t get a chance to move on to them. Alex got too close to figuring out the truth and so she killed him.”

Max took this in with little reaction. “And the reason he and Tess thought you were involved in it?”

“It was part of the plan. Because Ariana is technically part of me, when she possessed Tess’ body, she…took my aura…or something with her, I guess. And because of that, she was able to give Alex the impression that I was visiting him, not Tess. She made it so that her…or should I say my…presence left a sort of imprint on his brain so that when he woke up, he would have the impression that I was there and therefore he’d have reason to be suspicious of me. As for Tess, I guess having Ariana in her mind also created an impression of me in her mind.”

Max let out a breath. “Wow, Liz. This is a lot to take in. I can’t believe this was happening right under our noses.” He shook his head. “How did we not notice that something was wrong with Alex?”

“Well, he was in Sweden over Christmas and then after he came home, we didn’t really see much of him,” Liz replied softly.

Max frowned, “Sweden…Liz, are we sure he was definitely in Sweden? I mean, that could have been a cover story for Ariana to get her hands on him or something.”

Liz shook her head. “We read his journal remember, Max? He wrote about how his strange dreams and blackouts stopped while he was there. He put it down to finally getting out of New Mexico and away from everything ‘Czechoslovakian’.”

“Of course; you’re right. How could I have forgotten that?”

Liz gave him a small smile, but didn’t offer anything else. They sat in silence for a few moments, Max’s mind running through everything Liz had just revealed to him, while Liz finally relaxed for the first time in over a week. The truth was finally out. They knew what really happened to Alex. Things were looking up. Granted, they still had to break the news to the others, and somehow inform Tess of her part in it. Then there was the business of using Future Max’s ‘cure’ for Ariana. But still, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Liz let out a sigh, her shoulders slouching. Max looked up at the unexpected noise and his expression softened as his gaze came to rest on Liz’s profile. She looked tired, but who could blame her after the day they’d just had? He gave a half-smile and shifted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her comfortingly. Liz relaxed against him, letting her head come to rest on his chest, just below his shoulder. Suddenly feeling the intense need to be even closer to him, she turned on the bed, tucking one leg beneath her so that she could face Max fully. Realising her intention, he did the same and barely a moment later, they were hugging each other tightly, Liz’s upper bodies pressed completely against his. Max stroked her hair as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright,” he murmured softly, almost in awe, as his caressing hands created relaxing sensations in Liz that travelled down through her entire body. “We know the truth now and we have the means to stop Ariana from doing anymore damage to us or anyone else.”

Liz sighed against him, lifting her head to look into his eyes. “I know, Max, but it’s just hard to deal with. You’re right, though. We do have the ability to get rid of this…being…inside of me and I think we should do it as soon as possible. Just knowing that she’s there, in my mind, makes me feel ill. I don’t want her there any longer than she has to be.”

“All right,” Max said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll do it tonight. But first, we need to tell to the others what you just told me.”

Liz nodded, “Okay.”

“Okay, I’ll call Isabel now and ask them to meet us here as soon as they can.”

***

Half an hour later, the six of them were gathered in Max’s room. Liz and Max had relinquished their seats on the bed, allowing Michael, Maria and Kyle to sit down there instead. Isabel had chosen Max’s desk chair and Tess was perched on the windowsill. From his spot standing next to Liz in the middle of the room, Max began the task of telling his friends that they had finally discovered the truth.

“Okay guys, first off, I just wanna say sorry that I’ve had to call two meetings in one day, but we have more news to share with you.”

“What is it, Max?” asked Isabel, her expression a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

Max glanced at Liz, who smiled and gently squeezed his hand in return, before turning back to the others once more. “When Ariana was in control today, Liz was able to gain access to some of her thought and feelings, and…her memories,” he started.

It was Maria who spoke up first, “What did you see?” Her features were taught with trepidation, as if she somehow already knew what was coming next.

Liz looked to Max for a moment and then back to Maria again. She took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth.

“It was her fault, she was responsible for Alex’s death.”

There was a gasp from around the room as the words registered. But Michael was the only one already thinking ahead.

“How is that possible? She’s only been ‘alive’ for a few hours.”

“She didn’t use my body; she somehow managed to transfer her essence to someone else when she needed to,” Liz continued quickly, wanting to get everything out all in one go. “She tried to subconsciously manipulate Alex into turning against Max and I, all the while making him think that it was me that was visiting him, which is why when he woke up afterwards, he thought that I’d been there and became suspicious of me. She partially erased his memory of her visits, which explains the blackouts he was experiencing. Her plan was to gradually turn Alex, Maria and Kyle against us and then kill them discretely once the group had fallen apart. But she didn’t get that far as Alex started to figure out what was going on and she had to kill him there and then.”

“Oh my God,” whispered Maria in shock. “I can’t believe this.”

Isabel was silent as her hand moved up to cover her mouth, and Liz could see the tears forming in her eyes. Kyle remained stoic, but it was obvious that like Maria, he was shell-shocked too. Michael on the other hand, was immediately on the defensive.

“Say this is true – ”

“It is,” Liz interrupted firmly.

“Say it is true,” he repeated, “who did Ariana use to get to Alex?”

At his words, a small, strangled sound was heard from the window. They all looked to Tess, who had turned pale and was shaking slightly. Liz’s features softened. She had figured it out.

“Oh my God, I did it. I killed him,” she whispered, a sob escaping her lips. “I’m a monster.”

Isabel let out a muffled gasp as the implication of her words sunk in. It all made sense now; both Tess and Alex suffering blackouts and memory loss recently; all the strange things that they’d both been experiencing.

Liz shook her head, “You’re not a monster, Tess. If anyone is, it’s me. I’m the one who has a monster inside of her. That kind of makes it my fault.”

“It’s nobody’s fault!” Max burst out suddenly. “Okay?” he added, a little calmer. “Look, we can’t go around blaming each other for something none of us had any control over. We know the truth now; surely that’s enough. Tess,” he turned to her, “what happened with Ariana was not your fault and we’re not going to hold it against you. We’ve found a way to get rid of her and once she’s been taken care of, we’ll have a chance to come to terms with everything, start to put this horrid ordeal behind us and move forward.”

Unexpectedly, it was Michael who spoke up next. “Max is right,” he addressed the whole group. “What happened to Alex was terrible and unforgivable, but not one of us can be held responsible for his death. We need to stick together in this. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” stated Maria, from his side. “Kyle?”

“Me too.”

“And me,” whispered Isabel, finally lowering her hand from her mouth. She straightened in the chair and then turned to the window, “Tess, we may not have accepted you right away, but you’re one of the group now. You aren’t responsible for Alex’s death and we’re not going to hold it against you.”

Still pale, Tess managed a smile. “Thank you,” she muttered, “all of you. Just knowing that you guys don’t hate me is…it’s going to take some time for me to accept my part in this, and it’s a big help to know that you’ve forgiven me.”

Max nodded, his expression filled with empathy towards Tess. Beside him, Liz linked her fingers with his and smiled, first at Tess and then round at the rest of the group.

“Max and I are going to perform the ritual to get rid of Ariana tonight, so you’ll all be able to relax soon and get on with normal life. With any luck, she won’t show herself between now and then and tomorrow we should all be safe again.”

Isabel turned her attention from Tess to Liz. “Are you guys sure it’s gonna work?”

Liz and Max shared a semi-confident look. “We hope so,” answered Max.

“Look, if you have any trouble, just come and get me, okay? Maybe I can help out or dreamwalk Liz if something goes wrong.”

“Okay, we will,” Liz spoke for the both of them. “Thanks, Isabel.”

Isabel nodded, but Liz had already turned her attention back to Max. She observed as the two of them became completely engrossed in each other. Despite the awful circumstances surrounding their newly rekindled relationship, Isabel hoped that they’d be able to work everything out this time.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update - I've been suffering from lack of motivation for either of my stories lately. Add that to the fact that RL has been getting in the way (every time I thought I'd have time to get some more written, something came up ) and that I was having trouble deciding how this part would play out, and you get a very late update .

But thank you for the feedback all the same :

Timelord31 - I think the jury's still out on whether Tess is one of the groups yet and can be trusted, or if she's still got her own agenda.

Earth2Mama - Don't worry, Ariana is inside Liz and always has been. She was basically projecting herself into Tess' body for a while because she coudln't use Liz, but technically she was still part of Liz .

tequathisy - Thanks .

Zanity - Oh no, I didn't think about that possibility:roll:! It's not going to be that complicated though, it was engineered that Liz's body was the only one suitable for Ariana on a permanent basis. Her forays into Tess' mind and body were just projections of her soul and not a complete transfer of her entire essence.

roswell3053 - Thanks, I haven't quite managed to come back soon, though .

83 AlienAngel - I tried my best, but it took my longer than expected to next this next part written - sorry.

confusedfool - Thanks , sorry it took so long to update though.


***


Part Twenty-Three

“Are you okay?” The first words spoken in almost ten minutes practically echoed around the now empty room. Max pulled back from their embrace as he searched Liz’s dark eyes for any sign that she was not all right.

“Yeah…I think,” she replied softly. “I just…I’m scared now, Max. What if this doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong?”

“We’ll just have to make sure that nothing does,” stated Max with assurance. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, Liz, not if I can help it. I love you too much.”

“I love you too, Max,” whispered Liz tenderly.

As if the seriousness of the situation had just finally been realised in his mind, Max lowered his head to capture her lips in a meaningful caress as they held each other tightly. They’d been standing together, locked in an embrace in the centre of Max’s bedroom since the rest of the group had left twenty minutes ago. Isabel was now safely back in her own room, but ‘on call’ as she’d put it, in case anything went wrong with their attempt to rid Liz’s body of Ariana’s presence.

Reluctantly, Max kissed her lips one last time before pulling away to look into her eyes. “I think we ought to do this, then.”

Liz briefly made eye contact with him before lowering her gaze to the collar of his cotton shirt, staring intently at it as she replied, “Yeah, I guess we should…so, do you have the piece of paper?” She’d left the ‘cure’ in Max’s care that morning, in case Ariana took over her body and tried to destroy it. Luckily, it had been the right choice, considering what had happened out at the quarry that afternoon.

“Yeah, I do. It’s right here,” Max assured her as he detached his arm from around her waist and reached into his back pocket to retrieve the folded sheet.

“Okay,” Liz reached up and slipped the paper from his hand. She opened it up and scanned over the words written there. “Right. So it seems you’ll have to do most of the work here. Apparently, all I have to do is lie down.”

Max watched her face carefully as she read the notes. No doubt about it; she was scared. He tilted her chin up with his fingers so that he could look into her eyes. “Liz, I’m not going to let anything happen to you here. I promise,” he swore, his gaze unwavering. “Besides, all of this is my fault. If it weren’t for me, none of this would be happening. It’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t get hurt because of my actions.”

Liz’s eyes searched his face intently. “Max, I am scared here, I’ll admit that, but I know you’d never intentionally hurt me. I trust you,” she told him imploringly. “But, please don’t ever think this is your fault, because it’s not. We can’t be held accountable for everything that has happened to us over the last few months, years even. It was out of our control. Max, this is bigger than just us. It’s about Ariana and Zan, and their twisted relationship, and it began long before we even met. I doubt there was anything we could have done to prevent it.”

Max let his hand drop from her chin, as his head lowered guiltily. “Except sleeping together. That’s what caused this; it’s what released Ariana, and it’s probably what’s gonna get us killed one day.”

Liz’s expression softened and she moved her free hand up to his face, caressing his cheek lovingly. “Max, I could never regret making love to you, not in a million years. It was the most special, meaningful experience of my life and I would never take that back, I couldn’t,” she smiled. “Look, we have a cure here; we have a chance to make this right. So please, stop blaming yourself for things you can’t control and let’s look to the future.”

Max nodded slowly, “Okay. Let’s put a stop to this once and for all.”

Liz let out a relieved sigh, “Okay. Thank you.” She looked down at the notes once more. “Well, it looks like I have to lie down and then you have to connect with me.”

“Right. Well, that seems easy enough.” He glanced over at the bed briefly, before slipping his hand in hers. “After you?” He led her over to the bed and helped her get settled.

“Yeah,” replied Liz, once she was comfortable. “But the hard part is going to be what you have to do once we’re connected.”

“You let me worry about that, okay?” he told her.

“Okay,” she smiled softly at him before turning serious once again. “So, do you have the orbs?”

“Yeah, they’re right here,” he nodded, reaching over to retrieve the two silver, rugby-ball-shaped artefacts. “Man, who knew that this would be the real use for these?”

“I know,” murmured Liz from beside him. “If only we’d discovered the truth earlier: that the message for your mother was just a cover up for their true purpose; then maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Max dismissed softly. “We finally know what they really are.” He sent Liz a reassuring glance, “So, let’s see if they really work.”

Liz lay back against the pillows as Max placed an orb on either side of her body. He gently cupped her face with his hands and made eye contact with her, opening their connection. Liz gasped and with a frown of concentration, Max began to furrow through the dozens of images of the two of them together, as he tried to access Liz’s more deeply hidden memories. As he ventured closer to his destination, the orbs began to glow, but beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, as his exploration into her mind started taking a toll on his body. Finally, he hit an invisible barrier, one that seemed to be preventing him from getting any further. In an attempt to break down the obstruction, he tried to nudge it with his mind, but every time he did so, Liz would cry out as if in pain. Eventually, he had to stop, his efforts fruitless, and with an exhausted sigh, he pulled away.

“I’m sorry, Liz, it’s no use. I can’t get in.”

Despite the lingering pain, Liz grabbed his arm. “No, Max, you can. I know it,” she insisted. “We just have to try harder.”

“Liz, I don’t think –” Max protested, but she cut him off.

“No, we have to,” she said forcefully. “Max, I can’t stand this any longer; it’s feels like my body is being violated. I feel used and dirty and I hate it! I need to be me again.” Her tone was both anguished and pleading and it just about broke his heart.

“Okay,” he stated resolutely, a rush of determination flowing through him. “I’m going to do what I can to help you, Liz, but it’s probably going to hurt. Can you handle that?”

She let out a sigh of relief and smiled tiredly, “With you, Max, I can handle anything.”

Max had to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat as he took in her resolute expression. “Are you ready?”

Liz nodded, and he moved closer to her in order to re-establish the connection. This time, however, he also lowered his mouth to hers, knowing that physical contact like this would only enhance the strength of their bond. Fleetingly, the thought occurred to him that perhaps if they could release Ariana once more, they might have a better chance of overcoming her. However, he had no intention of putting Liz through that again, especially if she would retain the memories, and there was also no way that he was going to suggest that they slept together right now in order for that to happen. So instead, he caressed Liz’s lips with his own and prayed that he could do this for her now.

***

This time, it didn’t take Max nearly as long to rifle through Liz’s memories. Once again, he found himself blocked when he reached the barrier separating Ariana’s sub-consciousness from Liz’s; however, now he found that it only took a couple of nudges and one pretty hard shove with his mind to penetrate it. As he pushed through, he mentally apologised to Liz for the pain he was causing her. He was on the verge of pulling away, but then he felt Liz’s arms loop around his torso, holding him still, and he forced himself to continue. Once through the barrier, he concentrated all his energy on the task at hand: pushing Ariana’s essence out of Liz and into the now glowing orbs. He carefully lifted both hands, planting them firmly on each side of her head, letting his powers flow through them. They began to act as a magnetic force, attracting the alien presence towards them and away from Liz.

After several minutes of struggling with his powers, Max could feel the perspiration dripping down his face, landing in small droplets on his chest. He could tell that his efforts were starting to have some effect, but unfortunately he was rapidly was running out of energy. If something drastic didn’t happen soon, he was going to pass out. He shifted in surprise as Liz’s hands covered his and she deepened their kiss. This added help from her was just what he needed to give the last, vital push. Liz stiffened and then, with a cry of pain, she began to tremble. At first, Max was worried for her safety, but then something snapped in his mind and the pressure he was pushing against suddenly began to dissipate, as the alien essence flowed out through his fingers and into the orbs.

As the last remnants of ‘Ariana’ left Liz’s body, Max finally dropped the connection and collapsed above her. They held each other tightly as Max caught his breath and Liz slowly recovered from the pain he had inadvertently caused her. The situation suddenly became too much for her, and Liz broke down, sobbing.

“Shh,” Max stroked her hair soothingly as she let go of her emotions. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“God, Max,” she whispered through her tears. “Is it really over? Is she really gone?”

“Yes, she’s really gone. We did it, Liz,” he replied in awe.

She let out a huge sigh of relief. The weight of the last week was finally lifting from her shoulders. “Thank you, Max.”

“Anything for you, Liz. I love you,” he told her, his voice thick with emotion.

“I love you, too, Max. Forever.”

It was over. Finally.

Now maybe they could go back to living their normal lives, this time together.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Hey guys, thanks for your patience . I finally managed to finish part 24 last night . My original plan was to use my day off on Thursday to get a lot of writing done, but as it turned out, I ended up stuck in traffic in the city for 2 hours and then 30 minutes after I got home I had to drive back into town for a different purpose and therefore I was only at home for about 2 hours in the whole day (one hour of which was spent watching the season 2 finale of House) .

Anyway, thank you for your feedback and comments :

Timelord31 - Is it really over? Well, for the most part, I'd say it is .

Zanity - Thanks .

roswell3053 - Thanks .

Earth2Mama - Well, since Ariana chose Liz's body for a specific reason, I'd say that there's no way she could be inside anyone else. When she was manipulating Tess, it wasn't actually inside her, she was just projecting her influence into her body. Right now, her essence is safely trapped inside the orbs .

Erina - Well, going by the last part, I think it's over (let's hope anyway).

Asabetha - Thanks - that's the question, isn't it? Unfortunately, it won't be answered just yet.

LoveIsForever - Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out ...

jamy21 - The thing with Ariana is that she was...programmed,I guess...to be able to survive in Liz's body, so switching to a new body is not likely to work.

LairaBehr4 - Thanks . It's just crazy because the last few weeks I've had all this time to write, but no inspiration and then when I finally get some new ideas and desperately want to get them down, all these things come up and I can't actually get to the computer !!

A/N: I guess the scenes in Something More are rubbing off on me because this part is nice and fluffy ...

***

Part Twenty-Four

Lying together on Max’s bed, arms and legs tangled as one, was how Isabel found Max and Liz early the next morning. The moment she opened the door and saw them sleeping peacefully, she breathed a sigh of relief; Future Max’s ‘cure’ must have worked. She remained in the doorway, her mind finally accepting the fact that perhaps all their troubles were now over, until Liz stirred in Max’s arms and began to wake. As she turned to leave, her gaze was drawn to the bedside table, where the two silver orbs were resting. Isabel frowned. Did the orbs have something to do with whomever or whatever had taken over Liz’s body? It seemed that yet another serious talk between the six of them was imminent…just as soon as Max and Liz were able to pry themselves away from each other, of course.

***

“Mmm, morning,” mumbled Liz against Max’s chest as she felt him stir beneath her.

“Morning,” he whispered, his voice thick with sleep.

“I’m exhausted,” she sighed lethargically.

Max smiled down at her tenderly, “I’m not surprised; we used up a lot of energy last night.” He ran a hand down over her arm. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she replied. “I feel like me again.”

“Well, that can only be a good thing,” he decided happily.

Liz leaned up and pressed a small kiss to his lips. “Thank you, Max; for everything. I know it must have taken a lot out of you to do what you did for me last night and I just want you to know that I will always be grateful to you for it.”

“Liz, you have to know by now that I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe. And besides, I wasn’t the only one using my power against Ariana. You also have to know that without your help, we couldn’t have done this.”

She nodded, “I do, but thank you anyway.” She gazed up at him affectionately, “I love you, Max; so much.”

“And I you,” he replied, his contented smile gradually becoming a grin. He was really getting used to being able to say those words to her again. A sudden rush of emotion swept over him and he shifted so that he could lean down to kiss her properly. His lips met hers briefly and he closed his eyes at the sensation. He could finally be with her again without the fear of something happening to her. That thought alone encouraged his movements and he moved above her, his tongue now duelling with hers.

The second the kiss began to deepen, Liz realised Max’s intention and shifted accordingly to accommodate him. She let out a sigh as his body sank down on top of her and she responded to him eagerly, winding her arms around his neck. As their embrace deepened, Liz shivered as Max’s hands slid up her arms slowly, removing them from his neck and bringing them above her head. He linked his fingers with hers, effectively pinning her hands against the pillow as he began raining kisses across her face and down her neck.

Liz felt him harden against her thigh and let out a gasp at the feel of it. Almost completely on instinct, she wrapped her legs around his hips and this time it was Max’s turn to suck in a breath as their lower bodies came together. As Max’s lips returned to hers and his tongue plunged into her mouth fervently, Liz became overwhelmed with the urge to be as close to him as humanly possible. She slipped her hands out from under Max’s loose grip above her head and snaked them between their bodies, eager to remove the last barriers of clothing between them. Max’s hands remained resting above her head on the pillow, but he shifted his weight onto his elbows in order to help her in her task. Liz shimmied out of her pants and tugged her panties down over her hips before slipping her fingers into the waistband of Max’s trousers and pulling them down too. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back when she felt his length pressing intimately against her aching core. She rolled her hips gently beneath him and they both let out small moans as he slowly moved against her. They remained like that for several moments, rocking together, but not actually consummating the act. As Max’s length stroked back and forth against her clit, Liz could feel a tight knot forming in her stomach as the pleasure began to build.

“Oh, God, Max…” she muttered breathlessly. “I need…”

“I know,” murmured Max softly. “I do too, but…”

“Max, please…” she practically begged. She needed him; she needed to feel him inside of her.

“We can’t, Liz,” he managed. “I don’t have anything.”

“You don’t?” she breathed. “But what about the other day?” Liz was puzzled, how could he not have protection? He was certainly prepared before.

“That, umm…that was my only one,” he confessed. It was true; he’d been too embarrassed to buy anything from the store, especially considering that everyone knew him, so when he’d spotted some condoms in Michael’s bathroom a while ago, he’d sneakily slipped one into his pocket.

“Oh,” murmured Liz in understanding, although still very aware of his bare skin pressing enticingly against hers. “Well, then I guess…I guess we’d better stop.”

“No!” Max exclaimed suddenly, but caught himself when he realised that he was speaking too loudly. “I mean, we don’t have to stop completely…you know, there are still other things we could do.”

A smile began to form on Liz’s lips. “Other things? And what kind of ‘other things’ were you thinking of, Mr. Evans?”

Max didn’t reply, he simply smirked down at Liz, before sliding his hands beneath her shirt and pulling it over her head. He reached behind her to unclasp and remove her bra. Once she was bare before him, he took his time in worshipping her body, pressing soft kisses and caresses to her warm skin and running his fingertips up her sides and down across her stomach. Liz’s breathing became heavy as his gentle touch triggered a wave of feeling throughout her body. It flowed over her, making her tingle from head to toe. As Max lowered his head to her stomach, his tongue darting out to taste and tease her skin, the muscles in Liz’s abdomen tensed in anticipation of what was to come and she sucked in a ragged breath, before exhaling heavily, his name spilling from her lips.

With an almost timid smile, Max continued his journey down her body. Despite his bold behaviour at the current moment, he was nervous nonetheless. They had never ventured into this form of intimacy before, not even when they’d been together last year, and he wasn’t totally sure what he was supposed to do. His fears were virtually put to rest though when, as he traced her inner thigh with his fingers and pressed a kiss to her lower stomach, Liz threaded her fingers through his hair and began to urge him closer to where she needed him most.

At the first touch of his tongue to her clit, Liz’s body jerked beneath Max and she gasped, tightening her grip on his hair. She’d never felt anything like this before. Sure, they’d made love only a couple of days ago, but this was different…and oh so good. Max’s ministrations were invoking feelings in her that she’d never even imagined. God, she didn’t want this to end. Ever.

Max continued to stroke her with his tongue and also his fingers until Liz was panting uncontrollably below him. He grinned against her skin as he realised that he was the one making her feel this way, that he was the only person who could make her feel like this. However, despite the rush it gave him to know that he was responsible for Liz’s current state of ecstasy; his body was also throbbing for release. Unconsciously, he began to move his hips in time with Liz’s, his lower body pressing against the mattress in such a way that it sent tingles through his groin. As he brought Liz closer and closer to release, his own body responded in kind and the moment she came apart in his arms, his thrusts against the mattress increased as his climax washed over him.

Max crawled up her body and collapsed in an exhausted, yet sated state next to her. He held her to him, stroking her hair lovingly as they both came down from their high.

“Wow,” sighed Liz a few moments later. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Max bit back a smile. “I didn’t,” he replied softly. “It was my first time.”

“Really?” she wondered, turning to peer up at him. “Well, then, I guess that explains Ariana’s infatuation with you.”

The smile quickly left Max’s face and he stiffened against her. “Don’t ever joke about her, Liz, please. I just want to forget she ever existed.”

Liz let out a sigh, realising her mistake. “I’m sorry, that was a bad choice of words. I’ll just shut up now.”

Immediately, Max felt bad about biting her head off like that. He turned onto his side, gesturing for her to move closer.

“Hey, come here.”

He reached out and engulfed Liz in a tight hug; their bodies flush against each other, stretched out on the bed.

“I love you, Liz,” he whispered into her hair. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Me either, Max,” she replied emotionally. “Let’s never be apart again, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed readily. “I’m not letting you out of my sight anytime soon.”

Liz chuckled into his shoulder, “That might be a little hard considering I live on the other side of town and we only share a couple of classes at school.”

“You know what I mean,” he replied softly.

“I do, Max,” smiled Liz, pulling away slightly to look into his eyes. “And the same goes for me, too. But speaking of home and classes, we really should get up now. We need to got to school and also fill everyone in on what happened last night.”

“I guess you’re right,” sighed Max in disappointment. “But for the record, I don’t wanna go; I wanna stay right here, with you.”

“Me too, but you know we have to,” she said, extracting herself from his arms and sitting up in the bed. “Come on, the sooner we get today over with and tell them, the sooner we can be alone again.”

“Fine,” grumbled Max as he pulled himself up and reached for his pants.

Ten minutes later, they were both fully dressed and ready to face the day. However, when they finally made it downstairs, Isabel was nowhere in sight, which was probably a good thing considering what they just been doing upstairs. Realising they were late for school, Max quickly grabbed some fruit for the two of them and they set off for school…and the inevitable confrontation with the rest of the group.

TBC…

[Heavenli24]

Okay, guys, sorry for the wait with this part. I've had the first 2 paragraphs written for weeks, but it's been a struggle to finish it.

I'm afraid this will be the last part of the story. I've decided this for 2 reasons:

1. This is as far as I planned to go when I started the story last year.

2. I just don't have the energy or the inspiration to keep going any further with it. At the beginning, I was able to write 1 part a week and was intending to finish the story last winter, but as you can see, it's taken much longer than that because i keep getting writer's block !

Thank you for all your feedback and support for this story . I have to admit that there were times when I felt like giving up with it, but knowing there were people still reading and wanting updates made me keep going .

Thanks to:

confusedfool -

Zanity - Thanks .

roswell3053 -

behrluv32 - Thanks . Actually, I when I started the scene, I was planning on them having sex, but then I changed my mind halfway through writing it .

83 AlienAngel - Thanks .

LairaBehr4 - Sorry, I don't like to use a pen and paper, it takes twice as long and then you have to rewrite it on the computer! Looks like you won't have to keep posting anymore, since it says Complete now


Erina - Yeah, Max and Liz together is definitely a good thing !

jamy21 -

Timelord31 - Thanks .

Earth2Mama - Is Ariana gone for good? Read on to find out .

#1Dreamer - Thanks .

haveapancake - Thank you .

carter13 - Glad you like the story. Will there be a catch? Read on to find out .

Bri+Jason2830 - I'm back (finally). Here's the new part...


***

Part Twenty-Five

Max and Liz strolled into school hand-in-hand, identical grins on their faces. They couldn’t seem to keep their eyes, or lips for that matter, off each other; which generated both curious stares and grossed-out expressions from the small groups of students milling around outside the school building. Together, they entered the school, stopping first by Max’s locker so that he could pick up his books and then making their way towards Liz’s locker to fetch hers.

They reached the row of metal doors and, failing to notice their captive audience, Max pressed Liz against her locker, capturing her lips in an indulgent kiss, his hands creeping up behind her neck. His fingers sank into her silky mane of hair as her arms slid around his waist, pulling him closer to her. When they eventually pulled apart, breathless and giddy with happiness, it took several moments for their focus to shift from each other to the small group now surrounding them with expectant expressions on their faces.

“So, um,” Maria cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. “I take it everything went according to plan last night?”

Liz glanced up at Max, flashing him a brief smile, before turning to face her friend.

“Yeah, it did,” she grinned. “It went great. Ariana is gone…she’s never coming back; and Max and I are together.”

Maria smiled happily at her two friends for a moment, before becoming serious. “As happy as I am…as we all are…for the two of you, I have to know…how do you know this is permanent? What’s to stop Ariana from returning?”

“And what was with the orbs on your bedside table this morning?” Isabel blurted out, before slapping her hand to her mouth when she realised that she’d just admitted to seeing them together earlier.

Max gave his sister an inquiring, yet slightly suspicious look, but elected not to question her. Instead, he chose to concentrate on Maria’s concerns.

“Yes, this is permanent, Maria. The instructions that the future version of me left for Liz explained the true purpose of the orbs that we found. Not only are they a contact beacon between here and Antar, but they can also be used to capture a person’s essence, their soul, if you like,” he told the group, effectively answering Isabel’s question in the process. “And once the soul is inside them, the only way if can escape is if someone consciously uses their powers to do so.”

“But, how do you know that an evil alien won’t come along and do just that?” asked Michael gruffly.

Max looked down at Liz for a moment, who gave him and encouraging smile, before fixing his gaze on his friend, “Because, Michael, there are only four people who have the power to do that, and they are all standing right here by these lockers.”

“You mean the Royal Four?” piped up Maria.

“Yep,” Max nodded. “And although I know that none of you would ever choose to do that, Liz and I have decided that the best course of action is to completely destroy the orbs.”

“But that would mean destroying our only means of contacting our planet,” murmured Isabel.

“Yes,” Max nodded again. “It would. Are you okay with that?”

She shrugged. “I guess I have to be,” she replied; although in truth, she wasn’t sure she’d ever want to try contacting their home anyway.

“Thank you, Izzy,” Max smiled at her gratefully, before continuing. “Okay, so we’ll go out to the pod chamber after school and get rid of the orbs. Michael, Izzy, Tess,” he addressed them in turn, “I think we’re gonna need your help with this.”

***

Eight hours later, the seven of them, Maria and Kyle included, stood inside the pod chamber. Isabel, Michael, Tess and Max made a small circle in the middle of the front cave; the two orbs nestled carefully between their hands in the middle. Liz stood just behind Max, her hand resting supportively on his lower back as he, along with the other three, concentrated on sending their power to the orbs.

At first, nothing happened and Liz started to worry that for some reason, the orbs couldn’t be destroyed, but eventually the silver football-shaped objects began to emanate a soft, blue glow. However, almost a full minute later, the glow hadn’t changed in appearance or colour and Liz noticed that beads of sweat were rolling down Max’s forehead. As a gesture of encouragement, she slipped her hand over one of his and squeezed it lightly. He didn’t move his eyes from the orb in his hands, but a small, grateful smile appeared on his lips a second later.

In an attempt to renew some of his strength, Max sucked in a breath as he concentrated on sending his energy into the orbs. The feel of Liz’s hand covering his only made him even more determined to destroy the offending objects, and in a rush of anger at the pain Ariana had caused them, he pushed his brain harder. Suddenly, a renewed burst of energy shot through his body and out of his and Liz’s joined hands. It encased both the orb in his and Isabel’s hands and the one Michael and Tess were holding causing the glow to turn a bright purple. For several moments, the glow simply remained, like a bubble surrounding the Royal Four, and the occupants of the cave just stared at it, open-mouthed. Max was on the verge of attempting to aim his powers at the bubble one more, but before he could act on his instincts, the purple energy began to pulsate and intensify. Suddenly, it was sucked into the whirlwind symbols on the orbs, like the implosion of a dying star, before a bright, white light burst from them, almost blinding them. Silver debris flew everywhere as the orbs exploded outwards. The Royal Four and Liz were thrown backwards by the force of the explosion, whilst Maria and Kyle flattened themselves against the rocks of the cave wall.

After several seconds, the light dimmed and the cave returned to normal; the slight glowing of the remains showing the only evidence that the orbs ever existed. Cautiously, Max climbed to his feet, pulling Liz up with him, and brushed them both off.

“Is everyone okay?”

His question was met with silence, although most of the others managed weak nods.

“Well, I guess it’s over then,” Max supplied unnecessarily.

Isabel frowned as she got to her feet, “Are we completely sure about that, Max? I mean this almost seemed too easy. You know, we concentrate our energy on the orbs and then they just explode, gone forever. It can’t be that simple.”

“You know, I didn’t think it would be like this, either, Izzy,” he replied softly, hugging Liz to his chest as he spoke. “But what more can we do? The orbs are gone; you can see that. Ariana’s gone. So, I say we go home, relax and be grateful that we were able to solve this mystery.”

***

“Wow, it feels like a whole weight’s been lifted off my chest,” commented Liz, as she and Max took a seat on her bed later that evening.

“I know what you mean,” chuckled Max, placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “And we finally know the truth about Alex. But, Liz,” he turned to her in all seriousness. “I hate that you had to go through all of this because of me. I never wanted to hurt you, and lately it seems like that’s all I’ve been doing.”

“Max,” started Liz, lifting her hand to caress his cheek. “It’s okay; I don’t blame you. I love you so much and I don’t think I could live without you, so please don’t start thinking I’d be better off without you, because that’s just not true.”

Max stared down at her pleading eyes, his heart swelling with gratitude and love for her.

“Actually, you know what? As much as I think you would be better off without me, I’m gonna have to be selfish and keep you all to myself. I love you too much to let you go know.”

A delighted smile spread across Liz’s lips as she leaned up to him for a kiss.

“Make love to me, Max,” she murmured against his lips. “Right here, right now.”

“Anything for you,” he whispered, unable to resist her.

As the kiss deepened and Liz’s tongue slid against his erotically, his hands found the hem of her shirt and he pulled it over her head. They undressed each other slowly, savouring every moment together; and when they were both naked, Max gently lay Liz against the pillows. They were unhurried in their movements and caresses, driving each other crazy with the tortured pleasure. Max was careful to explore every inch of Liz’s body, stroking and nipping at her skin until she begged for more and even then he denied her the release she craved. When he did finally enter her, Liz was so close to release that her climax swept over her almost immediately and the pleasure only built from there, escalating to a high she’d never experienced before.

“I’ll never leave you, Liz Parker,” murmured Max as he came down from his own release several minutes later. “You’re my forever.”

“And you’re mine,” she replied tenderly, stroking the hair back from his forehead.

They lay together in each other’s arms, sated and happy, as they fell into a deep, contented sleep.

***

It was pitch black outside in the desert, the consequence of it being two in the morning, yet inside the pod chamber there was an eerie glow. Had anyone been there, they would have observed the small pieces of broken orb vibrating on the floor of the cave as they glowed brightly and then rose into the air, forming a swirling cloud of purples and pinks.

For several minutes, the cloud simply remained suspended in mid-air, but a spilt second later, a crackle of energy spilt the air, much like fork lightning on a stormy night, and the cloud spun faster and faster. Without warning, it shot out an arm of sorts, spearing through the door to the Granilith. There was no one around to see this, but if there had been, they would have observed as the cloud filtered into the base of the Granilith, gradually filling the inverted-cone-shaped chamber from the bottom up.

As Max and Liz found the ultimate pleasure in each other’s bodies in Liz’s bed just across town, the swirling mist pulsated in a steady rhythm. Just before the purple glow within the immense object faded to darkness, a face became visible in the centre of the cone, an evil smirk masking its features

It was the face of Liz Parker.


The End