Roswell Fanatics

22

Liz opened her eyes, slowly letting them adjust to the bright sunshine streaming in through her bedroom blinds.

It's morning time
I wonder where you are

She rolled onto her side, gazing sleepily at the big empty space beside her. If she tried really hard, maybe she could pretend that Max was just out for a morning jog. Or…maybe…was that bacon she smelled sizzling on the stove?

Wonder who you're talking to

Stop it, Liz, she chided herself. Reaching out, she let her fingertips drift over the cool sheets. No, she was definitely alone…

I wonder if the sun has risen where you are…

Sighing, Liz snuggled deeper into the blankets and tried to convince herself to get up. Hope would be awake any time now, and Liz knew she must look a sight. Her eyes still felt swollen from crying herself to sleep…

It's morning time
I miss your hands on my skin

He would be back with her in less than forty-eight hours, she reminded herself again. And in the meantime, there was a lot she still needed to do. But as she pulled the pillows closer, she inhaled Max's familiar scent and felt her resolve begin to crumble.

This bed's too big without you…

Liz brushed impatiently at the tears that resurfaced in her eyes, refusing to let them fall. She was stronger than that. She would be stronger than that for their daughter.

Oh god what do I do
I'm a thousand miles away
And I’m lying next to you

*****

"What about this one?"

Kyle eyed the package Liz held up in front of his face later that afternoon. "It's okay," he shrugged.

Liz exhaled in frustration. "Seriously, Kyle. You're a boy. What do boys like?"

"Chicks?" he suggested.

"I assume you're not talking about the fuzzy little yellow ones," Liz muttered. "Let's do this one step at a time. What would a boy want on his bed?"

Kyle smirked. "Chicks."

Liz rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling in spite of herself. She sighed again, gesturing around them at the shelves of bedding. "Sheets, Kyle. Why are sheets so complicated?"

"They're actually not, Liz," he informed her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before bypassing the Pokemon, Superman, and Spongebob themed packages and picking up a solid blue one. "They're sheets. And these are the winners."

Swallowing as Kyle dropped them into the cart with the other items they'd picked up, Liz managed a nod. "You're right. I - I mean, sheets should be the least of my problems."

"And now they're not a problem at all," Kyle answered smoothly as he led Liz down the aisle. After picking up a matching blue comforter, they headed toward the register.

"I don’t know if you need to get back soon, but I need to pick up a few other things-" Liz began.

"I've got some time," Kyle assured. "What awaits us next in this bizarre shopping spree?"

"Clothes," Liz answered. "Just a few things…t-shirts, shorts, underwear, that sort of thing."

Kyle looked at her blankly. "Just because I'm a boy doesn't mean I could even begin to guess what size he wears. Hell, half the time I don't know what size I wear."

"That's okay. We just need general stuff. Max can alter things for him later."

"Good ol' Max," Kyle said, giving Liz a toothy grin.

Liz chewed at the corner of her lip. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, I just…" Kyle paused. "You know I don't have any hard feelings for him, Liz. It's just kind of strange, all these memories of when Tess was running rampant…and the reason you're going through this right now to begin with…it all just sort of comes crashing back into your mind. And it's not the most fun time to remember."

"Tell me about it," Liz muttered.

*****

"Does any of this look familiar?"

Michael nodded absently, his eyes trained on the worn path before them.

"Are you sure?" Max pressed. "Because it's been the same thing for miles, ever since we got off 89-"

"I feel it, Maxwell," Michael interrupted, his fingers flexing around the steering wheel. "I can't explain it, exactly, but we're close."

Max sat back a little in the passenger seat, willing himself to trust his friend. There was a reason he hadn't gone alone. He needed Michael and Isabel, and he couldn't let himself lose sight of that. Especially now.

"Michael, maybe you should look at the map," Isabel suggested from the backseat. "Because if this place is where you think it is then we've got to go further east."

"The map isn't going to help, Isabel," Michael answered tersely, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "It didn't do me any good last time, and unless something jumps out-"

"Michael, look out!" Isabel shrieked.

"What the fuck!" Michael's eyes widened and he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the young man who had suddenly appeared just a few yards in front of them. All three stared in shock as the dark haired man calmly held out one hand and the Explorer gently rolled to a stop just centimeters in front of him.

Michael cursed again. "Where the hell did he come from?" he demanded, throwing the car into park and fumbling with his seatbelt.

"Michael. Wait," Max urged distractedly, his eyes locked on the young man as he slowly lowered his hand and stared right back at him.

"Oh my god, Max," Isabel whispered, leaning forward almost into the front seat. "Is that…"

"I don't know." Max slowly removed his own seatbelt, opening the door and stepping tentatively onto the hot, dry ground.

The man, who looked to be just a bit older than they were, finally moved from his place before the vehicle and came around to stand directly before him. "Max Evans," he said, his voice not quite a statement but not quite a question, either.

Max swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper. "Yes," he whispered.

"I have been waiting for you."

*****

Liz eyed the twin bed critically, smoothing her hand over the top of the comforter for the umpteenth time. The blue fabric draped perfectly, the pillow sitting atop it was fluffed, and Liz needed to give it a rest.

She leaned over and flicked on the lamp that was now between the two small beds before glancing at her watch and realizing it was after five. Diane had brought Hope home just a little while before, and she knew she should probably start thinking about dinner.

As Liz mentally scanned the items in the freezer, she heard the phone begin to ring.

"I git it, Momma!" Hope's voice floated down the hall.

"Wait a sec, Hope, Mommy's got it!" Liz called back, dodging the shopping bags on the floor and heading for the living room. She ruffled Hope's hair as she passed the couch before snatching up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi honey, it's Mom."

"Hey Mom, what's going on?" Liz glanced over at her daughter, who was once again engrossed in the television, and sank down in an armchair.

"I just wanted to see what you're up to for dinner," Nancy was saying. "I know it's just you and Hope tonight so I thought the two of you could come over for steak on the grill-"

"Oh, we can't, Mom," Liz interrupted, thinking quickly. "I - I just ordered a pizza, actually. It'll be here any minute." She sighed inwardly, noting the way her daughter's ears pricked up and her eyes lit at the word 'pizza.' "Thanks for calling, though…" she added lamely.

"Alright, honey," Nancy answered, but she could practically see her mother's confused frown. "Tell Hope Grandpa and I send kisses. He'd love for her to come over tomorrow to give him a hand-"

"That sounds great, Mom," Liz lied cheerfully. "I'll call you in the morning, okay? Love you too."

Hope hopped down off the couch as Liz hung up the phone and sank back in the armchair. "We gettin pizza?" she asked eagerly.

"In a little while," Liz told her, lifting her onto her lap and hugging her close. "How's Simba?" she continued, glancing up at the forgotten video.

"Him is sad right now," Hope answered knowingly. "Him's daddy was tryin to save him. But him got hurt and died."

Liz swallowed, tightening her arms around her daughter. "That's very sad," she agreed softly, closing her eyes and burying her nose in Hope's hair.

The little girl squirmed, turning to face her mother. "When da pizza gonna be home, Momma?"

"Soon," Liz answered firmly. "Soon, I promise."

*****

Max continued to stare at the man before him, unsure of how to reply. He was vaguely aware of Michael and Isabel moving into place behind him, and instead asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Hetrin," the man answered, his voice smooth and calm.

"Hetrin," Max repeated, his mind racing as he familiarized it on his tongue. "Are - are you…I mean…you're not…"

"No, Max, I am not your son." The man's lips curved up into a near smile, but it wasn't cold or mocking. Still, Max's stomach twisted.

"But he's - is he alright?"

The man nodded. "He is, yes."

Max couldn't help exhaling in relief. This man - Hetrin - he knew about his son! He said he was alright! It was the most reassurance Max had had in years. And suddenly, he didn't know how much longer he could bear. "Could I see him?" he asked hopefully. "Could you take me to him?"

"That is why I contacted you." Hetrin glanced behind Max and nodded at Michael and Isabel in turn. "And you."

"That was you?" Michael spoke up skeptically. He knew Max was chomping at the bit to follow this guy, but he was a bit more reserved. How did they know they could trust him?

"Yes, Michael," Hetrin answered smoothly. "You were right all this time. You knew exactly where to go."

"I didn't know I was supposed to find someone," Michael mused, running his hand through his hair in befuddlement.

"With the front of my car," Isabel muttered.

"But he - he's here, right?" Max continued, his heart thudding in his chest as he stared expectantly at the young man.

Hetrin glanced around. "Not at the moment," he answered.

"Well I - I can see that." Max read the man's face to see if he was joking. It didn't appear he was. "I meant that he was nearby. Somewhere…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under the man's intense green gaze.

"He looks very much like you," Hetrin noted after several long moments.

Max couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "He does?" he asked softly.

"And his mother too, of course." Hetrin abruptly turned and gestured to the rocky terrain beyond the Explorer. "We must go now."

Isabel glanced back toward the car. "There's room in the back if that's okay. Or if you need to sit up front to give directions-"

"That won't be necessary," Hetrin interrupted. "You will return here tomorrow evening. In the mean time-"

"Wait, you want us to leave it here?" Isabel demanded. "My husband will kill me if anything happens to it-"

"What will happen to it?" Hetrin countered calmly. "You are miles from the main road. I will guide you back to it by this time tomorrow."

Isabel muttered something under her breath, but she obediently shouldered her bag from the backseat and watched quietly as Max and Michael grabbed their bags as well.

"Make sure it's locked, Michael," she added as he slammed the door. "I don't want to make it any easier for someone to steal it."

Hetrin stepped a little closer then, placing his hand on the hood. In seconds, thick tendrils of smoke began to rise from beneath it.

"Hey!" Isabel's eyes widened. "What are you-"

"I will fix it upon our return," Hetrin explained. "Or you may do it, if you like." And for the first time, Max could swear he saw a glint of mirth in the man's otherwise serious face.

*****

"Lizzie, I need you."

Liz cradled the receiver against her shoulder as she flicked on the bedside lamp and rubbed at her eyes. Over the sound of her best friend's tearful voice, she could hear a baby squalling. "Maria? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry to call so late, I just…I don't know what to do. She's been crying for the past five hours and I haven't slept since Michael left-"

"Let me get Hope and we'll be right over."

"Thank you, Lizzie," Maria sighed gratefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Liz replaced the receiver and shifted her feet to the floor. It was the least she could do, considering it was because of her husband that Michael had to leave. She sighed, trying to fight off those feelings, and padded down the hall to gather Hope.

It was a haggard Maria that opened the door fifteen minutes later with a screaming Ana in her arms. "Thank god you're here," she groaned, switching the baby to her shoulder as she let Liz in. "Eli's getting hungry, but I haven't been able to put her down since my mom left. The second I try she screams bloody murder."

Liz shut the front door behind them, shifting her drowsy daughter on her hip. "Let me put Hope down somewhere and I'll take her, okay? You feed Eli and take a break."

Maria nodded quickly. "She can sleep in the guest room, hopefully it won't be as loud back there."

Stepping around the many baby items cluttering the living room, Liz paused where Eli lay, whimpering in his basinet. "Just a minute, sweetie, your mommy's coming."

As she lay Hope in the middle of the double bed, tucking her in tightly, Liz brushed her daughter's wispy hair off her forehead. "You're being such a big girl, sleeping in a new bed so I can help Aunt Ria," she murmured.

Hope nodded sleepily, clutching Gucky close. "Cause Uncle Mikey is wif Daddy,"

"That's right, baby," Liz sighed, gazing down at her perceptive daughter. "If you need me I'll be right out there with Maria and the babies." She brushed a kiss against her daughter's forehead and eased from the bed, leaving the door open a crack behind her.

In the living room, Maria bent over her fussing son while jiggling her crying daughter in her arms. She glanced up, her tired eyes full of relief as Liz carefully gathered Ana, and then turned her attention back to Eli. "Come here, pumpkin," she cooed, lifting him from the basinet. "I know you're hungry, Mommy is so sorry." She sank down onto the couch, pushing the flap of her robe aside so her son could nurse.

As she paced the room with Ana, Liz noticed Maria wince as the baby latched on. "Are you sore?" she asked sympathetically.

"Oh my god," Maria groaned. "With Michael gone…do you know how lucky we are the have alien husbands?"

Liz smiled, but she couldn't help feeling a stab of resentment. It certainly did complicate things, that had never been so apparent. She gazed down at the crying baby in her arms, suddenly wishing she could do the same. Part of her wanted to burst into tears and have someone take care of her, make the pain go away.

But it wasn't that simple. She was an adult now, and a wife. A mother. And now what? A stepmother? Is that what it was called? What was the proper title for the wife of a man who had fathered a child with an evil alien?

"Lizzie?" Maria spoke up over the fussing baby. "Are you okay? I mean, aside from the child screaming in your ear."

Liz was quiet as she carefully turned Ana onto her stomach and held her balanced on her forearm as she'd sometimes done when Hope was fussy. "I still haven't figured out what to tell my parents," she said finally. "They think Max is at a social work conference in Phoenix. How am I supposed to tell them that my husband has gone to save the child he fathered with Tess? The child he's known nothing about because he was on another planet. You know, because they're all aliens."

Maria sighed, stroking Eli's cheek. "When you put it that way…"

"And Hope! My god, I haven't let her see or even talk to my parents in days. I'm just waiting for her to announce something about her 'new friend,'" Liz groaned. "I know Max had to leave immediately. I understand that. But it's just-"

"He left you with a lot of messes to clean up," Maria interrupted knowingly. "Liz, you have every right to be freaking out! Look at me!"

Liz smiled weakly, rubbing Ana's back. "God, Maria, I'm so sorry. Here you are with two newborns and Max comes along and all but kidnaps Michael-"

"It's not your fault," Maria insisted, lifting her son to her shoulder. "Besides, when they come back, they're on their own on the midnight to five shift for a month."

*****

Max sat up slowly, convinced his head was coated in lead. Why was he so heavy…so fuzzy…?

He slowly turned to his side, seeing Isabel in a similar state. "Are you alright?" he croaked, reaching out to her.

"I - I think so," she muttered, pressing her hands over her eyes. "God, what happened?"

"Where the hell are we?" came Michael's equally raspy voice as he sat up on Max's other side.

For the first time, Max's vision cleared enough for him to focus on his surroundings. And his heart plummeted. The nightmare. That strange pod chamber.

They were in it.

23

She couldn't feel her hand.

That was the first thought that managed to break through the fog of Liz's brain as she awoke the next morning in the Guerin's living room. Hmm…it seemed she'd fallen asleep in an armchair and…yes, there it was. One hand was draped over the edge of the bassinet that had been dragged alongside it. Miraculously, the baby inside was sleeping peacefully…just like the nerves in her hand.

Liz's eyes drifted across the room to the couch, where Maria was out cold. The other bassinet sat nearby, and Liz could hear tiny noises from inside. Elijah was awake, but apparently content to entertain himself.

Slowly removing her hand from the folds of the blanket, Liz yawned and glanced at the clock. The last time she remembered was well after five, and now it was nearly eight.

Hope. She should check on her daughter, who rarely slept past seven. With her body creaking in protest, Liz got to her feet and padded down the hall to where she'd deposited Hope the night before.

The bed was empty.

Liz immediately told herself it shouldn't be a surprise. She'd probably awakened and wandered into the twins' room to investigate the toy situation. But after a thorough search of both rooms, she had to admit she felt a bit uneasy. Hesitant to call out for her for fear of waking Maria and the babies, Liz instead headed for the closed door of Maria and Michael's bedroom.

There, sprawled out in the middle of the bed like she owned the place, was Hope. She barely acknowledged Liz, too engrossed in the television to notice.

"Well hello there. You seem to have made yourself comfortable," Liz noted in amusement.

"Hi Momma," Hope offered.

"What are you watching, Hope?" Liz queried, stepping fully into the room and heading for the bed.

"Midder Rogers," she answered, eyes glued to the screen.

"Ah-ha." Liz leaned over and kissed the top of her daughter's dark head. "How about we find something for breakfast?"

Hope shook her head. "Dat's okay. I goin to da Crash for bre-fast."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "When was this decided, Hopie?"

"Dis mornin when I called Grampa Jeff."

"You called Grandpa Jeff?" Liz parroted.

"Yep!"

Liz stared at her daughter. She knew she liked to talk on the phone, but dial it? Correctly?

"I know how to call da Crash, Momma," Hope informed her. "I a big girl."

"Yes, Hopie, I know you are," Liz agreed. "But you should have waited until Mommy was awake-"

"I miss dem," Hope protested, jutting out her lower lip.

"You miss them," Liz sighed. Of course she did, she hadn't seen her grandparents in days.

"Hey Lizzie?" Maria poked her head in the doorway, her sleepy face puzzled. "Your mom's here."

"Oh my God," Liz groaned under her breath as an oblivious Hope crawled from the bed and scampered down the hall. "Hope called them," she continued, turning to Maria in exasperation.

Maria frowned. "On the phone?"

"Apparently."

Yawning, Maria patted her friend's arm. "She wanted to know why you were here and Michael wasn't," she continued. "I thought I'd give you a little heads up."

Liz sighed. Wonderful. "Thanks," she muttered, steeling herself to follow Hope down the hall.

As she entered the living room, she saw her mother and daughter already whispering back and forth to one another on the couch. Hope was on a roll…

"Hi Momma!" the little girl whispered loudly.

"Why are we whispering?" Liz whispered back.

"Acause da babies are sleepin," Hope explained.

"Hope was telling me they cried a lot last night," Nancy explained. "You stayed over?"

Hope nodded. "Yep. Acause Uncle Mikey is gone."

"Just for a few days," Liz added quickly. "Didn't Maria tell you?"

"No," Nancy shrugged.

Liz turned and shot her friend a look.

"Him is wif Daddy and Aunt Izzy," Hope supplied before Liz could answer.

Nancy raised her eyebrows. "Why in the world would Michael and Isabel go to the conference with Max?"

Oh God. How to answer, how to answer…

"To bring home my new friend!"

And there it was.

*****

"I'm sorry, Liz. I'm so sorry." Max breathed the words over and over, his voice hoarse and raspy, his eyes squeezed shut. He didn't know what had happened to them, but he knew it wasn't good. He'd promised her he wouldn't leave them, wouldn't leave the planet, and now they were - where? Certainly not in the desert, which was the last thing Max could remember before awakening in a groggy haze in the strange chamber.

Isabel lay beside her brother, her condition not much better. Her head was throbbing, and as her eyes adjusted to her dim surroundings, she rolled her head toward the sound of her brother's whispered mantra.

He lay perfectly still now, having given up on his attempt to sit, and the only movement came from his lips as he whispered his wife's name. As she stared at him, two lone tears slid from the corner of his closed eyes and trickled down into his dark hair.

"Maxwell, get a grip." Michael's voice boomed over the near silence, but his words were gentle as he struggled to sit up on Max's other side. "We need to get ourselves together and find that Hetrin bastard."

"There is no need. I am here," offered a man's voice, echoing off the walls of the damp space.

"What the fuck did you do to us?" Michael demanded harshly, pushing his weak form up onto his elbows. "Did you drug us? Answer me, you son of a bitch!"

"Michael," Isabel warned weakly.

"There was no need to drug you," Hetrin answered calmly. "You are feeling the effects of the transportation. It will wear off momentarily."

"What transportation?" Max finally spoke up, this time managing to successfully push himself up into a sitting position. His eyes now adjusted to the dim light, he could make out the man's form across the small room. He stood beside the red orb - the same one from his dream - protectively.

"You cannot walk to where we are," Hetrin explained simply. "It is a physical impossibility in your human forms."

"And where exactly are we?" Max pressed, dread growing in the pit of his stomach.

"Not far," was Hetrin's vague reply.

Michael cursed under his breath. "Then why did you need to knock us out to get here?" he spat.

"No one was knocked out," Hetrin replied, unfazed by Michael's scathing tone. "You simply cannot enter the chamber in your human form."

"We all look pretty damn human to me," Michael challenged, glancing at Max and Isabel.

"You see what you are comfortable with," the young man explained, moving around the side of the orb and stepping closer to them. "The human form is safe to you, and to the rest of the world."

"When can I see my son?" Max spoke up, struggling to maintain his precious composure. "You said you would take us to him."

Hetrin nodded. "Come," he said simply.

Max swallowed hard as he realized he could, in fact, rise to his feet now. That didn't prevent him from trembling as he stepped closer to Hetrin and the glowing orb behind him.

He stared into it and saw nothing, but as he got closer still, the shapes began to swim before him. "Wh-what's happening?" he murmured hoarsely.

"It is all right, Max." Hetrin's voice was calm, echoing through him as if it were coming through a long tunnel. "See him."

Max fought to still his trembling as he reached out one hand and tentatively pressed his fingers against orb. The field of energy shocked him, but the life emulating from inside drew him closer still.

See him. The words faded in and out, charging and infusing. And then, with a strangled sob, he saw.

*****

"Are you serious?"

Liz glanced at her friend through the reflection in the bathroom mirror. "What else am I supposed to do, Maria?" Maria's demand wasn't much of a surprise; Liz wasn't exactly sure what made her announce this sudden decision just now. Perhaps the simple fact that she and Max both knew it would eventually come to this. And if Hope hadn't already been giving her grandparents an earful in the past half hour, Liz figured it wouldn't be much longer.

"Wait till Max gets home?" Maria suggested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think they deserve a little more warning than that," Liz answered, sticking her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Right, because they're completely prepared for you march over there and announce your husband is an alien."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's better if Max isn't there," she mumbled around a mouthful of foam. "Let them digest it a little before he gets back."

"Whatever, chica." Maria's stare was penetrating through the mirror's reflection, and after a moment she continued. "I could go too," she offered gently.

Shaking her head, Liz bent over and spat into the sink. "No, Maria. You don't have to do-"

"But I will," Maria interrupted. "Come on, what other girl in the world is married to an alien? Moi. Been there, done that, lived to tell about it. And besides, I've already told my mom. And she's handled it really well."

"Your mom might not be the best example right now," Liz reminded before swishing a sip of water in her mouth. "She's ready to exterminate your alien husband."

"True." Maria shrugged. "She'll get over it. I already have." She reached over and wrapped her arm around her best friend's waist. "So what do you say? Need a gal pal to tag along?"

Liz giggled in spite of herself. "It's a tempting offer, but I can't accept," she answered. "I might need some moral support later, though…"

"I'll be here with a gallon of Rocky Road," Maria vowed. "I made Michael stock up before he up and left. It was the least he could do."

Resting her head on Maria's shoulder, Liz sighed. "Maria, you are like the most special person ever."

Maria leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Right back at you, babe."

*****

The child lay still, the small body unmoving as Max's eyes drank him in. His skin had an unearthly sheen to it, enhanced still by the red glow enshrouding him, but he was very much alive. Max could feel his energy coursing through the small space in which he lay.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked haltingly, unable to tear his eyes away.

"He needs you," was Hetrin's simple answer.

His heart pounding nearly out of his chest, Max swallowed and reached tentatively closer. The orb swirled, flashed as his hand penetrated the energy field, but the child was undisturbed. He moved his palm over the boy, staring in amazement at the sparking, crackling power between them.

Max's brow furrowed as the energy's unrest intensified, building deep within him and springing tiny beads of sweat at his temple.

Michael and Isabel watched Max in silent awe, seeing only the orb before him, unsure of what to make of the intense concentration coming from him in shallow pants. And suddenly, both were knocked back to their feet by the brilliant flash of light exploding from the center of the chamber.

With a low cry, Max found himself crumpled on the ground. The glow had faded, and the orb had, in fact, disappeared as his gaze refocused on the small form before him.

The child's breath came steadily now, his small chest rising and falling from where he lay on the chamber floor. The sheen on his skin had faded, leaving him smooth and pink. After a long moment, Max allowed himself to touch him. His son.

The moment they came into contact, the connection exploded. Images flooded Max's mind, images of a life he had missed so much of, one flash blending into the next like fireworks. He saw through the eyes of his son, felt his curiosity, his wonderment, his love. He saw Tess, saw her smiling and laughing in a way he had never known…and he saw her ashen, still…cold. Felt his son's loneliness, his fear…his longing.

Max continued to delve into the connection, wanting more…needing it. The faint sound of his own voice, like it was seeping in from under water, echoed through him…and he heard Liz. Liz's voice was the strongest, the warmth of it radiating love.

It struck him like lightening, and the shock bolted him from the connection. Max found himself staring down at his son, staring into his eyes…Liz's eyes.

Not his son. Their son.

24

"We really appreciate you seeing us on such short notice." Kyle shook hands with Robert Rollins, Attorney at Law, as he ushered both Kyle and Serena into his office in downtown Artesia.

"It's my pleasure," he answered, gesturing to two arm chairs situated before an oak desk.

Kyle and Serena settled themselves as Robert perched himself on the edge of the desk. "So Jesse tells me you're looking to adopt."

Serena glanced at her husband. "Oh. Well, he is, yes. It's my daughter."

"We got married over a year ago and it's something I've been wanting to do," Kyle added.

Robert nodded. "I see," he said thoughtfully. "I take it your daughter's father has no visitation rights."

"Not at all," Serena confirmed, slightly surprised. "He has no contact with her in any way." She paused. "Neither do I, for that matter. His name is on her birth certificate, but...he doesn't actually know about her. We split up before I found out I was pregnant.

The attorney was silent for a long moment, stroking his chin in thought. "Is there any way of contacting him?"

Serena sent Kyle another glance, this one of slight panic. "I - I don't know. I never tried and it's…it's been six years…"

"I understand," Robert said kindly. "It’s just that this kind of situation can slow the adoption process down and I want us to consider all the factors before we get started."

"Let me get this straight," Kyle spoke up, barely masking his frustration. "This guy has had nothing to do with Jaycee from the beginning and yet he could keep me from adopting her? I'm the only father she's ever known-"

"I understand," Robert repeated. "And I'll be the first to admit that the legal process can be long and confusing. But in order for the adoption to be recognized by the state of New Mexico, we need written agreement from both biological factions."

Kyle exhaled. "No offense, Mr. Rollins, but this seems a little ridiculous. Why do we need any consent at all? I'm Serena's husband-"

"Kyle." Serena reached over and rested a soothing hand on his knee. "Mr. Rollins, I don't know if Jesse mentioned this to you, but Kyle and I are expecting a baby this winter."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. And we were hoping that, if it was possible, we could get through the adoption process before things get hectic with a new baby. Kind of…start over as a family."

Robert nodded. "That's understandable," he agreed. "We'll do whatever we can to make that happen." He cleared his throat, moving to sit behind the desk and pulling out a file. "Let's start by finding her father."

*****

"Liz? Sweetie, what's wrong? You look sick."

Glancing up in surprise at the sound of her mother's voice, Liz slowly straightened from where she was bracing herself on the back of the couch. "No, Mom, I'm fine," she managed. In truth, she was feeling sick to her stomach and had considered running right back down the stairs the moment she entered the apartment. "Is Dad around?" Might as well not waste any time in dropping the bomb, right?

"Yes, he's in the back," Nancy answered slowly. "Really, Liz, you're so pale," she continued, crossing the living room and resting her hand on Liz's forehead.

Liz checked the urge to shrug away from her mother and exhaled. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I need to talk to you and Dad."

"Okay," Nancy agreed, biting her lip in the same way Liz did when she was nervous. "Sit down," she continued, leading Liz around the sofa. "Jeff!"

Liz watched her mother take a seat on the love seat across from her and willed herself to get a grip. Her being nervous wouldn't help the situation. She shouldn't be nervous, she told herself. Max was her husband. These were her parents. They would be accepting. They had to be.

And yet she and Max had waited. They had put off the inevitable, probably much longer than they should have. The others had all but expected them to do it when Hope was born, once the Evanses knew the truth and once relations were smooth. But they didn't.

It wasn't that Max was against it, either. After so many years being so adamant that it remain a secret, his parents' acceptance had lessened some of his hesitance. And once Hope was born, he made it no secret to Liz that he would rather raise their daughter without secrets among those they were the very closest to. Which left…well, Jeff and Nancy Parker.

And so it was Liz who hesitated. It wasn't that she was ashamed, Max knew that. But after waiting for so long for her parents to finally accept Max…she couldn't bear the thought of rejection. She justified it as a means of protecting her husband and their child. And Max didn't argue. When she was ready, they would tell.

Ready or not, she thought again, clearing her throat as her father appeared in the living room. "Lizzie," he greeted. "I didn't think you'd be here for Hope til after lunch. She's downstairs with Gina if-"

"I ran into them," Liz spoke up. "Gina said she'd keep an eye on her for a bit while I talk to you and Mom, so…"

"What about?" Jeff asked in concern as he settled beside his wife.

Liz inhaled deeply, gazing down at her twined hands for a long moment before lifting her eyes to look squarely at her parents. "Max isn't at a social work conference," she announced.

Nancy tilted her head. "But you said-"

"I lied," Liz answered bluntly. "In fact, there are a lot of things I haven't been completely honest about."

Jeff and Nancy exchanged glances. "Such as Michael and Isabel going with him?" Nancy suggested.

"That's one thing," Liz admitted. She paused, trying to gather her words. "They went with him because it could be dangerous."

Now Jeff just looked confused. "What could be dangerous?" he asked blankly.

God, there really was no easy way around this one, was there? Better finish what you started, Evans.

"Max has a son," Liz said quietly. "With Tess Harding. She got pregnant at the end of junior year, right after Alex died."

Her mother gasped. Liz expected that much, and she expected a much stronger reaction from her father. He barely reacted at all.

"She left before the baby was born, and it wasn't something I wanted to go into at the time," Liz continued. "Honestly, I never wanted to go into it at all. But now he's in trouble."

"In trouble?" Nancy repeated. "How much trouble could he be in, he's…what, six?"

"I - I wish I knew," Liz shrugged helplessly. "Max is going to him and bringing him back here."

"And what about Tess?"

Again, all Liz could do was shrug.

"Is there a reason Max waited six years to take responsibility for his son?" Jeff asked, his tone neutral.

Liz fought back the anger bubbling in her stomach. "Tess left, Dad," she repeated tersely. "Max didn't know how to find her."

"How is he finding him now?" he asked. Again, his tone was more curious than condescending.

"And why is it dangerous, Liz?" Nancy demanded. "Where could she have taken a child that would be so dangerous?"

Oh, if only you knew…

"It's not a custody battle, is it?" she was continuing. "Max realizes that if he doesn't have the rights to the child he can't just bring him back to Roswell-"

"He's not stupid, Mom," Liz found herself biting out.

Jeff leaned forward. "I don't think she was implying that, Lizzie," he said carefully. "We're just trying to understand-"

"You can't," Liz interrupted quietly. "Not until you understand that Max is not completely who you think he is."

Jeff was silent, but Nancy's brows shot up. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I know - I know this sounds crazy." Liz closed her eyes briefly before gazing back at her parents. "Max isn't human. He's an alien." There. She said it. And she waited.

Nancy continued to stare at her daughter, and she didn't appear amused by this explanation. But it was her father's two word reply that nearly made Liz fall off the couch.

"I know."

*****

Max couldn't tear his eyes from the little boy that slept peacefully before him in a dim living room just off the main pod. "He's going to be okay?" he asked quietly.

"He is just fine," Hetrin nodded, settling into a chair not far from father and son.

Nodding in a sort of response, Max resisted the urge to reach out and touch the child again.

Gabriel.

He'd connected with him, looked into those dark, soulful eyes, and yet he was having a very difficult time believing he was real. It was as if he was the ghost of a child who had never really been dead at all.

"He is exhausted," Hetrin was continuing. "He has barely slept since Tess died. He would toss and turn and nothing I could do would ease him. This is the soundest he's slept in a long time."

Max finally raised his gaze to meet Hetrin's. "Why?" he asked quietly.

"Because he needed you. He needed the connection," was Hetrin's simple answer. "He was alone."

"What do you mean, 'alone'?" Max asked. "No one has been with him since Tess died?"

"He has not been by himself," Hetrin assured him. "As I said, I have been here."

Max considered this. "For how long?" he asked, wondering how Hetrin knew so much about his son.

"Off and on since his birth," Hetrin answered. "I am the protector of the heir to the Antarian throne."

*****

"You know," Liz repeated blankly, not entirely convinced she'd heard her father correctly.

Nancy, too, stared at Jeff as if he'd spouted, well, antennae. "This isn't funny, Jeff," she admonished.

"Believe me, I know." Jeff rubbed his hands over his face before meeting his daughter's eyes.

Liz could feel the tears welling up as she gazed at him. "What are you saying, Dad?" she asked quietly. "You're telling me that you…you know Max is an alien?" He couldn't…how could he?

Jeff sighed. "I can't say I knew that exactly, no," he admitted. "But…I've known for a long time that Max was…different somehow."

"Jeff," Nancy breathed.

He couldn't quite meet his wife's eyes before turning back to Liz. "I saw things, Lizzie," he continued. "Things I couldn't explain."

Liz swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "Like what?" she whispered.

He took a deep breath before leaning forward again. "It started with Michael, actually," he began. "Back when he worked here, while you kids were still in high school. I would notice strange things in the kitchen sometimes. Grills that heated up much faster than usual. Once there was a part in the fryer that Jose specifically told me needed replacing…but suddenly it was working perfectly. Little things that just didn't make sense…"

"How did you know Michael had anything to do with it?" Liz wanted to know.

"I didn't," Jeff admitted. "It wasn't until one night when you were seniors in high school. It was right after Thanksgiving, I think, and you and Michael were closing up and…"

Her father trailed off, and Liz racked her brain to figure out what incident he could be talking about. There were lots of times alien powers went into use at the Crashdown when they thought no one was looking. Thanksgiving of senior year…that was when Billy came to visit Maria. And everything between her and Michael pretty much went to hell…oh God, that's right. Michael mumbling about half and half.

"The salt shakers," Liz whispered. "You saw Michael blow up the salt shakers that night."

Jeff nodded. "I'd come downstairs to do the register and…"

"Wait, what?" Nancy was staring at her husband and daughter, dumbfounded. "Michael blew up salt shakers? What in God's name does that have to do with Max? Could someone explain why you both seem to be on the same page regarding aliens?" she demanded.

Liz glanced at her father before leaning forward and resting one hand over her mother's. "I know this doesn't make any sense, Mom," she said quietly. "Michael is able to do things like…blowing up salt shakers because he and Max are both aliens. And…so is Isabel," she added, glancing at her father.

"I just…I can't believe I'm hearing this." Nancy's tone was still incredulous. "I can't believe you're both sitting here with straight faces saying that aliens exist." She was almost laughing now, laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Liz spoke up suddenly, probably more in shock than Nancy. "When you saw Michael you just let it go."

"I couldn't believe it was happening," Jeff admitted. "What could I say, 'Maybe I'm crazy, Michael, but did you explode glass without touching it?' I knew it was him because of your reaction. And then he started talking about powers and I just decided I would leave without anyone noticing. I didn't know what to do."

"But what about Max?" Liz asked softly. "How did you know there was something different about him?"

Jeff was quiet for a long moment before answering. "Max was another story."

25

Liz rubbed her palms anxiously on her thighs, waiting for her father to continue. What had he seen, heard, to know that Max was different? Hadn't they been careful? And if her father had known, why didn't he say anything before now? He was extremely protective, almost stiflingly so, when she was in high school. If he had suspected anything strange about Max he wouldn't have let her go anywhere near him. He hadn't wanted to as it was…

Jeff sat before her now, taking a deep breath. "I think…Lizzie, I think I've seen him heal you," he said finally. "How…how could I have seen that?"

Liz felt tears springing to her eyes. "It's his gift, Dad," she whispered.

"His gift?" Jeff repeated.

"What have you seen?" She answered with a question of her own.

Jeff closed his eyes for a moment. "I've seen his hand…glow," he admitted quietly. "There was…one time when you were pregnant with Hope. You were waitressing and I was trying to send you home because your back was sore," he recalled. "You refused, of course. Max came in, I don't know, on his lunch break or something. As he was about to leave he came into the back to say goodbye. And when you hugged…his hand went to your lower back..."

"And his hand started to glow," Liz finished softly.

Jeff nodded jerkily. "I was coming out of the kitchen and I…I told myself it had to be the light. I couldn't have actually seen his hand glow because…it's not possible. But…"

Nancy was staring at her husband expectantly. "But what, Jeff?" she demanded.

"There was another time, Liz. That same year, on Christmas Eve. You had everyone over for dessert after the service and there were pies in the oven."

Liz nodded slowly. "I burned my hand," she recalled. "From my thumb to my wrist. You saw him heal it?"

"I don't know what I saw," he whispered. "He took your hand and held it in his, and when you came out with the pies a few minutes later your hand was completely fine. It wasn't possible…" He trailed off. "So that's what he did. He healed you."

Nancy was still staring dumbstruck at him. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?" she demanded harshly. "This has been going on for years and you couldn't mention it to me?"

"What was I supposed to say, Nancy?" Jeff asked tiredly. "I couldn't believe what I saw with my own eyes, how was I supposed to explain it to you?"

"Why didn't you talk to Liz?" she countered.

Liz was wondering the same thing herself. If her father had suspicions…well, she'd never suspected it. How could he have been quiet about it for so long?

"I don't know," Jeff admitted finally. "I guess…I trusted you to tell us about it, eventually." He paused. "And seeing Max take care of you mattered more. Something seemed strange, but…I knew you were safe with him." Another pause. "You are safe with him, aren't you?"

Liz hesitated a moment before answering. "I am," she said slowly. "But it…it hasn't always been that way."

Nancy looked at Liz sharply. "He's put you in danger?"

"Mom." Liz took a shaky breath. "Yes, we've been in danger before. But Max…he would never let anything happen to me. He's…he's saved my life."

Jeff and Nancy stared at her blankly.

"That day when…the gun went off downstairs." She paused, watching her parents nod slowly. "That's the day I learned about Max. Because I…I was shot. I was dying and…Max healed me. He brought me back to life."

*****

"His protector?" Max repeated, not bothering to mask his surprise. "Do you mean…like Langley was ours?"

"It is similar, yes."

Max's eyes narrowed as he thought about this. "But Langley…he hated me. He didn't want anything to do with me at all and-"

"Langley did not hate you," Hetrin corrected matter-of-factly. "He hated his alien side. Hated it what he once was and what he was programmed to remain."

Max thought about this. "And you…do you hate it, too?"

"It is all I have ever known," the young man answered, his hazel eyes intense even in the dim light of the room. "At least in this world. On Antar I was to protect the heir to the throne once Zan and his bride returned. When the child was conceived on earth, I was sent here."

"You were sent to protect him even though he's half human?" Max questioned, puzzled. "He's still considered heir?"

"You are his father," Hetrin pointed out. "It matters not who his mother is."

The wheels in Max's head were spinning furiously as he sorted this new information. "So…the child Tess was pregnant with didn't survive," he surmised somberly. "By the time she left it was too late."

"Tess was never with child."

"What are you talking about?" Max demanded. "The baby was sick, I saw him. He couldn't survive in this atmosphere and that's why…" He trailed off, swallowing hard as Hetrin slowly shook his head.

"I would have known, Max," he explained. "You and Tess never mated."

All the air rushed out of Max's lungs in a low whoosh as he felt the room around him begin to spin. Never with child…never mated…

Isabel and Michael appeared in the doorway then, their stomachs full and content after exploring the small kitchen area. "Max?" Isabel stared at her brother as he wheezed on the couch, face buried in his hands. "Oh my God, what happened?"

Michael moved forward, taking Max by the shoulders. "Maxwell," he said sharply, giving his friend a firm shake.

Max's eyes fluttered open, a stunning combination of anger, grief, and disbelief. "It was a mindwarp," he breathed.

"What was a mindwarp?" Isabel demanded anxiously, sinking to her knees beside Michael. Just the word made her blood run cold.

"All of it," he gasped brokenly. "God, she lied."

"Who lied, Max? Tess?" Isabel stared into her brother's face, already knowing the answer. "We already know she lied-"

"About everything," he whispered. "There was no baby."

"She mindwarped you into thinking she was pregnant?" Isabel breathed, dumbfounded. "When you connected with him and saw he was sick-"

"A mindwarp." Max slumped back against the sofa. "We were never even…together. All this time I-"

"Wait, you guys never did it?" Michael interrupted bluntly. "What was with all the knowledge on alien sex?"

Max shrugged helplessly, glancing over at Hetrin.

"Why do you look to me?" Hetrin asked bemusedly.

"I - I'm just trying to understand," Max stammered. "I mean, I remember it." He paused. "Most of it. I remember waking up afterward and feeling…just sick. I hated myself…" He trailed off. "How could I have imagined it? Why would I have imagined it?"

"You saw what Tess wanted you to see, Max," Hetrin explained, his tone a notch gentler than normal. "That is what a mindwarp is. She needed you to see it."

"So we would all go back to Antar for the public execution Nasedo so conveniently neglected to mention," Michael scoffed, nodding at the others.

"This was not Nasedo's doing." Hetrin glanced around at the three confused faces. "Nasedo did not make any deal with Khivar. He was your protector."

"Yeah, that's what we thought too," Michael muttered. "Turns out he was a lying traitor just like Tess."

"Nasedo made no deal," Hetrin repeated.

Michael's eyes narrowed. "Listen, why the hell are you defending him?" he demanded.

"Because your anger is directed in the wrong place," he answered calmly. "Not even Tess is completely to blame."

"Are you kidding me?" Isabel burst out, getting to her feet. "She murdered Alex Whitman! Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but it matters to me…to us." She glared at Hetrin, her eyes flashing.

The young man was unfazed. "Nicholas mind raped her."

"What?" Michael blanched.

"Do you remember the summit, Max?" Hetrin turned to him. "It has been nearly seven years…"

"Of course I remember the summit," Max mumbled. "Nicholas wanted control of the granolith and Rath and Lonnie tried to kill me."

Hetrin nodded gravely. "They also took Tess."

Max exhaled. "Right. When I found her she was disoriented," he said slowly. "She…she said they tried to get into her head and…she fought back but she - she didn't remember what happened after that."

"I thought we decided she killed them." Isabel spoke up impatiently. "We never heard from them again, and they obviously didn't find out where the granolith was."

"But Nicholas did."

The three stared at Hetrin with various expressions of wariness.

"It makes sense," Michael sighed finally. "Nicholas tried to do the same thing to Courtney."

"But he didn't get the information from Courtney, did he," Isabel pointed out.

"Courtney did not have three aliens trying to get into her head," Hetrin answered calmly. "You are correct, Isabel. She did kill Rath and Lonnie. But Nicholas…he wanted it more. And he now had to somehow avenge Vilandra's death."

"For Khivar," Isabel whispered.

"And for Nicholas himself," Hetrin informed them. "He was Khivar's right hand, and he apparently thought this entitled him to Khivar's women as well."

Isabel shuddered. "God, I didn't want to believe him," she groaned.

Max glanced sharply at his sister. "You knew about it?"

"I - I just thought he was trying to break me," Isabel confessed softly. "I don't remember anything about it. Not - not like I eventually did with Khivar."

Hetrin nodded. "But Lonnie did."

Michael glanced over at Isabel, recognizing how uncomfortable the conversation was making her. "So…Nicholas found out where the granolith was," he spoke up gruffly. "What does it matter? It was still Tess who used it."

"This is true," Hetrin agreed. "But when Tess used it…I do not know how to word this to make you understand." He paused for a moment. "Tess was not…in her right mind," he continued slowly. "She was never quite right again after the summit."

"No shit," Michael scoffed. "She had Alex in a mind warp for two months and obviously fucked with the rest of us once or twice."

But Max looked thoughtful. "So you're saying Nicholas did more than just mind rape her to find the granolith."

"He was desperate to get home," Hetrin sighed. "He was alone, trapped in a child's body. Tess became his pawn. She had what he wanted, and he had leverage."

"Leverage?" Max repeated suspiciously.

"Tess may have remembered more about your life on Antar than the rest of you, but there were certain areas that…well, she may have chosen to forget."

"Such as?" he demanded.

Hetrin gazed at him evenly. "Vilandra was not the only member of the royal four involved with Khivar."

A thank you, of course, to everyone who voted in the Fan Fic Awards. This story was runner-up in the Best Musical Use category - thanks!


26

Max allowed Hetrin's words to sink in for a few moments before responding. "So Tess…she had an affair with Khivar," he surmised quietly.

Hetrin nodded solemnly. "It began just before your engagement," he explained. "Khivar got word of it not long before the announcement, and Tess - Ava - fell right into his trap."

"She was a traitor even in our former life." Max didn't think he could possibly feel more betrayed than he already did. Amazing.

"You began to suspect something in the weeks prior to the wedding," Hetrin was continuing, his voice knowing, as if it had all happened yesterday and not in another lifetime. "By then the unrest on Antar was spinning out of control. It came to a head the night of the ceremony. Tess had expected a final fling with Khivar, but instead she discovered him with Vilandra."

"Oh god," Isabel breathed, burying her face in her hands.

"Khivar's hands were tied," Hetrin continued as if Isabel hadn't spoken. "If Ava told Zan about his relationship with Vilandra, Khivar's plans to overthrow the throne would be jeopardized. And if Vilandra exposed Ava, she would never be queen. Vilandra was his true love, but he would take the throne however he could get it. His options were fading before his very eyes, and he acted quickly…rashly. It was the night the war began."

"The night of the wedding," Max clarified.

"There was never a ceremony," Hetrin revealed. "Ava was put into hiding that very night. Vilandra a few days later." He paused, looking at each one of the hybrids as they stared back at him. "It didn't take long for Khivar to find Vilandra." He sighed. "That was the night the Royal Four died."

Isabel bowed her head in shame. "Max and Michael were trying to protect me, weren't they?" she whispered. "Only I…I didn't want to be protected."

In one of his rare shows of tenderness, Michael wound his arm around Isabel and kissed the top of her head. "It wasn't you, Isabel. It was Vilandra. You can't take the blame for something that happened in another lifetime."

"But we want to blame Tess, don't we?" Isabel pointed out with a sniffle.

"Yeah, well, she was an evil bitch in both lives."

"What Tess and Ava had in common was their weakness," Hetrin corrected. "She was too weak to fight off Khivar's advances. Here, she unknowingly gave herself over to Nicholas."

"When he mind raped her," Max sighed.

"He wanted to go home," Nicholas reminded. "To him, Tess was nothing but a common whore. But she could get him to Antar. When he realized she had the book, the rest was simple. All he needed was the translation. And with Tess's ability to mindwarp, he could get that too."

"So he…what, he hypnotized her?" Isabel was struggling to understand what the young man was telling them.

"Once Nicholas mindrapes you, you are his. Forever."

Isabel shivered. God, it could have been her…

"So why didn't he just take her and leave? Why kill Alex? Why pretend she was pregnant?" Michael demanded.

"Your friend's brain was not equipped to handle the strain of a continuous mindwarp," Hetrin explained. "The human mind simply cannot sustain it. As a hybrid, Tess suffered the same fate at Nicholas's hands. Only her deterioration was much…slower." He paused, allowing this to sink in. "As for the pregnancy…it was insurance. She needed you to go, Max, so that you could be married and she would officially become queen. With Lonnie dead and Isabel refusing contact with her Antarian side, Tess was Khivar's only chance to legitimize the crown. Once Zan was dead, the position was his for the taking."

Max shook his head. "Zan's people would never allow it," he said tightly.

"What choice would they have had?" Hetrin's tone was matter-of-fact, not challenging.

"Either way it sounds like an ugly place to be," Michael muttered, realizing once again how fortunate he was to have stayed here, on earth. How he could have ever thought otherwise was beyond him these days.

"What happened when she arrived without me?" Max asked then. "And without an heir?"

"Khivar wanted nothing to do with her," Hetrin answered simply. "He would have had her killed for her failure had she not escaped when she did. When she returned she found herself here. Nicholas was waiting for her."

Isabel instinctively shuddered again. Just the thought was terrifying.

"He was furious, of course. With Tess back and the granolith gone, he was back where he started. It was clear Khivar wasn't interested in helping him back to Antar, which is what he counted on. So he began to plot another way to get home."

Max's heart plummeted. He had a feeling, suddenly, that he knew exactly what - and who - that plot had involved.

*****

"Okay, so what did they say?"

Liz scooped a bite of Rocky Road into her mouth and swallowed before answering. "Naturally they were both a little stunned to find out I actually got shot," she said. "They asked if I was scared and I said no, because I knew instantly I could trust him. I mean, I was freaked out until I began to understand and then…the only thing I could really be was grateful."

Maria nodded thoughtfully, pulling her spoon out of her mouth. "And how did your parents like that?"

Shrugging a little, Liz reached into the carton. "I think my mom is still a little dazed and confused by the whole thing. And Dad…it's going to take a little time for him to realize that he wasn't just seeing things all this time. You know?"

"So there were no major freak outs?"

She considered this. "Nope. Not really."

"Hm." Maria nodded again. "I'm not too surprised."

Liz stared at her friend as Maria adjusted the baby dozing on her shoulder. "You're not?"

She shrugged, brushing her lips over her daughter's head as the newborn whimpered in her sleep. "How could they be anything but grateful to Max?" she pointed out. "He saved your life, Liz. He's done whatever he can to protect you ever since. I mean, I may have only been a parent for a few days, but that's kind of important." She shifted the baby into her arms as Ana's whimpers grew steadily louder and murmured softly to her.

I can't meet
Losing sleep over this
No I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing

"I - I know it's important," Liz agreed quietly. "And maybe it's just because I was expecting a lot worse than this." She paused. "I just…I kind of feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," she admitted.

"Of course you do," Maria sympathized. "Your parents will still have a lot of questions, especially for Max when he comes home. And I know that's got to feel a little unnerving. But you did what you needed to do, Liz. And you've needed to do this for a long time."

Give me a few hours
I'll have this all sorted out
If my mind would just stop racing

"But Max has no idea -"

"Of course he does," she interrupted knowingly. "He was ready whenever you were, you said that yourself."

Maria was right and Liz knew it. Even so, she couldn't shake her anxiousness. She was so edgy, and the sugar she and Maria were currently consuming probably wasn't helping. Liz sighed, pushing the ice cream carton across the coffee table and got to her feet.

Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening

"Where are you going?" Maria asked, rubbing Ana's back.

"I'm gonna call and check on Hope," Liz said over her shoulder as she padded into the kitchen.

Serena answered on the second ring. "Hey, it's me. Did Hope go to sleep okay for you?"

"Hey Liz. Yeah, we put them down a little while ago," she answered. "We heard giggling for a little bit but Kyle just went back and they're sound asleep."

"Great." Liz twisted the phone cord around her finger. "Did she give you a hard time about brushing her teeth?"

"No, why?"

"Max usually helps her with that," Liz explained with a faint smile. "Hope likes him to make the toothbrush glow so she can see what she's doing better."

Serena chuckled. "What a dad."

"Yeah…" Liz trailed off, gazing out the kitchen window into the dark night. "Listen, if she has any trouble during the night just call me here at Maria's. I'm helping her out with the babies but I'll come get Hope if she needs me."

"No problem. I'm sure she'll be fine, Liz."

"I know." She paused for a moment. "Thanks again, Serena. I'll see you guys in the morning." She'll be fine, Liz repeated to herself as she hung up the phone. She'll be fine.

This is over my head but underneath my feet
Cause by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat
And everything will be back to the way that it was
I wish that it was just that easy

"How's Hope?" Maria asked, glancing up at Liz as she attempted to nurse a fussing Ana. "Doing better than this one, I assume?"

"She'll be fine," Liz found herself assuring as she sank down on the couch beside her friend. "You're not going to make any of this easy for your Mommy, are you, sweetie?" she murmured, reaching over and stroking the baby's tiny foot.

Maria sighed as Eli chimed in from his bassinet with fussing of his own, and Liz leaned up to kiss her forehead. "I'll try to keep him occupied til you're ready for him," she said, getting up to retrieve him.

Liz reached into the bassinet and lifted Eli, his tiny arms and legs quivering as he wailed. "Shh," she soothed, settling him against her shoulder and rubbing his back. "I guess you guys have yet to learn about that concept of taking turns, huh?"

"Michael made a commendable effort," Maria informed her wryly, eyes fixed on her daughter.

"He needs a new diaper," Liz noted, laying Eli on a blanket on the couch. "That's something we won't make you wait for, little guy."

"Careful when you take off the old one," Maria warned, glancing up this time. "He looks innocent, but he hasn't quite mastered his aim yet."

Liz giggled. "Nice."

"I'm serious," Maria answered with mock indignation. "You never experienced the joy of having a boy and being squirted in the face-" She froze, watching as the smile faded from her friend's face. "Oh…Liz…I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Maria, it's fine," Liz sighed, unsnapping Eli's sleeper and carefully unfastening the diaper. "And besides, you know, Max's son is six. I won't have to worry about it." She glanced up and gave her friend a wink before sobering again. "I wish I knew what to call him," she admitted quietly.

Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Been waiting for tomorrow
I'm somewhere in between
What is real and just a dream

"'Max's Son' could be a bit of a mouthful," Maria agreed gently.

Liz managed a faint smile. "It's just hard, you know? Knowing Max is just…out there somewhere." She paused. "Of course you know. God, Maria, I'm sorry about Michael-"

"Girl, would you stop that?" Maria demanded. "Quit apologizing, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But if Max hadn't-"

"Liz," Maria interrupted her. "If you didn't want Max to go, why did you say you were okay with it?"

Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
Don't be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again

The question made Liz pause. "I couldn't tell him I didn't want him to go," she said finally, intently focused on snapping Eli's sleeper. "Maria, it was haunting him. And Hope too, and I just…I couldn't let it keep happening." She glanced up at Maria, her eyes moist. "The last time his son tried to contact him, I was willing to do whatever it took to help find him. Because it was so important to Max…and he was so important to me. I couldn't not support him this time, Maria. I couldn't tell him not to bring his child to Roswell. I - I want him to. I want him to stop torturing himself about it. I want him to be happy."

I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this

"But what about you, Liz?" Maria countered softly. "I want you to be happy."

Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening

Liz nodded hastily, scooping Eli into her arms. "I will be. I will, I just…I wish I knew what to expect." She paused for a long moment, chewing on her lower lip. "Maria, Max and I talked about having another baby. A couple of weeks ago, right before the twins were born and after Kyle and Serena told us they were having a baby-"

"God, Liz, you aren't pregnant are you?" Maria interrupted, eyes wide.

"No!" Eli startled in Liz's arms and she murmured softly to him for a moment before continuing. "No, that's just it. We both agreed now wouldn't be a good time. We're at such a good place right now, at home and at work and we're just…enjoying being the three of us. And I mean…we're 23. We've still got so much time…"

"You've had to grow up a lot the past few years as it is," Maria agreed gently, lifting Ana against her shoulder to burp.

Liz cradled Eli close, sifting her fingers through his long, downy hair. "I grew up the day Max healed me."

Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Been waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
What is real and just a dream…

Maria was quiet for a long moment. "So all this kind of changes things," she concurred. She knew she wasn't giving Liz any answers. Liz wasn't expecting that. What she needed was someone to listen. And contrary to what Michael might say, Maria could do that.

Unfortunately, at that moment both twins began to wail plaintively, one from hunger and one from discomfort. "I hate to trade," Maria said apologetically as Liz moved to switch babies.

"It's okay," Liz shrugged as she traded one crying baby for another. "I doubt I'd be doing much sleeping tonight anyway."

*****

"What did she call him?"

Hetrin glanced up at the hushed question. Max's body was tense, as if he somehow dreaded the answer. "Call him?" Hetrin repeated.

"His name," Max clarified. It was just the three of them now, Max, Hetrin and the sleeping child. "What name did she give him?"

"His name is Gabriel," Hetrin answered simply.

Max studied him, his brow furrowed. "But…that's the name Liz and I gave him."

"Yes."

Feeling his frustration boil to the surface once again, Max took a deep breath. "Are you telling me he knows his name is Gabriel?"

"He responds primarily to Gabe, but yes. He knows his name," Hetrin answered. His tone was infallibly calm, cool, as if he had no idea how frustrated Max was by his responses.

Because he didn't, Max realized with a jolt. Hetrin was simply answering his questions, no matter how confusing or frustrating the answers might be. And he had to know how confused and frusterated Max was…

"So…" Max began, willing himself to remain calm. He wanted answers, and this man - his son's protector - was the only one who could give them to him. "So she called him Gabriel," he repeated, deciding to start with his name. It was simple, yet so completely complex at the same time. "Do you know why?"

"It was his name before he was born," Hetrin told him. "He already knew. Tess had no reason to change it."

Max let out a long breath, trying to wrap his mind around it all as he stared down at his son. He had so many more questions, an infinite number of them, and he hardly knew where to begin.

"Maxwell?" Michael appeared from the hall then. "Let’s give it a rest for the night, okay? We all need it."

Hetrin rose to his feet and stretched. "You are right, Michael. There will be plenty of time for questions tomorrow. I assume you have found the sleeping quarters?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess," Michael shrugged.

"All right then. Goodnight, Michael. Max." He nodded to both of them in turn, and then without another word headed toward the chamber.

Max stared after him, shaking his head. This young man baffled him. His gaze turned to where his son continued to sleep, having been completely oblivious to the past several hours. With a slight tremble in his hands, he reached down and carefully lifted the little boy into his arms. He sighed in his sleep, settling peacefully against his father's chest.

His heart thudded with joy at the warm weight of his son, of Gabriel, in his arms. Where he belonged.

Max moved slowly down the dark, narrow hall, cradling his sleeping son close as Michael led him into a back room.

"I guess we're sleeping in here tonight," Michael spoke up quietly. "One of the beds must be his, and I told Isabel to take the other one."

"I hope that's okay." Isabel appeared in the doorway behind them in her pajamas. "I think the other room was Tess's , and I just…"

Max nodded, crossing to the bed in the dim light provided by a lamp on a single table. The room was nearly barren, save for the two twin beds and table. Nothing like he would have imagined for a four year old. He was reminded of what Hetrin said, that they hadn't been here for long. Only since Tess had grown too weak to care for him on her own in the past few months. "It's fine, Iz," he assured. "I'll sleep on the floor. Michael, you can take the couch if you want."

He shook his head a little, running his hand through his hair. "Nah, I'll stay here."

Max nodded silently, understanding what his friend didn't need to say aloud. They didn't want to be out of one another's sight. Not tonight, not in such a strange place.

"Anyway…I'm gonna take a shower, I guess," he mumbled, reaching for his bag and slinging it over his shoulder as he headed for the bathroom.

"He's still sleeping?" Isabel asked, watching as her brother carefully lay his child in the bed and crouched down beside it.

"Yeah." Max glanced up for a moment. "Hetrin said he'll sleep through the night." His eyes fell back to his son as he reached out and tenderly brushed the little boy's thick, dark hair off his forehead. "He said this is the longest he's slept in weeks. Since Tess died…"

Isabel crossed the room to stand beside her brother, one hand resting on his back. "He's beautiful, Max," she murmured, gazing down at her nephew. "God, he looks like you."

"He looks like Liz," Max corrected softly. "When we connected and he - he looked at me…he has her eyes, Isabel."

Isabel heard the hitch in her brother's voice and sank to her knees next to him. "You've been thinking about her all night," she observed. Of course he had.

"This is killing me, Iz," he whispered hoarsely. "I'm sitting here staring at our son and she…she has no idea. He's alive and she doesn't know."

"But she will, Max," she reminded softly. "By this time tomorrow we'll be on our way home."

Max exhaled deeply, raking his fingers through his hair. "I can't just walk in with him and say 'surprise,'" he pointed out, his voice tight with emotion. "I can't do that to her."

"What do you want to do, Max?" Isabel asked gently, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "What can you do?"

He gazed up at her, his golden eyes luminous. "I need you to help me, Iz," he whispered. "I need you to dream walk her again."

"Max, I don't-"

"Please, Isabel." His voice dropped even lower. "She has to know."

Isabel swallowed hard, meeting her brother's eyes. "I can't be the one to tell her, Max," she sighed. "I can't. She needs to hear it from you, to be with you."

"Iz." He closed his eyes briefly, and she could see the emotion bobbing in his throat. "I'm begging you."

She could feel her own tears stinging her eyes at the sheer desperation in his voice. "Max, our powers were weakened in the transport. Hetrin already told us that," she reminded.

"I - I know. But I connected with my son. If I connect with you and you try to dream walk Liz…maybe with our powers combined we can reach her."

"You'll go in too?" Isabel asked hesitantly.

"God, I hope so," he sighed, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Isabel was silent for a long moment, gazing at her brother's hunched form beside her. "We'll try it," she said finally, getting to her feet.

"We will?" Max's eyes fairly lit up watching Isabel as she moved to the other twin bed.

"Do you have a picture of her?" Isabel sat down at the edge of the bed, closing her eyes and taking a series of deep breaths.

Max climbed to his feet as well, fumbling in his back pocket for his wallet. He flipped it open, pulling out a small photograph and staring down at it. Liz and Hope both grinned back at him from the shot he'd taken this past Mother's Day. It astounded him how much could change in just over a month.

He crossed slowly to the bed and sank down beside his sister. She reached for his hand and took the small photo, leaving their fingers linked so Max could open the connection.

Though weak at first, their energy slowly began to weave together and reached across their collective consciousness. Isabel pressed her fingers against the image of her sister-in-law's smiling face. She struggled to find her, could feel Max straining, reaching for Liz beside her. His frustration was palpable between them…the connection was strong enough to touch her, but…not…quite…enough to join her. It was as if, when he reached, he could brush her fingertips…but he couldn't grasp her hand.

Isabel's brows furrowed in concentration, knowing that Liz wasn't asleep. She knew it would make their attempt that much harder, but Max clearly wasn't abandoning the effort.

There was a flicker of interference then, and for a moment Isabel thought they'd done it. She was in a dream, she realized, but not Liz's. She instinctively drew away, but Max held fast. Isabel realized quickly what her brother was doing. She removed herself as much as she could without breaking the already weak connection, giving Max what few precious moments he could manage.

Finally the connection waned, fading away until Max and Isabel were once again alone at the edge of the bed. Max sucked in a deep breath, glancing up at his sister. "Thank you," he whispered.

*****

Hope awakened with a start. The little girl blinked in the darkness a few times, her chubby fists clutching her worn stuffed duck. She sat up in her purple sleeping bag and gazed around drowsily, hearing nothing but the light snoring from Jaycee in the sleeping bag beside her.

Daddy was gone, but he told her wouldn't be able to stay. She settled back into the warmth of her sleeping bag, nuzzling into Gucky's fuzzy yellow body. She closed her eyes, remembering what Daddy said.

He would come back soon. Her angel was bringing him home.


*lyrics by Lifehouse, Somewhere in Between

27

Liz started at the sound of rapping on the front door. She blinked her eyes sleepily, noting the tiny baby curled up on her chest as she lay sprawled on the Guerin's couch. Her gaze focused through the morning sunlight spilling across the living room to see Maria slumped in the recliner.

"Why is someone at the door?" she mumbled plaintively, struggling to her feet and glancing into the basinet, relived to see her son sleeping soundly.

Liz yawned and shrugged mutely, leaning her head back against the cushions. She couldn't believe it was daylight already; they couldn't have been asleep more than an hour. A quick glance at her watch, however, told her differently. "8:30, huh?" she said aloud, stroking her fingers through Ana's soft hair. "What do you know, Maria, four hours plus."

Maria grunted, shuffling toward the front door with plans to tell off whoever had dared to come knocking.

Kyle cringed at the sight of Maria, hair matted about her face, skin pale in a stark contrast to the dark circles bruising her under eyes. She looked like death warmed over, and Kyle had a sneaking suspicion Michael might be facing an at-home castration upon his return.

"Did we, uh, wake you?" he asked meekly as Hope and Jaycee scampered onto the porch and past him into the house.

Maria grunted again in response, ushering her step-brother inside and collapsing into the recliner once again.

"Hi Momma!" Hope chirped, waving a fast food bag in the air.

Liz pressed a finger to her lips before pulling her daughter close with one arm.

"Hi baby," Hope continued in a whisper. "Lookit. Uncle Kyle gotted us McDonald's for bre-fast. We got pancake and hashed brownds and-"

"Lucky girl," Liz replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster before kissing Hope's temple. "Why don't you and Jaycee take your breakfast into the kitchen, okay?"

Hope nodded agreeably and followed her friend into the kitchen, leaving the three adults and two newborns in the battered living room.

"Thanks for watching Hope last night," Liz spoke up, stifling a yawn. "And for breakfast. I appreciate it."

"No problem." Kyle set Hope's overnight bag on the carpet beside one of the basinets. "I should have picked something up at the drive-thru for you guys too-"

Maria waved him off, her eyes drifting open. "S'no problem. My mom's packed enough in the fridge to last a month."

"Has she been over to help or is she…you know…" Kyle asked, picking his way over to an empty armchair and settling himself there.

"Mostly…you know." Maria rolled her eyes. "I mean, she's been here every day to help out, but we mostly avoid the Michael topic. It's helped keep the peace." She shrugged. "I'll take what I can get in that department," Maria sighed, getting to her feet when Ana began to fuss in Liz's arms. No sooner had she crossed the room when Eli's answering cries came from his basinet.

"I can get him," Kyle offered, noting that Liz wasted no time curling up at the end of the sofa. He smiled, carefully lifting the newborn into his arms. "Looks like you wore the girls out, huh?"

"Oh, he's not the half of it," Maria assured, cradling her daughter close and adjusting a baby blanket so she could nurse without making Kyle uncomfortable.

She needed have worried. Kyle was absorbed in the tiny baby that peered up at him intently as he settled down. He would be holding his own son - or daughter - in less than seven months. The thought both exhilarated and petrified him. He couldn't imagine a person as tiny as this depending on him for everything.
When Jaycee first came into his life she was almost four years old - she could walk and talk and go to the bathroom and feed herself and let him know what she needed or what hurt. But with a baby, it was anyone's guess.

Before he could get too carried away with this prospect, Liz's voice interrupted. "You never did say how things went yesterday," she spoke up, chin propped on the sofa's armrest.

Kyle cast a glance in the direction of the kitchen, where he could hear the murmur of the girls' chatter. "They…went," he shrugged noncommittally. "I'll tell you more about it later when little ears aren't nearby."

"I hope that doesn't include these two." Maria nodded at her twins. "I have to stay caught up on all the gossip somehow."

Liz snorted a little, not even flinching at the sofa cushion Maria tossed at her.

"Let's just say it didn't go quite as well as we'd hoped," Kyle answered vaguely, brushing his finger over Eli's tiny hand and managing a smile when the baby grasped it in his fist. "This kid's got a grip, huh?"

"I can't wait till he gets teeth," Maria grimaced, adjusting her nursing daughter.

Liz patted her friend's knee in sympathy, but she continued to study Kyle with curiosity. "Was it the lawyer?" she pressed. "I thought Jesse said he was a good guy."

"No, he is," Kyle clarified. "It's not that at all, it's-"

"Kyle, they didn't give us enough syrup for our pancakes." Jaycee appeared in the doorway, hands planted on her hips.

"McDonald's syrup." Maria made a face. "There's a big bottle of quality maple syrup in the fridge, kiddo."

"I'll find it." Kyle got to his feet with Eli and followed Jaycee into the kitchen, knowing she had no idea what they'd been talking about but feeling anxious just the same.

*****

Max suspected he might find them here, and he was right. When he awoke the next morning, mind already launched into overdrive, the most persistent of all his thoughts was his hunger. And when he discovered himself in the empty bedroom, he made his way to the kitchen in search of them.

Isabel glanced up from where she sat at the small table, feeling her brother's presence in the doorway. She offered him a smile before glancing across the table at the little boy seated there.

"Hungry?" she asked. "Gabe showed me where the toaster was. I made a few extra slices."

"Sure," he answered thickly as the dark haired child glanced up from his plate. "Good morning, Gabe."

Gabriel blinked several times, his expression void of anything resembling emotion as he studied Max.

With a nervous smile, Max took a seat at the table beside him. His son didn't react, rather turned back to his breakfast indifferently.

Max tried not to be bothered by this brush off. "Has he - has he said anything to you?" he quietly asked Isabel, not wanting to talk about the child as if he wasn't right next to him.

She shook her head, brushing the crumbs from her hands onto her plate. "He communicates in other ways, though."

And just like that, Gabriel picked up the other half of his toast from his plate and offered it to Max.

"Is - is this for me?" Max asked, profoundly moved by such an unbelievably simple gesture. It was a piece of bread, and yet Max found himself fighting tears.

The child nodded, his wide, dark eyes no less serious than they had been a moment ago.

"Thank you," Max whispered. "As he accepted the toast from his son, his fingers brushed against Gabriel's. The brief contact sent a flash of images to Max's brain.

Just as Max had sat over him a good portion of the night, so too had Gabriel. While Max finally succumbed to a few hours of sleep, Gabriel had studied him intently, quietly observing him while he slept. He felt the surge of love from the little boy, an overwhelming rush of curiosity and trust.

When Max glanced up again, his throat clogged with emotion, he found his sister giving him a knowing smile. "Looks like she taught him how to share, huh?"

"Yeah," Max managed. "I guess so." He cast another glance at Gabriel, who had since returned to his breakfast, before clearing his throat. "So…where's Michael?"

"He said he was going to talk with Hetrin. You know, about when we can leave for home."

"He's anxious," Max acknowledged. Of course he was, and Max was too. The anticipation had been making him crazy since the moment he laid eyes on Gabriel. He wanted nothing more than to leave this strange place and take their son home to his mother.

"Hetrin said today," Isabel shrugged. "Michael won't take no for an answer."

"Neither will I," Max answered firmly.

*****

"What do you mean?" Michael's voice boomed through the living area, his eyes flashing as he stared down the other young man. "I won't take no for answer!"

28

“So it’s been a while.”

Liz leaned back against the park bench and turned to Serena sitting beside her. “It has.” She closed her eyes, tilting her head up into the warm June sunshine. The sounds of children on the playground filled her ears, and somewhere in the mix she could hear the high pitched giggle of her daughter.

Serena settled back as well, stretching her legs out in front of her. “I kind of feel like I’m missing out on a lot. You know, trying to get shifts in while I’m still swift on my feet.”

Cracking an eye open, Liz smiled a little. “Enjoy that while it lasts.”

“What, missing out on a lot or being on my feet?”

“Depends on what you get to miss out on.”

Serena leaned over and nudged Liz with her shoulder. “I’m serious. Is there anything I can do before Max gets back?”

“Predict the future and tell me what the hell to expect?” Liz suggested hopefully.

“Sorry, kid,” Serena sighed. “I would if I could. I wouldn’t mind a fortune teller myself right now.”

Liz’s faint smile faded even more. “Why, what’s going on?”

“I’m worried about Jaycee.”

Following Serena’s gaze across the playground, Liz watched Jaycee spin Hope around in a tire swing.

”That won’t make her sick, will it?” Serena questioned.

“No, she’ll be fine.” Liz turned back to her friend. “Because of the baby? I know I might not have any room to talk being an only child, but I’m sure once she gets used to the idea-“

“But it’s not about the baby.” Serena shook her head. “Not directly, anyway.”

Serena looked so perplexed that Liz reached over and touched her hand. “What?”

“She’s been so…secretive the last few days,” Serena continued slowly. “I can’t – I don’t know how to describe it. Just…different. I mean, she’s only seven. I thought I had a few years before I started dealing with that pre-teen drama.”

Liz’s lips curved up sympathetically. “How is she being secretive?”

With a sigh, Serena kicked off one sandal and sifted her toes though the hot sand. “She’s been spending so much time in her room. Kyle said she headed straight there after gymnastics yesterday and only came out for dinner. She barely ate, and she was asleep by the time I got home.”

“Okay, but I don’t think there’s anything horribly unusual about that,” Liz offered gently.

“I think she knows we’re trying to find Mark.”

“Jaycee’s father.”

Serena nodded in confirmation. “I don’t know how, but that’s when all this weird behavior started.”

Liz considered this. “Has she asked about him?”

“Not for a long time. A couple days before Kyle and I got married,” Serena recalled. “I think she was still trying to grasp the concept that he would be her father.”

“Right, but she’d been calling him Daddy for months,” Liz pointed out.

“But the whole idea, you know, of having a father was kind of a mystery to her,” Serena sighed. “I always felt bad that I couldn’t tell her more about Mark. God, Liz, I don’t even have a picture to show her.”

Liz squeezed her friend’s hand. “So what makes you think she knows you’re trying to find him now?”

“Paranoia, I guess,” Serena admitted, managing a chuckle. “I want to tell her, but I think that would confuse her even more. We’re looking for her biological father so Kyle can become her legal father?” She shook her head. “If I hadn’t put Mark’s name on her birth certificate…God, none of this would be a problem.”

“You didn’t know he wouldn’t come back,” Liz reminded gently. “You did what you thought was best for-“

A piercing scream cut Liz off. It only took a split second to register that it came from Hope. Sure enough, she lay sprawled on her back in the sand with Jaycee hovered over her.

Liz took off across the playground with Serena just behind her. Jaycee was already helping the little girl sit up as Liz crouched down in the sand beside them.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” Liz soothed, scooping a hiccupping Hope into her lap. “Did you fall down?”

“I’m sorry,” Jaycee apologized quickly. “I was pushing her too fast and she fell-“

Liz nodded over Hope’s head. “It’s all right, kiddo,” she said. “You’ll be fine, won’t you Hopie?”

Now Hope nodded against Liz. “Jaycee made me…awl better,” she managed between lingering sobs. “I couldn’t…breathe and she…helped me.”

“She must have gotten the wind knocked out of her,” Serena said, rubbing a hand down Hope’s back. “Did you hurt yourself anywhere else, sweetie?”

“Nu-uh. I checked,” Jaycee spoke up, chewing her fingernail nervously.

“Good girl.” Serena smoothed her hand over her daughter’s hair, noticing her anxious behavior. “Hope’s fine, Jay,” she assured. “Next time we’ll know to be a little more careful on the swings, huh?”

Jaycee nodded emphatically, but Liz saw how uncertain she looked. “I know what will make everybody feel better,” she announced. “A spaceship sundae at the Crashdown.”

“We gon’ go see Gramma Nan and Grampa Jeff?” Hope sniffled, brightening considerably.

Liz chuckled. “And maybe get some of this sand out of your hair.”

*****

“…and one day, the frog was called away on a journey. A journey that was ridiculous and unnecessary because he was leaving the princess all alone with the new little prince and princess. So instead the princess’ mommy – the Queen – had to cover for the irresponsible frog while he was off doing God knows what God knows where. But when he got home, the Queen had a big, big surprise for him. A big, big knife to cut off his-“

“Mother. I’d appreciate it if you’d stop referring to Michael as a frog in front of his children.”

Amy glanced up from the twins to see Maria in the doorway, rubbing a towel through her damp hair. “It was just a story,” she sniffed, turning her attention back to her grandchildren. “Look at them, they loved it.”

Maria peered into the bassinet. Elijah stared back at her, chewing contentedly on his fist, while Ana dozed beside him.

“At least something puts her to sleep,” Maria sighed. “God knows I can’t.”

“You’re doing just fine, honey,” Amy assured, rising to her feet and wrapping her arm around Maria. “I’m so proud of you, doing this all on your own.”

“Mother,” Maria groaned. “I’m not ‘all on my own.’ Michael is coming home tomorrow.”

“Do you know that for sure?” Amy demanded. “Has he called once to check on you and the babies?”

“He told me he wouldn’t be able to,” Maria reminded. “They can’t make any contact-“

“Why?”

Maria gritted her teeth. “I think we’ve been over this, what, two hundred times?”

“I come bearing diapers!” Jim announced, nudging the screen door open with his foot and holding up a package of Pampers in each hand. “A week’s worth, at least.”

“Four days max,” Maria answered flatly.

Jim set the diapers down and glanced from his wife to his stepdaughter. “Did I miss something?” he wondered, taking in their sour faces.

“Nothing important,” Amy answered mildly, planting a kiss on Jim’s cheek. “Thank you for picking those up.”

“Thanks, Jim,” Maria echoed, lifting her son up to her shoulder and rubbing his back. “It won’t be long till he makes good use of them.”

Jim smiled broadly and held his arms out. “Let me see my boy.” His grin broadened as Elijah snuggled against him, gazing up with big hazel eyes. “What were these two arguing about now, huh? Have you already learned to tune them out?”

Amy swatted her husband lightly on the shoulder. “Funny, Jim.”

“You started it, Mom,” Maria reminded tersely. “Why don’t you tell Jim about your story time with the twins?”

Jim arched an eyebrow.

“She’s slandering my husband! Again,” Maria continued.

“Slandering?” Amy snorted. “Maria, it’s the truth! Michael is being incredibly irresponsible!”

Maria growled in frustration. “Jim, will you explain this to her? She won’t listen to me and she’s being completely unreasonable-"

“I understand that this was an ‘alien mission,’” Amy shot back. “But Michael’s place should be here-"

Jim looked down at Elijah and shook his head. “Here’s another hint. Never take sides with the women in this family. You’ll never win.”

*****

By the time Max made it to the living area, Isabel hot on his heels, Michael already had Hetrin pinned against the wall. “Michael-“ he began harshly.

“This punk just tried to tell me we wouldn’t be leaving today,” Michael seethed, tightening his grip on the young man’s collar. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re trying to pull but I have two babies at home and I will be damned if I don’t get back to them. Do you hear me?”

“Yes.” Hetrin’s reply was calm, as unruffled as he appeared to be by Michael’s hold on him. “This is unnecessary, Michael.”

Michael sneered at him. “I’ll show you unnecessary, you little-“

“Michael!” Max lunged for his friend’s balled fist as he swung back to strike. “Calm down for a second, would you?”

With gritted teeth Michael slowly released the young man and turned to glare at Max. “Goddamn it, Maxwell, I need to go home.” He glanced behind Isabel and caught a glimpse of Gabriel peering around the corner. “We all do.”

“There is nothing to prevent this,” Hetrin informed him matter-of-factly, straightening his collar before continuing. “You may begin the journey home today as planned. It is I who must take care of some matters.”

“What kind of matters?” Max asked in the same breath Michael demanded, “What does that have to do with us?”

Hetrin nodded at the small child, who now stood beside Isabel chewing on his lower lip. “Matters pertaining to Gabriel. Matters that will ensure his protection. All of your protection.”

Max’s eyes followed Hetrin’s to study his son. “You mean – he’s not safe?” he demanded softly, checking the urge to envelop the child in his arms and never open them again. God, of course there was still danger. Shouldn’t he know this by now?

“There is never guaranteed safety on this planet, Max,” Hetrin reminded patiently. “Or on any other.”

With somber resignation, Max nodded. “Come on,” he spoke up finally. “It’s time to go home.”

29

“They’re here.”

Liz glanced up from where she sat huddled on her sofa. “Am I ready for this?” she muttered. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

Maria moved from the window, shifting her daughter in her arms. “As ready as you’ll ever be,” she shrugged matter-of-factly.

Her nerves too rattled to comment on Maria’s vote of confidence, Liz rubbed her palms over her thighs. “Hope is still napping. That’s a good thing, right?” she asked no one in particular. “I think it will be easier this way.” Would anything make it easier?

“Hey.” Maria shifted the baby carrier that held her sleeping son and eased onto the sofa beside her friend. “Hope is going to be just fine. You are going to be just fine. Look at me.” Maria cupped Liz’s chin in her free hand. “You are the strongest woman I know, do you hear me?”

Liz swallowed. “I don’t feel very strong right now,” she confessed hoarsely.

Maria smiled, giving her hand a firm squeeze. “I bet you’ll surprise yourself.”

And then the doorknob turned. Liz sucked in a breath, clutching her best friend’s hand.

Michael appeared first, made a beeline for his wife. Maria let go of Liz, getting to her feet as Michael cupped her face in his hands.

“I missed you,” he sighed, kissing her as his hands drifted to the bundle of blankets in her arms. “Come here, darlin,” he continued, cradling his daughter in one arm and reaching into the baby carrier for his son. “Daddy’s home.” He glanced up at Maria, adding, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Liz continued to hold her breath as Isabel followed Michael. And then Max appeared. A small child was in his arms, face buried in his chest.

She couldn’t help the small exhale of relief. She had expected a towheaded child, curly hair. Liz wasn’t sure how she would have dealt with it, this constant visual reminder. She had the smallest feeling of triumph that Max’s son had his dark hair.

“Liz.” Max’s soft voice broke the silence. His eyes followed hers as she studied the little boy, slowly rose to her feet.

She didn’t notice the tightening of her husband’s jaw, the way his eyes flooded with tears as she gingerly reached out to them. Liz only felt the jolt of energy that rushed through her as her fingertips brushed the child’s back.

He felt it too, she realized in amazement as the little boy suddenly turned to face her.

Liz let out a gasp as his eyes pierced her. Dark, round, soulful eyes. She knew those eyes.

Her eyes.

And then her world went black.

*****

She awoke with a start. Liz stared at the ceiling, wondering why she was lying here on her bed when Max was about to come home. With his son.

“Hey.”

Liz whipped her head around to see Max sitting on the bed beside her, waiting. Watching.

“You’re home,” she breathed, sitting up and burying herself in his arms.

“You fainted,” Max answered, pressing his lips against her forehead and holding her tight. “You’ve been out for a half hour.” He felt her body stiffen. She remembered.

“Who is he?” Liz demanded hoarsely.

Max was quiet for a long moment. “You know who he is, Liz,” he whispered.

“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “N-no, I don’t.”

“He’s our son.” Max swallowed convulsively, continuing over the sob that escaped his wife’s throat. “I know it doesn’t seem possible. I can’t even imagine how confusing-“

“No,” Liz repeated, her wide eyes filled with tears. “I am not confused, Max. Our baby died. It’s been almost four years-“

“We were wrong,” Max whispered, cupping her face in his hands and using the pads of his thumbs to swipe at her tears. “He’s very much alive.”

Liz shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as if she closed them long enough the revelation would go away. “I would have known, Max,” she moaned softly. “I would have felt something-“

“I thought the same thing.” Max threaded his fingers through the hair at her temples, forcing her gaze to his. “I don’t completely understand it all either, but Hetrin said-“

Liz’s eyes darkened. “Who’s that?”

“He’s a friend, Liz, and he’s coming to Roswell in a few days. He’ll help us understand all of it-“

“No!” Liz’s voice rose sharply. “Don’t you see what’s happening? I don’t know what they’re trying to do to you, but you can’t – you can’t believe them. Our baby died, Max. Please – please don’t make me go through it again.”

Max’s heart nearly broke in two at the anguish in his wife’s voice. Her eyes were wild with fear. “I know you felt it,” he whispered, his gaze holding hers and refusing to let go. “When you looked at him you knew.”

Liz’s mouth opened and for a moment Max thought she might try to break away from him, might run. But then the resolve in her face crumpled and she collapsed against him, body wracked with sobs.

Max was silent, unsure of how to soothe her except to hold her. He sat quietly, stroking her hair, rubbing her back, until her sobs began to fade.

“I don’t…understand how this could h-happen,” Liz hiccupped finally. She stared up at Max, her eyes pleading. “Explain to me how our – our son is alive.”

He leaned close to her, nuzzling her tearstained cheeks. “I’m still trying to understand too,” he admitted. “All I’m completely sure of is that he’s ours. And…that he’s been with Tess.” Max flinched, knowing Liz wouldn’t take this news well.

Her reaction surprised him, though. Instead of the blowup he’d expected, the crying and yelling that he himself felt like doing, Liz was silent for a long moment. “I should have known,” she said simply. She turned to face Max again, her eyes shining with tears. “You never had another son.”

“No,” Max whispered. “Liz, I – I’m so sorry. And I want to tell you everything. I want you to know everything I know. But I – Liz, I want you to meet your son.”

She exhaled slowly, the impact of Max’s words settling into her heart. Your son. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” she admitted. She hadn’t yet managed to prepare herself to meet Max’s son with Tess. How was she supposed to meet the child she thought was dead?

“I know you’re scared.” Max reached for her hand, bringing it to his heart. “I was terrified. I just wanted you to be there with me. It killed me that you weren’t there when I saw our son for the first time.” He sighed, kissing her palm. “You won’t be alone. I’ll be right there. Please, Liz…you need to see him.”

Liz’s chin quivered, but she nodded her head and allowed Max to help her to her feet. They walked hand in hand toward the bedroom doorway, and as they reached the end of the hall Liz faltered. She slumped against the wall, sucking in a deep breath.

”You’re okay,” Max reassured gently. “I’m right here.” He guided her further into the living room, where the others sat in silence.

Michael and Maria sat pressed together at the end of the couch, each holding a baby close. Glancing up with red-rimmed eyes, Maria reached over and squeezed Liz’s free hand.

Liz hardly noticed. Her eyes were trained on Isabel, who sat in the armchair with the little boy curled up on her lap.

“Hi Liz,” Isabel said quietly, her own eyes sympathetic as she shifted the child so Max could lift him into his arms.

“How’re you doing, Gabe?” Max murmured. His voice was gentle, the same tone he used when soothing Hope. Liz’s heart swelled with love.

Glancing down at his wife, Max shifted the little boy on his hip. He watched, throat again clogging with tears as mother and son locked eyes.

“Hi,” Liz whispered, managing a shaky smile. She reached out tentatively. She was desperate to touch him.

And he flinched. Her son turned away from her.

Hello stranger indeed.

It seems I've found my way back. I MISSED writing and all of you too! I'm bound and determined to finish both Wherever You Will Go and My Heart is Staying Here. I've started another AU story that I'm hoping to get in postable condition before too long as well - we'll see how that goes!

To the people that have sent PMs over the past year, thanks so much for your kind words. I hope to make this worth sticking around!


30

Max saw the horrified look cross Liz’s face as their son hid away. She looked as if she’d been slapped, her cheeks pink from the sting of rejection.

“Oh – oh God,” she choked out, pressing her hand to her mouth as she stepped back.

“Liz.” Max turned, returning Gabriel to Isabel. “Liz, wait.” He followed her down the hall in time to see her slump against the wall. Her shoulders began to heave as she wept brokenly, oblivious to the door opening beside her.

Hope peered at her mother crumpled on the floor outside her bedroom and her sleepy eyes widened in fear. “Momma?” she bleated, her lower lip beginning to tremble.

Max crouched down beside them both, sweeping Hope into his arms and hugging her fiercely. “I missed you so much,” he breathed into her hair. “You’re such a good girl.”

“Daddy, are home!” Hope announced, her face pressed into his neck as he squeezed her. She pulled back a little, turning toward Liz. “Momma, don’t cry,” she pleaded. “Daddy’s home.”

Max smoothed Hope’s rumpled hair off her forehead. “Mommy’s going to be okay, Peanut,” he sighed. “She’s sad right now.”

Hope’s brows furrowed. She reached out and slid her fingers through Liz’s hair, soothing just as her mommy and daddy did. “Is okay, Momma,” she whispered.

Liz peered though her curtain of hair, heart constricting as the little girl comforted her. That wasn’t her job, she told herself. She had to be strong for her daughter…for her son. Just thinking the words nearly made her dissolve into tears again.

Instead, she pulled Hope into her lap and peppered her small face with kisses. “Thank you, baby,” she sighed. “Momma’s fine.”

Hope stared back at her warily. “Are sure?” she asked, touching the tear tracks staining Liz’s cheeks.

“I am now,” Liz said, her voice stronger than she felt.

Max closed his eyes, pressing his lips to Liz’s forehead. He knew she wasn’t fine, but he understood her need to put on a brave face for her daughter. There was no reason to put off the inevitable.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” Max said after a long moment.

“My new friend.” Hope knew. Max and Liz exchanged a look. Of course she knew.

Liz gathered Hope close and Max helped her to her feet. “That’s right, baby.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “His name is Gabriel.”

Hope nodded knowingly, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck as Max guided them both out to the living room.

Isabel had returned to the armchair with Gabriel, her eyes puffy with tears of her own. Her heart ached for Liz. For her brother…for the overwhelmed little boy in her lap.

The whole room watched, barely breathing, as Max took Gabriel from his sister and slowly approached his wife and daughter.

Liz steeled herself against the wave of nausea that rolled through her body, holding Hope tight and struggling against the dread of a second rejection.

Hope peered curiously at the boy who clung to her father, but she didn’t seem to be jealous. “Hello,” she greeted him cheerfully. “I Hope.”

The little boy appeared startled by her blunt introduction. He ducked his head and regarded her solemnly.

“Aren’t goin to say hi?” Hope prodded. She leaned forward in Liz’s arms, and Max uttered something between a chuckle and a sob as Hope touched her brother’s hand. “Is okay,” she said after a moment. “Are shy like Eban.”

Isabel pressed her fingers to her mouth, a small smile between tears. She glanced over to the sofa. Maria was huddled close to Michael, who looked uncomfortable by the whole situation. He really was struggling with this, Isabel realized.

Max and Liz stood silently in the center of the room, each holding a child and exchanging looks that were a cross between bewilderment and joy. “What do you think, Peanut,” Max spoke up finally. “Should we show Gabriel your room?”

Liz glanced from her daughter to her son, confused by the way Hope suddenly froze. The little girl’s eyes locked with Gabriel’s.

“Peanut?” Max’s brows furrowed, watching the intense way the children stared at one another. “Hope?”

And just as quickly as it happened, Hope’s eyes snapped to her father’s and she smiled. “Yep!”

*****

Michael slid his arm around his wife, watching as their son and daughter snuggled together in their bassinet.

“We missed you,” Maria murmured, resting her head against his chest.

“Not as much as I missed you,” he answered tightly. Maria swore he’d gotten better with words over the years, but he was unsure how to express just how difficult the past couple of days had been.

Maria brushed her fingers over her sleeping daughter’s cheek before reaching for Michael’s hand and leading him out of the nursery.

“Tell me about it,” she requested bluntly as they settled on their bed.

Michael stared at their intertwined fingers, silent for a long moment. “It was just what we saw in the dream,” he said finally.

“But…where, Michael?” Maria gazed up at him, at the way his jaw tightened at her question. “Where were you?”

“Where I knew we would be.” He let out a shuddering breath. “All this time, it was exactly where I knew it would be.”

*****

Kyle hung up the phone, scrubbing his hand over his face. Isabel’s call was like being hit by a truck. He wandered out of the kitchen and down the hall, struggling to wrap his mind around the information.

Serena glanced up from where she sat on the bed, paging through a book of baby names. “What do you think about Gavin for a boy?” she suggested. “I mean, aside from the fact that Gavin Rossdale was like my biggest 90s fantasy, it’s got a nice ring-“

“Serena.”

She made a face. “Kyle, I’m just kidding about-“

“Serena. Stop.”

“I get it, Kyle, you don’t like the name…” She trailed off, the grin fading from her face at her husband’s expression. “What’s going on?”

Kyle sank down on the bed beside her, leaning against the pillows. “That was Isabel on the phone.”

Serena felt her stomach drop. The phone rang half an hour ago, she had no idea Kyle had been talking so long. Why had Kyle been talking so long? “Oh God,” she sighed. “What happened? Is everyone-“

“Everyone’s okay,” he assured quickly. “They all came back, no one was hurt.”

Kyle’s words didn’t do much to reassure her. “And…Max’s son…?”

“He came back too.” Kyle paused, gathering his thoughts. “Only…he’s not who they were expecting.”

For God’s sake. Serena wanted to scream at him to just get it out, tell her what was going on. Was the kid three feet tall and green?

Noting his wife’s frustration, Kyle sighed. He was doing one hell of a job with this one. Get it together, Valenti.

“Okay,” Kyle exhaled. “It’s not Max’s son with Tess. It’s Max’s son with Liz.”

Serena stared at him blankly. This certainly was not what she expected to hear. “Come again?”

“It’s Gabriel.” Serena continued to stare. “I’m serious.”

“Kyle, come on,” she scoffed. The look on her husband’s face told her he was deadly serious, but… “Come on,” she repeated.

Kyle threw his hands up in the air. “Do you seriously think I would make up something like this?”

Serena’s brows furrowed. “No, Kyle, I don’t, but…Liz had a miscarriage. I was there at the hospital when they brought her up to the ward. I saw her charts. It was a textbook case.”

He shook his head. “That’s what she wanted you to see.”

“Who, Liz?”

“Tess.” Just the name left a bad taste in his mouth. He rarely spoke of her at all anymore, and yet the mere mention left him feeling like he’d been punched in the gut.

“What could Tess have possibly had to do with the miscarriage?”

“Everything!” Kyle exclaimed. “Don’t you get it?”

Serena shrunk back at the outburst. “No. I guess I don’t.”

A wave of guilt rolled through him. “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “That wasn’t fair.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Serena was silent.

“Hey.” Kyle tilted her face. “Look at me, babe. I shouldn’t expect you to get it. God knows I don’t fully understand it myself. I just…what you’ve got to remember is that the impossible? It’s completely possible with these guys. Charts and textbooks…they don’t matter. None of it matters”

Serena squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She knew firsthand the truth in that. “So what you’re telling me,” she deduced slowly, “is that the child we all thought died at three months gestation has actually been alive and wandering around for the past four years?”

Kyle gave a brief nod. “Basically.”

Serena cursed under her breath, leaning back against the headboard. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Instantly back in father-to-be mode, Kyle sat up straight. “What do you need?”

”I need a few minutes to process this.”

Kyle wilted back against the pillows beside his wife. “You and me both, babe.”

*****

Liz leaned against the doorway, watching. She couldn’t take her eyes off Gabriel as he sat on the bedroom floor, his hands busily working together puzzle pieces. He was oblivious to Hope as she sat beside him, fitting her own puzzle together.

She heard Max behind her, felt him wrap his arms around her. But still she watched.

“My mom can’t stop crying,” he said quietly. “Dad said they’ll give us a few days, let us get…settled.”

Liz nodded. Settled.

“Has he…said anything?” Max, too, watched as their children sat side-by-side, dark heads bent over their work.

She shook her head.

Max held her tighter, nodded. “I – I don’t know if he does.” He couldn’t mask the catch in his voice. “Speak, I mean.”

They continued to gaze in silence. Hope was getting impatient, fiddling with two large wooden pieces but unable to fit them together. Gabriel continued to work, his movements fluid. Almost mechanical.

Max and Liz watched, perplexed, as Hope leaned over to the little boy. He tilted his head for a moment. Paused. And then he reached over, sifted his fingers through the puzzle pieces before Hope. Silently, he placed two pieces in her hands.

Hope accepted them, easily fitting them together. She turned to Gabriel with a broad smile. “Yep!”

And then his focus shifted. He was back in his own world, paying no mind to Hope. If she noticed, she didn’t let on. She returned to her puzzle, humming quietly to herself.

*waves*

Lookit. Behrsgirl77 made an absolutely gorgeous banner for this story - it really is perfect, Tanya! - and I'm so excited to finally be posting it along with a new part to the story. Thanks so much for the feedback, and I'd love to chat with you on Wednesday night over at the Roswell Heaven board. If you're around, stop in and say hi!



31

"They didn't have any record of him?" Isabel cradled the receiver under her chin, balancing her daughter on her hip and stirring the pot on the stove with her free hand.

She paused, turning away and listening to Serena's tearful voice on the other end. Olivia's fussing made it difficult to hear, and Isabel swore under her breath as the water began to boil over the top of the pot.

"What? No, Serena, not you. I'm sorry, sweetie, I'm listening. No, now is fine. Olivia's teething, that's all. And Evan wants lunch..." She trailed off. "No, you're probably right. I don't think they can give any of that information out even if they do have it. Uh huh."

Isabel turned at the sound of tapping on the back door. Liz waved through the window and let herself in, wordlessly taking the crying baby from her sister-in-law.

"Yeah, I'll have Jesse call you guys when he gets home. Any time. We'll get this figured out, I promise." Isabel said goodbye to Serena and hung up, turning from the stove to face Liz. "Thank you," she sighed. "Serena tried contacting her ex's office and they're not much help. It's got her pretty worked up."

Liz nodded and glanced up from where she stood, attempting to console her niece. "Olivia's teething, huh?"

Isabel sighed again. "Jesse said one started cutting through the day we left," she explained, taking Olivia back into her arms. "She was miserable the whole time I was gone." Isabel reached into the freezer, feeling around until she found a chilled teething ring. "I don't think I've been able to keep up with her since I got back. She's got two more coming in."

With a sympathetic nod, Liz watched as Olivia chewed eagerly on the plastic ring. Isabel ran a glowing finger along her daughter's jawline, easing some of the discomfort.

"So," she continued, turning back to Liz. "Is everything okay? I wasn't expecting to see you today."

Liz shrugged, wandering to the stove to check the forgotten macaroni. "I'm on my way to the store." She paused uncomfortably. "I just needed to get out for a while."

Isabel shooed her from the stove, Olivia momentarily pacified. "Did he sleep last night?" she asked hopefully.

Liz sighed, easing into a chair at the kitchen table. "Not really. Max stayed up with him most of the night, so..." It was what he'd done for the past three nights, actually. Liz wasn't sure if Max or Gabriel had gotten any sleep since their return. She was quite certain Hope was the only one sleeping comfortably, as she herself was lying awake alone most of the night.

It was obvious to Isabel as she eyed her sister-in-law, her face drawn, dark smudges of exhaustion under her eyes. "It'll get better, Liz," Isabel murmured, removing the pot from the burner and moving to sit down beside her.

"That's what Max said too." Liz smiled bitterly. "It can't get much worse."

Isabel paused, unsure whether Liz would continue and equally unsure of what to say if she didn't.

She did. "That's a horrible thing to say, isn't it. He could be dead. That would be worse." But somehow, saying that pained her even more. Because she wasn't entirely convinced it was true. He had been dead. She had mourned him. She had moved on. She was living her life. She was happy. And suddenly her world had been turned upside down again.

It wasn't Gabriel's fault, of course. It was Tess. How ridiculous it all seemed. What couldn't she blame Tess for anymore? For taking Alex so many years ago. For taking Max then, and now. For taking her son. For...giving him back.

*****

Kyle watched, thoroughly concerned as he wife spoke on the phone. She was pacing, which was never a good sign, and even though she had her back to him he could tell she was near tears.

"Could you have him call us tonight?" Serena was asking. "I really appreciate it, Isabel. Thank you." She said goodbye and hung up, turning to see Kyle in the doorway.

"Hi," she said glumly, giving her eyes a quick swipe.

Kyle moved in, pulling her close. "What's got you so upset?" he asked. If the scribbled stack of notes on the table was any indication, she'd been up to her sleuth work.

Serena sighed, allowing herself to be enveloped in his arms. "I finally contacted the insurance agency where Mark worked when we were dating," she said. "They wouldn't give me anything. The receptionist wouldn't even confirm that he'd been an employee."

It was Kyle's turn to sigh. "Babe, it's been, what? Nine years? A lot of time has passed." He glanced down at the scribbled information on the table. Erickson Insurance, Redondo Beach.

Serena's expression soured. "Don't you think I know that? I'm coming up with nothing but loose ends, Kyle! I had no idea it was going to be this difficult. It's like he fell off the face of the earth!"

"Hey," Kyle soothed, squeezing her shoulders. "I know how frustrated you are. It's driving me crazy too." He paused. "Where's Jaycee?"

"Over at Natalie's," she mumbled. "What are you doing home?"

"I wanted to have lunch with my beautiful wife," he declared. "I missed you. Both of you." Kyle flattened his palm against the emerging bump of her belly.

Serena's expression softened a little, to Kyle's relief. He worried about how much pressure she was putting on herself to find this guy. A guy, it was beginning to seem, who didn't want to be found.

*****

"Where the hell is your mother?"

Michael juggled two wailing babies, gritting his teeth as he attempted to keep his tone cheerful. He might be a pro at easing Ana's colic, but when it came to feeding her and Elijah, Michael was at a loss. Quite literally.

He adjusted Ana, her face now bright red from the effort, and sighed in frustration. When Maria announced she'd made an appointment to get her hair cut that morning, Michael welcomed the challenge without a second thought. He was an old pro at this dad thing. And the first hour had indeed gone off without a hitch. But as one hour became an hour and a half, both babies awoke to find mom - and lunch - missing in action.

Michael continued pacing the nursery, Eli gumming furiously on his tiny hand as he cried.

"I know," Michael soothed. "I know I don't have the right equipment." He had half a mind to set the twins down and see what a little alien magic might be able to do in that department. To his relief, at that moment he heard Maria in the hall.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, bursting into the nursery. "She was running behind and I thought they might sleep a little longer-" Maria paused, reaching for Ana as Michael shook his head.

"They didn't."

She glanced up at him with a sympathetic smile, plopping down into the rocker and settling Ana at her breast.

Michael continued to pace, gently jiggling Eli in his arms, and paused in surprise when Maria said, "Bring him over too."

He obliged, watching as his wife deftly unhooked the other side of her nursing bra. "You - you can do that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well yeah," she said, accepting the baby from her baffled husband. "Both of em work, you know. And since you've been home and made them a little more...comfortable, it's actually a lot easier."

"Huh." Michael gazed on at his wife and children, impressed. "They're pretty good."

Maria gave him a wry smile. "They've got good alien genes."

Michael eased into the other rocking chair, the room now quiet except for the sounds of two content babies. Maria is a champ, he thought to himself. He felt a wave of pride, and almost instantly an unexpected wave of guilt. He'd only been gone for three days but he felt like he'd missed out on so much. His family had gone on functioning without him, and while he knew it was irrational, he felt slightly...unneeded.

*****

"Hi Daddy."

Max cracked open one eye to see Hope peering down at him. "Hi Peanut," he said, stifling a deep yawn. "You okay?"

Hope nodded but continued to stand over his form on the sofa. "Are takin a nap?"

"Yes, which is exactly what you're supposed to be doing," Max chuckled sleepily, lifting his daughter onto the sofa.

"I don't wanna sleep."

With great effort, Max sat upright and settled Hope onto his lap. "How come?"

She shrugged quietly, but after a long moment she said, "Gabe doesn't sleep."

Max glanced toward the corner of the living room where Gabriel sat, content and oblivious, piecing together a puzzle. He knew his son had already completed the puzzle at least a half dozen times in the past couple of days, but this didn't seem to deter him. Sighing, Max pressed a kiss to Hope's forehead. "I know, Peanut."

He wasn't exactly sure what else to say to her. It didn't, in fact, appear that Gabriel slept. Max hadn't seen him sleep since that night in the pod chamber, a deep, still sleep that seemed almost coma-like. But for a child who hadn't slept in the three days since, Max was perplexed that he showed no signs of exhaustion. Hell, he was practically asleep sitting up most nights. He couldn't bring himself to leave Gabriel by himself, but it didn't really seem like the boy noticed him anyway.

Gabriel didn't ignore him, exactly, and certainly not in a hostile way. He just seemed to be...somewhere else. The more Max watched him, observed his behavior, the more his social work skills threatened to kick in. And Max couldn't allow that, not yet. Not for a child with such strange circumstances.

So instead Max waited. He waited for a change, waited for a reaction to himself, to Liz, to Hope.

Hope, in fact, seemed the least fazed by Gabriel's behavior. Until now, noting that Gabriel didn't sleep, she had said nothing about his lack of communication. Sometimes she played by herself as she always did, sometimes she played alongside her brother. Not once did she mention the fact that he didn't say a word to her. That he didn't interact like her cousins and the other kids she played with.

Max wondered why.

“Where Momma?” Hope’s question interrupted his thoughts.

Smoothing her rumpled hair off her forehead, Max managed a smile. “She went to the store. When she gets back we’ll have lunch, how does that sound.”

Hope nodded emphatically, climbing off his lap and making a beeline toward the corner where Gabriel sat. There was no real acknowledgement between brother and sister, but Hope hauled a tub of Duplo blocks from the toy box and plopped down beside him.

Max settled back against the sofa, gazing at his children. Their dark heads bent over their projects, and he noted in amusement that they both tilted their heads to the right when concentrating. Watching them together was still more than he could completely wrap his head around, but he’d eagerly soaked up each moment.

He glanced at the clock, noting that Liz had been gone for nearly two hours. She’d needed to get out for a little while, she said. She was struggling, more than she was willing to let on. Max knew that. He couldn’t blame her. It didn’t feel good that their son, their flesh and blood, didn’t know them. That he wouldn’t speak to them. That he barely acknowledged them. It hurt Max too, but for Liz the pain was nearly palpable. Even without a connection Max could feel it rolling off of her in waves.

Hetrin would be here soon, he reminded himself. Hetrin would have answers, more than Max could possibly give to his confused wife. Perhaps Hetrin would have an explanation for Gabriel’s behavior.

Max sighed, his gaze drifting back to the two small children on the floor. He had to.