Roswell Fanatics

TITLE: Pages of Desitny Found
CATAGORY: cc/Max & Liz, everyone else
RATING: TEEN
SPOILERS: Picks up at the end of Season 2
DISCLAIMER: I give full credit to the creators and writers of "Roswell", this is only my version of what should have happened.
SUMMERY: It is the morning after "Departure". Liz has a vision and discovers there are more pages to the Destiny Book and the humans and pod squad need to find out where they are and what they say.

PAGES OF DESTINY FOUND
A Roswell Story

Liz’s eyes blinked desperate for moisture, as she strained to see the first rays of morning light. She hadn’t slept, not a wink all night even though she had made a valiant effort by going through all the motions of getting into bed. Suddenly she heard Maria’s voice.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Maria mused again as she entered Liz’s bedroom carrying two cups of strong coffee and chewing the last bite of a doughnut she had grabbed from downstairs at the Crashdown.
“Maria, you’ve been saying that all night,” Liz said as she sat up, crossing her legs and settling herself in the middle of the bed.
“Well what do you expect? As of yesterday I thought I was never going to see Michael again. He was going back to, to…” she hesitated, then rolled her eyes, “to wherever it is they’re from, and then find out that Alex died because of Tess and,” she paused to swallow the doughnut remains, “this is the real kicker here, she is pregnant with Max’s child and she is on her way to, to,” she exhaled loudly, “to wherever the hell they are from!” She flopped down on the bed next to Liz.
“That would be Antar, Maria,” Liz said matter-of-factly.
“Whatever!” Maria took a sip of coffee and turned to look at her dearest friend. “And how, pray tell, can you possibly be so calm?”
Liz brushed her long brown hair off of her face. “Who says I’m calm?”
“I would think you’d want to strangle Max, I know I would, finding out he slept with Tess.”
“It’s too late for that now, besides, she’s gone, and he thought it was over between us after, well, after I convinced him about Kyle and I.” She picked up the painted ceramic mug and took a sip of the strong, black coffee.
“You did tell him didn’t you? You told him that you never slept with Kyle, right?”
“Yeah, he knows,” she said with a sigh.
“What a mess,” Maria went to look out the window at the flaming red sunrise.
“Did you sleep?” Liz asked.
“Are you kidding? There is so much here to wrap my brain around, I mean Michael chose to stay here with me! It’s unbelievable! I’m thrilled, of course, but when you really think about it, all three of them gave up their only way home to stay here on earth. I mean, that’s big, Liz!”
“I know. I guess that’s why I’m not angry, not that I don’t have some stuff to work through, but still, Max stayed.” There was the smallest hint of a smile.
Maria set her mug on the nightstand and fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“Do you think she’ll be greeted as the queen, I mean the queen returning to her people?”
Liz stared at Maria with wide eyes. “What?”
“You know, Tess. She is carrying the future king and she was queen, right?”
“Maria!”
“Oh, come on, like you haven’t thought about it.”
“Max said that there was a deal made with Kivar, remember? She will be handing over the baby to Max’s enemy, to the one man who had his entire family killed, how could you even think of Tess as a queen?” Liz got up off the bed, anger simmering under her cool exterior.
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess you’re right,” Maria sat up again. “You know the entire time I knew Tess, I never really saw her as a royal type.”
Liz laughed under her breath.
Maria continued, “She was always more of a follower, not a leader. Really, what did Max ever see in her?”
“Believe me, I’ve asked myself that on more than one sleepless night. Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”
The two friends walked down to the Crashdown to start another day, a new day, and the beginning of a destiny they had no idea that had been written in the stars a long time ago.


Max rubbed his eyes again, straining to read the block letters on the pages and pages of the Destiny Book which had pointed the way to home.
Home, he thought, how could he possibly call any other place but here with Isabel, Michael, and Liz, yes especially with Liz, home. This was home, his heart was here, would always be here, with her, with Liz. She was the reason for his sanity. She had saved him, had saved him from making the biggest mistake of this lifetime. He would have returned to his enemy and been killed again. How could he have allowed himself to be tricked yet again? How could he have ever trusted Tess, how could he have made her his wife? The nagging questions, his lack of judgment, his lack of leadership had haunted him all night. He hadn’t slept, his heart heavy with his list of mistakes.
Michael entered his apartment holding a carry box from MacDonald’s, the sound of the door stirred Isabel who had been sleeping on the bed, the couch having been used by Max, and Michael taking up residents on the floor with his trusty sleeping bag left over from countless nights spent in Max’s room over the last nine years.
“Hey,” Michael said nodding his head and careful to shut the door quietly as not to disturb Isabel.
Max didn’t answer, absorbed in the translated book.
“I brought coffee,” Michael half whispered, but still no response from Max. He picked up the Styrofoam cup of coffee, lifted the plastic lid and waved it under Max’s nose.
“Hey, Maxwell, coffee, you know, the one thing humans count on every day,” still no response. He tried again. “Excuse me, your highness; here is your morning coffee!”
The word, your highness, shook him out of his daze.
“What did you call me?” he said with an irritating tone.
“I thought that would get your attention,” Michael said smiling.
“I don’t deserve to be called that,” Max said softly.
Michael set the carry box on the counter, “Don’t start with me, Maxwell. I can’t take any of your self absorbed guilt right now.” He grabbed a coffee and took a swig.
Isabel sat up and threw back the Indian print blanket that Michael had placed over her sometime early in the morning. She brushed back her long golden locks and wet her dry lips.
Though like a sister to both Max and Michael they couldn’t help but notice her stunning beauty. Even waking up, no make up or hair brush, she was beautiful, like a real princess.
Still a little groggy she spoke in a hushed voice, “Okay you two, enough. We need to stick together and no feeling sorry for ourselves.” She locked her beautiful blue eyes on her brother, “Got it, Max?”
He answered her with a tight grin, but his eyes held much sadness.
“Why are you still studying that book?” Michael asked, “Last night was our last chance. That was a one way ticket back to, to…” it seemed like none of them could say the name of their home planet out loud. It was as if just hearing the word Antar made it real, making Earth seem insignificant. “Anyway, we’re here now and this is where we are going to stay.”
Isabel stood up and walked over to the counter. “I need some coffee.” Michael handed her a cup without even looking at her.
“But, what about my son?” Max asked in a hushed tone.
Michael looked at Isabel. She smiled slightly and touched Max’s arm.
“We’ll figure something out,” she said soothingly.
“I’ve been reading the translated book all night looking for any clue, anything that can tell us another way to get to Antar and free my son, and our people, but there’s nothing.” He threw the book on the floor in frustration. Suddenly the phone rang.
“Hello,” Michael said.
“Good morning, space boy, did any of you get any sleep?” Maria asked on the other end.
Michael felt his heart leap at the sound of her voice, surprising him. They had shared their bodies and souls two nights ago and he was discovering new feelings in new places in his heart.
“Nope. How ‘bout you two?”
“Not a wink. Have you heard from Kyle?”
“Not this morning, but after we left the cave he said he was going to head home and tell his dad what had happened and to make sure he didn’t give the tape to Max’s old man.”
“Good thinking.” Maria answered. “I’ll try calling him later. How’s Max?”
“Not so good. He keeps reading that book to find a way back, how about Liz?”
“Kinda quiet.” She answered.
Max looked at Michael. “Is that Maria?”
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Is Liz there?” he asked with a timid sound to his voice.
“Yeah.” He spoke to Maria, “Hey, put Liz on, Max wants to talk with her.”
“Hello?” Liz said.
“Hey,” Max whispered.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Max winced at her words. How could she ask how he’s doing after what he had put her through? He knew he had hurt her deeply and the guilt of what he had done was piercing his heart like a knife. She had stood by him. She had stayed the course, believing there was more to Alex’s death. She had been the rock, the stable one and he had made a mess of everything and now she was asking how he was doing, the very thought of it made him sick to his stomach.
“I’m sorry,” he suddenly whispered.
“Sorry? Why?” she asked in a sweet tone.
“I’m sorry for everything, for not trusting you, for turning away from you.”
“I’m as much to blame…” she began.
“No, don’t. I can’t allow you to think any of this is your fault. Look, this isn’t a conversation to have over the phone. Are you and Maria okay?”
“Yeah, just tired,” she responded slowly.
“Why don’t we all get some sleep and meet up at the Crashdown later tonight,” his voice taking on the familiar leadership quality she so admired.
“Okay, I’ll tell Maria and call Kyle. See all of you later.”
After Max said goodbye he put the receiver down slowly, then told Michael and Isabel the plan. He bent over and picked up the Destiny Book and smoothed the wrinkled pages.
“Perhaps all of us can find more information from these pages,” he said hopefully.
Isabel caught Michael’s eye and conveyed a sympathetic look.
“I can’t see how that book can do any of us any good,” she said, “after all it was translated with a huge price. Alex died because of it. I don’t trust anything that’s in there.”
“She’s got a point, Max,” Michael walked over to the frig.
“I know, and everything that Tess revealed is eating me up inside. But, something keeps calling to me from the pages, like there is more.”
“More?” Isabel questioned, “You mean more of the book?”
Max flipped the pages of the white paper.
“Something is missing, I just feel it.”
“Well, I know what’s missing for me,” Michael interrupted, “Food, you know, breakfast? I’m starved!” He opened the frig and looked inside.
“Well,” Isabel shrugged and smiled, “Some things never change.”

The evening was clear and cool. Night time in the desert was peaceful and for Liz it was her favorite time. She was able to think clearly, to focus and now with some hours of sleep she felt refreshed and ready to face Max, to face the heartache she was feeling over all that Tess had done to them. Looking back on what she had sacrificed for Future Max she was beginning to think it was all a bad dream.
How could she have been so blindly convinced that by pushing Max away would save the world. Now, having seen what kind of manipulator and traitor Tess had been, there is no way that the world could only be saved if all the Royal Four were together. That just couldn’t be the way the future was going to happen, in defeat. Liz was convinced that Tess was the weakest link in the Royal Four and now she had been proven right.
Maria and Kyle sat at the counter. The customers were gone and Liz’s parents were away for the evening. All was quiet, just the way she liked it. There was just the sound of the ceiling fans, the click of the clock and the familiar sound of her dearest and most trusted friends around her. She looked out the café window and saw the “pod squad” approaching.
Max and Michael walked across the street, a little ahead of Isabel, her statuesque figure towering over the two young men. The moon illuminated the street with an unworldly glow, the three figures absorbing the moonlight. Liz marveled at how just simply walking across a street, Max’s aura was absorbed with power. Even though at times Max came off as shy, quiet and pensive, it was the times when situations were intense that his true nature came out, his royal nature. He was a leader and that could not be denied.
Max walked into the café, without looking at anyone or anything else, went directly to Liz, his eyes never wavering from hers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and placed his forehead against hers and whispered.
“Hi,” he said deeply, his warm breath washing over her.
Her face ignited into a dazzling smile and she whispered back, her eyes slightly closed, “Hi”.
Michael brushed past Max, bumping his shoulder against Max’s back.
“You know, it would be a lot easier on the rest of us if you two would just get a room and get it over with,” he said with a smirk.
Maria went to Michael and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Hey, space boy,” she said breathlessly.
“Hey,” he smiled, his eyes heavy with sensuality.
Isabel snorted a disgusting sigh and went to sit next to Kyle at the counter.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, this is nauseating,” she reached over and took a sip of Kyle’s cola.
Kyle gave a shy grin.
“That’s fine, help yourself,” Kyle said in his usual sarcastic style.
Isabel just rolled her eyes and smiled. Little did she realize that just a simple smile sent Kyle’s heart fluttering and his mind swirling. That had been happening all too often, thought Kyle. Something was happening and he didn’t quite know what, but he was having feelings for Isabel, strong feelings and he was at a loss on what to do about it. He had been meditating on it lately, but the feelings were persisting and intensifying. He frowned at her and kept a cool composure, but inside it was like the fourth of July.
“So why are we all here?” Maria asked, pulling away from Michael and smiling.
“Max, here, thinks there might be more to that translated book than we first thought,” Michael said in a light mood.
But the instant the “book” was mentioned, all the “humans” became quiet and surly.
Max picked up on the atmosphere instantly.
“I’m sorry to bring up the book, I know it is painful,” he said, directing his comment to Maria.
“Painful is an understatement,” she said and walked over to sit next to Kyle.
Liz picked up on the tension and interjected.
“What have you found out?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said, looking directly into her deep brown eyes, “I can’t find anything that will help us get back to where we are from and a way to save my son.”
The moment Liz heard the word son, her heart felt as if it had been ripped in half.
But then the larger part of her heart, the part Max had fallen in love with, felt sympathy, felt his pain and couldn’t stop the urge to find a way to help him.
Max reached into the inside pocket of his black leather jacket and pulled out the pages of white paper that had been bound together with brass brackets.
“I’ve read this from cover to cover and I haven’t found anything new,” he said with frustration and threw the book onto the café counter.
Maria instinctively grabbed the book showing an instant disgust on how Max had insulted the pages that Alex had given his life for.
“Please, Max, must you throw it around?” She protectively pulled it to her chest.
Max felt as if his soul had been torn from the chambers of his heart. How could he have been so insensitive? In some strange way the pages of the translated book were all they had left of Alex. It was the last thing he had poured his essence into. He had given his life because of Tess’ deceit and in a strange twist of fate those pages were the last words from Alex and therefore those words were sacred.
“Maria, I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Liz walked over to Maria and smiled, then looked at Max.
“So, from the book what do we know?” her scientific nature commanding the situation.
Max took a deep breath, “Basically that Isabel, Michael, Tess and I are the Royal Four, our DNA taken at the time of our death and hidden from Kivar by our mother. Then our mother entrusted our “essence” to Langley and Nasado and two other protectors and they sent us to Earth for protection in the hopes that someday we would return and free our people from the terrible rein of Kivar. At least that is the main idea. It seems to jump around a bit. First telling of how Tess and I were married in our first life and how Isabel and Michael were betrothed.”
Suddenly Isabel interrupted.
“It also mentions my previous betrayal and how I, I mean Valandra, became obsessed with Kivar and ended up letting he and his army into the palace where they proceeded to annihilate all of us and destroyed all that we held dear. All because of me…” her voice choked and trailed off. Tears welled up in her eyes. “How could I have been so selfish? What is wrong with me?” she began to sob.
Max came over to her and gently touched her arm.
“You are not to blame,” he said soothingly. “It’s right after that part in the translation that things don’t seem to make any sense.”
“Doesn’t make sense, what do you mean?” Liz asked.
“It seems to jump to the part where we are to use the Granalith to get back to Antar,” Max said turning to face her.
“Maria,” Liz said, “Let me see the book.”
Maria handed it to her. Liz began to scan the white pages, flipping at first and then stopping when she found the page that Max had dog-eared for instructions on how to use the Granalith. Suddenly her head began to pound and nausea swelled in her stomach. The room was spinning and she shut her eyes to gain control. The moment her eyes closed she saw a swirling blue haze that began to clear. The moment the haze disappeared geometric symbols appeared and then stars. She felt herself flying through space and time and then she saw a planet.
A woman came into view. She was crouched over something and seemed to be crying. The room she was in was large, filled with beautiful paintings of stars and moons and planets. The walls at one time must have been the color of a tropical sea, but now appeared scorched from having been burned.
Liz watched, as if she was in the very room with the woman. Suddenly she saw what the woman was crying over. It was Max, and Isabel, lying on the floor at the feet of a large clear glass throne, their eyes closed, no sign of life. Liz stifled a scream. Then she recognized the woman, it was their mother on Anta as she had seen her in the cave when they had activated the communicators.
A man entered. All of them resembled humans, like they would on earth, but their bodies were completely surrounded by a bright blue light, as if the light was allowing Liz to see them in the image that would be familiar to her. The man came to the woman’s side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and spoke, his voice clear but encased in ringing sounds of crystals.
“They are gone, my queen,” his voice sounded urgent. “Come, my lady, we must hurry, Kivar’s army has penetrated the outer walls and his soldiers will be here any moment. Come, we must leave and get you out through the tunnels that lead to the Carpathian Sea.”
“Zan was our hope. He ruled with wisdom and compassion, he belongs here in the throne room, the rightful ruler of our beautiful Antar.” Again she sobbed, covering her face with trembling hands. In a shaking voice she continued, “This would have never happened if Valandra had not fallen for Kivar’s spell.” She turned to face the man, her brilliant blue eyes filled with tears. “I will not let Kivar have our home, our world. I will not allow him to turn all that we love into a wasteland.” She stood suddenly, determination filling her being. “We will have to hurry, has the counsel prepared the spacecraft?”
“Yes, your highness. All the pods are on board. We only need a sample from Zan and Valandra to complete the cloning process. Rath and Ava’s samples are already on board,” the man said as he reached over the lifeless bodies of Max and Isabel. It only took a moment as he collected a skin sample from each and placed the samples into small blue vials and placed them in his coat pocket.
“Ava? I thought I made it clear she was not to be included with my family,” Max’s mother said angrily.
“Your highness, she was just married to Zan, she is the rightful queen, the counsel insisted she be included in the escape plan.”
“The counsel has no clue what is right and what is not,” Max’s mother said as she hurried out of the large room into a long white hall. The Antar night sky, reflected in the large floor to ceiling crystal windows, was ablaze with fire and smoke as the war waged on beyond the outer walls of the palace.
“Your highness, I don’t understand?” The man’s face looked pained trying to understand his much-loved queen’s words.
Suddenly Max’s mother stopped and gently touched the man’s arm.
“Sentaric, you have been my most trusted friend since the death of my beloved husband. I trust no one on Antar except you,” She took a moment glancing from side to side, looking for enemy spies around every corner, then reached under her purple robe and pulled out metal pages with geometric writing on them.
Liz recognized the writings from the computer disc that Alex had translated.
“Take these pages and add them to the Destiny Book we are sending with the pods. It will help my son to understand what his true fate is to be.” She leaned closely to Sentaric and whispered. “I have seen the future and I must make sure that Zan understands what he must do in order to survive more betrayal.”
Sentaric took the pages, “What are you saying?”
“It was Ava all along. She is in alliance with Kivar. She lured Zan into her web of lies, seducing him, blinding him to her true nature. Then she befriended sweet Velandra, introducing her to Kivar, helping him to cast his evil spell on my only daughter. Velandra would never have believed Kivar’s lies about wanting to make peace with our family. He used her and Ava helped him. Ava is the traitor and she will continue it when they all awake in their next life. But there is hope. I have used my abilities to see into the future and there is one that will love my son, a soul mate for him, she will not betray him and will be his true queen. But she will not be from Antar.”
“Not from Antar?” Sentaric asked.
“I have written the prophecy onto these pages and they must be added to the book, it is of up most importance that my son understands the treachery that caused the death of his family and that it still exists as long as he stays with Ava. There is a true Royal Four, but one is not from our home planet.”
Suddenly there was a huge flash of light as a laser pierced through one of the windows and struck Max’s mother directly in the heart, she crumbled to the ground, Sentaric catching her in his arms before her head hit the stone floor.
Though fatally wounded, Max’s mother spoke in a pained voice.
“Hurry, take my son and daughter and the destiny pages to the ship. Zan must know the truth, he must know that only with the love of an Earthling will he have the strength to defeat Kivar and unite our planets,” she paused and coughed, blood spilled from her mouth, “ it is with a human woman he will find the truth!”
Suddenly the clear blue eyes of Max’s mother began to fade and then grew large, very large and dark, and her body fell limp, lifeless.
There was another flash of light and the vision began to fade.
Liz heard a distant voice.
“Liz, Liz,” Maria shouted, “For God’s sake, Liz. Are you alright?”
Liz suddenly awoke, her head throbbing from all that she had seen. Her dark eyes began to clear and then she realized that Maria was shaking her. Then she saw Max, his face filled with concern.
“Are you alright? What happened to you?” Max said softly.
“Happened?” She managed to respond.
“Yeah, Parker, you’ve been like, out of it for over a minute,” Michael said while waving his hand in front of her face.
She furled her brows and swatted his hand away.
“Well, I’m awake now, Michael, I don’t need your hands flapping in front of my face, thank you very much,” she said with some annoyance.
“Sorry,” he said rolling his eyes, grabbed a bottle of Tabasco sauce off one of the tables and returned to his seat at the counter.
Max began to take the Destiny book from her hand, “Are you sure you’re alright, you just started starring off, as if frozen in time.”
Liz’s fingers tightened around the pages of the book preventing Max from taking it from her.
“No!” she said loudly, pulling at the book. “Don’t, I,” she paused, “I saw something.”
“You had a flash?” He questioned.
“Yes,” she looked deeply into his dark auburn eyes, “There are pages missing from the Destiny Book.”
“What?” he asked, “What pages?”
“Your mother, Max,” Liz said. “She added pages to the book before you left Antar.”
“You saw our mother?” Isabel asked, standing suddenly and walking over to Liz.
“Yes,” Liz said, with some desperation in her voice. “I saw you and Max,” she paused and looked down at the floor, “and you were both dead.”
Maria gasped, “Oh, God, Liz!”
“You saw us on Antar?” Max asked. His voice sounding strained.
Liz just met his eyes with hers and slowly nodded yes.
Kyle suddenly swung around on the counter stool to face Max, Liz, Isabel and Maria, “Yo, guys, we need a reality check here.” He said clapping his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “You can’t be serious, Liz. You had a vision? When have you ever had a vision?”
Maria slowly turned to face Kyle.
“Where the hell have you been for the last year, Buddha boy?”
Kyle chuckled, “What’s that suppose to mean?”
Maria just rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.
Michael shook the Tabasco sauce into his glass of cherry coke and spoke to Kyle.
“You really can be dense sometimes, Valenti. Liz has been seeing things from our past ever since the first time Max and she kissed. I guess you could say they have a connection, like a cosmic, soul-mate thing. You know, true love and all that, if you believe in that sort of thing.” He took a big gulp of coke.
“So this kind of thing has happened a lot?” Kyle seemed suddenly very interested.
The whole gang turned toward him and said in chorus.
“No!”
“Sorry,” Kyle said with some indignation.
“Look, enough about the love sick couple,” Isabel said with some frustration, “what about what you saw, Liz?”
Liz took a moment and looked deeply into Max’s eyes. She seemed to be searching for some approval from him, that is was okay for her to share with the others what she had seen, what she knew about what had happened to their mother.
Max sensed her apprehension and gave a small smile, then said softly, “It’s okay,” he took her hand in his, “You can tell us, all of us.” He looked at Isabel, Maria, Michael and Kyle, “we are all a part of this now. We all have to stick together, we are stronger together and that means no secrets.”
Liz nodded and took a deep breath.
“Your mother was standing over you and Isabel’s bodies. There was a battle wagging outside,” she paused and furled her brows, thinking of the right words, “a castle, I think.”
Isabel touched Max on the arm.
“Our castle, our home,” her deep blue eyes looked deeply into her brother’s trying to remember.
Liz continued.
“There was another man with her and he took a DNA sample from each of you and then your mother handed him some pages from the Destiny Book, I think. They were metal looking, with strange writing, like before Alex decoded it.” Liz took a breath and looked at Max. “I could hear her talking.”
“You heard her?” Isabel said with desperation in her voice. “Did she sound the same and look the same as she did when she appeared to us?”
“Yes.” Liz moved her eyes to look at Isabel’s anxious face. “She told the man that Ava had been the one to betray all of you. Isabel, it was Tess, or Ava, not you. Your mother said it was Ava that introduced you to Kivar. She had a pact with him and delivered you to him in hopes that he would gain your confidence and you would believe his story about a truce.”
Max looked at Isabel and said with a smile, “I’ve never doubted you for a moment, Isabel. I knew you were not to blame.”
“Liz, are you sure?” Isabel couldn’t bring herself to really believe the truth.
Liz smiled at her, “You are not to blame, Isabel. Ava betrayed your friendship, just like Tess betrayed all of us.”
“Got that right,” Kyle added with a bitter tone.
Michael stood from the counter and walked over to stand next to Maria.
“So, Tess is the bitch, we got that, now what about the Destiny Book?” He said calmly. Maria playfully slapped him on the chest for his choice of words. Michael just raised his eyebrows and gave her an innocent look.

"What about the book?" Max asked.
"There are pages missing, Max. You were right that something is missing." Liz said softly.
Maria spoke up, "So, are you saying that Tess got rid of some pages after Alex translated them?" Maria waved her hand in front of her in disgust, "Oh, this gets worse by the minute. First she forces Alex to translate the book for her, killing him, and then plays "demon" editor so the rest of us wouldn't catch on to her sick, evil plan! Why that little, bit..." she paused and took some deep, cleansing breaths, "no, I won't stoop to her level. I'm calm, I'm focused," she took another deep breath, "no, I'm pissed!"
Liz stood up, started to take a step, but wobbled a little, her head began to swirl. She was still a little weak from the vision. Max grabbed her around the waist, supporting her body against his strong frame.
For a moment she closed her eyes enjoying the feel of his strength. She was thrilled to have him with her again. The feel of his warmth, the strength of his arms around her was like a warm blanket and she wanted to stay, wanted to stay in the in his arms for the rest of the night.
Opening her eyes she smiled.
"I'm okay, Max, really, I'm fine, just a little tired."
"You don't need to tell us any more tonight, you need to rest," his voice was filled with concern.
"Rest?" Michael spoke up. "What the hell does that mean? Maxwell, we are on the verge of a huge break- through, this is big. She needs to tell us everything she saw..."
Max glared at Michael, "She needs rest, Michael!" his voice was commanding. "We need to back off, all of us!"
"Max," Liz said, "I'm not a little girl, I can take care of myself. Really, I'm fine, I suppose I just need something to eat. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten much today."
Michael started for the kitchen, "Okay, you talk, I'll cook. Burgers, fries, staturn rings, eggs, bacon, toast, what ever anyone wants, just talk, Parker. We need to find out everything you know!"
Liz smiled. Michael was just being himself. When things got intense he was a man of action. She reached up and touched Max's face gently with her hand.
"I'm fine, Max. Let Michael cook for all of us," and then she leaned close to him and whispered, "it will keep him busy and out of your hair!"
Max smiled at her and leaned down and kissed her lightly and thought. She is amazing. She only wants what is best for everyone else. Again Liz was proving herself the one he could always count on.
Liz turned and faced the others.
"Okay, here goes," she took a deep breath and continued telling them all that she had seen and heard. When she was finished Isabel sat down on one of the counter stools, Kyle stood beside her and Maria took out one of her aroma bottles and took a few deep whiffs before speaking.
"Oh, my God!" Maria exclaimed. "Liz, does this mean, you, I mean it's got to mean that you are the Earthling soul-mate that Max's mother meant, right?"
"Maria! That's not what I meant. There is no way to know what Max and Isabel's mother saw in her vision. The only way we will ever know is if we can find the missing pages." Liz said.

“And how do we do that?” Kyle asked.
Everyone was silent, the air thick with uncertainty. Max continued looking into Liz’s eyes. It felt safe there, like he could forget the rest of the world. But then he noticed all eyes were on him. Kyle, Michael, Maria, Isabel, even Liz were looking to him for the answer, looking to him for the plan. He was the leader, born to it, whether he wanted it or not. Without hesitation he began to speak in a low, assured voice.
“Michael, do you still have the computer discs from Alex’s original translation?”
“Yeah, I think so. I took them out of the computer at the “safe” house that Tess had been using…”
“You mean had been using to enslave Alex,” Maria added.
Max continued, “So, the missing pages should still be on them, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Liz said, “Michael copied the pages from the disc, that’s what we already have and the pages your mother added are not in this book.”
Kyle spoke up, “Maybe Tess hid the original disc someplace else.”
“Or maybe the missing pages are still on the discs you have Michael, just encrypted or something,” Maria added.
Max turned to Michael who had just finished putting another platter of burgers on the counter.
“Do you have the discs at your place?” he asked Michael.
“Yeah. Why?”
Without a word Isabel grabbed her coat off the coat rack, Kyle took one last swig of his coke, Maria went to turn off the lights and Liz grabbed the white pages of the Destiny Book.
Michael just stood and look confused.
“What?” he whined, “Where are we going?”
“Your place,” Max said with authority.
“Oh, man,” Michael started taking off the apron he had tied around his waist. “What about all this food? Max, I’m hungry!”
Maria looked at him with a cynical grin, “My hero!” She went behind the counter, grabbed a bag and handed it to Michael. “Make it an order to go,” she smiled, “we are leaving Space-boy, bring your precious food with you.”
He just gave her a sour smile and began jamming the burgers into the bag.
Liz returned from her room, her laptop in her backpack.
Isabel, Kyle, Maria and Michael walked out of the café into the desert night air. Max held the door open for Liz, but touched her arm as she walked by, turning her to face him. Without a word he leaned down and kissed her, long, deep and with desperation.
She could sense his anxiety and when he released the kiss she searched his eyes for the source of it. In a half whisper she asked, “What?”
“Thank you,” he whispered back, “I’m not sure how or why I deserve to have you in my life, but I promise that I will never again second guess you.”
“Let’s just hope we can find some answers about how all of you can get back to Antar…,” she paused and looked down, and then back to his deep eyes, “…so you can save your son. That is what is most important right now.”
She walked past him and joined Kyle and Isabel in Kyle’s car. Michael and Maria pulled up in the Jetta.
Max’s mind was swirling with thoughts about all the damaging mistakes he had made ever since he saw Liz with Kyle and assumed they had slept together. From that moment his entire life had spun out of control. Suddenly he realized that nothing had gone right since he had pushed Liz away. Why had he come back in time to warn her that the future was only safe if he and Tess were together? Tess had tricked him, manipulated everyone for her own selfish needs. Max shook his head, trying to understand the implications of why he had made the time travel trip.
Liz had said that his mother had mentioned that his future was with a woman from Earth. He knew in his heart, and his mind, that woman was Liz, now he just needed to prove it to her. The missing pages would point them all in the right direction, from now on he would lead with his heart and mind and with Liz at his side.

“Try again, Liz,” Kyle said in a tired tone.
Liz sat at the counter that separated the tiny kitchen from the living room at Michael’s apartment, the light from the laptop illuminating her face. Kyle stood beside her, Maria on the stool next to her, Max stood behind her and Michael paced while stuffing another burger in his mouth. Isabel sat on the couch, her head down, arms propped on her legs, her hands, filled with tension, clasped together. They had been at it for about an hour. Liz had tried many times to find more on the discs then what they already had, but nothing was working.
She punched some more keys, waited for the screen, and then there was a collective sigh of disappointment from Maria, Liz, and Kyle. Suddenly Isabel stood in aggravation. She grabbed at her long locks, pulling them into a high, tight ponytail, (a gesture she unconsciously did every time she felt frustration).
“This is getting us no where!” she proclaimed.
Max turned to her as she grabbed her black leather coat.
“Where are you going?”
She threw him a warning glare.
“Out! I need to get out of here for awhile,” she walked through the door and slammed it behind her.
Liz looked at Max.
“Maybe we should take a break, it’s getting really late.”
“Yeah, okay. We can start again tomorrow.” Max knew there wasn’t much more to do tonight, though he couldn’t help but show his disappointment.
“We’ll find it, Max,” Liz said, “We just need more time.”
They all said their goodnights and went home to get much needed rest. Tomorrow was another day, another chance to get closer to the answers and possibly a future that would be brighter than the last few months of their young lives.

Isabel lit the last of the two candles by the grave and crossed her legs, pushing the strands of hair off of her face that had managed to escape when the night breeze had danced around her beautiful face. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, speaking out loud though there was no one there with her.
“Why do I always seem to end up here with you, Alex? Once again I find my life in an uproar and I feel so alone.”
“You’re not alone.” Came a familiar voice, “I’m here for you, Princess, and you know I’ll always be straight with you?” It was Alex, or rather the image of Alex in Isabel’s mind. In some strange way Isabel was able to see, hear and carry on a conversation with Alex, though he had been dead for months. She wasn’t sure if it was just her subconscious playing tricks on her, or her guilt for not letting Alex know exactly how she felt toward him, or whether it was her Alien side giving her the ability to actually contact the dead. What ever the reason, it was real, as real as anything she had ever experienced and it was a comfort to her. She needed him, needed his calm voice and boyish eyes, so she turned to face him.
He was sitting on a small stone bench directly behind her. His face glowed softly from the candlelight and the moonlight. He looked other worldly, but still the same old Alex.
Isabel’s eyes began to fill with tears, her voice cracked from the pain she was feeling in her heart.
“I miss you, Alex,” she said softly.
He smiled, “I know, princess, but you have to live your life, you have to move on and fulfill what was meant to be.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs, “I’m proud of you for choosing to stay with Max, with your brother. You have shown your loyalty, and I believe you followed your heart, right?”
Holding back the tears she inhaled a shaking breath, “Yes, I followed my heart, like you said to do when I was here the other night, but things all went wrong. Tess, she betrayed all of us, she killed you, Alex, oh God, Alex, look what we’ve done to you,” she couldn’t hold the tears back and they spilled over, her body shaking with grief.
“You didn’t do anything to me, none of you. It was Tess, and we will all learn to deal with her betrayal. Why did you come tonight?”
She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her jacket sleeve.
“We are looking for more information from the discs you translated, but we can’t find anything on them.”
“You know what I miss the most, I mean from being alive?” Alex said suddenly.
“What?” Isabel didn’t understand the change in the conversation.
“My guitar,” he continued. “I really miss playing my guitar.”
“Your guitar?” Isabel questioned “Why are you thinking about your guitar? Didn’t you hear what I told you? We need your help, Alex. Are there hidden files on the discs that Michael took from LasCruses?”
Suddenly Alex stood and took two steps towards her.
“Ask Maria to play my guitar. That would be nice, yes, ask Maria!” he said again and then began to walk away, into the dark night.
“Alex!” Isabel called out to him, but he continued walking. Just before his image was engulfed in the darkness he turned once more to her.
“Ask Maria to play, play a beautiful song, for me,” and then he was gone.
__________________________________________________________________________

The sun was just coming up, the sky beginning to turn a deep red, when Isabel made it to Maria’s house. She frantically banged on the door.
A sleepy eyed Maria opened the door.
“Shhhh,” Maria scolded Isabel and stepped out onto the front stoop in bare feet, striped shorts and an alien t-shirt from the local tourist shop. “My mother is still sleeping,” she whispered.
“Do you have Alex’s guitar?” Isabel wasted little time getting to the point.
“What?” Maria asked in a shocked tone.
“Alex’s guitar, do you have it or not,” Isabel chattered quickly. Maria just stared at her. “Come on DeLuca, get a grip, I need that guitar. Alex told me to get the guitar.”
“Alex told you! What is wrong with you?” Maria said in shock.
Isabel rolled her eyes and pushed past Maria walking into the house.
“Hey, Isabel, what are you doing?” Maria followed her in.
Isabel swung around and faced her.
“Need I remind you that I have some “special” gifts? Is it really that far fetched to think I might be able to communicate with someone that is dead? Well?”
Taken a little off guard Maria answered her, “Well, no.”
“Okay then, we understand each other. Do you or do you not have his guitar?”
“Yes, it’s in my room.”
“Get dressed!” Isabel commanded. She grabbed Maria by the neck of her t-shirt and started dragging her to her room.
Maria stumbled to her room, hastily put on her jeans, a white t-shirt, flip-flops and quickly brushed her teeth, ran her hand through her hair and grabbed her purse.
“DeLuca!” Isabel yelled at her before she exited the room.
“What?” Maria said with an exasperated tone.
“The guitar!” Isabel said, annoyed.
“Oh, yeah.” She turned around and got on her hands and knees, then pulled the guitar case out from under the bed. Reverently she held it close to her and walked out of the room.
“I still don’t know what we are doing with Alex’s guitar. I haven’t opened it since his dad gave it to me,” Maria mumbled as she walked past Isabel.
“I’m calling Max to tell him to meet us at Michael’s. You call Liz and Kyle and tell them to hurry.” Isabel commanded.
“Geez! You sure know how to play the Princess card!” Maria shot at Isabel.
“Just move it Deluca!”
They walked out into the morning light and drove off towards Michael’s.

“Okay, tell me again, why are we here?” Kyle asked walking to the refrigerator, opening it and looking for something, though he wasn’t really sure for what.
Maria was sitting on the couch, as per Isabel’s directions while Max, Liz and Michael looked on.
Isabel spoke first, “Alex said he wanted Maria to play his guitar. I know it’s a clue, there has to be something about the guitar.”
“Alex said?” Kyle asked as he popped open a bottle of Mango Snapple he had retrieved from the very bare refrigerator.
Isabel was becoming more frustrated.
“Look, I’m not going to explain this again. Yes, I have seen Alex, at different times. No I’m not crazy, or grieving, I’m just able to communicate with him. I don’t know why, and I don’t care. All I know is that it is real and he is trying to help us, so get the damn guitar out and look in the case to see if there is a clue or something,” she sighed deeply and brushed her hair back off of her face, her eyes glaring with irritation.
Kyle gave one of his wide eyed, “s-o-r-r-y” looks and gestured with both hands as if to say, back off.
“Okay, Isabel, we get it,” he retreated to stand behind Michael, secretly wondering if Isabel was going to blast him with her powers and send him flying across the room.
Maria opened the case and took out Alex’s guitar, gently, tenderly and with reverence.
Michael and Max were quick to start looking through the small piles of music that had been under the guitar and looked in the tiny compartment where the extra strings and picks were kept. Michael spoke with a disappointing voice.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Nothing?” Liz repeated, “Are you sure there are no discs, or notes or anything?”
“No,” Max said.
Maria ran her hand over the smooth surface of the acoustic instrument, then placed her fingers expertly on the frets and began to strum, timid at first, but then with a little more strength. Suddenly her brows furled and she gave a sour look to her face.
“What’s that?” she said out loud.
“What?” Liz asked as she came over to sit next to Maria.
Maria strummed again, “There, hear it?” she strummed again, “Something is buzzing.”
“Yeah, I hear it,” Liz agreed.
Maria held the guitar over her head, peering into the sound hole and shook the guitar. They all heard something clicking inside.
“There is something inside the guitar,” Isabel said hopefully.
Maria put the guitar back on her lap and stuck her fingers into the sound hole and fished around for a moment. Suddenly she got a surprised look on her face and after a few moments pulled a disc out from the inside of the guitar.
“It was taped to the inside,” she said, handing it over to Liz.
Liz took it and without hesitation kissed it and whispered out loud, “Thank you, Alex.”
In perfect unison, the whole gang followed Liz to the computer and she loaded the disc.
“We need a password,” she said, once the disc had loaded.
She began typing, but the screen kept blinking “access denied.”
Ten minutes passed and they had still not gotten into the files on the disc.
Isabel was pacing, Michael was again looking for something to eat, Kyle was beginning to bite his nails and Max and Liz just kept trying different passwords.
“Try again,” Max said softly.
“I can’t think of anything else,” Liz protested. “I’ve tried, guitar, American Pie, Switzerland, I even tried Leanna. Anyone else have any ideas?”
There was a collective silence, and then Maria spoke up.
“Czechoslovakians!”
“What?” Michael, Max, Isabel and Kyle said in accord.
“Type in Czechoslovakians,” Maria commanded Liz.
Liz typed without hesitation.
“Czechoslovakians?” Max asked again.
“It’s just a pet name we used when we first found out you were Aliens. We replaced the word alien with Czechoslovakians as a code word for Maria and me,” Liz explained with a grin remembering more innocent times.
“Oh, so that’s what you guys meant when you said that,” Kyle said suddenly remembering them saying it a few years ago whenever he was around. “You two always did talk your own language,” he said with a smirk.
Just then the screen changed color and words began flashing across the screen.
“Max,” Liz said with excitement, “This is it!”
The words poured across the screen. Max took a quick scan and could tell it was the same beginning as the book he already had, and then he noticed something new.
“Liz, right there,” he pointed at the screen over her shoulders, “stop.”
Max took a moment, his amber eyes, brows slightly furled, scanning the printed words. He was silent. Liz looked up at him, his body close to her, his breath washing over her hair. He smelled of sport cologne, her head began to swirl from the nearness of him. She watched his face as he read. He was beautiful, handsome and strong, and she marveled at how he made her feel.
He reached over her shoulder and hit the print button, marking four pages, and the printer began spitting out the pages that had been written by his mother. Quickly he saved the rest of the pages on the screen, but hit the minimize button and grabbed the four pages and began to read.

The three moons of Antar have shown me what is to come. I, queen mother, have been shown the truth, have been given the answers to our betrayal and our doom.
I send with you, my son, our king, the key to your future. Heed my words and follow your heart in the decades to come. You, your sister and your brother and second in command will be reborn. Your life on Antar was destroyed by our enemies. Evil beings that only wished to conquer the five planets in our solar system. Kivar is your enemy and should never be trusted. He uses everyone for his own evil deeds and your wife, Ava, was no exception. It was their plan, from the beginning to meet you, by the sea, in the light of the moons, to seduce you, marry you and through you invade the trust and friendship of your sister, Vilandra. No matter what you discover or our enemies tell you in your new life; your sister did not betray us. She was tricked and only believed that Kivar loved her and he promised her peace among our people if she would help him into the city. It was the error of her heart that led to our deaths, not the lack of loyalty.
It was the error of your heart that led to Ava making her way into our family. This misjudgment of the Antarian heart has been the downfall of our race. Our people have mastered the great powers of our minds, abilities to change matter, to use kinetic powers, however they have their limitations. We are a race of thinking beings, but not of emotions.
For decades our centurions have traveled the universes, studying life-forms different from ours. Humans our creatures of emotion, but have yet to tap the power of their incredible minds. But they love, and they are loyal, and they are compassionate, traits that our species have been losing for many centuries.
Perhaps the unification of your Antarian cells and that of humans will give you the powers we could never imagine. Humans have great potential, they have their weaknesses, but they have a strong power which they call love. I love you all, as any mother would, but human love is beyond anything we have seen in all the universes.
So I send you, Zan, Vilandra, and Rath to this world of humans. Learn from them, feel their pain, joy and learn how to love. Learn all the spectrums of love and use it to make you stronger, to make you stronger leaders and make you human, something I wish for you above all other things.
Ava’s essence has also been sent with you, which is not of my doing. I protested angrily with the Royal Council, but they insisted. I have only this communication to warn you of her treachery and deceit. She will betray you. She is not one of the Royal Four.
You are destined to be with another. A human female will be your strength and will teach you the ways of the heart, will teach you the true meaning of commitment, honesty and devotion. She will have the same gift of sight as I. She will help you in your search for the truth, and you will be drawn to her from the moment you see her though you will not understand why. Find her, my son, she is your hope and she will complete the Royal Four and someday you will return and free us and bring to our barren universe the power of human love.
You will know her by the words of an ancient prophecy that was revealed to me through a vision:
A ONCE FALLEN KING SHALL RISE AGAIN AND BRING HIS BRIDE BACK TO LIFE!
Max looked up from the pages, his eyes staring straight ahead, his face dazed and stunned.
“Max?” Isabel broke the silence.
He didn’t move. He couldn’t speak.
“Max, what does it say?” Isabel asked again.
He wet his dry lips. His heart and mind were racing with the amount of information he had just taken in. He knew what it meant, and he had been right from the moment on that first day so many, many years ago when he had stepped off the bus on his way to kindergarten and had seen Liz. She was the other half of his heart. She was what completed him and what he had lacked in his former life. Together they were one and it had taken a lifetime and a journey through the stars to find her, and it was Liz.

Isabel took the copied pages and began to read. Her eyes filled with tears, some of them escaping down her delicate cheeks. She was overwhelmed by the feelings of sadness for the loss of her family and relief, knowing finally, that in her previous life she had not been this terrible person she had once thought. Overcome with these feelings she unconsciously handed the pages to Michael, who quickly scanned them and then went over to Isabel, hugging her as only a brother could. She turned her face into his strong chest and wept.
Maria quickly snatched the pages from Michael and read, then Kyle and at the moment he was finished all eyes turned to Liz, who had waited with patience and dignity for all the others to have a chance to take in all this new information. She couldn’t help but notice how everyone was now focused on her. They looked at her with new eyes, and she became uncomfortably aware of the tone in the air.
“What?” she innocently asked, “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Maria grabbed the pages from Kyle and handed them to Liz.
“Here, you’re not going to believe this,” she said profoundly.
Liz read and then became as shocked as Max had been. They locked eyes, their minds awakening to this new world that had been revealed. Liz spoke in a soft whisper.
“Oh, my God,” she said and then smiled at the man, the alien that had changed her entire existence. They continued to stare at one another.
“Hey,” Michael spoke up, reality always his comfort zone, “Hey, Romeo and Juliet,” he snapped his fingers in front of Max’s face. “So exactly what does this all mean to us?”
Maria rolled her eyes and pushed past Michael to stand next to Liz.
“Well, for starters you can start calling Liz, your queen,” she said with a smirk of a smile.
“Like hell I will,” Michael responded.
Max shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Michael.
“Well, technically she isn’t queen until she marries the king.”
Maria perked up and looked at Max.
“Is that your attempt at a proposal?” she asked enthusiastically.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Isabel interrupted, “There is no way you two are getting married, no way. I haven’t even started college, and I’m the oldest, and…”
Max interrupted her.
“No, I’m not saying we’re getting married,” he walked over to Liz and took her hands in his, “But maybe someday,” he said in a low, soft voice.
Liz just smiled.
“I really don’t care what you two do.” Michael added, “We still have to figure out what our next step is. Let’s face it, Maxwell, we are stuck here on earth, your lying ex-wife ran off with your son and is, right now as we speak, handing him over to your arch enemy, or at least in a few weeks when the baby is born. What’s the plan? Do we stay here, or do we attempt to find another way back to Antar?”
Max shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He knew everyone was looking to him for guidance, for the plan, but he really wasn’t sure what happened next.
“Michael is right. We have to have a plan, and I have to try and save my son.”
Kyle spoke up.
“You know, we just found out that Tess deceived us in more ways than one. Who’s to say there aren’t more answers hidden elsewhere, like her belongings, or maybe back at the house that she and Nasado lived.”
“We could look through her stuff,” Isabel said hopefully.
Max looked at Liz. There was a combination of shame and apprehension in his face. He knew that just mentioning Tess and his son in front of Liz had hurt her deeply.
“I need to talk with Liz,” he paused and looked at everyone, “alone.”
The whole group got the “message” quickly and they scrambled to get coats and leave.
“We’ll go get something to eat,” Michael said.
“Right!” Maria added, “When in doubt, eat!” She smiled and everyone left.
Max turned to Liz and walked over to her.
“We need to talk,” he said in a husky tone and took her hand and led her over to the couch.
Liz tucked her long brown hair behind her ears and sat down.
Max looked deeply into her large brown eyes.
“How do you feel about everything? I mean, you just found out that you are as much a part of my destiny as Isabel and Michael. You are the completion of the Royal Four.”
Liz took a deep breath.
“I don’t know, Max. This is really big, I mean, your world and mine are forever linked. Like Michael said, I always knew there was something out there, but I had no idea it was this important.”
“I know I made a mess of everything, being with Tess. I guess I just wanted to connect with someone that was like me. You know, that understood what it was like to be me and have to hide who I am from everyone. I thought Tess understood that, and now I know that she was just using me, using my…”
“Innocence?” Liz finished his thought.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“She used the oldest trick in the book, Max. She played on your desire to understand where you came from, all she needed was her powers of seduction and she manipulated you right into her bed,” Liz said with brutal truth.
“I know, I was a fool,” he confessed.
“It’s going to take some time, Max. You really hurt me.”
“I know, and I would understand if you don’t want to continue with finding a way back to Antar, to find my son.”
“Max, after all that we just found out? How can you say that? We are stronger together than apart. I’m not sure how, or why, but if what your mother said in the Destiny Book is true, we were meant to be together. How can you expect me to just walk away from that?”
“I guess when you put it like that I suppose we’re stuck with one another.” Max said with a smile.
Liz smiled and kissed him, “I suppose so,” she said in a breathless tone.
Max kissed Liz again sealing their fate. They would be together and fight whatever battles were to come. Somehow they would find a way to Max’s son and perhaps someday they would find a way to live that normal life Max so desperately wanted. The kind of life he had wanted the moment he laid eyes on Liz twelve years ago when he stepped off that yellow school bus and saw her beautiful hair and soul-full eyes. Liz was the one, and always would be.

ON ANTAR
“Kivar, no! You promised, you told me if I brought back Zan’s son I would be queen, I would have everything I had before!” Tess screamed at Kivar.
He was standing in the rebuilt throne room. The beautiful blue walls had been replaced with dark gold and black paintings of stars and comets. Kivar sat on a jeweled throne with red stones glittering at the top of the high back of the throne.
Kivar smiled, it was a sinister smile.
“Yes, I did, but that was before you brought me this defective child. He’s human, Ava, all human. You have tried to deceive me. That was a terrible mistake, my sweet.”
“No, Kivar, I didn’t deceive you, I didn’t know he was human. I don’t understand how this happened. But, that doesn’t matter now. No one needs to know, just you and me, we can still rule the five planets together.”
Kivar began to laugh. The sickening sound filled the throne room.
“You foolish girl! I have no use for a human child. I needed the blood of Zan, the Royal King of Antar. The people of Antar are preparing a revolt if I can not show that I posses the power of healing, the power the true king must have in order for the people to follow me. That is what you were supposed to bring to me. I could have used Zan for my own purpose, but now he is useless. Therefore, he must be destroyed along with his half human mother.”
“No!” Tess yelled, “I won’t let you!”
Holding Zan close to her chest she ran from the throne room. She was terrified and became more frightened when she could hear Kivar’s laughter following her down the hall. Her only hope was to escape and to return to Max. He would know what to do, and he would save her and Zan from certain death. She would escape and return to earth, it was her only hope.

Liz sat under the stars, her diary in her lap, the cool desert breeze gently making her hair dance around her face. She paused for a moment in her writing and looked up at the diamond laydened sky and smiled. Since that day in September, at the Crashdown two years ago, she would never look at the stars the same way again. There were other worlds out there, other lives, other civilizations and she knew, more than anyone else on the planet earth that we were not alone in the vastness of space. She continued writing.
LOOKING AT THE STARS GIVES ME A FEELING OF REAL PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE. I USED TO THINK THE GREATEST THING I COULD ACCOMPLISH IN MY LIFE WOULD BE TO GO TO COLLEGE AND STUDY THE SCIENCES. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD DISCOVER THAT SCIENCE CAN’T UNDERSTAND OR CONTROL EVERYTHING. THERE ARE FORCES BEYOND THE NATURAL WORLD AND THEY CAN SHAPE A BEING’S LIFE IN WAYS I NEVER IMAGINED.
MY LIFE HAS BEEN SHAPED BY THE VERY STARS I HAVE LOOKED AT MY WHOLE LIFE AND I AM NOW BOUND TO THEM, JUST AS MY HEART IS BOUND TO MAX WHO CAME FROM THOSE VERY STARS. MY ONLY HOPE IS THAT I AM WORTHY OF SUCH RESPONSIBILITY AND HOPE.
I AM THE FUTURE WIFE OF MAX EVANS, FUTURE QUEEN OF ANTAR. I HAVE ONLY MY HEART AND DEVOTION TO GIVE TO MAX, MICHAEL AND ISABEL, AND TO THE PEOPLE OF ANTAR THAT ARE IN NEED OF A COMPASSIONATE LEADER, I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO GIVE BUT WHO I AM. I’M LIZ PARKER AND I AM HUMAN.
Liz put her pen down and closed her eyes. She was tired and finally beginning to feel a little peace in her heart. A heart that had been torn and trampled on in the last year, but now it was starting to heal and it felt good to be a part of something, a part of the larger forces at work in the universe and to be a part of Max Evans life. Her body and mind began to drift off to sleep.
Suddenly she saw a bright blue light and then she was traveling through time and space. Stars raced around her and then she saw a space ship streaking across the darkness of the cosmos. She followed its track as it raced across the blackness and then Earth came into view. The ship hit the atmosphere, breaking through the layers like a boulder being thrust into the sea. She heard a woman scream and baby crying and then it exploded.
Liz sat up sharply and gasped for air. Her eyes were wild with fear. She spoke out loud, her voice breathless.
“Tess!”


THE END