The Fate of Destiny Part 168
Max cleared his throat when Bernard's voice rose. The man gave Max a dark look but quieted as the police officer spoke. Max thought vaguely at how old Soltero was and how long it had taken him to take the title of Sheriff. Valenti would never dream of returning but Soltero had stepped up in the younger Valenti's death and taken on the mantle.
+ "Mr. Vaughn, you have to understand that these things are not uncommon. Roswell has seen its share of date rapes, your daughter was very lucky to have a few friends at that party."
"She should have never been at that party!" Bernard shouted.
"Undisputed. She is underage. I've sent officers to the location the Evans boy gave to see what we can do to prevent this to happening to another family's daughter."
"Donna Jo, let's go." Bernard started for the door before Donna Jo could even respond. She jumped up to follow him. Max held her up for a minute.
Sheriff Soltero placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Miss, just stay calm. We're going to handle this but I wouldn't go to anymore parties without an escort that you trust."
"Yes, sir." She nodded.
"Donna." Max cleared his throat. "I know Beth's not here but… you can call us if you need someone to pick you up."
"Thank you, Dr. Evans." She nodded. She sent a strained smile to David and disappeared after her father.
"Young David," Soltero turned to face the boy. "You didn't drink anything at that party, did you?"
"I never do." David answered honestly.
"Did you see anything?"
"No… I don't hang around while people mix the drinks. I go to see my friends." David shrugged.
"I hope that I don't have to tell you how dangerous it could have been for your sister's friend if you hadn't been there."
"Yeah, I know." David stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I mostly went because I knew she'd be there. It was the same old crowd. Football players and cheerleaders, some college kids home for break."
"No one stood out, huh." Soltero took a breath and let it out slowly. "Dr. Evans, you think we're going to go through this thing again?"
"It usually comes in waves. Hard in the fall around midterms and nothing until Spring Break." Max nodded. "I'll let the hospital know what to expect. We'll help however we can."
"I think we're done for today but I'll keep in touch."
Liz stood up finally and put her hands on her son's shoulders, her eyes on her husband. "Do you really deal with this a lot, Max?"
"More than I'd like to when I do an ER rotation weekend nights." He admitted. "I never worried much because our children don't drink. Kat's friends were always finicky and Beth's friends didn't go to those parties."
"Donna Jo's lonely." David supplied.
"She always has so many friends." Liz protested.
"You can have friends and still feel lonely, Mom." He stared at her. "Beth did."
Liz stood there dumbfounded as her son walked away to get ready for school.
--
Gabe dragged himself into his seat next to Anita for their geology class. He offered her a tired smile. She kissed his forehead and then put on a pair of glasses so she could take notes. He laughed to himself when she pulled out two more pens to take her notes in outline form with multicolored tiers. He watched her instead of taking his own notes. Her hair smoothed into one of those complicated hairdos that he could never figure out but had a blast taking down. He liked her makeup. He was never sure exactly what she did to her face but she didn't look like she was wearing a lot, if any. Loved her blue jeans, snug but not so tight he could make out her panty lines and the tops she wore. Flirty was what Eva had called them. Eva actually liked Anita. Said she liked the way Anita rolled her 'r's.
Anita wore flats. All the time. Said she didn't like being so tall. Said she was a complete klutz… and she usually had the bruises to prove it. And Anita liked his mom. Had encouraged them to reconnect. The boys had appreciated it but Eva was still on the fence. Gabriel defended Eva. He didn't blame her. She hardly knew the former Mrs. Silerio.
After classes, they always went back to her efficiency to study and eat. Anita could cook. Had taken lessons from his mother when she was a teen. They would study out of their respective texts whilst curling up together. She liked to hold his right hand, her thumb absently tracing the network of scars on his thumb and forefinger. Like Gabe, she had given her virginity to someone she had loved and he had broken her heart. Unlike Gabe, she was willing to jump in again. She never stopped letting him know that it was okay for him to explore and gain territory but she was never too disappointed when he didn't.
He usually made his way home around eleven. He put away leftovers, checked on Eva, then the boys, made sure his father had actually made it to bed before hitting the hay himself. That was his "A" schedule. The "B" schedule entailed less Anita and more work at the lumberyard and also more family time. Eva needed him right now. Their mother was still hostile to their father but she was making a real effort. Gabriel suspected it wouldn't be long until his much younger siblings would be invited to their dinners every other weekend. Eva wouldn't like that very much… but she trusted Anita and Anita thought it was only time before Eva would come around.
--
Isabel propped her feet up on the end of the couch and flipped through the books beside her. Jesse picked up one of them as he made his way to the armchair. "Grandma, you're going overboard."
"I am just trying to help. Those two have no idea how hard it is to raise a child. They are just lucky that Alex has such a good job and they have each other. I raised Alex practically by myself."
"Your family helped."
"They did." She nodded. "And I appreciated it."
"You were only 18, your lover was dead and you lived with your parents. Alex and Lynette are capable, married twenty-somethings with good jobs. They will figure it out the way we all did… on accident."
"I'm only making lists. I haven't bought anything. I haven't mailed them anything."
"Mommy!" Gina crashed into the house and bounced over the back of the couch. "I suck."
"What?" Isabel hauled her over in a tangle of limbs and skates. "I see."
"Where's your teacher?" Jesse laughed and helped to straighten out his child.
"Kyle's talking to some girls."
"I see." Jesse set her on her feet again. "Let's go."
Isabel watched them go and then watched through the window as Jesse guided their daughter up and down the driveway, giving pointers here and there.
--
Lauren endured the makeup people and she studied her lines. Her phone buzzed with a text message. People around her nudged each other as she checked it and smiled to herself. "He wants to take me to dinner this weekend."
"Where is he taking you?"
"His grandmother's a member of some diner's club and so he just… surprises me."
"Wow." The hairdresser cooed. "Well, hang on to him… and let us know the second he turns into an evil bastard."
--
Liz ate some of her casserole and washed it down with sweet tea. Sweeter than she normally took it. Then she had a second helping. She ignored Max's smirk. "I'm hungry."
"Good. That's good." He nodded to his plate. He slid his hand across the table to squeeze hers.
"Mom! I'm starved!" David bounded into the house, Sterling at his heels. "Ooh, casserole."
"How're the guys?" Max asked while David quickly washed up and managed to serve himself without tripping over his dog.
"Guys." David shrugged then turned slowly and sat at the table. "But um… the girls are saying that Mr. Vaughn really lost it after he left the house this morning. Hannah said she saw Mrs. Vaughn take Donna Jo to the clinic this morning."
"It's standard procedure, Davey. Don't worry about it."
"She'll be fine. You got her here." Liz told him even as she shook some Tabasco sauce into her glass. "You'll see."
--
Beth walked Nat back to his apartment. He was exhausted and she had to teach him how to handle the withdrawal snacking that came with learning to use his powers. His mother had been crying but she didn't make any attempts to show him how glad she was that he was home. Beth shook her hand and saw into the past. Nat's mother had been hot when she was younger. Had met Zan a time or two before he'd been hurt. Had taken care of him a time or two afterward. Had not been afraid of the tough man with the scars on his face until he had come on top of her and made her see things. Had made the lights in the room burst. Then she had turned up pregnant but without him around to see her through it because she had run him off. She was more afraid of what he'd do because she'd run him off than of what she'd seen him do.
Beth fixed lunch for Nat and his family. It gave his mom time to wash up, Nat time with his siblings and let Beth see what this secret was doing to his family. She slipped extra sugar and Tabasco into the plates she fixed for Nat and herself. They sat and Beth could cut the tension with a knife. His little brothers and sister stared at him.
"Beth, was it?" His mother, Julie, cleared her throat. "Are you… Zan's?"
"I'm his… niece." She nodded to her plate.
"Did he say when he found out?"
"No but… it's been a long while."
"Why did he wait?"
"He's… uh… had some bad times. Had nothing to offer until now." She shrugged. "Least, that's what he figured."
"Sounds like him." She nodded to her plate, pushing around the food.
Nat scoffed and took a huge bite to keep the comments from rolling off his tongue. Beth realized what Nat must have thought of his mother. "Zan doesn't talk much about… you. He doesn't talk much about anything, actually."
"Zan was always pretty tightlipped when I knew him. He had some good reasons, I guess. He… was a gorgeous man once." Julie smiled sadly. "Shame what his family did to him. He… was always ashamed to show his face after that but I didn't see the scars. I only saw him… I just wasn't brave enough to take what he offered me."
"But you'll take whatever scumbag home who'll pay the rent." Nat bit out.
"I kicked him out, Nat. No man does that to my children." Julie set her fork down. "I have to get to work."
When she was gone, Nat's youngest brother, who looked all of ten, glared at Nat. "He was an asshole, Nat. She wasn't going to let him stay."
"Don't worry about that." His emotions starting to fray.
"She's been upset." 14 year old sister, Beth thought her name was Amy or something.
"I know." Nat bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"She didn't run him off, Nat." Beth cut in. "She left him…" Felt his gaze on her face though she was still moving food around on her plate. "Because of where he was from. She didn't understand and she wishes she would have tried."
Jamie stared at her and then at his brother. "Nat… don't leave just cause your dad came back."
"Jamie, shut up," George slugged his little brother in the arm. Beth thought maybe George was 17. "Nat, you can't do this to her. We got assholes every month and you're the one that holds her together. Everyone knows you're her favorite."
"Mom doesn't have favorites." Nat murmured.
"Like hell she doesn't." Amy got up to slam her dishes in the sink. "And you… stay away from here. We don't want you here."
Beth nodded and shrugged. Amy left the apartment. George followed her. Jamie went to his room. "Well, you're four for four."
"That's not funny." He muttered.
"Well, you didn't inherit the sense of humor."
--
Will grinned as, finally, he got a hit from a surveillance camera. She turned a corner with a tall fellow. "Well, that narrows things down a bit. She's on the grid, guys."
"No location, though?" Agent Seyton squinted at the fuzzy still image.
"No but she's a girl who has haunts. She'll come this way again."
--
Gabriel somehow made it through his interview without making a spazz of himself. He had to reintroduce himself to the editor of the paper as the woman hadn't recognized him without 'all those appendages.' He was flying so high that nothing was going to get him down. He was sure he'd get the internship. She had laughed that he had quit his paying job with them only to apply for a non-paying job with them. It was just a news-desk job but it would count as a credit if his counselor got a good report.
His dad was out of town, though. He called the kids and told them the news. He was buzzing when he got the call from the editor's assistant about when to start and what the dress was and who to talk to about keeping his time. Then he ran into the Evans as they walked out of the Crashdown. "Dr. Evans, Mrs. Evans, I have great news!"
"What?" Liz couldn't help but smile when she saw how excited he was.
"I just got a crap internship at the local paper."
Max laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. How many credits are you getting out of it?"
"One and a half per semester." Gabriel took the handshakes and hugs when they were given.
"That's great, though. I'll bet it helps that they liked your high school column." Liz offered.
"Yeah, it does." He grinned. "I just… it'll feel good to get back in after a couple of years away from it. I don't get to write but…"
"It'll all be worth it." Max clapped him on the back again.
"I can only hope."
"Well, get out of here. I'm sure there are people you'd rather celebrate with than us." Liz shooed him away.
"What?" Max frowned but Liz shushed him.
"Tell her we said 'hi',"
"I don't want to scare her off." Gabriel laughed but kept walking to the small building down the street where he knocked out a rhythm and was greet with a bright smile and glittering hazel eyes. "I got it!"
--
Max listened to the tale as he prepped the coffee maker for the morning. It made him sad. She'd been gone a year. Her boyfriend had moved on. Her friends had made other friends. It was beginning to seem like she had never been there. She was though. Had been born 19 years ago next week. Had been spoiled rotten with attention until she had forced attention away… and gotten it anyway.
"Anyway… she seems like a nice girl. She's giving him contact with his mother, which Eva needs right now…" Liz trailed off as she tilted her head. "Is someone at the front door?"
When Max opened the door, it was to find a crying 19 year old girl. "Donna Jo? What's wrong?"
"Dr. Evans… I know you said I could call you but… I just… don't have anywhere else to go."
"What happened?" He invited her in and let her to the den.
Liz took the girl to a couch to sit. "It's okay, sweetie. Tell us what happened."
"Well, you know my dad was furious with me. He started talking about moving back to Texas and my mom was upset. They forbade me from going back to school. My mom took me to the hospital for blood work and started asking all these questions about how much I drank and if I've had sex. Did I have STDs? I told the truth and she just flipped out. I'm not some kind of slut but it's 2030 for crying out loud."
"It's okay." Liz calmed her down. "Then what happened?"
"They were shut in their room for hours and then Mom told me that they're disowning me. That I'm a disgrace and I have to leave. I asked her about school she said she's not paying for it. That she owns everything I have but she'll let me go with the clothes I'm wearing. I was almost attacked and instead of being grateful that I wasn't raped and murdered, they threw me out."
"Do you have any relatives?"
"They're all in Texas and none of them will speak to me." She sobbed. "I don't know what to do."
Liz grabbed her by the shoulders. "It's going to be fine. First thing you have to do is get the grief out of your system. Then you've got to figure out if you can still go to school on your own. You'll have to get a job. Maybe two. You'll have to cut back on your expenses, in the mealtimes you'll stay here."
"I can't go back to Las Cruces by myself."
"You can do anything you put your mind to." Liz cleared her throat.. "I was 18 and pregnant when my mother and I had a fight. I moved in with Max over the summer. Then we realized that that we couldn't do it on our own. His parents took us in. He worked two jobs. I worked until I couldn't anymore."
"What am I going to do? I can't eve get to Cruces alone."
Liz exchanged a look with Max. "Donna Jo… we've got 3 empty bedrooms. We can help you transfer to Roswell Community. Liz's father may even be able to get you a job but you got to get it together."
Liz cleared her throat. "I've known you since you were 9 years old. You are one of the only friends that Beth kept in all that time. You never judged her. You were never afraid to say you were her friend. That tells me that you have some strength in your core. Maybe you felt you could be strong because mom and dad were right behind you but this day was always coming. It's time to take the training wheels off, Donna Jo. Show them that you can get along without their support. These wounds will heal."
"Okay." The girl nodded. "Okay. I can do this. I can lead 10 girls to state. I can lead myself to a life."
"There's a good girl. Go wash up and we'll get started."
--
Beth slept alone. Or lay with her eyes closed. She found Gabe's dream center, inserted herself. Then slid a hand into her panties. Let herself feel the sensations she created with his dream self. It wasn't the same but it was close. So close. Usually it left her with an even bigger ache. Left her waiting to be in his arms, his heavy body on top of hers.
She wanted his tongue, his fingers, his… wanted it all. Wanted it now. Wanted to feel his breath on her skin… Missed the way he looked at her, touched her, smiled at her.
--
Nat gritted his teeth against a groan of pain as Zan sliced open his arm. Zan did the same to his own arm. "Heal it."
"How?"
"It's instinct. Special to the heirs of Antar."
"So, how do you do it?" Nat tried to focus on healing but nothing was happening and the pain was rather distracting as well.
"I don't even think about it." Zan whispered as the muscle knit together and the skin closed over leaving the blood to dry where it had escaped. "It's instinct."
"Not for me." Nat stared at his arms. One whole arm and one bleeding arm. He remembered biology from high school and his night classes last year. Thought about the muscles and veins too numerous to count and name. Then watched in awe as it closed slowly, more slowly than Zan's had. "I…"
"Try it again." Zan cut the other arm. "And think about whatever you were thinking about when that happened."
"I was just remembering biology classes…" Nat watched as the second cut healed just as slowly but right away as opposed to the several minutes on the first. "I mean… there are layers of tissue and skin and it all comes down to the molecules in between."
"Beth calls it molecular manipulation… or rewinding… depending on her mood." Zan snorted.
"What's her deal?"
"You're not getting any answers from her, huh." Zan laughed and sank down onto his mattress. "She's a little girl inside." He explained. "She's not retarded or nothing… but she's looking for someone to take care of her. Someone bigger. Stronger."
"Why?" Nat blurted out. "I thought she was the Sleeper. Strongest alien in the universe."
"It's lonely being the best." He cleared his throat, memories of his former life flooding through his mind. "There's a lot of pressure to be the best. The weight is heavy."
"But I thought you weren't the king."
"They thought I was dead… Maybe I did die for a moment. This thing's complicated. I figured I could settle down. Be normal but it didn't last long."
"My mom?"
Zan thought his confusion was cute. To be able to be that naïve… it was a blessing of sorts. "Among other things."
"Did you… care about my mom?"
"Too late now to think about back then." Zan go to his feet and crossed to the window. He pulled away the sheet to stare out onto the streets.
"My mom told me to stay away from you."
"Figures."
"Why?"
"I was always in deep trouble when I was with her. Always hiding and running. Didn't change after this happened to me." Zan gestured to his face, forgetting for a moment that it wasn't that way anymore. "Well, after. I remember the night we made you… it was the last time we were together. Had to have been." Zan pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a flame that erupted from between his hands. "She was hot, your mom. Real hot. Just… smokin' and… I was all banged up. Little kids would stare at me and babies would cry but she… she knew me from before… she didn't make a big deal out of my face. She was working in some office somewhere. They asked me not to pick her up cause I was bad for business. I got jumped in an alley on the way to meet her… I was still pretty bad off. Healed some things, not all things… She was terrified. We took the back way to her place. She cleaned me up… We…" He cleared his throat. "did our thing… and I remember I was really… taken with her. I mean… it's a weird word but it fits. And really, I think I knew it from the moment I first saw her that she was the one."
"So…"
"It hit me all of a sudden that she was the one. That I knew it and it was true and there was no fighting it anymore. She had shown me more loyalty than any member of my family… aside from my mother, but even she had lacked faith in me…" Zan dragged and puffed. "That's when she started getting stuff from inside my head. Sometimes you can't control your instincts. I had a cut on my face… I healed in front of her eyes. She started screaming. She threw me out… I only saw her once afterward. She didn't see me."
"When was that?"
"The day you came home from the hospital." Zan recounted as he lit another cigarette with the butt of the first. "I'd been there every day for a week, waiting for her. Thinking I could explain or maybe she'd… figured it out… Your grandmother was with her, griping the whole time. I was at the end of the hall… hiding… I seen you for a second then you was inside with them… last time I seen you in person."
"If you knew about me, why didn't you say something before?"
"Nothing I coulda done… I didn't have a place to stay. No job."
"Not like now." Nat snorted.
"No, not like now." Zan shook his head. "You was what… 16 when it first happened?"
"Yeah… it just happened… like that day you guys showed up." He took a deep breath and let it out. "It took forever to do it again."
"But it's easier now."
"It feels like I'm lost and I'm learning the streets of a new town. Like once I figure how to get across town, I can do it again. The more I do it, the better I get at it. It's just slow going."
"Well, you're half."
"But Beth."
"Rules don't apply to her. She's got three parents."
"And her brothers and sister?"
"Her brothers are half. Her sister is full… but less than Beth."
"How?"
"Her mom died once… for a minute. My clone brought her back. It changed her, left a piece inside her that opened up her mind but she can't do anything that I know of."
"Weird."
"Yeah."
TBC
The Fate of Destiny Part 181E CC/UC ADULT 09/02/10 COMPLETE
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, Erina, Forum Moderators
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 169 CC/UC ADULT 06/20/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 169
Rita kissed her son's face and took a seat once more. "Congratulations, Gabriel. I'm very proud."
The twins were quiet. Eva was stony. Anita was beaming. "Somos todo orgulloso, Rita."
"Si, Si." She touched Gabriel's face again. "¿Cuánto tiempo?"
"Two semesters to start. I might be able to intern longer in other positions if they come up."
"Could you guys stick to English so we can all understand?" Eva muttered darkly.
"¿Qué está equivocado con su padre? ¿Por qué no le enseñó él?"
"Dad did what he felt was right." He tried to calm her down
"She's… too old now."
"Well, if you wanted her to speak Spanish, you should have been more involved." Gabriel bit out.
"Right on." The twins chorused.
"Shut up." Gabriel cut them a look. "This is a celebration dinner, not a fight."
Gabriel stood and left the table, Eva rushed after him, tackling him around the waist as he hit the door. He circled the building with her holding on for dear life. He could see their table, if he tilted his head, he could see through the glare… could read their lips. Eva was much better at it. "The boys say that Dad did the best he could but he was alone. I was too young and I had trouble in school with two tongues."
"Yeah, you did… then Dad stopped using Spanish at home." Gabriel stroked her hair.
"Why?"
"So you could focus on one thing at a time and now you don't have any trouble keeping up."
"Does Dad want me to learn it?"
"I think Dad will let you make that decision yourself."
"How come she's so mean?"
"She doesn't mean to be. She's missed us. She's mad at herself." Gabriel bent and kissed her head. "Give her a chance? She fucked up big time but… she's the only mom you've got."
--
Donna Jo bussed tables and took orders and found herself understanding Jose's Spanglish orders easier with every pass. She felt like she was struggling to keep up but David was a pro. At taking orders, passing them out and convincing people to order more. Her tips were awful but they were hers. Mr. Parker had told her that she needed to find her stride but she wished she could fast forwarded until then because this sucked.
--
Beth watched Zan and Nat grown closer. Sweet as that was and as good as Nat was coming along, she was bored. She had no idea what to do with herself until Nat caught up and started being a good sparring partner. Strolling down a busy street, she ignored looks from other people. Tripped the ones that glared at her.
--
Agent Seyton reviewed the data from the security feeds. She found the girl a couple of times… and hid the files. She wanted to be the one to track the girl down. She had to be the one that got the credit on this one. Agent Goldblum would pay for making her look like an ass in front of the bureau. Him and that red-headed bitch in Florida.
--
Lauren took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hi."
"Hey." He stepped inside her apartment with barely a glance at the guards. "High security."
"Yeah. My agent takes good care of me." She offered a small smile. "I cooked."
"You sound proud."
"I'm not the cook in the family. My step-mom is." Lauren tugged him to the kitchen. "These are all her recipes."
"The dreaded step-family, huh?"
"No, she's cool. Well, she's just a few years older than me. My mom's such a cradle robber."
--
Gabriel buried his face in her neck. She felt so good. He reached down for his pants. He had a condom in his wallet, he was sure of it. "So beautiful."
"Gabriel…" She moaned.
How this started had probably been a distraction from dinner… but Gabriel finally felt like he was ready. It was now or never. Took his time learning her body. Thinner than he usually liked his women and foul mouthed when she felt good. Her curses started out in English and then slid into Spanish when he slid inside her. Tasted so good, felt great… loved her blush afterward and her worries about being so foul-mouthed. "Anita?"
"Yeah?" She covered her face with her hands.
"I'm sorry this took me so long."
"Oh no…" She rolled over and kissed his mouth. "Worth every second of waiting."
--
Max watched his son tease their houseguest. He'd wondered how David felt about Donna Jo for a while now but David had insisted they were just friends. Liz had told him not to worry about it. Max knew he had a part inside him that was proud if his son could turn the girl's head but the parent inside him, notably the part that Liz had drilled into his head, was concerned about them sleeping down the hall from each other.
Donna Jo helped Liz cook. Paid close attention as if she had never cooked before. Liz was patient and explained as she went along. There were few mishaps. Max thought about pulling some strings and getting her a second job at the hospital doing some filing but Liz thought that might overwhelm her just now.
Mostly he thought about how horrible he felt with a child who had run away. How could he ever throw a child out of his house?
--
Lauren dialed quickly, pecking Sebastien on the lips as she waited for Will to pick up. She groaned at the sound of a forwarding call and cleared her throat. "This is Lauren Burkhardt for Agent Goldblum. Please give me a call soon."
"So, your plans?"
"So not happening. He always answers his phone. There must be some crisis somewhere."
"I don't really need a tour of the local federal building."
"Come on. It's cool."
"It is cool." He admitted. "My girlfriend is a hot actress with ties to the FBI, what's not to love?"
"I'm your girlfriend, huh?" she smiled and scooted closer. "You gonna pin me now?"
"Maybe later." He brushed her hair out of her face. "There's… still more you need to know about me."
"Ditto."
--
Genevieve stared at the answering machine in disbelief. Then turned her attention and a name to the database. Lauren Burkhardt, huh. She'd see about that. No one made fools of her family.
--
Beth turned a corner and spotted something she wished she hadn't seen. A man fell to the ground as if he were having a seizure, just as a crowd started to gather, he stood, straightened himself and walked away with purpose. She followed at a distance. He entered a warehouse and stood waiting. She watched from a dark corner as a woman entered, dressed in rags with bad teeth. They conversed briefly and quietly. Then exited as if they had someplace to be. Beth followed and tried to pull a shield around herself in case either one could detect her. Then it happened. The man turned to face her in the middle of a street. He made a motion with his hand that was not familiar to her but she knew if she told Zan about it that he would know what it meant. A chill ran down her spine when the man barely sidestepped out of the way of an oncoming car that came out of his blind spot. He inclined his head to her and walked away.
--
Liz shuddered suddenly as she loaded the dishwasher. Max frowned. "You cold or something?"
"No but… I don't know." She shivered and tried to shake off the feeling. "I feel like someone walked over my grave."
--
Gabriel whistled as he walked home, the taste of Anita on his lips, the feel of her on his skin. He hated to leave her but he didn't feel right just hanging out all night when his dad was stuck at home with the munchkins on the warpath. He frowned when he passed an alley. He could swear that he had seen Beth at the end of it. Backing up, he stared down the dark path, stepping into the shadows, he didn't see anything or any doors or windows or ladders… just a space between two buildings. "Hello?"
His cell rang in his pocket. "Yeah?" He smiled and backed out onto the street. "Missed me already, huh." He grinned as she whispered into the phone. "I'll be home soon and then I'll call you back… and you're right… it was totally worth the wait… I… Love you, Anita."
--
Beth fought with the alien energy in his brain but it wasn't the refuge she'd come to love. Hiding out with Gabriel's thoughts was comforting but… he was so focused and it wasn't on her. She kept seeing a face. A girl. A smile, a toss of the hair… her naked body. Her face. Her face. Her face.
Beth screeched and the power went out for twelve blocks but she couldn't stop seeing that girl's face. That girl's face with Gabriel's shadow over her. His body over her. Beth's hands shook but she couldn't contain the rage or the destruction. It was too much in one night. It was too much to see that girl smiling up at HER Gabriel. To see that girl's head thrown back in passion.
She screamed again and six cars went up in flames as their gas tanks boiled out. She stormed down the street, tears streaming down her face, cars going up in flames, windows blowing out and paint peeling off of nearby buildings.
TBC
Rita kissed her son's face and took a seat once more. "Congratulations, Gabriel. I'm very proud."
The twins were quiet. Eva was stony. Anita was beaming. "Somos todo orgulloso, Rita."
"Si, Si." She touched Gabriel's face again. "¿Cuánto tiempo?"
"Two semesters to start. I might be able to intern longer in other positions if they come up."
"Could you guys stick to English so we can all understand?" Eva muttered darkly.
"¿Qué está equivocado con su padre? ¿Por qué no le enseñó él?"
"Dad did what he felt was right." He tried to calm her down
"She's… too old now."
"Well, if you wanted her to speak Spanish, you should have been more involved." Gabriel bit out.
"Right on." The twins chorused.
"Shut up." Gabriel cut them a look. "This is a celebration dinner, not a fight."
Gabriel stood and left the table, Eva rushed after him, tackling him around the waist as he hit the door. He circled the building with her holding on for dear life. He could see their table, if he tilted his head, he could see through the glare… could read their lips. Eva was much better at it. "The boys say that Dad did the best he could but he was alone. I was too young and I had trouble in school with two tongues."
"Yeah, you did… then Dad stopped using Spanish at home." Gabriel stroked her hair.
"Why?"
"So you could focus on one thing at a time and now you don't have any trouble keeping up."
"Does Dad want me to learn it?"
"I think Dad will let you make that decision yourself."
"How come she's so mean?"
"She doesn't mean to be. She's missed us. She's mad at herself." Gabriel bent and kissed her head. "Give her a chance? She fucked up big time but… she's the only mom you've got."
--
Donna Jo bussed tables and took orders and found herself understanding Jose's Spanglish orders easier with every pass. She felt like she was struggling to keep up but David was a pro. At taking orders, passing them out and convincing people to order more. Her tips were awful but they were hers. Mr. Parker had told her that she needed to find her stride but she wished she could fast forwarded until then because this sucked.
--
Beth watched Zan and Nat grown closer. Sweet as that was and as good as Nat was coming along, she was bored. She had no idea what to do with herself until Nat caught up and started being a good sparring partner. Strolling down a busy street, she ignored looks from other people. Tripped the ones that glared at her.
--
Agent Seyton reviewed the data from the security feeds. She found the girl a couple of times… and hid the files. She wanted to be the one to track the girl down. She had to be the one that got the credit on this one. Agent Goldblum would pay for making her look like an ass in front of the bureau. Him and that red-headed bitch in Florida.
--
Lauren took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hi."
"Hey." He stepped inside her apartment with barely a glance at the guards. "High security."
"Yeah. My agent takes good care of me." She offered a small smile. "I cooked."
"You sound proud."
"I'm not the cook in the family. My step-mom is." Lauren tugged him to the kitchen. "These are all her recipes."
"The dreaded step-family, huh?"
"No, she's cool. Well, she's just a few years older than me. My mom's such a cradle robber."
--
Gabriel buried his face in her neck. She felt so good. He reached down for his pants. He had a condom in his wallet, he was sure of it. "So beautiful."
"Gabriel…" She moaned.
How this started had probably been a distraction from dinner… but Gabriel finally felt like he was ready. It was now or never. Took his time learning her body. Thinner than he usually liked his women and foul mouthed when she felt good. Her curses started out in English and then slid into Spanish when he slid inside her. Tasted so good, felt great… loved her blush afterward and her worries about being so foul-mouthed. "Anita?"
"Yeah?" She covered her face with her hands.
"I'm sorry this took me so long."
"Oh no…" She rolled over and kissed his mouth. "Worth every second of waiting."
--
Max watched his son tease their houseguest. He'd wondered how David felt about Donna Jo for a while now but David had insisted they were just friends. Liz had told him not to worry about it. Max knew he had a part inside him that was proud if his son could turn the girl's head but the parent inside him, notably the part that Liz had drilled into his head, was concerned about them sleeping down the hall from each other.
Donna Jo helped Liz cook. Paid close attention as if she had never cooked before. Liz was patient and explained as she went along. There were few mishaps. Max thought about pulling some strings and getting her a second job at the hospital doing some filing but Liz thought that might overwhelm her just now.
Mostly he thought about how horrible he felt with a child who had run away. How could he ever throw a child out of his house?
--
Lauren dialed quickly, pecking Sebastien on the lips as she waited for Will to pick up. She groaned at the sound of a forwarding call and cleared her throat. "This is Lauren Burkhardt for Agent Goldblum. Please give me a call soon."
"So, your plans?"
"So not happening. He always answers his phone. There must be some crisis somewhere."
"I don't really need a tour of the local federal building."
"Come on. It's cool."
"It is cool." He admitted. "My girlfriend is a hot actress with ties to the FBI, what's not to love?"
"I'm your girlfriend, huh?" she smiled and scooted closer. "You gonna pin me now?"
"Maybe later." He brushed her hair out of her face. "There's… still more you need to know about me."
"Ditto."
--
Genevieve stared at the answering machine in disbelief. Then turned her attention and a name to the database. Lauren Burkhardt, huh. She'd see about that. No one made fools of her family.
--
Beth turned a corner and spotted something she wished she hadn't seen. A man fell to the ground as if he were having a seizure, just as a crowd started to gather, he stood, straightened himself and walked away with purpose. She followed at a distance. He entered a warehouse and stood waiting. She watched from a dark corner as a woman entered, dressed in rags with bad teeth. They conversed briefly and quietly. Then exited as if they had someplace to be. Beth followed and tried to pull a shield around herself in case either one could detect her. Then it happened. The man turned to face her in the middle of a street. He made a motion with his hand that was not familiar to her but she knew if she told Zan about it that he would know what it meant. A chill ran down her spine when the man barely sidestepped out of the way of an oncoming car that came out of his blind spot. He inclined his head to her and walked away.
--
Liz shuddered suddenly as she loaded the dishwasher. Max frowned. "You cold or something?"
"No but… I don't know." She shivered and tried to shake off the feeling. "I feel like someone walked over my grave."
--
Gabriel whistled as he walked home, the taste of Anita on his lips, the feel of her on his skin. He hated to leave her but he didn't feel right just hanging out all night when his dad was stuck at home with the munchkins on the warpath. He frowned when he passed an alley. He could swear that he had seen Beth at the end of it. Backing up, he stared down the dark path, stepping into the shadows, he didn't see anything or any doors or windows or ladders… just a space between two buildings. "Hello?"
His cell rang in his pocket. "Yeah?" He smiled and backed out onto the street. "Missed me already, huh." He grinned as she whispered into the phone. "I'll be home soon and then I'll call you back… and you're right… it was totally worth the wait… I… Love you, Anita."
--
Beth fought with the alien energy in his brain but it wasn't the refuge she'd come to love. Hiding out with Gabriel's thoughts was comforting but… he was so focused and it wasn't on her. She kept seeing a face. A girl. A smile, a toss of the hair… her naked body. Her face. Her face. Her face.
Beth screeched and the power went out for twelve blocks but she couldn't stop seeing that girl's face. That girl's face with Gabriel's shadow over her. His body over her. Beth's hands shook but she couldn't contain the rage or the destruction. It was too much in one night. It was too much to see that girl smiling up at HER Gabriel. To see that girl's head thrown back in passion.
She screamed again and six cars went up in flames as their gas tanks boiled out. She stormed down the street, tears streaming down her face, cars going up in flames, windows blowing out and paint peeling off of nearby buildings.
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 170 CC/UC ADULT 06/29/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 170
Lauren sat with him in the church pew. Watched him kneel and begin his penance. The service was not for a half an hour but he had to go to confession, he'd said. She had known that most of his Sunday was spent in this church. The church filled up around them while one by one the beads slipped through his fingers and ticked away another prayer and another minute. Finally, he slid back into his seat and wrapped his hand around hers. She stared at his profile. "Does it make you feel better?"
"Some... like a drop of water to quench a thirst."
"Well, eventually, those drops build up." She squeezed his hand. "But you gotta hold on to the drops and not let them slip through your fingers."
Seb blinked and stared at her. "I'll remember that."
After the mass, they lingered and Lauren met the priest who had clearly a lot of influence over her boyfriend... if that's what he was. The priest smiled warmly at her and invited them both to lunch with him. Sebastien started to refuse but acquiesced as soon as he realized that he was outnumbered.
Lauren watched them interact. She saw it The way Father Destry reached and the way that Seb skittered away. The way that Sebastien seemed so subdued and careful. Then when he excused himself to the bathroom, Lauren got her chance to talk to the priest... but he beat her to it.
"So, you're the girl. He's been hiding you. Afraid that you'll run away from him but... you know his secrets, yes?"
"No... but I have my own."
"So, I'm told. You have a big influence over him. I like it. He used to sit in his dorm room all the time. Either at school, studying or in church, praying. He helps me organize my programs but he's too busy praying to look around." He patted her hand. "You seem like a nice girl. You're good for him."
"I think he's good for me too. Doesn't let me be destructive."
"Ah..." The light in his eyes changed.
"We're just friends, Father. Exclusive friends."
"It is good to go slow but as I keep telling him, men and women were meant to go forth and multiply."
"Well." She smiled. "This woman is contracted to do two more movies this year and three next year... Multiplying has to wait that long at least."
--
Will squinted against the sun as he tried to measure just how far up the paint had peeled from the building. There was a long path of about 15 blocks with similar damage but Will stood in what was believed to be the origin.
"No witnesses." One of his agents called over.
"Beth, what are you doing?" He whispered to himself. He climbed the ladder as high as he could. The damage was still a good twenty feet up. "She's getting stronger."
"The path goes on that way." Agent Valdez pointed. "It's uneven."
"How so?" Will looked one way and then the other.
"Explosion here." He pointed to his feet. "But the ball went rolling that way, doubling up the damage whereas that way… the initial burst."
"Why did it stop?"
"Maybe it burned out?"
--
Zan watched her pace. She was still steaming, literally, but she had calmed down since she'd come in the night before, muttering to herself. She wasn't talking and she had refused to let him near her. This was bad timing and he didn't have time for this.
"Council's in town."
"So fucking what." She waved him off.
"This is important. We're not ready yet." He pointed out. "Nat was supposed to be stronger before they sprung this on us."
"He'll have to do." She tugged at her hair and stomped her feet. "Stop being such a girl and get it together!" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That can wait." She turned to face him. "Fine, fine. I will… speed him up. What are they doing here?"
"Looking for you." Zan pointed at her. "He found me right before your little tantrum so… it wasn't that. They've probably been planning this since your time in the tank."
"Blah!" She shook herself. "Get your head in the game, Evans!"
"Stop talking to yourself. It's worrying." Zan turned and walked out.
--
The catalogs came and they made a pile nearly three feet tall outside her door. Lynnette pointed at them and pointed to his phone. Alex nodded and hit the speed dial. "Mom, hi… listen, when we agreed to let you help… we did. We got them all… just now."
Lynnette kicked the pile then marched inside. Alex winced and cleared his throat. "Well, she's not showing and we're not sure if this will be a speedy pregnancy like Aunt Liz's tended to be… well, we're gonna keep on top of it, Mom… and we'll see you soon. Yeah… Well, yeah, we're coming. Grandpa is… Yeah, I talked to Grandma and it's gonna be soon and I want to try to get the news in while he can… yeah… Talk to you later, Mom."
Alex clicked off and scrolled down the list and hit call. "Hi! Aunt Liz… miss you, too… Listen… I don't know if you heard but my mom is…" he laughed. "Right. Exactly. Could you? … thanks."
--
Laughter filled his ears as Liz hung up the phone. Max turned with his crossword puzzle. "What's so funny?"
"Your sister has baby fever." Liz laughed as she plopped down next to him. "And she thought I'd be a grandmother first."
"Okay…"
"She's driving her daughter-in-law crazy."
"She knew what she was getting into."
"Who's getting into what?" Donna Jo asked as she delivered Crashdown dinners to her surrogate family.
"My nephew's wife is pregnant. My sister is driving her nuts." Max sighed and opened his box. "Nancy's on duty?"
"Yeah, how'd you guess?" Donna Jo took a seat with her box.
"My mom always sneaks extra rolls into his take out boxes. She's thinks I'm unfair to put him on a diet." Liz pinched the last of the softness around his middle. "He's almost there."
"Almost?" Max turned to face her. "Almost?"
"I'm down to… very close to my wedding weight." She grinned at the memory of being a pound or five up in weight due to carrying a child on their first wedding day.
"I think you both look great." Donna Jo offered. "How long have you been married?"
"28 years…" Liz set her box aside after a couple of bites.
"Really?" Max sighed as he looked at her. "Been that long huh… and you haven't killed me yet?"
"There's still time." She teased.
"That's good. It's really good." Donna Jo said to herself as she nibbled on the salad she'd brought home. The thought of Crashdown food made her want to vomit. "I want that. Someday."
"Oh, there's time. There is so much time." Liz warned. "Just… love and don't let anything get in your way."
"Hey, Crashdown food." David burst into the room with his dog. He grabbed the last lonely box and went to town. "So, rumor has it that Beth got pregnant and moved to Iowa with a great aunt and she'll be back when the kid has been adopted by a family from overseas. The holdup is a series of tests to make sure the kid isn't crazy like Beth."
"Where did you hear that crap?" Donna Jo's jaw dropped.
"Aiken Tolford. I kicked his ass." David shrugged as he continued to inhale his dinner.
Max took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Liz sat up to pick at her dinner for a useless minute. "I'm going to have a drink."
David watched his mother go to the kitchen. Max cleared his throat. "I hope you didn't hurt him."
"Just his pride." David snorted and began to tell of his great victory.
--
The night was still as they walked, hand in hand, from Sebastien's grandparents' house to the bus stop. Lauren watched him carefully. "So… what happened to your mom?"
"She died when I was six. Suicide. Alcoholism. Cancer. That reversed is the order that I found out over the years." Sebastien shrugged. "I barely remember her. Dad… well… Dad wasn't going to tell me the truth."
"That's awful."
"She was a housewife, I think. Dad's a lawyer. Granddad's a lawyer. I don't know what my dad's dad was… except that he died when Dad was young."
"My parents died when I was 12. Train wreck." She offered. "They were school teachers. Dad loved drama."
"Is that where you get it from?"
"I suppose… maybe it just reminds me of them." She shrugged and sighed. "I don't have much family. My bio mom is busy with her wife and their baby. Legally my half-brother but not even really related to me. My bio dad has some distant relatives but… as great as they are… I haven't known them long."
"I love my dad's girlfriend. Love her. She's nuts and… well, she hates me but…"
"She's not your mom."
"Right."
--
A rose rested on her pillow when she walked in. Anita smelled it, sneezed, and smiled. "Dummy."
"'Don't inhale.' Isn't that like a rule?" Gabriel whispered from behind her. "I couldn't find anything else nice on short notice."
"It's beautiful." She covered her nose and set it on the nightstand. "You back for more?"
"I'm back for you." He wrapped his arms around her.
"Did I rush you?"
"What?"
"You kept saying you weren't ready and then all of a sudden…" She turned to face him. "I just… heard this thing in town today is all."
"What'd you hear?"
"That your ex got pregnant."
Gabriel paled. "Who did you hear that from?"
"Some kids in town." She rushed ahead. "You never talk about your ex and… it just made me wonder."
"Honestly? It's painful. She took off without a word to anyone. I couldn't tell you if she was pregnant. It wasn't something we were worried about before she left. No one's heard from her."
"You keep in contact with her family."
"Yeah, I do. No one's heard anything."
"They're saying she was sent away."
Gabriel took a deep breath. "Believe me… The Evans would have never done that. If I had somehow gotten her pregnant, believe me, Dr. Evans would have made me pay for that. He'd have me doing slave labor in Africa or something. The man has ties, he could make it happen."
The expression on her face changed. From curiosity to defensiveness. "You loved her?"
"Yeah, I did." He tilted his head at her. "I spent a long time waiting for her. Then I realized I had to stop. Obviously none of us meant enough to her for her to stick around or to let us know where she is."
"How do you know that she wasn't… kidnapped or murdered?"
"You'd have to know her." He smiled to himself, eyes dropping from hers and going far away. "Despite her issues… she's the most self-possessed person that I have ever known."
"How do you mean?"
"She had doubts about if people really loved her. We showed her all the time but… she never really would let herself believe it. Despite that. She was confident. She knew she was gorgeous. She knew she was smart. She wasn't afraid to show anyone that. She moved so gracefully. She wore her makeup dark and dense. Wore glasses. Clothes that… made me blush sometimes. Under all that… she didn't slouch. She didn't skulk. She walked like the ground was made of clouds and her shoes, very high heels, were skates. If she walked up to me and told me that she could fly. I would believe her."
"Wow. Sounds like she was something."
"Yeah, she was something. And she's sick. She's had a lot of issues but she's so strong. So, no, I don't think she's dead. I don't think she's being held captive anywhere. You'd have to know her to know that. I mean, her dad… He's this hotshot doctor and he has had one of his kids kidnapped before. He doesn't think anyone has her. He knows that she left and she didn't look back." He smiled bitterly and met her eyes, back in the room with her. "I gave myself to her. I waited for her. After everything that we went through. After everything that we shared with each other… she walked away. I know that wherever she is… what she's doing… that it's more important to her than anyone she loves or who loves her." He swallowed down a lump in his throat. "It took me a bit of time to uh… stop waiting for her… Took me months to let you in. But yeah, I talked to her mom before we started dating officially because I felt like I owed her that."
"What did she say?"
"To make sure I was sure. And I am."
She shut her eyes and pressed her forehead against his. "I'm sorry. I'm new here and I have problems sharing. Only child syndrome."
"You're the only one for me. I am a one woman man." He nodded to the kitchenette. "Made dinner. Come on."
--
Michael kissed his boys' faces and tucked them into their beds. Oriel handed him little Laurie so she could get ready for bed. Sam walked into the room and climbed into bed. He didn't offer a good night but Michael had come to expect as much. Chuck was much more verbal with his distaste for the Guerin family. Not that Sam didn't like them but he was so unsure of his place in the house.
Speaking of which, he heard Chuck walk in, slamming his bookbag into the couch hard enough to make it screech as it slid backward. Michael walked with purpose down to meet Chuck as he walked into the room that had once been Em's. It was a mess. It looked like Chuck had just moved in. Chuck turned to yell but his eyes fell on his baby sister and he shut his mouth. "It's late, Chuck. Just try to keep it down."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Look…" Michael blew out a breath. "You settled on a school yet?"
"Dunno." He sank onto his bed, torn between arguing just to argue and talking. He was always on the verge of talking but never let himself. "Maybe I won't go."
"You should." Michael turned to go.
"You didn't go to school. I got an inheritance coming."
Michael took a deep breath and turned back. "I didn't have any money for school. I had to take out a loan, cosigned by Em's grandmother, just to go to tech school… That inheritance won't last forever." Laurie sighed on his shoulder. "Look, you got a few years until you get your trust fund. Going to school will kill the time. You need any help, I got some pull with a couple of teachers."
"My great-granddad was your father?"
Michael froze at the question. "What did you say?"
"I saw the blood test results. The letter was crap. They couldn't figure it out because of your age and the DNA doesn't lie. You weren't my mom's cousin. You were her uncle."
"Whatever." Michael tried to storm out.
"She left me her journals." Chuck stood up and followed him down the stairs. "What kind of dreams did she have?"
Michael turned and shifted the baby in his arms. "Not good ones. Alien probing would be the best description."
Chuck sank down on the staircase. "I need a doctor."
"Why?"
"I think I have the same thing she did."
TBC
Updated the character page just an FYI
Lauren sat with him in the church pew. Watched him kneel and begin his penance. The service was not for a half an hour but he had to go to confession, he'd said. She had known that most of his Sunday was spent in this church. The church filled up around them while one by one the beads slipped through his fingers and ticked away another prayer and another minute. Finally, he slid back into his seat and wrapped his hand around hers. She stared at his profile. "Does it make you feel better?"
"Some... like a drop of water to quench a thirst."
"Well, eventually, those drops build up." She squeezed his hand. "But you gotta hold on to the drops and not let them slip through your fingers."
Seb blinked and stared at her. "I'll remember that."
After the mass, they lingered and Lauren met the priest who had clearly a lot of influence over her boyfriend... if that's what he was. The priest smiled warmly at her and invited them both to lunch with him. Sebastien started to refuse but acquiesced as soon as he realized that he was outnumbered.
Lauren watched them interact. She saw it The way Father Destry reached and the way that Seb skittered away. The way that Sebastien seemed so subdued and careful. Then when he excused himself to the bathroom, Lauren got her chance to talk to the priest... but he beat her to it.
"So, you're the girl. He's been hiding you. Afraid that you'll run away from him but... you know his secrets, yes?"
"No... but I have my own."
"So, I'm told. You have a big influence over him. I like it. He used to sit in his dorm room all the time. Either at school, studying or in church, praying. He helps me organize my programs but he's too busy praying to look around." He patted her hand. "You seem like a nice girl. You're good for him."
"I think he's good for me too. Doesn't let me be destructive."
"Ah..." The light in his eyes changed.
"We're just friends, Father. Exclusive friends."
"It is good to go slow but as I keep telling him, men and women were meant to go forth and multiply."
"Well." She smiled. "This woman is contracted to do two more movies this year and three next year... Multiplying has to wait that long at least."
--
Will squinted against the sun as he tried to measure just how far up the paint had peeled from the building. There was a long path of about 15 blocks with similar damage but Will stood in what was believed to be the origin.
"No witnesses." One of his agents called over.
"Beth, what are you doing?" He whispered to himself. He climbed the ladder as high as he could. The damage was still a good twenty feet up. "She's getting stronger."
"The path goes on that way." Agent Valdez pointed. "It's uneven."
"How so?" Will looked one way and then the other.
"Explosion here." He pointed to his feet. "But the ball went rolling that way, doubling up the damage whereas that way… the initial burst."
"Why did it stop?"
"Maybe it burned out?"
--
Zan watched her pace. She was still steaming, literally, but she had calmed down since she'd come in the night before, muttering to herself. She wasn't talking and she had refused to let him near her. This was bad timing and he didn't have time for this.
"Council's in town."
"So fucking what." She waved him off.
"This is important. We're not ready yet." He pointed out. "Nat was supposed to be stronger before they sprung this on us."
"He'll have to do." She tugged at her hair and stomped her feet. "Stop being such a girl and get it together!" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That can wait." She turned to face him. "Fine, fine. I will… speed him up. What are they doing here?"
"Looking for you." Zan pointed at her. "He found me right before your little tantrum so… it wasn't that. They've probably been planning this since your time in the tank."
"Blah!" She shook herself. "Get your head in the game, Evans!"
"Stop talking to yourself. It's worrying." Zan turned and walked out.
--
The catalogs came and they made a pile nearly three feet tall outside her door. Lynnette pointed at them and pointed to his phone. Alex nodded and hit the speed dial. "Mom, hi… listen, when we agreed to let you help… we did. We got them all… just now."
Lynnette kicked the pile then marched inside. Alex winced and cleared his throat. "Well, she's not showing and we're not sure if this will be a speedy pregnancy like Aunt Liz's tended to be… well, we're gonna keep on top of it, Mom… and we'll see you soon. Yeah… Well, yeah, we're coming. Grandpa is… Yeah, I talked to Grandma and it's gonna be soon and I want to try to get the news in while he can… yeah… Talk to you later, Mom."
Alex clicked off and scrolled down the list and hit call. "Hi! Aunt Liz… miss you, too… Listen… I don't know if you heard but my mom is…" he laughed. "Right. Exactly. Could you? … thanks."
--
Laughter filled his ears as Liz hung up the phone. Max turned with his crossword puzzle. "What's so funny?"
"Your sister has baby fever." Liz laughed as she plopped down next to him. "And she thought I'd be a grandmother first."
"Okay…"
"She's driving her daughter-in-law crazy."
"She knew what she was getting into."
"Who's getting into what?" Donna Jo asked as she delivered Crashdown dinners to her surrogate family.
"My nephew's wife is pregnant. My sister is driving her nuts." Max sighed and opened his box. "Nancy's on duty?"
"Yeah, how'd you guess?" Donna Jo took a seat with her box.
"My mom always sneaks extra rolls into his take out boxes. She's thinks I'm unfair to put him on a diet." Liz pinched the last of the softness around his middle. "He's almost there."
"Almost?" Max turned to face her. "Almost?"
"I'm down to… very close to my wedding weight." She grinned at the memory of being a pound or five up in weight due to carrying a child on their first wedding day.
"I think you both look great." Donna Jo offered. "How long have you been married?"
"28 years…" Liz set her box aside after a couple of bites.
"Really?" Max sighed as he looked at her. "Been that long huh… and you haven't killed me yet?"
"There's still time." She teased.
"That's good. It's really good." Donna Jo said to herself as she nibbled on the salad she'd brought home. The thought of Crashdown food made her want to vomit. "I want that. Someday."
"Oh, there's time. There is so much time." Liz warned. "Just… love and don't let anything get in your way."
"Hey, Crashdown food." David burst into the room with his dog. He grabbed the last lonely box and went to town. "So, rumor has it that Beth got pregnant and moved to Iowa with a great aunt and she'll be back when the kid has been adopted by a family from overseas. The holdup is a series of tests to make sure the kid isn't crazy like Beth."
"Where did you hear that crap?" Donna Jo's jaw dropped.
"Aiken Tolford. I kicked his ass." David shrugged as he continued to inhale his dinner.
Max took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Liz sat up to pick at her dinner for a useless minute. "I'm going to have a drink."
David watched his mother go to the kitchen. Max cleared his throat. "I hope you didn't hurt him."
"Just his pride." David snorted and began to tell of his great victory.
--
The night was still as they walked, hand in hand, from Sebastien's grandparents' house to the bus stop. Lauren watched him carefully. "So… what happened to your mom?"
"She died when I was six. Suicide. Alcoholism. Cancer. That reversed is the order that I found out over the years." Sebastien shrugged. "I barely remember her. Dad… well… Dad wasn't going to tell me the truth."
"That's awful."
"She was a housewife, I think. Dad's a lawyer. Granddad's a lawyer. I don't know what my dad's dad was… except that he died when Dad was young."
"My parents died when I was 12. Train wreck." She offered. "They were school teachers. Dad loved drama."
"Is that where you get it from?"
"I suppose… maybe it just reminds me of them." She shrugged and sighed. "I don't have much family. My bio mom is busy with her wife and their baby. Legally my half-brother but not even really related to me. My bio dad has some distant relatives but… as great as they are… I haven't known them long."
"I love my dad's girlfriend. Love her. She's nuts and… well, she hates me but…"
"She's not your mom."
"Right."
--
A rose rested on her pillow when she walked in. Anita smelled it, sneezed, and smiled. "Dummy."
"'Don't inhale.' Isn't that like a rule?" Gabriel whispered from behind her. "I couldn't find anything else nice on short notice."
"It's beautiful." She covered her nose and set it on the nightstand. "You back for more?"
"I'm back for you." He wrapped his arms around her.
"Did I rush you?"
"What?"
"You kept saying you weren't ready and then all of a sudden…" She turned to face him. "I just… heard this thing in town today is all."
"What'd you hear?"
"That your ex got pregnant."
Gabriel paled. "Who did you hear that from?"
"Some kids in town." She rushed ahead. "You never talk about your ex and… it just made me wonder."
"Honestly? It's painful. She took off without a word to anyone. I couldn't tell you if she was pregnant. It wasn't something we were worried about before she left. No one's heard from her."
"You keep in contact with her family."
"Yeah, I do. No one's heard anything."
"They're saying she was sent away."
Gabriel took a deep breath. "Believe me… The Evans would have never done that. If I had somehow gotten her pregnant, believe me, Dr. Evans would have made me pay for that. He'd have me doing slave labor in Africa or something. The man has ties, he could make it happen."
The expression on her face changed. From curiosity to defensiveness. "You loved her?"
"Yeah, I did." He tilted his head at her. "I spent a long time waiting for her. Then I realized I had to stop. Obviously none of us meant enough to her for her to stick around or to let us know where she is."
"How do you know that she wasn't… kidnapped or murdered?"
"You'd have to know her." He smiled to himself, eyes dropping from hers and going far away. "Despite her issues… she's the most self-possessed person that I have ever known."
"How do you mean?"
"She had doubts about if people really loved her. We showed her all the time but… she never really would let herself believe it. Despite that. She was confident. She knew she was gorgeous. She knew she was smart. She wasn't afraid to show anyone that. She moved so gracefully. She wore her makeup dark and dense. Wore glasses. Clothes that… made me blush sometimes. Under all that… she didn't slouch. She didn't skulk. She walked like the ground was made of clouds and her shoes, very high heels, were skates. If she walked up to me and told me that she could fly. I would believe her."
"Wow. Sounds like she was something."
"Yeah, she was something. And she's sick. She's had a lot of issues but she's so strong. So, no, I don't think she's dead. I don't think she's being held captive anywhere. You'd have to know her to know that. I mean, her dad… He's this hotshot doctor and he has had one of his kids kidnapped before. He doesn't think anyone has her. He knows that she left and she didn't look back." He smiled bitterly and met her eyes, back in the room with her. "I gave myself to her. I waited for her. After everything that we went through. After everything that we shared with each other… she walked away. I know that wherever she is… what she's doing… that it's more important to her than anyone she loves or who loves her." He swallowed down a lump in his throat. "It took me a bit of time to uh… stop waiting for her… Took me months to let you in. But yeah, I talked to her mom before we started dating officially because I felt like I owed her that."
"What did she say?"
"To make sure I was sure. And I am."
She shut her eyes and pressed her forehead against his. "I'm sorry. I'm new here and I have problems sharing. Only child syndrome."
"You're the only one for me. I am a one woman man." He nodded to the kitchenette. "Made dinner. Come on."
--
Michael kissed his boys' faces and tucked them into their beds. Oriel handed him little Laurie so she could get ready for bed. Sam walked into the room and climbed into bed. He didn't offer a good night but Michael had come to expect as much. Chuck was much more verbal with his distaste for the Guerin family. Not that Sam didn't like them but he was so unsure of his place in the house.
Speaking of which, he heard Chuck walk in, slamming his bookbag into the couch hard enough to make it screech as it slid backward. Michael walked with purpose down to meet Chuck as he walked into the room that had once been Em's. It was a mess. It looked like Chuck had just moved in. Chuck turned to yell but his eyes fell on his baby sister and he shut his mouth. "It's late, Chuck. Just try to keep it down."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Look…" Michael blew out a breath. "You settled on a school yet?"
"Dunno." He sank onto his bed, torn between arguing just to argue and talking. He was always on the verge of talking but never let himself. "Maybe I won't go."
"You should." Michael turned to go.
"You didn't go to school. I got an inheritance coming."
Michael took a deep breath and turned back. "I didn't have any money for school. I had to take out a loan, cosigned by Em's grandmother, just to go to tech school… That inheritance won't last forever." Laurie sighed on his shoulder. "Look, you got a few years until you get your trust fund. Going to school will kill the time. You need any help, I got some pull with a couple of teachers."
"My great-granddad was your father?"
Michael froze at the question. "What did you say?"
"I saw the blood test results. The letter was crap. They couldn't figure it out because of your age and the DNA doesn't lie. You weren't my mom's cousin. You were her uncle."
"Whatever." Michael tried to storm out.
"She left me her journals." Chuck stood up and followed him down the stairs. "What kind of dreams did she have?"
Michael turned and shifted the baby in his arms. "Not good ones. Alien probing would be the best description."
Chuck sank down on the staircase. "I need a doctor."
"Why?"
"I think I have the same thing she did."
TBC
Updated the character page just an FYI
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 171 CC/UC ADULT 07/12/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 171
Liz poured some Tabasco sauce on her eggs as she listened to her mother explain the latest of changes that Jose was making to the other Crashdown. She gave Donna Jo a supportive wink as she passed with her arms full of food.
"Jose says that the Crashdown is so much a part of the history of Roswell that it should incorporate some of it, more than the aliens, you know?" Nancy plucked at a muffin and winced as a glass nearly toppled off of Donna Jo's tray. "Your great-grandpa ran a saloon out of this place. Dad found some pictures. Jose's daughter is working on a layout so that we don't repeat any pictures in here that we would have over there. Jose's family has such a rich history of this town. The building he bought for his place was actually once a, uh… the first voting booth, integrated, in Roswell."
"Wow. Which daughter?"
"Rebecca, I think." Nancy nodded and frowned. "Honey, I think that's enough Tabasco."
"What?" she glanced down and realized she'd been pouring more Tabasco before every bite. "Oh."
"Are you… okay?" Nancy asked delicately.
"Bite your tongue." Liz pointed at her mother as she continued to eat, not even noticing the spiciness of her eggs. "I'm not pregnant. Just having some cravings."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mom. Believe me, if I was pregnant, Max would have rushed right over here and told you himself." Liz laughed and turned to catch Donna Jo. She adjusted her posture. "Try it like that."
Donna took a few experimental steps and brightened. "Thanks!"
"She's such a sweet girl." Nancy watched her go. "I remember when she and Beth would sit in the back booth and giggle all afternoon. Reminded me a bit of you and Maria at the same age."
Liz stared wistfully at the back booth. Afternoons with Maria and Alex, drooling over Max Evans and dreaming of being a world-famous scientist. "She is sweet. She tries so hard. I feel like I'm hard on her but she seems… for as outgoing as she is, very sheltered."
"Playing at being a grown up. I knew a girl or two who did that once." Nancy smirked. "David is just smitten with her."
"I know." Liz sighed heavily and returned to her eggs.
"Did you know that he splits his tips and leaves half on her tables after her customers leave?"
"He does?"
"It's done wonders for her confidence. Some of the tips are really hers now."
"Huh." Liz cleared her throat. "You don't think his infatuation with her is unhealthy? I mean, she's living in the house, now."
"He's a young boy. She's a pretty, young woman. I'm sure it's innocent."
--
Beth placed her hands over his. "Look into my eyes. Match your breathing to my breathing."
Nat gripped her hands and let out a shaky breath. "Will this work?"
"Won't hurt to try."
"Why your memories and not my future?"
"This is delicate. I just… want you to feel what I feel when I do what I do." Beth matched her breathing to his. "Just relax and follow me."
--
Kal went over the data with Will. "I see."
"Well, is it her?"
"Could be, yes." Kal nodded. "It's definitely alien. It's unlikely that an outside alien force would call this kind of attention to itself."
"Sir?"
Will turned and nodded for Agent Seyton to enter. "What do you have?"
"Just bits and pieces." She slid a disc into the computer and pulled up the files. "The last six months worth of surveillances from local ATMs, security systems…" She hit the play button. "I was able to get six indisputable shots of her face." She lined up the windows. "Three of them are from the same camera."
"This gives us a lead on her location." Will nodded and clapped her on the shoulder. "Good job."
--
Max walked out of the bathroom, toweling off his hair with one hand and waving a plastic stick in the other. "You want to tell me something?"
"Oh, that. I forgot." Liz groaned and held her hand out for it. "I told her I wasn't pregnant."
"This was a concern?"
"My mother." Liz stared at the stick. "Just because I put a little Tabasco sauce on my eggs this morning."
"You have been eating a lot of spicy foods… sweet, too." He pointed out. "You know… when you eat."
"We've been married for nearly 30 years, it was bound to happen." She scoffed. "I'm not going to start putting those Italian peppers on my ice cream."
"It did happen all of a sudden, though." Max cleared his throat. "It was not gradual."
"So, what?"
"Why are you getting so defensive?" He held his hands up and backed away. "You're getting angry over an observation. Does it bother you?"
"I don't know." Liz took a breath to calm herself down. "I just… I get these moments… and I'm not sure. I can't be sure. It's like… David and his understanding of people. I sympathize with people I can't stand and I see things in a look that I can't know but… I feel it."
"Like what, exactly?" Max tossed the stick in the trash can.
"David's having sex."
"No."
"He is, Max. He is. I can feel it. I can… sense it when he looks at a pretty girl." Liz took a breath. "There's a… longing in his eyes."
"Liz, he's a boy. He's hormonal."
"And then there was Jesse."
"What about Jesse?"
"He's ready, Max. He's ready. I can feel it. Sense it. He's ready to marry your sister."
"She hasn't said anything."
"He's trying to pick the right place, the right moment." She stared at him. "How do I know this, Max?"
"Anything else?"
"No, but it's not like I'm really trying to do anything besides…"
"Besides what?"
"Jumpstart my connection with Beth. It's just not there. I try and I try but I can't find it again. What if I never do?"
--
Zan entered the room and sat at the table. He had refused all those years ago then his life had fallen apart piece by piece. Here he was, approximately somewhere in his 40s. He had kids everywhere who didn't know hwo he was, didn't know what they really were. All those year ago he had been afraid, terrified of what that emissary meant. His refusal had cost him his relationships with his family. He had murdered them all for their betrayal. One by one. It would be different this time. He had his son with him. He had the sleeper on his side. Their loyalty to him was different. Their love was different. It was not the love between lovers that turns fragile with age. It was not the love of siblings that grows bitter with responsibility. It was the unconditional love of parent and child.
"Lord Zan, welcome."
"You'll have to refresh my memory. It's been a few years." He cleared his throat.
"Larek." Something in that one's voice. Hope, disappointment.
"Kathana." Right. Her.
"Queno, daughter of Sero."
"Hanar."
"Kivar."
Zan's eyes narrowed on the last one to speak. "Came yourself, this time."
"Niko died some time ago."
"Probably. His skin wasn't doing too well the last time I laid eyes on him."
"My aunt and uncle?"
"Crossed the border." Beth leapt in to answer what Zan could not know. "They should have known better."
"They did, indeed. Their death went unpunished."
"No, they didn't." She shook her head and faded back into the shadow with Nathan. Zan could feel the fear radiating off of his son. He hoped no one else picked up on it.
"Who's the other one?" Zan nodded to the woman standing behind Kivar's puppet.
"I am called Tivy. Heir to Lord Kivar's kingdom." She inclined her head to him. "I will represent my father's interests." She stepped forward and addressed the members of the summit. "We've waited many years to bring another offer to this table. Lord Kivar has ruled in the absence of the Antarian abortion."
"The summit has previously agreed to allow the recreation of the Antarian ruling party to stand so long as Lord Zan retains the royal seal." Larek interrupted, defending his childhood friend. "There has been no regrouping to negate that."
"Tivy." Kivar chided softly.
"In Lord Zan's absence, there have been many changes to Antar. Many no longer recognize Antarian influence. Since the disappearance of Genadal and Onmota, many have converted away from the heirs of Antar past." Her eyes slid to Zan. "If their disappearance was indeed due to death upon crossing the border… it may change the way people view the conflict. It will cause unrest." She met the eyes of the others at the table. "The Granilith and the stones do not belong on Earth. Return them to Antar."
"That sounds an awful lot like an order."
"Heed me well. There will be consequences."
"Look, as far as I'm concerned… exiled." He cleared his throat and glanced around the table. "Out of your hair. So do what you're gonna do. The Granilith is a joke. The stones, no one needs 'em."
"You have the two most powerful religious relics in the universe and no use for them. Return them to Antar or you will pay for this insolence in blood."
"No one condones acts of bloodshed." Kathana was quick to offer. "Still, there is no point in the relics remaining on Earth where they are not worshipped in proper order."
"As loathe as I am to agree…" Larek began, offering a solemn glance to his old friend. "The Granilith and the stones are not needed on Earth."
"The stones are Antarian. Handed down from King to Prince for millennia." Zan bit out. "It's gonna stay that way."
"From ruler to ruler. You are no longer the active ruler of Antar." Tivy reasoned.
"This is childish nonsense." Queno burst out. "Use the Granilith and come fight your own battles. The rest of us have moved on. Where or what the heirs of Antar are for mean nothing to our world. It means nothing but to Antar and to Zan's friends. My world is done with it." She got up and walked out, followed shortly by Hanar.
Kathana rose. "We agree with Lord Kivar."
When she had left, Larek turned to Zan. "Do not continue to make mistakes, old friend. There is… too much at risk. I realize that there are lives, more than we know, here on Earth for you. Others that may come to harm but if you are in exile, truly be in exile and return the relics to us."
"You know that much more is at risk if a stooge takes control of the Granilith, Larek!" Zan slammed his hands down on the table and stood up. "I've made myself clear. Let the stones and the Granilith lay where they be. This is all old shit. Kivar never had any intention of letting my family live. Murdered us all in our home. The way I see it, I've got the life I never had. I will grow old. My son lives… The… My…" His eyes fell on Beth, whose eyes held nothing but disappointment. "There's no reason for it to go on beyond today. We walk."
He turned and left the table, after a moment, the kids followed.
"You were warned, Lord Zan." Tivy's voice followed them out.
--
Isabel laughed and set her coffee cup on her desk. Her baby girl twirled and danced around the room. Jesse poked his head in and stood watching while they laughed. Kyle popped in. they chatted for a bit. Then the kids went to pick up dinner for the family. Jesse grinned and straightened his tie. Isabel motioned him closer. "There's something I've been meaning to do for awhile."
"Oh?"
Jesse got down on one knee. "Isabel Evans Valenti. Will you marry me?"
--
Kyle and Gina walked into the office and called out. There was no answer. A door slammed in the back of the building. Kyle rushed forward and had just caught sight of his mother lying on the floor when he remembered that he had Gina with him. He tossed the food down, turned and picked her up and rushed outside. The hospital was just down the street and hopefully his uncle max was working.
TBC
Liz poured some Tabasco sauce on her eggs as she listened to her mother explain the latest of changes that Jose was making to the other Crashdown. She gave Donna Jo a supportive wink as she passed with her arms full of food.
"Jose says that the Crashdown is so much a part of the history of Roswell that it should incorporate some of it, more than the aliens, you know?" Nancy plucked at a muffin and winced as a glass nearly toppled off of Donna Jo's tray. "Your great-grandpa ran a saloon out of this place. Dad found some pictures. Jose's daughter is working on a layout so that we don't repeat any pictures in here that we would have over there. Jose's family has such a rich history of this town. The building he bought for his place was actually once a, uh… the first voting booth, integrated, in Roswell."
"Wow. Which daughter?"
"Rebecca, I think." Nancy nodded and frowned. "Honey, I think that's enough Tabasco."
"What?" she glanced down and realized she'd been pouring more Tabasco before every bite. "Oh."
"Are you… okay?" Nancy asked delicately.
"Bite your tongue." Liz pointed at her mother as she continued to eat, not even noticing the spiciness of her eggs. "I'm not pregnant. Just having some cravings."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mom. Believe me, if I was pregnant, Max would have rushed right over here and told you himself." Liz laughed and turned to catch Donna Jo. She adjusted her posture. "Try it like that."
Donna took a few experimental steps and brightened. "Thanks!"
"She's such a sweet girl." Nancy watched her go. "I remember when she and Beth would sit in the back booth and giggle all afternoon. Reminded me a bit of you and Maria at the same age."
Liz stared wistfully at the back booth. Afternoons with Maria and Alex, drooling over Max Evans and dreaming of being a world-famous scientist. "She is sweet. She tries so hard. I feel like I'm hard on her but she seems… for as outgoing as she is, very sheltered."
"Playing at being a grown up. I knew a girl or two who did that once." Nancy smirked. "David is just smitten with her."
"I know." Liz sighed heavily and returned to her eggs.
"Did you know that he splits his tips and leaves half on her tables after her customers leave?"
"He does?"
"It's done wonders for her confidence. Some of the tips are really hers now."
"Huh." Liz cleared her throat. "You don't think his infatuation with her is unhealthy? I mean, she's living in the house, now."
"He's a young boy. She's a pretty, young woman. I'm sure it's innocent."
--
Beth placed her hands over his. "Look into my eyes. Match your breathing to my breathing."
Nat gripped her hands and let out a shaky breath. "Will this work?"
"Won't hurt to try."
"Why your memories and not my future?"
"This is delicate. I just… want you to feel what I feel when I do what I do." Beth matched her breathing to his. "Just relax and follow me."
--
Kal went over the data with Will. "I see."
"Well, is it her?"
"Could be, yes." Kal nodded. "It's definitely alien. It's unlikely that an outside alien force would call this kind of attention to itself."
"Sir?"
Will turned and nodded for Agent Seyton to enter. "What do you have?"
"Just bits and pieces." She slid a disc into the computer and pulled up the files. "The last six months worth of surveillances from local ATMs, security systems…" She hit the play button. "I was able to get six indisputable shots of her face." She lined up the windows. "Three of them are from the same camera."
"This gives us a lead on her location." Will nodded and clapped her on the shoulder. "Good job."
--
Max walked out of the bathroom, toweling off his hair with one hand and waving a plastic stick in the other. "You want to tell me something?"
"Oh, that. I forgot." Liz groaned and held her hand out for it. "I told her I wasn't pregnant."
"This was a concern?"
"My mother." Liz stared at the stick. "Just because I put a little Tabasco sauce on my eggs this morning."
"You have been eating a lot of spicy foods… sweet, too." He pointed out. "You know… when you eat."
"We've been married for nearly 30 years, it was bound to happen." She scoffed. "I'm not going to start putting those Italian peppers on my ice cream."
"It did happen all of a sudden, though." Max cleared his throat. "It was not gradual."
"So, what?"
"Why are you getting so defensive?" He held his hands up and backed away. "You're getting angry over an observation. Does it bother you?"
"I don't know." Liz took a breath to calm herself down. "I just… I get these moments… and I'm not sure. I can't be sure. It's like… David and his understanding of people. I sympathize with people I can't stand and I see things in a look that I can't know but… I feel it."
"Like what, exactly?" Max tossed the stick in the trash can.
"David's having sex."
"No."
"He is, Max. He is. I can feel it. I can… sense it when he looks at a pretty girl." Liz took a breath. "There's a… longing in his eyes."
"Liz, he's a boy. He's hormonal."
"And then there was Jesse."
"What about Jesse?"
"He's ready, Max. He's ready. I can feel it. Sense it. He's ready to marry your sister."
"She hasn't said anything."
"He's trying to pick the right place, the right moment." She stared at him. "How do I know this, Max?"
"Anything else?"
"No, but it's not like I'm really trying to do anything besides…"
"Besides what?"
"Jumpstart my connection with Beth. It's just not there. I try and I try but I can't find it again. What if I never do?"
--
Zan entered the room and sat at the table. He had refused all those years ago then his life had fallen apart piece by piece. Here he was, approximately somewhere in his 40s. He had kids everywhere who didn't know hwo he was, didn't know what they really were. All those year ago he had been afraid, terrified of what that emissary meant. His refusal had cost him his relationships with his family. He had murdered them all for their betrayal. One by one. It would be different this time. He had his son with him. He had the sleeper on his side. Their loyalty to him was different. Their love was different. It was not the love between lovers that turns fragile with age. It was not the love of siblings that grows bitter with responsibility. It was the unconditional love of parent and child.
"Lord Zan, welcome."
"You'll have to refresh my memory. It's been a few years." He cleared his throat.
"Larek." Something in that one's voice. Hope, disappointment.
"Kathana." Right. Her.
"Queno, daughter of Sero."
"Hanar."
"Kivar."
Zan's eyes narrowed on the last one to speak. "Came yourself, this time."
"Niko died some time ago."
"Probably. His skin wasn't doing too well the last time I laid eyes on him."
"My aunt and uncle?"
"Crossed the border." Beth leapt in to answer what Zan could not know. "They should have known better."
"They did, indeed. Their death went unpunished."
"No, they didn't." She shook her head and faded back into the shadow with Nathan. Zan could feel the fear radiating off of his son. He hoped no one else picked up on it.
"Who's the other one?" Zan nodded to the woman standing behind Kivar's puppet.
"I am called Tivy. Heir to Lord Kivar's kingdom." She inclined her head to him. "I will represent my father's interests." She stepped forward and addressed the members of the summit. "We've waited many years to bring another offer to this table. Lord Kivar has ruled in the absence of the Antarian abortion."
"The summit has previously agreed to allow the recreation of the Antarian ruling party to stand so long as Lord Zan retains the royal seal." Larek interrupted, defending his childhood friend. "There has been no regrouping to negate that."
"Tivy." Kivar chided softly.
"In Lord Zan's absence, there have been many changes to Antar. Many no longer recognize Antarian influence. Since the disappearance of Genadal and Onmota, many have converted away from the heirs of Antar past." Her eyes slid to Zan. "If their disappearance was indeed due to death upon crossing the border… it may change the way people view the conflict. It will cause unrest." She met the eyes of the others at the table. "The Granilith and the stones do not belong on Earth. Return them to Antar."
"That sounds an awful lot like an order."
"Heed me well. There will be consequences."
"Look, as far as I'm concerned… exiled." He cleared his throat and glanced around the table. "Out of your hair. So do what you're gonna do. The Granilith is a joke. The stones, no one needs 'em."
"You have the two most powerful religious relics in the universe and no use for them. Return them to Antar or you will pay for this insolence in blood."
"No one condones acts of bloodshed." Kathana was quick to offer. "Still, there is no point in the relics remaining on Earth where they are not worshipped in proper order."
"As loathe as I am to agree…" Larek began, offering a solemn glance to his old friend. "The Granilith and the stones are not needed on Earth."
"The stones are Antarian. Handed down from King to Prince for millennia." Zan bit out. "It's gonna stay that way."
"From ruler to ruler. You are no longer the active ruler of Antar." Tivy reasoned.
"This is childish nonsense." Queno burst out. "Use the Granilith and come fight your own battles. The rest of us have moved on. Where or what the heirs of Antar are for mean nothing to our world. It means nothing but to Antar and to Zan's friends. My world is done with it." She got up and walked out, followed shortly by Hanar.
Kathana rose. "We agree with Lord Kivar."
When she had left, Larek turned to Zan. "Do not continue to make mistakes, old friend. There is… too much at risk. I realize that there are lives, more than we know, here on Earth for you. Others that may come to harm but if you are in exile, truly be in exile and return the relics to us."
"You know that much more is at risk if a stooge takes control of the Granilith, Larek!" Zan slammed his hands down on the table and stood up. "I've made myself clear. Let the stones and the Granilith lay where they be. This is all old shit. Kivar never had any intention of letting my family live. Murdered us all in our home. The way I see it, I've got the life I never had. I will grow old. My son lives… The… My…" His eyes fell on Beth, whose eyes held nothing but disappointment. "There's no reason for it to go on beyond today. We walk."
He turned and left the table, after a moment, the kids followed.
"You were warned, Lord Zan." Tivy's voice followed them out.
--
Isabel laughed and set her coffee cup on her desk. Her baby girl twirled and danced around the room. Jesse poked his head in and stood watching while they laughed. Kyle popped in. they chatted for a bit. Then the kids went to pick up dinner for the family. Jesse grinned and straightened his tie. Isabel motioned him closer. "There's something I've been meaning to do for awhile."
"Oh?"
Jesse got down on one knee. "Isabel Evans Valenti. Will you marry me?"
--
Kyle and Gina walked into the office and called out. There was no answer. A door slammed in the back of the building. Kyle rushed forward and had just caught sight of his mother lying on the floor when he remembered that he had Gina with him. He tossed the food down, turned and picked her up and rushed outside. The hospital was just down the street and hopefully his uncle max was working.
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 172 CC/UC ADULT 07/22/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 172
Max arrived just as Berty was pushing open the front door. He motioned her back. He dialed 911 on his cell and held his finger over the talk button. There she was. Still warm but too still. "Isabel?" And there on the ground was Jesse, a small box clutched in his hand. He laid his hands over Isabel but there was nothing in her body anymore. No marks save for the scorched spot on her blouse. He hit talk. "911, what's your emergency?"
"I've just found two dead bodies at the Evans and Associates law firm offices on Main street." Max croaked out.
"Are they breathing?"
"I'm a doctor. They've been dead about twenty minutes. No heartbeat. No breathing."
"We're sending a vehicle right away."
Max nodded to himself as he heard the sirens start down the street. He joined his nephew and nieces on the sidewalk. Berty's eyes were huge. "Is it true?" He nodded. Max spoke to the paramedics and officers who arrived. Kyle gave his statement to the best of his ability. Gina remained quiet through the whole ordeal. Max sent them to the Crashdown down the street as soon as the officers were done. He identified the bodies and followed the bus to the hospital. Liz arrived with his mother in tow.
"Max, what's happened?" Diane clutched his arm.
"About an hour ago, Kyle came and got me. He and Gina were bringing dinner to the office because Isabel and Jesse were working late. When they got back… Isabel was lying on the ground. Kyle says he thinks someone might have been in the building when he got there." Max cleared his throat. "Mom, they're dead."
"No." Diane shook her head. He nodded, his jaw trembling. Liz's hand went to her mouth. "How?"
"It looks alien-related." He admitted. "I just… she was so still and Jesse…"
"Where are the kids?" Liz blurted out.
"At your folks."
"I'll go. You and Diane do what you need to do." Liz squeezed both their hands. "I'll… call around."
Max led his shocked mother to the morgue where another doctor was about to begin preliminary examinations. He had to catch her before she hit her knees.
--
Beth stilled from her corner. Zan watched her stand and cover her eyes. "That bitch!"
Nat's eyes went wide and looked to his father. Zan kept his eyes on her. "Who?"
"My aunt." Beth's voice was soft and even. "She crossed the border and now my father's sister is dead, along with an innocent human."
"Are you going to turn into a fireball again?" Nat asked cautiously.
Her hand fell from her eyes and met his. He backed away into the wall. Zan shut his eyes and crossed his arms. "Our move."
--
Berty made the call to Sebastien. Called his grandmother first to get his number at the dorm. Then she took a deep breath and shoved away every emotion in order to get the words out when he picked up. "Sebastien, you have to come home."
"What?" Sebastien sat up. "Come home? Berty?"
"It's Mom and Jesse." She sobbed.
"What happened?"
"They're dead. They were killed… it just happened… like three hours ago. You need to come home."
Sebastien shut his eyes. "Gina?"
"She's okay but… Kyle's not sure if she saw the bodies." She breathed. "Uncle Max is working on it. Alex is coming home now but I need help. It's just me, now. Grandpa is… so quiet and Aunt Liz is buried with the plans and…"
"Berty, I'm coming. I promise." Sebastien hung up and turned to Lauren with tears in his eyes. "My dad is dead."
--
Kat arrived with her service agent. Dan and Em arrived via jeep. Alex and Lynnette's plane landed late that night and they had a car waiting for them… Max was so angry and had no outlet.
Lots of people attended. Colleagues, family, alien and human and cloned. Max attended to his mother. Seb, his grandmother. Alex kept his siblings together… Gina was oddly quiet but held onto her brother's hand as tight as she could. She was 9 and nearly the youngest of the Roswell hybrids. Only Matthew was younger.
Liz held her breath against great sobs as she watched the little girl who had always seemed younger than she was. Smaller, vulnerable. No justice would be done for these deaths until the hybrids had time to rally. Given the state her husband was in, it could be tonight or next year. He was too difficult to read… even given her newfound propensity for divining the intentions of others.
--
Beth sat next to the window, watching the funeral so far away. Tears slipped down her face. Nat kept vigil with her over the three days between the summit and the funerals. Zan was waiting for something but wouldn't say what.
--
Donna Jo helped keep everyone in Kleenex or food. Lauren watched her surrogate family fall apart. She had questions. Lots of them but she knew no one would be able to answer them. Max spent a lot of time outside, smoking. Liz drank, David mixed the drinks as weak as he could. Diane sat with Gina and Kyle on either side of her, afraid to let either go. Alex made the rounds as best as he could. Tried to keep Lynnette and Jesse's mother informed of who was coming and going from their family. Berty kept pacing the house, walking away when she ran into Sebastien or his girlfriend.
Sebastien did introduce Lauren to his grandmother. She gave a tight, tired smile. Lauren caught, in passing, the relation between his family and her surrogate family. Noted the distance that Seb kept from his father's girlfriend's family. There seemed to be no real hard feelings between Seb and Gina, though she was young to know whatever had caused the rift between Seb and her older siblings.
--
Liz walked in on Donna Jo fighting with the freezer. The girl looked near to tears. Liz helped, silently. "People keep bringing over food."
"And I'm serving most of it but then there were like five chicken casseroles and there's only so much chicken casserole that can be served and refrigerated and frozen." Donna Jo focused on putting away the sweets. Cakes and cookies and pies. Comfort foods. "No one close to me has ever died… I remember her… from when we were all kids. She was nice."
"Yeah. She was." Liz nodded almost to herself as she ghosted around the kitchen, putting away things and repackaging them.
"When I was younger… I used to wish she was my mom. Cause I figured I'm blonde. I got brown eyes. I could sneak in."
"And now?" Liz asked absently.
"I just miss my mom." Donna Jo wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm mad at her. I understand why she's mad and… I love her."
"Hold on to that last one." Liz turned to face the girl finally. "When Max and I got pregnant with Danny, my mom kicked me out. I lived with Max's family for years. They took care of me. Isabel was like a real sister. We were even pregnant together more than once. It was nice. I'll miss her."
Donna Jo stepped forward in time to catch Liz before she broke down in huge sobs. After forever, Liz straightened, took a deep breath and walked over to the sink to wash her face. "Isabel was always so put together. Wouldn't do to disappoint her now."
--
Alex clapped Seb on the back. It was a tense, heavy moment. Alex wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "I've been there man, too many times. Just… let it go."
"They hated me."
"Mom didn't understand. Was never going to let herself. Your dad just… didn't want trouble."
"And Berty."
"Too confusing." Alex took a deep breath. "Hey, you're still gonna be my dude, kay? I'm not saying I approve of whatever the fuck happened with Berty. I'm not saying I'm okay with it… but I'm the oldest now. I'm not choosing sides."
"What's gonna happen now?"
"We'll talk about it later."
--
Max did see anything. Hadn't since the day at the hospital. He'd held it together long enough to get his mother in to see Isabel but when she had hit her knees, Max's insides had turned to mush. His very first memory was of Isabel. Her sticky hand in his as they walked through the desert looking for Michael. Her gross smell in his nose cuddled up when the Evans took them to the orphanage. She was bossy even back then. Kicking him under the table when the Evans would come to visit. Smacking his arm when he didn't move fast enough to go play. Now, she was gone.
Cigarettes were the only thing keeping him going. He hadn't eaten and he was pretty certain that if he didn't smoke, he would forget to breathe. His chest was a void. He felt Liz nearby more than he heard her or could feel her skin next to his. He had vague memories of the fog he'd been in when his father died… this was different. This was… about his sister. She was really his. She was blood. Legally she was older but really, she was his little sister.
Max looked down when he felt a small hand in his. Gina. She pressed her face into his side, warm tears soaking his shirt and he lost it. Gasping and choking on his smoke, he sank into a chair and pulled her onto his lap. She was turning out to look little like Isabel but favoring Jesse in rich brown skin and dark curly hair. Rocking her in his arms like she was a baby instead of a 9 year old. "Uncle Max, you gonna get her?"
"Who?"
"Beth?"
--
Chuck grumbled but watched his sister while Michael made his rounds through the crowded house. He had liked Isabel okay. She was gorgeous and nice and wicked savvy about how she handled his paperwork for the hotel and his trust funds. These people were weird. Okay, yeah. Aliens. Whatever. It was fuckin' weird. Like everyone had dated everyone else and there were all these hang ups. Michael's got three best friends and two of them are women.
Laurie squirmed and grunted, trying to get her feet onto the ground. Sam rolled his eyes and took her from his big brother, walking her around the room so she could touch everything at least once before tearing away and making a mad dash for the dog. Chuck managed a weak chuckle at that. He felt like crap. He wasn't sleeping anymore since the dreams… since his mom died. It was like the night she died, they started.
Terror. Every time it was the terror. Not for himself. Oddly, in the dreams he was far braver than he was while awake. The terror was for someone that he couldn't see because there were shadows and others… others on tables. Sometimes, he got the feeling it was just him, inheriting the craziness. Then Michael would remind him that the dreams were real… for Grandpa Chuck. Great-grandpa Chuck, that was.
Oriel kind of creeped him out. There was just something about her… and that Liz woman. It was why he kept ditching her classes. She just creeped him out. The whole family was wacked out.
Michael walked out the front door. Chuck followed, just because he felt like being an ass. What he wasn't ready for was Michael, hands on the house, his head pressed against the siding like the pressure was keeping his brains inside. The sobs were not something anyone should have to hear or see coming out of a grown man. Michael wiped at his face roughly when he noticed Chuck was standing there. Chuck just did what came naturally. "I got some weed. Might take the edge off."
"Don't smoke dope." Michael tilted his head and cracked his neck.
"Whiskey?" Chuck pulled out his flask.
"Don't drink."
"Okay." He uncapped the flask and tipped it into his own mouth. "So, Isabel was like… your best friend or something? Went to school together?"
"Remember how I was explaining about how I was born?" Michael took a deep breath.
"Yeah."
"Well, that's where we met."
"Oh. Right. I forgot." He frowned at his reflection in the window. "So, she was like a sister…"
"Not really."
"You tapped that?" He was going for funny but it ended up being really inappropriate and by the look on Michael's face, he was lucky he hadn't been punched. "I was joking, man."
"I'm not. It's disrespectful." Michael clenched his jaw and slid to the ground, leaning against the house. "Isabel and I… were complicated. We got a complicated past."
"I don't get it. If you were into her and she was into you… how'd you guys end up married to different people."
"Life. Fate. Destiny. What the fuck ever." Michael reached up for the flask but only took the tiniest of sips. If anything, Liz's rising tolerance for the stuff had bolstered his own and he would risk just a bit.
"Destiny? What's that got to do with the price of rice in China?"
"It's complicated."
"Uh, yeah. She's a chick. It was bound to be complicated."
"We hooked up once." Michael shrugged. "We'd felt attracted to each other in high school. Hormones and… she was hot. Hot. All the guys wanted to date her. Most did… but no one ever got to second base with her. We'd been told that we were meant for each other… like… arranged marriage type of thing. Aliens."
"That bites."
"Yeah. I thought it could be cool… but she wasn't interested. It scared her. A lot. So, I hooked up with Em's mom and she hooked up with Alex."
"The oldest one's dad?"
"Right. Then… some alien dude killed Alex. Isabel had to have their baby alone. Her folks helped out but… Max and Liz had moved in and Liz's was gonna pop and then Max got some other girl pregnant."
"Complicated." Chuck's eyes were wide as he settled on the ground.
"Yeah. Understatement. Anyway, it was too much. She moved out with her baby around the same time that Em's mom passed away." Michael remembered that week. Being locked up, giving up Em to go chasing down skins. "I was really messed up when I came back to town. I missed nearly a year of Em's life and I didn't want to rely on Em's grandmother to… I just… couldn't. Isabel let us stay with her." He sniffed. "We were lonely. We were… not in love with each other. Lonely and horny…"
"What happened?"
"Our son would have been 24 this year…" Michael's gaze when far away. "I think I was glad that she didn't tell me until after she'd done it. If I had known… I might have begged her to keep it." He cracked his knuckles. "After a few weeks had gone by, after I knew, after it was too late… I was relieved. I was struggling with Em. Isabel was… and then she went and felt for Kyle. I know that wouldn't have happened with me and a kid in the picture."
"Why'd she do it?"
"She was scared. I mean… we're aliens and all sciencey and shit. There are lines of propagation and it's like… Max and Tess, Kat's mom, have this baby… then Iz and I have this other baby. Those babies grow up and breed. Then there's like this… super alien." Suddenly Michael's breath left his lungs until Chuck whacked him on the back.
"Jesus, what the hell was that?"
"Then it would have been my grandkid who was all fucked up and chasing aliens across the fucking country."
"What are you talking about?"
"You did meet Beth, right?"
"Max's crazy daughter?"
"Yeah."
"I met her once and kids at school talk bout her but I don't know her. They all say she's nuts and she's knocked up with her ex's baby and… bunch of other shit." Chuck shrugged.
"Well, the alien prophecy that was supposed surround my grandkid from that son I never had… we changed the rules, so the rules got changed on us. Beth is that kid now."
"What the hell?" Chuck scoffed. "I was wrong. YOU'RE nuts."
Michael took another small swig and stared at him. "You're fucked up too. You got this… blood disease, maybe it makes you go crazy by the time you're 30. Same defect, makes it possible to make a human-alien hybrid. Just like me. I'm made from your great-granddad and some other chick's egg and some dead alien warrior. Then the bad guys decide to make us sterile. Except that I never learned how to use my powers the right way. I make a connection with Liz and it gets stuck. So she takes poisoned birth control and my energy prevents her from getting sterile. Instead, she gets knocked up by her husband with my energy hooked in for the whole pregnancy. You getting this?"
"Wait so… You got a Vulcan mild meld that got stuck with a woman who has an alien husband… like you. That means what?"
"Okay, so two alien hybrids with human blood just as fucked as yours… okay? Mixed with a human woman who is being systematically poisoned. Okay?" Chuck nodded. "Instead of making her sterile, it just lodges in her DNA and with the links available with this blood defect and the alien energy, creates a baby with 3 parents."
"Sick."
"Yeah. The poison didn't go away cause she stopped taking birth control. It was part of her DNA, so it's part of the baby's DNA. Thankfully this baby was Max's daughter because she can heal herself. We just didn't know that for 16 years because… all that time her body was fighting this infection on the cellular level."
"Holy shit. She didn't die?"
"No, she went nuts."
"Right. That's fucked up." He made a face. "I mean, that's really fucked up. I mean. That superalien kid was gonna be fucked up anyway but then it's got poison in its body. Dude, your family history is fucked up."
"It's your history, too."
"Yeah but all I got are…" Chuck trailed off.
"What do you see?"
"An empty seat of a banged up old truck. Somebody's supposed to be sitting there. I don't know who but it's tearing me up inside."
"I'd answer that question but I think you've had enough family history for one day."
--
Her lips were soft. Her skin was soft. Her protests were weak… because even as she was talking about how they weren't supposed to do this and how she was gonna get kicked out, her hand was sliding inside his fly. David measured his breathing to keep from grunting too loud or anything else that might call anyone's attention. Donna Jo's mouth was hot on his flesh. Her flesh was hot under his hand. He didn't know how someone could generate so much heat with just their body and hormones.
Afterwards, he wiped his hand on the bedspread. She made a face at him but didn't move from where she'd pillowed her head on his thigh. Zipped up, he lay back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Donna Jo?"
"Yeah?"
"It's weird that she died. I mean… I've heard the stories, you know. Alex's dad died, my grandpa died, Uncle Kyle died… and now both Aunt Isabel and her boyfriend died. I mean… it's just… weird."
"Yeah."
"Should we get back?"
"We should lie here a little longer." She whispered. "Do you think she knows?"
"Beth?"
"Yeah."
"Probably."
"She always knows everything… except the obvious stuff."
"Like what?"
"Like how much everyone loves her."
"Yeah, she's an asshat like that."
--
Kat leaned on Kyle. Kyle took a deep breath. "Your Man in Black didn't come?"
"No, he's busy." Kat lied. She didn't know why Will didn't come. He had never called her back.
"This sucks."
"I know."
"That's two dads in the ground." Kyle whispered.
"I know."
"Grandpa's not here. He won't come out of his room." His voice cracked, embarrassingly like the way he had three years earlier. "He's all I got left."
"No, he's not."
"Grandma Di is just… you know? Grandpa was always there. Always."
"Sh…" Kat squeezed him. "It's gonna be okay. Dad will think of something."
--
Max clenched his fists around the back of a chair. Michael in the next chair. Oriel next to him Liz on Max's other side. Kat, Dan, Em, Alex, Berty, Kyle, and David all around the other side of the table. Diane seated next to the window. The younger kids all slept under Lynnette's care.
"It was a skin. I can feel it." Max croaked out.
"What are we going to do?" Alex demanded. "I will not hide here. I won't."
"Do we have a lead?" Dan pressed.
"Last minute plane tickets." Michael answered. "Some surveillance shots of a man with a skin condition. Something's changed. We were supposed to be safer here. No one's come here since you all were kids."
"Since Beth was a baby." Liz whispered to herself. Max's head whipped to her. "She's almost 19, Max. It's not a significant number to us… but we're human in a human world. What does it mean to be Antarian in an Antarian world?"
"Rite of passage." Oriel chimed in. "Feels… like… it's important. Maybe it's the legal age."
"But what about us?" Liberty spoke up. "Gina's 9. Kyle's still in high school. What are we going to do with assassins running around?"
"Berty and I can defend ourselves." Kyle interceded. "But we won't be with Gina all day."
Alex exchanged a look with his grandmother who nodded and looked away. "Grandma and I have discussed it. Berty and Kyle will live with her. I'm taking Gina with me back to Miami."
"You shouldn't leave Roswell now."
"I said that I'm not hiding." Alex ground out. "Staying in Roswell didn't do my mother any good. There's a hierarchy here. You're the king, she was next in line after you and your children. The rest of us are next. No one went after Aunt Liz, or Dan or Davey… who knows if Beth is still alive. I'm afraid that Gina's next."
"We're all afraid."
"I can hold my own." Alex cleared his throat. "I'll home school Gina until this is over."
"It may never be over, Alex." Max met his nephew's eyes. "This could be the start of a war."
"Of a battle!" Alex corrected. "As I am given to understand the vague and patchy history you all have given us 'children', we have been at war for decades, maybe centuries. Unwilling participants in a war over a crown that has mean nothing to any of us." Alex stood and gestured around the table. "I am not a Duke. I record albums for a living. I can defend myself. I can defend Gina. I will not risk my life or my family's lives for something that means nothing to me!"
"Alex…"
"No!" He roared. "I've lost both my parents to this war. I never met my father. My mother didn't see her first grandchild. Jesse was a good man, he didn't deserve this. The five of us are orphaned." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "If I ever find out that Kyle's death had something to do with this mess, it'll be the last you ever see of me."
Michael started to go after him, Max held him back. Michael almost growled. "He can't leave now."
"We don't have a good enough argument for him to stay. He's got a family to think about now."
"What do we do, Dad?" Dan stared at his father, feeling suddenly years younger than his younger cousin who had stormed away.
"Why my mom?" Kyle Jr. asked softly.
"Your mom is my sister. She's a princess." Max bit his tongue against correcting his use of the present tense. "I suspect that she was chosen to get my attention. About what? I don't know yet. I'm waiting for a call back from someone in the know."
"And Jesse?"
"He was in the way."
"Berty and Kyle, come on. Let's go." Diane stood.
"Mom." Max protested.
"It's not up for debate. They're exhausted and they're not done grieving yet." Diane rose from the table. "Max, I love you but Alex is right. I've lost too many to this thing that I don't understand. I don't know what's going on out there but it surrounds you. It surrounds me, a very human participant. If you don't do something, more of my family will die." She breathed deep through the tears in her voice, streaming out of her eyes. "It's up to you whether you want it or not. Find Beth and end it."
--
Beth stared at the wall, strands of her hair flicking through colors rapidly. She leaned into Zan when he sat next to her. He stroked her hair back. "Rest. Save it for Tivy. Summit reconvenes in two days."
"I'm going to end her."
"Okay."
"I'm going to end him."
"Alright." Zan shifted her to lay down. "Sleep til then. We have a lot of plans to make."
"Already done.
TBC
Max arrived just as Berty was pushing open the front door. He motioned her back. He dialed 911 on his cell and held his finger over the talk button. There she was. Still warm but too still. "Isabel?" And there on the ground was Jesse, a small box clutched in his hand. He laid his hands over Isabel but there was nothing in her body anymore. No marks save for the scorched spot on her blouse. He hit talk. "911, what's your emergency?"
"I've just found two dead bodies at the Evans and Associates law firm offices on Main street." Max croaked out.
"Are they breathing?"
"I'm a doctor. They've been dead about twenty minutes. No heartbeat. No breathing."
"We're sending a vehicle right away."
Max nodded to himself as he heard the sirens start down the street. He joined his nephew and nieces on the sidewalk. Berty's eyes were huge. "Is it true?" He nodded. Max spoke to the paramedics and officers who arrived. Kyle gave his statement to the best of his ability. Gina remained quiet through the whole ordeal. Max sent them to the Crashdown down the street as soon as the officers were done. He identified the bodies and followed the bus to the hospital. Liz arrived with his mother in tow.
"Max, what's happened?" Diane clutched his arm.
"About an hour ago, Kyle came and got me. He and Gina were bringing dinner to the office because Isabel and Jesse were working late. When they got back… Isabel was lying on the ground. Kyle says he thinks someone might have been in the building when he got there." Max cleared his throat. "Mom, they're dead."
"No." Diane shook her head. He nodded, his jaw trembling. Liz's hand went to her mouth. "How?"
"It looks alien-related." He admitted. "I just… she was so still and Jesse…"
"Where are the kids?" Liz blurted out.
"At your folks."
"I'll go. You and Diane do what you need to do." Liz squeezed both their hands. "I'll… call around."
Max led his shocked mother to the morgue where another doctor was about to begin preliminary examinations. He had to catch her before she hit her knees.
--
Beth stilled from her corner. Zan watched her stand and cover her eyes. "That bitch!"
Nat's eyes went wide and looked to his father. Zan kept his eyes on her. "Who?"
"My aunt." Beth's voice was soft and even. "She crossed the border and now my father's sister is dead, along with an innocent human."
"Are you going to turn into a fireball again?" Nat asked cautiously.
Her hand fell from her eyes and met his. He backed away into the wall. Zan shut his eyes and crossed his arms. "Our move."
--
Berty made the call to Sebastien. Called his grandmother first to get his number at the dorm. Then she took a deep breath and shoved away every emotion in order to get the words out when he picked up. "Sebastien, you have to come home."
"What?" Sebastien sat up. "Come home? Berty?"
"It's Mom and Jesse." She sobbed.
"What happened?"
"They're dead. They were killed… it just happened… like three hours ago. You need to come home."
Sebastien shut his eyes. "Gina?"
"She's okay but… Kyle's not sure if she saw the bodies." She breathed. "Uncle Max is working on it. Alex is coming home now but I need help. It's just me, now. Grandpa is… so quiet and Aunt Liz is buried with the plans and…"
"Berty, I'm coming. I promise." Sebastien hung up and turned to Lauren with tears in his eyes. "My dad is dead."
--
Kat arrived with her service agent. Dan and Em arrived via jeep. Alex and Lynnette's plane landed late that night and they had a car waiting for them… Max was so angry and had no outlet.
Lots of people attended. Colleagues, family, alien and human and cloned. Max attended to his mother. Seb, his grandmother. Alex kept his siblings together… Gina was oddly quiet but held onto her brother's hand as tight as she could. She was 9 and nearly the youngest of the Roswell hybrids. Only Matthew was younger.
Liz held her breath against great sobs as she watched the little girl who had always seemed younger than she was. Smaller, vulnerable. No justice would be done for these deaths until the hybrids had time to rally. Given the state her husband was in, it could be tonight or next year. He was too difficult to read… even given her newfound propensity for divining the intentions of others.
--
Beth sat next to the window, watching the funeral so far away. Tears slipped down her face. Nat kept vigil with her over the three days between the summit and the funerals. Zan was waiting for something but wouldn't say what.
--
Donna Jo helped keep everyone in Kleenex or food. Lauren watched her surrogate family fall apart. She had questions. Lots of them but she knew no one would be able to answer them. Max spent a lot of time outside, smoking. Liz drank, David mixed the drinks as weak as he could. Diane sat with Gina and Kyle on either side of her, afraid to let either go. Alex made the rounds as best as he could. Tried to keep Lynnette and Jesse's mother informed of who was coming and going from their family. Berty kept pacing the house, walking away when she ran into Sebastien or his girlfriend.
Sebastien did introduce Lauren to his grandmother. She gave a tight, tired smile. Lauren caught, in passing, the relation between his family and her surrogate family. Noted the distance that Seb kept from his father's girlfriend's family. There seemed to be no real hard feelings between Seb and Gina, though she was young to know whatever had caused the rift between Seb and her older siblings.
--
Liz walked in on Donna Jo fighting with the freezer. The girl looked near to tears. Liz helped, silently. "People keep bringing over food."
"And I'm serving most of it but then there were like five chicken casseroles and there's only so much chicken casserole that can be served and refrigerated and frozen." Donna Jo focused on putting away the sweets. Cakes and cookies and pies. Comfort foods. "No one close to me has ever died… I remember her… from when we were all kids. She was nice."
"Yeah. She was." Liz nodded almost to herself as she ghosted around the kitchen, putting away things and repackaging them.
"When I was younger… I used to wish she was my mom. Cause I figured I'm blonde. I got brown eyes. I could sneak in."
"And now?" Liz asked absently.
"I just miss my mom." Donna Jo wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm mad at her. I understand why she's mad and… I love her."
"Hold on to that last one." Liz turned to face the girl finally. "When Max and I got pregnant with Danny, my mom kicked me out. I lived with Max's family for years. They took care of me. Isabel was like a real sister. We were even pregnant together more than once. It was nice. I'll miss her."
Donna Jo stepped forward in time to catch Liz before she broke down in huge sobs. After forever, Liz straightened, took a deep breath and walked over to the sink to wash her face. "Isabel was always so put together. Wouldn't do to disappoint her now."
--
Alex clapped Seb on the back. It was a tense, heavy moment. Alex wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "I've been there man, too many times. Just… let it go."
"They hated me."
"Mom didn't understand. Was never going to let herself. Your dad just… didn't want trouble."
"And Berty."
"Too confusing." Alex took a deep breath. "Hey, you're still gonna be my dude, kay? I'm not saying I approve of whatever the fuck happened with Berty. I'm not saying I'm okay with it… but I'm the oldest now. I'm not choosing sides."
"What's gonna happen now?"
"We'll talk about it later."
--
Max did see anything. Hadn't since the day at the hospital. He'd held it together long enough to get his mother in to see Isabel but when she had hit her knees, Max's insides had turned to mush. His very first memory was of Isabel. Her sticky hand in his as they walked through the desert looking for Michael. Her gross smell in his nose cuddled up when the Evans took them to the orphanage. She was bossy even back then. Kicking him under the table when the Evans would come to visit. Smacking his arm when he didn't move fast enough to go play. Now, she was gone.
Cigarettes were the only thing keeping him going. He hadn't eaten and he was pretty certain that if he didn't smoke, he would forget to breathe. His chest was a void. He felt Liz nearby more than he heard her or could feel her skin next to his. He had vague memories of the fog he'd been in when his father died… this was different. This was… about his sister. She was really his. She was blood. Legally she was older but really, she was his little sister.
Max looked down when he felt a small hand in his. Gina. She pressed her face into his side, warm tears soaking his shirt and he lost it. Gasping and choking on his smoke, he sank into a chair and pulled her onto his lap. She was turning out to look little like Isabel but favoring Jesse in rich brown skin and dark curly hair. Rocking her in his arms like she was a baby instead of a 9 year old. "Uncle Max, you gonna get her?"
"Who?"
"Beth?"
--
Chuck grumbled but watched his sister while Michael made his rounds through the crowded house. He had liked Isabel okay. She was gorgeous and nice and wicked savvy about how she handled his paperwork for the hotel and his trust funds. These people were weird. Okay, yeah. Aliens. Whatever. It was fuckin' weird. Like everyone had dated everyone else and there were all these hang ups. Michael's got three best friends and two of them are women.
Laurie squirmed and grunted, trying to get her feet onto the ground. Sam rolled his eyes and took her from his big brother, walking her around the room so she could touch everything at least once before tearing away and making a mad dash for the dog. Chuck managed a weak chuckle at that. He felt like crap. He wasn't sleeping anymore since the dreams… since his mom died. It was like the night she died, they started.
Terror. Every time it was the terror. Not for himself. Oddly, in the dreams he was far braver than he was while awake. The terror was for someone that he couldn't see because there were shadows and others… others on tables. Sometimes, he got the feeling it was just him, inheriting the craziness. Then Michael would remind him that the dreams were real… for Grandpa Chuck. Great-grandpa Chuck, that was.
Oriel kind of creeped him out. There was just something about her… and that Liz woman. It was why he kept ditching her classes. She just creeped him out. The whole family was wacked out.
Michael walked out the front door. Chuck followed, just because he felt like being an ass. What he wasn't ready for was Michael, hands on the house, his head pressed against the siding like the pressure was keeping his brains inside. The sobs were not something anyone should have to hear or see coming out of a grown man. Michael wiped at his face roughly when he noticed Chuck was standing there. Chuck just did what came naturally. "I got some weed. Might take the edge off."
"Don't smoke dope." Michael tilted his head and cracked his neck.
"Whiskey?" Chuck pulled out his flask.
"Don't drink."
"Okay." He uncapped the flask and tipped it into his own mouth. "So, Isabel was like… your best friend or something? Went to school together?"
"Remember how I was explaining about how I was born?" Michael took a deep breath.
"Yeah."
"Well, that's where we met."
"Oh. Right. I forgot." He frowned at his reflection in the window. "So, she was like a sister…"
"Not really."
"You tapped that?" He was going for funny but it ended up being really inappropriate and by the look on Michael's face, he was lucky he hadn't been punched. "I was joking, man."
"I'm not. It's disrespectful." Michael clenched his jaw and slid to the ground, leaning against the house. "Isabel and I… were complicated. We got a complicated past."
"I don't get it. If you were into her and she was into you… how'd you guys end up married to different people."
"Life. Fate. Destiny. What the fuck ever." Michael reached up for the flask but only took the tiniest of sips. If anything, Liz's rising tolerance for the stuff had bolstered his own and he would risk just a bit.
"Destiny? What's that got to do with the price of rice in China?"
"It's complicated."
"Uh, yeah. She's a chick. It was bound to be complicated."
"We hooked up once." Michael shrugged. "We'd felt attracted to each other in high school. Hormones and… she was hot. Hot. All the guys wanted to date her. Most did… but no one ever got to second base with her. We'd been told that we were meant for each other… like… arranged marriage type of thing. Aliens."
"That bites."
"Yeah. I thought it could be cool… but she wasn't interested. It scared her. A lot. So, I hooked up with Em's mom and she hooked up with Alex."
"The oldest one's dad?"
"Right. Then… some alien dude killed Alex. Isabel had to have their baby alone. Her folks helped out but… Max and Liz had moved in and Liz's was gonna pop and then Max got some other girl pregnant."
"Complicated." Chuck's eyes were wide as he settled on the ground.
"Yeah. Understatement. Anyway, it was too much. She moved out with her baby around the same time that Em's mom passed away." Michael remembered that week. Being locked up, giving up Em to go chasing down skins. "I was really messed up when I came back to town. I missed nearly a year of Em's life and I didn't want to rely on Em's grandmother to… I just… couldn't. Isabel let us stay with her." He sniffed. "We were lonely. We were… not in love with each other. Lonely and horny…"
"What happened?"
"Our son would have been 24 this year…" Michael's gaze when far away. "I think I was glad that she didn't tell me until after she'd done it. If I had known… I might have begged her to keep it." He cracked his knuckles. "After a few weeks had gone by, after I knew, after it was too late… I was relieved. I was struggling with Em. Isabel was… and then she went and felt for Kyle. I know that wouldn't have happened with me and a kid in the picture."
"Why'd she do it?"
"She was scared. I mean… we're aliens and all sciencey and shit. There are lines of propagation and it's like… Max and Tess, Kat's mom, have this baby… then Iz and I have this other baby. Those babies grow up and breed. Then there's like this… super alien." Suddenly Michael's breath left his lungs until Chuck whacked him on the back.
"Jesus, what the hell was that?"
"Then it would have been my grandkid who was all fucked up and chasing aliens across the fucking country."
"What are you talking about?"
"You did meet Beth, right?"
"Max's crazy daughter?"
"Yeah."
"I met her once and kids at school talk bout her but I don't know her. They all say she's nuts and she's knocked up with her ex's baby and… bunch of other shit." Chuck shrugged.
"Well, the alien prophecy that was supposed surround my grandkid from that son I never had… we changed the rules, so the rules got changed on us. Beth is that kid now."
"What the hell?" Chuck scoffed. "I was wrong. YOU'RE nuts."
Michael took another small swig and stared at him. "You're fucked up too. You got this… blood disease, maybe it makes you go crazy by the time you're 30. Same defect, makes it possible to make a human-alien hybrid. Just like me. I'm made from your great-granddad and some other chick's egg and some dead alien warrior. Then the bad guys decide to make us sterile. Except that I never learned how to use my powers the right way. I make a connection with Liz and it gets stuck. So she takes poisoned birth control and my energy prevents her from getting sterile. Instead, she gets knocked up by her husband with my energy hooked in for the whole pregnancy. You getting this?"
"Wait so… You got a Vulcan mild meld that got stuck with a woman who has an alien husband… like you. That means what?"
"Okay, so two alien hybrids with human blood just as fucked as yours… okay? Mixed with a human woman who is being systematically poisoned. Okay?" Chuck nodded. "Instead of making her sterile, it just lodges in her DNA and with the links available with this blood defect and the alien energy, creates a baby with 3 parents."
"Sick."
"Yeah. The poison didn't go away cause she stopped taking birth control. It was part of her DNA, so it's part of the baby's DNA. Thankfully this baby was Max's daughter because she can heal herself. We just didn't know that for 16 years because… all that time her body was fighting this infection on the cellular level."
"Holy shit. She didn't die?"
"No, she went nuts."
"Right. That's fucked up." He made a face. "I mean, that's really fucked up. I mean. That superalien kid was gonna be fucked up anyway but then it's got poison in its body. Dude, your family history is fucked up."
"It's your history, too."
"Yeah but all I got are…" Chuck trailed off.
"What do you see?"
"An empty seat of a banged up old truck. Somebody's supposed to be sitting there. I don't know who but it's tearing me up inside."
"I'd answer that question but I think you've had enough family history for one day."
--
Her lips were soft. Her skin was soft. Her protests were weak… because even as she was talking about how they weren't supposed to do this and how she was gonna get kicked out, her hand was sliding inside his fly. David measured his breathing to keep from grunting too loud or anything else that might call anyone's attention. Donna Jo's mouth was hot on his flesh. Her flesh was hot under his hand. He didn't know how someone could generate so much heat with just their body and hormones.
Afterwards, he wiped his hand on the bedspread. She made a face at him but didn't move from where she'd pillowed her head on his thigh. Zipped up, he lay back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Donna Jo?"
"Yeah?"
"It's weird that she died. I mean… I've heard the stories, you know. Alex's dad died, my grandpa died, Uncle Kyle died… and now both Aunt Isabel and her boyfriend died. I mean… it's just… weird."
"Yeah."
"Should we get back?"
"We should lie here a little longer." She whispered. "Do you think she knows?"
"Beth?"
"Yeah."
"Probably."
"She always knows everything… except the obvious stuff."
"Like what?"
"Like how much everyone loves her."
"Yeah, she's an asshat like that."
--
Kat leaned on Kyle. Kyle took a deep breath. "Your Man in Black didn't come?"
"No, he's busy." Kat lied. She didn't know why Will didn't come. He had never called her back.
"This sucks."
"I know."
"That's two dads in the ground." Kyle whispered.
"I know."
"Grandpa's not here. He won't come out of his room." His voice cracked, embarrassingly like the way he had three years earlier. "He's all I got left."
"No, he's not."
"Grandma Di is just… you know? Grandpa was always there. Always."
"Sh…" Kat squeezed him. "It's gonna be okay. Dad will think of something."
--
Max clenched his fists around the back of a chair. Michael in the next chair. Oriel next to him Liz on Max's other side. Kat, Dan, Em, Alex, Berty, Kyle, and David all around the other side of the table. Diane seated next to the window. The younger kids all slept under Lynnette's care.
"It was a skin. I can feel it." Max croaked out.
"What are we going to do?" Alex demanded. "I will not hide here. I won't."
"Do we have a lead?" Dan pressed.
"Last minute plane tickets." Michael answered. "Some surveillance shots of a man with a skin condition. Something's changed. We were supposed to be safer here. No one's come here since you all were kids."
"Since Beth was a baby." Liz whispered to herself. Max's head whipped to her. "She's almost 19, Max. It's not a significant number to us… but we're human in a human world. What does it mean to be Antarian in an Antarian world?"
"Rite of passage." Oriel chimed in. "Feels… like… it's important. Maybe it's the legal age."
"But what about us?" Liberty spoke up. "Gina's 9. Kyle's still in high school. What are we going to do with assassins running around?"
"Berty and I can defend ourselves." Kyle interceded. "But we won't be with Gina all day."
Alex exchanged a look with his grandmother who nodded and looked away. "Grandma and I have discussed it. Berty and Kyle will live with her. I'm taking Gina with me back to Miami."
"You shouldn't leave Roswell now."
"I said that I'm not hiding." Alex ground out. "Staying in Roswell didn't do my mother any good. There's a hierarchy here. You're the king, she was next in line after you and your children. The rest of us are next. No one went after Aunt Liz, or Dan or Davey… who knows if Beth is still alive. I'm afraid that Gina's next."
"We're all afraid."
"I can hold my own." Alex cleared his throat. "I'll home school Gina until this is over."
"It may never be over, Alex." Max met his nephew's eyes. "This could be the start of a war."
"Of a battle!" Alex corrected. "As I am given to understand the vague and patchy history you all have given us 'children', we have been at war for decades, maybe centuries. Unwilling participants in a war over a crown that has mean nothing to any of us." Alex stood and gestured around the table. "I am not a Duke. I record albums for a living. I can defend myself. I can defend Gina. I will not risk my life or my family's lives for something that means nothing to me!"
"Alex…"
"No!" He roared. "I've lost both my parents to this war. I never met my father. My mother didn't see her first grandchild. Jesse was a good man, he didn't deserve this. The five of us are orphaned." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "If I ever find out that Kyle's death had something to do with this mess, it'll be the last you ever see of me."
Michael started to go after him, Max held him back. Michael almost growled. "He can't leave now."
"We don't have a good enough argument for him to stay. He's got a family to think about now."
"What do we do, Dad?" Dan stared at his father, feeling suddenly years younger than his younger cousin who had stormed away.
"Why my mom?" Kyle Jr. asked softly.
"Your mom is my sister. She's a princess." Max bit his tongue against correcting his use of the present tense. "I suspect that she was chosen to get my attention. About what? I don't know yet. I'm waiting for a call back from someone in the know."
"And Jesse?"
"He was in the way."
"Berty and Kyle, come on. Let's go." Diane stood.
"Mom." Max protested.
"It's not up for debate. They're exhausted and they're not done grieving yet." Diane rose from the table. "Max, I love you but Alex is right. I've lost too many to this thing that I don't understand. I don't know what's going on out there but it surrounds you. It surrounds me, a very human participant. If you don't do something, more of my family will die." She breathed deep through the tears in her voice, streaming out of her eyes. "It's up to you whether you want it or not. Find Beth and end it."
--
Beth stared at the wall, strands of her hair flicking through colors rapidly. She leaned into Zan when he sat next to her. He stroked her hair back. "Rest. Save it for Tivy. Summit reconvenes in two days."
"I'm going to end her."
"Okay."
"I'm going to end him."
"Alright." Zan shifted her to lay down. "Sleep til then. We have a lot of plans to make."
"Already done.
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 173 CC/UC ADULT 08/08/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 173
Will followed the girl for six blocks before he realized that she wasn't Beth. He knew better. Her hair wouldn't be brown, or blue. It'd be some color she knew she hadn't used before. He kept circling the same four blocks on foot, blending with the crowd and keeping his eye out for her form. He had other agents doing the same thing. Had more looking through even more footage, tracing pathways. Beth was in the city and she was getting around and it wasn't up top for the most part.
He returned to his starting point with a cup of coffee. After his cell rang three times, he slipped his flask out to flavor his coffee. It was going to be a long day.
--
Lauren listened as Sebastien's grandmother told stories and showed her pictures. Flipping through the book, she began to wonder. The Sebastien in these pictures was much livelier than the somber one who took her to dinner and brought her picnics. Then she saw a picture of one of his exes. The circles under their eyes, the growing distance and then his graduation pictures. That was not a happy young man about to embark on his future. It was a young man inches from drowning. Then she watched him with his little sister. She clung to him, adored him, short for her age which made her seem younger than 9. Then Alex showed up with his siblings and grandfather.
Mr. Valenti was quiet through the whole ordeal. She wasn't sure exactly how he was related and to whom specifically. It was rather tangled. Alex was genial. Promised to make sure everyone got visited in reasonable amounts of time. Lynnette hugged her aunt. Berty hugged her brother. Kyle offered a parting salute but not much more. Mr. Valenti leaned in to whisper in Alex's ear before reaching down to hug the crap out of Gina.
The three of them left to go to the airport. Alex, Lynnette and Gina. Lauren took Sebastien's hand when he sat. The room was silent until Sebastien's grandmother spoke up. "Nosotros no somos supuestos sobrevivir a los niños."
"I know. It gets worse all the time." Mr. Valenti nodded to her. "Kids…"
"Why do we have to live with Grandma Di? Why can't we just stay in our house with you?" Kyle demanded.
"Because I'm not going to be living in the house either." He answered him.
"Sebastien…" she jerked her head at her grandson.
"Do you need help settling things?" Sebastien offered.
"Yeah, I will." Jim nodded.
--
Max paced with the phone. He just couldn't keep waiting. Beth was out there, alone. She could take care of herself but the rest of his family was vulnerable to attack. Oriel's words spun around in his head. If Beth turning 19 was significant on Antar… what did that mean? Did it mean that something bigger than what had happened to her in the tank would happen? What did that mean for the rest of Earth? For Antar? For the universe?
--
Lauren picked at her salad while Sebastien brooded over his burger and "orbit rings". Geez, this town was so weird. He hadn't talked much about his father. Hadn't cried much but Lauren had a hunch he was saving that for Father Destry. She knew he hadn't been close to his father since going to college but she still didn't know why. So she asked the question. "How are you related to Uncle Max?"
"I'm not." He shook his head, stirring a onion ring in ketchup. "Isabel was his sister. She was my dad's girlfriend. Gina was hers and my dad's. I'm just my dad's."
"What about everyone else?"
"Alex's dad died before he was born. Isabel got married to Sheriff Valenti… maybe he wasn't Sheriff yet, I don't know. I wasn't here yet. Liberty and Kyle Jr. are his kids… Then came my dad." Sebastien shrugged. "They had an affair or something. Sheriff Valenti died and then my dad told me that Isabel was pregnant."
"Oh geez."
"Yeah. It sucked but um… Alex was always good to me, you know? He wasn't around long. He graduated, went away to school but he was always cool. Gina should be with him."
"Berty's pretty. She looks like her mom."
"Yeah." Sebastien looked at her finally. He took a deep breath. "Things with me and Berty were complicated. I did things that I shouldn't have. I'm still not all right with it. No one's all right with it but I'm not ready to talk about it yet."
She nodded and crossed her arms. There was a long silence while neither of them ate or spoke or looked at each other. "I… was raped when I was 14." His eyes shot to her face but she was still staring at his salad. "No one believed me. The guy got away. I was… sexually abused by my foster parents. No one believed me. It went on until I went to college. I never looked back. I have my issues. I sleep with random guys. I get jealous easily… but I haven't done that in a while… and I've never told anyone but my mom's girlfriend about it… until now. I mean. Some people know but we don't talk about it."
When she lifted her eyes to his face, he snapped his eyes away. He tossed some money down on the table and motioned for her to follow him. When they were in the park he cleared his throat. "Listen, this is difficult to say and it's not easy to hear. Just get me get through it…"
--
Nat was 22 years old. That much Zan was certain of but the boy looked about 12 at the moment. His eyes wide and jaw slack. "But why?"
"She warned us that if we didn't comply that it would be bad. She had Beth's aunt killed. They think it's my sister, though. They don't know that my sister is dead already. I'm betting that Kivar isn't thrilled about it."
"Why?"
"It's done. Old stuff." Zan shrugged. "Without the princess, there is only the royal bloodline. Without the princess to confirm her children… they aren't real threats to the crown. We have to figure out counter move."
"Like what?"
"Don't know yet. Only so much damage we can inflict from here."
"Why didn't Beth leave?"
"Beth doesn't work that way. She knows that rushing to her aunt would be stupid and useless. The war will be won here."
"I don't understand. A Summit. Aren't there rules?"
"When everyone is in the room… sure. When people start leaving, all bets are off. If you walk into a Summit and accuse someone of murder, the blood had better be on their hands. No one will jeopardize peace for petty vendettas. As far as the other worlds are concerned this coup that Kivar pulled on me was just political. Someone still has to answer for Antar."
"Then why bother if it doesn't matter who is on the throne."
"We have the Granilith on Earth. We have the stones."
"What's so special about these stones and this rock thing?"
"Not a Gran-O-lith. A Gran-I-lith." Zan corrected. "I keep trying to get Beth to tell me where it is but she won't budge. It's leverage is what it is."
--
Max set down the phone and sat in the bathroom. He lit a candle. Sprayed some of Liz's perfume into the air. For the first time in his life, he reached outside of himself. He had been selfish in everything that he had ever done. Healing Liz, telling Liz, leaving Liz… exhausting himself to be what he thought Liz wanted… Never saying anything against Tess. Letting his human side rule his life. Only using his alien side to gain the upper hand. He was selfish and that's why he had failed in the past to do this very thing. He hadn't actually wanted to know. He didn't want to be king so badly, he'd blocked it from himself. He stared through the flame to his reflection and… went back.
--
Lynnette stared around the room. She and Alex had planned to use it as a guest room but… seeing as the nursery was a mess… Gina stared up at her. "Well, what do you think?"
"It's an old person's room."
"Yeah." She nodded. "So, what needs to go?"
"The bed's too big."
"Maybe… or maybe you're too small."
"The sheets. The sheets are too old."
"Okay. What color?"
"Azul para el cielo."
"We can do that."
"Lynnette…" Gina hopped onto the bed. "Do you think that it's safe?"
"We're safe here, Gina. Alex says so."
"Not here. Back home. What if something gets Berty and Kyle and Grandpa?"
"Uncle Max will make sure they're safe."
"Uncle Max is leaving."
--
Beth twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers. She watched her mother greet Gabriel on the street. Watched her make chit chat with the girl. Beth yanked on her hair. Gritted her teeth. Tears slipped out of her eyes. Watched Lauren walk the streets of Roswell, her arms wrapped around herself until she met young man's glance. Watched Berty follow Grandma Di's instructions in the kitchen, in the bathroom. Her tomboy cousin applied makeup for the first time without her mother to help. Watched Kyle walk into the station, hands in his pockets. Sheriff Soltero nodded him into the office and the door closed behind them. Watched Dan and Em yell at each other outside their hotel room. Watched Kat take the ring off her finger and stare at it on the plane home. Watched Sebastien sit beside his father's grave. Watched David stare at himself in the mirror, vain little shit. Watched Donna Jo laugh at a story that Grandpa Jeff was telling, Grandma Nancy filling in the funnier details while the three of them worked the counter. Watched Alex build a crib with assistance from Gina while Lynnette read the instructions. Watched Oriel watching Laurie run around the backyard. Watched Michael tossing a ball with Matt and Stephen and that Sam kid. Watched Will… breaking her sister's heart. Watched Gabriel touch that girl…
--
Lauren's gaze was caught by a young blond who met her eyes. She stopped and stared at him. He slowed down, confusion blooming on his face. "I think we met at the funeral. For like a second."
"I think so." He nodded, hands in pockets.
"I'm Lauren Allison."
"Chuck Allen." He stared at her and then realization hit his green eyes. "You're that girl. The one in the music videos."
"Yeah." Something about him triggered something in her. She kept seeing her nightmares.
"That's not where I know you." He blurted out, towering over her to get a better look. The light had caught his eyes and he blinked to adjust his vision.
Lauren grasped his arms. "It's you… on the table. Across from mine. You keep asking for her and no one listens."
"You weren't there." He shook his head. "There wasn't a girl like you there. The… There was a man."
"Yes, that was me. I mean… it was my great-granddad."
"My great-granddad. In the room… with the… aliens…" Chuck shut his eyes. "God, I'm going crazy."
"No." Lauren smiled. "You're not. I have them, too. I see them. We were there. I mean… our great-grandfathers were there… with the blonde lady, she was my great-grandmother… and the little blonde girl."
"Who was she?" Chuck demanded, gripping her arms and almost pushing her over a garbage can. "The other girl… the brunette… who was she?"
"I… I don't know."
"Dammit. I lost her."
"You didn't lose her." Lauren gripped his face in her hands. "You didn't lose her. They kept her."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"It wasn't me but it feels like me."
"You know what's funny? I always see it from my great-grandfather's point of view but I never see it from my great-grandmother's point of view."
Chuck relaxed and sat on a nearby bench. Lauren followed him. "When did the dreams start?" She tilted her head at him. "When did you start having them?"
"Right before I turned 13."
"Oh."
"When did you?"
"Last year… when my mom died."
"Wait, when your mom died?" Lauren blinked. "I guess. Oh my God… that must have been when he died."
--
Will sat on the end of the bed. She was asleep now. He shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have been drinking. He shouldn't have been so focused on Beth. He should have called Kat back. He should not have let her in his room. Not when he'd been drinking. Not when he'd just heard about his ex-wife. He should have called Kat back.
"No, leave him alone. Don't touch me." She mumbled. "She's just a girl."
Will turned and watched her, a frown creasing his face. "What girl, Genevieve?"
"The girl. The little blond girl. They just took her. What are they doing to her?"
"Who took her?" Will grabbed some clothes, pulling them on quietly while he tried to draw her out in her sleep.
"The little men. They're hurting us. Poking us. And she's just a little girl. Darryl can take it. That other fellow can take it. I can take it…. She's a little girl." She took a deep breath, whimpered. "Will it hurt my baby?"
"I don't know. Tell me more about the others."
"I don't know that other fella. We were already on the tables then they brought him in. Him and his little girlfriend. I don't know where they took her. They took her away. Then they brought in the little girl. If they hurt her, Darryl will kill them."
"Darryl knows her?"
"No, but she's a child and Darryl loves children. We're going to have 20, he says… starting with this one… are they going to hurt my baby?"
"Christine, calm down. Just calm down. It will be over soon." Will sat and watched her face. She didn't look much like the Evans. He turned on the light, her face jerked toward it. Then her eyes were blinking open. And there, he saw it. She had her father's eyes. "You okay?"
"What?"
"You were talking in your sleep."
"I do that sometimes. Turn that off." Genevieve relaxed somewhat when the light was off again. "Was it crazy stuff? My roommate in college was the first one to tell me I did that. Said it was crazy stuff."
"You were 18 when it started."
"Yeah. How did you know?" She sat up. "What did I say?"
--
Max opened his eyes and just like the first day after Beth had come out of the tank, he saw the world differently. The colors richer and sounds clearer. But also, his perspective had changed. Emerging from the bathroom, he stood in the kitchen and listened because now he knew how. He could hear breath hitching upstairs, the faint sound of mattress coils creaking. Liz was right. David was having sex.
Focusing, he could draw up an image of the girl… and Liz was right again. They should have been worried about his infatuation with Donna Jo. Walking out the front door, he walked to the darkened law offices of Evans and Ramirez… He moved time backwards and watched as police men turned the scene over. Watched as a man walked backwards through the back door. Watched in reverse as he killed Jesse after Isabel, who had put up a fight but in her surprise had not gained the upper hand. If she had not, he would not have shown up on the airport surveillance. Then saw the moment when the man had left the apartment he'd lived in for 20 years, waiting for an order.
Then Max walked away from everything he'd ever known. He left it all behind.
--
Berty left the booth with her head bowed. Joey had scoffed when he had seen her face. Had looked at her like he didn't know her. She broke up with him and felt nothing but relief. She had been hiding her whole life. Hiding who she was, who she was afraid to become because she could. Because her mother had let her. She had to stop hiding. Had to start living for herself because the last conversation she ever had with her mother had been a fight. Over a condom wrapper in the trashcan. Over Joey never coming over to spend time with the family. Over Berty having no respect for herself. Berty had blown up and repeated the hateful things that people said about her mother because they were envious of her profession, her beauty and success. Berty sat in the park and cried because the last words she'd said to her mother were "I hate you!"
--
Donna Jo sat at the kitchen table. "We really can't keep doing this." David didn't seem to hear her. "Do you understand me? I mean… I'm… I'm not independent these days. I cannot afford to get kicked out if… David."
"I know." He hit the button on the microwave. "I'm too young."
"Yes… and I'm sorry for this… I just… as soon as I can, I'll move out. David…"
"I know."
"I could go to jail, David."
"It's only 3 years."
"It can be a lot… especially right now. I lost my virginity to someone 2 years older than me… and really… he could have gotten into a lot of trouble for it."
--
Liz handed the journal to Michael and crossed her arms. "I still don't know what you want with that thing… there's nothing really about aliens. It's just a young girl trying to grow up too fast."
"It's Chuck."
"Okay…"
Michael didn't know how to say it. "This girl is part of Oriel… relative to you… kind of… This girl is part of my donor's past and… well, she was on the ship. I think Chuck has a memory of her. He's pretty freaked right now. He ran into what's her name on the street. They recognized each other from the nightmares…"
"Surely they'd met before."
"Not really. Just walking past each other while focused on other things. That's what he said anyway. And you know how he is. We get together and he wanders off because we're small town and he's big bucks. His words."
"Do you think that will help him?"
"No, but it will answer some questions and that's more than I ever had growing up. More than his mother ever had."
--
Diane fed Kyle and Jim. They looked so much alike, heads bowed over leftover casserole, missing Isabel just like she was. Diane kept remembering the little girl, naked in the desert. So curious where Max had been afraid. So open. So trusting. Remembering the way her face would light up every time Diane walked into the room. She would come running. She knew that whatever trials her children had been through as teenagers, it was probably Isabel who had convinced Max to stay. She had often thought they were two sides of the same coin. Isabel so bright and light and Max so dark and mysterious.
"Jim, where are you going to go?"
"I hadn't thought about it, much. I just know that I can't stay in that house… too many dead." Jim shook his head.
"You're always welcome here, Jim." Diane offered but she knew that he wouldn't accept.
"Thank you, I'll think about it." He gave her a wan smile. "Don't want to intrude."
"Jim." Diane's look said a thousand things they'd never said since they'd been divorced and widowed and broken up with other people. "You know it's never an intrusion."
"When are you two gonna tell Uncle Max that you've been seriously dating since Dan's wedding?" Kyle polished off his dinner.
"You little sneak." Jim reached over and ruffled his hair.
"It's not my fault everyone else is too self-absorbed to notice."
"We'll tell him when the time is right." Diane raised an eyebrow and settled into her chair.
"Your son is the most stubborn man I've ever met."
"And the most forgiving. Don't forget that. He'll get over it." Diane took his hand. "Move in, Jim. It's about time."
Continued in next post
Will followed the girl for six blocks before he realized that she wasn't Beth. He knew better. Her hair wouldn't be brown, or blue. It'd be some color she knew she hadn't used before. He kept circling the same four blocks on foot, blending with the crowd and keeping his eye out for her form. He had other agents doing the same thing. Had more looking through even more footage, tracing pathways. Beth was in the city and she was getting around and it wasn't up top for the most part.
He returned to his starting point with a cup of coffee. After his cell rang three times, he slipped his flask out to flavor his coffee. It was going to be a long day.
--
Lauren listened as Sebastien's grandmother told stories and showed her pictures. Flipping through the book, she began to wonder. The Sebastien in these pictures was much livelier than the somber one who took her to dinner and brought her picnics. Then she saw a picture of one of his exes. The circles under their eyes, the growing distance and then his graduation pictures. That was not a happy young man about to embark on his future. It was a young man inches from drowning. Then she watched him with his little sister. She clung to him, adored him, short for her age which made her seem younger than 9. Then Alex showed up with his siblings and grandfather.
Mr. Valenti was quiet through the whole ordeal. She wasn't sure exactly how he was related and to whom specifically. It was rather tangled. Alex was genial. Promised to make sure everyone got visited in reasonable amounts of time. Lynnette hugged her aunt. Berty hugged her brother. Kyle offered a parting salute but not much more. Mr. Valenti leaned in to whisper in Alex's ear before reaching down to hug the crap out of Gina.
The three of them left to go to the airport. Alex, Lynnette and Gina. Lauren took Sebastien's hand when he sat. The room was silent until Sebastien's grandmother spoke up. "Nosotros no somos supuestos sobrevivir a los niños."
"I know. It gets worse all the time." Mr. Valenti nodded to her. "Kids…"
"Why do we have to live with Grandma Di? Why can't we just stay in our house with you?" Kyle demanded.
"Because I'm not going to be living in the house either." He answered him.
"Sebastien…" she jerked her head at her grandson.
"Do you need help settling things?" Sebastien offered.
"Yeah, I will." Jim nodded.
--
Max paced with the phone. He just couldn't keep waiting. Beth was out there, alone. She could take care of herself but the rest of his family was vulnerable to attack. Oriel's words spun around in his head. If Beth turning 19 was significant on Antar… what did that mean? Did it mean that something bigger than what had happened to her in the tank would happen? What did that mean for the rest of Earth? For Antar? For the universe?
--
Lauren picked at her salad while Sebastien brooded over his burger and "orbit rings". Geez, this town was so weird. He hadn't talked much about his father. Hadn't cried much but Lauren had a hunch he was saving that for Father Destry. She knew he hadn't been close to his father since going to college but she still didn't know why. So she asked the question. "How are you related to Uncle Max?"
"I'm not." He shook his head, stirring a onion ring in ketchup. "Isabel was his sister. She was my dad's girlfriend. Gina was hers and my dad's. I'm just my dad's."
"What about everyone else?"
"Alex's dad died before he was born. Isabel got married to Sheriff Valenti… maybe he wasn't Sheriff yet, I don't know. I wasn't here yet. Liberty and Kyle Jr. are his kids… Then came my dad." Sebastien shrugged. "They had an affair or something. Sheriff Valenti died and then my dad told me that Isabel was pregnant."
"Oh geez."
"Yeah. It sucked but um… Alex was always good to me, you know? He wasn't around long. He graduated, went away to school but he was always cool. Gina should be with him."
"Berty's pretty. She looks like her mom."
"Yeah." Sebastien looked at her finally. He took a deep breath. "Things with me and Berty were complicated. I did things that I shouldn't have. I'm still not all right with it. No one's all right with it but I'm not ready to talk about it yet."
She nodded and crossed her arms. There was a long silence while neither of them ate or spoke or looked at each other. "I… was raped when I was 14." His eyes shot to her face but she was still staring at his salad. "No one believed me. The guy got away. I was… sexually abused by my foster parents. No one believed me. It went on until I went to college. I never looked back. I have my issues. I sleep with random guys. I get jealous easily… but I haven't done that in a while… and I've never told anyone but my mom's girlfriend about it… until now. I mean. Some people know but we don't talk about it."
When she lifted her eyes to his face, he snapped his eyes away. He tossed some money down on the table and motioned for her to follow him. When they were in the park he cleared his throat. "Listen, this is difficult to say and it's not easy to hear. Just get me get through it…"
--
Nat was 22 years old. That much Zan was certain of but the boy looked about 12 at the moment. His eyes wide and jaw slack. "But why?"
"She warned us that if we didn't comply that it would be bad. She had Beth's aunt killed. They think it's my sister, though. They don't know that my sister is dead already. I'm betting that Kivar isn't thrilled about it."
"Why?"
"It's done. Old stuff." Zan shrugged. "Without the princess, there is only the royal bloodline. Without the princess to confirm her children… they aren't real threats to the crown. We have to figure out counter move."
"Like what?"
"Don't know yet. Only so much damage we can inflict from here."
"Why didn't Beth leave?"
"Beth doesn't work that way. She knows that rushing to her aunt would be stupid and useless. The war will be won here."
"I don't understand. A Summit. Aren't there rules?"
"When everyone is in the room… sure. When people start leaving, all bets are off. If you walk into a Summit and accuse someone of murder, the blood had better be on their hands. No one will jeopardize peace for petty vendettas. As far as the other worlds are concerned this coup that Kivar pulled on me was just political. Someone still has to answer for Antar."
"Then why bother if it doesn't matter who is on the throne."
"We have the Granilith on Earth. We have the stones."
"What's so special about these stones and this rock thing?"
"Not a Gran-O-lith. A Gran-I-lith." Zan corrected. "I keep trying to get Beth to tell me where it is but she won't budge. It's leverage is what it is."
--
Max set down the phone and sat in the bathroom. He lit a candle. Sprayed some of Liz's perfume into the air. For the first time in his life, he reached outside of himself. He had been selfish in everything that he had ever done. Healing Liz, telling Liz, leaving Liz… exhausting himself to be what he thought Liz wanted… Never saying anything against Tess. Letting his human side rule his life. Only using his alien side to gain the upper hand. He was selfish and that's why he had failed in the past to do this very thing. He hadn't actually wanted to know. He didn't want to be king so badly, he'd blocked it from himself. He stared through the flame to his reflection and… went back.
--
Lynnette stared around the room. She and Alex had planned to use it as a guest room but… seeing as the nursery was a mess… Gina stared up at her. "Well, what do you think?"
"It's an old person's room."
"Yeah." She nodded. "So, what needs to go?"
"The bed's too big."
"Maybe… or maybe you're too small."
"The sheets. The sheets are too old."
"Okay. What color?"
"Azul para el cielo."
"We can do that."
"Lynnette…" Gina hopped onto the bed. "Do you think that it's safe?"
"We're safe here, Gina. Alex says so."
"Not here. Back home. What if something gets Berty and Kyle and Grandpa?"
"Uncle Max will make sure they're safe."
"Uncle Max is leaving."
--
Beth twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers. She watched her mother greet Gabriel on the street. Watched her make chit chat with the girl. Beth yanked on her hair. Gritted her teeth. Tears slipped out of her eyes. Watched Lauren walk the streets of Roswell, her arms wrapped around herself until she met young man's glance. Watched Berty follow Grandma Di's instructions in the kitchen, in the bathroom. Her tomboy cousin applied makeup for the first time without her mother to help. Watched Kyle walk into the station, hands in his pockets. Sheriff Soltero nodded him into the office and the door closed behind them. Watched Dan and Em yell at each other outside their hotel room. Watched Kat take the ring off her finger and stare at it on the plane home. Watched Sebastien sit beside his father's grave. Watched David stare at himself in the mirror, vain little shit. Watched Donna Jo laugh at a story that Grandpa Jeff was telling, Grandma Nancy filling in the funnier details while the three of them worked the counter. Watched Alex build a crib with assistance from Gina while Lynnette read the instructions. Watched Oriel watching Laurie run around the backyard. Watched Michael tossing a ball with Matt and Stephen and that Sam kid. Watched Will… breaking her sister's heart. Watched Gabriel touch that girl…
--
Lauren's gaze was caught by a young blond who met her eyes. She stopped and stared at him. He slowed down, confusion blooming on his face. "I think we met at the funeral. For like a second."
"I think so." He nodded, hands in pockets.
"I'm Lauren Allison."
"Chuck Allen." He stared at her and then realization hit his green eyes. "You're that girl. The one in the music videos."
"Yeah." Something about him triggered something in her. She kept seeing her nightmares.
"That's not where I know you." He blurted out, towering over her to get a better look. The light had caught his eyes and he blinked to adjust his vision.
Lauren grasped his arms. "It's you… on the table. Across from mine. You keep asking for her and no one listens."
"You weren't there." He shook his head. "There wasn't a girl like you there. The… There was a man."
"Yes, that was me. I mean… it was my great-granddad."
"My great-granddad. In the room… with the… aliens…" Chuck shut his eyes. "God, I'm going crazy."
"No." Lauren smiled. "You're not. I have them, too. I see them. We were there. I mean… our great-grandfathers were there… with the blonde lady, she was my great-grandmother… and the little blonde girl."
"Who was she?" Chuck demanded, gripping her arms and almost pushing her over a garbage can. "The other girl… the brunette… who was she?"
"I… I don't know."
"Dammit. I lost her."
"You didn't lose her." Lauren gripped his face in her hands. "You didn't lose her. They kept her."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"It wasn't me but it feels like me."
"You know what's funny? I always see it from my great-grandfather's point of view but I never see it from my great-grandmother's point of view."
Chuck relaxed and sat on a nearby bench. Lauren followed him. "When did the dreams start?" She tilted her head at him. "When did you start having them?"
"Right before I turned 13."
"Oh."
"When did you?"
"Last year… when my mom died."
"Wait, when your mom died?" Lauren blinked. "I guess. Oh my God… that must have been when he died."
--
Will sat on the end of the bed. She was asleep now. He shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have been drinking. He shouldn't have been so focused on Beth. He should have called Kat back. He should not have let her in his room. Not when he'd been drinking. Not when he'd just heard about his ex-wife. He should have called Kat back.
"No, leave him alone. Don't touch me." She mumbled. "She's just a girl."
Will turned and watched her, a frown creasing his face. "What girl, Genevieve?"
"The girl. The little blond girl. They just took her. What are they doing to her?"
"Who took her?" Will grabbed some clothes, pulling them on quietly while he tried to draw her out in her sleep.
"The little men. They're hurting us. Poking us. And she's just a little girl. Darryl can take it. That other fellow can take it. I can take it…. She's a little girl." She took a deep breath, whimpered. "Will it hurt my baby?"
"I don't know. Tell me more about the others."
"I don't know that other fella. We were already on the tables then they brought him in. Him and his little girlfriend. I don't know where they took her. They took her away. Then they brought in the little girl. If they hurt her, Darryl will kill them."
"Darryl knows her?"
"No, but she's a child and Darryl loves children. We're going to have 20, he says… starting with this one… are they going to hurt my baby?"
"Christine, calm down. Just calm down. It will be over soon." Will sat and watched her face. She didn't look much like the Evans. He turned on the light, her face jerked toward it. Then her eyes were blinking open. And there, he saw it. She had her father's eyes. "You okay?"
"What?"
"You were talking in your sleep."
"I do that sometimes. Turn that off." Genevieve relaxed somewhat when the light was off again. "Was it crazy stuff? My roommate in college was the first one to tell me I did that. Said it was crazy stuff."
"You were 18 when it started."
"Yeah. How did you know?" She sat up. "What did I say?"
--
Max opened his eyes and just like the first day after Beth had come out of the tank, he saw the world differently. The colors richer and sounds clearer. But also, his perspective had changed. Emerging from the bathroom, he stood in the kitchen and listened because now he knew how. He could hear breath hitching upstairs, the faint sound of mattress coils creaking. Liz was right. David was having sex.
Focusing, he could draw up an image of the girl… and Liz was right again. They should have been worried about his infatuation with Donna Jo. Walking out the front door, he walked to the darkened law offices of Evans and Ramirez… He moved time backwards and watched as police men turned the scene over. Watched as a man walked backwards through the back door. Watched in reverse as he killed Jesse after Isabel, who had put up a fight but in her surprise had not gained the upper hand. If she had not, he would not have shown up on the airport surveillance. Then saw the moment when the man had left the apartment he'd lived in for 20 years, waiting for an order.
Then Max walked away from everything he'd ever known. He left it all behind.
--
Berty left the booth with her head bowed. Joey had scoffed when he had seen her face. Had looked at her like he didn't know her. She broke up with him and felt nothing but relief. She had been hiding her whole life. Hiding who she was, who she was afraid to become because she could. Because her mother had let her. She had to stop hiding. Had to start living for herself because the last conversation she ever had with her mother had been a fight. Over a condom wrapper in the trashcan. Over Joey never coming over to spend time with the family. Over Berty having no respect for herself. Berty had blown up and repeated the hateful things that people said about her mother because they were envious of her profession, her beauty and success. Berty sat in the park and cried because the last words she'd said to her mother were "I hate you!"
--
Donna Jo sat at the kitchen table. "We really can't keep doing this." David didn't seem to hear her. "Do you understand me? I mean… I'm… I'm not independent these days. I cannot afford to get kicked out if… David."
"I know." He hit the button on the microwave. "I'm too young."
"Yes… and I'm sorry for this… I just… as soon as I can, I'll move out. David…"
"I know."
"I could go to jail, David."
"It's only 3 years."
"It can be a lot… especially right now. I lost my virginity to someone 2 years older than me… and really… he could have gotten into a lot of trouble for it."
--
Liz handed the journal to Michael and crossed her arms. "I still don't know what you want with that thing… there's nothing really about aliens. It's just a young girl trying to grow up too fast."
"It's Chuck."
"Okay…"
Michael didn't know how to say it. "This girl is part of Oriel… relative to you… kind of… This girl is part of my donor's past and… well, she was on the ship. I think Chuck has a memory of her. He's pretty freaked right now. He ran into what's her name on the street. They recognized each other from the nightmares…"
"Surely they'd met before."
"Not really. Just walking past each other while focused on other things. That's what he said anyway. And you know how he is. We get together and he wanders off because we're small town and he's big bucks. His words."
"Do you think that will help him?"
"No, but it will answer some questions and that's more than I ever had growing up. More than his mother ever had."
--
Diane fed Kyle and Jim. They looked so much alike, heads bowed over leftover casserole, missing Isabel just like she was. Diane kept remembering the little girl, naked in the desert. So curious where Max had been afraid. So open. So trusting. Remembering the way her face would light up every time Diane walked into the room. She would come running. She knew that whatever trials her children had been through as teenagers, it was probably Isabel who had convinced Max to stay. She had often thought they were two sides of the same coin. Isabel so bright and light and Max so dark and mysterious.
"Jim, where are you going to go?"
"I hadn't thought about it, much. I just know that I can't stay in that house… too many dead." Jim shook his head.
"You're always welcome here, Jim." Diane offered but she knew that he wouldn't accept.
"Thank you, I'll think about it." He gave her a wan smile. "Don't want to intrude."
"Jim." Diane's look said a thousand things they'd never said since they'd been divorced and widowed and broken up with other people. "You know it's never an intrusion."
"When are you two gonna tell Uncle Max that you've been seriously dating since Dan's wedding?" Kyle polished off his dinner.
"You little sneak." Jim reached over and ruffled his hair.
"It's not my fault everyone else is too self-absorbed to notice."
"We'll tell him when the time is right." Diane raised an eyebrow and settled into her chair.
"Your son is the most stubborn man I've ever met."
"And the most forgiving. Don't forget that. He'll get over it." Diane took his hand. "Move in, Jim. It's about time."
Continued in next post
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 173 CC/UC ADULT 08/08/09
--
Berty slipped her jacket off and sat next to his legs. "So you told her?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Didn't take it well?"
"I haven't seen her in a while." He admitted.
"Should I talk to her?"
"You want to help me?" He sat up to get a good look at her through the makeup and the flirty little shirt she wore. "Why would you do that Bert?"
"Cause I miss you. You were one of my best friends and I'm tired of being without you."
"I've missed you, too." He averted his eyes and rested his arms on his knees. "I know that nothing I do can make up for that night but… let me try?"
"Seb… the thing is… it's what I had wanted from you." Berty felt a weight lift as she admitted it. "But you had broken my heart before that night and maybe I was drunk and not in control of myself… you… When we're like that… we do things we really want to do. It removes inhibitions. It's possible that my drunk self took advantage of your drunk self. I… learned how to remember that night." She leaned back on her arms. "I didn't say no."
"You didn't say yes." Seb took a deep breath. "You know that I was in a bad place because of Dana… and I'd been seeing another cheerleader on the side and then… I'd been drinking and I was pissed at my dad… Bert… you're beautiful. You're kind. You listen to me. That has always made you special to me. I just… went where you were leading me. I didn't stop to think that you hadn't been there before or that… all the reasons I'd told you before were still true."
"Alex and I talked about this… and… I wasn't listening close enough to you before."
"Yeah? How?"
"You had a crush on me, too."
"Yeah. That would be true." He brushed her hair out of her face. "Bert… I just… looked at my track record and realized that even if it wasn't slightly incestuous that I didn't deserve someone like you."
"And why not?"
"Come on. You know how I was. I slept with everything that moved. I managed to screw this up with you. I screwed things up with… that cheerleader. I'm poison, Bert… pure poison."
"You're not poison, Sebastien. Look… we've made mistakes. Mom and Jesse are gone now. We don't have a lot of people to depend on these days."
"So you're saying we should stick together?"
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Alex took Gina to Florida. Kyle and I are here with my grandmother. Your grandmother is all alone and you… I don't even know what's going on in your life?"
"I could say the same about you." Seb nudged her with his foot. "You still seeing that guy your mom hated?"
"No. We broke up."
"Why?"
She sat up, her eyes on her knees. "We wanted different things."
--
Beth crawled in next to Nat, he let her scoot in close. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You called home?"
"No, they don't need me."
He could hear the emptiness in her voice. "I can't sleep. I'm too nervous about tomorrow."
"Not me."
"Why not?"
"Tomorrow's my birthday."
"Happy Birthday." He pressed a kiss into her hair. "You going home after the summit?"
"You're assuming there's an after the summit. There's going to be a war, Nat. Are you ready?"
"I'll have to be."
"Good. That's what I like to hear."
--
Liz greeted the kids as she set her bag down. They stopped talking about whatever they had been talking about. Liz liked Donna Jo, she did but if she found proof that the girl was sleeping with her son, there were going to be some words. "Where's Dad?"
"He's not at work?" David frowned.
"He's off tonight." Liz checked the calendar to be sure. "You didn't see him at all?"
"No. We've been home all night. No sign of him." Donna Jo frowned. "Isn't that his beeper on the counter?"
--
Michael read through the book while he waited for Chuck to stumble in. It made him feel bad. Really bad. He hesitated to show it to Oriel because he felt so bad. It would make her feel horrible being both the clone of someone doing to someone else and the clone of the someone it was done to.
Oriel just squeezed his hand and held up the book. "I used to visit her."
"You did?"
"Her tomb was outside my village. I thought of her like a mother." Her accent flowed heavy on her tongue and lips. "I always wondered what she was really like."
"She was just a girl. Normal, teenage girl."
"And never again. Her blood gave life to me. I have two mothers. This girl and that woman who Kathy works for. I… have always felt so lost, Michael and now. I have so much family. So many friends… I wish sometimes for my protector to be here but… that one was never parental."
"You don't think it's weird? You and me and him and her?"
"Sometimes, Michael, a thing just is. There is no fate, no purpose." She cupped his face. "Sometimes, it is meant to be."
"So, which are we?"
"The day we figure that out… we shall go on to the next world because our purpose will have been done." She kissed his lips. "Show him the book. Don't make a big deal. He should know what he's dreaming."
--
Lauren smiled at Liz and walked upstairs without another word. She took Beth's room and stared around at it. She wondered what the younger girl was doing. How she was doing. How she was surviving. How in the world did things get so complicated? How did she go to Massachusetts to films a movie and end up meeting a guy who was vaguely related to her surrogate family and also some sort of statutory-rapist? Who lives that life? She didn't know what she was going to do about Sebastien. She'd been there to see how angry Beth had gotten over what had happened to her cousin. It was too much. She had too many other complications in her life.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hey Gia… Good, I guess… um… is my mom home? … Thanks… Mom?" Lauren took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you."
--
Dan sighed and pulled back the sheets. Em was sitting up with her nose in a magazine. "Em…"
"No…"
"There are always going to be wars."
"I won't bring a child into the middle of one."
"Our parents did."
"We were happy accidents, Daniel… Planning a child with murderers around is just… that's just cruel."
"Is it really about what happened to Aunt Iz?"
"What else would it be about?"
"You've never wanted kids. You've always been afraid."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, you do."
Em flipped a few pages violently but refused to look at him. Dan turned off the light. "I can heal, Em. Not big things but big enough things… I can heal myself, except for my eyes… Our child will have a chance to beat the odds. Look at your Grandpa. He's been fine all these years."
"It's just me and Dad, now… I mean sure… Mattie and Stevie but really…"
"You've got Grandpa Valenti. You're part alien. You shouldn't worry so much about what might happen. Things get shitty. Life goes on. People die and people are born. Maybe we die tomorrow. I don't want to die with the thought that I never had the chance to have kids. Look at Alex."
"Happy accident."
"Maybe… but they are going to have the baby and they are going to try. Don't give up on our family before you give it a chance. I love you. I think we should have kids… you know… together."
--
Seb laid back and let Berty do what she wanted. Tasted her mouth, felt her skin, let her slide her hands under his shirt. That soft blonde hair fell all over him. She straddled his lap, rubbing against his erection. Just when he opened his mouth to stop her, she pulled her blouse over her head and reached back to release the clasp on her bra. Wasted absolutely no time in getting his pants off. Before Sebastien could protest, she was wriggling out of her own jeans.
"Berty, I don't…" He started to protest but she was already pushing him back down on the bed.
"Am I beautiful, Sebastien?"
"God, yes, you know you are."
"Show me how beautiful you think I am." She breathed out, pulling his hands to her body. Bottom lip tucked between her teeth, she straddled his lap and leaned over him. "Make me feel good."
"Berty, I…"
"Sebastien, shut up and touch me."
--
Alex sat in the dark, hand on his wife's belly, still not showing. Lynnette and he had had long discussions about starting a family. The pros, the cons… the unknowns… then fate had decided for them. She was asleep, exhausted from dealing with Gina's boundless energy. He smiled to himself. He'd missed having a little sister. When Berty was that age, he'd been in high school and didn't really want her around. Gina seemed to settle in easy enough. He had to wonder though. She always predicted the family tragedies before they happened… did she know what would happen that day?
--
Chuck read through the book. It made a sort of sense. He knew her. He knew that he didn't but he did. Then he had seen the picture of her and something in his heart had whispered to him that this was the girl. He could almost make out her face across the ship. She was so young. He thought of the after part of the dreams… when he's sitting in the truck staring at the empty passenger seat, wandering in the brush, walking in circles. He wondered why his great-grandfather didn't write about her.
--
Kyle hesitated in the living room where his grandfather was trying to make his mind up between a western and a country show. Grandma Diane was working on a set of booties for Alex's baby. "What's wrong honey?"
"Nothing's wrong, exactly." He shrugged.
"Need some man to man time?" Jim asked without looking up.
"It's just… I went to talk to Sheriff Soltero today."
Jim turned off the TV and face his grandson and namesake fully. "What about?"
"I just had some questions about Dad. He let me look around the station." Kyle dropped his eyes to the ground. "I've been thinking about what I want to do after high school… After the way that Dad died… I kind of didn't want to be a cop."
"Understandable."
"I still don't… I… want to join the Air Force."
--
"Things are good." Sebastien nodded to himself, propped up on his elbow. "Father Destry has gotten me involved in a lot of community projects. Makes me think about other people more. Other people have got it worse, you know?"
"That's good." Berty stared up into his face. "Is that all you do, though? School, work and the church?"
"Pretty much." He cupped her face. "What about you? Why are you still here?"
"Felt like the place to be." She shrugged. "Thinking about going to school somewhere else though."
"Where?"
"Langley."
"What?"
"Been thinking about it for a long time. I've been working on my criminal justice stuff. You know… just… plowing through the courses since this summer."
"Bert… you're only 3 months into your freshman year."
"School's boring for aliens." She shrugged again, her mouth turning up.
"What's that face for?"
"I'm going to ace my full schedule this semester and test out of a bunch of other classes."
"Aiming to be the youngest director or something?"
"Couldn't hurt."
"Thought you were gonna be a cop."
She lowered her eyes. "I said some pretty awful things to my dad before he died, Sebastien. More than once I told him that I wanted to be a cop like Grandpa and not like him… It hurts too much to fulfill that hateful statement."
"You'd look good in a suit. Waving a gun and a badge." He brushed her hair out of her face. "You've changed a lot Berty. You're still the same but… 3 years ago, I would have said you were too timid to be cop, even, forget a special agent with the F.B.I. but now… Now, I can see it. You got that part from your mom."
"Yeah. No one told her she couldn't do anything."
"I never met your dad but I've heard enough to know that he was a good guy. Big heart… All heart… you know because of what he did for my dad… Don't lose that part of you." He smiled and looked away.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No, what is it?"
"I was just… you look… gorgeous right now. Your hair is… all over the place and your eyeliner is smearing but you look… so good."
--
Liz dozed on the couch, waiting for Max to come home. She had listened to Lauren crying on the phone earlier. Didn't want to intrude. Had been relieved when there weren't any footsteps crossing the hallway in the middle of the night.
Dozing turned to some kind of nightmare. Her husband standing in the doorway, his face scarred almost beyond recognition. Her daughter lying in bed, asleep. A man fighting with an older woman. The eyes of those sitting around a table… just their eyes.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she realized that it was dawn and Max still wasn't home. There were no messages on the machine and no notes in the kitchen. She called his cell and followed the ringing to the dresser next to his cigarettes and lighter. "Max? Where are you?"
TBC
Berty slipped her jacket off and sat next to his legs. "So you told her?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Didn't take it well?"
"I haven't seen her in a while." He admitted.
"Should I talk to her?"
"You want to help me?" He sat up to get a good look at her through the makeup and the flirty little shirt she wore. "Why would you do that Bert?"
"Cause I miss you. You were one of my best friends and I'm tired of being without you."
"I've missed you, too." He averted his eyes and rested his arms on his knees. "I know that nothing I do can make up for that night but… let me try?"
"Seb… the thing is… it's what I had wanted from you." Berty felt a weight lift as she admitted it. "But you had broken my heart before that night and maybe I was drunk and not in control of myself… you… When we're like that… we do things we really want to do. It removes inhibitions. It's possible that my drunk self took advantage of your drunk self. I… learned how to remember that night." She leaned back on her arms. "I didn't say no."
"You didn't say yes." Seb took a deep breath. "You know that I was in a bad place because of Dana… and I'd been seeing another cheerleader on the side and then… I'd been drinking and I was pissed at my dad… Bert… you're beautiful. You're kind. You listen to me. That has always made you special to me. I just… went where you were leading me. I didn't stop to think that you hadn't been there before or that… all the reasons I'd told you before were still true."
"Alex and I talked about this… and… I wasn't listening close enough to you before."
"Yeah? How?"
"You had a crush on me, too."
"Yeah. That would be true." He brushed her hair out of her face. "Bert… I just… looked at my track record and realized that even if it wasn't slightly incestuous that I didn't deserve someone like you."
"And why not?"
"Come on. You know how I was. I slept with everything that moved. I managed to screw this up with you. I screwed things up with… that cheerleader. I'm poison, Bert… pure poison."
"You're not poison, Sebastien. Look… we've made mistakes. Mom and Jesse are gone now. We don't have a lot of people to depend on these days."
"So you're saying we should stick together?"
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Alex took Gina to Florida. Kyle and I are here with my grandmother. Your grandmother is all alone and you… I don't even know what's going on in your life?"
"I could say the same about you." Seb nudged her with his foot. "You still seeing that guy your mom hated?"
"No. We broke up."
"Why?"
She sat up, her eyes on her knees. "We wanted different things."
--
Beth crawled in next to Nat, he let her scoot in close. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You called home?"
"No, they don't need me."
He could hear the emptiness in her voice. "I can't sleep. I'm too nervous about tomorrow."
"Not me."
"Why not?"
"Tomorrow's my birthday."
"Happy Birthday." He pressed a kiss into her hair. "You going home after the summit?"
"You're assuming there's an after the summit. There's going to be a war, Nat. Are you ready?"
"I'll have to be."
"Good. That's what I like to hear."
--
Liz greeted the kids as she set her bag down. They stopped talking about whatever they had been talking about. Liz liked Donna Jo, she did but if she found proof that the girl was sleeping with her son, there were going to be some words. "Where's Dad?"
"He's not at work?" David frowned.
"He's off tonight." Liz checked the calendar to be sure. "You didn't see him at all?"
"No. We've been home all night. No sign of him." Donna Jo frowned. "Isn't that his beeper on the counter?"
--
Michael read through the book while he waited for Chuck to stumble in. It made him feel bad. Really bad. He hesitated to show it to Oriel because he felt so bad. It would make her feel horrible being both the clone of someone doing to someone else and the clone of the someone it was done to.
Oriel just squeezed his hand and held up the book. "I used to visit her."
"You did?"
"Her tomb was outside my village. I thought of her like a mother." Her accent flowed heavy on her tongue and lips. "I always wondered what she was really like."
"She was just a girl. Normal, teenage girl."
"And never again. Her blood gave life to me. I have two mothers. This girl and that woman who Kathy works for. I… have always felt so lost, Michael and now. I have so much family. So many friends… I wish sometimes for my protector to be here but… that one was never parental."
"You don't think it's weird? You and me and him and her?"
"Sometimes, Michael, a thing just is. There is no fate, no purpose." She cupped his face. "Sometimes, it is meant to be."
"So, which are we?"
"The day we figure that out… we shall go on to the next world because our purpose will have been done." She kissed his lips. "Show him the book. Don't make a big deal. He should know what he's dreaming."
--
Lauren smiled at Liz and walked upstairs without another word. She took Beth's room and stared around at it. She wondered what the younger girl was doing. How she was doing. How she was surviving. How in the world did things get so complicated? How did she go to Massachusetts to films a movie and end up meeting a guy who was vaguely related to her surrogate family and also some sort of statutory-rapist? Who lives that life? She didn't know what she was going to do about Sebastien. She'd been there to see how angry Beth had gotten over what had happened to her cousin. It was too much. She had too many other complications in her life.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hey Gia… Good, I guess… um… is my mom home? … Thanks… Mom?" Lauren took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you."
--
Dan sighed and pulled back the sheets. Em was sitting up with her nose in a magazine. "Em…"
"No…"
"There are always going to be wars."
"I won't bring a child into the middle of one."
"Our parents did."
"We were happy accidents, Daniel… Planning a child with murderers around is just… that's just cruel."
"Is it really about what happened to Aunt Iz?"
"What else would it be about?"
"You've never wanted kids. You've always been afraid."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, you do."
Em flipped a few pages violently but refused to look at him. Dan turned off the light. "I can heal, Em. Not big things but big enough things… I can heal myself, except for my eyes… Our child will have a chance to beat the odds. Look at your Grandpa. He's been fine all these years."
"It's just me and Dad, now… I mean sure… Mattie and Stevie but really…"
"You've got Grandpa Valenti. You're part alien. You shouldn't worry so much about what might happen. Things get shitty. Life goes on. People die and people are born. Maybe we die tomorrow. I don't want to die with the thought that I never had the chance to have kids. Look at Alex."
"Happy accident."
"Maybe… but they are going to have the baby and they are going to try. Don't give up on our family before you give it a chance. I love you. I think we should have kids… you know… together."
--
Seb laid back and let Berty do what she wanted. Tasted her mouth, felt her skin, let her slide her hands under his shirt. That soft blonde hair fell all over him. She straddled his lap, rubbing against his erection. Just when he opened his mouth to stop her, she pulled her blouse over her head and reached back to release the clasp on her bra. Wasted absolutely no time in getting his pants off. Before Sebastien could protest, she was wriggling out of her own jeans.
"Berty, I don't…" He started to protest but she was already pushing him back down on the bed.
"Am I beautiful, Sebastien?"
"God, yes, you know you are."
"Show me how beautiful you think I am." She breathed out, pulling his hands to her body. Bottom lip tucked between her teeth, she straddled his lap and leaned over him. "Make me feel good."
"Berty, I…"
"Sebastien, shut up and touch me."
--
Alex sat in the dark, hand on his wife's belly, still not showing. Lynnette and he had had long discussions about starting a family. The pros, the cons… the unknowns… then fate had decided for them. She was asleep, exhausted from dealing with Gina's boundless energy. He smiled to himself. He'd missed having a little sister. When Berty was that age, he'd been in high school and didn't really want her around. Gina seemed to settle in easy enough. He had to wonder though. She always predicted the family tragedies before they happened… did she know what would happen that day?
--
Chuck read through the book. It made a sort of sense. He knew her. He knew that he didn't but he did. Then he had seen the picture of her and something in his heart had whispered to him that this was the girl. He could almost make out her face across the ship. She was so young. He thought of the after part of the dreams… when he's sitting in the truck staring at the empty passenger seat, wandering in the brush, walking in circles. He wondered why his great-grandfather didn't write about her.
--
Kyle hesitated in the living room where his grandfather was trying to make his mind up between a western and a country show. Grandma Diane was working on a set of booties for Alex's baby. "What's wrong honey?"
"Nothing's wrong, exactly." He shrugged.
"Need some man to man time?" Jim asked without looking up.
"It's just… I went to talk to Sheriff Soltero today."
Jim turned off the TV and face his grandson and namesake fully. "What about?"
"I just had some questions about Dad. He let me look around the station." Kyle dropped his eyes to the ground. "I've been thinking about what I want to do after high school… After the way that Dad died… I kind of didn't want to be a cop."
"Understandable."
"I still don't… I… want to join the Air Force."
--
"Things are good." Sebastien nodded to himself, propped up on his elbow. "Father Destry has gotten me involved in a lot of community projects. Makes me think about other people more. Other people have got it worse, you know?"
"That's good." Berty stared up into his face. "Is that all you do, though? School, work and the church?"
"Pretty much." He cupped her face. "What about you? Why are you still here?"
"Felt like the place to be." She shrugged. "Thinking about going to school somewhere else though."
"Where?"
"Langley."
"What?"
"Been thinking about it for a long time. I've been working on my criminal justice stuff. You know… just… plowing through the courses since this summer."
"Bert… you're only 3 months into your freshman year."
"School's boring for aliens." She shrugged again, her mouth turning up.
"What's that face for?"
"I'm going to ace my full schedule this semester and test out of a bunch of other classes."
"Aiming to be the youngest director or something?"
"Couldn't hurt."
"Thought you were gonna be a cop."
She lowered her eyes. "I said some pretty awful things to my dad before he died, Sebastien. More than once I told him that I wanted to be a cop like Grandpa and not like him… It hurts too much to fulfill that hateful statement."
"You'd look good in a suit. Waving a gun and a badge." He brushed her hair out of her face. "You've changed a lot Berty. You're still the same but… 3 years ago, I would have said you were too timid to be cop, even, forget a special agent with the F.B.I. but now… Now, I can see it. You got that part from your mom."
"Yeah. No one told her she couldn't do anything."
"I never met your dad but I've heard enough to know that he was a good guy. Big heart… All heart… you know because of what he did for my dad… Don't lose that part of you." He smiled and looked away.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No, what is it?"
"I was just… you look… gorgeous right now. Your hair is… all over the place and your eyeliner is smearing but you look… so good."
--
Liz dozed on the couch, waiting for Max to come home. She had listened to Lauren crying on the phone earlier. Didn't want to intrude. Had been relieved when there weren't any footsteps crossing the hallway in the middle of the night.
Dozing turned to some kind of nightmare. Her husband standing in the doorway, his face scarred almost beyond recognition. Her daughter lying in bed, asleep. A man fighting with an older woman. The eyes of those sitting around a table… just their eyes.
Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she realized that it was dawn and Max still wasn't home. There were no messages on the machine and no notes in the kitchen. She called his cell and followed the ringing to the dresser next to his cigarettes and lighter. "Max? Where are you?"
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 174 CC/UC ADULT 08/22/09
The Fate of Destiny Part 174
Zan woke up the kids, they washed up. Beth emerged from her bathroom with elaborate makeup and hair, her clothes layered and functional. He wondered at that while they walked to the Summit building. Nat seemed calm but he radiated fear. Zan could not get a read on the girl, though. All was fine until they had all gathered around the table. Kivar's heir stood and addressed the table. "We come together for peace. That is all any of us have ever wanted. It is all that we require. Everything else is a small price."
Larek stood. "Sometimes any price is too great for a people. What is being asked is greater than any one being. I ask that the Summit leaders allow Lord Zan to make his statement to the Summit and that we abide by it one way or the other. Our resources may not allow another Summit within Lord Zan's human lifetime."
"Lord Zan. Please grace us with your statement." Tivy inclined her head to him.
"The Granilith was entrusted to my family even before we ruled Antar." Zan rose, his hands resting on the table between them all. "It listens to my line. It guides us. That's why my family rose to power. It will not obey just anyone who takes possession. It will destroy a pretender from the inside out and continue to do so for generations."
Members of the Summit whispered amongst themselves over the revelation.
"There are those who have stated that Antarian royalty have been selfish with the Granilith. They are sorely mistaken. The Granilith chooses its protectors, allows the healing stones be used to keep its protectors alive long enough to find a succeeding protector… They do not heal those that the Granilith does not feel are worthy of such a gift."
"Lies." Tivy broke in, stepping around the table.
"Those who pretend. Who protect the Granilith only to use its power for selfish reasons become infected." His eyes on the girl. "They are known to those who are blessed by the Granilith."
"How?"
"It has always been so." Zan cleared his throat, making a gesture to Kivar. "It has been known to skip generations. It has been known to lie weak in generations, only to manifest in a vessel who would stop at nothing to destroy all those in the true line."
"So, it has been written." Beth stepped forward, meeting Tivy's eyes. "'And you know them by the evil inside.'"
--
Liz stared at her kitchen but didn't see it. She saw a room. She saw a woman. A vessel. She radiated pure evil. "And you will know them by the evil inside."
"Mom?" David snapped his fingers in her face but she didn't even blink. Her hand lay on the knob on the store. He pried her fingers off. "Mom, what's going on?"
--
Zan's head whipped around to Beth at her statement. Her eyes were empty. Her stance loose. Zan had felt something before but he would have never called Tivy out in front of the Summit. That was an act of war. He made a gesture for Beth to step back but she ignored him. "Bethany!"
"I speak for Antar." She declared.
"She must be verified."
"What? Now?"
"Bethany!"
"I will stand and be verified." Beth moved around to the emissary. He placed a hand behind her head.
Zan turned to his son. "What the hell is she doing? She's not old enough. It could kill her."
"How old would she have to be?" Nat's eyes went wide, his mouth dry.
"19 earth years."
"She's 19, today."
"Today." Zan turned to see the seal of Antar form in the center of the room. The light show that had been performed on him when he was 17 himself. The only reason it hadn't hurt him were the decades he'd spent in a pod prior to that. The years of life he'd had on Antar prior to that. He was unnatural but she was… She was the sleeper and she was 19 years old.
The stars aligned and Antar shown the brightest. The emissary turned to the room. "She is the heir to Antar."
--
Max stepped out of the airport and looked around. Where to start? Who to talk to? He walked to the nearest payphone and called a familiar cell phone.
--
Berty had been home and dressed before her grandmother had even known she was gone. Wearing a modest dress, she joined in the breakfast prep. She didn't ask where Grandpa Jim had slept when he came down the hallway, smoothing back his just washed hair. Kyle was quiet. A pall over the morning meal.
"Are we going to church today?"
"I've had enough of churches for a while." Diane shook her head. "You do look nice though. Are you seeing Joey later?"
"We broke up last night." Berty focused on her food.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"We weren't right for each other."
"Good, never did like that kid." Jim muttered under his breath. "I hear that Mayor Goodall's grandson is single."
"He's also gay, grandpa." Kyle cut in.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Berty agreed. "Really gay."
"Okay, then." Jim nodded to his plate. "Berty… please tell me that you're not going to enlist."
"Not in the military."
"Jesus, then what?" Jim threw down his toast.
"FBI."
--
Gabriel waved at Sebastien when he walked past. The other man nodded and kept walking. Anita squeezed his hand. "Do you know that guy?"
"Went to school with him. His dad just died."
"Oh." She moved him into an alcove. "Gabriel… I want you to move in."
"What?"
"You're over all the time anyway and I always hate it when you go home. Move in?"
--
Berty tapped the stylus on the pad next to her, head slightly bowed. Sebastien just stood there, leaning in the doorway. "I'm working Sebastien."
"Yeah, it's how I knew how to find you." He glanced behind him at the busy kitchen. Crashdown Sundays, always crowded. "Why'd you leave this morning?"
"Been staying with my grandmother. She has mandatory breakfasts on Sundays."
"You didn't wake me up."
She drew a design on the screen with her stylus. "I figured it would be best."
"Why? I thought… last night…" He knelt down next to her. "I thought it meant something to you, too."
"It did. I swear it did." She met his eyes for a second. "You're going home in a week."
"Yeah, and?"
"And I'm going to the academy as soon as I can get in… I don't really know that I'll have time for this."
--
"Who speaks for Earth?" The emissary addressed the room.
Zan stepped forward but Beth opened her mouth. "I will stand and speak for Antar."
Zan listened, wary of undermining Beth at such a crucial moment but the brat had betrayed him.
"Lord Zan has custody of Earth." The emissary spoke.
"Lord Zan is not here. I am his heir." Beth announced to the room. Nat's eyes went wide. He stayed behind them both, nowhere near ready for this but doing what he could to hold it together.
"This is highly unorthodox." A voice spoke from the table.
"It is allowable." The emissary spoke, then turned to Zan. "Unless there is opposition."
Zan eyed Beth for a moment. Opposing would mean a battle. He knew he wouldn't win if she was determined. "None."
"Then the Lady Bethany will make her statement."
"Earth is ours. No ands, ifs or buts." Beth informed them. "No one else has any use for this planet except as a hunting ground for my kind."
"No one is hunting Antarians on Earth."
"Lies. Manipulations. Poisoners and defilers and subterfuge." Beth fumed. "Skins attempted to poison my mother... attempted to break apart the union between our king and his bride... All they did was sign their own death warrants. The Antarian King does not hunt. He defends. He had ceded his authority to one state and knows he may die if he leaves... All to protect the royal family."
"Self-defense? He has murdered dozens." Tivy was on the move, striding around the table to face her opponent.
"In defense of those lives taken from him that he cherrished. Trusted friends, loved ones, surrogate parents."
"No one would dare."
"They did and they paid with their lives." Beth raised her hand, eyes gone black with wide pupils and alien strength. "You will come no further."
"And if I dare?"
"We shall start a war that our grandchildren will finish or die out."
The woman hissed and backed away. "Stupidity. You're tainted by your human blood."
Beth's arms lifted from her sides. A great shadow followed the movement. When her arms came together, Tivy's body was entrenched by the shadow. "My human blood gives me temperament."
Kivar's puppet leapt to its feet. "Let her go."
"Why? You didn't let my aunt go. My grandfather, my aunt's lover. My commander's wife. All gone. What is one life?"
"Let her go."
"When I'm done."
"No!" He called out as the shadow darkened and his daughter screamed through the vocal chords of her puppet, her voice echoing in her real voice back on Antar.
Beth shut her eyes and the world went silent. Zan's heart thudded in his chest. This was it. This was the moment.
Kivar's lips parted. "The sleeper." He shook his head. "No, I gave birth to the sleeper. Not Zan."
"You thought that girl of yours was the sleeper?" Zan started to laugh. "Because she talks like a robot and is stronger than you?"
"What will she do?"
"Don't know. I thought I knew but Tivy pissed her off. When she's pissed, I learn all sorts of new things about her and her power." Zan took the opportunity. "Tell you what, I can get her to stop, maybe, but I need insurance."
"What insurance do I get?" Kivar's eyes never left his daughter.
Zan saw then that there were greater issues on Antar if Kivar had only the one heir. Two was the norm, several years apart for certainty and to remove sibling rivalry over a throne. His own parents mistake in have two so close together and naming an heir while they were so young.
"What insurance do I get, Zan?" Kivar demanded again.
"Zan, stop this at once." The others recovered from their shock.
"You agree to our terms. You make sure that she agrees to our terms. There does not have to be any more wars. No one wishes it. I only ask to keep the Granilith where it is safe from those who would misuse its intentions."
"How do you mean?"
"Did you ever think that my line had control of the Granilith?" Zan's eyes began to shine.
"The Granilith controls us." Beth murmured as her hands tightened. "I shall only do as the Granilith permits."
--
Liz breathed. "Bethany, Bethany. Don't do it, Bethany."
"Mom…" David tried to lay his hands on her but something kept his hands away. It reminded him of the time in the van with Beth. Pin and needles but worse. "Mom!"
"Mrs. E…" Donna Jo rushed forward but whipped back in pain. Her arms throbbed as if she'd been shocked. David caught her and guided her back to a chair. "David, what's happening?"
--
Max studied the maps. Studied Will's routes and eliminated all heavily populated areas. "They'll want no outside attention."
Will cleared his throat and motioned for Agent Seyton to assist. Max's eyes saw right through her. Will shivered at the sight. Something was definitely not right with this man. Max straightened and headed for the door. Will rushed to catch up with him. "Max, wait."
Max turned and those strange eyes settled on him. Max eyed him up and down. "She's not a woman who will ever be happy with herself. You've already done that once, Will. I thought you were past it."
"What?"
He pointed and spoke too loudly for Will's comfort. "That woman's father never loved her mother and she knows it. She's been poisoned her whole life by a mother who hid her daughter rather than let her be loved instead. Do you hear me? She will never be happy." Will took a step back. "You threw away a gift when you let her into your bed. No one will save you now."
Will watched him go. A blunter Max he'd never known and that's when he was certain he had to follow him and make sure that nothing happened to him. Kat would not forgive a lot of things, and letting her father die was certainly at the top of that list.
--
"If the Granilith is to remain on Earth, how will our worlds benefit?"
Larek leapt in. "If this is the will of the Granilith, perhaps we are not meant to benefit from its benevolent guidance."
"What are you saying?"
"Our peoples have listened to the Granilith for millennia. Earth is new, it's peoples young with most left to learn. If our peoples have not learned their lessons by now, perhaps… this is the fate we have earned."
"If we agree, does this end?"
"What ends?" Zan shrugged. "I will speak for Earth."
"A sixth seat at Summit?" Someone gasped.
"It has already been so for the last 30 years of this one's life." Kivar acquiesced.
"Antar is spoken for." Beth ground out, her arms widening.
"No contest." Kivar backed down.
"You will control this one until she is old enough to think about her actions." Beth widened her arms again, allowing Tivy room to squirm in her earthly body.
"And if I can't…"
"You will end her."
"She is the last of mine."
"Then control her."
"I am no rival for her power."
"Choose."
Kivar was silent for a long moment. He stepped forward. "I will bend to the will of the Granilith."
"It is done." She released Tivy from the shadow and placed her hand on Kivar's puppet's head. The scream echoed through the ears of all in the room.
Zan pulled Tivy's puppet away, sending a pulse that knocked out the host, disconnecting the young leader from the Summit. The emissary nodded to them all. "Then it is decided. I shall return this one to a less conspicuous locale."
When they had gone, Beth released Kivar, who stumbled past the other leaders and onto the street. Larek opened his hand to Zan. "My friend, this day will not be forgotten. I hope that this path is the right one for all of us."
They all began to file out of the room. Nat found his voice. "Just like that? A light show and that's it?"
Zan eyed Beth. "There was a light show up there, too. One you couldn't see. Up there… the summit is public. Televised is the best word for it. All five worlds saw what she did."
"What did she do?"
"She grabbed the puppet without her physical body. That shadow we saw… they saw it, too. Did I ever tell you how far away the home planet is?" Zan stared at the girl. She seemed to be asleep on her feet. "It's a long way. Takes a long time to travel… even with our advanced technologies… What they saw was instantaneous." She started to waver on her feet. "She outed the family secret to everyone who would listen."
"What happens now?"
"Our enemies vacate Earth… and when the next Summit comes, you'll be ready to sit chair for Earth."
"What?!?"
"She chose to speak for Antar. She showed them she has the power to govern from here. She can't sit chair for two worlds…"
"What's wrong with her?"
"What makes you think anything's wrong with her?"
"Her color's off." Nat walked toward her just as she dropped lifeless to the ground.
--
Liz opened her eyes to her own house and to find most of her relatives surrounding her. "She's… she's…"
"Mom?" David grasped her hand without the shield to protect her. "What's happened?"
"Beth just… negotiated a peace."
"Where is she?"
"I can't… see her anymore. I can't feel her." Liz started to hyperventilate.
--
When Max got there, his clone was holding onto Beth, a young man kneeling nearby. She was weak, very weak. Zan was actually crying and that surprised the king. Zan lifted his eyes to meet the set that matched his. "I can't get her to wake up. She called a peace. Called us out and now she… I'm not sure she's breathing…"
Max took her into his arms. He could feel her pulse, slow but there. "Let's get out of here."
Will entered a moment after. His throat seized up. She was so still. "Max?"
"She needs the stones. She needs to go home."
"I'll call the jet but we still need to get there." He moved to take her from her father but a look from Max stopped him. "Max, you can't just carry her through the city."
"Watch me."
No one on the subway mentioned a thing about four men and a sleeping woman. Max settled her into a seat on the private jet. He didn't budge when it moved. He ignored the gasp of surprise from the young man he had yet to be introduced to. He could wait. He had to make sure she would keep breathing all the way home. Her breathing was slow, her pulse sluggish. "What happened?"
"She threw a tantrum." Nat supplied. "She… didn't follow the plan."
"She never could stand not to be taken seriously." Max brushed her hair out of her face. "It's done?"
"She's named herself chair to Antar." Zan finally answered.
"She did what?" His eyes went wide as he remembered. "Today's her birthday." He swallowed down a lump and fixed his eyes on her once more. "Happy Birthday, sweetie."
TBC
Zan woke up the kids, they washed up. Beth emerged from her bathroom with elaborate makeup and hair, her clothes layered and functional. He wondered at that while they walked to the Summit building. Nat seemed calm but he radiated fear. Zan could not get a read on the girl, though. All was fine until they had all gathered around the table. Kivar's heir stood and addressed the table. "We come together for peace. That is all any of us have ever wanted. It is all that we require. Everything else is a small price."
Larek stood. "Sometimes any price is too great for a people. What is being asked is greater than any one being. I ask that the Summit leaders allow Lord Zan to make his statement to the Summit and that we abide by it one way or the other. Our resources may not allow another Summit within Lord Zan's human lifetime."
"Lord Zan. Please grace us with your statement." Tivy inclined her head to him.
"The Granilith was entrusted to my family even before we ruled Antar." Zan rose, his hands resting on the table between them all. "It listens to my line. It guides us. That's why my family rose to power. It will not obey just anyone who takes possession. It will destroy a pretender from the inside out and continue to do so for generations."
Members of the Summit whispered amongst themselves over the revelation.
"There are those who have stated that Antarian royalty have been selfish with the Granilith. They are sorely mistaken. The Granilith chooses its protectors, allows the healing stones be used to keep its protectors alive long enough to find a succeeding protector… They do not heal those that the Granilith does not feel are worthy of such a gift."
"Lies." Tivy broke in, stepping around the table.
"Those who pretend. Who protect the Granilith only to use its power for selfish reasons become infected." His eyes on the girl. "They are known to those who are blessed by the Granilith."
"How?"
"It has always been so." Zan cleared his throat, making a gesture to Kivar. "It has been known to skip generations. It has been known to lie weak in generations, only to manifest in a vessel who would stop at nothing to destroy all those in the true line."
"So, it has been written." Beth stepped forward, meeting Tivy's eyes. "'And you know them by the evil inside.'"
--
Liz stared at her kitchen but didn't see it. She saw a room. She saw a woman. A vessel. She radiated pure evil. "And you will know them by the evil inside."
"Mom?" David snapped his fingers in her face but she didn't even blink. Her hand lay on the knob on the store. He pried her fingers off. "Mom, what's going on?"
--
Zan's head whipped around to Beth at her statement. Her eyes were empty. Her stance loose. Zan had felt something before but he would have never called Tivy out in front of the Summit. That was an act of war. He made a gesture for Beth to step back but she ignored him. "Bethany!"
"I speak for Antar." She declared.
"She must be verified."
"What? Now?"
"Bethany!"
"I will stand and be verified." Beth moved around to the emissary. He placed a hand behind her head.
Zan turned to his son. "What the hell is she doing? She's not old enough. It could kill her."
"How old would she have to be?" Nat's eyes went wide, his mouth dry.
"19 earth years."
"She's 19, today."
"Today." Zan turned to see the seal of Antar form in the center of the room. The light show that had been performed on him when he was 17 himself. The only reason it hadn't hurt him were the decades he'd spent in a pod prior to that. The years of life he'd had on Antar prior to that. He was unnatural but she was… She was the sleeper and she was 19 years old.
The stars aligned and Antar shown the brightest. The emissary turned to the room. "She is the heir to Antar."
--
Max stepped out of the airport and looked around. Where to start? Who to talk to? He walked to the nearest payphone and called a familiar cell phone.
--
Berty had been home and dressed before her grandmother had even known she was gone. Wearing a modest dress, she joined in the breakfast prep. She didn't ask where Grandpa Jim had slept when he came down the hallway, smoothing back his just washed hair. Kyle was quiet. A pall over the morning meal.
"Are we going to church today?"
"I've had enough of churches for a while." Diane shook her head. "You do look nice though. Are you seeing Joey later?"
"We broke up last night." Berty focused on her food.
"I'm sorry, honey."
"We weren't right for each other."
"Good, never did like that kid." Jim muttered under his breath. "I hear that Mayor Goodall's grandson is single."
"He's also gay, grandpa." Kyle cut in.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Berty agreed. "Really gay."
"Okay, then." Jim nodded to his plate. "Berty… please tell me that you're not going to enlist."
"Not in the military."
"Jesus, then what?" Jim threw down his toast.
"FBI."
--
Gabriel waved at Sebastien when he walked past. The other man nodded and kept walking. Anita squeezed his hand. "Do you know that guy?"
"Went to school with him. His dad just died."
"Oh." She moved him into an alcove. "Gabriel… I want you to move in."
"What?"
"You're over all the time anyway and I always hate it when you go home. Move in?"
--
Berty tapped the stylus on the pad next to her, head slightly bowed. Sebastien just stood there, leaning in the doorway. "I'm working Sebastien."
"Yeah, it's how I knew how to find you." He glanced behind him at the busy kitchen. Crashdown Sundays, always crowded. "Why'd you leave this morning?"
"Been staying with my grandmother. She has mandatory breakfasts on Sundays."
"You didn't wake me up."
She drew a design on the screen with her stylus. "I figured it would be best."
"Why? I thought… last night…" He knelt down next to her. "I thought it meant something to you, too."
"It did. I swear it did." She met his eyes for a second. "You're going home in a week."
"Yeah, and?"
"And I'm going to the academy as soon as I can get in… I don't really know that I'll have time for this."
--
"Who speaks for Earth?" The emissary addressed the room.
Zan stepped forward but Beth opened her mouth. "I will stand and speak for Antar."
Zan listened, wary of undermining Beth at such a crucial moment but the brat had betrayed him.
"Lord Zan has custody of Earth." The emissary spoke.
"Lord Zan is not here. I am his heir." Beth announced to the room. Nat's eyes went wide. He stayed behind them both, nowhere near ready for this but doing what he could to hold it together.
"This is highly unorthodox." A voice spoke from the table.
"It is allowable." The emissary spoke, then turned to Zan. "Unless there is opposition."
Zan eyed Beth for a moment. Opposing would mean a battle. He knew he wouldn't win if she was determined. "None."
"Then the Lady Bethany will make her statement."
"Earth is ours. No ands, ifs or buts." Beth informed them. "No one else has any use for this planet except as a hunting ground for my kind."
"No one is hunting Antarians on Earth."
"Lies. Manipulations. Poisoners and defilers and subterfuge." Beth fumed. "Skins attempted to poison my mother... attempted to break apart the union between our king and his bride... All they did was sign their own death warrants. The Antarian King does not hunt. He defends. He had ceded his authority to one state and knows he may die if he leaves... All to protect the royal family."
"Self-defense? He has murdered dozens." Tivy was on the move, striding around the table to face her opponent.
"In defense of those lives taken from him that he cherrished. Trusted friends, loved ones, surrogate parents."
"No one would dare."
"They did and they paid with their lives." Beth raised her hand, eyes gone black with wide pupils and alien strength. "You will come no further."
"And if I dare?"
"We shall start a war that our grandchildren will finish or die out."
The woman hissed and backed away. "Stupidity. You're tainted by your human blood."
Beth's arms lifted from her sides. A great shadow followed the movement. When her arms came together, Tivy's body was entrenched by the shadow. "My human blood gives me temperament."
Kivar's puppet leapt to its feet. "Let her go."
"Why? You didn't let my aunt go. My grandfather, my aunt's lover. My commander's wife. All gone. What is one life?"
"Let her go."
"When I'm done."
"No!" He called out as the shadow darkened and his daughter screamed through the vocal chords of her puppet, her voice echoing in her real voice back on Antar.
Beth shut her eyes and the world went silent. Zan's heart thudded in his chest. This was it. This was the moment.
Kivar's lips parted. "The sleeper." He shook his head. "No, I gave birth to the sleeper. Not Zan."
"You thought that girl of yours was the sleeper?" Zan started to laugh. "Because she talks like a robot and is stronger than you?"
"What will she do?"
"Don't know. I thought I knew but Tivy pissed her off. When she's pissed, I learn all sorts of new things about her and her power." Zan took the opportunity. "Tell you what, I can get her to stop, maybe, but I need insurance."
"What insurance do I get?" Kivar's eyes never left his daughter.
Zan saw then that there were greater issues on Antar if Kivar had only the one heir. Two was the norm, several years apart for certainty and to remove sibling rivalry over a throne. His own parents mistake in have two so close together and naming an heir while they were so young.
"What insurance do I get, Zan?" Kivar demanded again.
"Zan, stop this at once." The others recovered from their shock.
"You agree to our terms. You make sure that she agrees to our terms. There does not have to be any more wars. No one wishes it. I only ask to keep the Granilith where it is safe from those who would misuse its intentions."
"How do you mean?"
"Did you ever think that my line had control of the Granilith?" Zan's eyes began to shine.
"The Granilith controls us." Beth murmured as her hands tightened. "I shall only do as the Granilith permits."
--
Liz breathed. "Bethany, Bethany. Don't do it, Bethany."
"Mom…" David tried to lay his hands on her but something kept his hands away. It reminded him of the time in the van with Beth. Pin and needles but worse. "Mom!"
"Mrs. E…" Donna Jo rushed forward but whipped back in pain. Her arms throbbed as if she'd been shocked. David caught her and guided her back to a chair. "David, what's happening?"
--
Max studied the maps. Studied Will's routes and eliminated all heavily populated areas. "They'll want no outside attention."
Will cleared his throat and motioned for Agent Seyton to assist. Max's eyes saw right through her. Will shivered at the sight. Something was definitely not right with this man. Max straightened and headed for the door. Will rushed to catch up with him. "Max, wait."
Max turned and those strange eyes settled on him. Max eyed him up and down. "She's not a woman who will ever be happy with herself. You've already done that once, Will. I thought you were past it."
"What?"
He pointed and spoke too loudly for Will's comfort. "That woman's father never loved her mother and she knows it. She's been poisoned her whole life by a mother who hid her daughter rather than let her be loved instead. Do you hear me? She will never be happy." Will took a step back. "You threw away a gift when you let her into your bed. No one will save you now."
Will watched him go. A blunter Max he'd never known and that's when he was certain he had to follow him and make sure that nothing happened to him. Kat would not forgive a lot of things, and letting her father die was certainly at the top of that list.
--
"If the Granilith is to remain on Earth, how will our worlds benefit?"
Larek leapt in. "If this is the will of the Granilith, perhaps we are not meant to benefit from its benevolent guidance."
"What are you saying?"
"Our peoples have listened to the Granilith for millennia. Earth is new, it's peoples young with most left to learn. If our peoples have not learned their lessons by now, perhaps… this is the fate we have earned."
"If we agree, does this end?"
"What ends?" Zan shrugged. "I will speak for Earth."
"A sixth seat at Summit?" Someone gasped.
"It has already been so for the last 30 years of this one's life." Kivar acquiesced.
"Antar is spoken for." Beth ground out, her arms widening.
"No contest." Kivar backed down.
"You will control this one until she is old enough to think about her actions." Beth widened her arms again, allowing Tivy room to squirm in her earthly body.
"And if I can't…"
"You will end her."
"She is the last of mine."
"Then control her."
"I am no rival for her power."
"Choose."
Kivar was silent for a long moment. He stepped forward. "I will bend to the will of the Granilith."
"It is done." She released Tivy from the shadow and placed her hand on Kivar's puppet's head. The scream echoed through the ears of all in the room.
Zan pulled Tivy's puppet away, sending a pulse that knocked out the host, disconnecting the young leader from the Summit. The emissary nodded to them all. "Then it is decided. I shall return this one to a less conspicuous locale."
When they had gone, Beth released Kivar, who stumbled past the other leaders and onto the street. Larek opened his hand to Zan. "My friend, this day will not be forgotten. I hope that this path is the right one for all of us."
They all began to file out of the room. Nat found his voice. "Just like that? A light show and that's it?"
Zan eyed Beth. "There was a light show up there, too. One you couldn't see. Up there… the summit is public. Televised is the best word for it. All five worlds saw what she did."
"What did she do?"
"She grabbed the puppet without her physical body. That shadow we saw… they saw it, too. Did I ever tell you how far away the home planet is?" Zan stared at the girl. She seemed to be asleep on her feet. "It's a long way. Takes a long time to travel… even with our advanced technologies… What they saw was instantaneous." She started to waver on her feet. "She outed the family secret to everyone who would listen."
"What happens now?"
"Our enemies vacate Earth… and when the next Summit comes, you'll be ready to sit chair for Earth."
"What?!?"
"She chose to speak for Antar. She showed them she has the power to govern from here. She can't sit chair for two worlds…"
"What's wrong with her?"
"What makes you think anything's wrong with her?"
"Her color's off." Nat walked toward her just as she dropped lifeless to the ground.
--
Liz opened her eyes to her own house and to find most of her relatives surrounding her. "She's… she's…"
"Mom?" David grasped her hand without the shield to protect her. "What's happened?"
"Beth just… negotiated a peace."
"Where is she?"
"I can't… see her anymore. I can't feel her." Liz started to hyperventilate.
--
When Max got there, his clone was holding onto Beth, a young man kneeling nearby. She was weak, very weak. Zan was actually crying and that surprised the king. Zan lifted his eyes to meet the set that matched his. "I can't get her to wake up. She called a peace. Called us out and now she… I'm not sure she's breathing…"
Max took her into his arms. He could feel her pulse, slow but there. "Let's get out of here."
Will entered a moment after. His throat seized up. She was so still. "Max?"
"She needs the stones. She needs to go home."
"I'll call the jet but we still need to get there." He moved to take her from her father but a look from Max stopped him. "Max, you can't just carry her through the city."
"Watch me."
No one on the subway mentioned a thing about four men and a sleeping woman. Max settled her into a seat on the private jet. He didn't budge when it moved. He ignored the gasp of surprise from the young man he had yet to be introduced to. He could wait. He had to make sure she would keep breathing all the way home. Her breathing was slow, her pulse sluggish. "What happened?"
"She threw a tantrum." Nat supplied. "She… didn't follow the plan."
"She never could stand not to be taken seriously." Max brushed her hair out of her face. "It's done?"
"She's named herself chair to Antar." Zan finally answered.
"She did what?" His eyes went wide as he remembered. "Today's her birthday." He swallowed down a lump and fixed his eyes on her once more. "Happy Birthday, sweetie."
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 174 CC/UC ADULT 01/16/10
The Fate of Destiny Part 175
Max stared up at the Granilith. He hadn’t seen it in years. It felt wrong to be in its presence without his sister. He held Liz against his side as he stared. “I don’t know what it really is, Liz. I don’t. I… it scares me.”
“You remember?”
“I do. I think… that it wouldn’t let me before, Liz. I think it stopped me before. It wasn’t time.”
“Why?”
“Because if I had, I would have stopped her.”
“What did she do, Max?”
“Beth deposed me, Liz.” He took a breath. “It…” he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the glowing cone, “has a plan for Earth. It wants something and I don’t know what it is. I just know that it’s been working on this for millennia. Through my people, our ancestors… and maybe it let me die back on Antar. I remember reaching for its power. I remember thinking that I had been abandoned by everyone... and everything.” He held her tighter. “To think that it is all out of my hands… it’s frightening. Like I never had a choice about it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going?”
“It wouldn’t let me.”
“Let you?”
“It wants, Liz. It has a plan… it’s… alive.” He reached up to touch the cone. It glowed brightly. “I don’t know if it eats or if it breathes or sleeps but it’s alive. It has a will.” He caressed the warm cone. “It has power… and it’s tapped our daughter as its savior.”
“What’s wrong with Beth?”
“She’s worn out. It opened all her doors and flooded them with power. She’s not mature enough to handle it. Not emotionally, not physically… and she’s part human.”
“So, she was too weak?”
“Her human parts… gave her an anchor…” He turned and met her eyes. “I wasn’t there but I can go back and see it through Zan’s eyes. She told the universe. Her humanity gives her temperament. I think that if she had been wholly Antarian that she might not have been able to stop herself whether or not the Granilith wanted it.”
“So what do we do?”
“We use the stones.”
“But she’s not imbalanced.” She hissed, thinking of the time they had used the stones to save Michael in high school, thinking of the time the guys had used them to save Max after Danny was born… after the enemy had come for him. “You’re saying she exhausted herself.”
“Yes but… she’s an alien in a human body. Her alien side wiped out her human reserves and it can’t quite… bounce back… not without help.”
“Who do you need?”
--
Zan watched his son introduce himself around the family. Max’s family. Max’s children, Max’s nieces and nephews. The girl that he’d met in New York. Nat stared at the pod rack in awe. Despite everything, the young man still didn’t quite believe it.
Max walked into the chamber with a small sack. He handed out the stones without a word. One to his wife, one for himself, one for Michael, one for Zan, one for Nat and one for David. “One rule… no fear…” He looked around at his chosen healers. “If you hold fear inside you, it won’t work. Tell me now. I’ll tap someone else.” He walked into the chamber where Beth lay still as a stone. Everyone walked in behind him and took their places. Max passed a bowl of water around as he focused on his daughter.
The stones began to glow almost immediately. No chanting was necessary. The alien energy found its own pathways. It swam in and out of each and every one of them and into the young girl. Max could see her. Tallest of his daughters, a healer, fighter, walker, dreamer, and lost through it all. Could see her replaying the moments in that room with the Summit. The control held together by one thought. Her mother’s confidence. Saw her reign her power back before releasing Tivy. She hadn’t meant to hold on so tight. Had to stop herself from killing Kivar. She’d put the brakes on hard. She had only meant to give him enough power to control his daughter, not to blow his mind wide open.
“Beth.” He whispered. She spun, a fog obscuring her vision. “Beth.”
“I can’t find you.”
“Close your eyes, sweetie. Don’t try too hard to see me. Just… come to me.”
“What is this place?”
“Lot of words for it. Dreamscape for one.” Max coaxed her closer.
“I can’t get out.”
“Just calm down and let it happen, Bethany. Don’t fight it.”
“If I don’t fight it, I’ll go under.”
“Close your eyes and let it carry you to me.”
“I don’t trust it.”
“Then trust me.”
“I’m tired.”
“Then rest, sweetie. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
He watched as she closed her eyes and relaxed. The stone in his hand glowed brightly and then when he blinked, he was back in the chamber with everyone else. He looked across the circle to find Zan touching his face. Scars littered one side of his face.
“Mom?” Beth whispered.
“I’m here, sweetie.” Liz tossed her stone to Max and knelt beside her daughter.
“I wanna go home.” She began to sob.
“Come here.” Max took her in his arms and rocked her while tears slipped down his face onto hers. “It’s over now.”
--
Donna Jo sat on her bed and watched people coming and going through Beth’s door all day. David sat right beside her, his hand between both of hers. “So… what was it like?”
“Dad said she looked like she was standing in a cloud but she acted like she was standing in a river with a strong current… that’s not what I saw. She looked like she was in an invisible cage and every time she tried to walk through it, she got a shock and she stepped back… but the cage was shrinking. She made me promise to reach for her when she reached for me.”
“Did you get a shock?”
“No… but… it wasn’t about me… it was about her.”
“I want to go in there and see her but I’m so mad at her.”
“It wasn’t all her.”
“I know that… she was my best friend… even when she wasn’t… and she never told me.”
“She never told anyone.”
“What about Gabriel?”
“I think she told him something but it wasn’t everything.”
--
Berty sat on the bed with her cousin. “You’ve missed a lot.”
“I know. Sorry about your mom.” Beth tucked her knees beneath her chin.
“I broke up with Joey.”
“About time.”
“I know.”
“I screwed Sebastien.”
“How was that?”
Berty fought a smile. “It was good.” She lowered her eyes to her hands. “Really good. I mean, I just figured out what Joey was doing wrong all this time.”
“You think you’re even now?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t about getting even… just… finishing up.”
“You think you’re finished?”
“Are you? Finished? Finished being the one who’s gotta save the rest of us?”
--
Diane stared at her through the glass. Max had said that she was healed but she seemed to sit a lot. Sit like she was in pain. Sit like if she didn’t sit she would fall down. “It’s like she’s not even really here.”
“Don’t make it a big deal, Mom.” Liz shook her head as she graded a stack of tests. “She’s… anxious. I don’t want her running off again.”
“Do you think she will?”
“She’s… 19. She’s a high school dropout. She’s alone. She’s the only one like her in the universe. She’s killed people…”
“She did?”
“I think so. Things she’s said. Things that man said…” Liz shuddered as she thought of the man with her husband’s face… and those scars.
“Why did Max choose David? Danny was here. Berty was here.”
“I don’t know… I also don’t know if Max made the call on that.” Liz held her hands up. “Mom, I’m not sure I understand it. Don’t ask me to explain it. Max barely can.”
“What happens now?”
“I don’t know. She lives her life. I convince her to get her GED and go to school. Maybe it’ll calm down. Maybe it’ll get worse. I don’t know.”
“How is Max?”
“He’s… dealing. He’s… dealing. The whole past life thing. He knew about it but he couldn’t remember it. I know that Isabel never did. Michael didn’t.”
“This… um… Zan fellow?”
“He did, I think.” Liz sighed. “I just… I know that my family was never a normal one but… I want to go back about ten years.”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what I would change… even if I could.”
“Well, I’m gonna take the kids home.”
“Kat’s flying in right now.”
“I’ll see her tomorrow.” Diane gathered her purse and keys. “Berty! Kyle! Time to go!”
--
Nat ran his fingers over the dreamcatcher. “It really works, huh?”
“Davey says it does.” Max shrugged. “How… how… You doing okay?”
“I just found out I’m half alien. I got weird powers. I went to an interstellar meeting and my… cousin?... put the smackdown on a couple of aliens from across the universe.”
“You working on any plans?”
“I was working full time, school part time… helping my mom out… striking out with the ladies. My dad says that’s my own fault cause being a player is in the genes.”
“Sounds like you’re a good kid. You’ll snag one.”
“Do you remember being an alien? I ask him and he starts talking about gibberish mostly.”
“Where did he go?”
“He’s hiding. I hadn’t seen his face like before… My mom had told me about it but she hadn’t seen him since before I was born.”
“How’d his face… ? You know…”
“Got run over or something. I don’t know. He don’t really talk about it. All I know was he didn’t look like that when I met him. Beth did something to him to make the scars go away. They came back and he doesn’t let me… I don’t know.” He set the dreamcatcher down and looked out the window. “Is she going to be okay? After the thing with those rocks, she seemed… different.”
“She is different. She’s different from the girl who used to live in this house. She’s different from the person she was when she left… and she’s not the girl who was in the warehouse yesterday.” Max knew what that felt like. To be a different person but the same and it was hard to reconcile all the pieces.
--
Will lit another cigarette as he listened to Zan’s rundown of the summit. They were still talking when Kat arrived. Zan almost shit his pants. The eyes, no other earthling that he’d met had had those eyes. “Who in the hell let that happen?”
“God.” Kat bit out and looked him over. “What in the hell happened to your face?”
“Kat. No.” Will shook his head.
“Who let him stay here?”
“Kat, go inside. We’re working.” Will took her by the shoulders and steered her back to the house. “We’ll talk later.”
“He’s the reason she ran off.”
“Kat, shut up. You don’t know the half of what’s happened.” Will gently pushed her inside and shut the door.
“Her mother was like that. Quick to make assumptions.” Zan cracked his knuckles. “Firecracker. Our marriage was short but lively.” He turned to the FBI agent. “She’s not wrong you know. I am an asshole. Worked hard to be one. She as fucked in the head as she looks?”
“Don’t talk about her.” Will tossed his cigarette away. “Let’s just get this done so you can get back to whatever rock you crawled out from under.”
--
Beth sipped a milkshake but it tasted like sawdust. “It’s about all I can digest right now.”
“Were you hurt or something?”
“Basically fired all my cylinders at once and had a thermal event.”
“Translation?” Donna Jo snorted.
“I crashed and burned and had to be reset.” Beth cleared her throat. “How long you and my brother been… doing… that stuff you do?”
“David tell you?”
“No…”
Donna Jo stared at her friend. She looked the same. Knowing she’d been different all this time was just accepting that this was what made her different but to actually encounter the difference. “No one else knows, Beth. I haven’t told anyone.”
“If I wasn’t me… I still might know by the way you look at him.”
“I am so mortified.”
--
Kat perched on the kitchen counter next to her father. He seemed different. Her mother was stressed. Her little brother was nearly mute. Her big brother was pacing up a storm. Her grandparents were looking at pictures in the living room. She frowned when Agent Ledford entered the house and reported to Will in the backyard. Will said something and called out for Max. She watched them talk on the back porch for 15 minutes before Agent Ledford was dismissed. Then watched her father’s face. It was another twenty minutes before Will entered the house and pulled her into the guest room with the most serious expression that she had ever seen on his face. “Will, what’s going on?”
--
Gabriel had had a long talk with his father about it. They had agreed. Anita just stared at him when he had explained what was going to happen. “She’s just a girl you used to date. I’m your girlfriend.”
“You are my girlfriend.” He nodded. “She’s not just a girl. I thought I was past her… I’m never going to be past her, Anita.”
“Are we breaking up?”
“No. That’s not what I said. I can’t move in. Not right now. It’s not fair to any of us.”
“So what does she have to do with us, Gabriel? Help me understand this.”
“She’s not just a girl I dated once.” Gabriel wanted to reach out to her but she wasn’t going to let him touch her right now. “She’s the first girl I ever fell in love with. She’s a part of me. The things that we’ve been through… I can’t just put behind me. I don’t know that I forgive her for what she did to me, yet. She’s special to me. Different from you. I just have to see for myself that she’s all right.”
“Just… whatever. Go. I don’t care.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Of course, I fucking care, Gabriel. I don’t want to fight about it right now.” She stood there, arms crossed until he left. “Bye.”
--
Beth huddled in her pile of blankets. She couldn’t seem to get warm. Her brain felt dry. She kept drinking water and coffee with Tabasco and eating cupcakes but nothing seemed to help. She felt lonely. She couldn’t hear anything anymore. When she reached for power, it wasn’t there. This phantom limb she’d lost. It tingled in the space where it used to be but nothing happened.
Her mother was on the verge of freaking out. Her father was so cheerless, fighting with his past self. Nat was holding it together but only just barely. Kat, poor Kat. Will had left and the sobbing had begun and Agent Ledford was in charge until Will was done punishing himself. Beth had stared at him before he left. He wouldn’t meet her eyes and she hadn’t wanted him to. Had only said one more thing to him before he left. “I revoke my offer of betrothal.”
The only living thing to offer her any real comfort was Sterling. He offered her warmth and she took it. David was so torn and traumatized and grown up too fast.
Then he was there. Gabriel. Hugging her and crying and demanding to know why and what for and so determined to get an answer. They were allowed privacy. Gabriel paced her room while she watched him, so different from the last time she’d physically laid eyes on him. “We were so worried. I was ready to start a cross-country search for you but your dad wouldn’t let me. He said you’d come back on your own… but you didn’t. I had no idea if you were alive or dead and then people started talking and I’m worrying that something happened to you that I should have known about before you left.
“Why didn’t you say something to me before you left? I thought you left because of me. I started racking my brain for anything I might have done. Was I coming on too strong? Was I making too many plans? I wanted us to have a future together.”
“I still want that.” She met his eyes and felt like she was about to die. It hurt so much. Knowing was one thing. Seeing it in his eyes was another.
“I will always love you. You’re my best friend… but you abandoned me. You didn’t trust me enough to let me know what was going on. If you had sent me a letter, an email, called me, sent a carrier pigeon… just Something!” He ran his hands through his hair. “You were gone almost a year. I moved on. I didn’t have any clue that this didn’t have something to do with me. That maybe you didn’t love me anymore. I don’t know that I can trust you or any woman with my heart again… Anita is going to pay the price for what you did to me and it’s not fair to her and it’s not fair me.”
“I missed you.” She took a breath and then the tears started flowing. “I feel like I don’t know myself. Like I was a backseat driver to my own life for years. Like I could make suggestions but I wasn’t really in charge of setting the course. I wanted to be with you every night. I wanted to see you every day. I wanted to talk to you but something wouldn’t let me.”
“Answer me this. What was so important?”
Beth stared up at him. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain. “The weight of the world is on my shoulders. I can’t escape it.”
“It’s not. It feels that way but it’s not.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “It always feels like the end of the world but it’s not. How are the voices?”
“Gone.”
“Gone?”
“I don’t know what to do. They’re gone.”
Gabriel wrapped his arm around her and let her sob it out. “You’re still here. I’m glad you’re still here. We’re all glad you’re still here. You don’t need the voices. You just need you. That’s all we need, too.”
TBC
Max stared up at the Granilith. He hadn’t seen it in years. It felt wrong to be in its presence without his sister. He held Liz against his side as he stared. “I don’t know what it really is, Liz. I don’t. I… it scares me.”
“You remember?”
“I do. I think… that it wouldn’t let me before, Liz. I think it stopped me before. It wasn’t time.”
“Why?”
“Because if I had, I would have stopped her.”
“What did she do, Max?”
“Beth deposed me, Liz.” He took a breath. “It…” he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the glowing cone, “has a plan for Earth. It wants something and I don’t know what it is. I just know that it’s been working on this for millennia. Through my people, our ancestors… and maybe it let me die back on Antar. I remember reaching for its power. I remember thinking that I had been abandoned by everyone... and everything.” He held her tighter. “To think that it is all out of my hands… it’s frightening. Like I never had a choice about it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going?”
“It wouldn’t let me.”
“Let you?”
“It wants, Liz. It has a plan… it’s… alive.” He reached up to touch the cone. It glowed brightly. “I don’t know if it eats or if it breathes or sleeps but it’s alive. It has a will.” He caressed the warm cone. “It has power… and it’s tapped our daughter as its savior.”
“What’s wrong with Beth?”
“She’s worn out. It opened all her doors and flooded them with power. She’s not mature enough to handle it. Not emotionally, not physically… and she’s part human.”
“So, she was too weak?”
“Her human parts… gave her an anchor…” He turned and met her eyes. “I wasn’t there but I can go back and see it through Zan’s eyes. She told the universe. Her humanity gives her temperament. I think that if she had been wholly Antarian that she might not have been able to stop herself whether or not the Granilith wanted it.”
“So what do we do?”
“We use the stones.”
“But she’s not imbalanced.” She hissed, thinking of the time they had used the stones to save Michael in high school, thinking of the time the guys had used them to save Max after Danny was born… after the enemy had come for him. “You’re saying she exhausted herself.”
“Yes but… she’s an alien in a human body. Her alien side wiped out her human reserves and it can’t quite… bounce back… not without help.”
“Who do you need?”
--
Zan watched his son introduce himself around the family. Max’s family. Max’s children, Max’s nieces and nephews. The girl that he’d met in New York. Nat stared at the pod rack in awe. Despite everything, the young man still didn’t quite believe it.
Max walked into the chamber with a small sack. He handed out the stones without a word. One to his wife, one for himself, one for Michael, one for Zan, one for Nat and one for David. “One rule… no fear…” He looked around at his chosen healers. “If you hold fear inside you, it won’t work. Tell me now. I’ll tap someone else.” He walked into the chamber where Beth lay still as a stone. Everyone walked in behind him and took their places. Max passed a bowl of water around as he focused on his daughter.
The stones began to glow almost immediately. No chanting was necessary. The alien energy found its own pathways. It swam in and out of each and every one of them and into the young girl. Max could see her. Tallest of his daughters, a healer, fighter, walker, dreamer, and lost through it all. Could see her replaying the moments in that room with the Summit. The control held together by one thought. Her mother’s confidence. Saw her reign her power back before releasing Tivy. She hadn’t meant to hold on so tight. Had to stop herself from killing Kivar. She’d put the brakes on hard. She had only meant to give him enough power to control his daughter, not to blow his mind wide open.
“Beth.” He whispered. She spun, a fog obscuring her vision. “Beth.”
“I can’t find you.”
“Close your eyes, sweetie. Don’t try too hard to see me. Just… come to me.”
“What is this place?”
“Lot of words for it. Dreamscape for one.” Max coaxed her closer.
“I can’t get out.”
“Just calm down and let it happen, Bethany. Don’t fight it.”
“If I don’t fight it, I’ll go under.”
“Close your eyes and let it carry you to me.”
“I don’t trust it.”
“Then trust me.”
“I’m tired.”
“Then rest, sweetie. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
He watched as she closed her eyes and relaxed. The stone in his hand glowed brightly and then when he blinked, he was back in the chamber with everyone else. He looked across the circle to find Zan touching his face. Scars littered one side of his face.
“Mom?” Beth whispered.
“I’m here, sweetie.” Liz tossed her stone to Max and knelt beside her daughter.
“I wanna go home.” She began to sob.
“Come here.” Max took her in his arms and rocked her while tears slipped down his face onto hers. “It’s over now.”
--
Donna Jo sat on her bed and watched people coming and going through Beth’s door all day. David sat right beside her, his hand between both of hers. “So… what was it like?”
“Dad said she looked like she was standing in a cloud but she acted like she was standing in a river with a strong current… that’s not what I saw. She looked like she was in an invisible cage and every time she tried to walk through it, she got a shock and she stepped back… but the cage was shrinking. She made me promise to reach for her when she reached for me.”
“Did you get a shock?”
“No… but… it wasn’t about me… it was about her.”
“I want to go in there and see her but I’m so mad at her.”
“It wasn’t all her.”
“I know that… she was my best friend… even when she wasn’t… and she never told me.”
“She never told anyone.”
“What about Gabriel?”
“I think she told him something but it wasn’t everything.”
--
Berty sat on the bed with her cousin. “You’ve missed a lot.”
“I know. Sorry about your mom.” Beth tucked her knees beneath her chin.
“I broke up with Joey.”
“About time.”
“I know.”
“I screwed Sebastien.”
“How was that?”
Berty fought a smile. “It was good.” She lowered her eyes to her hands. “Really good. I mean, I just figured out what Joey was doing wrong all this time.”
“You think you’re even now?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t about getting even… just… finishing up.”
“You think you’re finished?”
“Are you? Finished? Finished being the one who’s gotta save the rest of us?”
--
Diane stared at her through the glass. Max had said that she was healed but she seemed to sit a lot. Sit like she was in pain. Sit like if she didn’t sit she would fall down. “It’s like she’s not even really here.”
“Don’t make it a big deal, Mom.” Liz shook her head as she graded a stack of tests. “She’s… anxious. I don’t want her running off again.”
“Do you think she will?”
“She’s… 19. She’s a high school dropout. She’s alone. She’s the only one like her in the universe. She’s killed people…”
“She did?”
“I think so. Things she’s said. Things that man said…” Liz shuddered as she thought of the man with her husband’s face… and those scars.
“Why did Max choose David? Danny was here. Berty was here.”
“I don’t know… I also don’t know if Max made the call on that.” Liz held her hands up. “Mom, I’m not sure I understand it. Don’t ask me to explain it. Max barely can.”
“What happens now?”
“I don’t know. She lives her life. I convince her to get her GED and go to school. Maybe it’ll calm down. Maybe it’ll get worse. I don’t know.”
“How is Max?”
“He’s… dealing. He’s… dealing. The whole past life thing. He knew about it but he couldn’t remember it. I know that Isabel never did. Michael didn’t.”
“This… um… Zan fellow?”
“He did, I think.” Liz sighed. “I just… I know that my family was never a normal one but… I want to go back about ten years.”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what I would change… even if I could.”
“Well, I’m gonna take the kids home.”
“Kat’s flying in right now.”
“I’ll see her tomorrow.” Diane gathered her purse and keys. “Berty! Kyle! Time to go!”
--
Nat ran his fingers over the dreamcatcher. “It really works, huh?”
“Davey says it does.” Max shrugged. “How… how… You doing okay?”
“I just found out I’m half alien. I got weird powers. I went to an interstellar meeting and my… cousin?... put the smackdown on a couple of aliens from across the universe.”
“You working on any plans?”
“I was working full time, school part time… helping my mom out… striking out with the ladies. My dad says that’s my own fault cause being a player is in the genes.”
“Sounds like you’re a good kid. You’ll snag one.”
“Do you remember being an alien? I ask him and he starts talking about gibberish mostly.”
“Where did he go?”
“He’s hiding. I hadn’t seen his face like before… My mom had told me about it but she hadn’t seen him since before I was born.”
“How’d his face… ? You know…”
“Got run over or something. I don’t know. He don’t really talk about it. All I know was he didn’t look like that when I met him. Beth did something to him to make the scars go away. They came back and he doesn’t let me… I don’t know.” He set the dreamcatcher down and looked out the window. “Is she going to be okay? After the thing with those rocks, she seemed… different.”
“She is different. She’s different from the girl who used to live in this house. She’s different from the person she was when she left… and she’s not the girl who was in the warehouse yesterday.” Max knew what that felt like. To be a different person but the same and it was hard to reconcile all the pieces.
--
Will lit another cigarette as he listened to Zan’s rundown of the summit. They were still talking when Kat arrived. Zan almost shit his pants. The eyes, no other earthling that he’d met had had those eyes. “Who in the hell let that happen?”
“God.” Kat bit out and looked him over. “What in the hell happened to your face?”
“Kat. No.” Will shook his head.
“Who let him stay here?”
“Kat, go inside. We’re working.” Will took her by the shoulders and steered her back to the house. “We’ll talk later.”
“He’s the reason she ran off.”
“Kat, shut up. You don’t know the half of what’s happened.” Will gently pushed her inside and shut the door.
“Her mother was like that. Quick to make assumptions.” Zan cracked his knuckles. “Firecracker. Our marriage was short but lively.” He turned to the FBI agent. “She’s not wrong you know. I am an asshole. Worked hard to be one. She as fucked in the head as she looks?”
“Don’t talk about her.” Will tossed his cigarette away. “Let’s just get this done so you can get back to whatever rock you crawled out from under.”
--
Beth sipped a milkshake but it tasted like sawdust. “It’s about all I can digest right now.”
“Were you hurt or something?”
“Basically fired all my cylinders at once and had a thermal event.”
“Translation?” Donna Jo snorted.
“I crashed and burned and had to be reset.” Beth cleared her throat. “How long you and my brother been… doing… that stuff you do?”
“David tell you?”
“No…”
Donna Jo stared at her friend. She looked the same. Knowing she’d been different all this time was just accepting that this was what made her different but to actually encounter the difference. “No one else knows, Beth. I haven’t told anyone.”
“If I wasn’t me… I still might know by the way you look at him.”
“I am so mortified.”
--
Kat perched on the kitchen counter next to her father. He seemed different. Her mother was stressed. Her little brother was nearly mute. Her big brother was pacing up a storm. Her grandparents were looking at pictures in the living room. She frowned when Agent Ledford entered the house and reported to Will in the backyard. Will said something and called out for Max. She watched them talk on the back porch for 15 minutes before Agent Ledford was dismissed. Then watched her father’s face. It was another twenty minutes before Will entered the house and pulled her into the guest room with the most serious expression that she had ever seen on his face. “Will, what’s going on?”
--
Gabriel had had a long talk with his father about it. They had agreed. Anita just stared at him when he had explained what was going to happen. “She’s just a girl you used to date. I’m your girlfriend.”
“You are my girlfriend.” He nodded. “She’s not just a girl. I thought I was past her… I’m never going to be past her, Anita.”
“Are we breaking up?”
“No. That’s not what I said. I can’t move in. Not right now. It’s not fair to any of us.”
“So what does she have to do with us, Gabriel? Help me understand this.”
“She’s not just a girl I dated once.” Gabriel wanted to reach out to her but she wasn’t going to let him touch her right now. “She’s the first girl I ever fell in love with. She’s a part of me. The things that we’ve been through… I can’t just put behind me. I don’t know that I forgive her for what she did to me, yet. She’s special to me. Different from you. I just have to see for myself that she’s all right.”
“Just… whatever. Go. I don’t care.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Of course, I fucking care, Gabriel. I don’t want to fight about it right now.” She stood there, arms crossed until he left. “Bye.”
--
Beth huddled in her pile of blankets. She couldn’t seem to get warm. Her brain felt dry. She kept drinking water and coffee with Tabasco and eating cupcakes but nothing seemed to help. She felt lonely. She couldn’t hear anything anymore. When she reached for power, it wasn’t there. This phantom limb she’d lost. It tingled in the space where it used to be but nothing happened.
Her mother was on the verge of freaking out. Her father was so cheerless, fighting with his past self. Nat was holding it together but only just barely. Kat, poor Kat. Will had left and the sobbing had begun and Agent Ledford was in charge until Will was done punishing himself. Beth had stared at him before he left. He wouldn’t meet her eyes and she hadn’t wanted him to. Had only said one more thing to him before he left. “I revoke my offer of betrothal.”
The only living thing to offer her any real comfort was Sterling. He offered her warmth and she took it. David was so torn and traumatized and grown up too fast.
Then he was there. Gabriel. Hugging her and crying and demanding to know why and what for and so determined to get an answer. They were allowed privacy. Gabriel paced her room while she watched him, so different from the last time she’d physically laid eyes on him. “We were so worried. I was ready to start a cross-country search for you but your dad wouldn’t let me. He said you’d come back on your own… but you didn’t. I had no idea if you were alive or dead and then people started talking and I’m worrying that something happened to you that I should have known about before you left.
“Why didn’t you say something to me before you left? I thought you left because of me. I started racking my brain for anything I might have done. Was I coming on too strong? Was I making too many plans? I wanted us to have a future together.”
“I still want that.” She met his eyes and felt like she was about to die. It hurt so much. Knowing was one thing. Seeing it in his eyes was another.
“I will always love you. You’re my best friend… but you abandoned me. You didn’t trust me enough to let me know what was going on. If you had sent me a letter, an email, called me, sent a carrier pigeon… just Something!” He ran his hands through his hair. “You were gone almost a year. I moved on. I didn’t have any clue that this didn’t have something to do with me. That maybe you didn’t love me anymore. I don’t know that I can trust you or any woman with my heart again… Anita is going to pay the price for what you did to me and it’s not fair to her and it’s not fair me.”
“I missed you.” She took a breath and then the tears started flowing. “I feel like I don’t know myself. Like I was a backseat driver to my own life for years. Like I could make suggestions but I wasn’t really in charge of setting the course. I wanted to be with you every night. I wanted to see you every day. I wanted to talk to you but something wouldn’t let me.”
“Answer me this. What was so important?”
Beth stared up at him. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain. “The weight of the world is on my shoulders. I can’t escape it.”
“It’s not. It feels that way but it’s not.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “It always feels like the end of the world but it’s not. How are the voices?”
“Gone.”
“Gone?”
“I don’t know what to do. They’re gone.”
Gabriel wrapped his arm around her and let her sob it out. “You’re still here. I’m glad you’re still here. We’re all glad you’re still here. You don’t need the voices. You just need you. That’s all we need, too.”
TBC
Re: The Fate of Destiny Part 176 CC/UC ADULT 02/05/10
The Fate of Destiny Part 176
(Ten months later)
Liz opened the envelope and grinned. “As if it would be any other way.”
“It was a stupid test… but it was long. I thought I didn’t finish in time.” Beth took the piece of paper with her scores from her GED. She just needed her results from her ACT and she could start her college credits. She stirred her milkshake slowly as she turned her options over in her head for the millionth time since returning home. “Where’s Grandpa, he’ll want to see this.”
“He’s gone to the doctor. He’ll be back soon.” Liz reassured her.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s getting older, sweetie.”
“Is that why they’re moving out?”
“One reason.” Liz nodded. “It’s the stairs.”
“Yeah.” Beth nodded and pushed her shake away.
“Is your break done?”
“Yeah. Back to the grindstone.” Beth shoved herself out of the booth and put her antennae back on.
Liz sat and watched her daughter for a bit. She did that a lot in the last year, just stared at Beth; afraid that if she took her eyes off her that the girl would disappear again. Max went out to that infernal cone at least once a month to try to determine if it was active or emitting anything. No one could tell if it did or if it mattered if anyone could tell.
It had taken Beth nearly two months to gather her strength enough to be considered normal. Another two months to regain her natural grace and even that was subject to failure on occasion. Like when her ex-boyfriend appeared on the scene. Liz hid her laugh when Beth’s feet slipped when Gabriel walked in with his girlfriend. The tray in her hands nearly ended up on the customer if the customer hadn’t been quick to catch her. Liz watched sadly as a mild argument broke out at Gabriel’s table. She barely gave her husband a smile when he sat. She slid Beth’s results across the table but couldn’t take her eyes off of Gabriel and Anita as they stormed out to finish their fight outside.
--
Berty steadied the gun and aimed. Her grandfather’s tips in her ears as she logged in more time at the range. She hated guns. She did. A gun had killed her father. Will had told her that she would have to overcome a lot of obstacles to become an agent. Then he had warned her that most of them were internal. Her grandmother felt, that while women could do the job, Berty should not. Since the “awakening” they were all untested and there was no telling what they were capable of under duress.
Still, this was what Berty wanted. She was training for it, just like she had softball and volleyball. She was going to be ready to do her performance exam. She would do this. She had law as a fall back but this was going to be hers.
--
Kyle packed his bag. Diane wiped at her eyes. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No, but I want to do this.”
“Grandpa can stop you.”
“He can try.” Kyle paused, “but he won’t.”
“The state of the world--”
“The state of the world?” Kyle whirled on her. “The state of the world is that there are always wars. We fight amongst ourselves at every turn. The state of the world is that I could die in a battle on foreign soil. The state of the world is that I could come home injured far beyond any help that Uncle Max or Beth could give. The state of the world is such that I could be just fine.” He took a breath to calm himself. “The state of the universe is such that I could die before I knew I was in danger. I need to do this for me. I cannot live in the shadow of Mom and Dad the rest of my life. Why do you think Berty wants to be FBI so badly? Why do you think Alex ran so far away? If we stay in Roswell, we will suffocate under the shadow of our parents. In the scheme of small town life it’s unbearable. In the scheme of the universe… it’s a burden so heavy that it’s crushing. My mom was a princess in a galaxy far, far away. She was murdered in an attempt to… I don’t even know what it mattered. I have to feel like my presence matters for something and this is the way I choose to do it.”
--
Kat studied the strands in the virtual field. “This is so much easier than A, T, G, C on a print out.”
“I know.” Jolene grinned. “To think I have lived to see it.”
“How long until it’s perfected?”
“A while yet but I’m told things are looking up.” Jolene stared at her. “How’s your man?”
“I don’t know that he was ever mine.”
“I’ve had a man or two in my lifetime, dear… I’m not sure I was ever theirs.”
Kat fixed her eyes on the virtual field and manipulated the strands so that she could detect every nuance. “It just figures that I finally find someone who fits me and he does this to me.”
“How perfectly 20th century of you.”
“It’s how I feel.”
“Be it as it may. I was born in a time when women didn’t divorce their husbands if they cheated. They just smiled brighter and pretended that it never happened… not even when it repeated on them.”
“My mother was the other woman. She tried to tear my dad’s marriage apart. As… crazy as I’ve led my life. I’ve always made sure that I was not that woman.” Kat dropped her hands and the virtual field went blank. “I don’t know how to reconcile what he did to me with the man I always thought he was.”
“Well, I’m not asking you to forgive him. I’m only asking you to be happy.” Jolene turned off the machine. “You’re much more creative in the lab when you’re happy.”
--
Em wiped her mouth and shoved herself, slowly, to her feet. She coughed and held back the urge to fall to her knees again. She managed to brush her teeth and gargle before rejoining the party. Dan was surrounded by his colleagues in the lobby of the hotel. She hated San Antonio and she couldn’t wait for this conference to be over. She was supposed to keep him company but she hardly got to spend any time with him at all. This was the second to last night and there was just one last party to attend where she had to pretend to be a nice person. Dan wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head when she joined him. “Still think you have food poisoning?”
“I think it’s getting better.”
“Just a bug.” Someone else offered. “Plenty of fluids, clear foods, it’ll run its course.”
“Bed rest.” Someone else chimed in.
“Unless you’re pregnant, it’ll be over by the time you get home. Guaranteed.” Another doctor chimed in. “I always pick something up at these forsaken events.”
“I’ll be fine.” Em didn’t meet her husband’s eyes and that was clue enough for him. She squealed when he swung her around the group.
“Sweetie! Why didn’t you tell me?” Dan murmured into her hair. The others began to clap and order more drinks to celebrate.
“I wanted to wait until we got home.” She whispered back.
“Oh my God, Em… we’re having a baby.”
--
“She’s got a date, Mom.” David sniffed the milk, made a face and put the milk back. His mom reached past him, grabbed the milk, took a sniff and gagged. “Sorry.”
“Dump it.” She handed it back to him. “You’re okay with her dating?”
“Yeah…” David shrugged and began pouring the putrid milk down the drain in the sink, running the water to wash it away faster. “We were never serious, Mom.”
“Acting serious but not serious?”
“Something like that.”
“Did you guys talk about it?”
“She’s 20. I’m not.” He shrugged again. “Anyway… I’ve got a date for the thing anyways.”
Liz stared at him. He didn’t meet her eyes but he didn’t try to run away either. “Davey…”
“Mom, it’s fine.” He whined. “I don’t really care that much. Besides, it’s not going to last.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She’s dating Chuck.”
“Chuck… Michael’s Chuck?”
“That’s the one. He’ll use her the way he’s used every other girl in this town and she’ll dump him.”
--
His lips ran across her shoulders and up her neck while she caught her breath. His hand sliding up her thigh. He shifted his hips and she gasped. “Are you, again? Cause I just don’t know if I can… Oh my… I don’t do this on a first date or a second date…”
“Uh-huh.” He murmured as he slid his hand across her belly for a firmer hold as he slid inside her again. “You just feel so good.”
“Oh…” Donna moaned. Her hands clenched in the sheets. She held on while his hips moved faster and his hand drifted down to drive her crazy and up to fuel his own desires. Felt his teeth in her shoulder moments before he withdrew. “Oh, no, no, where are you going?”
“Just want to see you.” He rolled her onto her back and lifted her hips so that he could be inside her again. Slid his hands up her body starting from her knees and ending when he was face to face with her. “Need to see your eyes.”
Chuck cupped her face and kissed her softly. Watching her eyes. Beautiful eyes. Watched her come apart before ducking his face into her neck to his own release. His lips found hers. Reluctantly, he rolled off of her and watched her hop through the room to the bathroom. When she returned, she pressed herself against him. She just… fit.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Something I never think about.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go out with me… next week? Movie and dinner?”
Donna Jo blinked at him. “Sure… same as tonight?”
“No, not the same as tonight.”
She started to grin. “So, no half-dressed dinner and naked movie?”
Chuck laughed. “No, not like tonight… Fully dressed… in public…”
“Public dates? I didn’t think Chuck Allen did public dates.”
“I didn’t used to.”
--
Max walked out onto the patio and lit his cigarette, then lit one for his daughter. She took it and puffed, never taking her eyes off the stars. “Heavy thinking?”
“Nah. Just thinking.” He answered. “So, I hear that Gabriel kid is a free agent.”
“Yep.”
“You going to move in while the taking’s hot?”
“Nah.”
“But you want to?”
“I would rather be anywhere but here, smoking with my dad.” She grinned at him and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“So what’s the plan? Waiting a week? Two? A month?”
“I think I’ll let him heal and make up his own mind.” Beth puffed and blew smoke circles. “I still love him. I don’t like to see him hurting but I don’t want to make it worse by moving too fast.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“I am an all-powerful being. You gotta be smart to be all-powerful.”
“Well, I would hope so.” Max tucked her head under his chin as he contemplated the stars.
“You went out to check on it again.”
“I did.”
“It won’t let you in.”
“I know.”
“It won’t let me in.”
“No?”
“Nope.”
“Were we ever in charge?”
“Nope.”
“Is that why you keep reading on Atlantis?”
“Maybe.”
“I remember that day in the museum. You said—“
“I know what I said… I’m afraid it was a prophecy.” The word was sour in her mouth. It rang in her ears but she couldn’t let it bog her down. There were more important things. “I want a car.”
“And I want to retire as a young millionaire. We don’t always get what we want.”
“I have some money saved up for a nice clunker.”
“How nice a clunker?”
“Wheels… maybe some seats. Can’t guarantee any doors.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
TBC
(Ten months later)
Liz opened the envelope and grinned. “As if it would be any other way.”
“It was a stupid test… but it was long. I thought I didn’t finish in time.” Beth took the piece of paper with her scores from her GED. She just needed her results from her ACT and she could start her college credits. She stirred her milkshake slowly as she turned her options over in her head for the millionth time since returning home. “Where’s Grandpa, he’ll want to see this.”
“He’s gone to the doctor. He’ll be back soon.” Liz reassured her.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s getting older, sweetie.”
“Is that why they’re moving out?”
“One reason.” Liz nodded. “It’s the stairs.”
“Yeah.” Beth nodded and pushed her shake away.
“Is your break done?”
“Yeah. Back to the grindstone.” Beth shoved herself out of the booth and put her antennae back on.
Liz sat and watched her daughter for a bit. She did that a lot in the last year, just stared at Beth; afraid that if she took her eyes off her that the girl would disappear again. Max went out to that infernal cone at least once a month to try to determine if it was active or emitting anything. No one could tell if it did or if it mattered if anyone could tell.
It had taken Beth nearly two months to gather her strength enough to be considered normal. Another two months to regain her natural grace and even that was subject to failure on occasion. Like when her ex-boyfriend appeared on the scene. Liz hid her laugh when Beth’s feet slipped when Gabriel walked in with his girlfriend. The tray in her hands nearly ended up on the customer if the customer hadn’t been quick to catch her. Liz watched sadly as a mild argument broke out at Gabriel’s table. She barely gave her husband a smile when he sat. She slid Beth’s results across the table but couldn’t take her eyes off of Gabriel and Anita as they stormed out to finish their fight outside.
--
Berty steadied the gun and aimed. Her grandfather’s tips in her ears as she logged in more time at the range. She hated guns. She did. A gun had killed her father. Will had told her that she would have to overcome a lot of obstacles to become an agent. Then he had warned her that most of them were internal. Her grandmother felt, that while women could do the job, Berty should not. Since the “awakening” they were all untested and there was no telling what they were capable of under duress.
Still, this was what Berty wanted. She was training for it, just like she had softball and volleyball. She was going to be ready to do her performance exam. She would do this. She had law as a fall back but this was going to be hers.
--
Kyle packed his bag. Diane wiped at her eyes. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No, but I want to do this.”
“Grandpa can stop you.”
“He can try.” Kyle paused, “but he won’t.”
“The state of the world--”
“The state of the world?” Kyle whirled on her. “The state of the world is that there are always wars. We fight amongst ourselves at every turn. The state of the world is that I could die in a battle on foreign soil. The state of the world is that I could come home injured far beyond any help that Uncle Max or Beth could give. The state of the world is such that I could be just fine.” He took a breath to calm himself. “The state of the universe is such that I could die before I knew I was in danger. I need to do this for me. I cannot live in the shadow of Mom and Dad the rest of my life. Why do you think Berty wants to be FBI so badly? Why do you think Alex ran so far away? If we stay in Roswell, we will suffocate under the shadow of our parents. In the scheme of small town life it’s unbearable. In the scheme of the universe… it’s a burden so heavy that it’s crushing. My mom was a princess in a galaxy far, far away. She was murdered in an attempt to… I don’t even know what it mattered. I have to feel like my presence matters for something and this is the way I choose to do it.”
--
Kat studied the strands in the virtual field. “This is so much easier than A, T, G, C on a print out.”
“I know.” Jolene grinned. “To think I have lived to see it.”
“How long until it’s perfected?”
“A while yet but I’m told things are looking up.” Jolene stared at her. “How’s your man?”
“I don’t know that he was ever mine.”
“I’ve had a man or two in my lifetime, dear… I’m not sure I was ever theirs.”
Kat fixed her eyes on the virtual field and manipulated the strands so that she could detect every nuance. “It just figures that I finally find someone who fits me and he does this to me.”
“How perfectly 20th century of you.”
“It’s how I feel.”
“Be it as it may. I was born in a time when women didn’t divorce their husbands if they cheated. They just smiled brighter and pretended that it never happened… not even when it repeated on them.”
“My mother was the other woman. She tried to tear my dad’s marriage apart. As… crazy as I’ve led my life. I’ve always made sure that I was not that woman.” Kat dropped her hands and the virtual field went blank. “I don’t know how to reconcile what he did to me with the man I always thought he was.”
“Well, I’m not asking you to forgive him. I’m only asking you to be happy.” Jolene turned off the machine. “You’re much more creative in the lab when you’re happy.”
--
Em wiped her mouth and shoved herself, slowly, to her feet. She coughed and held back the urge to fall to her knees again. She managed to brush her teeth and gargle before rejoining the party. Dan was surrounded by his colleagues in the lobby of the hotel. She hated San Antonio and she couldn’t wait for this conference to be over. She was supposed to keep him company but she hardly got to spend any time with him at all. This was the second to last night and there was just one last party to attend where she had to pretend to be a nice person. Dan wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head when she joined him. “Still think you have food poisoning?”
“I think it’s getting better.”
“Just a bug.” Someone else offered. “Plenty of fluids, clear foods, it’ll run its course.”
“Bed rest.” Someone else chimed in.
“Unless you’re pregnant, it’ll be over by the time you get home. Guaranteed.” Another doctor chimed in. “I always pick something up at these forsaken events.”
“I’ll be fine.” Em didn’t meet her husband’s eyes and that was clue enough for him. She squealed when he swung her around the group.
“Sweetie! Why didn’t you tell me?” Dan murmured into her hair. The others began to clap and order more drinks to celebrate.
“I wanted to wait until we got home.” She whispered back.
“Oh my God, Em… we’re having a baby.”
--
“She’s got a date, Mom.” David sniffed the milk, made a face and put the milk back. His mom reached past him, grabbed the milk, took a sniff and gagged. “Sorry.”
“Dump it.” She handed it back to him. “You’re okay with her dating?”
“Yeah…” David shrugged and began pouring the putrid milk down the drain in the sink, running the water to wash it away faster. “We were never serious, Mom.”
“Acting serious but not serious?”
“Something like that.”
“Did you guys talk about it?”
“She’s 20. I’m not.” He shrugged again. “Anyway… I’ve got a date for the thing anyways.”
Liz stared at him. He didn’t meet her eyes but he didn’t try to run away either. “Davey…”
“Mom, it’s fine.” He whined. “I don’t really care that much. Besides, it’s not going to last.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She’s dating Chuck.”
“Chuck… Michael’s Chuck?”
“That’s the one. He’ll use her the way he’s used every other girl in this town and she’ll dump him.”
--
His lips ran across her shoulders and up her neck while she caught her breath. His hand sliding up her thigh. He shifted his hips and she gasped. “Are you, again? Cause I just don’t know if I can… Oh my… I don’t do this on a first date or a second date…”
“Uh-huh.” He murmured as he slid his hand across her belly for a firmer hold as he slid inside her again. “You just feel so good.”
“Oh…” Donna moaned. Her hands clenched in the sheets. She held on while his hips moved faster and his hand drifted down to drive her crazy and up to fuel his own desires. Felt his teeth in her shoulder moments before he withdrew. “Oh, no, no, where are you going?”
“Just want to see you.” He rolled her onto her back and lifted her hips so that he could be inside her again. Slid his hands up her body starting from her knees and ending when he was face to face with her. “Need to see your eyes.”
Chuck cupped her face and kissed her softly. Watching her eyes. Beautiful eyes. Watched her come apart before ducking his face into her neck to his own release. His lips found hers. Reluctantly, he rolled off of her and watched her hop through the room to the bathroom. When she returned, she pressed herself against him. She just… fit.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Something I never think about.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go out with me… next week? Movie and dinner?”
Donna Jo blinked at him. “Sure… same as tonight?”
“No, not the same as tonight.”
She started to grin. “So, no half-dressed dinner and naked movie?”
Chuck laughed. “No, not like tonight… Fully dressed… in public…”
“Public dates? I didn’t think Chuck Allen did public dates.”
“I didn’t used to.”
--
Max walked out onto the patio and lit his cigarette, then lit one for his daughter. She took it and puffed, never taking her eyes off the stars. “Heavy thinking?”
“Nah. Just thinking.” He answered. “So, I hear that Gabriel kid is a free agent.”
“Yep.”
“You going to move in while the taking’s hot?”
“Nah.”
“But you want to?”
“I would rather be anywhere but here, smoking with my dad.” She grinned at him and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“So what’s the plan? Waiting a week? Two? A month?”
“I think I’ll let him heal and make up his own mind.” Beth puffed and blew smoke circles. “I still love him. I don’t like to see him hurting but I don’t want to make it worse by moving too fast.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“I am an all-powerful being. You gotta be smart to be all-powerful.”
“Well, I would hope so.” Max tucked her head under his chin as he contemplated the stars.
“You went out to check on it again.”
“I did.”
“It won’t let you in.”
“I know.”
“It won’t let me in.”
“No?”
“Nope.”
“Were we ever in charge?”
“Nope.”
“Is that why you keep reading on Atlantis?”
“Maybe.”
“I remember that day in the museum. You said—“
“I know what I said… I’m afraid it was a prophecy.” The word was sour in her mouth. It rang in her ears but she couldn’t let it bog her down. There were more important things. “I want a car.”
“And I want to retire as a young millionaire. We don’t always get what we want.”
“I have some money saved up for a nice clunker.”
“How nice a clunker?”
“Wheels… maybe some seats. Can’t guarantee any doors.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
TBC