Happenstance ~M/L C/C~ Pt. 45 added 4/21

MagickFantasy86 · Post by **MagickFantasy86** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:36 am

Wow. I mean WOW. HOw do you ever think up these things. This is just so complex... WOW. I love the whole Kyle and Serena thing. The minute you wrote her name, I said to myself "Oh, OH it's Serena....and and Kyle....and Oh my goodness." But it's pretty obvious that these six, possibly eight need to be together. They keep getting thrown together no matter the timeline. But can the humans survive on Antar? And you have to get the bond between Max and Liz back. I mean, Maria and Michael are bonded ( by the way, the thing with the same pilot and plane was hilarious) and so are Isabel and Alex (The restraunt/breakfast scene was great, and Liz and Max not getting it, priceless), and I'm gonna take a leap here and say that Kyle and Serena are bonded too. OOoh because Kyle knows and Maria knows and they're now step siblings and the Pod Squad knows that the Sheriff can be trusted from the other time lines does that mean they're going to get his help. But what's up with Cal? He lies to Max, and messes with their heads. Hmm, me thinks he stinks. Oh woops, I'm rambling and ... rhyming. So I guess I'll leave it at that. I LOVE YOUR STORY. I'm so glad I found it. Update. Soon. Pretty pretty please, with tabasco on top? Kerith<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/ufo.gif ALT=":ufo">

Post by **Angel13** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 1:35 pm

Tracie, Diet Coke. Lots of it. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> MagickFantasy86, Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you're liking it! Part 39 As they drive through a residential neighborhood that Max doesn’t remember being there, he looks out the window at all the homes. Roswell has changed a lot since he was teenager. The houses lining the streets are fairly large, most with three car garages and Spanish tile roofs. It makes him think about his parent’s house. Everything about it was always warm and inviting. The perfect place to grow up. As much as he didn’t like it when he and Isabel first arrived, he grew to think of that house as his safe haven. His normal. Kyle pulls into the driveway of a house that sits at the back of a cul-de-sac, drawing Max from his nostalgia. There’s a basketball goal in the driveway and a few small trees in the yard. Most likely because the neighborhood is new…Max didn’t see too many large trees as they drove through the streets. He also sees Kyle’s police truck parked in the driveway and their two rented cars parked on the street out front. “Home sweet home.” Kyle says, turning off the truck and getting out. Max and Michael follow Kyle and Serena to the front door and Max prepares himself for seeing everyone again. He can’t help but feel shame and extreme guilt for everything he saw himself do in the timelines they saw. He can’t even believe that was him. An incredible urge to just turn around and walk back to the truck threatens to overcome him but he feels Michael’s hand on his shoulder. Almost as if he could sense the panic about to come. They walk into a large, homey looking living room with olive green overstuffed furniture. Cal is sitting in a chair by the fireplace talking on his cell phone. Isabel and Maria are sitting on the large sofa flipping through what looks like photo albums. Max notices that everything looks new and tastefully decorated. There are framed personal photos on the mantel and on a couple of side tables as well as some decorative coffee table books and candles in front of his sister and Maria. Putting down his cell phone, Cal stands up and says, “Zan is down in the basement…playing video games. I brought him in before Liz and told him to stay down there.” “So he didn’t see her?” Max asks, having wondered about that back at the pod chamber. “No. Ava put him to sleep when we got out there.” Cal says before turning his attention to Serena. He smiles and walks up to her raising both of his palms toward her. She reaches her palms up to his and a soft, golden glow appears around their hands. “Serena. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re alive.” “Thank you.” She lowers her hands and steps back. “We have much to discuss.” “You have no idea.” Cal says. She smiles and says, “I heard a little bit about what’s been going on from Max and Michael.” She looks around the living room and asks, “Where’s Liz?” “I’m here.” Everyone looks over to see Liz, Ava and Alex walking in from the kitchen. Liz is tearing a piece off of a slice of toast in her hand, looking around cautiously for Zan. Serena rushes over to her, pulling her into a hug, crushing the toast between them. “Liz, I had no idea. I should have known…should have seen it.” Liz furrows her brow in confusion and says, “Should have seen what?” Serena pulls away from her and studies her closely. “That you’re changed. I sense it now…so clearly. I should have seen it before.” “Oh. That. Well, I guess I wasn’t the only one hiding things.” Liz says slyly and with a small smile, seeing her friend in a new light. She looks at Cal and asks, “Is it still safe for me to be here?” Cal nods and says, “He’s still in the basement. Ava, why don’t you go down and keep him occupied.” Ava’s shoulders slump and she heads toward the basement door, wanting to stay with everyone else but also knowing how important it is to keep Zan away from Liz. Liz sees the disappointment on her face and instantly tenses. “She can stay up here if she wants. This affects her, too. She’s not Zan’s babysitter.” Ava quirks up the corner of her mouth at Liz’s boldness with Cal and says, “It’s alright. I don’t mind, Liz, really. Don’t go all mother bear on me.” She can practically see the hackles on Liz go down as she smiles back at her and rolls her eyes. Once she’s gone, everyone falls into uncomfortable silence and they stand around staring at each other awkwardly. “So.” Serena says, noticing how uncomfortable everyone is and knowing it has to do with what they saw at the Granolith. It can’t be easy seeing alternative lives for yourself. “I’m gonna go change out of these scrubs. Kyle, why don’t you get everyone something to drink?” “Yes, dear.” He says with a smile and heads to the kitchen. Once Kyle is gone, Michael finally steps into the living room from the foyer and drops into the chair Cal vacated next to the fireplace. It’s times like this that he’s glad no one will give him shit for being silent. Isabel closes the photo album in her lap with a loud clap and sets it back on the coffee table. She looks around at everyone, seeing how they’re all avoiding eye contact and she knows they need to get this all out on the table and into the open. “Ok. So, we’re all a little freaked right now. But can I just point out one thing? We’re all the same people we were before we saw…what we saw. None of that happened to us. It happened to other people…people with different lives.” Alex walks over and sits on the edge of the coffee table next to Isabel, grateful that she got the ball rolling and says, “Isabel’s right. Those people just made some bad decisions…” “You got that right.” Maria levels her gaze at Max, her hostility toward him has only grown the longer she’s had time to process everything she saw. “Maria…” Liz says in a warning tone and Maria looks away. “I really don’t think we need to talk about this right now. There’s nothing we can do about what we saw anyway…we have our own concerns to think about. One of which is in the basement.” She turns to Cal and asks, “What exactly are we going to do with him now? It’s gonna be difficult trying to avoid him if we all remain together.” She doesn’t really think that rehashing everything right now will get them anywhere other than blame, guilt, yelling and tears. It’s all so fresh and raw right now, anyway, and the last thing she wants to do is think about it. Bad enough that the images are rushing around her head and won’t leave her alone. Cal rubs his hand across his mouth, impressed with how Liz has taken control of the situation and gotten them on track with their present concerns. “Max and I discussed me taking him back to L.A. with me. That way you won’t risk running into him in New York. I can set him up there and keep an eye on him. I’ll be heading back soon.” “Ok, well that solves the Zan problem. What about whoever it is that’s possessing him?” Alex asks, worried that they’re just dealing with the symptoms and not the disease. Kyle walks back into the living room carrying an armload of canned soda and sets them all down on the coffee table. “I’m afraid all we have is Diet Coke and Root Beer. If anyone wants water, we have lots of that.” He jokes. “Thanks, Kyle.” Alex says as he selects a root beer. Isabel notices Max and Michael exchanging looks and she asks, “What? What are you two not saying?” Liz looks at Max and he meets her gaze. In that moment she knows what he plans to do. She can see the regret swimming in the depths of his eyes but she can also see the determination. If she thinks about it hard enough, the idea popped into her head as soon as they left the Granolith. She just knew what Max would take away from those visions. She knew the conclusion he’d come to. Because it was the first thing she realized when it was all over. Before she can say anything, though, Serena comes back downstairs. “So, I guess we should start.” She grabs a Diet Coke off the coffee table and sits on the floor. Max tears his gaze away from Liz and says, “Why don’t you begin by telling us about who you really are.” “Right. Ok.” Serena pops the top of her soda and takes a long drink. “Why don’t you sit down, though? You’re making me nervous standing there.” She smiles weakly at him as he sits on the floor. “Like I told you, I come from a long line of Granolith protectors. Actually, our families have been linked for hundreds of years. For each generation your family has had a king on the throne, that king has also had a member of my family as his Granolith guardian. For each heir to the throne that is born, a guardian is also born into my family. We grew up together, you and I. The guardian is the king’s closest advisor and confidant. I guess I should mention that the guardian is always female. It’s to ensure a harmonious relationship between the king and the Granolith.” “You talk about the Granolith like it’s alive.” Isabel says. “It is, in a way. It’s a part of every being on our planet. I guess I would compare it to the God that your people worship. It is a part of us…and essentially, it is us.” Serena tries to explain but knows that they’ll never understand the Granolith completely. Not without their memories. “What happened to you, Serena? I was sure your pod didn’t survive the crash.” Cal interrupts, anxious to learn what happened to her after…considering his own fate after the crash. Her gaze wanders away for a moment as if she’s thinking of the best way to tell him. The memories dance before her like an old home movie being shown on the wall in front of her. But she shakes her head and says, “That’s a story I will share with you later. It’s not important now. But I will tell you that I was well cared for by people we can trust.” She looks over to Max and asks, “So, now that I’ve given you the Cliff Notes version of who I am, I have a few questions for you.” Max nods at her, telling her to ask her questions. “Where are the rest of the hybrids? Are they dead?” She fears the worst, but at least there’s a complete four square left. That will have to be good enough. “Rath, Michael’s duplicate, is dead. The other two, Tess and Isabel’s duplicate, are with the FBI as far as we know.” Max tells her. Serena raises an eyebrow. “And Browan? Why is he dead?” “He was working with Nicholas and Khivar.” Cal says. “Along with the duplicate set and a team of Skins. They were after the Granolith. Vilondra tried to kill Zan and Ava kept him hidden until she finally agreed to help us. That’s why they’re here. Browan was a traitor and had to be killed. Nicholas is dead as well.” She nods in thought and asks Cal, “Do you know what went wrong with the pods? Why their memories aren’t in tact?” Cal shrugs and says, “My set came out with a lot of their memories, but not all. I can only guess that Browan sabotaged his set during the flight. They also emerged at an earlier age than planned. Also, if you remember, that set was engineered with a higher concentration of human DNA…that could have had something to do with it.” “Probably a little of all those reasons.” Serena muses. “It’s unfortunate.” She gives Cal a look that Max interprets as disappointment. “On our planet…when we were killed. Were you killed as well?” Max asks, wondering how she came to be on the ship with them. Serena smiles sadly and says, “No, I wasn’t. I helped oversee your creation, though. As well as my own engineering. I suppose I could still be there…the original me, I mean. But it’s doubtful.” “You think Khivar would have had you killed?” Max asks. She shakes her head and says, “I would have killed myself before he ever had the chance to get his hands on me. It’s likely that I’m the only Serena that exists…I would never allow myself to be captured.” “What about our parents…our mother?” Isabel asks. “Do you think…maybe they’re alive still?” “Oh yes. I’m sure of it. She is probably a prisoner in her own home, but she lives. Khivar wouldn’t kill her.” Serena says this so surely before she frowns. “But you must know…your father’s dead. Zan is our King…the throne was passed to him on the day of your father’s death.” Feeling a strange pang of loss at hearing her real father is dead, Isabel asks, “How can you be so sure our mother is alive?” Serena looks uncomfortable as she glances at Cal. But he just raises his eyebrows at her to say that she should tell them. She looks at Max and Isabel and says, “Because she’s Khivar’s mother as well.” ~~~~~~~~~~ “What the hell we doin’ here, Ava?” Zan sighs and slouches back onto the sofa. “This is bullshit.” Ava looks at him in sympathy and says, “I know. But they don’t trust you…I’m sure you can understand why.” He doesn’t say anything for a full minute and Ava starts to get up, thinking he’s just going to ignore her. But suddenly he stands up and paces the room, looking around him until his gaze lands on her. It’s almost like he’s surprised to see her sitting there and looks at her more closely. “Zan? What’s the matter?” She asks him. He can hear voices from above his head and asks, “So why are we down here?” Ava looks at him confused, and says, “I told ya, they don’t trust ya. I’m sure we’ll be leavin’ soon.” “Because of Liz…because I killed Liz?” He asks her sounding almost as if he’s not sure. She starts thinking that maybe he’s beginning to break out of the block she put on his memory. But then she notices his sudden mood change and she realizes that whatever’s been going on with him…whoever has been controlling him…is doing it right now. Carefully, she stands up and brushes her pants off…trying to look casual. “Yah. You know they’re not gonna trust you now.” Zan looks at her intently and it sends a shiver down her spine…wondering who it is who’s really looking at her. “Why are we here…in Roswell?” He seems to be thinking, but Ava knows that whoever it is, is accessing Zan’s memories. “You know why.” She tells Zan, trying to sound annoyed that he’s asking a question he already knows the answer to. “Max is looking for answers. They’re tryin’ to figure out the visions.” “Right.” He says, continuing his pacing around the room once again. Ava can tell he’s digging into Zan’s memories, trying to find out what’s happened since Liz was ‘killed’. Suddenly, he stops and turns to Ava. “I want you to go up there and find out what’s going on. What’re they all whisperin’ about, anyway?” She bites her lip and says, “Cal told me to stay down here with you.” A look of complete rage comes to his face and she takes a step back. But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappears and he grins at her. “Come on, baby.” He takes a few steps toward her and raises his eyebrow suggestively. “Do it for me.” Standing in front of her, he raises his hand and threads his fingers through her hair a second before he leans down and kisses her…causing bile to force its way up into her throat. When he releases her, she stumbles back and brings her fingers to her lips. That definitely wasn’t Zan kissing her. It was a soft, gentle kiss. When Zan kisses her…the few times he actually kisses her on the mouth…it’s rough, full of uncontrolled passion, exciting. But never gentle. She takes a step toward the stairs and forces a smile on her face. “I’ll see what I can find out.” She takes the stairs, one at a time, thinking of all the possible ways they can handle this. At the top, she enters the hallway and closes the door behind her quietly. When she enters the living room, she can feel everyone’s eyes fall on her at once. She approaches Cal and leans in close to him, whispering, “Zan ain’t Zan anymore.” He looks at her, startled, then nods and looks toward the basement door. “Alright. Get back down there and act like normal.” He starts to turn away but she grabs his arm. “He sent me up here to see what you were talkin’ about.” She whispers. “Just tell him what we agreed about earlier. We’re talking about the visions everyone’s been getting.” Cal says dismissively. “That’ll keep whoever it is curious enough to stick around.” She nods and turns to go back down to the basement. She doesn’t want to go…frightened of who’s controlling Zan. She walks slowly, each click of her heal on the steps sounds like a gun going off. At the bottom, she forces a neutral look to her face and looks over to Zan. “They’re still talking about those stupid visions.” She shrugs, trying her best to look bored and flops down on the sofa. Zan appears satisfied…he sighs and starts looking at a bookshelf against the wall. Ava watches as he runs his fingers over the spines of all the books slowly, as if he’s looking for something in particular. “Who lives here?” He asks her, startling her. She doesn’t know what to say. She can’t tell him that Kyle Valenti is a friend of Liz’s. She also doesn’t know whether she should tell him about Serena. It’s obvious that she’s taking too long to answer because he turns to look at her in question. “Who lives here?” He asks again. Deciding to take the easy way out, she shrugs and says, “I dunno…someone Max knew from when he was a kid, I think.” There, that was vague enough. And believable, she thinks. He doesn’t say anything, just stares at her for a few moments and she knows she’s being judged. ~~~~~~~~~~ “Khivar seems to be a good possibility.” Serena says after Cal explains to her and the others what’s going on in the basement. “But we shouldn’t discount the other two…the ones being held by the FBI.” She can still sense the shock coming from Max and Isabel from her announcement before Ava came upstairs. She can’t imagine what must be going through their heads knowing that the one responsible for their deaths is their brother. “They’re definitely closer.” Cal says. “I was thinking Lonnie would be the more likely candidate…she’s probably got some revenge going on. But it’s hard to tell at this point who it is.” “You don’t think Tess could be doing it?” Maria asks, noticing how Liz flinches slightly when she hears the name and she immediately glares at Max…needing to blame him right now for Liz’s state of mind. She knows it’s not rational, but she can’t stop thinking about what that bitch did to all of them…to Liz, to Alex. And the irrational side of her is blaming Max, because he’s the only one here that she can blame. “Maybe. But I don’t see what her motive would be…besides the fact that she’s probably pissed off at her current circumstances.” Cal also notices the looks being passed around the room and he asks, “Is there something I’m missing?” Max isn’t meeting anyone’s eyes…feels them all on him at once. He clears his throat nervously and says, “We shouldn’t discount anyone at this point.” He knows what’s going through everyone’s heads…hell, it’s going through his own. He can’t even look at Liz…doesn’t want to see what he knows will be there. Hurt and disappointment. Logically, he knows that what they all saw didn’t happen. Not to them, really. Logically, he knows that that wasn’t him who treated his friends and family like shit. Logically, he knows that he’s not responsible for anything they saw…that he shouldn’t feel guilty for what that other Max did. But logic isn’t asserting itself at the moment. No…logic flew out of that cave opening and soared over the New Mexico desert…disappearing like so many grains of sand on a windy day. And in its place…in this reality that holds no logic…he’s sitting in Kyle Valenti’s living room with a shapeshifter, a long lost hybrid alien, and an evil possessed hybrid in the basement. In this reality, he just watched two different versions of his life play in his head in less than four minutes. During the last few minutes…as he’s listened to Serena tell her tale…as Ava came up to tell them Zan checked out and someone else checked in, one thought ran through his mind. None of what they’re talking about really matters. Because in the end, no one here will need to worry about their enemies because he’ll be going to Antar soon and take care of them himself. ~TBC~

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 1:52 pm

Uh oh! Trouble is brewing! And Max intends to go back to Antar?<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/eek.gif ALT=":eek"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... f8323d.jpg" style="border:0;"/></div>

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:52 pm

Okeyy !! that was a twist. So Khivar is Max and Isabore´s brother. MMMMmm. I didn´t see that coming, I like that. We have too many things to consider, Zan´s possesion, Vilandra and Te** situation (I would make Cal investigate about it, they shouldn´t be obvlivious to their destinys.. "Keep your enemies closer" or at least know their address) We also have still to find out the common things of the two lifetimes, or are you going to jump to Max´s stubborness on going to Antar and Liz wanting to go with him? I guess I will have to keep reading cause you won´t give me a clue jejejeje!!! We have to know more about their past lifes and about Serena and Cal, about the softness of the kiss between Ava and "whoknowswho", cause I don´t picture Khivar as a soft kisser, don´t you think? well... I know its too soon to ask for more , though !!! I WANT MORE !!! I WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER !! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)">

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:26 pm

Well that was a twist I didn't expect. Khivar is family...very interesting. I also want more background on Serena and Cal...and well, just about everything.... Keep up the awesome updates!

Post by **Angel13** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 1:51 pm

Part 40 “…Max…” He jerks his head up to his sister when he hears her loudly call his name. “Huh?” “Now is not the time for you to be checking out on us, Maxwell.” Michael says. “Cal’s getting ready to leave.” He nods his head toward Cal who’s heading toward the basement. Max looks around and notices that Liz is no longer in the living room. At his questioning gaze, Maria says, “Liz and Alex went upstairs until Zan’s gone.” He nods absently and wonders how he could have let his mind drift so much that he became completely unaware of his surroundings. Bringing his hand up to his forehead, he stands up just as they hear a knock at the front door. Everyone looks at the door at once…as if it will attack them at any second…and Kyle laughs nervously. “Geez, you guys are jumpy.” Serena walks over to the window and peeks out through the curtains. “It’s your dad.” Max looks sharply at Kyle, who notices the look of distress on his face. “Kyle, he can’t know we’re here.” “Alright. Nobody panic.” Kyle says. “Isabel, why don’t you, Max and Michael head back to my study? Cal, he doesn’t know you…you should stay. It would help explain one of the cars.” As the three aliens head down the back hallway, Kyle goes to the door to greet his dad. “Hey, Dad. What brings you by?” He opens the door, letting Jim Valenti into the foyer. “You have company?” He asks, nodding toward the cars parked on the street. “Just me.” Maria says as she walks into view, smiling. Jim smiles back and says, “Ah, just who I was looking for. You said you’d call your mom this morning…and I find you here instead.” “Yah, just thought I’d pop in and say hi to Kyle and Serena while I was here.” Maria says, trying to remain casual. “Is there a reason you wanted to do that before telling your mother you’re in town?” He lifts a disappointed eyebrow at her. “You know how she is in the morning. I just thought I’d stop by here first, let her have a few cups of coffee, then go see her at the store.” She explains. “Don’t worry.” Serena steps forward and says, “Jim, you want some coffee? I can make some for you quick.” “Oh…don’t you go to any trouble, Serena. I have to run.” He turns to Maria and says, “You wanna ride with me? I was gonna stop off to see your mom on my way in.” Jim looks into the living room and sees a strange man. Maria follows his gaze and says, “Jim, this is Cal. He’s a producer…came with me so we could discuss my next show.” She doesn’t doubt that he’ll buy it. Although he’s proud of her and brags about her all over town, Jim’s never paid too much attention to the complicated workings of her career. Jim tips his hat and says, “Nice to meet you, Cal.” “You too.” Cal says back, hoping he leaves soon. Maria grabs her purse from the side table and walks over to Jim. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer, Jim.” She turns to Kyle and hugs him briefly. “I’ll stop by later.” She then gives a quick hug to Serena before turning to Cal and saying, “I’ll just leave my car here and pick it up later. Can you find your way back to the hotel without me?” “Uh, sure. You go ahead.” Cal improvises. “Ready?” Maria asks Jim as she loops her arm around his. Jim smiles and says, “After you.” He ushers her through the door while Kyle and Serena wave goodbye. Once they’re gone and Kyle shuts the door, Cal looks over Kyle’s uniform and muses, “All in the family, eh?” “You have no idea.” Kyle smirks. “Yah, I do. I had an unfortunate run-in with your grandfather back in ‘59.” Cal glances out the window to watch the sheriff’s truck disappear down the road. He turns back to Kyle and says, “You look just like him. Anyone ever tell you that?” “All the time.” Kyle walks back into the living room, wanting to hear more about this shapeshifter’s run-in with his grandfather. Is it that incident that caused is grandfather to begin his obsession with aliens? “They’re gone!” He yells toward the back of the house. When Max, Michael and Isabel walk out, Max notices Maria’s absence. “Where’s Maria?” “She went with him…it kind of seemed like the easiest thing to do. Dad was going to the shop before work so she just went along with him.” Kyle explains. “The shop…” Max and Isabel glance at each other, obviously missing something here. Kyle narrows his eyes at them in question and asks, “You do know that my dad and Maria’s mom got married, right?” Isabel’s eyes open wide and she says, surprised, “Oh…no, we didn’t know.” Max relaxes, then. Finally he understands why the sheriff would come by looking for Maria and why she would willingly go with him. He looks at Cal and asks, “Ok, why don’t we go have a chat with Zan?” Cal gets on his phone to call Stephanie, telling her to get the jet ready to go back to L.A. When he’s done, he and Max head toward the basement. “Is your programming going to interfere with this plan?” Max asks him. “No. I only obey the King…and that’s you.” Cal says. “And Liz.” Max adds, remembering what he told her on the phone the other day. “Right.” Cal nods. “I can keep him line if that’s what you’re worried about. I just can’t kill him.” “Good. I’m really hoping I can trust you with him…because there’s not a lot I trust about you lately.” Max says as they walk down the stairs, ignoring the curious look from Cal. At the bottom, Max surveys his surroundings, impressed by the warmth and comfort of the basement. The carpet is tan, the walls a homey golden color. The furniture looks comfortable and placed for optimum viewing of the large entertainment system on the far wall. Further back, he sees a bar…framed pictures of various sports figures behind it and an antique looking tap jutting out from the top. There’s a pool table and dart board as well, and Max can tell that the basement gets a lot of use because it doesn’t smell or feel like a basement. He can imagine Kyle and his friends watching football or playing pool while drinking beer. He didn’t see a TV upstairs, so he assumes this is where Kyle and Serena relax together and watch movies or their favorite TV shows. “Finally.” Zan breaks Max out of his reverie. “Thought you was gonna keep me down here all day.” Max doesn’t say anything. Instead, he searches Zan’s face, his body language. Anything that might give a clue as to who’s really controlling him…or even if they’re there anymore. “Sit down, Zan.” Max says to him, indicating the sofa that Ava’s sitting on. It looks for a moment like he’s about to protest, but he sits. “When are we goin’ back to New York?” Max takes a deep breath and says, “We’re not going back. You’re going to L.A. with Cal and the rest of us are going to New York.” He waits a moment for that to sink in. He doesn’t have to wait long. “You’re crazy! I ain’t goin’ to L.A. Especially not with him.” Zan nods toward Cal, clearly unhappy with this turn of events. “Yes, you are. I don’t trust you. And I don’t want you anywhere near me, my family, or my friends. Cal is your protector and that’s where you belong.” “What about me?” Ava asks quietly from next to Zan. Max and Cal exchange a look. They talked briefly about Ava earlier, but want her to make her own decision. “You can come back with us, or go with them.” Max tells her. “Whatever you want. It’s not you I have a problem with.” He levels his gaze back on Zan, seeing the sneer on his twin’s face. “You gotta be kiddin’ me.” Zan looks between Max and Cal, knowing that they’re serious. They actually expect him to leave his home and move across the country. Max glances at Ava and she shakes her head slightly at him, telling him that whoever it was who was controlling Zan isn’t there anymore. This is the real Zan in front of him. “Look, I explained to you already what happened. It wasn’t me! I didn’t mean to kill her…I swear. I won’t come near any of you again…just don’t make me go with him to L.A. I’ll do anything you want…anything but that. Please, lemme go back to New York.” Zan is reduced to begging and clearly hating it. A small part of Max feels a little bad for Zan, knowing that he really didn’t have control over attacking Liz. But he’s not about to let Zan roam free in the same city as her again. “I’m sorry it has to be this way. But I’ve already made my decision.” “This is fucked up!” Zan raises his voice as he stands up to face Max. “You can’t tell me where to live.” Max raises his voice back. “I can, and I just did. You’ll do what I tell you.” He stares at Zan, moving closer to him. “I’m in charge here, and you’ll do as I say. Got it?” Zan stares at him for a few moments, then slumps back in the sofa in resignation and Ava says, “I’ll go with him.” This surprises Max and he says, “You don’t have to.” She looks over at Zan and says, “I want to.” “This is bullshit.” Zan mutters. “I’m the fuckin’ king, man. You can’t treat me like this.” “No, you’re not the king, I am. And I will decide what happens to you. I decide whether you live or die…and right now, I’ve decided you live. Don’t make me regret that decision, because I could easily change it.” Max holds his gaze for a few moments, allowing Zan to see the truth in his eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~ Cal, Zan and Ava leave without too much more discussion. Cal promises to call Max with any further developments and Max tells him he’ll call the next morning. He wants to talk to Cal about his plans and make arrangements for Cal to come back when he needs him. Max asks Ava once again if she’s sure about going with Zan. But she says she wants to and he can’t really argue with her. Cal tells them that the hotel is paid through for three more days if they want to stay and then they’re gone. Liz watches them leave from a bedroom window upstairs. “They’re gone.” She turns to Alex, who’s sitting at the end of the bed. “So, you wanna go down? Or do you wanna wait for a few more minutes?” He knows that Liz is still shaken up by what they saw earlier. He has to admit that he’s feeling slightly squicked about it, too. Taking a deep breath, Liz says, “We should go down. I can’t hide up here all day.” He stands up and puts an arm around her. “It’ll be ok.” “I hope so.” Liz gives him a small smile as they head down the stairs. When she comes into view of the living room, Liz sees Max, Isabel and Michael talking quietly…Max glancing over at her quickly when he sees her and she tries to figure out what she’s seeing in his eyes. She hates the guilt she sees so plainly, and she wants to wring Maria’s neck for making him feel worse. Actually, she feels like wringing everyone’s necks for how they were all looking at him earlier…like he’d done something wrong. “So what are you guys gonna do now?” Kyle asks, pulling Liz’s gaze away from Max. “You’re staying a couple of days, right? I mean, aren’t you going to visit your parents, Liz?” Liz bites her lip and shrugs. “I…I hadn’t really thought about what we’re doing now.” She questions Max silently with her eyes, wondering if he’s planning on staying here now or going back to New York. The look on his face earlier told her what he’s planning. She may not know him that well in this lifetime, but from what they saw at the Granolith she feels that she can make a pretty good guess at what he’s planning to do. But her parents? She hadn’t really thought about seeing them. It’s been a while and she’d love to see them, but how will she explain her sudden and unexpected trip to Roswell? Max looks back to Isabel when he sees Liz look away. “…be our brother?!” Isabel is trying to keep her voice down as she looks from Michael to Max. He shakes his head and sighs, bringing his hand up to run through his hair in agitation. There’s too much to think about right now, but too many answers to learn. And he wants those answers, that’s why they came here. “I don’t know, Is. But we’re gonna find out.” “Do you think Cal’s been lying to us?” Michael asks quietly. “Either that, or he doesn’t know as much as he claims. Right now I don’t trust him and I think we need to sit down with Serena and see what she can tell us.” Max says. Everyone’s attention is diverted when Serena turns and says loudly, “Ok, so what’s the plan? We have plenty of room here if anyone wants to stay. I have the rest of the day off, and I know that we have a lot to talk about.” Max clears his throat and looks at the others. “We still have our rooms at the hotel if anyone needs to stay there.” He looks at Serena and says, “We need to talk.” Looking over at Alex and Liz, he says, “You’re welcome to stay, but if you’d rather go see your parents...” “I think I’ll head over to my parents’ house for now.” Alex says. “I need a little…normalcy for a while. And uh…I need time to process…everything.” He misses the hurt expression cross Isabel’s face as he grabs Liz’s hand and looks down at her. “You can come with me if you want. My parents would be thrilled to see you.” He knows she’s wavering about seeing her own parents and wants to offer her an alternative in case she doesn’t want to stay here. Liz glances at Serena before squeezing Alex’s hand. “I think I’ll stay. But thanks, Alex. I’ll see you later, though?” He nods and says, “Of course. Call me.” Turning to Kyle, he says, “It was good to see you again, Kyle. Thanks for…well…thanks.” He lets go of Liz’s hand and says goodbye to Serena, then offers a wave to the three aliens…shooting an apologetic look to Isabel before he leaves. He knows Isabel is a little hurt that he’s decided to leave, but he just needs to get out of there for a while…think about things. It’s not even 10 in the morning and already he feels like he’s been awake for two days straight. Chuckling lightly to himself, he remembers that he pretty much has been. Isabel watches him get in one of their rental cars and drive off as she looks out the front window. She wishes she could have had a chance to talk to him alone but there are just too many people here for that to be possible. Tonight. She’ll get him alone tonight and then they can talk. She could see how tired he was and she feels guilty for keeping him up most of the night. A blush creeps up her face as she looks down to the floor…hoping no one else notices. “So, are you guys hungry at all? I could whip up something quick.” Kyle offers after Alex leaves. “We ate.” Michael says as Kyle looks to Liz. “Yah, we uh…we had breakfast early. But thanks.” She smiles at him, rolling her eyes internally at Michael’s gruff answer. Serena grabs her Diet Coke and heads toward the basement door. “Why don’t we go downstairs…it’s more comfortable.” ~~~~~~~~~~ “You’re wondering about Khivar.” Serena quickly guesses after everyone gets settled. She’s sitting on one end of the large, curved sofa with Liz and Max, Michael and Isabel are seated on the other. Kyle drug over an easy chair from the other side of the room and is sitting in front of the large screen TV, his feet comfortably propped up on the coffee table. “You said he was our brother…” Isabel starts, but Serena interrupts her after absently kicking Kyle’s feet off the table. “No, I said that your mother was also his.” At everyone’s confused look, she continues. “Khivar’s father, Lord Balthor, was your father’s childhood friend. Your families were always close and the two of them grew up together. Lord Balthor was made an ambassador by your father when he ascended the throne…on the nearby planet, Illyad. During his ambassadorship, he married and shortly after, Khivar was born. Khivar spent his younger years with his parents on Illyad, but when he reached schooling age, they sent him back to Antar…to be raised in the palace and sent to school with you.” Serena pauses to take a drink before continuing. “They also sent him back to Antar because there was unrest. The people on Illyad were resisting rising taxes on their exports and rumors of small uprisings against the royal family were spreading.” “So this Illyad…it was one of the five planets in our solar system?” Max asks. “Yes, the royal family of Antar ruled over the five planets for millennia. But eventually, a ruling body was created and each planet was to become independent, in theory. Each planet had their own government in place, but the council was always headed by the King of Antar. So, technically, the King of Antar still had ultimate control of the decisions of each planet’s government. There’s a lot of political history that I could go into, but let’s save that for later.” Serena looks to Max for his agreement. He nods and says, “Go on…you were saying that Illyad was resisting higher taxes?” “Right.” Serena says. “Lord Balthor was worried about retaliation against his family since they were ambassadors of the royal family and sent Khivar back to Antar to be safe. Zan, Rath and Khivar became the best of friends. They grew up together…caused all kinds of trouble.” She smiles…remembering…before she notices everyone staring at her. “Remember, I was Zan’s council…the guardian…I was close to all of them…all of you. The three of you…Zan, Rath, Khivar…man, you’d get into so much trouble. You’d always be trying to top each other with your pranks. You were always very competitive at everything. Who was the best at sports, who could get into the most trouble, who could get away with the worst prank…and later…there were the girls.” “During this time, the King and Queen formed an alliance with Illyad hoping to eliminate the bad feelings between the two planets. They arranged for the daughter of the ruler there…Sero…to marry Zan when they became of age. Zan didn’t care. He was young…and too busy being the royal brat prince to care about a future marriage. But Khivar…I could tell it bothered him as soon as the union was announced. Apparently, he had a secret, childhood love for Ava that no one knew about. And the fact that she would be marrying Zan…his closest friend…the one he always competed with for everything…it was just one of many things that started to change him.” “I think it was shortly after this announcement that Lord Balthor contacted the King, asking to come back to Antar. He felt that there were dangerous resistance groups still on Illyad and he had heard rumors of plots against him and his wife. The King laughed him away, saying that one wasn’t truly important until they had at least one plot for their death. But Balthor was right…there was an attack on his home and both he and his wife were killed, execution style, while they ate their dinner. The King and Queen were stunned…and horrified. They immediately called off their arrangement between Zan and Ava and vowed revenge. But Sero begged them to reconsider…explaining that it wasn’t an attack sanctioned by their government, but by rebels. She insisted that the attackers would be captured and punished…publicly.” “Khivar was distraught. He blamed the King and Queen for not allowing his parents to return as they requested. And he wouldn’t talk to anyone…not even Zan. Vilondra eventually won over his confidence and I saw her sneaking into his rooms most nights and they would talk for hours. About what…I have no idea. But the two of them became close…and Zan and Rath grew sad over the loss of their friend. They still tried to draw him in, but Khivar politely refused and concentrated on school. After his parents were killed, the King and Queen decided to bring Khivar into their family…officially bring him into their house. It was like being adopted here. It didn’t change much…he was already living there…but the Queen went out of her way to make him feel like part of the family. She loved his parents, as did the King, and they showered him with attention and gifts and anything he ever wanted…trying to show him that they considered him part of their family.” As Serena told them about their history, Max could see the inevitable events unfolding. Even if she stopped right there, he’s pretty sure he can guess what happened. “Over the years, he grew closer to Vilondra and the Queen. He loved them both…everyone knew that. But he could never forgive the King and blamed him until the day your father died for the deaths of his parents. The day after Zan became King, Khivar, Vilondra and Rath were called to the Queen’s office. Zan was there as well, uncomfortable with being a King at such a young age and relying on his mother to help him adjust. The Queen told them that the decision had been made for Rath and Vilondra to marry. She knew that Khivar would be upset…his attachment to Vilondra was known throughout the palace. Rath and Vilondra immediately protested, but the Queen said it had already been decided. That’s the day that Khivar disappeared.” “Over the next two years, Zan and Rath tried to find Khivar…wanted him to come back to the palace. The Queen was beside herself and ordered a group of guards to spend all their time trying to find him. And Vilondra…she wouldn’t leave her rooms. She cried almost every day. But eventually, the search was abandoned. We all became of age and Khivar was no longer a child. He was a grown man and if he didn’t want to return to the palace, no one could make him. Zan hated the way Khivar’s desertion affected his mother and couldn’t understand why it was all such a big deal. He never complained about having to marry someone he didn’t want to. That’s just the way things were. Zan had never been in love, so he didn’t understand Khivar’s devastation. Once Vilondra and Rath were married, they would soon bond and Khivar would be left…brokenhearted.” “The day Zan and Ava were to be married, Khivar showed up at the palace asking for the Queen. She was so happy to see him and couldn’t stop hugging and kissing him and telling him how much they missed him. I’m not sure about a lot of what happened after he left the Queen. I saw thousands of men storm the palace…there were explosions and people running everywhere. It was chaos. I saw Vilondra, Khivar and Zan arguing at one point and realized then that this was all Khivar’s doing. I remember him looking at me, and I saw the hatred in his eyes…right before he looked away and stabbed Zan where he stood. It was horrible…and Vilondra…she was screaming…and people were running everywhere…shots flying over our heads. I ran to Zan’s side as Khivar dragged Vilondra away and I saw there was nothing I could do. The wound was fatal and he didn’t have the strength to heal himself. I tried…but healing fatal wounds is the King’s power.” “The Granolith could have healed him…but I couldn’t find anyone to help me. I desperately searched for Rath, but he was dead. I finally found a couple of men from Zan’s royal guard and ordered them to carry Zan’s body to the Granolith Temple. But by the time we were able to make it there, it was too late. I knew what had to be done, then, and I searched for the Queen. I found her room being guarded by two of Khivar’s men and I snuck away from the palace, confident that I was doing what the Queen wanted me to.” “Years before, Zan’s father started working with our scientists to try and clone our essence and mix it with alien DNA. They found a planet in another solar system…one that wasn’t as technologically advanced as ours…a planet that had a hospitable atmosphere…a place where no one would think to look. The threat against the royal family was always present, and the King wanted options to be in place in case of an attack. I had my two faithful royal guards with me and they brought Zan’s body to the inconspicuous warehouse where the lab was. I found the scientists there busily working…concluding, like me, that the time had come to implement the plan.” She finally stops and leans back on the sofa, sipping at her Diet Coke. “And the rest…you know.” The three aliens are speechless, and Liz asks, “So how did you get the others there? And what about the Queen? Did you see her again?” “I ordered the royal guards to use any means necessary and to use any resource they could to bring Rath’s body back. When they returned, I wasn’t very surprised to see that Ava was dead as well, but I was in complete shock to see that they also carried the dead body of Vilondra. I don’t know what happened, or why she ended up dead. That’s why I was a little disappointed that you didn’t have any of your memories. It’s locked in there somewhere, and it would help to explain what happened with Khivar during those last hours. And no, I never saw the Queen again. But she was able to have a communicator delivered to the warehouse, so I knew she was alive and aware of what we were doing.” “And you? What happened to you?” Liz asks, fascinated by the entire history. “My memories of Antar stop the day I was podded and the ship left for Earth. Like I said before, most likely Khivar would have sought me out since I am the Granolith guardian. But in that event, I would have made it impossible for him to capture me. With the King dead, he could have gained control of the Granolith through me. That’s another reason I sent the Granolith along with the pods…it has to be kept out of Khivar’s hands. Without it, he will never truly be able to rule.” ~TBC~

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 7:09 am

Wow that was one story about their past selves! Some parts of it had me crying! But it's just perfect! i'm still very shocked that Kivar is Max and Isabel's brother but why he is doing what is doing now makes sense. Wonder whats going to happen next! <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... f8323d.jpg" style="border:0;"/></div>

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 4:21 pm

Wow !!! that´s was quite a story .... So Khivar is Max´s stepbrother and he loved Ava at first and then Vilandra. Two strong reasons to hate Max and Michael. I am willing to read Max and Liz´s conversation about what the Granolith have shown them. When are they going to find the common things in each different life? I know the main thread is the world war, and I also know it would really help to go to Antar first. However, would that stop Khivar to conquer Earth? mmmmmmmmm !!! Great update as usual I can´t wait for the next, please hurry !!!

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 1:25 am

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

Post by **splatty** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:21 am

Angel, just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to catch up with your fic. I love your writing, and I'm excited to see that I have so many parts waiting for me to read! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> I'm up to part 10 so far, and it rocks. I can't wait to see what else you have planned. <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>

Post by **splatty** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 3:58 pm

Angel, I just finished part 12 and it rocked! Can you help me write some action scenes for my own lame-o fics? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>

Post by **splatty** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:53 pm

Just finished part 21 and I can't stop reading. How do you write such good stuff? Can I come and do a fanfic internship with you? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... y>ssplatty </A> at: 3/23/04 1:05 pm

Post by **splatty** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:09 pm

Um, OK, so where's the next part? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> What an exciting fic and look at how much has happened in a short time! I have a feeling a whole lot more is going to happen before this fic wraps up. I hope they have time to hone their powers and develop a kick ass strategy to defeat Kivar before they have to go back. Hmmm, what happened to Vilondra? Will we be able to get Isabel to remember? And what's with Ava leaving - will they need her when they return to Antar? And - oh yeah - just one more thing (for now) - could Max just say to Cal, "From now on you are to tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you Granolith." <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> He seems to be hiding things from them, but what? Who's side is he on anyway? I wish somebody would just friggin ask him. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>

Post by **Angel13** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 12:00 am

Patty, <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> I had to go back and read part 12 to see what action you were talking about. <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> I hate writing action...there's too much going on that needs to be kept track of, and my brain can only hold so much information. I had to draw a diagram to keep it all straight. <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> And yes, Cal is just soooo annoying, isn't he? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> Glad you're liking it! Hope you feel better soon. Part 41 “So who are the Skins?” Max asks as soon as he can find his voice. Serena sighs and sets her can of pop on the coffee table. “They’re from Illyad…supporters of Khivar’s. They are unable to survive in Earth’s atmosphere, it’s one of the reasons this planet was chosen. Unfortunately, there was a leak in the plans to send the royal four here and they followed us. They arrived on Earth just a few years after we crashed but didn’t have an exact location since your pods were hidden. They also had to spend time adapting to this planet and its customs. They created husks that would allow them to walk freely without notice, but they had to spend several years after their arrival learning basic things, like talking, reading, and writing. They were like newborn babies in these husks. It bought time, but they’ve been on this planet almost as long as we have.” “We’re supposed to go back, right? What do we have to do to get ready?” Michael asks suddenly, causing every head to whip in his direction. “Michael.” Max complains, wishing he didn’t just blurt it out like that before they had a chance to talk to Isabel about it. “What?!” Isabel exclaims. “What are you talking about? We can’t go back…Cal said…” She turns to Serena in confusion. But Max speaks up instead. “We can survive. Tess went back…in another timeline…and she survived.” He turns to Serena and asks, “Why would Cal tell us we weren’t meant to go back?” She shakes her head and says, “I don’t know. He’s been here a long time…maybe he just doesn’t want anything to do with it anymore. It’s hard to tell…but he was always loyal to the royal family. He was one of the King’s personal guards.” “You’re not seriously thinking about going back, are you?” Isabel asks in disbelief. Max glances quickly at Liz, unable to look at her for long and noticing that she hasn’t said anything yet. He takes a deep breath and nods. “Yes.” “Are you insane?” Isabel stands up and paces to the far side of the room. “We don’t know the first thing about fighting in some war. We’ll probably be killed the minute we land there.” “Isabel, you saw for yourself what will happen. Khivar knows where we’re at and he’ll come here…he’ll destroy this planet because we’re on it. We aren’t prepared to fight him here…we never will be.” Max says. “And we will be if we go there? You’re crazy if you think the three of us can just go there and fight him.” Isabel argues. “It won’t be the three of us. There are people there…fighting in our name…waiting for us to return. And I’m not asking you or Michael to go with me.” He looks at Serena and asks, “Can you help me train…help me with my powers?” Serena nods and starts to say something, but Michael speaks first. “I’m going with you.” Max turns to look at Michael and says, “I don’t expect you to. Maybe you should stay...in case I’m not successful.” Michael just stares at Max and repeats, “I’m going with you.” Liz sits, silent, as she watches Max nod his agreement before he tries to explain to Isabel why he’s made the decision he has. She turns her attention to her hands in her lap, noticing that she’s been twisting her fingers around each other until they’re white. Releasing her tight grip, she looks up and notices Kyle studying her. She tries to offer him a smile, but she knows it’s weak and probably looks like some sort of sneer instead. He flicks his eyes toward the stairs, inviting her to go up with him to talk alone and she nods gratefully. When she stands, the conversations stops and Kyle says, “We’ll be right back.” She follows him up the stairs, feeling Max’s eyes on her. Once they’re seated in the kitchen, Kyle says, “It looked like you wanted to get away.” His tone is sympathetic and she can’t keep the tears from coming to her eyes. She laughs self-deprecatingly as she swipes them away. “Sorry…I just…it’s a little too much to take right now.” He nods in understanding and says, “I had no idea.” At her questioning look, he adds, “That you were in love with him.” She shrugs and says, “I think I always have been.” “That’s why you broke up with me…back in high school, isn’t it?” He asks. “No…not really. I mean, I guess…but we were better as friends, don’t you think?” She smiles at him. “It would have never worked with us.” “No, I know that. Now.” He laughs, remembering how mad he was back then. How he kept following her around wanting to know why she broke up with him right before their junior prom. He looks at her closely and sees how she keeps glancing toward the basement door. “Does he feel the same way?” She pauses…remembering the past few days. She remembers the feel of his lips on hers from the night before and she nods. “Yes.” Yes, she knows that he loves her, too. That he’s always loved her. “So what do you think about this plan of Max’s? I take it you’re not too thrilled.” “That’s an understatement. But what can I do?” She shrugs and a frustrated huff escapes from her mouth. “Kyle…what we saw…it was awful. And I know that’s what he’s thinking about. That the same thing will happen again. A part of me even agrees that it looks like the only answer is for them to go back. But…” She shakes her head and rests it in her hands on top of the table. “I just wish I could think of an alternative.” “Sounds like he’s already made up his mind.” Kyle says. Liz looks up and asks, “You don’t think Serena will go too, do you?” Her eyes widen suddenly in worry. Kyle smiles and says, “No. I’m pretty sure she won’t.” Furrowing her brow, Liz looks at Kyle closely and smiles with him. “Really?” When he nods, her smile gets bigger. “Wow…congratulations! I know how hard you guys have been trying.” “We just found out yesterday, so wait for her to tell you. She’ll be pissed that I ruined the surprise for her.” “My lips are sealed.” Liz reaches over and squeezes Kyle’s hand. “I’m so happy for you.” He squeezes back and says, “Thanks. So what about you? What are you gonna do now?” “I have no idea.” She says helplessly. “You should stay here with us for a couple days. Or until you go back home. I know Serena would love to have you here. So would I.” Kyle is sincere with his offer. He doesn’t like the lost look on her face and hopes that spending some time with him and Serena will be good for her. Liz smiles in thanks and cocks her head to the side. “Kyle, when I called the other day…you knew what I was fishing for, didn’t you? About the visions?” “I didn’t know, Liz. I mean, I knew what was going on…Serena told me. But I didn’t know you were involved. I saw you in visions I had, so I knew you were involved in other timelines…but I didn’t know. Serena told me you might be having visions because you were involved before. So I said just enough to make you think you weren’t crazy and to get you curious in case you were involved and we didn’t know it.” Kyle leans forward and continues. “When I saw you drive up with Evans out in the desert, I wasn’t really surprised. I mean…I was…but I wasn’t. You know what I mean?” Liz nods and says, “I just can’t believe that I’ve been friends with Serena for so many years. And all this time…” She shakes her head and looks at the table. All those years she never had anyone to talk to. She had to hide her powers from her family and closest friends. And during all that time, she had someone she could have talked to about it right under her nose. “She fees awful about it. Especially because of what happened to you over the last few years…the guilt’s eating her up inside.” Kyle says. Liz furrows her brow before she realizes what he’s saying. “You guys have a connection…a bond. You can feel what she’s feeling.” “We’ve been married for a long time, Liz. And I have to tell you…it comes in handy.” He grins. Before she can answer, though, she hears her cell phone ringing in the other room. She quickly retrieves it from her jacket and sees that it’s Maria. “Hey, Maria.” “Liz, you have to come rescue me.” Maria’s voice is a strained whisper. “What’s wrong?” Liz immediately worries about what could have happened. “I’m trapped in my mom’s store with the entire town of Roswell! That’s what’s wrong!” Liz smiles. “Ok, Maria…I’ll be there in a minute.” “Thank you! Hurry!” Liz hears her phone go dead and she puts it back in her jacket. “Maria’s being mobbed in her mom’s store.” She says to Kyle as she slips the jacket on. “You want me to go get her?” He asks. She shakes her head and heads toward the basement. “That’s ok. I kind of wanna get out for a little bit anyway.” She walks downstairs and hears a heated conversation stop when the sound of her footsteps on the stairs announces her. All eyes are on her as she walks into the large room and she says, “I need to go get Maria. Does someone have the keys to the other car?” Isabel stands up and fishes the key from her pocket, handing it to Liz. “Is anything wrong?” “Not really. I guess the word spread that she’s in town and she’s being mobbed at the store.” Liz smiles weakly, noticing the frown on Michael’s face. “We’ll be back in a little while.” She turns to go but stops when she hears Max call her name. When she turns her head, he says, “Be careful.” She nods once and walks quickly up the stairs. ~~~~~~~~~~ “Are you ok?” Liz asks as Maria shakes out a cigarette and rolls down the passenger side window. “I knew this would happen.” Maria says. “I need to get the fuck out of this town.” She raises a shaky hand to light her cigarette before inhaling deeply and blowing out the open window. “I wish you’d quit.” Liz doesn’t usually say anything about Maria’s smoking, thinking that if she was gonna quit, she’d have to decide on her own. But she’s noticed Maria smoking more than usual lately and she can’t keep her mouth shut anymore. Maria ignores Liz’s statement and decides to change the subject. “So what kind of alien crisis did I miss in the last hour?” When Liz doesn’t answer, she turns her head and her face drops. “Oh God…what now?” Liz takes a deep breath and says, “They’re going back. To their planet.” Liz glances at Maria and quietly says, “Max and Michael. I don’t know if Isabel’s going or not…I left.” Maria turns to face the windshield and takes another drag off her cigarette. Liz sees that her hand is shakier than before and the color has drained out of her face. “Maria, say something.” “Hmm? What’s there to say?” Maria keeps her gaze, unseeing, on the road in front of them. Liz has no answer for that and looks forward herself. She thought Maria would fly off the handle at her revelation. She thought there would be yelling and swearing. But she didn’t expect silence. She didn’t expect Maria to pretend she was indifferent. As they drive up to Kyle and Serena’s house, Liz sees Max sitting on the front porch and he stands as she pulls the car up to the curb and turns it off. He’s been waiting for them. She’s not sure whether she should be happy about that, or worried. She’s surprised when Maria immediately gets out of the car and walks through the front door, sweeping past Max without a word. “Hey.” Liz says as she approaches him. He turns from the door Maria disappeared into back to Liz. “Is everything ok?” “I told her. That you guys are going back.” Liz says, looking down the front walk and noticing the same gray car parked a few doors down that she saw behind her in town. She narrows her eyes and sees someone sitting in the front seat. “Oh.” He says, shifting slightly and missing the way Liz is looking down the street. “I was hoping I could talk to you…about that.” “What is there to say? It sounds like you’ve made up your mind.” Liz says shortly, immediately regretting the hurt tone of her voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to…sound like that.” Max stuffs his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and asks, “Can we get out of here…go somewhere else for a little while?” Liz looks toward the front door, worried about Maria for a moment. But Kyle and Serena are there…she’ll be fine. “Sure. We can walk…there’s a park around the corner.” ~~~~~~~~~~ The first person Maria sees when she walks in the house is a teary eyed Isabel. The two exchange understanding looks of sympathy and helplessness and Maria walks straight into the kitchen where she sees Kyle and Serena. “So the word is out.” Kyle comments as soon as he sees her. He sees the look on her face and thinks she’s pissed that she got cornered in her mom’s store. “You know everyone in this town is just desperate for any news about you. They don’t mean any harm.” “Yah.” Maria says absently as she takes her jacket off and drapes it across the back of one of the kitchen chairs. She looks up at Serena and says, “I’m not feeling really well right now. Do you mind if I go lie down for a few minutes?” “Of course not…make yourself at home.” Serena immediately goes into action, leading Maria to one of the guest rooms. “Do you want me to make you some tea?” “No, I’m fine. Thanks. I just…my stomach. I’m feeling a little queasy…probably because I got up so early this morning.” She shares a smile with Serena as she lies down on top of the covers. “I’ll be fine.” Serena nods and heads toward the door. “Just let me know if I can get you anything.” She closes the door slightly, leaving it open just a crack. Maria throws her arm over her eyes. They’re going back. To their planet. Max and Michael. The words keep echoing in her head and she fights to silence them. Fucking Michael. Of course he’d go. What else should she expect? That he’d stay here…for her? A bitter laugh escapes when she thinks of the truth that question held in another timeline. She can hear the faint sound of her cell phone ringing from downstairs and curses silently. Her manager’s probably going crazy. She’s supposed to start her new tour in a few days. It’s the last thing she wants to do right now. But maybe it’ll be good for her…get her mind off of everything else…off of Michael. The floor outside the bedroom door squeaks and she turns her head expecting someone to come in. But the door doesn’t open. She can see through the crack that Michael’s standing there, shifting back and forth as if deciding whether to come in or not. “You can come in.” She says. The door opens slowly and Michael steps into the room holding her cell phone out to her. “It was ringing. I thought you might need it.” She holds her hand out for it and when he hands it to her she turns it off before tossing it on the bed beside her. “Thanks.” He looks at her, uncomfortable, trying to decide whether he should leave or not. “Serena said you aren’t feeling well.” She sits up and tugs her shirt down absently. “Liz told me…that you’re leaving.” He looks surprised for a moment, then sits on the edge of the bed next to her. “Yah.” Taking a shaky breath, she asks, “When?” “A few months. We need to prepare…develop our powers.” He says. “I can’t let him go alone.” For some reason, he feels like he needs to explain it to her…get her to see why he has to go. “How do you know you won’t be killed as soon as you get there?” She can’t help but think about what almost happened in the last timeline. “We don’t. But we have to do something. Waiting here again for Khivar to attack isn’t an option.” “Is Isabel going, too?” Maria asks, remembering that Liz wasn’t sure. Michael pauses, then says, “No.” He doesn’t offer an explanation and Maria doesn’t have enough energy to ask why. She lies back on the bed and closes her eyes. “Well, I guess we made the right decision. About not getting involved. Now it’ll be easier for you to go. No attachments…right?” He looks at her, surprised. “You think it’s easy for me?” She shrugs and says, “I just mean that you don’t have anything keeping you here this time.” He doesn’t know what to say to that. If only she knew…but maybe she does. Maybe she does know how he feels about her and she’s trying to make it easier for him by denying that she feels the same way. Or maybe she doesn’t. He looks down at her face, confused. Her eyes are shut but there’s a lone tear falling from the corner and down into her hair. Without thinking, he reaches his hand out to catch it. “Maria…” She slaps his hand away and sits up, angry. “Don’t! Just…don’t.” She furiously scrubs at her eyes, hating that they’re shedding tears over him. “I’m not crying.” He looks at her and sees that she’s trying to be strong…trying to push him away. Does this mean that she cares whether he stays or goes? Does this mean she might care about him…just a little? “Why are you upset?” She looks at him in disbelief and rolls her eyes. Jumping off the bed, she paces toward the door and back across the room. “Why am I upset?! How can you ask me that? You’re planning on jetting off to another planet, Michael. I’ll probably never see you again. You’ll probably get yourself killed and I’ll never know what happened to you. I’ll never see your face again…I’ll never get to make you spaghetti…I’ll never feel you watching me when I sing again…I’ll never see you play with our kids, the ones we were supposed to have…I’ll never be able to nag at you to take out the trash…I’ll never watch you mow the lawn…I’ll never feel you kiss me and hold me at night…I’ll never get those things.” Flabbergasted, Michael shakes his head and says the first thing he can think of. “I don’t know how to mow grass.” Maria spins around toward him suddenly and slaps at his arms and his chest, frustrated tears streaming down her face. “You asshole!” He stands up, then, and grabs her wrists to keep her from hitting him. Surprised at her tirade and outburst, he pulls her close and wraps his arms around her tight to keep her still. “Shhh. Don’t cry.” His heart has suddenly swelled with happiness and shattered with heartbreak at the same time. She loves him. And he feels like dying because he has to leave her. She sobs against his chest, totally broken as he squeezes her tightly to him. Her arms are trapped between their bodies as she shakes in sorrow and anger. “I hate you.” She says weakly as she sniffles loudly and her sobs grow quieter. “Yah, I know.” He releases his hold on her enough so that he can tip her face up to his. He wipes the tears from her cheeks and leans over to the nightstand to grab a tissue. He brings it up to her nose and says, “Blow.” She does as he asks without thought and he tenderly wipes her nose like he would a child before tossing the tissue back on the nightstand. He grabs another one and wipes her eyes gently and dries her cheeks. She shudders with the last of her tears as she looks up at him. “Take me away from here, Michael.” He knows what she’s asking for. And how can he refuse? Not with the way she’s pleading with her eyes. Not with the way she’s trembling in his arms. His mind runs through the short list of protests he could make before rejecting them all. She has a tour starting soon. He has details to go over with Max and Isabel. She has people counting on her and responsibilities to fulfill. He has a life that needs wrapped up in New York. But he can’t deny her. He can’t deny himself. “Ok.” He bends down and gently kisses each of her eyes before placing a soft kiss on her mouth. ~~~~~~~~~~ “Take me with you.” Liz’s voice pierces the silence as they walk into the deserted park a few minutes after leaving Kyle and Serena’s. They haven’t said anything the entire way, each wrapped up in their thoughts, and Max almost doesn’t hear it when Liz finally does say something. “What?” He turns to her suddenly, not believing he heard her correctly. “Take me with you. I wanna go…with you…and Michael. I can help. I have powers, too.” She’s stopped walking and is looking up at him in determination. His face crumbles and he shakes his head. “Liz, no.” “Why not? Max, we saw…you saw the same thing I did. We’re stronger when we’re together. I can help you, I know I can. And with Isabel, we’ll have a sort-of four square. It has to be better than nothing, right? I can’t mindwarp, but I can work to develop my powers. I can work on my future sight…and my blasting.” She’s stepped away from him now, deep in thought…growing excited with the possibilities. “Maybe Isabel and I could work on mindwarping…or maybe Ava can help…” Max steps toward her and turns her to him. “Liz…stop. You can’t go.” He says forcefully. “Listen to what you’re saying. I’m going to another planet…and there’s every possibility that I won’t be able to come back. You aren’t going.” He shakes his head and grips her upper arms tightly. She wrenches away from his grip and takes a slow step back as she shakes her head. “You can’t keep me from going. I’ll talk to Michael…he’ll see that I’m right. And Serena…” “They’ll say no…because I’ll tell them to. Don’t do this, Liz. Please.” “You can’t make me stay. The Granolith will still recognize me as the Queen…and Cal said he still has to do what I tell him. You can’t make me stay.” She says defiantly, grasping at whatever she can. Max can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Liz, you have to stay. What about Maria, Alex, your parents…your job…” “Fuck my job, Max! I will not lose you! Not again!” She shouts at him angrily, trying to break through his absurd thought that he has to keep her protected. “And I’m not willing to lose you! God, Liz! Don’t you know this is killing me?!” He shouts back before angrily shoving his hand through his hair, trying to calm the heart battering the inside of his chest. “I refuse to stand by and watch you die…again…because of me. And if I have to go to another planet to make sure that doesn’t happen, then I’m going. And dammit, you’re not going with me.” She doesn’t know what to say to that and he takes her silence as a chance to continue. “I love you, Liz. And I love that you’d give up everything to come with me. But I won’t let you do it. If there’s one thing I’m able to stand firm on with you…one thing that I can guarantee you can’t change my mind on…it’s this.” She crumbles under the weight of his words, realizing that there’s nothing she can do to change his mind. He’s going to leave…without her…and she probably won’t see him again. She’s lost him. For good this time. And the worst part is she never really had him in the first place. Max watches the emotions cross her face…most prominently, the defeat. And as much as it kills him, he breathes an internal sigh of relief that it’s there. Of all the things he expected her to say to him, wanting to come with him was one he didn’t expect. He takes a step toward her and his voice is softer. “Liz.” She can’t form any words right now. She doesn’t know what to say. He’s begging her with his eyes to accept his decision. But all she can do is stand there and stare at him helplessly. She feels his hand on her cheek hesitantly stroking it and she feels like crying. But tears won’t come. Maybe she’s in shock. It’s finally sinking in that he’s leaving…without her…and he won’t ever come back. “Liz.” He says again, bringing his other hand up to frame her face. She’s looking right at him…right through him…and he just wants her to say something. To yell at him again…anything. But her silence is so much worse. “When are you leaving?” She finally asks him. “In a few months…maybe three. I’m gonna go back to New York for a week or so and wrap up some things, then I’m coming back here to train with Serena and Cal. Michael, too.” Max says quietly. Liz nods and asks, “Isabel’s not going?” “No.” He says simply. Not wanting to describe the scene between he and Isabel when that was decided. He studies Liz closely…confused at her sudden calmness about the situation. He wishes there were something he could say or do. But he’s not sure what it would be. Liz looks down at her shoes, suddenly fascinated by them. She knows Max is waiting for her to say something, but she has no energy for it. “We should get back.” She says, glancing up at him quickly before turning to leave the park. “Liz, wait…” He grabs her arm to keep her from leaving. “What else is there to say, Max?” She looks at him, sadness in her voice. “I’m so…emotionally spent right now. It’s not even noon and I feel like I’ve been up for days and that I’ve been on this…roller coaster that won’t stop. I just…” She struggles to tell him how she’s feeling but can’t do anything other than take a step away from him and run a hand through her hair. “We should get back.” He nods, feeling his heart shrivel up in his chest at the look on her face…the sadness and defeat in her voice. But before he lets her turn away, he wants to make sure she knows. “You know that I love you, right? That I wish this could be different?” “I know.” She says quietly. “But it turns out…in the end, it doesn’t matter.” She sees the truth of it in his eyes and on his face and she reaches a hand out for his. He looks down at her offered hand, then to her face before he intertwines his fingers with hers and they slowly walk out of the park and back to the house…in silence. ~TBC~

Post by **splatty** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 12:09 pm

Argh is that ever heart-wrenching. Angel, you better come back quick and fix this. I'm pretty sure that Max and Michael going alone is NOT going to work. Ummmm, did Max not learn anything from watching the previous timelines? Stubborness and martyrdom did NOT really work. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":b"> <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:28 pm

I agree with ssplatty, does not Max learn anything being stubborn yet ? Poor Liz, I was hoping she would revel agains his oppinion. May be she has something else on her mind. Poor María finally she confessed her feelings to Michael. I am happy for them

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:00 pm

Wow....this was such a great update. I wish Max would stop being such a bonehead though. And finally Maria is going to acknowledge her feelings for Michael..it is rather bittersweet.

Post by **majiklmoon** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 12:29 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>Ummmm, did Max not learn anything from watching the previous timelines? <hr></blockquote> when has Max ever learned ANYTHING? great job as always :angel *sigh* I don't have an Angel smilie, do I? I'll have to take care of that <center>It all started with a boy, a girl, and a silver handprint.</center><center><a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... a></center>

Post by **Angel13** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 12:58 am

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Hope you enjoy this next part... Part 42 After their emotional confrontation in the park, Max and Liz walk hand in hand down the street toward Kyle and Serena’s house. Neither has said a word since they left the park. Neither has anything more to say that hasn’t been said already. As they get closer, Liz notices the grey car once again and says, “Later…we’re gonna have a discussion about why you have these people following me.” Max looks at her, surprised, and then nods. She’s right, of course. He should have told her when they got here…and he’s really not all that surprised that she noticed. There’s just been so much going on that it completely escaped his mind. He should have known she’d figure it out. Maria was right. At the house, Max sees Michael walking out the front door…Maria clutched tightly to his side. He’s carrying what looks like a couple of jackets and Maria’s purse and he’s headed for the car parked at the curb. Max looks at Liz and they both speed up to see what’s going on. “Maria?” Liz races across the lawn toward her friend, concerned about how pale she looks. “Michael, what’s going on?” Max asks as Michael opens the passenger door of the car and throws their things in the back. “We’re leaving.” Michael turns to face Max. “Leaving? Where?” Max is thoroughly confused and glances over at Liz and Maria huddled together, talking quietly. Did Michael change his mind about going? “Away.” Michael says simply. When he sees Max’s confused look, he says, “We’ll be back in a week.” Max realizes then that they’re going away together to spend this last bit of time they have alone and he feels the crushing guilt again. He clenches his jaw and asks, “Is there anything you want me to do for you…in New York?” Obviously, Michael doesn’t ever plan on going back there. “No. There’s nothing there I need.” Michael watches Maria hug Liz and walk toward them, stopping in front of Max. Maria puts both of her hands on Max’s upper arms and says, “I’m sorry, Max. For being such a bitch earlier. I didn’t mean to…” If anyone can understand acting irrationally, it’s him. And he knows this morning was hard on everyone. “I know.” He says to her. “It’s ok, Maria.” She smiles sadly at how easily he accepts the guilt and blame and says, “It’s really not.” She leans in and hugs him quickly before turning away and getting into the passenger seat of the car. “Maria left the name and number for the pilot…whenever you guys are ready to go back to New York.” Michael says. Liz nods at him and walks over to the car, lightly tapping on Maria’s window. Maria turns and smiles sadly up at Liz and presses her palm to the window as Liz presses hers on the other side. After a moment, Liz turns and walks back into the house without a word. “I’ll be here when you get back…don’t know where I’ll be staying, but I’ll call.” Michael tells Max as he walks around to the driver’s side and opens the door. Max nods and steps away from the car…speechless. There’s nothing to say, really. And he’s glad that Michael’s finally admitted his feelings for Maria and that they’ll at least get this time together. He stands in the grass on the front lawn and watches Michael pull away from the curb and drive down the street. He stands there, watching, until the car turns a corner and he can’t see them anymore. If only he could sweep Liz away for a week. If only he could make the ache in her heart go away. If only he could agree and let her come with him. If only he could make the ache in his heart go away. If only… ~~~~~~~~~~ As night falls on Roswell, Isabel stares at the stars from the bench in the park across the street from their hotel. She wonders which one is their planet and searches in vain for the V formation and can’t find it. It must not be the right time of year to be able to see it from Earth. After they left the Valenti’s house earlier, they came back to the hotel and Liz went to her room saying she wanted to take a nap. Isabel followed suit and woke up just after dinner. She hasn’t seen Max or Liz since then…deciding to go for a short walk where she ended up here rethinking the argument she had with Max and Michael that morning in Kyle and Serena’s basement. After Michael’s declaration that he’s going with Max settles over them, Isabel sinks down onto the sofa and says, “I’m going, too.” “No.” Max says quickly. “I think you should stay.” “What?! No, I’m not staying…I’m going, too. I’m not letting you two run off on this suicide mission and get yourselves killed. I’m going.” She says angrily. “Isabel, there are reasons I want you to stay here. Besides the fact that I know you don’t wanna go. One of us needs to be here in case…in case we’re not successful. Serena will need your help to protect everyone.” Max says. “But if you’re not successful, there’s nothing we can do to protect anyone anyway, Max. I can be more help if I go with you.” Isabel argues as she stands up again and paces the basement in agitation. “Our parents will need you.” He says, interrupting her argument. Off her surprised reaction, he says, “I think maybe we should tell them. Everything. What do you think?” “You want to see them? You really wanna tell them, Max?” This catches her off guard…it’s the last thing she ever thought Max would agree to. She’s wanted to tell them for so long…wanted to see them desperately. “Yes. I want them to know…before I leave. I think they should know.” Max says. “And when I leave, they’re gonna need you. You have to be here for them.” Isabel suddenly gets angry at his tactic. “Are you only agreeing to finally do this to manipulate me into staying?” “If that’s what you wanna call it. But I really do want to see them before I leave, and I think they deserve to know the truth.” Max explains. “Call it whatever you want to, but I know you don’t wanna go with us…and I really don’t think you should. Given your history with Khivar.” “You think I’ll be a liability.” Isabel says, finally hearing the real reason he doesn’t want her to go. She sits back down in defeat. “Maybe. But first and foremost, I’m worried about you. I don’t know what’ll happen there and I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.” His voice softens as he moves to sit next to her. “Stay here and protect our parents. Stay here with Alex…help Serena protect the Alex, Maria, and…Liz…I have to know that someone will be here to do that.” She hears his voice catch when he says Liz’s name and she can’t help but feel the pain he’s feeling. “Promise me you’ll do whatever is necessary to come back, Max. No matter what happens…even if you can’t beat him. You have to come back.” He closes his eyes, relieved that she’s agreeing to stay and says, “I’ll try.” But she doesn’t believe him. A part of her believes that he’s going there to defeat Khivar…or die trying. The sound of someone clearing their throat surprises her and she whips her head around to see Alex standing a few feet away. “Hey. What’s going on in that head of yours?” He closes the space between them and sits down next to her on the bench. “Just thinking about Max and Michael.” She says, looking back toward the stars. “I heard. I was just up talking to Liz.” He tells her and she looks over. “How is she?” Alex shrugs and says, “I’m not sure. Silent. I’m worried about her.” “Michael and Maria just took off this morning.” She tells him, although Liz probably already told him about it. He nods, already having heard. “So how are you doing?” She shakes her head and says, “I don’t know. I mean, like those visions this morning weren’t enough…now my stupid brothers are going off to some planet.” She snorts a laugh and says, “And…I keep hoping that I’ll just wake up…and we’ll be in bed this morning…and I’ll realize today’s just been this bad dream.” “Hmm. That would be nice.” He looks at her then, and stands up. “Have you had dinner yet?” He reaches his hand out to her. She smiles and places her hand in his as she shakes her head and stands up. “Dinner sounds good.” She leans in close to him and licks her lips. “But room service sounds even better, don’t you think?” Alex agrees wholeheartedly and they make their way back across the street to the hotel. ~~~~~~~~~~ Lying on her bed, Liz stares at the curtains in her room and counts the hooks keeping it on the rod over and over again. She woke up a couple of hours ago feeling rested and hungry so she went down and ate a quick sandwich in the hotel café with Alex. Afterward, she came back up here and tried to watch TV, but found she couldn’t concentrate on anything that was on. Sighing in frustration, she sits up and looks at herself in the mirror over the dresser before pulling a brush out of her bag, intent on doing something about her crazy looking hair. She wonders what Maria and Michael are doing…where they’re at. Then she wonders what Max is doing. Is he sitting in his room by himself…just like her? Setting the brush down on top of the dresser, she steps closer to the mirror and studies her reflection. She never really paid that much attention to the changes in her appearance as the years passed by. She knew she looked different, but never thought there was that much of a change. But as she looks closely at her face now, she sees lines at the corners of her eyes that didn’t use to be there. And the skin under her eyes is thinner. She places both hands on her cheeks and raises them, stretching her skin upward and she wonders when gravity started taking its toll on her face. She drops her hands and rolls her eyes at herself. If anyone should know the effects of aging on the skin, it should be her. Why is she suddenly worried about it? She turns from the mirror and tries to think of anything else that might distract her from thinking about Max. She looks at the clock and sees that it’s just a little after 7pm. Maybe a run would do the job. But she didn’t bring anything to run in. The sneakers she brought aren’t her running shoes. Crap. She glances toward the door and finds that she can’t keep herself trapped in this room any longer. Regardless of the fact that she doesn’t have any shoes on and that she’s wearing her pajama pants and a tank top, she stuffs her room key in a pocket and leaves. As soon as she steps out into the hallway and her door swings shut, she hears another door swinging shut and she looks up to see Max. He’s standing in the hallway two doors down in almost the exact position she’s in. “Hi.” She says lamely, looking around the hallway for some reason to give for her being there dressed the way she is. “Hi.” He says back. He seems uncertain…almost as if he were going to walk in the direction of her room. But now that she’s there, he looks from her, back to his door uncomfortably. “I um…I was just going to get some ice.” She sees that he’s not carrying his ice bucket and she raises her eyebrows in question. “Really?” He realizes he’s caught in his lie the same instant she realizes he’s lying and his shoulders drop in defeat. “No.” “Were you coming to my room?” She wants him to admit it. Because she was headed toward his room and she’ll feel a lot better if she knows he was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him. The air in the hallway seems thick and neither one of them has moved. Max isn’t sure why she’s standing out in the hallway in her pajamas, but he feels like if he moves she’ll dart away. So instead of saying anything, he nods. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Liz since they talked in the park earlier and he wanted to check on her to see if she was ok. But if he’s honest with himself, he admits that he just wanted to be near her…to breathe the same air she’s breathing…to hear her say his name, even if it is in annoyance, or anger. He clears his throat and says, “I um…thought maybe we could talk.” He watches her walk toward him and he swears he can smell her shampoo from where he stands. “What did you wanna talk about?” She asks him as she stops in front of his door. Maybe it’s the husky sound of her voice, or the clean scent of her in the air…but Max is having a hard time getting his brain to understand what she’s saying. “Um…the Granolith…I thought we could talk about what we saw this morning.” “I don’t wanna talk about that.” Liz says quietly as she looks up at him through her lashes. “Ok.” Max frowns. He thought she’d already have a notebook filled with observations and analyses about what they saw in the cave this morning. “Do you…do you wanna come in?” He motions toward the door to his room and holds his key card out. She nods and watches him open the door, standing to the side to let her walk in before him. This is the third time she’s said she doesn’t want to talk about this morning and Max wonders why. Not that he’s really anxious to relive his incredibly shitty behavior, but he really wants to know what she’s thinking…how she feels about it. “Why don’t you wanna talk about this morning, Liz?” He closes the door behind her and watches as she walks toward his bed and sits on the side. She doesn’t look at him…instead, keeping her gaze on some point to the right of him…and shrugs. “I just don’t see the point, I guess. Those things happened in another life…another time. To another person. Not me. I watched those two timelines and…I just felt like that person who looked like me was just that…another person. I don’t know who she was, but she’s not me.” He chooses not to say anything as she finally looks him in the eye. He can tell she’s not done, so he leans against the wall and puts his hands in his pockets and watches closely as she stands up and paces absently across the room. “When it was over, I was just…physically sick. The only thing running through my mind was the thought that I…no, that any of us are capable of those horrible things that we saw ourselves do. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that those people aren’t us. Every decision…event…circumstance, whatever…that happens throughout our lives makes us who we are. I think…I think that most people are probably capable of becoming anything. But life, and the things that happen to us shape us into who we become. We don’t know what choices we would make if something horrible happened…like someone close to you dying…or a future version of the person you love comes back in time to tell you he needs to be with someone else to save the world.” She pauses…letting that sink in. “So, we saw what choices we would make in those situations. It doesn’t mean we’d make those same choices today. Our lives are completely different.” She shakes her head and turns to look at him. “I know everyone is freaked out by what we saw. I know you’re feeling incredibly guilty, and I know that the others…no matter how much they don’t want to…hold you to blame for a lot of what happened. But I just don’t see how it matters. None of that affects us now, or who we are. Not one bit. It’s pointless to know what happened before…because it’s impossible for it to happen again. That’s why I don’t need to talk about it.” She shrugs and sits back down on the edge of the bed. “But if you want to talk about it…about how it made you feel, I understand. I’m here to listen.” “I was just concerned with how you were feeling about it.” He says. “Well, now you know.” She smiles at him. “But we do have something more important to talk about.” She looks at him meaningfully and he sighs, pushing away from the wall. “I just want to make sure you’re safe. I asked Cal to arrange it.” He walks over to the bed and sits next to her. “I don’t like being followed around…or watched.” She tells him. “I know. I should have told you. But I just can’t let anything bad happen to you again. I wanna know that you’re safe.” She brings her hand over to cover his. “You can’t protect me 24 hours a day, Max.” “No, but I can use whatever resources I have to try. I just…I need to know that you’re taken care of. Especially now that…” “Now that you’re leaving?” She finishes for him. “Max, if I came with you, you could make sure of that yourself.” She lets go of his hand and stands up. “Besides, I can take care of myself. I don’t need babysitters.” “Liz…” He hopes that she doesn’t start asking him to go with him again. His resistance is low when it comes to her and he doesn’t know how long his will power will hold up if she decides to fight him on this. Especially when she’s standing so close…and her skin looks so soft…and her tank top keeps riding up above the waistband of her drawstring pants just so… She turns around to face him in a flash and waves her hand. “I know. I don’t agree with your decision, but I’m not gonna argue with you about it.” Taking a step toward him, she says, “But I want you to call off these people you have following me.” She’s standing so close to him now, that from where he’s sitting he could just reach out and… “Um…” He can’t think clearly with his gaze eye level with her chest right now. What was she saying? He can tell she’s waiting for some kind of answer from him but he can’t tear his eyes away from the soft, pink material of her tank top. Finally noticing where Max’s gaze is aimed, Liz feels her face flush with embarrassment and realizes that she’s not wearing a bra. “I uh…maybe I should go.” She tries to bring her arms up to her chest to cover herself. How did the mood in here change so quickly? Max sees her intention and brings both of his hands up to pull her arms back down to her sides. He looks up at her and says, “Maybe you should stay. I think we have some unfinished business to attend to.” Liz lets her arms drop and feels a tingling low in her gut when she sees the blatant hunger in his eyes. If she just took a step forward, she’d be standing in between his legs…she could just lean down and kiss him…she could feel his hands slide up under her shirt. But what would the repercussions be if she stayed here and did what she’s wanted to do for so long? He’s leaving the planet in a couple of months. Nothing could ever develop between him, and if they slept together, could she just walk away and be ok with that? Could he? “Max…” She pulls her arms away from his caressing hands and takes a small step away from him. He sees the apology in her eyes and drops his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry.” He stands up and says, “You’re right…we shouldn’t. It’s…it wouldn’t be fair and it would just make things harder…later.” He doesn’t know what he was thinking. Well, he does, but he wasn’t thinking clearly. Since they confirmed that the bond was gone, he’s been anticipating the time that he and Liz could finally be together. But now he’s leaving…probably permanently…and he knows that if they sleep together, he won’t want to leave her. Ever. Liz nods slowly and says, “Yah…it would.” Part of her knows this, but a big part of her just wants to grab onto him and take what she can get while he’s here. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she asks, “So, um…when do you wanna go back to New York?” Accepting the change of subject, he says, “Isabel and I are going to see our parents tomorrow. So maybe tomorrow afternoon?” “Your parents? Are you…are you telling them?” Liz is surprised, never expecting this. But if he’s planning on coming back to Roswell to train with Serena, she guesses it makes sense. “Yes.” He confirms. “We’re telling them everything.” “Wow. That’s…are you scared?” He shrugs and says, “A little. But it’s easier knowing how well they’ll take it.” She nods, remembering the two times they told their parents in the other timelines. They were shocked at first, but quickly accepted and supported them. “Well, just call me tomorrow then and let me know what time you’ll be ready and I’ll call the pilot.” She takes a step back toward the door intending to leave. “Wait. You…you don’t have to go. We could watch a movie or something…or…” He looks around, desperately trying to find a reason for her to stay. “Yah…I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” She smiles, wanting to stay with him…but knowing the battle she’ll have to fight to keep from touching him. He looks back at her and says, “Oh. Um…right. Ok. I guess I’ll just talk to you tomorrow then.” He can’t hide his disappointment, but understands why she wants to go. She nods and turns, opening the door. But before she steps out, she hears Max call her name and she turns her head to look back at him. “I um…” He sighs and shakes his head. “Good night.” He smiles instead of saying what he really wanted to say. Instead of asking her once again to stay…to forget for one night that he’s leaving. “Good night, Max.” She smiles back, confused, then steps out into the hall and lets the door shut behind her. ~TBC~

Post by **splatty** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 4:37 pm

Argh, you're torturing us (and Max and Liz) by making them wait. We know they're just going to do it anyway . . so why wait? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> So Liz doesn't see the past as important? She doesn't even want to analyze what the mistakes were so that they can be sure they have the optimal plan to take down Kivar? Can't Kivar and Max just kiss and make up? Or can't Ava just go and be with Kivar? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> Or Lonnie for that matter? Neither Max nor Michael are married to either of the people that Kivar loved/wanted so um, why is he still trying to kill these clones of the people he once knew? Along with a billion innocent earthlings? Ok, sorrry, I'm rambling. Just, you know, come back and give us some more good stuff. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> <div style="text-align:center"> I used to have the longing to hear what was in your heart. But now it seems I'm over the fear of this falling apart.</div>

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