Anla - Roswell - Completed

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:45 pm

Max kept walking until he could no longer see the lights from Dagmar's ranch house, until the only lights he could see were those of the stars shining down on him. Then, trusting that he was far enough away from everyone, he stopped and looked up at the heavens. You can't see Antar from here, but it's up there, he thought to himself, trying to regain some calm objectivity. It's that way. I remember the direction from the starmaps Kivar and I used to argue over. Think about that - remember the maps, the plans. Don't think about the rest. Don't remember what it felt like to watch as Tymrath killed Vilandra. Don't remember Aveen's death. Just think about the stars and calm down. You have to get control........ His meditation stopped abruptly as he heard a scream of primal pain echo across the desert. A shiver ran down his spine as he dealt with the sudden panic. Run. Every instinct was calling out to him. He just wasn't sure which direction he wanted to run - toward the cry or away from it. Because Max knew what that sound was. He'd heard it before, long ago in another time and place. It was the sound Tymrath had made when he found Aveen's lifeless body. And Max knew that Michael, who had never screamed when Hank hit him or when Nicholas tried to kill him, was screaming now. Nothing life on Earth threw at him could break Michael. But this could. These memories of their past life could destroy him. And what about you, Max? he wondered to himself. Will this break you, too? And do you even care if it does? Max crouched down on the ground. Absently, he picked up a handful of sand from the desert floor and let it trickle through his fingers as he stared up at the stars, looking to spot his ancient home. He could remember his best friend's voice, laced with hate and scorn: "The great king never cried. You didn't cry for your father and you didn't cry for Aveen." "And I didn't cry for either of you," he whispered. "I didn't have the right to cry for you." He didn't think they would understand that, either of them. He tensed as he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. It couldn't be Michael - he had been further away, to the south from the sounds of his cries. Perhaps Dagmar or Valenti? But as the sounds grew closer, Max realized from the hesitant quality of the steps that it must be Liz. Wonderful. Closing his eyes, he asked, "What is it, Liz?" He tried to keep his voice calm and even. When he lost control, he made mistakes. When he made mistakes, people got hurt. That was one of the few lessons from his past life he had managed to remember in this one. Liz walked over and sat next to Max. "We're all worried about you." The hesitation in her voice matched the way she had walked up to him. "Did you hear that noise?" Now there was fear in her voice as well. Max nodded. "Michael," he said simply. "That was Michael?" she whispered in disbelief. "Wow. Maria went after him." A small smile touched his lips. "She would," he murmured. "I hope things go okay for her." "You don't think he'd hurt her, do you?" she asked. At the disbelieving look he gave her, she went on defensively. "I know that the Michael we know would never hurt her, but all that stuff we heard about Tymrath....." she trailed off. "No, Liz. I don't think Michael would hurt her. Not physically anyway." He looked back at the stars. "I really need to be alone right now." "Actually, I think that's the last thing you need right now." Liz moved so that she was sitting directly in front of Max. He found it harder to avoid her now. "I know you, Max, and I know that right now you're thinking about how all this is your responsibility and you have to figure out a way to fix it." He gave a cold, tired laugh. "Well, you're partially right, Liz. This is my responsibility." He looked her directly in the eye. Liz tried to be glad for the partial victory. If only his eyes looked like the ones he remembered, soft and gentle. These were as cold as ice and as hard as his voice had become. "Tymrath followed my orders. That's all. He trusted me totally, and I did my very best to destroy him at the end. And I succeeded. And now it might destroy Michael, too." He shrugged. "But you're wrong about the figuring out a way to fix it part. I can't fix this. Nobody can." Liz reached out her hand to touch his arm, but stopped at the look in his eyes. "Don't touch me," he said calmly. "Max, this isn't like you." "You don't know me as well as you think, Liz," he went on. "You can leave now. You don't need to stay here with me. I'm not going to do anything stupid." She shook her head. "I don't want to leave. Max, we decided to be friends. I think you need a friend now." "Friends," he sighed. "What do you want me to say, Liz? Do you want to know what it's like to remember two lives? It's incredibly confusing. I have two sets of memories floating around in my mind." "What do you remember, exactly?" she asked gently. "Sitting on the throne, watching her die. I wanted them both to suffer. I couldn't imagine life without Aveen. Tymrath was supposed to protect her and he didn't. So I wanted to take from him what I had taken from me. I wanted him to hurt as much." He laughed bitterly. "Not exactly kingly behavior, is it, Liz?" She ached to be able to comfort him. "Max, you were in so much pain at the time, and the situation was so confusing. You thought Vilandra betrayed you. I mean, she was still fighting you two, even at the end. You had just lost someone you loved very much." It hurt to think about Max loving someone else, but she had to be realistic. Obviously, his previous incarnation as Zandar had loved Aveen as completely as Max had once loved her. Denying it wouldn't accomplish much. He nodded. "I lost my mind," he said matter-of-factly. "Michael's right about that, too. I lost control. I try to never lose control. You know that, right? You called me a control freak once, and you were right." Liz opened her mouth to interrupt, but he kept going. "No, you were right. I have to keep control, because when I lose it, then I really lose it. And I'm responsible for Michael and Isabel. I failed them the last time, and I'm not going to fail them again. I have to keep them safe." His voice started to crack. "I have myself for what I did, Liz. It makes me sick to think of it." This time he didn't pull away from Liz's hand. They just sat there in silence, as Max finally broke down and started to cry. She held his hand as tightly as she could, heart aching to see how much pain he was in. She would give anything to be able to help him heal, but all she could do was sit there and give him a lifeline to hold onto, and be ready to listen when he was ready to talk. Liz never knew how long they sat there, her holding his hand as he sobbed. She knew that Alex would say this as a good thing - that Max needed the catharsis of letting his emotions out. For so long, he'd been holding in all his pain and fear, trying to be the leader, trying somehow to make up for mistakes made in another life that he couldn't even remember consciously. So now Max cried out his pain from two lifetimes. And Liz stayed by him as he did. Eventually, Max stopped crying and looked at her. Tears still shone in his pain-filled eyes. "I'm not much of a leader, am I, Liz? I don't have any idea of how to be what they want, what they need me to be." She shook her head quickly. "Max, all they need from you is for you to be their friend. That's all." "No, they need more than that. They need a king who knows what the hell he's doing. Who can keep us from being captured and killed. I'll just fail them again, because I don't know what to do!" Max got up and started to pace around her. "What do they want from me? I can remember a little of that life, but I don't know how to keep us safe here. The only think I know how to do is hide, and that's not an option anymore. I don't know how to fight. And how can I ask Michael to do that, to become who he was before?" He looked down at her. "He's so afraid of becoming that again, Liz. He doesn't want to have anything to do with fighting now." His voice lowered to a whisper. "And I hit him, Liz. I can't believe I did that. Wasn't hurting him in one lifetime enough?" "Max," she started, but he went on. "I hit him. I was so angry that he was upsetting the control I had on the situation. Michael always does that - rushes into things recklessly. It got me so angry. But he wasn't the big danger. I was." He went on quickly, overriding her objections. "Yes, Liz. I was more of a threat than Michael ever could be. Liz, I had him kill her! How can they forgive me for that? How can I live with that?" He turned away from her. "No wonder everyone's left me. Michael always thought that he was the monster, but he was wrong. It wasn't him - it was me." Suddenly, Liz remembered something, a conversation she had with Max over a year ago. They had been standing in the girl's locker room, discussing a fantasy she'd had about him that he had accidentally seen in a flash. "I never thought anyone could really ever feel that way about me." Max's voice as he said those words had been so filled with gratitude and disbelief. He found it so hard to believe that he was worthy of anyone's love. Had he been walking around all these years, his entire life on Earth, feeling subconscious guilt for something he didn't even remember doing? She couldn't bear this anymore. "Max, you are one of the kindest, best people I've ever met. You saved my life, Max. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you. You risked your own life for me, and I know how hard that was for you. And you have always been there for me when I needed you." Putting her hands on his arms, she turned him until he was looking at her. "You did more than just heal me, Max. You brought me to life. Before you, I was just sleepwalking through things. I didn't live until that day at the Crashdown. You could never lose me, just like you could never lose Michael and Isabel. They love you too much to ever leave you, not matter what you might have done back on Antar." She paused, gathering her courage. "And I love you too much to ever turn away from you, Max. No matter what, I knew my destiny from that moment in the Crashdown. My destiny is you." "Then why did you sleep with Kyle?" he asked in despair. Liz hesitated, taken aback. He turned away. "Thanks for trying to help, Liz, but it's okay. I understand why you don't want to be with me. I'd want to be as far away from me as possible if I had the chance, myself." She made the decision. "Max, I didn't sleep with Kyle." He looked back at her in shock. "You knew the truth all along, didn't you? Deep down, you knew that I would never do that, that I could never go from you to him. I didn't sleep with him." "You didn't sleep with Kyle?" She shook her head quickly. "Then why? Why would you do that? Did you want to get rid of me that badly?" Okay, that wasn't the response she was hoping for. He looked even closer to the edge now. "It wasn't like that at all." He was just staring at her. The look in his eyes made her hurt. "I had to do it. I thought you needed to be with Tess or the world would end." "What?" Liz was starting to panic herself. "I can't explain it right." Her eyes lit up as she had an idea. "Kiss me." "Liz, what are you talking about?" "Kiss me!" When he didn't seem inclined to do as ordered, she grabbed his face, leaned up, and kissed him. The connection formed instantly. Max was overwhelmed by the number of flashes that came flooding over him. He saw the whole thing - everything from the moment when his future self came through Liz's window up until she spun around and saw that she was dancing alone. Slowly, he drew away from her. "Did it work?" she asked eagerly. "Did you see?" He nodded slowly. "You broke up with me because you thought it was the only way to save everybody." "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, Max. It was like dying all over again, only this time you couldn't save me. I had to keep you away. But Max, he told me about how Michael and Isabel died. I couldn't let that happen." She looked up at him pleadingly. "Please tell me you understand." He looked dazed. "That's how you knew about the Granolith. You warned me not to let the Dupes have it." She nodded. "And that's why I had a vision of us being married in Vegas." "That's where he, I mean you, said that we went to be married. An Elvis chapel in Vegas." She smiled at the thought. "All this just to keep Tess from leaving town," he went on slowly. "Because otherwise I would have been so horrible to her that she would have run off to get away." "Apparently, our future selves thought that Tess's powers were necessary to fight off the aliens. But Max, this is important. He said that from now on, the future is ours to create. Our destiny..." "Is what we make it," he finished for her. "Exactly." Max looked up at the stars for a long time. "I always told you that, Liz. But you didn't believe it." "I do now," she said with total certainty. "The only destiny we have is the one we make for ourselves. You are my destiny, Max Evans. And I'm yours." He smiled at her, the first real smile she'd had from him in weeks. "And we can find a place in our group for Tess, even without having her for my bride, don't you think?" "Definitely." He seemed to be thinking. "Maybe I can fix this, after all." Then he shook his head. "No, maybe we can fix this. All of us. Together. We don't have to make the same mistakes this time around as we did before." Max walked over and pushed back her hair, lightly caressing her cheek. "And one mistake I'm not going to make is losing the person I love. Do you think you can handle that, Liz Parker?" "I definitely think I can handle being loved by you, Max," she said gently. He leaned down and kissed her, a long kiss filled with all the love he hadn't been able to show for so long. As she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, Liz knew that she was finally back where she belonged, free from all the lies and doubts. And then she saw stars.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:47 pm

Dimly, Maria wondered why she and Michael had wasted so much time that day when they could have been doing this. His lips moved down her neck, even as his hands roamed over her stomach and around to her back. Her own hands busily caressed his chest. She wanted to touch every inch of him. Reaching his head again, she pulled his mouth back to hers. They kissed eagerly, trying to get even closer to each other. Michael tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a low moan. Not that it really mattered - he knew she understood. This was right - it was what they needed, to be together. Nothing else mattered as much as their joining. The feel of Michael's fingers unhooking her bra brought Maria back to her senses, to where they were and what they were doing. "No," she tried to whisper. His hands moved down to the button on her jeans. Realizing that he hadn't heard her, she repeated herself louder this time. "Michael, stop!" Ignoring the way her stomach clenched up the minute he stopped touching her, she pushed him away. Looking at him while she quickly redid her bra, Maria was worried for an instant. Michael seemed ready to pounce back on her, a look of almost frightening hunger and desire on his face. But then he closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. When he opened them again, she was relieved to see that he was Michael again, not whoever that stranger was she had seen looking at her through his eyes. Maria. Touch. Need. Maria. The thoughts repeated frantically through Michael's brain, making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than how much he wanted to reach back over and touch her. By the time he had opened his eyes again, he was able to get his thoughts under control enough to ask a simple question. "Why?" Didn't she want him? "Why?" Maria gave a hoarse laugh. "Why do you think, spaceboy? Think about it. Our friends are back there in the ranch house," she gestured off into the distance, "and we're out here, rolling around in the desert, undressing each other." When he didn't respond, she risked a look at him, but then wished she hadn't. Looking at his lips, his hands, made her remember how amazing it had felt to have them touching her. It was incredibly hard to look away. Blushing, she glanced around for her shirt. "We just learned some pretty freaky stuff back there. Doesn't this seem at all inappropriate?" God, I sound like my mother. Spotting her shirt, Maria reached for it and put it on, so she missed the look on Michael's face as he processed her explanation. Inappropriate. The word didn't mean a thing to him at that exact moment. Exercising more self-control then he would have thought possible, he clenched his hands and put them behind his back, instead of using them to pull Maria back into an embrace. He forced himself to think about Max and Isabel and the pain they must be going through right then. Maria was right - this wasn't the time or place. He shrugged back into his own shirt as he stood up, reaching a hand down to her. Cautiously, she took it. The tightness in her stomach and chest relaxed the instant their hands touched. Michael pulled her up to him and into his arms. Their lips met again, claiming each other. When he pulled back, Maria entwined her fingers in his hair to pull him back to her. "I changed my mind," she murmured, but he only laughed, gently removing her hands. "No, you were right. We have other things to deal with. There'll be time for us later." "Promise?" He dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Promise. Come on, teel-sharan." They were about halfway back to the house when they met Alex and Isabel. ---------------------------------------------------------- Not long after the panicked exits from the house, Isabel excused herself and went to wash up. After splashing some cold water on her face and fixing her make-up, she gathered her courage and returned to face the others, feeling more like herself. Pausing right outside the living room, Isabel took a moment to observe the others. Valenti and Dagmar had wandered off to the side a little, talking to themselves quietly. She decided that she didn't want to know what they were looking so serious about - she'd had enough revelations and catastrophes for one day. There was only so much a hybrid could handle. No, the real focus of her attention had moved to the couch and was now sitting next to Tess. Isabel watched in silent appreciation as Alex smiled at Tess and gently spoke with her, helping her calm down and adjust to the change in her situation. He's the strongest of us all, she thought in amazement as Alex actually managed to coax a smile out of Tess. He doesn't have any super powers, but when the rest of us fall apart and run, Alex is always there to catch and hold us while we put the pieces back together. He's good and strong and he's mine, she realized with more pride than she ever felt when dating any of the jocks or stars of West Roswell's popularity games. A big smile came over her face as she considered the truly amazing thing - that she was his in return, and for the first time in this life, she didn't object to the idea of someone having that much claim on her. Alex didn't even seen to notice her as she quietly approached. "Honest, I swear," he sincerely insisted to the other girl. What is he talking about? Isabel was still wearing that smile that seemed to come so naturally when he was around, but now it was fringed with curiosity. Tess didn't seem to believe him about whatever it was, judging from the way she was shaking her head rapidly. How can she do that without getting dizzy? It was so good to be thinking nice, normal, happy thoughts about the people she loved, instead of thoughts of death and betrayal, worrying that they would turn their backs on her if they learned her secrets. Have I ever felt this safe? Probably not - just another thing to thank Alex for. "Fine, I'll prove it," the boy of her dreams said with determination. Then, Alex proudly stretched out his arms, wiggling his fingers in front of Tess's face. Isabel staunchly strangled the desire to laugh. Judging from the look on Tess's face, she was fighting the same battle (and was much closer to losing it). Alex's arms then crossed in front of him, and he leaned back, crossing them behind his head so that his arms looked like some strange pretzel. Then, the finishing touch - Alex crossed his eyes and wiggled his ears. Tess surrendered. Bursting out in giggles, she managed to get out, "Alex, you look more like an alien than any of us manage." "My hero," Isabel said, sitting on the couch arm next to him. His head (complete with arm pretzel) spun around instantly at the sound of her voice. Ducking a bit to avoid being hit by the fast-moving elbows, she went on. "A man of many talents." "Hey, you never know." Blushing a little (and looking totally adorable, she thought with amusement), he untwisted his arms and placed one around her waist. "I could well be the key to stopping the Skins' dastardly plots. Just let them see the Incredible Human Pretzel Boy! They'll cower in fear and run." "Or fall down laughing." Tess just giggled harder at Isabel's retort. He shrugged, resigned to the girls' laughter. "Either way, they're out of business. It'll teach them to underestimate the hidden abilities of us mere Earthlings." "Did you actually." It was hard to make out Tess's words between the giggles. "Did you actually say 'dastardly plots'?" "He did in fact say that." Isabel was amazed at how Tess seemed to be dealing with things so much better now. Guess I'm not the only one Alex brings out the best in. "It's a sad side-effect of way too many years watching Scooby-Doo cartoons." "I was never as addicted to them as Maria. For a while, she insisted on carrying a magnifying glass and flashlight with her everywhere we went, just in case we had to do some sleuthing. Liz finally convinced her that there were no deep dark mysteries to be uncovered in Roswell." This just seemed to amuse Tess even more. What possible secrets could be hidden in the sleepy little town of Roswell, after all? Isabel suddenly had the overwhelming desire to have some time alone with Alex. While she was proud of the way he supported them all, she wanted to have him to herself right then. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear, "Why don't we go outside and take a walk? Maybe look at some stars?" Alex jumped off the couch so fast that she almost found herself knocked off the arm. "You okay if we go off for a walk, Tess?" Looking over at Dagmar and Valenti, she nodded. "I could use some time to think, actually. A lot's changed." "Great. Come on." Isabel dragged him outside (not that he was exactly arguing). The instant the front door swung shut behind them, Alex grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. Laughing, she found herself clinging to him in order to keep her balance. "What are you doing?" "I thought that perhaps we could dance, my lady," Alex said with a bow. The he looked up with a mischievous smile. "Or should I say 'Your Highness'?" "'My lady' is just fine," she said, wrapping her arms tight around his waist and starting to sway gently. "You do realize there's no music." "Really? I could have sworn I heard some," he whispered back. Sighing, she rested her head against his chest. He felt so good, so right. She had to smile as she felt one of his hands playing with her hair. Even though he never said anything, she knew how much he loved it when she wore it down so that he could run his fingers through it. His other arm went around her waist to pull her closer. "Maybe you're right. I think I can hear the music. Maybe it's the stars playing for us." She gave a small laugh at the thought. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up as starry-eyed as Max and Liz. "Only the best for my lady." His hand left her hair and joined the other on her back. "Isabel?" "Ummm?" "Are you?" "Am I what?" "My lady?" There was a sudden hesitant quality in his voice. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Always," she said as firmly as she could. "You're stuck with me forever." He nodded. "Good." The kiss he gave her literally took her breath away. If he hadn't been holding her so tightly, she would have collapsed. When he pulled away, she felt a sudden sense of loss and disappointment. That was a kiss she wanted to go on forever. Instead, Alex gave her a smile and offered her his arm. "Time for that walk." Narrowing her eyes at him, she accepted his arm, then laughed. Let him be the gentleman for now. There would be plenty of time for kisses later. They had all the time in the world. ------------------------------------------------------- Before they had walked very far, they came upon Michael and Maria walking in their direction. Michael tensed up at seeing the other couple, but he didn't let go of Maria. As he stared at Isabel, he pulled Maria even closer to him. Isabel recognized that look on his face - he was unsure about this situation, but would sooner die than admit it. Amazing how much she could tell just from looking at his face, a face that would have seemed blank and expressionless to anyone who didn't know him. Well, maybe not so amazing. She'd had two lifetimes to study it, after all. Maria could feel the change in Michael's body language. He was holding her even tighter than before and it wasn't for their mutual pleasure anymore. Now it was for support. Following the path of his gaze, she saw how Michael was staring Isabel directly in the eyes. She was staring back at him as cautiously. Alex had dropped her arm, but Maria doubted the other girl even noticed. She and Michael were oblivious to anything but each other for that moment. Catching Alex's eye, she raised her eyebrows in question. He just shrugged back at her. This was something the two of them were going to have to work out for themselves. Slowly, Isabel walked away from Alex and up to Michael, never breaking eye contact. So many memories flashed through her mind - crying herself to sleep as a child, knowing that there was someone out there they were missing, helping Michael moved in to his new apartment, going shopping with him for Maria's Christmas present, almost bursting with pride as he got his emancipation. And there were other memories, too, unfamiliar ones. Walking with Tymrath along the cliffs outside the palace, watching the moons set in the sea. Laughing as she watched Zandar and Tymrath stage mock fights for practice. Arguing with Tymrath when he was too stubborn to admit that he wasn't invincible and sometimes needed help in reaching their objectives. Laughing as he tackled her and pulled her into an embrace. Love in so many different forms. The specifics had changed greatly from their past life, but the love was still there, and probably always would be. And that was what she chose to remember - the love she felt for someone who would always be one of the most important parts of her life. So, when she reached Michael, she found it easy to smile at him. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. The wariness in his eyes dimmed a bit. He'd been expecting her to attack, and now he had to lower his natural defenses. His hold on Maria relaxed a bit, but he still didn't let her go. This was easier knowing that she was there. "I'm fine. You?" "Yeah." Alex came to stand behind Isabel, nodding at Michael. Michael took a deep breath. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Izzy. For killing you. I wish........." his voice trailed off. "Did it hurt?" His voice broke as he asked. She shook her head. "I don't remember much of that, but no. I don't think so. I'm sorry, too. For betraying you and getting everyone killed and everything." "That wasn't your fault." "Actually, none of what happened back then was either of our faults, now was it?" she went on briskly. "As I've been told repeatedly, and I'm sure you have been as well," she looked at Maria with a grin, "that was Vilandra and Tymrath, not Isabel and Michael. We can't be held responsible for what other people did in another lifetime. It wasn't really us." "Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I've heard that once or twice or a hundred times." Michael paused and grunted as Maria elbowed him in the stomach. "It's weird remembering, though, isn't it?" She nodded. "Like watching a movie or something in your mind. Very bizarre. So, are we okay now?" "Of course." Michael let go of Maria for a minute to hug Isabel. As soon as he let her go, though, he was right back to holding Maria. Those few moments away from her had been long enough. "So, what do we do next?" Maria asked, cuddling closer to Michael. "We should probably find Max and Liz and make sure they're okay," Alex said practically. Michael nodded. "Well, if we head back to the house, I'm sure we'll come across them sooner or later. They have to come back inside eventually." Alex and Isabel led the way. "True. I mean, what could they be really do out here for long, anyway? It's not like they're going to be rolling around in the sand making out," Isabel said with laughter in her voice. Michael and Maria stumbled and looked at each other guiltily. "I'm sure that was just a lucky guess," she whispered to him. "I wonder," he murmured too quietly even for her to hear him. --------------------------------------------------------- They hadn't gotten much further when Isabel and Michael suddenly stopped at the same instant. Maria stumbled a bit at the sudden stop, but Michael's arm around her waist kept her from falling. Gratitude at not falling flat on her face faded as she was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of panic. Her stomach was filled with the same butterflies she felt the night she first sang in front of an audience, only multiplied by a thousand. Her pulse raced as her heart started to speed up. At the Valentine's concert, Maria originally dealt with her sudden attack of apprehension by following her first instinct of fleeing. The only thing that got her back on that stage to perform was the need to distract attention from Max and Liz. Now, she felt that same urge to run away. Getting far away from that spot seemed extremely important to her at that instant. The problem was, she couldn't figure out why she was so freaked. They were the only living beings in sight, and she knew it wasn't Michael, Alex, or Isabel that she was afraid of. So, why the panic attack? Michael let go of her waist and took her hand, fingers wrapped tightly with hers as two more figures appeared in the distance. Try as she might, Maria couldn't make out who they were - they were too far away. But that didn't seem to matter - whoever they were, seeing them approach made her feel sick to her stomach. She was distracted from her nerves by a sudden pain in her hand. Michael was gripping it so tightly it hurt. Looking at him, Maria realized that it was his fear and panic she was feeling. How is that possible? she wondered. Worry about that later, Maria. Why is he so scared? Then she knew who must be approaching. Michael knew that she wasn't going anywhere. Whatever it was that had passed between them earlier that night had made that finally clear to the clueless alien. There was only one other person who Michael loved and was afraid of enough to cause this much worry, one person whose approval he had spent most of his life on Earth trying to earn, one person who had that much power over him. As they came into clearer view, Maria saw that she was right. Max. Michael watched as his friend came closer. He noticed absently how Isabel turned to look from Max to him. Poor Izzy, came the distant thought. She's always trapped between the two of us. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. He could remember every time he had let Max down, in both lives - Aveen's death, arguments about how best to deal with Kivar, his attempts to warn Zandar that the Skins were massing forces to attack and that they needed to take immediate action to stop them, getting arrested breaking in to the UFO Center and waiting for Max to come get him out, being too late to stop Pierce from taking Max. Max hitting him. I can't do this. His throat dried up. It was hard to breathe. I can't face him again. The look on Zandar's face as he held Aveen's body. Zandar sitting on the throne watching as he killed Vilandra. Lying on the ground, looking up at Max. "Somebody had to knock some sense into you." No. The motel room off 285 South. "I'm here to clean up your mess, like usual." I can't. The impact of the punch knocking him to the ground. He hit me. How could he? I deserved it. Through whatever bond that existed between them, Maria could feel his emotions range from nervousness to anger and then return to a type of resigned fear. Michael was expecting Max to reject him for what happened in that past life. She started to get angry herself. Maria accepted Michael for who he was now, Isabel had forgiven Michael for the mistakes of the past, but he still had enough of a frightened child in him to dread Max's judgment he was sure would end up convicting him. Maybe the emotional conduit goes both ways. Returning the firm grip on his hand, Maria concentrated on the memory of standing on the stage in Vegas, looking at him, knowing that he loved her and she loved him and that would never change. Maybe he can take courage from knowing that I believe in him. As Max came within arm's reach of him, Michael felt a surge of love coming from Maria. He looked over at her and was overwhelmed by the trust in her eyes. Without words, she was telling him that she believed in him and that he could do this. He calmed down and looked back at Max. If Maria believed that he could do this, then he would do it. For her. And for himself. He needed to make peace with Max. Liz stopped walking and stood beside Alex and Isabel. Max kept going, until he was right in front of Michael. Ignoring Maria, Max simply looked at his second-in-command. Michael returned his look, but said nothing. The silence was deafening, and was starting to make Maria very uncomfortable. Finally, she couldn't handle it anymore. "How are you doing, girlfriend?" she asked. Max blinked and looked at her, as if he hadn't even noticed she was there until that point. With a little shake of his head, he answered. "As well as can be expected, I guess. You?" "I'm fine," she said, moving slightly closer to Michael, taking comfort from the feel of his body next to hers. "But then, I'm not the one who had to deal with suddenly remembering another life. I have less to freak out about." A very slight smile crossed his face. "True." It faded as he returned his attention to Michael. "About that......." He seemed at a loss as to what to say. "Yeah." Michael didn't seem to have any great desire to talk either. "Well, it's over," Max finally said. "Yeah," Michael agreed eagerly. "Over and done with." "Yeah." Isabel just looked at the two in disbelief. They seemed so eager to just ignore and avoid what they had learned. No, I don't think so. "That's it?" she burst out. Everyone turned to stare at her as she continued. "It's over, never to be spoken of again? You two killed me. Remember that?" Brushing off Alex's hand, she moved right up into Max and Michael's faces. "Now, I don't really blame you or hold it against you. It's not like it was a murder or anything. You were executing a dangerous traitor. But the fact remains that you," she pointed her finger at Michael, "killed me because you," now Max was facing the accusing finger, "told him to. Reason or not, you killed me." "Isabel," Liz tried to interrupt. "No," she went on angrily. "This isn't about blame. We all messed up, majorly, and we paid for it with our lives. What this is about is dealing with the situation we have here." Isabel took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "My incredibly clueless brothers, listen to me. We didn't come to this planet with a clean slate and a fresh start. We never had that. All our lives, our pasts have been hanging over us, even when we didn't know it. And pretending that nothing happened, and trying to go on with our lives without dealing with it, is not going to help us." Max and Michael looked at each other doubtfully. "Iz, you have no idea how sorry I am about everything, but I'm not sure that talking about it more is going to help," Max said uncertainly. "Well, ignoring things hasn't worked too well for us so far." Maria suddenly spoke up. "Michael, why didn't you go with Max and Isabel when they were picked up by the Evanses?" She could feel his surprise. There were certain topics that weren't often discussed by Michael, and their first night out of the pods was one of them. But she knew that if he was ever going to be open enough to discuss it, this would be the time. Slowly, Michael answered. "I was afraid. At the time I told myself that I was afraid of the lights, of the people in the car. But I think I was afraid to be with you two. I wasn't sure that I could trust you, and I wasn't sure that I wouldn't hurt you." "Is that why you left the Pod Chamber without us?" Isabel asked gently. He nodded. "So Michael had feelings of guilt and distrust from what happened in the last lifetime, and those were with him from the minute he came out of the pod," Alex said slowly. "And Max has tried to overcompensate for feelings of failure in that life by trying to control things and protect everyone this time around." "You make me sound like a case in a Psychology textbook," Max said, rolling his eyes. Alex just shrugged. "It makes sense, is all I'm saying. Everybody is the sum of their experiences. What happens to you and how you react to it makes you the person you are. You all just happen to have two lifetimes worth of junk to deal with." "And then there's me," Isabel broke in. "I spent so much time keeping other people at a distance, not letting them in, going out with guys who I knew I didn't care about, that I almost lost you." Alex opened his mouth to interrupt, but she kept on. "It's true and we both know it. Whenever we would start to get close, I'd get scared and run. Like with Grant. Or Dave in Las Vegas. I'm shocked that you still want to have anything to do with me." "I always understood. I didn't always like it, but I understood how hard it was for you to let anyone in." "Because of Kivar." Isabel looked at Max and Michael. "Because I let Kivar in, and look what happened." "Kivar forced his way into your mind," Max defended her. Isabel just looked at Michael with a sad smile on her face, waiting for him to speak. He looked extremely uncomfortable. "Michael?" Isabel finally asked after a pause. He looked her in the eye. "It wasn't your fault." When she kept staring at him, he repeated himself. "It wasn't." "Not all of it, no. But I let him in, Michael. And we both know it. Without that little entrance, he couldn't have done what he did to me. I could have kept him out." She turned back to the humans and calmly went on. "I felt neglected. Zandar was so infatuated with Aveen, and Tymrath was busy planning his battles. So I started to flirt with Kivar. I thought it would be harmless, a way to make Tymrath jealous. It was the stupidest thing I ever did." "It still wasn't your fault," Michael insisted. "No, but if the two of you are admitting your parts in what happened, then I should be honest with myself, too." Isabel looked at them. "So we all know what we did wrong. The question is, how do we stop from doing it again? Where do we go from here?" Michael looked down at Maria for a moment. "Rath never trusted Zan. The two of them never got over what happened before." He then looked at Max. "If we're going to fight alongside each other, we need to know that we can trust each other. We need to know that what happened before doesn't change the way we feel about each other now." Max nodded and smiled. "We need to know that we can trust each other to guard our backs." Michael smiled back. "Exactly. Otherwise, we're screwed before we even start." "Okay, boys. It sounds good. But how do we do it?" came Isabel's demand. Alex cleared his throat. "I have an idea." When all eyes turned to him, he continued. "Can you three form a connection with each other? I haven't ever been in one myself, but from what Liz said, you can feel each other's emotions in it, right?" The three aliens nodded. He went on. "Then you would know if you're really over everything. If you can really trust each other." When nobody said anything, he started to get nervous. "Well, it's just an idea." "It's a wonderful idea!" Isabel hugged him excitedly. "I think it would work, too. We can't lie to each other in a connection. Of course, we've never tried it with each other, but if it works with humans, then we should be able to connect with each other. Don't you think?" "It should," Max agreed. Michael nodded. "I know better than to try and get in your way when you want to do something, Isabel." She gave him a dirty look, but couldn't keep the smile off her face for long. This was going to work. It had to. They needed to fix the distances between them if they were ever going to be as close as they had once been. Liz and Alex stepped away a bit to let the three aliens work. Maria started to pull away from Michael and join her friends but found her hand held firmly. "Where are you going?" Michael asked her in a quiet voice, trying not to let the others hear how panicked he was at the thought of her leaving. Isabel heard it, though, and frowned at them, a memory she couldn't quite remember ticking the back of her mind. "I'm just going to join the non-Czechoslovakian group over there, while you three do your whole super-powers thing." He still wasn't letting her go. "I'll be right over there, spaceboy. I promise that I'm not going anywhere." He slowly let go of her hand, and watched as she walked over to Liz and Alex. Alex put his arms around the two girls as they watched the others. Michael staunchly beat down his momentary sense of jealousy (of Alex, of all people, he thought in disgust) and focused his attention on Isabel, who had moved closer to him. "So what do we do first?" he asked. "I think we should join hands," Max answered. Shrugging, Michael took their hands. "Now what? Do we sing?" "Michael just be quiet and try to focus," came Isabel's sharp answer. "Yes, my captain," he whispered, then followed Max's example and closed his eyes. Smiling a little at Michael's comment, she closed her eyes, too. Almost immediately, she could feel Max and Michael's spirits around her. She could sense them trying to connect with her mentally. It was similiar to the feeling she got when she dreamwalked someone, but different. More overwhelming somehow. Easier to get sucked in, to lose herself in them. To lose herself the way she had lost herself when Kivar entered her mind. Panicked, Isabel tried to break the connection, but she couldn't. Max and Michael were already connected, and it was too strong for her to break free of. Not again, she thought frantically. I can't let this happen again. Desperately, she reached out mentally, trying to find a way out, a place of safety. --------------------------------------------------------- On the sidelines, the three humans watched. All they could see were the three of them standing in a circle, holding hands. But somehow they knew that it was working, that the connection was forming. Maria almost thought she could hear a humming noise coming from the circle. That's when Alex heard it. Not again, came a pleading voice. It was Isabel. But he had been staring at her the whole time, and he was certain she hadn't spoken. I can't let this happen again. Alex realized that she was reaching out mentally. He could hear the panic in her voice, and in that moment suddenly understood what was happening - that she was reliving Kivar's mind-control and was terrified of the power of the connection she was now trapped in. But what was he supposed to do? The one thing Alex knew, the one thing that he knew would never change in his life, was that he couldn't stand by and do nothing while Isabel was in pain. So, letting go of Maria and Liz, he walked up to the circle. "Alex, what are you doing?" he could hear Liz whisper behind him, but didn't stop. He walked up behind Isabel. There was no sign that any of the three even knew he was there. Taking a deep breath, hoping that he knew what he was doing, but powerless to stop himself, Alex reached out and put his arms around Isabel's waist. I'm here, Isabel. She could hear Alex's voice in her mind, hear all the love he felt for her. And suddenly she wasn't afraid anymore. She could never be lost when Alex was holding her safe. And she could feel all the love that surrounded her - Alex's love, stronger and more constant than anything she had ever known before. Max's love, which had been with her ever since they came out of the pods together. Michael's love, which had somehow managed to survive everything and was still intact on this new world of theirs. And this was nothing like what Kivar had done to her after all. Kivar knew nothing of this love, of the strength it gave her and the strength she could now give to those she cared for. So she let down the last of her walls and let them all in. It was the most amazing thing Alex had ever experienced. Suddenly, he could feel all three of them in his mind. It wasn't so much an exchange of thoughts as it was of feelings. He had thought the experience in Michael's healing ceremony had been intense, but this blew it away in comparison. There were no words to describe what it felt like to suddenly be surrounded by all the emotions of the others. He could actually feel Michael's amused surprise that he was there, Max's welcome, and strongest of all, Isabel's enveloping love. Michael could feel Isabel's resistance. It didn't surprise him. But just as he was trying to figure out how to overcome it, suddenly he could sense Alex joining the connection. He never realized just how bright a spirit Alex had. That really was the only way to describe it. It was as if Alex's spirit had never been tainted by any sort of stain or darker emotion. It just shone around Isabel's essence, and then spread out to join Max's and Michael's. And while Michael was glad to see Alex in the circle, and to see how he complimented their spirits, he felt that the connection wasn't complete yet. So he followed Isabel's example. Maria. She could hear his voice calling, and without even thinking she walked over to the circle. At that point, Maria didn't feel that she could deny Michael anything else, and this wasn't something she wanted to resist anyway. Carefully, she placed her hands on Max's and Michael's interconnected ones, then separated them, using hers to keep the connection whole. Much better, Michael thought. Maria's spirit might not shine quite as brightly as Alex's - she had fought demons of her own and had shadows like he did. But the minute she entered the connection, her spirit announced itself loudly and proudly, demanding that they accept her. And they did. Still missing one person. Max could feel the inquiring thought from Michael. But before he could do anything about it, he felt Liz join the connection, too. And there they were - the six of them. Michael, standing strong, his spirit watching them all carefully to make sure they were okay. Maria, her essence almost singing with the joy of being a part of this. Max, welcoming them all and holding them together. Liz, willing to sacrifice anything in order to protect them all. Alex, spirit shining enough to brighten even the shadows from their past. And Isabel, her devotion to them gleaming fiercely and forgiving everyone, including herself. Then came the images. Max rushing over to save Liz. Alex giving his blood to help someone he barely knew, just because his friend had asked it of him. Isabel dancing with Alex. Michael turning to Maria when he had nowhere else to go. Maria standing up to Valenti and refusing to give him information about Isabel. Michael thanking Liz for caring about Max. Michael and Isabel's panic when Max was captured. Isabel trusting Liz enough to tell her about Atherton's house. The moment when River Dog told Liz to be sure she could trust Max. Maria lying still in the parking lot, letting Michael place the silver handprint on her chest. The six of them standing in the rock quarry, scared to death, yet somehow taking comfort from Max's statement that they were the only people he really trusted. And so many more - moments when they had to decide who they trusted, who they were willing to risk everything for, who they wanted in their lives. Moments when their choices shaped who they were. And when the images faded, when the mental picture show was over, what was left was very simple. Love. They loved each other. Nothing could change that. Nothing ever had. They had faced the worst that their past lives could show them, and they had managed to stay unbroken. They knew that nothing could tear apart the bonds that had somehow formed among them. That was all they needed to know. Love. It was enough.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:49 pm

After the connection faded, the six teens resumed their walk back to the house. Max and Isabel walked together, enjoying their strengthened bond as brother and sister, and Liz had swept off a reluctant Maria. Seeing the looks she kept directing back at him and missing her even though she was only a few feet ahead of him, Michael was about to join the two girls when he felt a hand on his arm. "Can we talk for a minute?" Alex asked quietly. "I guess," Michael managed to answer, his attention still focused on Maria's form ahead of him. When Alex didn't say anything more for a while, Michael decided to try to get the conversation moving. He wanted to get back to Maria. "Hey, if this is about Isabel and me, don't worry. You two belong together." "I know," Alex replied slowly. "That's not what I wanted to talk about. I want to know about Kivar." That got Michael's undivided attention. "Kivar," he repeated flatly. Alex nodded. "What do you want to know?" "How do we keep Isabel safe from him?" Alex answered instantly. "We don't." Michael's response was just as immediate. "I do. And Max. You keep away from him." They stopped walking. "She's terrified of him, Michael. She's scared to death that he's going to come for her." Alex looked at Michael closely. "And he is, isn't he?" For a split second, Michael felt like lying. But somehow, he didn't think Alex would believe any lies or accept any evasions, so he simply answered with the truth. "Yeah, he is." Alex nodded, unsurprised. "Why is that, Michael?" "Why are you asking me all this?" Michael was starting to get irritated at the thought of Kivar. Something was wrong with this conversation, something he couldn't quite recall yet. There was a memory there, just out of reach. One he didn't want to remember. "Why not ask Max?" The other boy just shrugged. "I think that you probably know more about Kivar than he does. Just a feeling I have." Michael looked at Alex silently for a long moment. The others were far ahead of them now. He could still feel Maria's presence, but there was a coldness seeping into his bones that not even thinking of her could warm. Kivar. Michael was going to have to reevaluate Alex's powers of intuition. Finally, he answered. "Because of me. Oh, he'll like being able to hurt Max. And there's the fact that Isabel is beautiful and all that. But mostly, he'll try and take her in order to hurt me. Like he did before." "There's more history between you and Kivar than Dagmar told us, isn't there?" Alex's tone was non-judgmental, simply seeking information. "Yeah." Michael didn't go into more detail. In truth, he didn't know any more detail. But the memory was starting to get clearer. He wished he could stop it from coming totally into focus. "Well, if Kivar is going to come for Isabel, then I need to know how to help her." Michael looked at his friend. Alex's expression was totally determined. There was no hesitation or fear, and absolutely no doubt in Michael's mind that Alex meant what he was saying. "I won't let Kivar ever hurt her again. And I'll do whatever I have to in order to make sure that she doesn't ever have to be that scared." Alex smiled. "Even though I am just a human." Michael nodded slowly. "I believe you. And I'm sure you'd be willing to do whatever it takes to protect Isabel. That's not what this is about." He paused, considering. How could he explain to Alex what that glimpse into his spirit during the connection had meant to him? Michael never wanted to see Alex's spirit shadowed, and a fight with Kivar would do that - it would change Alex. He was determined to protect Alex from that if at all possible. "Isabel needs your strength, Alex. She's going to need you to just be there through all this crap. She doesn't need you to learn how to fight and be a soldier. That's what I'm here for. She needs you to be you. To make her happy." He finished with a shrug. As they started to walk again, quickly catching up with the others, still thinking about Kivar, Michael stopped short as that memory from Tymrath's life suddenly came rushing at him. No matter what he tried, he couldn't block it out. "Michael?" Alex hurried over to his side. Ahead of them, Maria had stopped walking as well, and was looking back at them, concerned. Alex waved his hand in front of Michael's face. "Michael, are you okay?" he asked again, starting to worry. Michael's eyes were staring straight ahead at nothing, body tense. Just as he was about to call for Max and Isabel, Alex was relieved to see Michael snap out of it. "Hey, buddy, what was that? Some kind of alien mind-meld?" Alex joked weakly. Seeing Michael like that, body present but mind not, had really freaked him out. The alien shook his head. "A memory," he answered shortly. Alex followed the path of his gaze. Michael's eyes were locked with Maria's. "Oh." Alex scrambled to keep up with the suddenly moving Michael. "So you're okay then?" "I'm fine." Michael reached out his hands to take Maria's. While his tone hadn't exactly been unfriendly, Alex figured that the Kivar conversation was over. Deciding to let Michael have some Maria-time, Alex started to wander up to where Isabel was. As he walked away, he paused and looked back curiously when he heard Michael call his name. Michael had managed to pull his eyes away from Maria for a moment and was looking at Alex steadily. "Remember what I said. Just let me do my job," he went on with a bitter grimace. Alex nodded, then walked away. There's been something in Michael's voice when he spoke that worried him. How could anyone sound so expressionless and angry at the same time? But then, it had been a long night. He figured they'd all need time to adjust. Apparently, Maria had heard that strange note in Michael's voice, too, because when he looked back at her, there was worry shadowing her eyes. "What's wrong?" Before he could answer, she rushed on. "And don't even try any of that stupid macho alien mumbo-jumbo. I know something's wrong. I can feel it." That last bit probably should have seemed strange to him, but it barely even registered. There were too many other things on his mind. Things like how good, how right, it felt to be near her again. And other things, remembrances from the past which weren't nearly as pleasant. Gathering her up in a hug, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead. Maria closed her eyes, letting herself just appreciate the safety she felt in his arms. Too bad we can't stay like this forever, she thought. The others had walked on a bit, respecting their privacy. Maria's arms seemed to move almost on their own, wrapping around Michael's waist and up under his shirt. She wanted to be as close to him as possible without creating a public spectacle and shocking their friends. She could just imagine Liz's response if she and Michael started up again where they had left off. Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Michael's head had moved down a bit, and he started gently kissing her neck as his hands played with her bottom shirt buttons. Think of Liz! No public undressing! she told herself weakly as his lips reached the base of her neck, but she could feel herself starting to lose focus the way she had earlier. Or rather, her focus shifted - to Michael. Who was way more important than what they had been talking about............ "Hold on a minute!" she said, pushing him away. "Nice try, spaceboy. But you're not going to distract me that easily." "I don't know what you're talking about. Come over here." Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Maria stepped back a bit. "Oh, no you don't. And you keep a safe distance," she said as he started to come forward. "You're not coming any closer until you answer my question." "Maria," he said quietly as he stared at her. "We can talk about whatever you want, but come over here. I need you." Maria's resolve almost crumbled. How many times had she dreamed of hearing him say that he needed her? And the way he was looking at her was quickly making her forget all those very good, very logical reasons why she had stopped him earlier. But she knew she hadn't imagined that feeling of anger and loss, and deep-seated hatred that she'd gotten from him earlier. Before she could let herself be willing lost in his arms, she needed to know what was going on. "Talk first, Michael. What's wrong?" Looking at her, Michael knew that she wasn't going to give up on this. Would a partial truth be enough? "I remembered my parents. Tymrath's parents. Whoever. They died when I was very young." "Michael, that's awful. I'm so sorry." He shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. It's not like I ever really expected to be able to find them anyway." He was trying so hard to be strong about this, but Maria could sense his sadness and disappointment. Giving in, she walked over to him, and held him close. She seemed to feel his next words more than actually hear them. "It's okay, though. I have five people I can trust completely. That's more than Tymrath ever had." Tightening his grip on her, he went on. "It's enough." And there's no way I'm going to let anyone take away the people I love this time around. Slowly, they walked up to join the others, arms still intertwined. ------------------------------------------------------- Valenti winced as he carefully replaced the telephone in its cradle before walking across the room to sit across the kitchen table from Dagmar. Gosh, that was fun. "Trouble?" Dagmar asked curiously as he passed him a beer. Valenti laughed. "Oh, yeah. I just had the pleasure of explaining to Amy DeLuca that her daughter is just fine, that she hasn't run off with Michael. She was just out with Max and Liz and she'll be back home just as soon as we can get the Jeep up and running again." He took a deep swallow of his drink. "And yet I somehow have the suspicion that she didn't come within a mile of believing that I just happened to find the kids after their car just happened to break down in the middle of the desert." After another gulp, he shook his head. "No, Amy knows something's up. And she knows Michael's involved somehow. And she's going to make me suffer until she knows exactly what that something is." Dagmar smiled and shook his head. "She sounds formidable." "You don't know the half of it. Next time any Skins show up, I might just let Amy know that they tried to hurt her daughter, stand back, and watch the show." "She sounds like my Moiya. Even Tymrath walked carefully around her." "Your teela-mei?" Dagmar nodded. "You must miss her." Dagmar nodded slowly. "Every day. I still ache from the separation. And you, Sheriff? I know that you have a son. What of your wife?" "Nothing too out of the ordinary. Michelle and I divorced a little over ten years ago." Not really wanting to continue this line of conversation, Valenti excused himself and went to check on Tess. Dagmar walked over to the open door and looked out over the desert. He'd felt an incredibly large amount of power being used a short while ago. But he didn't feel any sort of fear of pain from the group, so they were likely safe. Whether or not they were doing well was up to them at this point. He shook his head and wished for the thousandth time that night that Moiya was alive. She could have dealt with this so much better than he did. They had so many issues to deal with, and for all of their past life memories, they were still so young. He could only hope that the strength they had inside them would help them get through this and that they could learn to love and trust each other again. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned back as Valenti entered the kitchen. "Any sign of them?" Valenti asked as he sat back down. Dagmar stayed in the doorway. "No, but they'll be back soon." "Listen, I'm sorry for running out like that just now. My divorce just isn't something I like to talk about." "Perfectly understandable. How's Tess?" Valenti laughed. "She's doing incredibly well, given the circumstances. Actually, she's on her cell phone right now talking to my son. Who, by the way, is very upset at not being here for this alien convention. But Tess is filling him in." "They're close?" "Yeah. They've gotten a bit closer lately than I'm really comfortable with, actually. But they're good kids. I guess it's just a little hard for me to see them as growing up, you know?" Dagmar sat back down. "Yes. I've ben watching the three of them since they came out of the pods. I'm never sure whether to think of them as children or as their past adult selves. Things are confusing. I wonder at times if we did them a favor by bringing them back. But we were so desperate." His voice trailed off as he looked away. "Things are that bad back on your planet?" Dagmar looked back at him. "Worse than you can imagine. Kivar is a vindictive man. He managed to win the battle, but he knows the war isn't over. And knowing that they were brought to Earth and reborn - well, it pushed him right over the edge. He knows his throne will never be secure until he has destroyed them utterly and can prove it to the populace. And he can't bear the thought of being beaten by Zandar. But don't underestimate him. Kivar is smart. He's a threat to them, even here on Earth." "Things just don't get any easier, do they?" Valenti stretched out and closed his eyes as he thought for a minute. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" "Of course not. Go right ahead." "You called Liz Max's teela-mei." Valenti's eyes had opened and he was watching the other man carefully. "Does that make her more vulnerable to Kivar or less? I need to know what's going on if I'm going to protect them." "Of course you do." Dagmar looked a bit uncomfortable. "Actually, that was a slight exaggeration. Liz and Max never finished their tiasa. But for all intents and purposes, they are life-mates. What you Earthlings call soul-mates." "What's the tiasa?" Dagmar got up and poured himself a soda with tabasco sauce before returning to his seat and continuing. "The tiasa is the ceremony a couple undergoes when forging the life-bond. You see, Antarans go through their Awakening and select their partners. Or perhaps the partner is chosen for them - philosophers and poets spend lots of time discussing the issue of fate and free will in the matter. At any rate, once the Awakening has started and the partner is selected, there are two parts to the tiasa. One part is forming the emotional bond. Liz and Max have already done that. They did it over a year and a half ago, in fact." "When he healed her." Dagmar shrugged. "Around that time, at any rate. The second part is the physical bond. Liz and Max didn't complete that part. They were distracted by the orb. I'm not sure why - usually the two parts of the tiasa happen in quick succession to each other. But there's sometimes a pause. It's not completely unheard of. Tymrath and Vilandra never completely finished their tiasa, for instance. If they had, then Kivar never would have been able to gain access to her thoughts and control her without Tymrath's knowledge. The tiasa is really our version of a marriage ceremony. Sometimes there would be a public ceremony, but that would only be a formality." "So once you're connected, that's it? You can't be with anyone else?" Dagmar grimaced. "Well, there are no absolutes. It's physically possible to be someone other than your teela-mei. But it's not something that happens very often, since teela-meis can feel their partner's emotions. Tends to make things awkward." "Yeah, I'd imagine. Must cut down on infidelity on your planet, though." "True. The tiasa is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a bit unpredictable. It's a delicate time in an Antaran's life." "What does that mean?" Dagmar shrugged. "Emotions are heightened, and it's just best if outsiders stay out of it. Teela-meis need time alone when going through the tiasa. Otherwise, things can get out of control very easily." Valenti sighed. "Of course. Out of control aliens with super powers. Great." Laughing, Dagmar stood up and went for a refill. "Well, maybe their Awakenings will be a while longer in coming. After all, they aren't completely Antaran. Who knows what effect their human DNA will have on things?" "Actually, with the way things have gone the last two years, it'll probably just make things more unstable for them." Valenti gave a laugh. Dagmar looked at him curiously. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" "Well, not the parts where the kids are in danger, no. But I have to admit that I like being a part of this. My father spent his whole life trying to find out the truth about aliens, and everyone thought he was nuts. I like knowing, and I like being able to help." Valenti looked down uncomfortably. "And I guess I kind of think of them as my own kids, now. It's dumb, I know, but there it is." "It's not dumb. You've been like a father to them. And I can see that they trust you. Even Michael. And gaining his trust couldn't have been easy." Dagmar looked quietly out the door, and, seeing that the desert still appeared empty, he walked over to the sheriff and lowered his voice. "Sheriff, what can you tell me about Michael's relationship with Maria?" Valenti was confused. "They've been dating off and on again for a little more than a year. I know that Michael wants to keep her safe, and that makes him push her away at times. But she's like her mother - she doesn't give up on things. No matter what happens, she's never given up on Michael." "So he's protective of her? He wants her safe?" "Yeah. When he killed Agent Pierce, Michael stayed away from Maria for months. He was afraid he might hurt her unless he learned how to control his powers." "That makes sense." Dagmar was thinking. "And there's no sign of romantic interest between him and Isabel?" "Not that I've seen. What's this all about?" "Just wondering about some things, that's all. I'm not sure how much of an influence the bonds and controls from their last lifetimes have on them now. It doesn't seem that Michael and Isabel feel obligated to continue what Tymrath and Vilandra started." Hearing a noise outside, he hurried to finish up his talk with the sheriff. "Just keep any eye on Michael, would you? I will too, but you're in a position to see things more closely. If you see him behaving oddly in any way, please let me know. I might be able to help." Before Valenti could question him further, the teens reentered the house. --------------------------------------------------------- Max led them into the ranch house. As the others entered, Michael suddenly pulled Maria aside and pushed her up against the side of the house, just out of sight of the doorway. "Michael, what are you........" the rest of the question was drowned out by the urgent kiss he gave her. If she had thought the earlier kisses left her breathless, they were nothing compared to this one. She didn't think Michael ever intended to let her go, which was just fine with her. Leaning against her so closely that they were almost one body, his hands were everywhere at once. The feel of his rings on her skin made her shiver. She wanted to be with him so much at that moment, it made her forget everything and anything else in the world. All that existed was her and Michael. When he finally took his lips from hers, it was only to say "I love you" and then they were back to kissing again. "Michael? Maria?" Isabel's voice came from inside the house. "Is everything okay out there?" "Uh, yeah, things are great," Maria managed to get out as Michael's lips started travelling down her neck. God, that felt good. "Um, we'll be right in." "Okay," Isabel responded dubiously. "Michael," Maria whispered as he pushed aside the collar of her shirt and kept on kissing. "What's going on?" "What do you mean?" he murmured. "What's going on with you tonight? I mean, even for you this is a bit much. Is everything.........." her voice broke off as his mouth rejoined hers and his hands went up underneath her shirt. Suddenly, she found that she didn't care too much why he was doing what he was doing, just as long as he never stopped it. Then he was gone, suddenly. Michael stepped back a bit from her and leaned down, looking at her. His heart was pounding so loudly she could practically hear it. Hands on the walls next to her, he never broke eye contact with her. "I just want to be close to you. No, I need to be close to you. Is that a problem?" "Nope. But it seems like we're moving a bit fast." He smirked down at her. "Well, going slow has never been exactly our speed, has it?" He leaned down for a quick kiss, then returned to his earlier position. "I'll try to slow things down if you want, though. I don't want to scare you or push you or anything like that." Maria tried to think rationally about what she wanted. But it was hard. Even when he wasn't touching her, she could still feel him, feel the pull to be with him. Michael held his breath, waiting for her answer. If she didn't want him, it would kill him, but he'd back away. Somehow. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but he would. Finally, she responded. "You're not scaring me. I want to be with you, too. But you've been through a lot tonight. I want to make sure that you're not reacting or doing something that you'll regret later." He couldn't stop the big smile spreading over his face. Maria was stunned by how beautiful it was - an actual smile on Michael Guerin's face. "I won't regret it. And neither will you. I promise." Good. Enough talking. Maria reached up and pulled his lips down to hers. "Michael! Maria! Are you two coming in or not?" Isabel's voice was a lot louder and more annoyed this time. Michael groaned. "You know, we could just leave and go back to my apartment right now," he whispered in her ear. "Okay," she answered. Moving as quickly as they could without separating their bodies more than absolutely necessary, they started backing away from the house. They had only gotten five steps when Dagmar appeared in the doorway. "Is there a problem out here?" he asked sharply. Michael instantly jumped away from her and looked at the other alien. "Not at all. Why? Should there be?" His voice was almost challenging. Dagmar raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. Isabel's been trying to get you to come inside, and you haven't. So I thought I'd make sure you were both okay out here." "We're fine." Maria tried to walk by Michael to get in the house, but as she passed him, he grabbed her around the waist and kept her from going on along. "Michael, I think we should go inside." "Fine." The two of them walked inside together. Dagmar moved aside to let them pass, but Maria noticed the concerned look he gave Michael, even though spaceboy didn't seem to. She filed it away as something to think about later. Right now, there was an alien hybrid council to attend. ------------------------------------------------------ When they came into the living room, Tess said good-bye to Kyle and hung up the phone. Alex and Isabel went comfortably to sit down in their chair, and the two adults sat by the other wall. But Max and Liz just stood there, looking at her and shifting from foot to foot. "Where's Michael and Maria?" she finally asked, unable to handle the silence anymore. "They'll be right in. I think they needed some more alone time," Alex asked. He nodded his head towards the cell phone she still held. "Who were you talking to?" "Kyle. I just filled him in on everything." She laughed. "He's really upset at missing all the 'fun'. No to mention the fact that someone didn't bother to call and let him know that we were meeting aliens out in the desert." Valenti looked carefully down at the carpet. Max took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Tess, are you okay?" "Pretty much, yeah." She stood up and walked right up to him. "Max, I know that this is hard for you, and that you must be disappointed that we aren't really married, but I'm sure that you'll get over it someday. We can still be friends." She placed her hand gently on his arm. "I'm sure you'll get over me and move on someday." He just looked at her in confusion, as Alex and Isabel started laughing. Tess joined in. "Come on, Max! Don't look so worried." She held up her hand and looked at him seriously, the picture of wide-eyed innocence. "I officially promise that my days of stalking you around town are over. Nothing personal, but it's kind of a relief to know that we're not really supposed to be together," she finished, thinking of Kyle's kiss. A slow smile spread across Max's face. "It is, isn't it? But we're okay, right? I mean, even if you're not my wife, we're still friends, right?" He sounded so adorably nervous. "Right. Friends." Impulsively, Tess hugged him. Whispering so that only he could hear, she went on. "And I meant it about the no-stalking thing. I don't think you're going to have to worry too much about Kyle hovering around Liz, either." With a laugh, he answered, "Remind me to tell you about that, later." As he released her, she looked over at Liz. "No worries from me, Liz. I'm officially over the whole destiny thing. You can relax." Liz gave a small smile. It was going to take a while before she could totally accept Tess, but this was a start at least. "Are you sure you're okay?" Tess shrugged. "There's a lot of noise in my head, and it's going to take a while to really adjust, but overall, yes. I'm okay." Isabel stood up. "I'm going to see what's keeping Michael and Maria." She strode off purposely. Dagmar followed. "So," Tess said as she sat back down. "Is there anything else we need to talk about tonight? Or do you think we've had enough life-altering revelations for one night?" "Oh, I almost forgot!" Liz looked around and grabbed her backpack. "Let's see if Dagmar knows anything about the pentagon the Skin was trying to steal from Brody." Isabel came striding back into the room, looking none too pleased. "What's the matter?" Alex asked with concern. "Michael and Maria. They're ignoring me." She didn't look happy. Princess Isabel hated to be ignored. "Give them a little space, Iz," Alex said, trying to comfort her and not laugh. "They just want a little time together." "Which is fine, but they don't have to be so rude about it." Then she noticed the pentagon in Liz's hands. "Oh, no!" She started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Maria asked as they entered the room. As Dagmar watched them carefully, Michael sat down on the couch, dragging Maria onto his lap. He wasn't letting her get any farther from him than necessary. Isabel was laughing too hard to explain, so she just pointed to the pentagon. Michael looked over and noticed it. Then he jumped up, almost dropping Maria onto the floor in the process. Backing away, he yelled at Liz. "I thought I told you not to take that thing out when I was around!" "I was just hoping that Dagmar could tell us what it was," she explained. "Well, I can, but I'm not sure I'll have to. Seems like they remember." "Give it to me, Liz." Liz handed it over to Max. "Maxwell, so help me, if that thing sends me flying across the room again............" "Oh, let me have it, Max. Please?" Isabel was still giggling. "Now children, that's not a toy." Dagmar didn't sound as stern as he should have, though. "Okay, what is that thing?" Maria insisted. "And why are you hiding behind the couch?" she asked Michael. "Max, please." "If you give her that Maxwell, you better be prepared to have it thrown at you as soon as I get my hands on it," Michael warned him. "And I will eventually get my hands on it." "This was something Aveen brought with her when Tymrath rescued her," Max explained over Isabel's giggles. He had a sad smile on his face at the thought of Aveen. But at least now he could think of her with some fondness instead of just pain. She would have liked that. "It was one of the communicators Kivar's forces used. See, they were keyed in specifically to the DNA of the Skins. They wouldn't work for anyone on our side. But Aveen thought we could use them to listen in on their plans." "Sounds like a good idea," Alex commented. "Yes, but our scientists came up with an even better one." Max sat down on the floor next to Liz. Isabel took up the explanation. "Since the pentagons were already designed to identify Skin DNA from ours, they decided to modify them so that they could be used as weapons. But they would be harmless to anyone who wasn't a Skin." "And this is funny? Antaran humor is a strange thing," Maria commented. "That wasn't what she found so funny," Michael commented grumpily. Isabel struggled to keep a straight face. "See, we had to try it out on someone. And we didn't exactly have too many Skins around to try a top-secret weapon on." "So guess who got to spend hours being thrown across the room by that lovely weapon," Michael asked sarcastically. "You used that thing on Michael? I mean, Tymrath?" Tess asked in shock. Isabel shrugged. "It didn't really hurt him. It's set to stun a bit - we never had time to get the charge very strong. And we had the room cushioned so he wouldn't be hurt." "Yeah, nothing hurt except my pride. You try being thrown across a room like a frisbee all day." He glared at the offending object. "I can't believe I didn't recognize that stupid thing the first time I saw it and Brody used it to send me flying across another room. One without cushions, I might add." He rolled his eyes. "And here we were, trying to figure out what it attacked me, but not you two." "Did the Skins know it was modified?" Liz asked. "Well, since it was top-secret, I'm guessing not. Unless........" Michael trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. But Isabel knew what he had been about to say. "I don't remember it ever coming up. Kivar probably doesn't know. We were the only ones who knew. Oh, and Larek. He was helping the scientists with the modifications." "Larek wouldn't tell," Max said with certainty. Michael nodded in agreement. "Then that's why the Skin was trying to steal it," Alex said. "They still think it's a communicator. They were probably trying to use it to phone home or something." "Liz." She looked over at Michael, who smirked at her and went on calmly. "If that thing doesn't disappear from my sight in the next five seconds, I'm going to blast it through Dagmar's wall into the kitchen." Feeling fairly certain that he meant it, Liz grabbed the object out of Max's hands and replaced it in her backpack. Breathing a sigh of relief, Michael returned to the couch. Maria happily settled back in his lap. "Now that that's settled, any more questions for tonight?" Dagmar asked briskly. "I have one, actually," Tess said. "How did Nicholas manage to survive my fireball? I was pretty sure that I had gotten all of the Skins who were there, but then we ran into Nicholas in New York, working with Rath and Lonnie." Maria could feel the sudden tension in Michael's body at the mention of Rath. She gently started rubbing the back of his neck, slowly feeling him relax. He smiled down at her in response. Dagmar sighed and started to pace again. Max smiled, remembering how he would always do that in the classroom, too. "During the war, both sides tried to develop machines that would help them. In particular, time manipulation was something that was investigated." Max exchanged a look at Liz. From Future Max's visit, it seemed that their side had been able to create a machine capable of time travel. "You saw that when the Skins sent the town into different time zones all at once." Under her breath, Maria muttered, "Ah, yes. The explanation from Courtney that made no sense." Dagmar ignored the interruption and continued. "Some Skins were able to use machines to skip themselves out of time ever so slightly. They would be out of sync with the rest of the world around them. They could observe what was going on around them, but couldn't affect it. My guess is that Nicholas had one of those devices, and used it to step out of time and avoid your attack, Tess." "So he was able to survive and join forces with Rath and Lonnie. Nice," Alex pointed out. Tess gave a shiver at the thought of Rath. "I still can't believe they joined forces with Nicholas and Kivar." "With Nicholas, maybe. Not with Kivar." Michael corrected her instantly. All eyes turned to him. "There's a distinction?" Liz asked. "Yeah." "And how do you know this?" Maria asked. Michael noticed that Alex was watching him very intently, waiting to see how he'd answer it. "I just do." When everyone kept looking at him, he knew he'd need to give more for his answer. "Okay, Lonnie might have allied herself with Kivar. She probably did, in fact." He remembered Rath's comment about not trusting Lonnie anymore. Based on what he's remembered that night, Michael could understand it. "But Rath wouldn't." "Why not?" Maria wasn't letting this one go. "Because I wouldn't." Michael answered quietly, hoping this would end soon. This was not a discussion he wanted to prolong. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything, Michael. You two aren't the same, after all," Max pointed out. "Trust me on this one, Maxwell. Rath would never ally himself with Kivar." "But he would ally himself with Nicholas? The one who killed you last time around? That doesn't make much sense." Isabel was confused. Michael shrugged. "It's not something I'd do personally, but I can see Rath doing it. Nicholas was business. Kivar's personal." Before anyone could question that further, he hurried on. "It would depend on what Nicholas was offering him. That would make the difference in Rath's mind as to whether or not the deal was worth the risk." Valenti asked slowly, "So what do you think Nicholas offered him?" "A way back home." At the sound of his quiet comment, all eyes turned to Alex. He was oblivious, though, still looking at Michael. "A way back home to Antar, where he could have a chance to kill Kivar. That's it, isn't it?" Michael nodded. "Rath didn't tell me this at our meeting, and I'm sure that he didn't tell Nicholas the real reason for wanting to go back to Antar, but if I had to guess, yeah. That's what I think happened." Alex just nodded, and returned to his own thoughts. Casting about desperately for a way to change the subject, something occurred to Michael. "Dagmar, if a Skin was watching you from this 'moment out of time', would you see him?" "No. You might sense that they were there, if your senses were heightened enough, but you wouldn't be able to see them." Michael leaned back again, satisfied. "That's what it was then." At their confused looks, he went on. "That night when they found Pierce's body. I knew I was being watched, but I couldn't see anyone. Then I found a skin on the ground. I must have been being watched by a Skin." "Maybe it was Courtney," Maria suggested, batting her eyelashes up at him. "Your little Michael worshipper." "Do you really want to talk about Courtney?" he asked gently. Whispering for her ears only, he went on. "Because I can think of much more interesting things we could be doing." "Is anyone else ready to leave yet?" Maria asked loudly. "Just one more thing," Tess answered. She looked over at Max. "What do we do now, Max?" she teased. With a smile, Max looked over at Michael. "What do you think?" Looking his king directly in the eye, Michael answered. "No more running." Isabel nodded, hands tightly intwined with Alex's. "No more running. We have too much here in Roswell to give up." Tess looked determined. "No more running." Finally, looking down at Liz, Max went on. "No more running. It's about time we took control of our own destinies."

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:51 pm

Dagmar watched quietly as Valenti and his young charges gathered up their belongings and headed out into the early morning darkness. Tess went and got into the sheriff's car, while Valenti stood by the door waving good-bye as the Jeep started off. Dagmar's interest was on the two getting on the bike. Without exchanging a word, Michael and Maria had both gone to the bike. It was an unspoken understanding that wherever they were going, they were going together. Maria wasn't really sure what was going on with them, but she had finally gotten tired of fighting it. She trusted Michael and was more than happy to let him take the lead for now. As she climbed up behind him on the bike, her hands traveled up his legs before coming to rest around his waist. She could feel his heartbeat speed up at her contact, and smiled. He reached behind her and pulled her body up even closer to his. That was enough for Dagmar. "Michael!" he called out as he stepped outside. At the sound of his voice, Valenti looked over. Neither Michael nor Maria did. He wasn't even sure they had heard him. Maria scooted forward even closer, kissing Michael at the base of his neck. "Keep doing that, and I'll probably end up driving off the road," Michael whispered gruffly. "Well, we don't want that, do we?" Maria replied with a little laugh. "I'll be good. At least until we get back to the apartment." At his small moan, she laughed even more. Michael heard a voice calling his name, but it sounded as if it was from far away, and it certainly wasn't important. Ignoring it, he reached to turn on the ignition, but was stopped as a hand grabbed his. Looking up finally, he saw Dagmar standing there. "What do you want?" he asked irritably, as he pulled his hand away. Dagmar looked nervous, he noted. Good. Then he noticed Valenti walking up behind Dagmar, and got even more frustrated. Why wouldn't they just let him and Maria be alone? "Actually, I had a few more things to discuss with you, Michael. I thought that perhaps Sheriff Valenti could take Maria home while we talk." Michael could feel Maria shake her head behind him. "No," he said simply and reached for the ignition again. "It's important," Dagmar insisted, reaching for Maria's arm to pull her off the bike. He stopped almost instantly, though, when he saw Michael's hand raise in his direction. Letting go of Maria quickly and taking a small slow step back, Dagmar never took his eyes from Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael, but it really do need to speak with you. Privately." "You know, kids, Maria's mother thinks she's with me, that the Jeep broke down." Michael barely paid attention to Valenti's calm voice. He was too busy staring at the other alien, the one trying to take Maria away from him when she didn't want to go. Right before he decided to take action, he felt a small hand gently join his raised one. Looking down at the intertwined fingers, hands lowering, he felt a moment of confusion. What was I thinking? Oh, yes. Maria. He looked behind him and smiled at her. He didn't even notice Dagmar take a shaky breath and visibly relax. Smiling back at Michael, Maria asked, "Why does she think that?" Not that I really care. "Well, Amy was a bit concerned at the thought of you and Michael spending any time together right now. Something about his seeming upset when she saw him earlier." That got both of their attentions. "You saw my mother earlier?" she asked. "What did you do to her, spaceboy?" "Nothing." At her look of disbelief, he went on. "Don't look at me like that, Maria. I didn't do anything. I was polite. Do I look like I want to be smacked over the head with a newspaper again?" She had to laugh at that image. "No, I guess not." She quieted as she remembered the look she'd seen on Michael's face at the hospital. With so much else going on, it had been easy to forget about that. If he had looked anything like that when he saw her mother, no wonder that she had sent out the cavalry looking for her little girl. Steeling herself for the emptiness she knew was coming, Maria got off the bike, eluding Michael's hands reaching out to keep her there. One of them had to be mature and rational. Too bad it always had to be her. "If my mother thinks that I'm coming home, then I'd better go home. Otherwise, she might come looking for me." Michael didn't see anything, but she could see the look of pain in his eyes. "Just let me convince Mom that you aren't a crazed stalker or something. I'll see you tomorrow. I absolutely promise." Before he could say anything, she leaned over and kissed him. Ignoring the two adults standing there, Michael reached up behind her head and pulled her down even closer to him. If he wasn't going to see her for the rest of the night, then he needed to have the taste of her kiss to remind him of what he was missing. Dagmar and Valenti exchanged embarrassed looks. Valenti in particular was shocked. He didn't think he'd ever seen Michael express himself that physically before. Michael liked to keep his feelings private, not put on public displays of affection, yet here he was, putting on quite a show. As Michael's hands started traveling downward, Valenti decided that enough was enough, and pulled Maria away. Too dazed to protest, Maria allowed him to pull her away and into the car. Ignoring Tess, she looked out the back window and watched as she was driven farther away from Michael. ------------------------------------------------------- As the car vanished into the darkness, Dagmar turned and went into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. He poured two glasses of soda, and dumped massive amounts of tabasco into them. After a few minutes, he heard Michael enter the house. Without speaking, Michael came into the room, took one of the glasses and sat down. He didn't drink it, though. Placing the glass on the table, he sat back and glared silently at Dagmar. Remembering the look on Michael's face when he tried to pull Maria away from him, Dagmar didn't say anything. Honestly, he couldn't think where to begin. The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, annoyed, Michael snapped, "Well? What's so important?" Forcing himself to smile, Dagmar walked over and sat down across from him. "The language is different, but the attitude is remarkably the same. You never did have a great deal of patience." A ghost of a smile flitted across Michael's face. "I wasn't exactly your best student, was I?" "I'm not sure I'd actually call you a student at all. The only times I remember you in the classroom were when you wanted to spend time with Vilandra." Remembering how his attendance at West Roswell High had improved after he discovered the joys of the eraser room with Maria, Michael smirked. "Well, I didn't need the education. Vilandra studied enough for all three of us. Besides, I learned everything I need to know in other places." Dagmar looked at him curiously. "You know, it occurs to me that I really never knew anything about your life before you came to the palace." "You mean Tymrath's life," he corrected. Forcing himself to appear calm, he went on. "Not much to tell. I wasn't anything special until Zandar took me in." "Somehow I doubt that." Michael shrugged. "Whatever. And I doubt that you kept me here to ask me about my early education as an alien street punk. So what's really going on?" Gathering his courage, Dagmar decided to just blurt it out. "It's about you and Maria." Michael's eyes went cold suddenly as he leaned forward a bit. "I'm not giving her up." "I wasn't about to suggest that you should," he said very quickly. "I have no intention of trying to separate the two of you. It's obvious that you love her. And that she loves you." "Yes." Michael was watching him very closely. It was making Dagmar extremely nervous. "Then what were you going to suggest?" "Just that you be careful, Michael. She's human, after all. That means she's more vulnerable in some ways that you are. I just want you to take that aspect of things into consideration. Be careful. That's all." "Be careful," he repeated flatly. "Love her and take care of her, Michael. Love is fragile, and I would be the last one to try and take that away from you." Dagmar's voice was very gentle at the end, and it seemed to get through to Michael. The teen leaned back in the chair, eyes growing calmer. "I meant to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Moiya. I remember that she would help me clean up when I got hurt." He scratched his eyebrow, remembering. "Which happened a lot. And I'm pretty sure she was the one who first convinced Vilandra to go out walking with me." Michael paused, with a sad smile. "She was always kind to me, and there weren't many who were when I first came to the palace. Her death is a great loss." For a minute, Dagmar didn't know what to say. It had been so long since he'd had anyone to talk about his teela-mei with, and getting sympathy from Tymrath, no, Michael, was the last thing he'd expected. He finally simply nodded, afraid he'd cry if he tried to speak. Michael seemed to understand. He reached over and clasped the older man on the shoulder as he rose. Crossing the room, he stopped to look at a box of tic tacs on the counter. Picking it up, he turned back to his host. "What's the story with these tic tacs anyway?" Grateful for the change in topic, Dagmar quickly answered. "I was hurt badly by the tests the army put me through. I don't know if you've noticed it, but our bodies are easily influenced by certain foods and substances found here on Earth." Remembering Max's experience with alcohol, Michael nodded. "Well, I've found that sugar helps me with the pain. Hence, the tic tacs. I also like Pez, especially when I can find the dispensers shaped like little green aliens." Michael laughed at that. "Freak," he said with some affection. "I'm leaving now. But I promise to keep your advice in mind. I would never do anything that would endanger Maria." "I'm sure you wouldn't." As he turned to leave, Michael said, "Meilya Eda Eith." Then he was gone. Dagmar smiled at the Antaran words traditionally spoken at the tiasa to show devotion to one's mate. Her life before everything. ----------------------------------------------------------- As he heard the bike start off, Dagmar let loose a deep breath. He hadn't been that frightened since escaping the army. Even finding out what Urza had done was nothing compared with facing Michael just now. Moiya. Of all of them, who would have thought it would be Tymrath to sympathize on her loss? Shaking his head, he walked over to the open door and looked out across the desert. He was lucky that the conversation had gone as well as it had. He knew better than to try and get between Tymrath and something he wanted. Of course, the problem was, it wasn't really Tymrath. If it had been, he'd know what to expect. And no way would he have even tried to interfere in his relationship with Maria. But he wasn't Tymrath, not completely. And he wasn't really sure how Michael Guerin would react to anything. He was unpredictable. Still, that was as much interference as he was going to offer. Any more would be dangerous, not to mention pointless. Things had already progressed too far between Michael and Maria to stop. All he could do was hope that Michael meant what he'd said and would try to be careful for her sake. That and pray that Maria was strong enough to be there for him and get through what was coming. Dagmar shivered as he remembered that instant when Michael's hand had come up to stop him from touching Maria. The look in his eyes at that moment had been pure Tymrath - cold and determined. For a second, Dagmar was sure he was going to die. He'd survived a bloody civil war, months in the underground resistance, the crash on Earth, imprisonment and "testing" by the government - all to be killed by one of the very children he was charged with protecting. Very simple. Not to mention ironic. Then Michael pulled back. That was something reassuring. The only ones who had ever been able to control Tymrath had been Zandar and Vilandra, and to be quite honest, Vilandra's influence had never been that total. Only Zandar could pull Tymrath back from the edge. But Michael had been able to stop himself. That was something new and different. He was proud of the boy. That was something new, too. He laughed to himself. At any rate, he thought they were going to be all right. They'd faced their pasts and it hadn't broken them. In fact, they seemed stronger than ever. He was the most concerned about Tess, but there wasn't much he could do about that. He wondered if Urza had ever considered the possible consequences of his actions. No, of course he didn't. He just wanted to finish his mission, and it didn't matter to him who got hurt in the process. Dagmar wondered what Urza had thought about his old mentor. Had he recognized the progress Michael had made in this life, or had he merely wanted him to be like Tymrath? Not that it mattered - Urza was dead and gone now. At least he died protecting the Royal Four. That would likely have satisfied him. And then there was Max. He had the potential to be such a good king - even better than he had been before. He was strong, but not hard yet. Hopefully, he wouldn't ever become as hard as Zandar had been. Become too hard, and you're too easy to break. Of course, in this lifetime, he hadn't stood by and watched as his parent was murdered. Max and Isabel had been raised by two parents who loved and supported them. That could make a difference. Dagmar frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. What was the Earth expression? "History always repeats itself." Heart filled with a sudden dread, Dagmar turned around to go for the phone. Before he reached it, he found himself knocked across the room. Hitting the wall hard, he fell to the ground and looked up at the open doorway. "Lesson's over." Nicholas smirked down at him. Reaching up desperately to block Nicholas's next attack, Dagmar never saw the figure in the shadows behind him. Everything went black as two energy blasts, one from in front and one from behind, went through his body.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:54 pm

Maria was suddenly awakened as a figure bounced down on the bed next to her. "Wake up!" came a way-too-chipper voice. Maria peered up from under her pillow to see Tess's bright and cheerful face looking down at her. Groaning, she looked over at the clock. Nine in the morning. Much too early for anyone to be even conscious after the late night they had, much less as bright-eyed as Tess was right now. It just wasn't right. Such perkiness should be forbidden before noon. "Go away!" she said, burrowing her head under the covers. "Sorry, can't do that," Tess said as she pulled the covers away from her friend. Strange - she didn't sound sorry. She sounded amused. Evil alien, waking up poor innocent humans like that. "Isabel wants us to go shopping with her." "Don't wanna." "Come on," she coaxed. "Isabel wants to get the perfect outfit for her date with Alex tonight, and really wants to have our opinions. It'll be fun." She gave another little bounce, then went out to talk with Maria's mother. Maria peered carefully up and saw that Kyle was standing in the open doorway. "Is she always this awake this early?" Maria asked grumpily as she got out of bed. She laughed as she saw Kyle look away quickly. "It's okay, Kyle. I'm decent." She walked over to the bathroom, grabbing a shirt and pants on her way. He looked back in relief, seeing that she was wearing shorts and a tank top. "Cool. I just didn't want to get Michael upset or anything. Discretion, wisdom, and all that. I have no wish to go the way of his TV set. So, what was up with the two of you yesterday, anyway?" She stuck her head out the door. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion. "Tess said that you and Michael were acting all lovey-dovey last night. I wouldn't know, of course, seeing as how I wasn't invited to the Great Alien Shin-dig." "Good to know that you're not bitter or anything," she yelled through the door as she started to run the shower. "Nah. I've learned acceptance of events outside my control. I'm just curious about what I missed." "Tess. Little Miss Good Morning Sunshine?" she yelled over the running water. "And yes, ladies and gentlemen, there she goes avoiding the question." "Kyle." Her voice was one of warning at this point. Sitting down on her bed, he laughed. "She's always like this first thing in the morning. She doesn't need much sleep. Czechoslovakians must have great endurance or something." At that, Maria almost stumbled as she entered the shower. Thinking about alien endurance was taking her mind places that it definitely didn't need to be this early in the morning, especially since there was no chance of seeing Michael until later. He had to go to work today. She missed him already, and she had just woken up. She remembered having some very interesting dreams about him last night. No wonder she hadn't wanted to wake up. --------- Maria thought back to last night, after the sheriff brought her back home. As Tess waited in the car, Valenti walked inside with Maria, where he was subjected to the third degree by her mother. Maria was impressed. Not many people could stand up to Amy DeLuca at her most intimidating, but Valenti didn't crack. He insisted that he found the kids out in the desert, helped them get the Jeep up and running again, and then brought Maria home so that Amy wouldn't worry. That was his story, and he was sticking to it. After the third time running through the story, Maria got tired and went to her room. While she was certain that her mother wasn't buying any of this, Amy couldn't shake his story, so things would be at a stalemate for now. As Valenti tried to charm her mother, Maria lay down on her bed. Her head had started pounding about ten minutes after leaving Michael, and it was pretty bad now. She just wanted to get some sleep. She had barely closed her eyes, though, when the phone rang. She reached over and grabbed it instantly, on the first ring. "Hello?" Even before she heard his voice, she knew it was him. "Teel-sharan." The sound of Michael's quiet voice sent shivers through her body. She closed her eyes, imagining that he was there with her in his arms. "Was everything okay with Dagmar?" She could sense his hesitation before answering. "Yeah," he finally replied. "No problem. Just wanted to review some things with me. Precautions. Stuff like that." He hesitated again. "I told him how sorry I was about his teela-mei." "Michael." She tightened her grip on the phone. It was going to take a while for her to get used to him being this honest and up-front about his emotions. It was a new experience, although something she'd wanted for a long time. She guessed he'd decided that there was little point to hiding his feelings when she was somehow able to feel them, too, now. "That was really nice of you. Did you know her? Before, I mean?" "Yeah," he said gruffly. "I did." The next words came out in a rush. "I don't know how Dagmar's managed it. Going on without her without going totally crazy. I couldn't." "I'm not going anywhere, Michael." Hearing her mother saying good-bye to Valenti, she sighed. "Literally. I have a feeling Mom's going to be watching me carefully for a while to make sure I don't sneak out." She carefully lowered her voice. "I miss you, spaceboy. I need to see you." Hearing his voice was helping her feel better, but it wasn't enough. She needed to see him, to touch him. "Can you come over?" Another pause. Maria wasn't sure if she should be more annoyed by them, or worried. He certainly hadn't been wasting time with excessive thinking earlier. "I don't think that would be such a good idea, Maria. Like you said, let's give your mom some time to decide that I'm not some crazy man who she needs to sic the Dobermans on." Maria frowned. He was trying to talk lightly, but she could hear the strain in his voice. "You feel it, too, don't you?" She didn't even bother to go into more detail. She knew he understood. "Yeah. But we'll be okay until tomorrow night. That's not too far away." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as much as her. She muttered a curse under her breath. Knowing he was right didn't make the ache any less. "Such language, Maria. What would your mother say?" "Shut up, Michael." She could hear him laughing softly, and the sound helped. She found herself smiling back. "Okay. Fine. I'll wait until tomorrow night. But then we get to spend some time together, right?" "Sure." The pause had been shorter this time. She wasn't even sure she'd heard it. She took a deep breath. "Are you sure that everything's fine?" "Things are as fine as they can be right now. I wouldn't lie to you, Maria." "I know." There was a wry smile on her face. "You've always been honest with me." Even when I didn't want to hear it. "Good night, then." He answered something that she didn't quite catch. "Huh?" He laughed again. "I've got lots of Antaran words floating around in my memory now. Interesting. I said, neeyal semar, meilyas-sivar. Roughly, it means good-night." She smiled, hoping he could sense it over the phone. She knew full well that she was just putting off hanging up, but that was okay. Hearing his voice wasn't nearly enough, but if it was all she could have at the moment, then she wanted to savor it as long as she could. "Neeyal semar. That's pretty." "It actually means 'shining stars'. But since stars shine at night, you get the translation." "I like hearing you speak Antaran. Very sexy." She could hear his sharp intake of breath. "I'm going to have to start writing down all the words I can think of so that I don't forget them, then." "You do that, spaceboy. Neeyal semar." "Night, Maria." Reluctantly, she hung up the phone, and then lay back in bed, trying to get to sleep despite the feeling of loneliness she had at not being with Michael. -------- Finally finished with her showering and dressing, Maria stepped back into her room, running a comb through her hair. She could hear the sounds of Tess and her mother talking in the kitchen. She wondered what they were talking about, but having successfully avoided an interrogation from her mother the night before, she wasn't about to voluntarily leave herself open to one now. She saw Kyle lying down on her bed, apparently relaxing without a care in the world. "Move over." When he did, she lay down next to him, looking at the ceiling. Without opening his eyes, Kyle asked, "Going to tell me about Michael?" He really was curious about what was going on with the two of them. When all he heard was a quiet groan, he opened his eyes and looked at the girl next to him. Maria's eyes were closed tightly, her hands clasped tightly together. Kyle could see how white her knuckles were. She almost looked like she was in pain. Concerned, he asked, "Maria, are you sick or something? Should I get your mother?" "No!" Her eyes flew open wildly and she grabbed his arm. "Don't." Looking at the open door, she whispered. "Kyle, could you close the door?" Confused, he did as he was asked. Then he sat back down on the bed next to her. "What's going on, Maria? Lovey-dovey wasn't really the word Tess used to describe it. More like the two of you were surgically attached, and Dad almost needed a crowbar to get the two of you separated." Maria gave a hoarse laugh. "Sounds like Tess was pretty much on target." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "What time is it?" Kyle frowned at the change in topic, but looked at his watch. "Nine-thirty." She closed her eyes for a second while she thought. "That means it's been, what? Eight hours since I've seen him? And I was asleep for at least three of them." Kyle raised his eyebrows. She really hadn't gotten much sleep last night. "And I miss him as if I haven't seen him in weeks." She forced a laugh. "Look at me. I'm shaking." "I take it this means you're back together." She suddenly smiled brightly. "Oh, yeah. Mr. Spaceboy Guerin and I are definitely back together. For good." There was total certainty and fierce determination in her voice. The smile faded as another shudder went through her. "Kyle?" she whispered weakly again. "Yeah?" "Can you do me a favor? Can we talk about something else? Anything except Michael?" "Sure, but why?" With a slight grimace that would have made Guerin proud, Maria replied. "Because the more I think about Michael, the harder it is to keep myself from running out of the house and going to see him. Right now. I'm not sure how much longer my self-control's going to last, and I don't think Grief Relief is going to work this time. So let's change the subject. Distract me, Buddha Boy." Kyle was more than a little worried by this information, but decided to file it away until he had a chance to talk to Tess about it. Or better yet, Michael himself. "Not a problem. So, how long do you think it'll take Tess to decide we need to get going?" "What's she doing with my mother anyway?" The door suddenly burst open, and in bounded Tess. Kyle smiled at her proudly. "She's charming your mother." "Why?" Now it was Maria's turn to be totally confused. "Because," Tess explained patiently as she landed on Kyle's lap, "I want Amy in a good mood so that she can get over her Michael hang-up and the two of you can spend as much time as you want together." Kyle tried to shush her, but Maria spoke first. "Again with the why?" "Are you forgetting that I'm the one who spent the most time with Michael last summer? When you two weren't together?" Tess shook her head with a frown. "A grumpy Michael is nobody's fun. I so do not want to ever have to deal with that again." Kyle noticed the way that Maria's eyes kept darting over to the open window as if she was planning escape. Time to distract Maria, and what would serve as a better distraction than shopping with Isabel? It would take all of Maria's energy just to keep up with Princess Isabel when she was on a mission. Taking each girl by the hand, Kyle led them out the door. "Come on, girls. Let's go. Isabel Evans and the quest for the perfect date outfit await." --------------------------------------------------- Isabel was waiting for them outside the mall entrance. "Where have you been?" she asked irritably as they came up to her. "We don't have time to waste here, you know." She stopped, noticing Kyle for the first time. "What are you doing here?" Kyle smiled at her. "Nice to see you, too, Isabel. Don't worry, I'm not here for the shopping. I am simply the chauffeur for the day." Isabel smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean that the way it came out." "Forgiveness is a virtue. Don't worry about it." Tess was watching him suspiciously. "What do you mean you're not shopping with us?" "Well, since I've gotten you two here safely, I thought I'd take my car in for a tune-up." At her pout, he went on quickly. "I'll be back to pick you up later. What do you think it'll take, an hour?" At the looks he received, he went on. "Hour and a half? Two hours? How long does it take you to pick out something to wear, anyway?" "How about we meet you in the food court at about 3?" Tess suggested sweetly. "Then we can assess and see if we need more time or not." "More time?" Kyle simply could not wrap his mind around the thought of five hours shopping not being enough time to find one outfit. While his dazed mind tried to assimilate this information, Isabel went on briskly. "Well, we'll see you then, Kyle. Come on, girls. Let's get going." Grabbing Maria by the arm, Isabel started off into the wilderness of the mall. Tess jumped up and gave Kyle a quick kiss, then ran after the others. Shaking his head, Kyle went back out to the car. Girls were very confusing creatures at times, but they were worth the confusion. ------------------------------------------------------ Isabel led the way to her favorite store. "You have Kyle driving you around already, Tess? Very nice. I would have thought it'd take you longer to get him that well-trained." She was smiling as she said it, though. Kyle and Tess were cute. Tess laughed. "Like Alex wouldn't walk through fire if you asked him to." "So, what's the big deal with tonight's date anyway?" Maria spoke up for the first time since getting there. "Is it something special?" Isabel shrugged. "I'm not sure what we're doing actually. Alex wouldn't tell me. He said it was a surprise. But I don't think it's gong to be anything formal. He said to dress casually. I still want something nice to wear." She stopped to look at a display of blouses. Maria noticed Tess looking past them, out the doors to the mall. "What?" She turned around and saw Deputy Hanson looking at them. When he saw the girls looking back, he tipped his hat to them and walked on. She looked at Tess in confusion. Tess shrugged. Well, maybe he was just shopping. But after the last year and a half of their lives, Maria tended to get nervous around any law enforcement officer except the sheriff. Oh, well. Back to more important things. Tess was already back to looking through the blouses. "This is nice," Tess said, picking up a blue one. Isabel glanced at it, then shook her head. "I want something red. Alex likes me in red." Tess and Maria exchanged amused glances. Was Isabel blushing? Trying not to laugh, Maria followed Isabel to the next rack. "If it's nothing fancy, then why the big fuss?" "I just want to look nice for him." Isabel sighed and looked at her friends. "Alex is always the one who jumps through hoops for me. I just thought it would be nice to make the effort for him for a change. You know, so he'd know that I really do appreciate him." "He already knows that, Isabel," Tess said gently. "Maybe. But it can't hurt to show him, now can it?" Isabel gave her brightest smile. "Besides, I have a reputation to uphold. I have to look good, don't I?" "Oh, definitely," Maria gave a genuine laugh. Her head was still aching a bit, but it was nice to hang out with her friends. Maybe this was a good idea after all. "As long as you realize that you could be wearing an old raggedy sweatsuit and Alex would still think you were the most gorgeous girl in the world." "Well, naturally," Isabel said with a little laugh. "The boy does have good taste, after all." Picking up a red blouse, she held it up in front of her as she examined it. "Kind of like Michael thinks of you." At the sound of Michael's name, Maria tensed up. Just his name was enough to make her remember last night, the touches and the feelings. Trying to keep breathing naturally, she asked, "You think?" "Please," Tess said. "Michael is just as whipped as Alex. The boy is a goner." "She's right, you know." Isabel stopped looking at the clothes and looked Maria directly in the eyes. "I've never seen Michael look at anyone or anything the way he was looking at you last night. Never. He really does love you, you know." She smiled at the human girl, hoping Maria could tell how sincere she was, how much Isabel wished them the best. "I know," Michael whispered. Shaking her head, she tried to lighten the mood as she looked over at some purses. "Just like Kyle loves Tess here." Realizing that the other two girls weren't following her, Maria looked back. They were both staring at her in shock. Maria started laughing at their expressions. "You've got to be kidding me. You two with your whole mumbo-jumbo powers," she lowered her voice at that last, "and you're that clueless? Kyle is head over heels in love with you, Tess. Has been for a while now." Tess turned to Isabel slowly. "You think?" Isabel shrugged. "Maybe. It would make sense." "Trust me, Tess. I know what I'm talking about. It's very clear to anyone looking. He's just been waiting for you to get over the whole Max thing. I've been halfway expecting him to lose it and start pummeling Max, to be honest with you. He's handled his jealousy pretty well, all things considered." "Well, that's something he doesn't have to worry about anymore." Tess's voice was full of determination. "There is nothing going on with Max and me." Her voice turned wistful. "I knew Kyle liked me, and that he liked kissing me, but love? You really think so? I've never had anyone love me before." The last was said so quietly that the others barely heard it. Tess immediately turned away, trying to cover up her overly-emotional last statement. When did she become so emotional, so weak? Nasedo hadn't raised her this way. She was startled to feel arms reach around to hug her. "Well, you've got plenty of us now," Maria said as she hugged her friend. "You're part of our family, and we take care of each other. Right, Isabel?" "Right." Isabel hugged Tess as Maria let her go. "No matter what happens, you don't have to worry about being alone anymore, Tess. We all belong together." "Thanks." Composing herself, Tess smiled. "Now, let's find something to knock Alex's eyes right out of their sockets. Then maybe we can find something special for me to wear for Kyle?" Listening to her friends laugh, Tess let herself start to really believe them. She belonged to the group. She finally had a family. -------------------------------------------------- "Michael? Michael!" "What?" he cried irritably to Liz. She just pointed at the range. Looking back, he saw that he was burning another hamburger. Quickly scooping it up, he looked back at her. "So? It's well done." "Michael, it's charcoal." He glared at her, but she didn't back down. "That's like the tenth burnt hamburger today. And we won't even get into what you did to the chili." He rolled his eyes. "What's going on with you today, Michael? Are you okay?" She lowered her voice as she moved closer so that nobody could overhear. "If you're still dealing with everything we learned last night, you can take some time off." "I'm fine," he said sharply. Noticing how she stepped back, he grimaced. He didn't mean to snap at her. Amazingly enough, he wasn't upset with Liz. He wasn't really upset with anyone. "I'm just thinking. That's all. I'll try to focus on the food. Okay?" "Fine. Whatever." Liz took up the burger and fries and took it out to the customer. Whatever was wrong with Michael, it was making him even grumpier than usual. She really wished that Maria was working today. She seemed to have a calming influence on him. In the kitchen, Michael was also wishing Maria was there. She was all he'd been able to think about all day. All night, too. He hadn't gotten any sleep. He just kept thinking about Maria, reliving over and over those moments when he'd had her in his arms. Not going over to her house when she asked him had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, in either lifetime. But it had been the right thing to do. He had to try and pull back a little, give them both some breathing room. Problem was, he didn't seem to be able to breathe too well without her there with him. "You've always been honest with me." That was something to think about, too. Maria trusted him to tell her the truth. It was the same for him. Maria was the first person he had ever really been able to trust, someone he could allow to see his weaknesses and not exploit them. Letting down his guard like that went against his instincts, against everything he'd been taught back in that other life, but he did it. For Maria. She knew almost everything about him, and still wanted him. That was nothing short of a miracle. But was keeping something from her, something from another lifetime that wasn't even an issue anymore, the same as lying? He hoped not, because he didn't ever want to lie to her, but he didn't think he could ever bear to tell her what else he'd remembered the night before. Thoughts of last night led him right back to remembering what it was like to be kissing Maria behind Dagmar's house. Michael tried to concentrate on the cooking. He really did. He wasn't sure what Liz's father would do if he kept burning everything. Luckily, the man didn't seem to be around the restaurant, and Michael was fairly certain that Liz wouldn't fire him. In the front of the Crashdown, Liz looked up as Sheriff Valenti entered the restaurant. He came up to the counter, smiling at Liz. "Morning, Liz. How are you doing today?" "I'm good, Sheriff. How are you?" "Well, I survived my meeting with Amy DeLuca last night, so I'm doing better than could be expected." He gave a laugh. "Kyle and Tess are at the mall today. Shopping. Watching my son dragged off to the mall to go shopping is definitely one of the high points of having Tess living with us." Liz gave a polite smile. It was still going to take a while for anything Tess-related to really be all that amusing for her. Valenti went on. "Actually, I was hoping for a word with Michael. Would it be okay for him to take a break for a few minutes?" Suddenly, a yell from Michael echoed through the restaurant, causing customers to look back at the kitchen and the smoke coming from it. "Please," Liz answered, practically pushing Valenti in front of her through the back door. "Take all the time you need." "It's fine! No problem!" Michael was yelling and opening the side door to let in some fresh air as Valenti entered the kitchen. He nodded at the older man. "Problems?" Valenti asked mildly. "Just having some trouble concentrating." Michael looked at him sharply. "What's up?" "Let's go in the break room. I want to talk to you for a minute." Michael nodded and followed him, taking off his bandana and running his hands through his hair. He looked up at the clock. This had been the longest day of his life, no question. When was Maria going to get there? He realized that Valenti had said something. "Sorry. I wasn't listening." "I asked what you and Dagmar talked about last night after the rest of us left." "Not much. He warned me about some things I should be careful of, and we talked about Moiya. She was....." "His teela-mei. Yeah, I know. He told me about her last night." Michael noticed that the sheriff was watching him very closely. Even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong or illegal (not recently, at least), it was unsettling. Valenti's eyes always seemed to be able to see way too much for comfort. "What's going on?" he asked again. "Did Dagmar mention anything about going away?" Michael shook his head slowly. "No. Why?" "I went out there this morning to talk with him. I still had some questions. Anyway, he wasn't there. Some chairs were knocked over. Could mean something, maybe not. I waited and looked around, but no sign of Dagmar. Since you were the last one to see him, I thought you might have some insight to offer into what happened to him." Valenti was still watching Michael with those piercing eyes, and suddenly he thought he knew what this was about. With a sinking feeling, he remembered last year, being dragged into the sheriff's office for questioning in Hank's disappearance. Valenti thought he'd done something to Hank back then and now he thought he'd done something to Dagmar. It was worse now, so much worse, because back then Valenti was only some human they had to lie to and hide from. Now he was their ally, and almost a father. A real father, one who taught and helped, not hit. And Valenti still thought he was a murderer. Why not? Michael could feel something inside him shrivel up and grow cold as he started to detach emotionally. It was a familiar feeling. "Dagmar was fine when I left," Michael said flatly. "I didn't attack him and bury his body out in the desert if that's what you were thinking." Valenti blinked, then moved closer to Michael. He reached out, putting his hand on Michael's shoulder, noticing the way Michael flinched as his hand came closer. God, what Hank did to this boy, he thought. "I know that, Michael. I never thought you had." "You didn't?" "No. You wouldn't have hurt Dagmar unless he turned out to be an enemy, and if he was, you'd be out there warning the others about it, not here at work tormenting the good citizens of Roswell with char-grilled fast food." Michael took a deep breath of relief and nodded. "Thanks." "I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Everything was fine when you left?" "Yeah." Michael sat down on the couch, trying to think. "Dagmar might have left if he thought he was drawing too much attention to us. He's done that before, he said. Moving around." "That's true." Valenti looked at Michael, and the two knew what they were both thinking. Nicholas. Valenti sighed. "I'll let the others know that we might have another problem. It'd be nice to have a day or two off." "Not likely in our world, Sheriff." As Valenti approached the door, he turned back to Michael. "Stop beating yourself up over things, Michael. None of us are as hard on you as you are on yourself." Then he left. Michael sat there for another minute, thinking, then went back to work. ------------------------------------------------------ About an hour after Valenti left, Max came to the Crashdown. The minute he walked through the door, Liz practically flew across the room, pulling him back to the break room. "Liz, has something happened? Did you hear something about Dagmar?" Valenti had already told Max about the older alien's disappearance. "No." Looking around to make sure they were alone, she grabbed hold of Max's shirt and pulled him closer. "Max, do you love me?" "Of course. You know I do." "Then, if you love me, go out there, find Maria, and bring her back here. Now." There was a faint hint of panic in her voice. "What's going on?" Max looked around. He didn't see anything that looked like an emergency, certainly nothing to be driving Liz to this point of major freak-out. He didn't think he'd seen her this frazzled since they escaped Pierce. "It's Michael. He's been insane all day. It's like typical grumpy Michael, to the n-th degree. He's been snapping at the staff, telling customers that they don't need to order any more food, burning everything. The rest of the staff is threatening to quit. Of course, they're threatening it quietly, because they don't want him to hear them." Stopping and looking at his face, she smacked him on the arm. "This is not funny, Max. You haven't been stuck here with him all day. Max, he managed to melt a hot fudge sundae. With his bare hands." "I didn't know that making sundaes was part of his job description." "It's not. He was just handing it to me, and he melted it. He burnt the glass when he did it, too." She took a deep breath and led him further away from the door to the kitchen. No telling if Michael was listening. "I don't think he's doing it on purpose, either, Max. A few times he started to snap at me, then stopped himself. It's like he's doing things without thinking, but when he realizes it, he tries to stop." "Well, that's a good thing, right? That he doesn't want to yell at you?" Liz bit her bottom lip nervously. "I suppose. I'm more concerned with why he's in this mood. There's something bothering him big time, and he won't talk to me about it. Which is why you need to get Maria." Max looked over at the kitchen. If something was really bothering Michael, maybe he should try to talk with him, see what it was. Suddenly, they heard the sound of something breaking, followed by loud curses from Michael. Liz closed her eyes. "That's the fifth broken plate this hour." Opening her eyes, she opened the back door and pushed Max out. "Go find Maria. Don't come back without her, Max. I mean it. Do it for the good of all who enter the Crashdown." "Okay, but........." Before he could finish his question, the door was slammed shut in his face. Apparently, Liz did mean it. "Where is Maria?" Okay. Deciding to get started on his most recent quest, Max headed over to the DeLuca house. ----------------------------------------------------- Kyle looked around the food court for the girls. He had received a phone call a few hours ago, postponing their meeting time. Seems like they needed more time to finish shopping. But this was the new arranged meeting time, so they should be around here somewhere. He didn't seen any of the girls, though. He looked around again, turning around in a circle, trying to see everything. No cute blond girls, human or alien. He smiled a little to himself. Guerin would hate to know he was thinking of Maria as cute. Not that Michael had anything to worry about as far as Kyle was concerned. Maria wasn't Tess. "Kyle!" A voice to his left whispered his name. Looking in that direction, he saw Maria beckoning to him from behind one of the pillars with the mall map on it. Frowning in confusion, Kyle walked over there. Maria and Tess were hiding behind the pillar. "Who are we hiding from?" he whispered as he crowded onto the bench next to them. "Who do you think?" Maria retorted. "Isabel." "She's gone crazy," Tess insisted, her eyes big. "I've gone shopping with Isabel before and it was fun. But today........." "Nothing's good enough for her. She had one of the salesgirls in tears," Maria said solemnly. Kyle was trying not to laugh. "Come on, how bad could it be?" The girls just glared at him. He stopped smirking. "It's bad," Tess insisted. "We couldn't handle it anymore. So we left. Last we saw, she was trying on shoes. Still." "She's been trying on shoes for over three straight hours. I swear, she's tried on every shoe in this mall at least three times." Kyle took a closer look at Maria. He didn't like what he saw. She looked very pale. Before he could ask her if she was feeling okay, her attention wandered to something behind him. "God, there he is again." "Who?" Kyle turned around, and saw Deputy Hanson standing across the food court. He wasn't look at them. Following his line of sight, Kyle saw what Hanson was looking at. Isabel had just come out of the shoe store across the way, laden with shopping bags. Slowly, Hanson walked off, passing by Isabel on the way. She didn't seem to notice. He turned back to the girls. "What's up with him?" Tess shook her head, exchanging confused looks with Maria. "We don't know. But he just keeps popping up today. Everywhere we'd go, there he was. Has there been a rash of robberies here at the mall or something?" Kyle shrugged. "Not that I've heard Dad mention." "I don't like it," Tess said quietly. "He makes my skin crawl." Before Kyle could even try to reply to that, Isabel saw them and pounced. "There you two are. I was wondering where you'd vanished to. Hello, Kyle." He gave her a small wave. "Did you get everything you wanted?" "Yes, no thanks to these two deserters." "Hey, we helped you for most of the time. You're going to look great for Alex tonight." Maria weakly tried to defend herself. "I know." Isabel tossed back her head and laughed. "Thanks for the help, you two. Really. I'm calmer now. Everything is going to be perfect tonight." She seemed very self-satisfied. Kyle thought about how lucky Alex was, to have a girl like Isabel so anxious to impress him. Then he felt a hand slip in to his, and he looked over to see a smiling Tess. He was pretty lucky, too. Maria couldn't handle it anymore. She'd been good all day, but this was too much. She stood up abruptly, prepared to walk to the Crashdown if necessary. Before she could say anything, though, Max appeared out of nowhere. "Maria. There you are." He seemed out of breath. "I've been everywhere in this mall looking for you." He nodded and smiled at the others. "Is something the matter?" Maria felt like her heart stopped for a minute. "Is something wrong with Michael?" She hadn't felt anything bad happen to him, but why else would Max be looking for her? "No, not really." He sat down in the space she'd just vacated. "Liz just wanted me to find you and bring you back to the Crashdown because apparently he's been grumpy today. Very grumpy." Tess muttered something about "nobody's fun", but he didn't quite catch it. That was all Maria need to hear. "Let's go." Grabbing Max's arm, she dragged him up and pulled him away before he could even say anything. He had transportation, and he was going to drive her to see Michael. Kyle exchanged looks with Tess and Isabel. "Well, that was interesting." He was glad he'd decided to just go with the flow. At least things were never boring. "So," he started as they began the walk to his car. "I got a call from Dad earlier........" ------------------------------------------------------- Max hadn't even stopped the Jeep fully when Maria was out of the car, running in to the Crashdown. He followed more slowly. She hadn't said a word to him the whole ride back from the mall. A quiet Maria - something was definitely up. Ignoring Liz's grateful look at Max, Maria looked straight to Michael. All she could see was his back through the little kitchen window. There he was. Maria. Michael could feel her before he even turned around. He looked around and saw her walking, no, running, through the restaurant. Without even thinking, he turned and exited the kitchen. He and Maria ran into each other in the break room, toppling on to the couch. Laughing, Maria gave him a long kiss. She felt so much better now. "I missed you." He smiled back down at her, brushing aside a strand of her hair. "Missed you, too, teel-sharan." Then he leaned down for a much more thorough kiss. Maria's world narrowed down to her and Michael. It was so perfect, and so natural. Being with Michael made her feel healthy and whole in ways that she'd never felt before. She was complete. Not to mention the way his hands on her body made her feel more alive than ever. The two of them were so caught up in their kisses that they didn't even notice Liz as she walked quickly through the room, eyes covered, to the kitchen to make sure there were no fires starting or food burning. They had other things on their minds. Finally, Michael pulled away. Planting a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, he looked down at her mischievously. Now that she was here with him, he could relax a little. "So, did you have a nice time shopping with Iz?" "Come here," she said, but he just leaned back with a laugh and a shake of his head. Evil man. Her eyes narrowed at him. Fine. If that was the way he wanted to play it, then just fine. "Yes, it was very nice. There were some cute guys checking us out." "What?" he roared as he started to get up. "Michael, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No cute guys. No flirting. Well, Kyle and Tess flirted. But that was all." He looked at her suspiciously. "You don't have to be jealous, Michael. Not ever. I'm yours. Don't you know that by now?" She smiled as she reached out to gently tangle her hands in his hair. Mine, came the thought in his mind. Maria's mine. And I'm hers. It seemed a rather simple way to boil down the complications of their relationship over the years, but it worked. Nodding, he lowered his head to kiss her again, never breaking eye contact. This kiss felt more solemn, somehow, than the ones before it. There was a promise in it, one that he hoped she could sense as well as he did. From the look in her eyes, he thought she could. ------------------------------------------------------- When Kyle and Tess finally got to the Crashdown, they found Max sitting in the usual booth, along with Liz. Liz's head was down in her hands, Max rubbing her back comfortingly. "Long day?" Kyle asked as they joined the other couple. All that was heard from Liz was a groan. Max looked over with an apologetic smile. "Liz had to deal with Grumpy Michael all day. She's worn out." Liz muttered something. "Liz, honey, don't you think your dad would be upset if you quit on him?" Her head jumped up and spun around to glare at him. "Well, you try working with Michael all day when he's in one of these moods, and then see how calm you are about it!" Max was cringing back in fear. "You have my sympathies," Tess said soothingly. "I know what Michael's like when he's in these moods. The fact that you both survived and the place isn't in shambles is very impressive." Liz looked at the other girl, calming down. "Thank you, Tess." She gave Max an "I told you so" look. Kyle was hungry. "So, can I get a...." A quick kick to his leg stopped Kyle before he finished asking Liz for food. "Ow!" He looked over to see both Liz and Tess glaring at him, while Max was shaking his head quickly, making warding gestures with his arms. "Never mind. Just fine here." Just then, Michael and Maria came out from the back room, along with a basket of fries. The two of them squeezed into the booth next to Kyle. "Hey," Michael said to them all, pulling Maria down on his lap. Planting a quick kiss on her lips, he took one of the fries and fed it to her. The other four exchanged stunned glances. Okay, Michael and Maria fighting they could handle. Michael and Maria pawing at each other and trying to undress they could handle. Michael sitting peacefully with Maria in his lap, quietly sharing a basket of fries? This was something too bizarre for words. "That's it," Liz said, taking off her headband. "I can't deal with this anymore. Kim can just cover the rest of this shift." And she took off for upstairs, Max trailing along behind her. Kyle doubted that Michael and Maria even noticed. "So, Michael," Kyle tried to start a conversation. Maybe if he could distract Michael from Maria he'd have a chance at some of those fries. "Aren't you supposed to be actually working here? You know, cooking food for this eating establishment?" Tess looked at him as if he was crazy. The Grumpy Michael Monster was momentarily calm, and Kyle was trying to rile him up again? She loved the boy, but she wondered about his sanity at times. But to her relief, Michael just looked over at Kyle absently. "Nope. I'm through for the day. Jose's got it covered." Hand traveling up Maria's leg, he pulled her even closer to him. Noticing the way that Michael and Maria kept staring at each other, Kyle decided it was time to leave. "So, Tess, you ready to go home?" "Works for me." She wasn't sure whether to be uncomfortable at the way Michael and Maria were basically ignoring everything around them, or happy for them. They just looked so contented with each other. As they started to slide out of the booth, Michael's attention came sharply back to them. "Hang on. Why don't you two come over to the apartment with us? We could watch some videos or something." "What?" Maria was apparently as surprised by the invitation as Kyle and Tess were, looking at Michael angrily as she moved away from him. "We were just going to hang out." Michael wasn't looking anywhere near Maria at that particular moment. "It'll be fun. We don't spend much time together doing non-life-threatening stuff." Tess started, "I don't think that's such a good........" but Kyle cut her off. "Sure, why not?" "Great. Let me just get my stuff." Michael ran back to his locker. Maria glared at the retreating alien for a minute, then stalked outside to Kyle's car. Which left Kyle and Tess. "Kyle, how many times have you been kicked in the head in football?" Tess whispered. He couldn't tell if she was angry with him or simply in awe of his monumental stupidity. He took her hand and started to lead her outside. "Michael wants us there for a reason, Tess. So I figured we should give it a try. He wouldn't have asked otherwise." "Fine," she said in a resigned voice. "But the minute any article of their clothing even looks like it might be coming off, I am out of there." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And so are you, Buddha boy. Fair warning." His smile for Tess faded as he looked up and saw Maria standing by his car, arms folded, glaring at the restaurant. Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:03 pm

There was unhappy silence in the car as Kyle followed Michael's bike back to his apartment. Tess looked uncomfortable in her seat next to him, and Maria was just sitting in the back, glowering at the bike ahead of them. If he hadn't been so concerned, Kyle would have just called off the whole thing and taken Tess home for a quiet evening together. He could think of about a dozen things to do with Tess that would be more fun than this, and some of them were even things his father would allow. But no, here he was. And why? Because you're an idiot, he thought to himself. But mostly because you're worried about them. Something very bizarre is going on, and if Michael wants you there, you know there's a reason, because no way would Michael want to go on a double date without a reason. Kyle kept glancing back at Maria in the rear-view mirror. He was really not happy with what he saw. Even putting aside the fact that she looked ready to tear someone's head off (and Kyle devoutly hoped that it wasn't his), she didn't look too good. She was still way too pale, and every once in a while he noticed a tremor run through her body, like she was fighting off a chill. She seemed fine back at the Crashdown, but appeared to be getting worse again. Tess gave a sudden gasp. "What?" Kyle asked quickly, returning full attention to the road in front of him. "Michael just swerved on his bike for a minute," she answered. Maria leaned forward between the two of them, as if she was trying to get as close to Michael as possible while still staying in the car. She closed her eyes in concentration, then leaned back. "He's fine," she said shortly as she folded her arms and returned to her glaring. Kyle gave Tess an inquiring look. She simply shrugged in response, just as confused as he was. "Okay," he responded slowly. "If you say so." Maria didn't reply, didn't offer any further comment or explanation. Fine, if she wanted to be quiet, so be it. It was unusual for Maria, but then what wasn't today? He was going to have some civil conversation with somebody. "Tess, what did you mean back at the mall about Hanson?" "Oh, that. I don't know. It's just kinda creepy, don't you think? He was everywhere, staring at us like he was keeping an eye on us or something. You don't think he suspects that we're not, well, from around here, do you?" "Nah," Kyle said with certainty. "Hanson's not bright enough to be suspicious of you. Besides, you haven't done anything recently that would make anyone suspicious, have you?" "Well, maybe something about Dagmar's disappearance?" He shook his head as he pulled up to Michael's apartment. "Dad didn't make it an official report yet. Dagmar could just be wandering off for a few days. Dad doesn't want to overreact." He carefully parked next to Michael's bike, noticing that the other boy didn't even wait for them before heading off to his apartment. "He wasn't staring at us," Maria said absently. When they both turned to look at her, she was already starting to get out of the car. She looked back at them impatiently. "He was staring at Isabel. Come on." She got out of the car and quickly followed Michael inside. Kyle sighed and leaned his head back. "This was a really, really bad idea, wasn't it?" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, yeah. But don't worry. You'll have plenty of opportunities to make up for it." "Ha, ha." He looked over at her. "Was Maria right? Was it only Isabel he was watching?" She thought carefully for a minute. "You know, I think she is right. That's even weirder." "Not really. Lots of guys watch Isabel. She's hot," he answered without thinking, then quickly slammed shut his mouth. Too late. Tess was just looking at him with a little smile on her face. "Do you think so?" "Uh, not as hot as you, of course," he quickly answered. She was smiling just a little bit too sweetly. "Nice try, Buddha Boy." She moved to get out of the car, but he grabbed her arm, and she looked back. "Hey, give me a break, Tess. I'm new to all this." "All what?" He waved his hand from himself to her. "All this. This relationship, being with someone I really care about stuff." She gave him a real smile at that, and moved in to kiss him. When he got his breath back, he opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?" "Of course, Kyle. Forgiveness is a virtue, after all." She got out of the car. Turning back to look in the window, she continued. "You still have lots to do to make this up to me, though." Jumping out of his side, Kyle chased a giggling Tess into the building. ---------------------------------------------------- Michael ran in to his apartment, panting. Pausing, he leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't believe that he'd nearly toppled over on his bike like that. He'd just been so dizzy all of a sudden that he couldn't keep his balance. Thankfully, it had only been for a second, but it was enough to worry him. Nothing like that had ever happened before. He ran his eyes over the apartment. Thankfully, the place was clean and ready for visitors. He closed his eyes, glad that Kyle had agreed to come over. Inviting them had been an act of desperation. He knew he ought to slow things down with Maria, but didn't think he could do it anymore on his own. They needed other people around them. Michael had a strong suspicion that his invitation to Kyle and Tess was the last act of self-control he was going to manage where Maria was concerned. He spun around, opening his eyes as the door slammed shut behind him. Maria was standing there glaring at him. Michael instantly walked over, unable to stop himself from reaching for her. "I don't think so, buddy," she yelled at him, jerking away before he could touch her. He looked at her in shock. He needed to touch her, but she was all the way on the other side of the room. "Maria, come here." "No way. You'd get to hold me if we were having some private time together, like we're supposed to have had, but no. You had to invite Kyle and Tess over, and I don't intend to put on a show for an audience. So, you don't get to touch me!" Her voice kept rising until the last was a full-fledged scream. He backed away until he was all the way at the farther wall. He could sense her fury. Maria wasn't just annoyed. She was totally pissed. He hoped there were no heavy objects near her. Maria couldn't believe he had done this. It felt like a betrayal. All day she'd been able to think of nothing except being alone with Michael, but he must not feel the same way or there was no way he'd have invited the others over. So the two of them just stood there in tense silence, staring at each other across the room. The door burst open and Tess ran laughing into the room, Kyle right behind her. He caught her and spun her around, both laughing. It only took them a second to pick up on the tension, though, and Kyle slowly stopped spinning, setting Tess down on her feet. Kyle protectively pulled her out of the way of fire between the other two. He might not know what was going on, but if they were going to start yelling or throwing things, he didn't want Tess stuck in the middle. "What's going on?" Tess asked, looking from Michael to Maria, then back again. This situation was getting more and more bizarre. Oh, yeah. Buddha Boy was going to pay for this big time. Michael tore his eyes away from Maria. "How about watching 'Braveheart'?" he asked finally, going over to the TV. "Works for me," Kyle said, following him. "Got a new TV, huh?" "Yeah, you heard about that?" "Alex told me about it." "You blew that up right after making out with Courtney, right?" Maria asked bitterly. She hadn't moved from where she was standing. Kyle could see Michael tense up. The lights in the apartment flickered suddenly. He gave a quick look at Tess. Okay, that had better just have been a brown-out. If Michael was about to start losing it with his powers, Kyle was getting the girls out right then. Michael looked up calmly at Maria. "We've been through that. Now's not the time to go over ancient history again." "You're absolutely right." Maria turned to Tess and gave her a big smile. "So, what do you think? Mel Gibson okay with you?" "I'd never say no to watching Mel Gibson," Tess answered cautiously. "Good." Maria's whole attitude changed. Suddenly, she was a social butterfly. She pulled Tess over to the couch, chatting the whole time about the many positive attractions of Mel Gibson in a kilt. Michael went to the kitchen to get them something to eat while they watched the video. Seeing that Maria was preoccupied with the remote, Kyle took the opportunity to whisper to Tess. "If things look like they're getting out of hand, we're out of here pronto. Okay?" She nodded, then turned back to talking with Maria. Hearing a crash, Kyle looked over at the kitchen. Michael had dropped the plate he was holding. He got up to help. "Problems, my alien friend?" he asked lightly. He could see the way Michael's hands were trembling. Michael saw him looking, and turned away. "Guess I'm still a little shaken up from the near spill on the bike." Kyle nodded. "Maybe I should carry the food in, then." "Great." "You're sure that's all it is?" Michael looked at him in surprise. "What else would it be?" He went back into the other room. Kyle followed him slowly, then settled down on the couch next to Tess. His attention wasn't too focused on the movie, though. He was more concerned about the drama of Michael and Maria going on in front of him. Something was definitely up. -------------------------------------------------------- Max poked his head into the room and cautiously peered about. Isabel's room looked like a tornado had hit. Things were thrown all over the room, and every available surface was covered with sweaters, shoes, or hair products. "Hello?" Isabel looked out from the closet. "Max. Perfect timing. I need a male opinion, and I guess you'll do." He rolled his eyes as he sat down. Isabel came out and twirled about. "So, what do you think?" Max looked at his sister carefully. "Iz, you look incredible. Perfect." It was the simple truth. He's never seen her look so beautiful. The new red blouse and simple black skirt gave her an impression of elegance. And more than that, Isabel looked happy. She practically glowed with joy. Still, he was her brother, so he needed to point something out. "Isn't that shirt just a little low-cut, though?" Isabel laughed. "So speaks the brother. Somehow, I don't think Alex will mind." She moved over to the mirror and started to touch-up her lipstick. "I was going to wear my hair up, but then I decided to leave it down. Alex likes it loose like this." "Tonight's important for you two, isn't it?" She stopped and looked off into space, smiling softly. "Yes. Tonight is my turn to make Alex feel like the most important person in the galaxy." Then she looked back at Max with a sudden realization. "Why are you here, Max? Where's Liz? You two just got back together last night. Shouldn't you be off somewhere together gazing meaningfully into each other's eyes?" Max threw the closest pillow at her, but she easily sent it flying in another direction with her powers. She was not going to let herself get wrinkled or disorganized before Alex showed up. She wanted her hair to be perfect until Alex had a chance to muss it up himself later. "Liz is at her home sleeping. She had a headache." He looked at her in annoyance. "Stop laughing, Iz. It's the truth. She had a bad day." "Poor baby." She was still laughing as she turned for one final look. Perfect. Alex wasn't going to know what hit him. And just in time, too, because she could hear the doorbell ringing. "Time for you to go now, brother dear. Have a nice night. Don't party too hard." Max watched, bemused, as she pushed him out of her room and then rushed past him to the door. He'd never seen Isabel so anxious before a date. Of course, Alex was special. Isabel took a deep breath before opening the door. Alex's eyes lit up at seeing her, the way they always did. She loved that look. She sometimes felt that she could drown in those eyes and the way that they always looked at her with adoration. She quickly looked him up and down, liking what she saw. Alex looked good. He's even remembered to unbutton the top of his shirt. He looked like what he was, her ideal of strength and security and love. She wished that it hadn't taken her as long as it had to see that Alex was who she'd always needed, the one person to catch her and stand by her. Thankfully, Alex had enough patience for them both. Alex opened his mouth to compliment her on how gorgeous she looked, but before he could say a word, he was stunned into silence by Isabel's kiss. Not one to ever argue with a kiss from Isabel Evans, he closed his eyes and enjoyed. Then the strangest thing happened. Alex suddenly had a flash of an image in his mind. It was him, standing in the doorway to his own house, groggy and somewhat confused. But what was really overwhelming was the sudden onslaught of emotions that came with the image. He could feel love, respect, a sense of total security and utter trust. It was so strong it almost knocked him off his feet. When he regained some motor control, Alex pushed Isabel back a bit. "What?" she asked in confusion. She didn't understand why anyone would want to stop a kiss like that. She'd wanted it to go on forever. Alex shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. Kissing Isabel could very easily become addictive. "Isabel, I think I just got a flash from you." "You did? Of what?" Alex couldn't help smiling. She sounded like an excited little girl about to open her Christmas presents. "It was me. I think it was the morning that Max and Liz were missing. You know, when you decided to take me up on my offer to be a test subject for alien/human flash research." "I remember." As if she could ever forget the first flashes she'd received from him. "And I felt what you feel for me." Alex frowned, putting his hand under her chin to make sure she was looking at him directly. "Iz, it was very flattering and all, but I'm worried that you're expecting more from me than I can give you. I'm not a knight in shining armor or a hero or anything special like that. I'm still just Alex Whitman, West Roswell geek. Don't expect too much from me. You'll just be disappointed." Isabel couldn't help but laugh. He really didn't know how wonderful he was, did he? "Alex, I know exactly who you are. I've known who you are since that day in the hospital. You saved my brother's life. You probably saved us all when you gave Liz your blood. And you didn't even know why you were doing it, you just helped us. Do you think that's normal, that anyone else would have done something like that? Plus," and here she looked a little uncomfortable, "I've seen inside you through the flashes." "Say what?" "I've gotten flashes from you," she admitted, fidgeting a bit. "Ever since that first kiss. So don't worry about my not seeing you clearly. I see you more clearly than I've ever seen anything in my life." Well, what could he really say to that? Not able to come up with anything, Alex decided to go for the more direct approach. Reaching over for her, he returned to the kiss. Let her see how much he loved her in return, that she was the only thing in the world that mattered. The two of them probably would have stayed like that for the rest of the night, happily kissing on the front porch, but Max came to the door and asked if they were actually planning on going out that night or if they'd like to join him in watching "Biography". Reluctantly separating, Alex offered her his arm, and walked his lady away for their evening out. ---------------------------------------------------- Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd given up on trying to pay attention to the movie about an hour ago. It seemed like no matter what he tried to look at, his eyes kept going back to Maria. He couldn't stop himself from staring at the girl sitting next to Tess on the couch. She was so extraordinarily beautiful that it took his breath away. He just wanted to reach over, to kiss her and hold her, but every time he even started to move in her direction, she moved away. She didn't even look at him. It was slowly killing him. He could remember being captured once, long ago during a scouting expedition on Antar. While the treatment he received from his fellow Skins was extremely unpleasant, this was worse. But Maria had told him very emphatically that she didn't want him to touch her, and so he just sat there, trying to keep on breathing despite the heaviness in his chest at having her so close, but so unavailable. Tess and Maria seemed to be having fun watching the movie. Kyle would have been totally content snuggled up on the couch with Tess, if it wasn't for the fact that he was certain Maria's peppy attitude was all an act. He'd been watching her carefully out of the corner of his eye since they all sat down. While she was smiling brightly and responding at all the appropriate moments, Maria had gotten paler and paler since they got there, and there was a tightness around her eyes that he didn't like one bit. And Michael didn't look much better. Kyle looked at the alien. He was still staring at Maria, watching her with a strange combination of hunger and reverence. Kyle didn't think he'd ever seen that particular expression on anyone's face. Michael hadn't spoken a words to anyone since the movie started. He just sat there, clutching the arms of his chair tight. Kyle was starting to wonder if the two of them were sick or something. A hospital was out of the question. Maybe a trip out to the Mesaliko Reservation to see River Dog? He'd heard the stories about the healing ceremony. Maybe Michael's balance, whatever that was, was out of whack again. "I'm thirsty," Maria announced. "I'll get you something," Kyle answered instantly, starting to get up when her voice stopped him. "No, that's okay. I think I can manage to find my way to the kitchen without getting lost," she insisted, forcing a laugh. Kyle settled back down as Tess turned to him, using the opportunity for a kiss. Maria smiled as she stood up and started to walk around the couch, ignoring the way Michael's eyes followed her. She had been able to feel him all through the movie and knew how much self-control he'd been exerting. It was putting her stomach in knots, and she was only living it second-hand. Why had he invited Kyle and Tess over? She was almost to the kitchen when the world started to spin around her. Reaching for the counter, Maria tried to keep herself from passing out. Instead of the countertop, her hands met and grabbed on to Michael's arm. He'd been watching her, and could see the minute that she started to feel light-headed. Instantly, he was at her side, holding her up. As her vision cleared, all she could see were Michael's eyes, glowing golden in the dim light. Like a cat, she thought. A hunting cat. A slight smile formed on her lips. Her breathing started to speed up, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Just like that, her whole body felt like it received a massive dose of caffeine, like drinking ten cups of coffee filled with sugar. She'd never felt this awake or alive before. She liked it. The the feeling faded as Michael moved away from her, breaking the physical connection. No. She didn't want it to stop - it felt too good. As he tried to step back, she grabbed his arm. "It's okay to touch me now. You have my permission," she whispered quickly. The words were barely out of her mouth when his hands moved quickly up her arms to pull her closer. The jolt of electricity was so strong that she was surprised it didn't make something explode. Right before he kissed her, though, Michael stopped. She followed his eyes to Kyle and Tess, still sitting in front of the TV, although it didn't look like the two of them were paying much attention to the movie. She'd almost forgotten about them. Strange, they'd seemed so important a little bit ago. Now she didn't understand why she'd spent so much attention on them. Michael could feel the laughter start to bubble up in Maria. He grinned, joining in her silent jubilation. They were standing in each other's arms. What else could possibly matter? He nodded his head in the direction of the bedroom, and, holding hands, the two of them tiptoed into the other room. They managed to make it without catching the attention of their chaperones. The minute they were in the room, Michael shut the door behind them and pressed Maria against it, kissing her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He didn't intend to ever let her go, and based on the way she was grabbing at him, it didn't seem that she intended to argue with that. He pulled away to look at her, pushing back her hair so that he could see her eyes. He wanted to look at her and see what she was thinking. He loved how open she was. He didn't see any doubt in her eyes. Maria wanted this, whatever it was, just as much as he did. "Are we still fighting?" he asked as he lightly kissed her neck. "No," she said, a little breathlessly. "We can go back to fighting later." "Works for me." Michael undid the top few buttons of her shirt, kissing slowly ever lower and lower. Oh, God. She closed her eyes and let herself surrender to the sensations flooding over her. Everything was so much more intense than it had ever been before, probably because she was feeling Michael's emotions in addition to her own. The cycle just kept continuing. Wrapping her fingers tightly in his hair, Maria encouraged him to keep on doing what he was doing. Very distantly, she wondered if the human body was equipped to handle this much emotional energy. She decided that she didn't really care. There was no way she could stop this, and no way she wanted to try. When he reached her bra, Michael paused, waiting to see if she was going to stop him again. When she didn't, he gathered her up and carried her over to the bed. She opened her eyes and looked at him as he lay her down. He leaned back and looked down at her. "You are so perfect," he whispered appreciatively. Trailing a gentle finger down her cheek, he shook his head in appreciative disbelief. "So incredibly perfect." "So are you." She opened her arms and reached for him. "Only too far away." Grabbing his shoulders, she pulled him back down to her. Kissing, she figured turn-about was fair play and started to unbutton his shirt. Pushing it off, she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him even closer. The flashes had started by now, coming faster and faster until they blurred into each other. Maria running through a garden filled with roses as a little girl. Michael sketching pictures of her on napkins at the Crashdown when nobody was watching. Standing on a stage singing. Holding Atherton's key and being knocked down by the vision. Feeling the tentative pressure of his hand on her chest at the Crash Festival. Watching her through the Crashdown door, hoping she'd let him in. Feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. Standing on a cliff in the light of six moons, looking down at the camps preparing for the next day's battle. The images spun through their minds until they couldn't tell where one set of memories left off and the other began. And that was okay, because they were sharing everything, all the emotions that had been locked away for so long being given freely. With each touch, with every caress, they were offering up a little bit of their souls to the other, letting down those walls and defenses that they'd so carefully built up over the years. Without fear. Without doubt or hesitation. It was more than okay. It was perfect. ------------------------------------------------------- Kyle looked up from Tess to notice that Michael and Maria were missing. Looking at the kitchen, he saw that they weren't there, either. "Where are they?" he asked. Tess looked around, equally confused. "I don't know." She started to get up. "It's not that big of an apartment. Where could they.............. " Her voice trailed off as she looked at him in shock. "You don't think?" Unfortunately, he was afraid so. "Come on," he said. "Michael! Maria! Where are the two of you?" Kyle was yelling, but no answer. Stopping at the door to the bedroom, he knocked loudly. "Michael! Maria! Are you two in there?" Kyle leaned against the door, listening. There was no answer, but he could definitely hear noises inside. "Is everything all right?" he asked as he turned the doorknob and entered, hoping that they weren't sick or anything. And stopped short in the doorway, ignoring Tess's little shriek of surprise. There the two missing ones were, tangled up together on the bed. Thank Buddha, they weren't yet at a stage where all clothes were gone, but they seemed to have a good start on it. Both shirts were already missing, and Kyle had his doubts about how long Maria's bra was staying on. And from the way their hands were wandering, most likely the rest of their clothing would be joining the discard pile soon, too. Kyle wasn't sure whether to be impressed or shocked. He decided on both. The two of them were so into it that they hadn't even paused when the door opened. Apparently, they didn't hear him come in, despite his yells. He couldn't believe Michael invited them over, then snuck off to his room to make-out with Maria. But whatever. Remembering his deal with Tess, Kyle grabbed her hand. "Time to go, Tess. See you two later," he called over his shoulder as he tried to pull her from the room. "Kyle, look," Tess said, stubbornly refusing to move. He glanced at her in surprise. She wanted to watch? "Look at them. They're glowing." She was looking at the two with fear. He looked back and saw that she was right. There was a blue-white light glowing around their bodies, everywhere they were touching. He glanced back at Tess. "That's probably not a good thing, is it?" She just shook her head in confusion. Well, combined with all the other signs, it probably wasn't. "Michael! Maria! Time to come up for some air!" They didn't even pause. If anything, Michael pulled her even closer. He looked at Tess and shrugged. "Oh, for goodness sake." Tess rolled her eyes and walked into the room. "Stop that, you two. Get a hold of yourselves. You have an audience, in case you didn't notice." This was getting beyond embarrassing. She had no intention of just standing there while two of her friends spontaneously combusted or something. She reached over and grabbed Michael's shoulder, intending to drag him off Maria. But before she could do that, Maria's arm shot out and pushed her away hard. Tess blinked in surprise as she landed on the floor. "Ow!" That hurt. Maria hadn't even looked at her, but she packed one heck of a punch. And people thought that Michael was the volatile one in that relationship. "Kyle, get Maria away from him." Obediently, Kyle went over and grabbed Maria around the waist, pulling her off the bed and away from Michael. All Michael could see and hear was Maria, but then she was suddenly gone. Everything was so cold suddenly. Looking up, he growled and raised his hand to stop whoever was taking her away from him. But then Tess stepped in front of him, jumping up and down to catch his attention. "Michael! Listen to me! Something's wrong - you two were glowing. Are you listening to me?" Tess tried hard to ignore how much like Rath he looked at that moment. He had to listen to her before he did something very bad. Maria was struggling against Kyle, kicking and trying to claw her way free, but he managed to get a good wrestling hold on her, so she wasn't going anywhere. The two of them had stopped glowing as soon as they were separated. As Tess's words started to get through to Michael, Maria could feel him start to calm down a bit. When his panic subsided and he lowered his hand, she stopped fighting, too. Tess breathed a sigh of relief. "You were glowing, Michael. Now, does that seem normal to you?" Comprehension was slowly returning to Michael's eyes. Michael looked over at Maria. He remembered his promise to keep her safe and knew that he couldn't take any chances. Ignoring her sudden pain, he sat back down and turned to the wall. "It's time to leave," Tess said firmly. Grabbing Maria's shirt off the floor, she led Maria out the door. Michael didn't see them leave, but he could feel her absence. Kyle cleared his throat and Michael looked up at him. "What's going on with the two of you?" Michael shook his head. "I have no idea. We were really glowing?" "Yeah. Bright blue. I'll just start calling you Alien Smurf Boy from now on." Michael ignored his weak attempt at humor, putting his head down in his hands. "I can't seem to think clearly today," he admitted. Kyle carefully moved a bit closer. Oh, that didn't sound good. "Are you feeling sick? Because Maria hasn't been feeling too well all day, either." Michael's head whipped up at that and he fixed Kyle with a piercing stare. "Maria's been sick? Why didn't you tell me? She seemed fine." He started to get up, but then stopped. He kept staring at Kyle, but the way he was doing it changed. It made Kyle very nervous. Michael's eyes were growing cold and hard again. Feeling very uncomfortable suddenly, and more than a little nervous, Kyle thought about calling for Tess to come back in. Don't be stupid, he thought to himself angrily. You don't need Tess for protection. This is just Michael. Since when are you afraid of Michael? But he remembered that hand up just a minute ago, and he didn't like the look in Michael's eyes. Kyle had the very distinct impression that he had just become a hunted animal. The feeling of danger only increased when Michael continued to speak. "Why are you so interested in Maria, anyway?" Michael's voice didn't raise in volume, but his very calmness worried Kyle. This was so not Michael. And there was no way Kyle was stupid enough to think that this was a casual question. Kyle looked at the still-open door, thinking about making a hasty retreat, but Michael seemed to anticipate the move and leaned forward. So Kyle answered the question. "Maria's like family to me, what with our unfortunate parental connection. You know that. So of course I'm going to be worried about her." Michael's eyes narrowed as if he was trying to decide whether or not to believe him, but he hadn't turned Kyle into a barbecue yet, so he decided to take that as a good sign. "You knew that! Isn't this exactly why you invited Tess and me over, Michael? So that we could be chaperones if any weird alien crap happened?" That got through. Michael relaxed, and his eyes calmed down. "Yeah. It is." He looked up at Kyle and tried to smile. "Thanks for looking out for her. You better go. They'll be waiting for you." Kyle nodded slowly, reluctant to leave. "Are you okay, Michael? Is there something I can get you? Aspirin covered with tabasco sauce or something?" Michael shook his head and stood up. "No. I'm just going to go for a walk to clear my head." He looked over and smiled wryly. "I'll wait until you're gone first, though." "Well, thanks for adding to my collection of interesting alien-related memories," Kyle said. He turned to go. As he opened the outside door, he heard Michael's voice from the bedroom behind him. "I meant it, Valenti. Thanks." Kyle turned and nodded on his way out. ---------------------------------------------------- Max was dozing off on the couch when he heard the car pull up outside and the footsteps leading up to the door. Then he sat and waited. And waited. And waited some more. He resisted the instinctive big brother urge which told him to find out what Alex was doing outside on the front porch with his sister for so long, because while his protective instincts were strong, his self-preservation instincts were stronger, and he didn't think Isabel would take kindly to being interrupted twice in one evening. Besides, he trusted Alex. Finally, the door slowly opened, and Isabel entered. She gave a tiny jump when Max suddenly rose from the couch. "Were you waiting up for me?" she hissed at him quietly. "No. I just didn't feel like getting up after the show I was watching," he answered in a normal voice. Stretching, he went on. "And you don't have to whisper. Mom and Dad aren't home yet. So, did you have a nice time?" "Yes, I had a nice time." Max smiled as Isabel practically danced into the room. Someone was in a good mood. She came over to the couch. "Move over." Obediently, he made room for her to sit down. He refrained from commenting on the few messy strands of hair. "Where did you end up going?" She looked at him suspiciously. "You know, I don't think I want to tell you. You'll just make fun of me." Max was the very picture of offended innocence. "Now, why would I make fun of you? After all, you've always treated my relationship with Liz with the utmost respect. I wouldn't think of doing any less." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." "You might as well tell me, Iz. I'll just ask Alex tomorrow if you don't." "Fine." Blushing a little, she looked down at her hands. "He took me to the bumper boats." "What?" Max was sure he'd heard wrong. "Alex took me to the Black Hole Bumper Boats. What part of that didn't you understand?" He had to laugh. "Well, that would be the part where Isabel Evans was actually seen in public driving a bumper boat." Groaning, her head dropped down to her hands. "I know! I'm never going to live this one down. There goes my reputation." Then she looked up at him, and he saw the twinkle in her eye. "You loved it, didn't you?" "Max, it was so much fun! I would never have thought so in a million years, but it was. First, Alex and I were in different boats, and I kept ramming him." Max gave a small laugh. Of course. Alex wouldn't dare ram Isabel's boat. "Then we were in the same boat, and we decimated the other ones. We were the terror of the pond." She sounded so proud of herself. "I think somewhere along the line, we forgot how to play, Max." "You may be right," he said thoughtfully. "I guess that we need to remember sometimes that there's more to life than hiding and fighting." "A lot more. And without that more, then there's no point to all the rest." Isabel smiled. "Then, afterwards, he took me to the park. He had a whole romantic picnic dinner planned out. There was music and candlelight, and we danced under the stars. Very nice." "I'm sure he was glad you approved." "Oh, yes. Alex was very appreciative of my approval." There was no mistaking the self-satisfaction in her voice. "No more details, please. I am your brother, after all. Some things I don't need to know." She flipped back her hair. "Like I wanted to hear all the details about you and Liz in the eraser room last year?" But she let it go. "Max?" she asked in a much quieter voice. "Yeah, Iz?" "Are we going to be all right?" He looked at her in surprise. It was very rare for Isabel to show any doubts, even to him. She usually just went through life full-steam ahead, bulldozing anyone and anything in her way. "You mean about Kivar?" She nodded. "Yeah. We're going to be okay. We're going to win, Iz. We have to." "Why? Because the people back there," she pointed up at the ceiling, "are depending on us?" "No. Because we're depending on us." She looked at him questioningly. "The six of us in the connection last night. That was stronger than anything I've ever been a part of before. More than any of us have been a part of. We all need each other. We depend on each other. We have to make it, because if one of us falls, the rest fall too. And we can't let that happen." He took her hand. "We won't let it happen. There's too much power in that bond for even Kivar to defeat. It won't be easy, but we will win." "You're right." Now, there was the confidence he expected from his sister. "And now, I'm tired. It takes a lot of effort to look this perfect, you know." Laughing, she pulled him into a hug. "Try to get some rest yourself, brother mine. See you in the morning." "Night, Iz. Sweet dreams." ----------------------------------------------- Max had just managed to finally get to sleep when he was awakened by the sound of someone sneaking in to his room. Reaching for the baseball bat next to his bed, he stopped when he heard the intruder speak. "It's me, Maxwell." He groaned as he reached for the light. "Michael, if we're being invaded by evil aliens or about to be captured by the FBI, can you just ask them to come back in the morning? The least they can do is let us get a decent night's sleep." Then he got a good look at his friend and sat up. "Michael, what's the matter?" "Nothing." Max didn't believe him. Michael was way too pale, and he was shaking. "Sit down." He walked over to support the other alien, but Michael quickly moved away from him. He kept pacing around the room. "I said I'm fine." The flat tone of his voice didn't encourage argument. "I just need to ask you about something, then I'll be out of here." "You didn't drive your bike in this condition, did you?" Max had never seen Michael like this. He was acting like he couldn't stand still even for a second. "No. I walked. Max, you remember when Liz was getting the flashes about the orb last year?" "Yes," he answered slowly, no clue where this was heading. "Did anything else strange happen with the two of you when you were........" he gestured wildly, trying to think of a way to put it, "when you were getting closer?" "I'm not sure what you mean." "Think, Maxwell," he said sharply. "This is important!" Max was starting to feel more sympathy for Liz. "Well, there were the flashes, but you already knew about them. Let's see. Oh, there was the hickey, and then there was the fact that she glowed." Michael stopped dead at that. "Liz glowed?" "Yeah. When I was touching her, her skin glowed a little." Michael walked closer. "Did it hurt her?" Max shrugged. "It didn't seem to. It hasn't happened since." Michael's eyes darted around the room as he thought. Liz had glowed when she and Max were physically closer, and that was a year ago. A year with no sign of negative side effects. Maybe it was just something that happened when aliens and humans became involved in that way. If it didn't hurt Liz, then it probably wouldn't hurt Maria. "What's this about, Michael?" Michael remembered that Max was in the room with him. "Nothing you need to worry about Maxwell. See you tomorrow." With that, he was out the window. Max shook his head and went back to bed. Deciding that it was highly unlikely Tess would climb through his window, he figured he was finished with his alien-related conversations for the night and went back to sleep. -------------------------------------------------------- When they reached the DeLuca household, Tess and Kyle walked Maria inside. Her mother was already asleep, so that was one obstacle they didn't have to worry about. As they entered her room, Maria stumbled. Kyle put out his hand to grab and steady her, but she jumped away from him. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You're shivering." Tess looked around the room, spotting a sweater. She held it out to the other girl. "Here, put this on." Maria did. "Now get into bed." Maria did that, too. Tess and Kyle exchanged concerned looks. This docile obedience was very un-Maria-like. "Maria, are you okay?" "I'm just tired," she answered in an emotionless voice. "I'm going to go to sleep. Thanks for the ride." "No problem." Kyle really wasn't sure if they should leave her alone or not, but he wasn't sure what their options were. Maybe Maria just needed a good night's sleep. "Okay. Talk to you tomorrow." Tess followed him to the door. "We'll lock up on our way out, okay?" She thought she saw Maria nod. "Good night, Maria." Once outside the room, Kyle pulled Tess closer. "What's going on with her and Michael?" "You're asking me? I'm the last alien around who would have any clue what's going on, remember?" she answered bitterly. He winced. He'd forgotten. "I'm sorry, Tess. I'm an idiot." She shook her head. "No, you're not. I just wish I did know what was going on." She looked back at the closed door. "I wish I knew how to help, or even if this was something that needed help. But I just don't know." She gave him a hug, letting herself take some comfort in the one thing she did know for certain - that she had Kyle to rely on. "Let's go home." Kyle smiled to himself. Home. That word meant so much more now that Tess was there, too. -------------------------------------------------------- Maria leaned over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table, but pulled back cursing as she banged her arm on the table. Her motor control sucked tonight. Shivering, she decided that the light could just stay on. She didn't expect to get any sleep anyway. She tried to fight back the tears as she thought about Michael. How could he do this to her, to them? That was the second time in one night that he'd rejected her. First he brought Tess and Kyle along to interfere with their time together. Then he actually let them take her away from him. He just stood there and didn't do anything, didn't fight to keep her there. Not that she wanted him to hurt Kyle or Tess, of course, but he had just let them take her. I'm not making any sense. But why would he do it? I know he loves me. I can feel it. And I know he feels the emptiness, too. So why send me away? He's not making any sense either. None of this is making sense. When she heard the tapping on her window, she didn't even get up to answer it. She just didn't care. She couldn't handle anymore tonight. She was too tired. Michael looked through the window and saw her huddled on her bed. He could feel how defeated she was. That wasn't right. Maria wasn't a quitter. She was a fighter. She was stronger than he was in so many ways. Nothing should ever make her curl up and surrender like this. The fact that he was the reason for her despair just made things worse. He had to fix it somehow. Using his powers, he slid the window open and climbed in. He didn't feel any change from her, but he knew she was aware of his presence. Still, she didn't say anything, even when he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. He just sat there for a minute, looking at the tears on her face. He felt worse than he ever had in this life. Finally, without looking at him, Maria asked, "Why are you here?" "We need to talk." He reached down and turned her head to face him, gently wiping away her tears. "Look at me, Maria." He recognized the symmetry of the situation. Last night, Maria had been the one wanting him to look at her, the one to provide the strength. Now it had to be him. But he could do this. He had to, for her. The second their eyes met, they could both feel the connection, the electricity. Suddenly, Michael found it hard to remember what he'd come over here to say. He leaned down for the waiting kiss. Her hands pulled his body closer as she returned it hungrily. But then she pushed him back. "I can't do this again, Michael. I can't bear to have you send me away again." She looked him square in the eye. "I know you feel the connection, too. I know it hurts you just as much to be away, to be alone. So why are you doing it?" He tried to concentrate, to ignore the taste of her and the pull he felt towards her. She was right. He owed her an explanation. "I wanted to give you time to think." Michael sat back a bit. He couldn't make himself let go of her hands, though, and she didn't pull them away. They both took strength from their physical contact. "This connection of ours. It worries me." She frowned. "Why? It feels good. What's to worry about?" "You heard what Dagmar said last night. When Antarans connect with someone, it's for life." She still looked at him like she didn't see the problem. "Are you sure you want to be connected with someone like me for life?" He took a deep breath. "I wanted you to be sure." Her smile took his breath away. He couldn't help it - he had to kiss her. When they broke away from each other, she laughed. "Is that what you've been freaking over, spaceboy?" She shook her head at him. "You really are a bit slow at times, aren't you?" "What do you mean?" "Don't you think it's a little late to be worrying about us connecting? We're already connected, Michael. We have been for a while." She caressed his cheek gently, enjoying the feel of his skin. "I can feel what you're feeling. I can feel the love you have for me, the fact that you want me so much it hurts, the worry." She looked at him questioningly. "Can't you feel it, too?" Could he feel it? Reaching over, Michael pushed up the sleeve of her sweater to show the bruise. He looked at her. "I felt this. I was walking around and I felt a pain on my arm. So, yeah, I feel the connection, too." He leaned over and kissed the bruise. Maria closed her eyes and gasped at the sensations coming over her. She tried to move closer, but he pushed her back. "Wait. We need to talk, and if we start that again, we won't finish." "We can talk later." "No." Looking at her, he almost lost his control. Moving closer, he stopped himself. This was getting harder by the second. Too bad they didn't have any chaperones around. They really did need them. Maria put her hand on his leg. On second thought, he was glad they didn't have a chaperone. He just needed to control himself a little bit longer. "Maria, the reason I let Tess take you home is that we were glowing and I didn't know if that was dangerous or not." "Glowing." Maria started to giggle. "If you turn me permanently fluorescent, spaceboy, I swear that you're going to have to be the one to explain it to my mother." He laughed. "I think it's okay, though. I just talked with Max, and he said that Liz glowed once when they were fooling around." She raised an eyebrow. "Not that major fooling around. Anyway, it didn't have any negative effects." He paused in thought. "He only said that she glowed, though. He didn't mention glowing himself." "Well, maybe he just wasn't doing it right." Maria leaned forward into Michael, kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Now that they knew they weren't going to go through life as neon signs, they could get back to where they'd left off. Maria's sweater was off in a matter of seconds, but she barely noticed. She wasn't cold anymore - Michael's warmth was enough to keep her quite comfortable. He was reaching up under her shirt when suddenly she pulled back. "What?" he managed to get out somehow. "You're afraid. What are you afraid of? It's more than just the fear of me getting hurt. It's much, much deeper than that." He tried to look away, but she caught his head and made him look at her. "Tell me, spaceboy. What is it?" Muttering a quick curse in Antaran, he gathered his courage. This was actually something he'd planned on discussing with her, but he'd gotten distracted. Now was as good a time as any. "Maria, remember how I told you that we didn't have full memories yet of our past lives?" She nodded. "Well, what if we learned or remembered something bad? Is there anything you could learn about Tymrath, about who I was before or what I did, that would make you regret being connected to me?" He sat back and waited, barely breathing. He felt like his life depended on her answer. Realizing how important this was to him, Maria took a minute to think. Then she answered simply. "No." "No? That's all you have to say?" "It answered your question, didn't it?" Maria sighed and rolled her eyes at his exasperated look. "Michael, I know that you have Tymrath's memories and that he's somehow a part of you. But I thought I made myself clear about this last night. To me, Tymrath is someone from a story. He's not a real person in my life, certainly not somebody I know or am involved with. You're the one I'm with. You. Michael Guerin. Not Tymrath. So whatever happened back then is the past and it's not important to me. I love you, Michael. Not him." She saw how still he suddenly became. "What?" Did she say something wrong? He shook his head slowly, eyes never leaving hers. "You've never said that before." "What? You mean, I love you?" He nodded. "Sure I have." "No, you haven't." She thought quickly. "God, you're right. I'm sorry, Michael. I should have said it a long time ago." She smiled and looked at him. "I love you, Michael. Totally and completely, even when you're being an idiot. Even without this alien bond, I would be yours now and forever." She grinned mischievously. "This just adds a little something to the mix." Well, that was pretty much everything Michael wanted to talk about. He pulled her up to him. Just as they were about to start kissing again, he heard a faint noise. Groaning, he leaned back. "Now what?" Maria's tone was one of total and complete frustration. "Your mother's awake." He didn't sound much better. "Are you sure?" She leaned over and kissed him at the base of his neck. "Don't distract me. And yes, I'm sure. I can hear her." Closing his eyes, for a second he seriously considered continuing and taking his chances with her mother. But he hadn't managed to win so many battles by taking risks he couldn't win. "Maria, I'm going to leave now. Will you be okay?" She sighed and leaned back. "Yes. I feel better now." And it was true. Knowing that Michael did love her and understanding why he had done what he did made her feel better. She would miss him, but she could handle it. For now. "Good. I'll come for you tomorrow, and we'll spend some time together." "Alone, this time?" "Alone." He kissed her on the forehead as he got up. "Where should we meet?" He looked back at her. "I have some things to do in the morning. Don't worry about it. I'll find you." He didn't think there was anywhere on the planet where she could go that he wouldn't be able to find her. "Okay." Maria leaned back and stretched, watching Michael carefully and smiling at his reaction. For a minute, he looked like he was going to jump right back onto the bed, but he managed to control himself. Shaking his head, Michael fought to clear his mind and focus. Right. Out the window and home. He could manage that. He paused at the window. "Neeyal semar, meilyas-sivar." "Neeyal semar, spaceboy. Oh, and Michael?" "What?" "If I see Kyle or Tess anywhere near you when you come to pick me up tomorrow for our date, I'm going to kick your ass." She smiled sweetly. He had to laugh at that. That was his Maria. "I love you." And then he was gone. Maria leaned back in bed and closed her eyes, enjoying the memory of his touch. "I love you, too." ------------------------------------------------------- Isabel walked down the never-ending corridor. She ran her hand along the cool walls, admiring the thin golden glimmers that could be seen in the pinkish stone. The walls almost seemed to pulse with the energy of all the beings who lived in the castle. They welcomed her home, welcomed her back to where she belonged. Still, she was surprised not to see anyone. Surely, with all that energy, there had to be someone around. But while she could feel eyes watching her, she didn't see anyone. The feel was familiar somehow, like she knew whoever it was who was observing. A small part of her told her to be afraid, to hide from this observer, but she ignored it. Something was telling her to relax and to enjoy, and it was easier to listen to that voice. Walking by instinct, she turned into a huge chamber. Laughing, she twirled around in the large empty space in front of the throne on the dais. She felt safe and sheltered here. "Welcome home." Isabel spun around to look in the direction of the voice. There was a figure hidden in the shadows, but she couldn't make it out clearly. "Who's there?" "Come now. You know me, Vilandra." Suddenly, she didn't feel as safe anymore. She tried to back away, but found that she couldn't. "I'm not Vilandra." Slipping, she fell to the ground and screamed when she saw that the floor was now covered in blood. "Of course you are," the voice continued smoothly. "You know that. And you know what's going to await you if you don't do what you're meant to." She tried desperately to find the door, but it had vanished. She was trapped in here with that figure. "History repeats itself, Vilandra, but you can rewrite the ending. It doesn't have to end the same way this time around." "I. Am. Not. Vilandra." Her scream echoed through the chamber. The figure sighed. "Very well. I see a small demonstration is in order." Blinking, Isabel looked down. She was on her feet again, tied to a pillar in front of the throne. Suddenly, from behind the throne, out walked Michael. He was looking at her with cold determined hatred. "Michael! Help me!" She struggled against the bonds holding her, but they wouldn't give. He didn't answer, didn't even give a sign of having heard her. He continued to walk towards her. Finally, he stopped and raised his hand. "No, Michael!" This is a dream, she thought to herself frantically. It's not really Michael. Michael wouldn't hurt you. This is just a dream. She could feel his energy gathering. He was going to do it. Michael was going to kill her. She could hear the shadowy figure laughing. I have to get out of here. Get someplace safe. Closing her eyes, Isabel imagined the safest place she knew. Everything went black. ---------------------------------------------------- Alex was standing alongside a lake, skimming stones. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. Suddenly, he heard a scream and looked over, dropping the stones in his hand. In the distance, he could see a dark shape. Frowning, he started to walk closer to investigate. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Then he saw Isabel come running out of the shape and right into his arms. She was sobbing. "He was going to kill me. He was going to do it." He put his arms around her, gently stroking her hair. "It's all right, Izzy. There's no one else here. You're safe." She looked up at him. "I made it to you. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it." She reached up and touched his face. "I'm here." Alex looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, you made it." He frowned. "This is a dream, isn't it?" Her surprise showed. "How can you tell? People don't usually know when they're dreaming. Come to think of it, how can you see me?" He shrugged. "Don't know. But aren't you glad I can?" He tried for a romantically heroic stance, earning a laugh in return. "Very glad. You have no idea how glad." She snuggled closer in his arms, closing her eyes. She was safe now. It had just been a bad dream, and this was a much nicer one. Alex's attention was drawn back to the dark shape in the distance. For a minute, he thought he saw a figure standing there, eyes glittering in the darkness, looking right at him. Then it was gone, and the shape with it, and all that was left was Isabel and the perfect day at the lake. As music started to play, Alex turned his full attention back to Isabel, and they danced.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:08 pm

Alex burrowed his head under the pillow, trying valiantly to ignore the banging noise attempting to wake him up. He'd been having such a nice dream. He and Isabel had been walking by the side of a beautiful lake, occasionally stopping to dance or kiss, but mostly just being happy together. Being happy with Isabel was still a new sensation. Being with Isabel, period, was a new sensation, and he really didn't want to miss a minute of it, even if it was just in a dream. But whatever that noise was, it wasn't stopping. Finally he gave up trying to return to the dream, and glared in the direction of the offending noise. "If this isn't an emergency, somebody is so going to regret this," he muttered as he went over to the window. The noise was a persistent pounding coming from outside. Opening the curtain, he saw Michael standing there, hand raised to pound on the window again. Alex's annoyance switched to concern as he opened the window for the alien to climb through. "Michael? What's up? Is something wrong?" His mind was racing furiously. Of all the people who he could imagine climbing through his window first thing in the morning......... well, okay. So he actually couldn't imagine many people climbing through his window first thing in the morning. Although he wouldn't have minded having Isabel.... Focus, he reminded himself, trying to wake up fully. As much as it would have been nice to open your window to see Isabel standing there, she's not the alien climbing through your window. Can you really imagine Michael coming by just to say good morning? As Alex stepped back, Michael climbed into the room and started pacing about nervously. Alex just stepped back and watched, dumbfounded. He didn't think he'd ever seen Michael appear nervous like this before. Michael simply wasn't the fidgeting type, but here he was, all over the place. Michael's eyes were darting everywhere in the room. Either he couldn't keep focused on one thing for very long, or he was busy trying to memorize every last detail in Alex's room, from guitar case to computer. Interesting. He filed that away to think about later, though. He repeated his question. "What's up?" Michael looked over and really focused on him finally. "Dagmar's missing." Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. I got the top-secret memo." "I'm going out to his house to see if I can find anything." "Oh." Alex thought for a minute. That seemed to make some sense. "Hasn't Valenti already gone out there to look around?" Michael shrugged. He was over by the computer now, looking through a nearby pile of disks. Alex moved over quickly and took them away from him. Not that he didn't trust Michael, but he didn't want those disks accidentally melted or erased or anything. Or dropped and stepped on. Michael seemed capable of that in his current distracted state. "Yeah. Valenti's been out there. And if he didn't find anything, there probably isn't anything to find. But I want to give it a try anyway." Now he was picking up a book of early American poetry, but seemed to dismiss it quickly, putting it down with a grimace. "I have to do something. I can't just sit around until Maria......." Michael stopped abruptly and looked over at Alex. "Want to come?" Blink, blink. "You want me to come with you on an alien fact-finding mission?" Michael rarely asked anyone along on one of those, and when he did, it was Maria. Actually, come to think of it, he probably didn't actually ask Maria. Maria just probably went along. "Yeah." "Um, sure, I guess. I didn't have any other exciting plans for the day." Alex was still a bit confused by this, but why not? "I guess you need a car, huh?" That would explain the invitation. Michael just looked at him in surprise, though. "Not really. I could ride my bike out, or walk even. I could probably use the exercise right now." He gave a small laugh, but Alex didn't really see the joke. "You don't have to come if you don't want." "No, sounds like fun." Yeah, fun. Missing alien. What could account for a missing alien? Let's see - evil aliens. Alien hunters. Psychotic guidance counselors. Any and all of the above. Just some good old-fashioned Roswell fun. Alex had to grin. His life was certainly different from most. Michael seemed to understand and grinned back at Alex - an actual smile, not a grimace. He turned and went back out the window. Alex quickly got changed, thinking about his dream as he did so. There was something about it that was nagging at the back of his brain, something he really should remember, but couldn't quite seem to. What was it? Something before the dance with Isabel. Shaking his head, Alex grabbed his keys. If it was important, he'd remember it. He stopped in the kitchen to grab some water bottles and a flashlight and went out the door, wishing he had a trusty dog to take with them. It just didn't seem right to go investigating a suspicious disappearance in an abandoned house without a dog along. Then he remembered, and stopped still as a sudden chill gripped his heart. It wasn't just a dream. Isabel had really been there - dreamwalking him. But that wasn't the part that caused him to freeze in terror. Isabel hadn't been alone when she came to his dream. He remembered the figure in the dark shadow. He remembered the glowing eyes that looked right into him. Alex shook his head and forced himself to walk through the doorway and out into the light. Dreamwalk or not, it had been a dream. Isabel had just had a nightmare. Hardly surprising after everything they'd learned the night before. It was just a dream, and dreams couldn't hurt you. He saw Michael leaned against the side of his car, and forced himself to concentrate on the important things. Dagmar was missing. The detectives were on the case, even if they didn't have a dog. He could try to analyze his and Isabel's dreams later. Right now, they had Roswell Reality 101 to deal with. ------------------------------------------------ Alex followed Michael's directions out to Dagmar's house. He was glad that Michael remembered the way out there, because he didn't. They'd been too worried when they drove out there the other night for him to pay much attention to directions. Course, Michael spent way more time out in the desert than any of them. Alex had the radio blasting and was drumming away on the steering wheel as he drove, but otherwise there was silence in the car. But it was a comfortable silence. Michael wasn't the type to talk unless he had something to say, and Alex could respect that. It was nice to be able to just drive along and think. Mostly he was trying to figure out exactly why that barely glimpsed figure from Isabel's dream had him so freaked. It was just a dream, after all. Well, for one thing, what makes you so sure that it was from Isabel's dream? I mean, that was your dream she entered. Whatever was in it should therefore be your dream, not hers. But it wasn't. Alex was sure of it. Which meant that the figure had come with Isabel. That it had followed her......... Alex's attention was brought back sharply to the road as the car started to swerve a bit. Michael looked over sharply. "Careful." He nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He looked over at Michael out of the corner of his eye, observing the distracted way the alien kept looking out the window and fidgeting in his seat. "Is something the matter, Michael? Besides the fact that we have a missing alien, that is?" Without looking at him, Michael shook his head. "Just tired. I haven't slept the last couple of days." "A couple of day?" Alex was shocked. "You've gone a few days without any sleep at all?" He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I used to go days without sleep back when I was living with Hank. There were times when staying awake and alert seemed smarter." Alex could see the slight grimace on Michael's face. "Oh." He couldn't quite think of anything to say to that. He knew about what Hank had done to Michael, of course. They all did. But it wasn't something that Michael ever talked about. He kept that separate from the rest of them. Isabel had told him once that Michael didn't even talk to Max and her about it. It bothered her that her other brother didn't confide in her. Alex suspected that it had nothing to do with trust, though. Michael had tried to protect Max and Isabel from the ugliness of his life, tried to keep them safe and untouched by the violence he lived with. Out of nowhere, Alex wondered if Michael ever talked to Maria about Hank. He doubted it, but he was willing to bet that Maria somehow knew all about it anyway. They were like that - able to communicate without words. He hoped that he and Isabel would have the chance to be that close someday. "Well, here we are." Alex pulled up to the ranch house. "Let's go a-sleuthing." Michael got out of the car, then stopped before entering the house. Alex stopped on his way to the door and looked back. "What now?" Taking a deep breath, Michael blurted out, "Do you think I'm good for Maria?" "Huh?" Michael brought him out here to have a talk about girls? "Do you think I'm good for Maria?" he repeated patiently. This was important. "You've never worried about letting me know what you thought about it before. I want to know if you think I should stay away from her or not." Alex walked back to him slowly. This was pretty bizarre. "Are you asking for my blessing or something?" Michael laughed. "I guess so." Then he looked serious again. "You know what I did to Vilandra. Do you think I'm bad for Maria?" "AAArgh!" Alex was seriously tempted to bang his head on the roof of the car in frustration. "I swear, I am going to make up signs that say 'You are not Vilandra' and 'You are not Tymrath'. Then I am going to start thumping you and Isabel over the head with them when you start with all this guilt and angst stupidity! It's getting really old, you know." He was surprised to see that Michael was actually smiling at him. He seemed to be doing that more lately. It was going to take some getting used to. "I'm guessing that means you don't think I'm the same as Tymrath." "No. You Michael. Not Tymrath. And I'm getting tired of this speech." "Okay, then. What about Michael? Do you think I should keep on with Maria?" Alex stopped and gave this some thought. "You've hurt her, Michael. A lot. And she deserved better." He nodded. "Agreed." "Okay. Are you going to push her away again like you did over the summer?" Michael looked off into the distance. "I don't think I could even if I wanted to. And I don't want to." He looked back at Alex. He was totally serious now, and looked much older than his human age. Alex really thought for the first time what it would be like to have seen and experienced all the things his friend had gone through in his two lifetimes. He was glad that he wouldn't ever know. "I can't promise that I won't ever have to leave. But I can promise that I'll always come back. And that I will never intentionally hurt her." Alex nodded solemnly. "That's all anyone can ask, I guess. Then yeah. You have my blessing. Happy now?" Michael nodded and started to walk towards the house, but stopped when Alex stepped in front of him. "Of course, if you ever do hurt her again, watch out." Michael's eyebrows rose at that, but he silently accepted the warning. He recognized the determination in Alex's voice and knew that Alex would make him pay if he ever hurt Maria again. Of course, that was why he had asked for Alex's blessing. It just seemed right. Maria loved Alex like a brother, and since Michael couldn't exactly talk to her mother about this, Alex was the next best thing to family. Plus, he knew Alex would punch him out again if he thought Michael was a threat to her. The last doubt he had about being with Maria was laid to rest. Now to see if they could learn anything about what happened to Dagmar, then he could go find Maria. ------------------------------------------------------ Finding the door locked, Alex stood back and let Michael to do his alien whammy-magic. Michael put his hand on the lock, then opened the door when he heard the soft click of the lock opening. He motioned for Alex to stand back a minute. Wisely, Alex did. Michael entered the living room that they had all spent so much time in only a little over 24 hours ago. There was no sign of a struggle, no sign that anything was wrong actually. The morning light was streaming through the windows, illuminating the vacant room. Perfectly peaceful and perfectly empty. Michael closed his eyes and concentrated, seeing if he could sense anything in the house. He opened them and motioned for Alex to come in, walking a little into the house. Nothing. Alex cautiously entered, peering about for any signs of evil aliens or FBI agents. "Anyone home?" he called out. Michael shook his head as he opened a closet door and looked inside. "Nobody's been here in a while." "How can you tell?" He turned around and looked at Alex with a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know. I just can. The place feels empty, you know? And still. Like nothing's disturbed in it for a while." He shrugged. "I can't explain it." "Okay." Alien hunting instincts at work. Too bad he couldn't use this for a research paper topic. He looked in the small nook across the hallway. "We should have a dog." "What?" "A dog. All the great investigative teams had a dog. Look at Scooby Doo. And then there was Nick and Nora from the Thin Man movies. They had a little dog that went on their investigations with them. We should have a bloodhound sniffing for clues." Michael went quickly up the stairs to check out the upstairs rooms. Empty, too. "You think about this stuff often?" Alex followed him. Nothing looked unusual or suspicious. Nothing to indicate that an alien had ever lived there, in fact. "Well, you know, if we're going to be a detective partnership, we should do it right." "Maybe we should copy another TV show. Since we don't have a dog with us." "How about Star Trek?" Alex asked brightly. He would have sworn that he actually saw Michael amost laugh. "Great. So who gets to be Kirk?" "Me, of course. I'm the human after all. You can be Mr. Spock." Michael stopped short and glared at him. "No way do you get to have sex with all the hot alien girls while I get to be Spock!" Alex had to laugh. "True. You're not exactly Spock material anyway. How about Worf?" Looking inside a closet, he saw some empty hangers. Michael thought about it for a minute. Worf was cool, and he had the whole alien warrior thing going. "Okay. I could deal with that." "Good. I don't see a suitcase anywhere. Maybe Dagmar really did just leave town." "Maybe." Michael's response sounded highly doubtful. Alex's eyes lit up as he entered Dagmar's study. "A computer! He has a computer!" Michael followed him in and laughed. Alex was way too excited about computer stuff. "Why don't you see if you can find anything on the computer and I'll look through the rest of the house?" Alex nodded absently, already busily trying to enter the files stored on the hard drive. Michael shook his head in amusement and went back downstairs. Having gone through the rest of the place, he headed back towards the kitchen. And stopped as he walked in, stunned by the intense surge of emotions. He closed his eyes, holding on to the doorframe as they washed over him. Violence. There had been violence here, and pain. Lots of pain, slowly and methodically applied. And since he hadn't felt any of this the last time he was here, obviously it had happened since they all left Dagmar here the other night. But was Dagmar the victim or the one causing the pain? Or was someone else involved? As the feelings subsided a bit, Michael was able to stumble across the room to the sink. Great. Just great. Heightened senses, hearing and sight, those were things he and the others were used to having. They didn't even really think about them - they were just part of who they were. This was something different, something he'd forgotten about until just then. Tymrath had spent his entire life in battles of one type or another. Each day was a fight, even if there was no bloodshed. And while his psychic powers were seriously lacking by the standards of his house, this was one area in which he learned to excel. Violence left an imprint on the atmosphere, something that could be picked up on if you were attuned to it enough. He remembered the feeling of that psychic imprint from countless battlefields and smaller skirmishes. So what happened here? Trying desperately to shake off the feelings and memories, he walked through the kitchen slowly, examining every detail methodically. He couldn't see anything out of place or strange. There was absolutely nothing to indicate that anything bad had happened here, nothing except for the sensations pricking along his spine. At least he didn't have any feelings of being hunted at the moment, so whoever had caused this was long gone. Michael poured himself a glass of water mixed with tabasco sauce, and stood drinking it by the sink. Calm down and try to think this out rationally. If something did happen here, could Dagmar defend himself? He was able to fight Nicholas off, but that was temporary. If Nicholas came back, would Dagmar have been able to fight him off alone? From what he could remember from before, Michael would have said no. But that was before the war and resistance. Dagmar could very well have honed his fighting skills over the last fifty years. He poured himself some more water and gulped it down. Being here was bringing up way too many feelings of deja vu for him to be comfortable. And yet at the same time, it felt completely natural. Closing his eyes, Michael let himself be submerged in the sensations. Everything was magnified, every sense heightened. He could hear Alex moving around upstairs, muttering under his breath, even though he couldn't make out the individual words. He could hear the wind blowing through the desert outside. Every creak in the house was noted and analyzed to see if it was a threat. A small smile formed on his lips. It was the way he reacted to the warm prickly feeling moving over his skin. He knew the basics of what had happened here, if not the details, and his entire body woke up in an effort to deal with the potential threat. Every nerve tensed up in anticipation. This was how he always felt when he was about to go into battle. Alive. And he knew that he would feel even better afterwards, when he was the one who walked away from the field. No. His grasp on the glass tightened painfully. Not how you felt. How Tymrath felt. Oh? And you didn't feel like this in the seconds before you killed Pierce? That wasn't the same, he reminded himself. Remember how you felt after Pierce. That wasn't the same. Nowhere near. He'd had enough of this sensory overload. He opened his eyes, but he didn't see the kitchen. Instead, he was bombarded by more memories of Tymrath's life, things he hadn't wanted to remember too clearly, but things that the lingering impressions of pain seemed to summon up all too vividly. ~~~ He remembered the training. Talk about pain - there were times when he didn't think he'd make it through. But he did. He got through it, and more than that, he excelled. And all the pain and all the loneliness was worth it in the end, because he was determined to reach his goal. Nothing was going to stop him from achieving it. ~~~ Watching without emotion as the king was struck down and killed in front of him. But then jumping into action as the young prince was endangered. And he could remember the shooting pain through his side as he took the injury himself. But he'd done what he set out to do. He'd saved the prince's life, so he could bear the pain. ~~~ The first time Zandar looked down at him. There was so much pain in the prince's eyes, as much pain as he had felt himself since his parents' deaths. And there was that first flicker of a connection between them, something totally unexpected. After that, the memories started spinning too fast for Michael to really be able to analyze and look at each one objectively. All he could do was feel them. So many moments spun around in his mind, sometimes with him being the one hurt, sometimes with him being the one hurting someone else, but always pain. Always violence. Always. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to make the memories go away, but they didn't. And the hollow ache in his chest remained. Along with the guilt. Alex came into the room, wondering what was taking Michael so long. He saw his friend standing over the sink, eyes closed, whispering to himself in a language that Alex couldn't understand. What he saw when he walked closer made him run over to Michael and start shaking him to try and get him out of whatever type of trance he was in. "Michael!" He didn't even budge. He just kept muttering to himself. "Michael! Come on - you're bleeding!" He tried to pry Michael's hands off the edge of the sink, but they were clutching it too tightly. Shards of broken glass lay around the edge, covered in a growing pool of blood from Michael's cut hand. "Michael, talk to me. If you bleed to death, Maria's gonna kill me!" At the sound of Maria's name, Michael's eyes popped open. "Maria?" Focusing his eyes, he finally was able to see where he was, standing in Dagmar's kitchen, Alex looking at him worriedly. No Maria. But there was pain. Following the path of Alex's eyes, he saw why. "Damn!" He must have cut himself on the glass he'd been holding. There was quite a bit of blood dripping from the wounds. How long had he been standing there anyway? "Here, try to apply pressure and stop the bleeding." Alex handed him a towel. Michael did as he was told, and allowed Alex to push him out into the living room and in the direction of the couch. He was still having a hard time focusing, and he felt light-headed. "Sit down. I saw a first aid kit upstairs. I'll be right back." Michael sat, staring at his hand. How long would he have stood there bleeding if Alex hadn't interrupted him? He'd been so lost in his memories. He tried, but couldn't remembered what it was that had triggered them this time. His thinking was just too fuzzy. The only thing he could seem to focus on besides the bloody towel was Maria. Where was she? Why wasn't she here with him? Alex came back into the room. Michael looked up at him. "Where's Maria?" Alex blinked in surprise as he started to bandage up Michael's hand. "At home, I'd guess. You saw her last." "Yeah." He tried to concentrate. "I remember. I'm going to see her later." That was right. Thinking about Maria made him feel better. He was supposed to be with her. He wouldn't hurt so much then. "Okay." Alex didn't even pause. He had to get Michael's cuts bandaged up - he'd already lost enough blood. "You want to tell me what the glass did to deserve being crushed?" "Huh? Oh, that. That was an accident." Seeing that Alex was finished, Michael pulled back his hand and examined the bandage. "You might be in shock, you know. You lost a lot of blood." "I'll be okay. We heal fast." Looking at Alex, he went on. "How long was I down here?" "Over half an hour. I didn't find anything suspicous up there. Although Dagmar probably has a better database on UFO sightings and alien-related rumors than even Brody does." Alex ignored the low sound that came from Michael at the mention of Brody's name. He was sure it had only sounded like a growl. "How long were you standing there bleeding?" "I don't know," he admitted slowly. "I don't really remember much about what happened." "I guess that could be from the shock," Alex said doubtfully. "Were you having another one of those memory flashbacks from Tymrath's life?" Michael looked at him sharply. "How did you know?" "You were zoned out like the other night. And you were talking to yourself. I didn't recognize any of the words. There was one word that you kept saying over and over again. It sounded like 'no'los'." No'los. Michael tried hard not to show his shocked reaction, but he had a feeling that Alex caught his sudden sharp intake of breath. He was starting to suspect that Alex picked up on everything around him. Sure enough, the next words Alex said were, "So, you recognize it. What does it mean?" He didn't want to answer, but he also didn't want to lie to Alex, so he responded honestly. "It's Antaran for 'traitor'." "Oh." He hadn't been expecting that. "I guess that the Skins would think of you as a traitor, huh?" Michael had that strange cold smile on his face again. "Oh, yeah." Alex tried to think how to put this. He couldn't even begin to understand how strange it must be for the three of them to suddenly have all this past life baggage to deal with in addition to their ordinary alien angst. "I know that Tymrath chose to give his loyalty to Zandar, not Kivar. Do you feel badly about it on some level?" Michael looked away, and he hurried on. "I mean, it would be okay if you did. You had to make a choice and I'm sure it wasn't easy. You picked the right one, obviously, but it would be normal to have some regrets about the whole situation. I'd understand." Michael scratched his eyebrow. "Are you still planning on being a shrink someday? Planning to have an alien-based practice?" Alex had to laugh. "Well, I'd sure have lots of business with you guys. And it's not like you could go to anyone else, could you?" He stopped for a second. "Hey, how'd you know I was thinking about being a psyciatrist, anyway?" Michael shrugged. "Maria mentioned it once. To answer your question, no. I never felt guilty for choosing Zandar over Kivar. Not then, and certainly not now. I made the right choice." I made the only choice. Alex nodded, relieved. "I owe Kivar many things," Michael said calmly, still with that smile that made Alex nervous. "But loyalty is not one of them." "What is?" "Dismemberment would do for a start," Michael answered promptly, only half-joking. Alex didn't even blink in response. "Sorry." "For what? Wanting Kivar dead?" Alex shook his head. "If he ever tries to hurt Isabel again, I hope you get to him first. If it's him or us, then I'm definitely rooting for us." He tilted his head in consideration. "You mean it, don't you? Killing someone isn't just an abstract for you. You remember all of that from before now, right? Ways to fight. Ways to kill." "Yeah." Michael met his eyes seriously. "I remember. I wish I didn't, but I do." "It's not all bad, you know." He could see that Michael was still upset about remembering Tymrath, no matter how hard he tried to keep calm. "Just because you remember those things doesn't mean you're going to suddenly go out on a rampage of fighting and beheading and stuff. It just means that you'll have the skills to protect everyone when the Skins come again. Remembering doesn't mean you have to act the same. Because you're ........." "Not Tymrath." Michael's smile seemed more natural now. More him, more Michael. "I know. Big sign thumping me over the head. I remember." "Good." Alex looked around the sunny room. It was rather surreal to be talking about aliens and killing in such a nice comfy, normal looking room. "What triggered this particular flashback?" Michael frowned, thinking hard. The only thing he could really seem to focus on was Maria - her beautiful eyes, the way her lips tasted when they kissed, the soft feel of her skin. And he was sure that it wasn't thoughts of Maria that led to those memories. He shook his head in exhaustion. "I can't remember. I've been having some trouble concentrating the last few days," he admitted. "Great." He shrugged. "Well, I'm sure you'll remember eventually. Since we haven't found anything here to help us, maybe we should clean up and get back. If you're okay?" "I'll be fine." Michael jumped to his feet. "I just need Maria." "Okay." Wierd, but whatever. Alex picked up his pack and looked over. Michael suddenly seemed full of energy, ready to get going and get to Maria. "Let's get back to Roswell." --------------------------------- Maria pushed open the doors to the Crashdown slowly. She was so tired that every step felt like a battle. But she had made it to the restaurant, so that was an accomplishment. She'd needed to get away from her mother for a while. Amy had been hovering all morning, worried that Maria was sick. It had proven impossible to keep her paleness and exhaustion from her anymore, no matter how much Maria tried. So finally, she pled the excuse of work and managed to make a break for it. Liz was behind the counter on the phone, but she quickly hung up and walked over when she saw her friend. "Maria! Are you feeling okay?" She pulled Maria over to the counter and made her sit down. Luckily, the place wasn't too full of customers for lunch yet, so there was plenty of room. Maria sat down gratefully. She rubbed her head, trying to get rid of the headache. "Sure. Why do you ask?" "Your mother called. She said you'd been sick all night and that I should make sure you rested." Maria rolled her eyes. "It wasn't all night. I was just sick for a few hours this morning. It's no big deal." Liz looked at her in disbelief. Obviously, she wasn't buying it. "Really. I just need......." Michael. I just need Michael. But she didn't think that Liz would understand that explanation anymore than her mother would have, so she changed the ending. "Rest. And some stress-free time. 'Kay?" "If you say so. Well, if it's rest you need, then you just sit there and I'll make you a milkshake." "Chocolate?" Maria asked hopefully. Liz laughed. "Of course chocolate. What would be the point otherwise?" Ignoring the other customers, Liz made her friend a shake. She was more than a little worried about Maria. She'd spoken with Max earlier that morning, and he'd mentioned his late night visit from Michael. Without telling her what they'd talked about, he had managed to convey his own concern about Michael. Whatever was going on seemed to be affecting them both. Finished, she walked back over to the seats. "Here you are." "You are a wonderful friend," Maria gushed enthusiastically as she grabbed the shake. Chocolate wasn't as good as Michael, but it wasn't bad. Liz went back to work taking orders, but made a point of keeping an eye on Maria. For her part, Maria seemed to be totally happy just sitting there, drinking her shake and daydreaming. If she hadn't been so unnaturally quiet, then Liz wouldn't have know anything was wrong at all. Until a crash made her head spin back around to the counter. The broken glass lay in shards on the floor. Running over, she could see that Maria had gone even paler than before. She was clutching her right hand tightly and had risen, swaying, from her seat. Liz ran over to grab her and support her before she fell. Maria looked in her direction, but Liz wasn't even sure she saw her. "Michael," she whispered. "It hurts. So much pain. All that blood." Her eyes closed, and Liz was afraid that she was about to pass out. Quickly waving away the offers of help from some concerned customers, Liz bundled Maria quickly through the back door into the breakroom. "Sit down." As soon as Maria was safely settled on the couch, Liz gently took her hand. "Let me see, Maria." She opened her hand and saw that it was fine. No cuts, no bruises. "Does it hurt?" Why had she been clutching her hand like that? Eyes shut tight, Maria shook her head. "So much blood," she whispered again. Then she started to shake. Liz held her tight, rubbing her arms and looking around quickly. She spotted an afghan lying on the ground next to the couch and grabbed it. Wrapping Maria up in it, she hoped that would be enough to stop the chills. She put a hand to Maria's forehead, but she didn't seem to have a temperature. "What blood?" she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "What blood are you talking about?" "I don't know." Maria's body jerked as if someone was shooting electrical shocks through her body. The pains kept switching locations in her body, so that as soon as she got accustomed to it in one place, it moved. First her hand, then her arms, then her back. It felt like someone was whipping her, cutting stripes across her back. Then, the phantom pain was gone, and she was just left with the tremors. "Can't you smell it?" Liz shook her head, then realized that Maria couldn't see her. "I don't smell anything. Listen, I'm going to call Max." As quickly as it started, the shaking stopped. Eyes flying open, Maria grabbed her arm. "No. I'm fine. It's over." "Maria, you are not fine. This is not normal." She spoke slowly, as if to a child. For some reason, Maria was in denial about what was going on, but it had scared Liz half to death. She was not going to just sit back and do nothing while her best friend was sick and in pain like that. "Normal? What's that?" Maria sat up straighter. She sounded more like her old self. "But I am fine, Liz. It wasn't me, anyway. It was Michael." Liz shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?" "Whatever that was, it was from Michael. The headaches and stuff - that's me. But that pain and the blood - that was coming from Michael. So worry about him, if you want, but not me. Anyway, it's over now." How could Maria possibly sound so calm about this? "I don't understand what you're talking about. Are you saying that you were feeling what Michael was feeling?" "Pretty much." Maria stretched. That definitely ranked up there with getting her wisdom teeth pulled on the list of unpleasant activities she'd experienced. "So, someone was hurting Michael?" Maria looked back at Liz and thought carefully. "I don't think so. I think most of the pain was removed. Distant. Like he was remembering something, not like it was happening now." and that was enough - the pain of the past. Michael was going to need some major comforting. "How is that even possible?" Maria sighed. "How were you able to appear halfway across the country in New York to warn Max about the Dupes? Weirdness, thy name is Roswell. It just is, Liz. Accept it and deal." "Okay. But you are going to stay here and lie down for a little while." When it looked like Maria was going to protest, she went on with determination. "You are going to lie down for a while, Maria, so you had better just 'accept it and deal'." She smiled at her friend. "I'm going to make you some tea. I'll be right back." She got up and left. Maria could hear her telling the rest of the staff that everything was fine, that Maria was just getting over the flu. She laughed softly to herself, then closed her eyes and let herself drift off with thoughts of ways to comfort Michael when he finally got there. -------------------------------------------------- Alex drove up and parked in the Crashdown parking lot. Before he'd even turned off the ignition, Michael was out of the car with a quick thanks and off. Alex just shook his head in amusement. And people said that he was like a puppy dog chasing after Isabel. Had any of them noticed Michael Guerin's behavior lately? Still laughing, Alex walked in, eyes lighting up when he saw that Isabel was there. He walked slowly over to her, appreciating the way she looked. She really was too beautiful for words. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her in his life. It was worth any alien-related complication. With a smile, he slid into the booth across from her. "Hi," he said simply. He wanted to kiss her, but wasn't sure how public she wanted their relationship to be. From her amused knowing glance, he suspected she understood the reason for his casual greeting. She leaned over the table, and drew his face down to hers. "Hi, you." Then she gave him a very long kiss. Apparently, she was okay with everyone in Roswell knowing they were a couple. Worked for him. Liz came out from the backroom, dressed in her casual clothes. "Off work already?" he asked as she sat down next to Isabel. "Yep." Liz gave a small smile. "Max and I are going to the movies." "Great. So what's the matter?" Her smile hadn't totally reached her eyes, and she didn't have quite that starry-eyed look she usually had when mentioning Max's name. Liz shrugged. "I'm not sure. Have you seen Michael today?" Alex nodded. "Sure. Just said good-bye to him. Well, I didn't have time to actually say good-bye to him, really. He was too busy jumpng out of moving vehicles and trying to track down Maria." He felt something on his leg, and casually reached down to hold Isabel's hand. She smiled at him before turning to Liz. "Why?" "Maria had a weird reaction earlier. She had chills and thought that something wrong was going on with Michael. Then it passed and she was fine. At least, that's what she said." Liz's doubt about that was very clear. Alex's attention left Isabel and focused totally on Liz. "When was this?" "About an hour ago." Isabel had heard the change in Alex's voice. "Why? What were you and Michael doing?" Alex closed his eyes in concentration. An hour ago? Yeah, that was about right. "We were out at Dagmar's house looking for clues." Raising a hand, he stopped the girls' exclamations and questions. "We didn't find anything. It looks like he might have just left on his own, but there was nothing conclusive either way. Anyway, about an hour ago, Michael had an intense memory flashback to Tymrath's life. He broke a glass and cut himself pretty badly." "So much blood," Liz whispered. "That's what Maria said. And she was holding her hand like it was hurt. Was it Michael's right hand?" "Yeah." Alex kept the comments about traitors and Kivar to himself. Michael's feelings towards Kivar were his own, and he didn't see any need to bring them up. "It was pretty scary actually. And you're saying Maria felt it, too?" "I guess so. I'm not sure how, but what other explanation is there?" Alex was starting to worry about them. "Maybe we should go find them and just make sure they're okay." "No." The quiet word was nonetheless filled with authority and certainty. Liz and Alex both looked over at Isabel. She went on. "Leave them alone. They'll be fine." She smiled a little wistfully. "We've all interfered with them enough already. Just let them be. They need to finish this together, without anyone else to bother them. We'll just make things harder for them." "They need to finish what?" Alex was looking at her steadily, demanding an answer. "They're bonding. It's natural. Just leave them be." "Leave who be?" They had been so focused on what Isabel was saying, they hadn't even heard Max walk up until he spoke. "Michael and Maria." Isabel spoke quietly, but looked at Max meaningfully. She could actually see the moment when he realized what she was talking about. "Really?" he asked quietly, eyes wide. She just nodded. "Wow." Recovering his composure, Max handed Liz the bouquet of flowers he held in one hand. "These are for you." "Max, thank you. They're beautiful." She stood up and gave him a quick kiss. She looked back at Isabel uncertainly. "You're sure?" She hated being in the dark like this, but figured she could get Max to explain what was going on when they were alone. Isabel nodded. "Have fun, you two." "We will." Max took her arm and led Liz out the door. Alex turned back to Isabel. "Feel like explaining what all that mysterious secret spy type stuff was about?" Alex stopped at a sudden thought. "Where is Maria, anyway?" "Liz sent her over to the UFO Center with Brody's lunch delivery a little while ago. He just got out of the hospital, and Liz begged her to go so that she could get ready for her date." Isabel almost dropped the soda she was holding. "Did you say Michael was off looking for Maria?" The same thought had just occured to Alex. "Yeah. If he finds her with Brody.........." Isabel started to get up. "Okay, I changed my mind. Let's go." Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back down into the booth next to him. "No. You were right." He pushed aside the memories of what Michael did the last time he saw Maria with Brody and Michael's earlier comments about dismemberment. "Michael won't do anything to Brody. We have to trust him, Isabel." She looked at the door for a long moment. "Tymrath wasn't exactly big on anger management," she said finally. "And he didn't like sharing." She looked at Alex. He could see the fear and pain in her eyes. She hated remembering. "But you're right. And if I can overcome Vilandra, then Michael can overcome Tymrath. We have to trust him." She leaned over, relaxing a bit as she felt Alex's arms around her. She had a bad feeling about this, but she trusted Michael. And more than that, she trusted Alex's judgment. Michael and Maria would have to deal with their own life in their own way. ----------------------------------------------------- The instant he jumped out of Alex's car, Michael headed instinctively towards the UFO Center. He wasn't sure why she was there, but that's where she was. He paused outside the door and quickly unwrapped his bandages. The cuts didn't look that bad anymore. They were healing already. He wrapped them up again, but only with as many bandages as were necessary. There was no need to worry Maria more than he had to. If she'd felt any of what he had through their bond, then she'd already been affected too much by his flashback. The worst of it was the thought that it had hurt her, too. But there wasn't much he could do about it, so he pushed that thought aside and went inside, easily dodging the few tourists in the place. He headed straight to the back restricted area where Brody kept his alien-tracking equipment. Maria was just saying good-bye to Brody when she felt him. She looked up and saw Michael enter the room, closing the door behind him. She smiled as her body warmed up in anticipation. She felt better than she had all day, just seeing him. But then her smile faded as she saw the look in his eyes and realized that she wasn't the only one he was seeing. Michael was also seeing Brody and how close he was standing to her. She quickly stepped back a bit, putting more distance between her and Brody. All the emotions he'd felt the last time he saw Brody were going through Michael again. He hated the way that the older man looked at Maria, the way he stood as close to her as he could, the way that he wanted to take Maria away from where she belonged. Nothing had changed. He still felt his blood roaring with the desire to get rid of Brody, the enemy. No, something had changed, he realized with a smile. Now he remembered so many different things he could do to deal with Brody, so many ways to take care of him. Maria felt Michael's cold anger and prepared herself to drag him out of the room and away from Brody, when suddenly Michael smiled and stepped forward. He held out his hand genially to Brody. "Hi, Brody," he said as he walked over to shake his hand. "I didn't know that you were out of the hospital already. How are you feeling?" "I'm still a little sore, but healing." Brody returned the smile. Maria held her breath. The friendly smile on Michael's face was nowhere near matching the emotions she felt coming from him. Brody went on. "I understand that I have you and Maria to thank for scaring off the intruders." Michael shrugged carelessly, standing next to him, apparently relaxed and without a care in the world. Maria felt like she was going to be sick. "No problem. Did they get anything?" "I'm still doing inventory, but it doesn't appear so." "Great." Michael's eyes went around the room, landing on a picture of Sidney. He walked over to look at the picture closer. "How's your kid doing?" Brody walked over to him. "Sidney's fine. She's been staying with friends the last few days." "She must be glad that you're home now." Brody smiled and nodded agreement. Maria couldn't figure this situation out. Michael was being totally charming, making small talk with Brody as if he had never had a negative thought about him. It was obvious that Brody didn't suspect anything was wrong - he was being quite open and friendly with Michael, talking about Sidney. But Maria knew what Michael was really feeling, and it in no way matched the friendly attitude he was projecting to the outside world. He was managing somehow to hide his cold fury behind his smile, and that scared her. Michael looked at her, noticing the way her eyes were begging him to stop. "Well, I just came over here to pick up Maria for our date. I'll wait up front. Take your time." He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek on his way out. He wanted to do so much more, to grab her and kiss her until she forgot that there was anyone else in the room, but he was trying to be on his best behavior. Brody looked over at Maria. "Nice guy." "Yeah," she answered absently, looking after him. She wished she had some idea of what was going on. That was bizarre, even by Michael standards. But she wanted to be with him right then, not Brody, so she turned to say her farewells. "Tell Sidney I said hello. Take it slow," she warned him, worrying that he would try to do too much too soon after being released from the hospital. "Good night." When Brody tried to give her a friendly good-bye hug, Maria stepped aside nimbly. Somehow, having anyone besides Michael touch her right then, even in a friendly way, just seemed wrong. She quickly sped through the museum and outside. Stepping outside, she blinked in the sudden sunlight and looked around. She didn't see him anywhere, but she knew he was nearby. She could feel him. Besides, he wouldn't have just left her like that. Confused, she started to walk around the building, but was halted by strong hands grabbing her from behind and pulling her back into the shadows. "That was quick," Michael's quiet voice whispered from behind her as his arms pulled her even closer. She closed her eyes and leaned back into his body. It felt so good to feel his touch again. It seemed so much longer than it had been. "I was just bringing him his food for Liz," she explained, leaning her head to one side as he kissed her neck. "Okay," he answered. "You don't need to explain yourself to me." One hand had gone under her shirt and was starting to travel upwards. She let out a sigh as she turned her head to kiss him. He wasn't angry anymore. All his energy was focused on her, and as she turned to kiss him more properly, she almost forgot what had her so worried inside. Almost, but not quite. Breaking off, she pulled away a bit. She kept her hands wrapped around him though, not wanting to break off all physical contact. "How did you do that?" "Do what?" He picked up one of her hands and brought it to her mouth, kissing the palm. She thought about pulling away, but didn't want to. Instead, she waited as he proceed to kiss her wrist, then pushed up her sleeve. When he got up to her elbow, though, she did pull back. While it felt better than good, this was no way to get her questions answered. "I could feel your emotions, Michael. You were furious with Brody." "It was a little more than that, actually." He leaned back against the wall. Apparently, they were going to have to discuss this first before getting to more important matters. "Right." She nodded. "But you were all Mr. Nice Guy with him. So what was going on? And since when can you hide what you're feeling like that?" He sighed. "Did you want me to get into a fight with him, Maria?" "Don't be stupid. Of course not." "Then be glad that your friend's okay and that I decided to play nice. Can we drop it?" "No, we can't drop it." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Explain." "Fine." He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her a ways down the alley next to the museum so that they wouldn't be overheard. "My first instinct was to do whatever was necessary to get the freak away from you, Maria. But I trust you, so I decided to control my jealousy and be nice to the poor idiot whose only crime is to be in love with you. I'm working on control, remember? As for since when can I hide my feelings," he paused and moved in even closer, backing her up against the wall of the building and leaning in close, hands outstretched on each side of her, "it's something I remembered from before. It's sometimes useful for your enemy not to know you're coming until it's too late." "I'm not sure I like that you can hide that well." He shook his head, never breaking eye contact. "I can't hide from you at all, Maria. You know what I'm feeling, even if nobody else does. So what does it matter really? I can't lie to you." That was true. He reached out a hand and pushed back her hair, caressing her cheek. "Nothing else matters except us." She put her hands on his chest. "You don't have anything to be jealous about with Brody. He's just a friend." "I know. I can't help how I feel, though. But I can control what I do, and I'm not going to go around hurting people just because I don't like them." He sounded so sure of himself that it made her proud. Quite a difference from just a few nights ago when he was so afraid that he couldn't trust in his own self-control. "But I don't like the idea of him touching you." "I didn't let him touch me," she replied quickly. It was important to her that he know that. "Not even a friendly hug good-bye. I can understand you not wanting him to." She blushed and looked away from him in embarassment. "I don't especially like the idea of anyone else touching you, either. I didn't like it when Tess touched you last night." "Tess?" She looked back at him, eyes narrowing in suspicion. He looked awfully close to laughing at her. "She's family, Maria. You have nothing to worry about there." "I know that. I just didn't like it." She noticed the bandage on his hand for the first time. "What happened?" she asked as she gently took it in her hands. "I broke a glass. It's nothing to worry about, though." "Poor Michael." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer for another kiss. Closing her eyes, she let her hands tangle in his hair. One hand of his kept a firm grasp on her waist, preventing her from falling as the sensations starting to overcome her, while she could feel Michael's other hand moving up her leg and starting to go up under her skirt. Everywhere he touched, she felt her body start to heat up and hum. She loved the feel of him on her. But reluctantly, she pulled back. "Michael, maybe we better go somewhere more private. You know, just in case we start glowing again." He groaned and leaned his head on the wall next to her. Gathering strength, he finally turned to her. "Okay. There's something I wanted to show you anyway." He took her hand and led her over to the Jetta. "Let's go back to my apartment." -------------------------------------------- When they reached the door to his apartment, Michael stopped before opening the door. "Close your eyes." "Why?" she asked suspiciously. "Can you ever just do something because I ask you to?" he asked, half in amusement, half in irritation. "Probably not." "Fine. I have a surprise to show you. So will you please close your eyes? Trust me." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, then did as he asked. "Okay. But this had better be good." He smiled and opened the door, then walked her in front of him, hands on her shoulders so that she didn't walk into anything. He stopped when they were standing in the middle of the room, and waved his hand, shutting the door behind them and igniting the candles he'd earlier placed around the room. "You can open your eyes now. Look." Maria opened her eyes and gasped. By the light of the candles, she could see that someone had painted the ceiling of his living room to show a night sky full of stars. Only it wasn't the night sky one would see from Earth. There was a large golden moon, surrounded by five smaller ones forming a perfect circle around it. And the stars, while glowing and lovely, weren't the same constellations she'd seen on their trips to the desert. But wherever it was, it was gorgeous. The candlelight reflected in the stars so that they seemed as if they were truly shining down on them. "Michael, it's beautiful," she whispered in awe. "It looks so real." "It's the sky that you'd see on Antar." He stepped closer behind her and took a hand in his own, gently lifting it up to trace a pattern in the air, pointing. "That's the direction Earth is from Antar. When I was young, back then, I would sneak out at night sometimes and look at the stars. I was so sure that somewhere out there was the answer I was looking for, something that would make the pain go away." His voice dropped even lower as he dropped his head down to rest on her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "Then I got older and forgot about that. But I was right. Because it was out there that I found you." Maria had to close her eyes to stop from crying. This was just too much, too perfect. Here she was, standing safe in Michael's arms, listening to him saying the sort of things she'd always wanted to hear but had never dreamt she would. And she knew he meant it, because she could feel the immensity of his love for her through their connection. And he was offering her this little bit of his past, of Antar, trying to share with her both who he was now and who he had been there. It almost frightened her. It was dangerous for a person to be this happy. "When did you paint this?" she whispered. "Last night and this morning. I couldn't sleep." Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, Michael walked around in front of her, gently cupping her head in his hands and tilting her head back to look at him. "And I wanted to do this under the Antaran stars." He leaned down and kissed her almost fiercely, wanting her so much he could hardly control himself. Then he pulled away and stepped back a pace, letting go of her. "Do what?" She was dazed, both from the kiss and from the sudden lack of him. But when she started to move closer, he held up a hand to stop her. "Say the words you need to hear." He was getting nervous now. He never managed to get the words right. That was Max's area of specialty. But words were important to Maria, so he was going to give it a try. But she was smiling at him and shaking her head gently. "I don't need to hear anything. Besides, I know that you hate it when things get goopey." He had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I do. But this is important, so just listen, okay?" "Okay." Maria was starting to get the feeling that something very serious and solemn was taking place. "I love you, Maria. You know that. So much that it hurts sometimes. And I know that I've hurt you before, and I'll probably do it again, because I'm about as far from perfect as you can get and we both know that I screw things up lots of times. But I can promise you that I will never hurt you on purpose again. Never." He looked at her, willing her to understand that he meant this. Maria's love was the most precious gift he'd ever been given in either lifetime, and he was never going to do anything to destroy it. "I know, Michael." She was smiling, and he could feel the happiness and joy flowing through her. And he could also feel her belief and trust in him. That was even more of a gift. He reached out one hand and touched her forehead lightly. "Naamar. That means soul." His hand moved down to lightly touch her chest, over her heart. "Teel. That means heart." Both hands ran down her body, coming to rest at her waist. "Bla'val. That's body. Everything I am is yours, from now until forever." He let go of her again and looked at her hesitantly. "If you want me, that is." If she wanted him? She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Of course I want you, spaceboy. Didn't we go through this last night?" She reached over and pushed back his hair to touch his forehead. "Naamar." She placed her hand over his heart. "Teel." Then both hands ran over his chest. She could feel his heart-rate start to speed up and wasn't sure if it was a response to her touch or to her words. Probably both. "Bla'val. You have my heart and soul, too. And my body," she added. He held out his hands to her. "Then you accept me?" Maria took a second. It was occurring to her that more was going on here than just Michael saying he loved her. This was almost like a ceremony. But what she had said was the simple truth - she was his just as much as he was hers. And she wouldn't have it any other way. So she placed her hands in his. Michael's hands tightened on hers, holding them close. As soon as their hands met, they started to glow with a bright blue shine. That tingling feeling she remembered from last night started up again, making her gasp and smile. She saw that Michael had a matching smile on his face. She didn't think she'd ever felt happier in her whole life than at that moment. "Meilya Edar Eith." Michael leaned down and kissed her hands, first one, then the other. Each touch seemed so much more intense than ever before. She wanted more. But first she was curious. "What does that mean?" Maria was surprised to hear how husky her voice sounded. Of course, she was rather impressed that she could manage to speak at all. Without looking up from their joined hands, he answered. "It means that your life comes first for me, above everything else." He looked up then, his whole soul in his eyes. "You mean more than anything else to me. Believe that. I never said those words before, not even as Tymrath. I couldn't. But I mean them now." The glowing was getting brighter as he spoke. It almost hurt to look through it, but Maria couldn't look away from his eyes. They were shining, too, reflecting the glow. And she understand what he wasn't saying. If the choice was ever asked of him in this lifetime that he'd had to make the last time around, his first loyalty was to her and no one else. It was almost too much, but it was the way he felt. And the least she could do was assure him that her love for him was that strong. "Meilya Edar Eith," she whispered back to him. It wasn't really anything new, after all. Since that talk in the motel room off 285 South, Michael had been her priority. This was just formally stating what had been true for over a year now. "Maria," he started, but then stopped. The glow grew even brighter at her words, changing from blue to a bright white. As it shone, blinding them both, they each had their strongest flash from the other ever. Only this flash was different from the earlier ones. They didn't see any actual events. Intead, it was like a pure jolt of how they felt about each other - all the love and passion, trust and concern. It all came rushing through them. When it ended, the glowing had stopped and the only light in the apartment was from the candles. "Wow," Maria whispered. "Yeah." Michael was looking at her with fascination, almost as if he'd never seen her before. "You are so beautiful." She reached over and grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head. Running her hands hungrily over his bare chest, she smiled. "So are you." Groaning, Michael picked her up and placed her on his kitchen counter, knocking aside the papers previously there. He was tired of talking. Right now, he needed to touch her, to taste her kisses and feel her warmth. He couldn't wait any longer. As he kissed her, she reached out and ran her hands up and down his chest. Reaching around to his back, she fastened her fingers through the belt loops in the back of his jeans and pulled him even closer. She didn't want there to be any distance between the two of them. Without even taking his mouth f

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:14 pm

Maria slowly came to consciousness. Smiling, she snuggled even closer to Michael under the covers, appreciating the way that his arms had kept her body tight next to his while they slept. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that he was awake, too. She could feel his pleasure as their bodies touched even more. The tingles of energy were still racing up and down where they touched, which was pretty much everywhere. Michael's hand moved down her back, one finger tracing down her spine. The jolt of physical pleasure made her eyes spring open. The first things she saw were Michael's eyes, watching intently for her reaction. The light was dimmer now than it had been when they came into the room a few hours ago, but she could see his eyes very clearly. They were glowing the way they had been earlier and were staring at her just as passionately as before. Without a word, both of his hands circled around her waist, lifting and turning her until she was lying on top of him. Then, the room and everything in it seemed to vanish as his mouth was on hers again. There was only them and the way they felt. Eventually, Maria pulled back away from him. Propping her arms on either side of his head, she looked down at him. "Hey." She saw the smile on his face as he leaned over to kiss her shoulder. "Hey." Rolling her over so that they were side by side, looking at each other, he continued. "How are you doing?" She had to laugh. "Pretty incredible, actually. How about you?" Michael lifted up one of her hands, slowly kissing the tips of her fingers. She moaned quietly, moving even closer. "How do you think?" Silly question, actually. She could feel him through the connection, and he was doing just as well as she was. Then she noticed the clock on the bedside table and jumped up, covering herself with the blanket as she leaped out of the bed. "I've got to get home! My mom's going to freak!" Quicker than she would have thought anyone could move, Michael was at the edge of the bed, grabbing her arm as she tried to rush by. "Stay, teel-sharan," he said quietly. Maria stopped still, panic fading away as she looked into his eyes. It was too soon to separate yet - the bond was still too new. Leaning down, she kissed him, realizing that there was no way she could leave yet. She smiled at him. "Let me just give her a call." Then she left the room. Michael leaned back in the bed, listening to the sounds she made in the next room. This was what he'd always wanted, a home with someone who he could love and trust. He would never have believed it was possible to let someone in so completely. It wasn't just physical, although he certainly wasn't complaining about that part. Closing his eyes and remembering, he couldn't help but smile. Yeah, that part was great. But it was so much more. When they made love, more than just their bodies connected. All the memories and emotions swirling between them had been almost overwhelming at times, but they had managed to ride out the whirlpool. Somehow, at the end, after the emotional explosion, they'd been able to come back to themselves - Michael and Maria, but more now. He wondered how far the connection, the blending of souls, could go. Michael heard her come back into the room, but didn't move or open his eyes. Maria just sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, looking down at him. She loved looking at him, from his ridiculously messed-up hair to his beautiful lips ( so incredibly kissable) to his hands. His hands were her favorite part of his body, actually. They always seemed to know exactly how to touch her. Just looking at Michael's hands was enough to turn her on again. At the surge of lust he felt coming from her, Michael did open his eyes to find Maria staring down at him, running her tongue over her lips. He did look good. Michael raised an inquiring eyebrow, controlling the urge to reach up and grab her. She shrugged her shoulder in response. "I told Mom that I was going to spend the night with Liz," she explained. "Tomorrow being the last day of Spring Break and all. I told her I wanted to have some more time with Liz having fun before going back to school." "Fun, huh?" Michael smirked. "Egotist." She grabbed a pillow and hit him over the head with it. In retaliation, Michael grabbed her and pulled her down across him. He teased along the edges of the blanket she was wearing, not quite pulling it down yet, listening to the way her breath sped up whenever he touched her. "Is tomorrow really the last day of Spring Break?" he asked, a little breathless himself. He could feel himself starting to lose control and rational thought again, focusing solely on Maria. "Yup." She pushed back a few stray strands of hair off his face. "In less than two days, we are back in the halls of learning." He rolled his eyes. "Great. I wonder if we're going to have to write one of those 'What I did over Spring Break' essays. 'Cause I think my explanation of how I remembered my past life as an alien warrior might disturb the teacher just a little bit." She laughed, moving into a more comfortable position in his arms and tracing patterns absently on his chest. "You? Like you would actually write one of those essays, anyway?" Maria leaned down to kiss his chest quickly, liking the vibrations his laugh caused. "How about me, though? What do you think the reaction would be to my essay about how I married an alien over the break?" She looked up quickly to see his response to this. And wasn't disappointed. Michael suddenly went still, barely breathing, and the arms holding her went rigid. His eyes were on hers in an instant, and didn't look away. "What?" "I married an alien," she repeated slowly. "That's what all that was about earlier, wasn't it? The whole thing about belonging to each other soul, heart, and body?" She tilted her head to the side consideringly. "Didn't you think I'd figure it out, spaceboy?" "I wasn't........." he broke off nervously, then started again. "Yeah," he said more firmly. "I guess it was like a marriage. An Antaran marriage. But it doesn't mean anything on Earth. Not if you don't want it to," he finished quickly. Then he waited again. Maria tried hard not to smile. She could feel how nervous he was, how worried he was that she wasn't going to answer the way he wanted her to. "Well, I'm not saying that we should go around announcing to the world that we're married or anything, spaceboy. That might throw my mother a little, after all." She ran her hand down his cheek gently. "But I told you that we were connected. And I have absolutely no problem with the fact that it's forever. So it means just as much to me as it does to you." Michael let out the breath he'd been holding. Then he pulled his teela-mei closer to him and showed her how much it meant. ------------------------------------------------------------ Hours later, Michael was awake and looking down at the peacefully sleeping figure next to him in the bed. His wife? That was a concept his mind was having a hard time wrapping itself around. His teela-mei. That was easier. More natural. He wondered if that meant he was becoming more alien now that his memories were back. At any rate, what they'd gone through meant more than any possible legal definitions. He supposed this was what it would feel like to be married in a church, in the sight of God. It was more of a spiritual union than a legal one. He had always been rather iffy on the idea of God, himself. He certainly hadn't seen much in his life that made him believe in some higher power looking out for him. He had himself and only himself to rely on. But now, running a finger through Maria's hair as she smiled in her sleep, he was seriously rethinking his earlier conclusions. Because the fact that she was there with him was nothing short of a miracle. And since he hadn't done anything in either lifetime to deserve a miracle like this, there must be someone out there who was giving him a hand. Deliberately, he ran his hand down her arm, letting it come to rest on her stomach, feeling the tremors of her body through the blanket he'd carefully tucked in over her to keep her warm. Looking down at her thoughtfully, Michael tried to come up with a way, short of melting the doorknobs shut, that he could keep her there, in his bedroom with him, forever. He wanted a way to shut out the rest of the world, with all of its complications - school, work, friends, family, evil aliens, FBI agents, pasts that could never be rewritten or atoned for - and just exist with Maria. He grimaced slightly. No real chance of that. The past wasn't going to just vanish because he wanted it to. He watched her open her eyes, gradually allowing them to focus on his face. He loved watching her wake up. He wondered what it must be like to have the luxury of waking up slowly, not jumping fully to consciousness so that nothing could hurt you or catch you unawares. It showed a trust in the world that he'd never had. "Morning," she murmured sleepily. He just smiled down at her. She frowned at him. "You're dressed." It sounded like an accusation. He had to laugh at the pout on her face. "Brilliant observation. It's morning. Well, afternoon." She peered over his shoulder at the clock. "Lookee there. It is, isn't it?" She stretched lazily, enjoying the way he watched her. "Well, I guess we earned the right to sleep in late." With a mischievous grin, she looked around and grabbed one of his shirts off the floor. Getting up, Maria put the shirt on and then padded around to the other side of the bed to sit next to him. Michael wrapped his arms around her and they just sat there for a moment, silently enjoying the fact that they were together. "I should probably be heading home soon," she whispered finally. Michael's arms tightened around her instantly. "You could stay." Maria looked at him as if he was crazy. "You know, spaceboy, I somehow doubt that my mother is going to buy my staying at Liz's house two nights in a row." He shook his head, looking down at the floor. "I meant, you could stay here forever. You could move in." Shocked, she put her hand under his chin to force him to look up at her. "You want me to move in with you?" "Yes." Michael's voice was filled with total certainty and sincerity. She was thrown. "Michael, I can't. You know that." She started to speak more quickly. "I mean, we're still in high school, and my mother would absolutely kill me. Or you. It's not like she would understand the whole alien-marriage-bonding thing, even if we did try to explain it to her, which I wouldn't suggest we do, because then she'd probably try to hunt you down and beat you to death with a newspaper. And the sheriff might actually help her do it, because even though he likes you, Michael, I'm not sure he'd approve of this, because he is kind of old-fashioned and all, and I don't think we're ready for it, Michael." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Not yet, Michael." She waited for his reaction, hoping it wouldn't be too bad. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or insulted when he smiled at her. "Breathe. You're babbling." She narrowed her eyes at him, but he went on before she could say anything. "It's okay, Maria. We'll take things at whatever speed you want to go." Whispering as he leaned in for a kiss, he went on, "It's enough that you're here with me now." As the kiss ended, she noticed the new bandage on his hand and reached for it. "You never explained to me what happened." He shrugged. "I broke a glass." She sighed in exasperation. "Yes, spaceboy, you told me that part. Why exactly did you break a glass?" "I had a memory flashback." He really didn't want to talk about this, but he could see from the glint in her eyes that she intended to get the whole story. Better to just answer her questions and then they could go back to putting the rest of the day together to good use. "That's what I felt," she whispered, pulling aside the bandage. She could see the faint lines of the cuts on his hands, but they really didn't look too serious. Maria made a mental note to learn some first-aid. It would probably come in handy. "Was it really bad?" The grimace he gave her was all the answer she needed. "Did something trigger it? Did something remind you of Antar?" Michael stared at her blankly for a minute, then she could feel the terror and panic start to spread through him. "Oh, damn." Michael jumped off the bed and went running into the other room. Maria followed him immediately, watching him grab the phone and start dialing. "What?" "I remember." Michael turned his attention to whoever was on the other end of the line. "Maxwell? Get everyone together. At the Crashdown at closing. We need to talk." He closed his eyes. "I remembered something I learned at Dagmar's house." ------------------------------------------------------- As the last customer exited the Crashdown, Alex locked the door behind him. It's about time. Don't these people have anything better to do than hang around a cheesy alien theme restaurant? Doing a quick mental inventory of his free time activities, Alex decided not to pursue that line of thought. Instead he walked over to where Liz was busily wiping down the counter. "Here, let me help." "Thanks." With a smile, Liz handed Alex a rag. He got to work, glancing up at the blond sitting across the counter from him. "You could help too, you know." Isabel's only response was an eloquently raised eyebrow. With a fond chuckle, he answered himself. "Never mind." "So what did Michael say the big deal was?" Isabel turned to her brother sitting in the closest booth. "He didn't." Max looked up from his Calculus book with a frown. "Just that he remembered something from when he was at Dagmar's house. I guess he wants to tell us all together." Liz stepped away from the counter, carefully dodging Tess, who was being spun around in circles on one of the counter seats by Kyle, and sat down next to Max. "Have you figured out that equation yet?" "Nope." Frowning, the two of them looked over the textbook intently. Kyle watched this with horror. Finally, unable to stand it, he put out his arm and stopped the spinning Tess. "Are the two of them actually doing Calculus homework in the last night of Spring Break?" he asked her in a horrified whisper. She looked at them carefully. "It seems so." Tess shook her head in mock disappointment. "It's very sad, actually. I could mindwarp them into thinking the book was stolen by Skins, if you'd like," she offered helpfully. "Nah, then they might actually have to have fun for a change, and we wouldn't want to tear them away from Calculus for that," Kyle responded sarcastically. "I heard that," Max yelled over indignantly. He turned his attention back to Liz. "Are you laughing?" "No, of course not, Max. I would never laugh at you." With determination, she slammed the book shut. "They're right, though. It's our last night of Spring Break, and until such time as we know we're about to be attacked by evil aliens, we should have some fun." "Works for me," Kyle said, lifting Tess off her chair. "Isabel, can you give us some music?" Just as Isabel was reaching for a CD, the back door swung open and Michael entered, Maria close behind him. "Nice of you to show up for your own secret meeting," Isabel commented. "We had some stuff to do," Maria explained. She didn't see any need to go into the details of how they'd snuck into her house so that she could get a change of clothes. "I just bet." Kyle snickered. Tess poked him in the side. "Behave," she hissed. Michael's attention was on Max. "Where's Valenti?" "He'll be here," Max replied evenly. "He said he was held up at work. What's going on?" "I'd rather only have to go through it once." Michael swung himself up on the counter to wait, drumming his fingers impatiently. He didn't look happy. Liz caught Maria's eye and gestured to the back room. "Well, while we're waiting, I'm just going to clean up some of those dishes in the back. Anyone want to help?" "No problem." Maria followed her into the back, closely followed by Isabel and Tess. Alex had to admire the rapid evacuation of all the girls from the room. Did they think no one would know they were just going to pump Maria for information? He knew that he and Kyle had tons of questions for Michael, too, but giving the grumpy alien a good look, he figured the questions could wait for a better time. In the back room, Liz spun around and pulled Maria over to the couch, where the girls surrounded her. "So, what's going on?" Maria shrugged. "I don't know anything more than you do. Michael's upset about whatever it is that he remembered, but he really only wants to have to go through it once, so I didn't push. I think it's something bad, though." "I don't think that's what Liz meant," Tess said quietly. "Oh." Maria looked at them. "You mean, what's going on with Michael and I?" They nodded. "Okay........." While Maria was filling in the girls, Kyle and Alex were busily playing catch with Max's Calculus book. They finally let him have it back when Valenti walked in from the back room, closely followed by the girls. Michael raised an eyebrow at Maria, noticing the looks he was getting from the other girls. "What was all that about?" he whispered to her. "I'll tell you about it later. It's not important." Michael looked around the room at the looks he was getting from the girls. Tess was smiling at him, Liz was blushing, and Isabel had a frankly speculative look on her face. As he looked at her, she grinned, then turned that curious look on Alex. No, Maria wouldn't have talked with them about ..... Would she? "Sorry I'm so late," Valenti explained as he sat down. "Hanson decided that we should do some reorganization and review of the case files today. He was probably right, but it wasn't exactly a whole lot of fun." Kyle and Tess exchanged a look at the mention of Hanson, but settled down with the others to hear Michael's report. All eyes were on Michael. He was starting to get nervous, but then felt Maria come up behind him and rub her hand down his back. Without turning around, he reached out and took her hand, holding it as he started to talk. Liz was surprised by the openly public display of affection. This was a side of Michael that was going to take some getting used to. "Alex probably told you about us going out to Dagmar's house yesterday," Michael started. "Which was an incredibly dangerous thing to do without telling anyone," Valenti interrupted. Michael shrugged. "No big deal. I can take care of myself." "But you don't have to, Michael. Sooner or later, you're going to have to realize that you're not the only one in this group. You're not on your own." Rather than arguing, Michael nodded at the sheriff. "I know. Next time, I'll let you know before I go wandering off somewhere. Okay?" Valenti smiled, then tried to hide it. "Okay. Go on." "I'm not sure whether I should be insulted or relieved that I'm not being lectured," Alex whispered to Isabel. "The sheriff probably knows that I already yelled at you for taking unnecessary risks," she replied. "And is that a conversation we want to repeat?" "No, ma'am." The laugh in his voice died when he saw that look on Michel's face. He was remembering again. Alex was really growing to dread that look in his friend's eyes. "When I walked into Dagmar's kitchen, I had a flashback to my life on Antar. To Tymrath's life," he corrected himself with a look at Maria. "It was ..... intense. But I couldn't remember what triggered it until a little while ago. Now I remember." "Do you know what happened to Dagmar?" Max asked quietly. He was listening to everything, calmly collecting the facts. Michael shook his head. "Not exactly. But I know something. When I got in the kitchen, I could sense that someone had been hurt here. Hurt badly." He looked down at his hand, so tightly intertwined with Maria's that it was hard to tell where one began and the other left off. "Someone was tortured in the kitchen, and it happened after I left there the other night." "Dagmar?" Kyle asked, his eyes wide as he took this in. Michael looked at him. "Probably. I can't be sure. I could feel that there'd been pain and violence there, but I couldn't tell who was involved." "The working theory being that Nicholas came back for Dagmar," Alex guessed. "That would fit, wouldn't it?" Isabel replied in a steady voice. Nicholas. That little twerp kept popping up in her life. Something was going to have to be done about him, and soon. Valenti tilted his head in confusion. "You could feel all this? There was no sign of a fight or anything." "I know. Yeah, I could just feel it." Michael was just as matter-of-fact, trying to keep some emotional distance. He couldn't allow himself to get swept up in the memories again. "How?" "We can all get flashes when things are heightened emotionally," Max explained. "But this is something different. I don't think Isabel or I could do it. Or Tess." The girls shook their heads. Michael ran his free hand through his hair. "It's something I picked up back on Antar. I guess I just spent so much time around violence that I got to be able to pick up on it." Isabel had a look of concentration on her face. "That's what you would do after the battles!" she exclaimed. She turned to Max. "Remember? After every battle, Tymrath would go out into the fields alone and just walk around." She looked back at Michael. "You were, what? Picking up on the psychic impressions? And you would always go off scouting first before you'd let the two of us go anywhere, even on a peaceful mission." "I wanted to make sure that there was nothing ahead to worry about. And that the battles were really over." Michael took a deep breath. "Anyway, that's all." "So, you realized that Dagmar had probably been tortured, maybe to death, and you didn't mention it until the next day? What's up with that?" Kyle didn't get it. "He didn't remember." Alex's voice was very quiet. "You didn't see him after the flashback. He was hurt and in shock and couldn't remember what had triggered it." He looked at Maria, standing silently next to Michael. "Plus, I think his mind was focused elsewhere. Shock's a strange thing." Kyle nodded, accepting the explanation. "So, what do we do now?" Maria asked practically. "What can we do?" Max asked with a shrug. "This doesn't really change things for us, does it? We don't know where Nicholas is or when he's going to make his next move. All we can do is be careful and watch our backs." "Poor Dagmar," Isabel whispered. Alex reached over and gave her a hug. "We don't know for sure that he's dead," Valenti said firmly. "But I think we should all go on the assumption that we won't be able to count on any more help from him. We're on our own." "What else is new?" Michael asked bitterly. "What's new is that we do have each other, spaceboy," Maria said, leaning over so that she was looking him directly in the eye. "So, no more secret alien investigations, understood?" She was giving Alex the same stern look as Michael. The boys looked at each other sheepishly. "For the record, we weren't going against the buddy rule," Alex protested weakly. "We went together to Dagmar's house." "And if something had happened to you two out there?" Isabel asked in irritation. "None of us even knew where you were, so how could we have helped you?" Valenti stood up. "Well, you kids had better get home now. School's tomorrow, and you need a good night's sleep." Ignoring the roll of eyes and the groans, Valenti headed towards the front door. "Tess? Kyle? Are you coming?" "Yes, sir." Tess dragged Kyle out the door behind the sheriff. Within minutes, the others had also dispersed and gone to their homes, all promising to call Liz when they got there. Liz stayed awake in the restaurant until she knew that everyone was home safely. If being careful was their only protection against Nicholas, then careful they would be. They'd been through too much to let Nicholas win now. --------------------------------------------------------- Michael lay on his couch for hours, looking up at the stars on the ceiling and thinking. His bed was out of the question - it was too empty without Maria. No matter how hard he tired, he couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts kept going on in an endless loop - memories of Antar, dreams of Maria, thoughts of what must have happened to Dagmar. Unfortunately, those last were way too vivid and detailed in his imagination to allow him to relax. Finally, he got up with a grimace and pulled out a pad of paper. Maybe drawing would help him relax a little. So, he picked up a pencil and tried to blank out his mind, letting his fingers draw whatever they wanted with no conscious control. Half an hour later, he looked down at what he had drawn in surprise. A little girl, maybe about four or five, was looking back at him. A girl with a big smile on her face and long hair in curls. Studying it in confusion, Michael noticed a definite resemblance to Maria. Had he drawn a younger Maria? Or was it a hope for the future, one that he wanted to have with Maria and a family? Either way, this wasn't helping any. Setting the pad aside, he looked at his watch. It was past one o'clock in the morning, and he wasn't any closer to sleep than he had been before. Making a decision, he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. Before long, he was silently opening the window to Maria's bedroom and climbing in, careful to make no noise that would awaken her mother. Pausing for a minute, he looked at her sleeping form under the blankets before he took off his shoes and jacket and climbed under the covers next to her, trying very hard not to wake her. Apparently not hard enough. Maria turned over on her side and looked at him through sleepy eyes. "What took you so long, spaceboy?" Snuggling closer to him, she went back to sleep. Michael smiled gently as he pulled her close to him, one hand under her head, the other resting on her stomach. "Neeyal semar, teel-sharan," he whispered as he closed his eyes and was finally able to drift off to dreams of a future with his teela-mei, one filled with love and family. One that he wouldn't have to fight or kill for in order to protect. ------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, watch it," Maria yelled, dodging a running freshman dashing down the hallway. "Yeah, great to be back," she muttered, yanking open her locker and looking around for a friendly face. Since Liz's early morning call had insisted that Maria wait at her locker, she thought Liz would be there, but no sign of the girl. She better show up soon. Being awakened that early, even on a schoolday, did not a happy Maria make. And it was even worse when she was awakened only to see that she was alone in the bed. No sign of Michael. Maria looked around again. Her locker was off in a distant corner of the school, and this early in the morning, nobody was around yet. Which was probably the reason Liz had picked it for the gathering place of the I-Know-An-Alien-Club. Distracted, she dropped her History textbook. Wonderful. Wondering if she could manage to get away with skipping class the first day back, Maria bent down to pick up the book. This was not shaping up to be a good day. And her opinion changed instantly as she felt strong hands encircle her from behind. "You weren't there when I woke up." She was impressed by how steady her voice sounded. "I didn't think your mother would like to come in to your bedroom and see me there." Michael's whisper sent chills up and down her spine as he leaned in even closer. "You really live in fear of her, don't you?" She refused to turn around yet. She was upset with him, after all. It was getting hard to remember why, though. When he spoke again, he was closer yet. She could feel every inch of his body along hers. "It's the newspaper. I can't think of an effective defense against the newspaper." Slowly, one hand left her waist and trailed along her arm, ultimately reaching her hand and bringing it up and back. As he kissed her wrist at its pulse point, she weakened and turned around to look at him. "I didn't like waking up without you. Don't do it again." She grabbed his head and pulled it down for a proper good morning kiss. Michael returned the kiss instantly. It felt like they'd never been apart. Closing her eyes, Maria forgot about the entire school population of West Roswell High and concentrated solely on his lips and hands. She could feel herself being pushed back against the locker, but was much more interested in the way he was undoing the top two buttons of her blouse to allow room to kiss farther down. "Please, Michael," she whispered in his ear, getting a thrill from his moan in response. The next button just flew off - Michael's power control was definitely getting more precise. Grabbing the front of his shirt and wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him as close as they could be to each other while still being clothed. This day was definitely getting better. Kyle and Tess let out identical sighs of annoyance when they walked down the hall and saw the two of them sitting on the floor, practically pawing at each other in plain sight of anyone who happened to walk by. Luckily, nobody had yet, but as it got closer to school starting, there would be more people in the hallways. Better stop the two of them. "What is with these two?" Kyle grumbled as Tess smacked Michael on the shoulder. "You know, this school has an eraser room for stuff like this!" Michael looked up at her blankly for a second, comprehension slowly dawning. Standing up quickly, he moved so that they couldn't see Maria clearly. When she had her shirt buttoned up again (except for that missing third button), she stood up next to him. Kyle rolled his eyes at them. "Well, at least you two heard us this time. That's some progress." "So, where's Liz?" Maria tried not to blush as Tess dug a safety pin out of her purse and handed it to her with an expressively raised eyebrow. I have got to get some control where Michael Guerin is concerned, she thought as she fasted the pin in the place of the missing button. "Liz isn't here yet?" came Alex's chipper voice as he and Isabel walked up, hand in hand. "I would have expected her to be here already, clipboard in hand for check-in." "Huh?" Michael had no idea what he'd missed. "Your friendly cruise director, Liz Parker, called us all this morning and ordered us to meet here first thing this morning," Alex explained. "She's probably got a little color-coded flow-chart of our daily activities planned out," added Kyle. Maria moved closer to Michael, who reached out his arm to pull her close in an instinctive moment. Isabel noticed this and smiled at Alex. Looked like they'd been right about letting the two of them work things out for themselves. "Didn't she call you, too?" Tess asked Michael. Michael was spared having to explain why he wasn't at his apartment early that morning by the arrival of Liz and Max. "Morning, Maxwell. Liz." "Good morning." Liz looked around at the group. "Good, everyone's here." She opened up a notebook and checked off their names. Alex and Kyle started to laugh. "What, no clipboard?" Alex managed to get out between laughs. "Do we get like, little code names and stuff?" Maria asked, joining in the giggle-fest. "Hey, this is serious," she protested as Kyle grabbed the notebook out of her hands. "Give that back." "Oh, Buddha. Look at this - she really does have us color-coded." "Listen, I think the best thing we can do is to keep close track of each other." "I agree with Liz," Max added seriously. "This way, if something does happen to one of us, or if one of us is missing, it'll take less time for us to figure out that something's wrong." "Nothing like preparing for the worst," Tess pointed out. "Preparing for the worst is just as important as planning for what you want," Michael interjected. "I think it's actually a good idea." "Thank you, Michael." Liz crossed her eyes at Kyle as she grabbed her book back. "Oh, it's a good idea, Lizzie. It's just so you, though." Maria disengaged herself from Michael and gave Liz a quick hug. "But that's what we love about you. We need someone as obsessive as you to keep us in line." "Take it as a compliment," Max whispered to her, as Liz looked confused on how to take that. "Now that we've all been signed in for the day, shall we actually adjourn to class?" Kyle asked, picking up Maria's forgotten History book and handing it to her. "What's he doing here?" Maria gestured past Kyle in surprise. Almost as one, the group turned their heads and watched as Deputy Hanson came down the almost empty hallway towards them. He smiled pleasantly as he approached, stopping in front of Isabel and tipping his hat to them all. The way that his eyes hardly left Isabel made Alex move closer. He was getting very weird vibes from the guy. "Morning, kids." Hanson seemed totally relaxed and casual - much more so than they felt. Official authority figures were not exactly their favorite people to have idle chit-chat with. Isabel frowned at him, wondering why he kept looking at her. "Is there a problem?" Kyle managed to smile at his father's deputy, resisting the urge to grab Tess's hand and get her away from there. He was mildly surprised by the way his instincts were screaming at him to get her as far away from the police as possible. "Actually, yes." Hanson tore his eyes away from Isabel and looked over at the boy. Michael noticed the flicker of amusement in his eyes when they went past him on their way to Kyle. "There was a break-in here over the break. Nothing serious - mostly some graffiti on the gym walls and a few lockers were broken into. It was probably just some kids. Have any of your lockers been disturbed?" "No," Kyle answered slowly. He looked around at the others. "Anyone notice anything wrong or missing in their lockers this morning?" They all murmured quick negatives. "Glad to hear it. If any of you hear anything or notice anything missing later, feel free to give the station a call." He turned and smiled at Isabel. "We're here to help you, after all." "We'll keep that in mind, Deputy." Isabel's smile was perfectly polite, if a bit cold. But Alex was standing close enough to feel the slight tremor going through her body. She wasn't enjoying the close scrutiny either. "You do that." Looking up at the clock on the wall, he went on. "You kids had better get to class now. You don't want to be late the first day back." "You're right. We wouldn't want that." Liz grabbed Max's hand and started off, the others trailing behind her. When they were around the corner, they stopped. Alex looked back around the corner. "He's gone." He came over to the others, lowering his voice. There wasn't anyone around, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious. "Okay, anyone want to tell me what that was all about?" "He wasn't just asking questions about a few lockers being broken into over the break." Tess was starting to shake nervously. "He knows something." Kyle came up behind her, rubbing her arms quickly. Tess looked totally terrified. The idea of being caught and locked up somewhere to be experimented on was a nightmare she'd been raised in fear of her entire life. "We don't know that for sure, Tess. Maybe there really was a break-in." "Oh, I'm sure there was a break-in." Max's voice was a mixture of anger and worry. "He'd know that you could check out his story with your father later. He wouldn't lie about that. But does anyone really think he was just wandering about the school, randomly stopping students in the hall to make sure they weren't robbed?" Nobody spoke up. He shook his head. "He would have already known which lockers were disturbed. No, he wanted something else." "He was staring at Isabel." Maria looked at her alien friend. "Like he was at the mall the other day. Remember?" Isabel shrugged. "Not really. Lots of guys stare at me." At their looks, she protested. "Well, they do. I don't even pay attention all the time." She frowned. It was true. Isabel was in the habit of using her looks to distract males. It was one of her protective mechanisms. She'd even tried it with Valenti and his other deputy, Deputy Blackwood, once. But this was different. Before she could put her feelings into words, Alex spoke up. "He wasn't looking at you the way a guy looks at a hot girl." "What do you mean?" Liz asked. "Alex is right." Michael looked very upset. "That wasn't the way you look at a babe. It was the way you look at an object. Or an objective." "I'm not sure I understand." Liz looked at Max for an explanation, which he gave after a quick look to Michael. "It was too cold and assessing. Hanson wants something from Isabel. Or he was trying to figure out something about her." "Wonderful. So what are you saying, exactly? That the deputy knows that I'm not from around here?" Isabel whispered angrily. Michael shook his head. "We're not saying that. But Hanson's up to something." Michael was considering going after the deputy and seeing what he could learn, but Max seemed to know what he was thinking. "No." Michael turned back to his leader. "Why not?" "Why not what?" Maria pulled on Michael's arm, but he didn't look away from Max. This wasn't a time to go back into denial mode. "Because Kyle and Tess can go over to the sheriff's station after school today and try to find out something. They won't get nearly as much suspicion as you would." Max's voice was level and full of authority. Michael had to admit that Max had a point. "Okay." "Well, since you ask so nicely, Max, of course we'll go spy on the deputy," Tess interrupted a little testily. Being frightened tended to make her more irritable. Max looked at her in surprise, then smiled. "Sorry. Tess, would you and Kyle please go find out if the deputy is planning on capturing us all?" Before Tess could make the nasty comment he knew she was about to, Kyle jumped in. "Sure, Captain. No problem." He looked down at the tiny blond. "It's my family at risk, too." Max nodded. That was settled. "We really had better get going." "Let's meet out near the picnic tables for lunch," Isabel suggested as they all started walking again. "Works for me." Alex gave a little wave as he entered the computer lab. Max and Liz were off to Science as the others headed into English. "Let's just hope that we don't have to write one of those stupid essays on what we did over Spring Break," Isabel said quietly as they slid into their desks. "Oh, I don't know," Michael answered as he leaned back. "It might be interesting." --------------------------------------------------------- Two very long hours later, Maria was walking down the hallway when it happened. One minute she was busily making her way down the hall, minding her own business, and the next she was grabbed around the waist and pulled into the eraser room. "Need you," Michael growled as he pulled her in for a kiss, slamming the door shut behind her. As soon as they touched, she could feel that overpowering urge to touch him, to feel his skin and his lips on hers. "I missed you in Science," she managed to get out between kisses. "Are we..." his hands were wrapped tightly in her hair as he pushed her back against the corner wall, trying desperately to put together a coherent sentence, "going to try the whole conversation thing again?" She smiled at the resigned exasperation in his voice. "Later. I had other things in mind for right now." She ran her hands up over his chest, stopping and wrapping them around his neck. Quickly, she kissed him, then leaned back. "Come here." Smirking, he followed orders and picked her up. The kiss that followed was pure lust, a simple acknowledgment that they wanted and needed each other on a very basic level. She wondered if each kiss would always give her that jolt of energy that she was getting from him. It would be so very easy to become addicted to Michael's touch and taste. Who was she kidding? It was probably too late already. She gave a small whimper of disappointment as he put her down and tilted his head down, searching her face. "How do you feel? Any headaches today?" She smiled as she shook her head. "Nope. Perfect health. You?" His thumb traced gentle circles on her cheek. "Same. No shakes or dizziness." "Good." Lowering herself to the floor and leaning back, Maria pulled him down with her. "Now, where were we?" --------------------------------------------------- "Is my hair all messed up?" She looked over suspiciously at Michael. "It is, isn't it? You drag me in here to make out, and now you're going to let me go back out there looking like a mess. And you lost one of my buttons this morning, spaceboy." She pointed her finger accusingly at him. "You're going to have to fix that - I like this shirt." He rolled his eyes at her. "You look fine." "Fine? You still have a lot to learn about girls, spaceboy." She shook her head and finished buttoning her shirt back up. "I missed Algebra." "Are you complaining?" He leaned back with a smirk. Laughing, she reclined next to him. "Nah. This was much more interesting than Algebra." "We could stay longer, you know. I'm sure we could think of something else to do to pass the time." "Hah, ha. Nope, sorry spaceboy. For anything more intense, you're going to have to wait until we're somewhere a little more private." She looked at him in confusion. "You must have missed a class, too." "Probably." He was the picture of blissful unconcern. "Well, as much fun as this has been, we'd better not make a habit of it." One hand went under Michael's shirt as she closed her eyes and snuggled in closer. "Some of us actually want to graduate high school." "So do I, you know." His hand was absently rubbing up and down her leg. Even through the jeans, she was getting tingles from his touch. "Since when?" Graduation had never really been high on Michael's list of priorities. "Since I'll need a good job someday. I can't take care of you and a family on my Crashdown salary." It was his matter-of-fact tone that shocked her out of her pleasant daze as much as the words. She pulled back a bit. "What?" "What, what?" He didn't get why she sounded so surprised. "Family? At what point did a family come into this conversation, exactly?" He shrugged. "I just figured that someday we'd have a family." He looked at her closely, then got up and started to move away. "Never mind. You're right. It was a stupid idea." "Hold on." She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, kneeling next to him. She wasn't sure what, but something had just happened. She could feel it - he was starting to shut down again. She moved in to stop the stonewall before it was built up again. "It's not a stupid idea." "Sure it is. Why would you want......." he stopped, but she took a quick breath, knowing what he'd been about to say. Would Michael ever be able to fully let go of his past? "You just surprised me, is all. Things have been moving so fast these last few days, Michael. I mean, four days ago, we weren't even dating officially, and now you're talking about us having a family." He was avoiding her eyes, trying to pull away. "Look at me." When he did, she went on. "Okay. We said we were going to take it slow, remember? So put on the brakes for a minute. But that doesn't mean I'm against the idea of a family with you someday." She felt a big smile spread over her face at the idea. "It sounds just about perfect. Someday." She reached over and caressed his cheek, hating the haunted look she still saw in his eyes. "You'll be a wonderful father someday, Michael. I know it. There's no doubt in my mind." He looked at her for a long minute. He was torn between wanting nothing more than to have a family with Maria and being terrified that he'd mess it up. It had nothing to do with being an alien and everything to do with being Michael. What if he turned out like Hank? He shook his head slowly and forced a smile. "You're right." "Aren't I always?" The mocking tone didn't quite match the watchful look in her eyes, though. She could tell he was still upset. "Maybe in your Maria-universe." His heart wasn't really in the fight, though. He went on slowly. "I'm not sure where all this kid stuff even comes from. It's not something I ever thought about before. I don't know why, but it just keeps popping into my mind since yesterday." Maria lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Well, it's not like it's something we have to decide about right now, is it?" "No." He got up again, this time pulling her up with him. "Besides," she went on as they exited the room. "I'm a 21st century Earthwoman. Maybe I'll be the one to provide for you. You can just be my kept man." She poked him in the side at his muffled snicker. "What time is it?" Michael had the feeling they'd forgotten something. She looked down at her watch. "Oh, no. We're late for lunch! Liz is going to kill us." Michael grabbed her hand as they sped up. "Either that, or she's already called Valenti to report us missing." She gave Michael a horrified look. The last thing on earth she wanted to have to do was explain to Valenti what they'd been doing for the last hour. Sensing her thoughts, Michael increased their pace even more. ------------------------------------------------------- "Why did Michael and Maria have to hog the eraser room?" Isabel complained as she and Alex tried to maneuver themselves in the very crowded quarters of the janitor's closet. They had stopped in there for a few private moments, but it was nowhere near as comfortable as the other room. She kept poking herself in the side with broom handles. Not exactly conducive to a romantic mood. "Are you sure it was Michael and Maria?" "Yeah. It was them, all right." Giving up, Isabel leaned close into Alex. If anything could make her forget about the smell of cleaning solutions and the uncomfortable surroundings, his kisses could. She was right. The moment their lips touched, the rest of the world vanished. There was only the feel of Alex's body holding hers, and the sense of safety she had come to associate with him. She got a warm tingly feeling everytime they touched. It was like coming home finally after a lifetime of wandering. Two lifetimes. As the kiss ended, she smiled up at him, reaching over to undo the top button on his shirt. "I love you, Alex." "I love you, too." Smiling, his eyes opened wide. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a present." "You got me a present?" Isabel's smile was as bright as a little kid's. "I love presents." He laughed as he rummaged through his backpack. "I know. Where is it? Ugh - it's hiding. I just know it." "My present is hiding from me?" She tried to peek over his shoulder to see. "I think I feel insulted." "Nah, it's hiding from me. Why would anything hide from you?" He turned around. "Okay, here it is." With an uncertain grin, he held out a teddy bear to her. But not just any teddy bear. This was a very special teddy bear - a green one with little alien antennae and a silver spacesuit. Isabel took it, starting to laugh. "It's adorable, Alex. But don't you think there's something just a bit disturbing about me having an alien teddy bear?" He shrugged. "Hey, it's your alien brother who works at the UFO Center. Besides, it's Roswell." Alex put an arm around her shoulders. "I saw this little guy at Ms. DeLuca's shop and I thought of you right away. Course, I pretty much always think of you." She smiled at him appreciatively, then took a better look and stopped smiling. "Alex, are you okay?" "Sure. Why?" She reached up with her free hand and turned his head to the side, peering at him carefully. "You look tired. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Uncomfortable, Alex moved back a bit, avoiding her eyes. "I'm fine. But yeah, I'm a little tired. I didn't sleep much last night. Bad dreams." "What about?" Isabel didn't like the idea of that. Nothing should be allowed to bother Alex. He smiled reassuringly at her, but somehow she wasn't convinced. "I don't even remember. It's nothing to worry about, Izzy. Everyone has bad dreams sometimes." Maybe. But she still didn't like it. "Maybe I could dreamwalk you tonight. You know, to make sure that you have a pleasant dream," she added flirtatiously, moving closer. She wasn't expecting his response. "No!" Alex yelled at her, moving back so quickly he ran into the closet wall. She moved back in surprise, looking at him in shock. He seemed to realize how loud he'd been, and smiled apologetically. "I mean, some things should be private, Iz. You can't just go around dreamwalking people all the time. There needs to be some privacy in a relationship, don't you think?" "I wasn't trying to violate your privacy." She sounded hurt now, and a little guilty. She knew he had a point. Max had often lectured her about her habit of recreational dreamwalking. "I know, Izzy." Sighing, Alex came over and hugged her close. "I'm sorry I yelled. But I really don't like the idea of you coming in to my dreams when I don't know it. Okay?" He gave her a mischievous smile, and she had to smile back at the twinkle in his eyes. "That doesn't mean we can't plan dream dates. Just no unannounced visits, okay?" "Okay." Isabel decided to just let it go for now. Hopefully, as things settled down, the nightmares would end for both of them. She loved Alex, and she had no doubts that he loved her in return. Compared to that, what were a few bad dreams? -------------------------------------------------------- "Okay, I'm calling Valenti." Liz had her cell phone out and was about to start dialing, when Max took it from her. "Let's give them a few more minutes, okay?" Kyle and Tess were just watching them with interest. The four of them had been sitting under one of the trees near the picnic tables for ten minutes, and Liz was starting to panic about the others. "They could be in trouble! They could have been picked up by alien hunters, or Nicholas could have shown up, or they could be......." "Walking across the patio right now," Tess pointed out. Liz looked up and saw Alex and Isabel coming up to them. "Sorry we're late." Alex plopped down. Isabel sat down more gracefully. "You're sorry? Do you have any idea of how worried we were?" Liz glared at her friend. "I'm really sorry, Mom." Alex grinned at her. "How about if I give you my brownie? Will that make up for it?" "This is much more serious than a brownie." Liz looked over. "Does it have nuts?" "Here you go." He handed it to her. "We'll be prompt next time, okay?" "Okay." It was hard for Liz to hold a grudge against Alex, especially when he brought chocolate. "Does anyone know where Michael and Maria are?" Kyle asked. "Not that I can't guess." "Yeah. Eraser room." Isabel took out her sandwich and relaxed a bit. It was a beautiful day, the schoolday was half over, and Alex seemed to be okay right then. She was learning to take the quiet moments when she could. "So, you two will go over to the sheriff's station right after school?" Max was asking Kyle. Isabel tuned the two of them out, looking up at the clouds until she heard Tess. "And here come the last two little lost lambs." Isabel and Alex looked and saw Michael and Maria walking in their direction. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument. What a shock. Michael was shaking his head emphatically, but Maria kept pulling on his arm. "I wonder what they're fighting about." Tess was fascinated by the never-ending list of things the two of them could disagree about. "Whatever it is, Maria's going to win." Liz had noticed them coming over, too. Tess nodded in agreement. "Why do you say that?" Kyle's attention had rejoined them. "Because whatever it is, Michael's wrong." At his blank look, Tess went on. "The guy is always wrong. Right, Alex?" Alex nodded instantly. "Oh, yeah. You didn't know that, Kyle? The first rule is, just admit you're wrong and apologize. It makes life a whole lot easier." "And even if you don't mean a word of what you just said, that's one of the many reasons why I love you." Isabel gave him a quick kiss. Alex shot Kyle a smug look. "I'm not going to see 'A Beautiful Mind' with you. That's it, Maria. You can pout as much as you want, but I'm not going." Michael sat down and tore into his lunch. "Give me one good reason why not." Maria just stood there and glared down at him, tapping her foot. "It's a chick movie." "It's supposed to be a very good movie. Just because it doesn't have a lot of explosions doesn't make it a chick movie." "No, it's a chick movie," Kyle added, then wished he hadn't. Note to self: learn to think before opening mouth. Getting identical glares from both Maria and Tess had him turning back to Max in a hurry. "So, what did you want us to do at the sheriff's station, exactly?" Maria turned back to Michael. She didn't feel like arguing with him right then, so she sat down next to him and whispered a suggestion in his ear. The others couldn't hear what she said, but Michael's response was interesting. He looked up at her quickly. "Yeah? Okay, I'll think about it." Satisfied, Maria leaned back and lay down, her head resting on his leg. She knew that she'd be able to wear him down. Michael was definitely open to bribery. She'd get to see the movie she wanted. As Maria stretched, her shirt rode up a bit to expose her stomach. Some guys walking by gave her a glance, but then quickly hurried on at Michael's look and growl. "Chill, spaceboy," she said with a little swat to his leg. He relaxed and looked down at her with an almost-smile on his face. Then he turned to Kyle and started a conversation about the proper movies to go see. No chick flicks on the list. Isabel could almost imagine that they were just normal teen-agers hanging out at lunch time. The eight of them were talking about nice safe things like movies and classes. They'd just managed to make a plan to go see 'Lord of the Rings' that weekend when she noticed Brad Forster and some of his buddies come up. Kyle saw Brad heading in their direction, too. He'd been friends with Brad until he was one of the guys from the football team who beat up Max. Kyle knew that they'd done it out of some confused sense of loyalty to him, but it had still pretty much ended their friendship. Especially once he started hanging out with Evans. The outside world had no idea of the complications in his quasi-friendship with Max Evans. Isabel sighed as Brad and his little friends came up to them. Since she'd rejected Brad's invitation for a date just the week before, she didn't expect this to be a pleasant meeting. She was right. "Valenti. Nice new friends you have." He glanced over the group with a look suggesting he smelled something bad. The three boys behind him gave mean little laughs. "And Isabel Evans? What's up? Going for the pity dates? Trying to give losers a reason to come to school?" He gave a look of pure loathing at Alex, sitting right next to Isabel. "Loser? You're one to talk." Maria was glaring at Brad. "I think he was talking about me, actually." Alex took Isabel's hand and smiled challengingly at Brad. "Although I prefer the term 'geek'." "Which should be easier for you to say," Maria added helpfully. "It only has one syllable, after all. 'Loser' must have been stretching your brain capacities a bit." Tess started to giggle derisively. "Look who's talking. What's the matter? Couldn't get anyone else but this piece of trash?" Brad gestured at Michael. "You know, DeLuca, if you want to try a real man, you should give me a call sometime." Michael started to rise, but stopped as Max gave a sharp shake of his head. "Not a smart move, buddy." Kyle moved to defuse the situation. "Why don't you guys just go on?" "Why? The view's so nice here?" He leered down at Maria, who narrowed her eyes, but Isabel spoke up before she had a chance. "God, jealous much, Brad?" Isabel's voice was filled with annoyance. "Just because no girl is willing to put up with your overcompensations for your obvious inadequacies," this with a withering look of contempt, "doesn't mean that you have the right to go around attacking guys who are worth ten of you." "Did you need help translating any of those big words?" Liz asked sweetly. "Not to mention the fact that the term 'loser' really should be reserved for people who play football the way you do," Tess added. "You do realize you're supposed to actually catch the ball, right? Not just drop it for the other team to find?" "I think you should leave now." Max's voice held a tone of quiet control. This, coupled with the look on Michael's face, was enough to make Brad's friends move on slowly. Brad, however, didn't seem able to take the hint. Instead, he knelt down next to Maria. "Really, DeLuca, I'm sure you'd have more fun with me than with that guy. Why don't we give it a try sometime?" "Get away from me," she said in disgust, moving away from him. Brad reached over for her. His hand never got anywhere near Maria. Faster than anyone could follow, Michael's hand shot out and grabbed Brad's wrist. Brad tried to pull back, but couldn't break his grasp. Face going white from pain, he looked down at Michael and got even paler at the look he saw in his eyes. "Max said you should leave now. And Maria told you to leave her alone." Michael spoke with deadly calm. "I agree. Do you have a problem with that?" Brad just shook his head, and Michael released him. He stumbled backwards, finally getting to his feet and running off towards the building. The group watched his hasty retreat in silence for a minute. When he was out of sight, they all turned to Michael. "What?" he asked indignantly. "I didn't really hurt him. Nothing broken, nothing sprained." "Not exactly the best way to go about avoiding attention," Maria pointed out. She put her hand on his thigh comfortingly, though. Michael just gave that bitter grimace of his. "Half the school's already afraid of me, Maria. Probably more than half. You were," he pointed out. "I didn't know you then." "Yeah, well, neither do they. This won't change anyone's opinions of me." "It's over now." Max needed to make sure Michael understood that. Going after Brad wouldn't have accomplished anything a year ago, and it certainly wouldn't do any good now. Michael nodded in acceptance. Isabel gave Alex's hand a squeeze. "Are you okay? He blinked at her in surprise. "That was nothing. I've been called much worse by jerks like Brad. Are you okay, though?" "Yeah. I've given up worrying about what anyone else thinks about me. And it's not like people like Brad matter to me at all." Isabel looked down at her watch. "We'd better get going. Lunch's almost over." Slowly, they all started to gather their garbage and pack up. Noticing that Michael wasn't moving, Maria asked, "Are you coming, spaceboy?" "No." He grabbed her hand and softly kissed her palm. "I'll see you later, though." "Okay." "Max?" Liz noticed that her boyfri

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:19 pm

Maria woke up, gradually noticing the arms holding her tight in her sleep. She smiled as she looked down. Michael had pulled her close to him as they slept, her back to his chest, hands clasped around her stomach. He'd shown up late last night again and climbed into bed with her. They both seemed to sleep more easily when they were together. Very carefully, she turned around to look at Michael. She was so gentle that he didn't wake up and she had the chance to watch him while he slept. This was only the second time she'd been able to do that - usually Michael woke up before she did. She couldn't help smiling as she looked down at her teela-mei. Michael looked so much younger when he slept, so at peace with the world. She knew him well enough to know how rare that peaceful sleep was. Michael was usually a very light sleeper, and his dreams were troubled. But now, he looked totally relaxed and trusting. It made Maria feel warm inside to know that she was able to provide Michael with that - a place where he could feel safe and find refuge for a while. She intended to make sure that he always felt that protected and secure with her. As she looked at him, Michael's eyes opened. She wondered how he managed to regain consciousness so quickly. There was no momentary disorientation. One second he was asleep, the next perfectly awake and aware. She was about to wish him a good-morning, but the look in his eyes stopped her words. She couldn't look away, breath catching in her throat. Michael was staring at her so intently, as if he was willing her to stay still so that he could memorize every inch of her face. She was sure that she had bed hair and must look awful, but she wouldn't know it from the look on Michael's face. There was so much reverence in his gaze, so much passion, so much love. Maria was a little afraid that she wouldn't be able to live up to that look, to the way Michael felt about her. But she would certainly try. As she looked into his golden eyes, something strange happened. Slowly, Michael's face disappeared from her view and she was seeing something else. Someplace else. It was almost like the flashes she'd had, but different too. For one thing, this was much more detailed and slow. The flashes were so quick that they left behind mostly feelings and impressions, not specific details. For another, it seemed so real. She would have sworn that she was actually there. Maria was standing on a cliff, looking up at stars and moons above. She could sense Michael behind her, but didn't turn around to look. There was no reason. She knew he was there, that he would always be there with her. She didn't need to prove it to herself. The certainty was deep-seated in her bones. Where she was, Michael was, and vice versa. Looking down, Maria could see a small camp of buildings and tents a small distance from the cliff. She'd never seen it before, yet she knew the place. As she looked at it, she felt a sense of familiarity mixed with apprehension. It was home, but she didn't want to go back there yet. Instead, she turned and looked up at the stars. That was where she wanted to go. That was where freedom was. And then the vision vanished as they heard a noise out in the hallway. Michael's eyes broke contact with hers, and he silently rolled off the bed and under it. Moving over quickly to the middle of the bed, Maria faked a yawn as her mother entered. "Morning, Maria," Amy said with a smile. "Time to get ready for school." "Okay, Mom," she said, willing her mother to leave. She wanted to talk with Michael about what she'd just seen. Had he really shown her where he'd lived on Antar as Tymrath? And if that was his home before going to the palace, then why the sense of dread about having to go back to it? What was it Tymrath had wanted so desperately to escape? "Hurry up." Amy left, leaving the door open. Maria got out of bed and rushed over to close the door. When she turned back, the window was open and Michael was gone. ------------------------------------------------------ He was waiting for her when she got to her locker. Looking at the expression on her face, he held up his hands in mock defense. "Hey, I was there when you woke up!" She rolled her eyes at him. "And you didn't think that sneaking out of a window when my back was turned would be as bad?" "Maybe you should write down the rules so that I can know what I am and what I'm not allowed to do," he suggested, leaning back against the wall as she opened her locker and got out her books. "Or maybe you should try thinking things through a little more." She turned to him with a small smile. "You know she's going to catch you eventually if you keep sleeping over, right?" "Let's put that off as long as possible, okay? I'm still formulating my newspaper defense strategies." Michael pulled her lose for a kiss. Aware of the people walking by, he stepped back before things progressed to the unbuttoning stage. There would be time to entice her into the eraser room later. "So, spaceboy, what was that vision thingie I had this morning?" Maria was really curious about that. He looked at her in surprise. "What vision thingie?" She glanced at him closely. She didn't get the sense that he was evading the question - he honestly seemed confused. "Before Mom interrupted us this morning, I saw something. I saw Antar." Michael's expression changed. For a second, Maria would have sworn that she saw straight terror on his face. He moved closer to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "What are you talking about?" She put down her books and took his hands. He was really scared, and she didn't get why. The vision had been pretty cool, actually. Why was it worrying him so much? "When you were staring at me this morning, I suddenly had a vision of Antar. We were both there, standing on a cliff. Down below us, there was a group of small buildings. It was night-time, and you were up there looking at the stars." She frowned. "You didn't want to go back down. What was up with that?" Michael avoided the question. "Maybe you were still dreaming." She shook her head slowly, watching him carefully, noting the evasion. "No, I was awake. It was like a flash, only more." She sighed in annoyance, wishing there were words to describe the way she felt when they were sharing things along the bond. "A flash of Tymrath's life," Michael repeated flatly, lost in thought. Then he shook his head. "Don't worry about it, teel-sharan. Like you said, that was another person, in another lifetime. Let it go." Before she could reply, Isabel and Max came up to them. "Hey, what's up?" Max said, his smile fading as he looked from Maria to Michael. He could tell that something was going on from the guarded look on Michael's face. He hadn't seen it much in the last few days, at least not while Michael was anywhere near Maria, but there it was again. Not a good sign. "Nothing much, Maxwell. We're just waiting for Captain Parker to sign us in so that we can go to class." "Because we all know how much you hate being late for class," Isabel said with a laugh. Suddenly, there was a ringing noise from her purse. She pulled out her cell phone. "Hello?" she asked a bit impatiently. Then, rolling her eyes in annoyance, she turned off the phone and put it back in her purse. "Another crank call?" Max asked, bending down to pick up Maria's books and handing them to her. "Yeah." Isabel turned to Michael and Maria and explained. "I've been getting these calls all morning. That's like the fourth one. There's somebody on the line - I can hear them breathing. But they don't say anything. And their caller ID is blocked, so I don't know who it is. It's majorly annoying." "Well, here she comes." Michael pointed down the hall as Liz approached. "Good morning!" Liz said in a chipper voice. Looking around, she pulled out her notebook and marked down those who were here already. "I guess we'll have to wait for Kyle, Tess, and Alex." "So, is it like heavy breathing or what?" Maria asked Isabel. "What breathing?" Liz wanted to know. As the others started a conversation on the prank calls Isabel was receiving, Michael leaned back a bit and let his thoughts wander. Staring at Maria, he tried to figure out what was gong on. He knew she hadn't been dreaming - that was just wishful thinking. She'd had a real flash. And without them kissing. He'd woken up to see her looking at him with so much love and trust - more than he ever deserved, and he just couldn't look away from her. It was so amazing that she was there with him. His feelings for her seemed to be just getting stronger since their bonding. And apparently, he had no defenses left at all where she was concerned. Before, he'd been able to control the flashes to an extent, keeping them mostly to his life on Earth and a few selected ones of Antar. But he hadn't meant to give her a flash then. And he certainly hadn't ever meant to show her the camp where he'd lived before going to the palace. This lack of control could be a problem. If Maria could just see into him like that, how long would it be before she knew everything about Tymrath's life? He saw her glance back at him, and tried to squash down his panic and smile at her. From the look on her face, she obviously wasn't fooled. Figures. He could fool everyone and anyone else, but not Maria. Luckily, she was distracted as the last three members of their little group arrived. Alex moved over to kiss Isabel right away, taking her books to carry for her. "So, what did you learn about Hanson?" Max asked Tess and Kyle. The two exchanged looks, then Kyle answered. "Nothing yet. When we got there yesterday, he was there at his desk. We watched for a while............" "Nobody saw us," Tess interrupted before Michael had a chance to ask. "I made sure of that." "But he never left his desk. Just did some paperwork all day." Kyle shrugged. "We couldn't exactly go through his stuff with him sitting right there." "Couldn't you have mindwarped him or something?" Alex asked. "I would have had to mindwarp everyone there," Tess said with a frown. "Including the sheriff. And I'm not going to mindwarp him." "Daddy's girl," Kyle muttered, earning himself a push by Tess. Catching himself before falling, he smiled at the girl. Tess just stuck her tongue out at him in response, before turning back to the others. "We talked with the sheriff later. He's going to make sure that Hanson's out of the office this afternoon and that the coast is clear for us to go through his things." "We'll report back as soon as we find out what's up," Kyle added, moving closer to Tess, while carefully watching for any signs that she was going to push him again. "Why doesn't he just check up on Hanson himself?" Maria wanted to know. Kyle shrugged. "He's the sheriff. If Hanson really is into something he doesn't want anyone to know about, then he's going to be especially careful about him. Not to mention the fact that the other deputies pay attention to what the sheriff does. But nobody notices a couple of kids. He could do it, but this way might be more subtle. "And if we don't find anything, then he can step in," Tess added. "Maybe there won't be anything to find," Isabel suggested hopefully, not really believe it herself. "There's something," Michael said flatly. "Valenti needs to do better background checks on his deputies." An uneasy silence reigned for a minute as they thought about what happened to Valenti's last deputy. Finally, Liz broke the silence. "All right then." She looked from her notebook to the clock on the wall. "Time to get to class. See you at lunch - on time." She gave pointed looks to Maria, Michael, Alex, and Isabel. "We'll be there, Mom. We promise." Alex gave her a big grin, then took Isabel aside, whispering to her as they walked down the hallway. As everyone left, Maria grabbed Michael's hand and pulled him back. Wrapping her hands in his hair, she pulled his head down for a quick, intense kiss. When she pulled back, she looked him directly in the eyes. "Don't think we're done with that discussion, spaceboy. We'll talk more later." He just nodded as they walked down the hallway together. Some things couldn't be avoided forever. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try to put it off as long as he could, though. -------------------------------------------------------- Kyle and Tess sat in his car outside the sheriff's station. Bored, she turned to Kyle. "So, we never did discuss the whole Brad thing yesterday." He looked at her in surprise. "What's there to talk about?" "Well, how you feel about it, Buddha Boy. You were pretty quiet through the whole thing." "What was there to say?" He looked back at the front door of the station. "Brad and I were friends once. Like a million years ago. I can't believe that I was ever as big of a jerk as he is. Hopefully, I'm not as bad anymore." He gave a sly look at her. "Not quite," she agreed seriously. "Thanks." He gestured forward as Hanson left the building and drove away. "Looks like Dad was able to get rid of him," Kyle muttered. Tess took a deep breath. "Showtime," she said, getting out of the car and walking inside with him. They walked in, easily getting past the deputy at the front desk with the excuse of needing to see the sheriff about some family matters. When they reached the central area where the deputies had their desks, the only people they saw were Valenti and Deputy Blackwood. Valenti looked up from the papers the two of them were looking at. "What's going on, kids?" "Tomorrow's the last day to sign up for the trip to LA," Kyle said, calmly starting the routine they'd planned the previous night. Valenti's sigh of annoyance was totally convincing. "We've been through this, Kyle. There's no way I'm letting the two of you go off on a co-ed trip to Los Angeles." He turned to his deputy. "Would you let two teenagers go off on a trip like that?" "I'm sure that Deputy Blackwood know that we're responsible for our age and can be trusted, right, deputy?" Tess had her most innocent look on her face. Laughing, Owen shook his head. "I'm not getting in the middle of a family dispute, Jim." "I wish I had the same luxury," he said wryly. "Dad, just give us one more chance to change your mind, okay?" Kyle tried to put on a look of innocence, too, but was pretty sure that he couldn't pull it off as well as Tess did. Valenti shook his head. "Fine. You two wait out here. We just have some files to look over. Let's do it in my office," he gestured and followed the other man inside, closing the door behind him. The instant the two were out of sight, Kyle and Tess made a bee-line for Hanson's desk. Kyle started rifling through the files on his desk. "Keep watch. If anyone comes in, do something." "Something?" "Yeah, mindwarp them or use your death-ray eyes or something." Kyle gave her a big grin at that last. She hit him lightly on the shoulder and muttered something about who she would use her death-ray eyes on if she had the chance, but she did go closer to the door to watch for any unwanted visitors. Kyle didn't find anything interesting in the pile on Hanson's desk. Then he opened the desk drawer and pulled out some file folders. What he saw made his heartbeat speed up even more than it had already been. If they'd needed any more evidence that something was up with the deputy, they definitely had it. "Oh, no," he whispered. Then, voice a little louder, he called to his accomplice. "Tess. Come look at this." She walked back over and looked at the files, her eyes growing larger. It was an interesting set of files Hanson had been reviewing. "Hubble's death." She put it aside and looked at the next one. "Hank Guerin's disappearance. The incident at the Crashdown two years ago. The discovery of the strange body in the desert six months ago. Laurie Dupree's kidnapping. The supposed alien sighting in Frasier Woods." She looked over at Kyle, trying very hard to control her panic. "These are all incidents involving us. There's no way this is just a coincidence, Kyle." Kyle nodded in agreement, picking up the file about Hank Guerin's disappearance. "Reports of gunshots and sounds of someone screaming in pain. But this was a false alarm. He just moved to Las Cruces." His voice trailed off as he saw some handwritten notes Hanson had made. Closing the file quickly, he grabbed the files and put them back in the drawer. He grabbed Tess away from Hanson's desk and was dragging the protesting girl out of the room when Valenti's door opened and Deputy Blackwood emerged. Thinking quickly, Kyle grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. He could hear Blackwood's soft laugh and his father's exasperated sigh. "And that's the reason I'm not letting the two of you go off to LA on your own. You're staying where I can keep an eye on you. Get going, you two. You're not going to change my mind." "Okay." Tess pulled a slightly dazed Kyle out the door and from the station. She got behind the wheel of the car and then turned to him. "Okay, what did you see in that file?" She could tell it was something bad from Kyle's face. Shaking his head, he answered slowly. "I don't know. Maybe nothing. But ....... we're sure that Michael didn't do anything to Hank, right? Not even in self-defense?" He looked at her for reassurance. She nodded. "I wasn't in town at the time, but from what I've been told, yeah. Michael had nothing to do with it. Hank just left town." "Okay. Just checking." Kyle's voice grew firmer. "Not that I really care." No, whatever had happened to Hank Guerin wouldn't bother Kyle at all. He realized with a small sense of surprise that his feelings about his family didn't apply only to his father and Tess anymore. Somewhere along the line, the whole group had come to be important to him. Which would explain the fury he felt at the thought of what Hank had done to Michael. He turned back to Tess. "Let's go. I'll tell you what was in the file when we find Michael. And Maria, since I'm sure that wherever he is, she is too." That got a small chuckle out of Tess as she started the car and drove off. -------------------------------------------------------- Michael was, in fact, with Maria. Actually, he was with Maria, Alex, and three other guys from school whose names he hadn't bothered to learn. They weren't why he was perched on a bench in Alex's garage. Maria was. The Whits were having a rehearsal, and Michael had decided to tag along to listen to her. He'd been telling the truth in Vegas - he did love to hear her sing. In the past, though, he'd just lurked about out of sight, listening. This time he was front and center, listening to every note, supporting her (and glaring every single time one of the other three got too near her - Alex was family, so he was allowed). "And that's a wrap," Alex said, putting down his guitar carefully. "What did you think?" he cheerfully asked their audience of one. "It sounded good," he said shortly, noticing that one of the unnamed guys was going for the last bottle of water. Quickly, he got up and grabbed the bottle before the other boy could, handing it to Maria. She'd been the one singing, after all. She needed the water more than he did. Ignoring Alex's amused look and the sputtering of whatever-his-name-was, Michael leaned closer to Maria. "You sounded amazing," he whispered, resisting the urge to kiss her as she looked up at him. He was trying hard to get over the tendency toward public displays of affection. Actually, affection wasn't the problem - public undressing was. But since the most innocent of kisses seemed to lead to the unbuttoning of tops in record time, he was trying to be good. It's not working too well, though, he thought as he breathed in her fragrance. He wondered if Alex would mind the two of them having some private time in his garage. Probably. A car pulled up in the driveway, and Kyle and Tess got out. Alex could see that they had something to discuss. "Well, let's call it a day, guys. See you all Thursday, okay? Same time." He ushered them out as he said good-bye, then returned to the four in the garage. Hitting a button, he closed the automatic door and then pulled out a few lawnchairs for them to sit on. "Okay, let's start this impromptu meeting of the I-Know-An-Alien-Club." He frowned. "You know, we need to find a way to shorten the name. Maybe Ikaac?" "Ikaac? That sounds awful." Maria made a face. "What is it?" Michael asked quietly, looking intently at Kyle and Tess. Kyle sighed, and motioned to Tess to start. "Well, we found out which cases Hanson's been studying in his spare time. They're all alien-related. More specifically, they're all related to us." Kyle took up the story. "He's been looking into the incident where Liz was shot at the Crashdown. Of course, the official story is just that some guys shot a gun into the air, scaring her, but....." "But you don't think Hanson buys that." Michael's voice was still very quiet. Kyle shook his head. "Nope. Not when you take into consideration that he's also looking into Hubble's death...." "Max and I were there. Your father killed him to save us." "I know. And then there's Laurie's kidnapping. Heavy alien stuff there. Not to mention the fact that my dad doesn't come off too well in that story." "Hey, at least he got his job back," Alex interrupted. "Which was great of Agent Duff, and has seriously cut down on the amount of sawdust in the house, but there are still people in town who have their doubts about what he was doing with Max and Isabel. They don't say it, but their whispers are very loud." Kyle forced himself back on-topic. "And he's looking at the notes of Pierce's death and Michael's arrest for it. Of course, he doesn't know it was Pierce, but still. The incident at Frasier Woods when Nasedo contacted you all. And Hank's disappearance." He looked at Michael but couldn't see any reaction. Michael was very still and quiet. "Every one of them is about you guys," Maria whispered. "And they all happened over a period of two years, so if he was just going through the records in the order they happened, those wouldn't be ones he'd look at at the same time." "He was specifically looking for stuff about us." The lack of expression in Michael's voice was starting to worry Maria. "So, he's what? An alien hunter? FBI? A Skin? What?" Alex asked. "An evil guidance counselor?" They all turned to look at him. "Sorry. That left an impression. Whatever he is, he definitely knows more than he should about what's going on." "There has to be a way to find out," Maria suggested. "But whatever, we have to assume he's a threat. Which is just great, 'cause it's not like we didn't have enough of them before." She rubbed her forehead. This was starting to give her a headache. "Soon I'm going to be as paranoid as you are, spaceboy." Michael didn't respond. His attention had returned to Kyle. "What else is there about Hank?" he asked calmly. Kyle jumped a little. "It's okay. I can handle it." "Okay." Kyle nodded. "Well, it's nothing really. Just that Hanson apparently tried to track Hank down in order to question him about what really happened. Only he couldn't find him. Seems that Hank never made it to Las Cruces. In fact, every attempt he made to find him met with a dead end. Hank Guerin just vanished off the face of the Earth." Michael nodded, looking almost as if he'd been expecting this. "Okay, what does that mean exactly?" Maria said in confusion. Michael looked down at her. "Maybe something. Maybe nothing. It could just mean that Hank's off somewhere drunk and out of communication with the rest of the world." He looked over at Kyle. "Did his notes indicate how hard he'd looked for Hank?" "It seemed that he'd tried pretty hard to find him." "Still......." Michael shook his head. "Or something happened to Hank." "Something like, he's dead something?" Alex asked quietly. "Yeah, well, that was always a possibility, right? It's not like I ever expected to be in contact with him or anything. Or wanted to be." "Michael," Maria said gently. She couldn't quite figure out what she was sensing through their bond. Michael didn't seem angry exactly. More like shocked. She doubted that he wanted to think much about Hank one way or another. Hank was a part of the past that Michael was more than happy to move beyond. And now here it was, smacking them in the face. It wasn't fair. "For the sake of argument, what would Hank have to tell an alien hunter if they managed to find and question him?" Tess asked carefully. She wasn't expecting Michael's cold laugh. "Nothing much. Just that I'm a freak. Oh, and that I can move things around with my powers. Nothing that would interest an alien hunter at all." He moved quickly to avoid the hand Maria was reaching out in his direction. "No, Maria. I'm okay. Really. I just need some time to think, okay?" Dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, he turned to leave, then paused and looked back at her, clearly torn between getting some private time to think and not wanting to leave her alone. "Don't worry. I'll drive her home," Alex offered. Michael gave him a grateful look, then left through the side door. "Damn!" Maria turned and slapped the wall. She turned back to the others. "The last thing Michael needs is to have Hank come back into his life, bringing up all sorts of things that are better off left in the past." "Do you think they really are ever left in the past?" Alex asked quietly. "It might not come to that anyway," Tess offered. "For all we know, Hank is dead. Then there's really not much chance of him showing up in Roswell again." "Of course, if he is dead, then there's the question of how he died." Maria looked over at Kyle. "Does it really matter? I'm not going to cry for him, believe me." "None of us will be," Alex said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "How about we go inside and get something to eat?" "Actually, we'd better go tell Max what we found out," Tess said as they opened the garage door to leave. "I'm sure he's going to want to start thinking about how to deal with Hanson right away." "See you tomorrow, then." Alex navigated Maria into the house as they left. Maria definitely needed some destressing before going home. ------------------------------------------------------ "How about some ice cream?" Alex asked as he opened the refrigerator. "With hot fudge?" Maria piped up from her seat. "I've been having this craving for a hot fudge sundae all day." "No problemo. Here at Chez Alex we live to serve." With a flourish, he placed two bowls of ice cream on the table in front of her, quickly adding a bottle of chocolate syrup. "Will that do?" "Yep." She looked over his shoulder. "You don't happen to have any tabasco sauce, do you?" "Tabasco sauce? You want tabasco sauce?" he asked in a tone of horror. She laughed at him. "No, not really. It was just a thought." She couldn't believe she'd even had a passing thought of putting tabasco sauce on her ice cream. Maybe this bond with Michael had some drawbacks after all, if it meant she was going to start eating weird alien food. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before Maria decided to return to the conversation. "It just seems like it's one thing or another, you know? Like their pasts keep coming back to haunt them. If it's not their alien pasts, then it's their Earth ones. Like Hank. Aren't they allowed a break?" "I know." Alex paused. "It's hard to watch them suffering, isn't it? I hate seeing the way Isabel flinches when Kivar's mentioned." "Exactly. And Michael's come so far, but deep down, there's a part of him that's still the same little boy Hank told was worthless trash." "Not to mention the stuff from Tymrath's life." Alex continued carefully. "Does he talk about that much?" "Some of it, yeah. But not too much. I don't think he wants to talk about it with me. Or anyone for that matter. I get the definite feeling that there are things that happened back then, things he did, that he doesn't want to talk about." "What Michael did before was kill people. So, no, I wouldn't imagine that would be something he'd want to talk about with you." There was an odd, almost cynical note in Alex's voice as he said that, something that made Maria look up quickly. But he wasn't looking at her, instead staring intently at the bowl in front of him. "Yeah, Tymrath killed. In battle, to protect Zandar and Vilandra. Anyway, that's not really important now, is it? Since Michael's not responsible for Tymrath's actions." Alex still wasn't looking at her, and she was starting to get a strange feeling of nervousness. Which was ridiculous. This was Alex - what was there to be nervous about? Alex toyed with his spoon. "Does Michael ever have nightmares?" "Nightmares?" Maria thought for a minute. "I think he used to, yeah. That's what Isabel said anyway. But not lately. He's been resting pretty peacefully the last few nights." "Has he?" Alex raised his head, but didn't look at her. Instead, he looked to the side, eyes unfocused as if he was thinking about something else. "Does he ever dream about killing Isabel?" "Okay, that's enough." Dropping her spoon, she grabbed his head and forced him to look in her direction. "We're having some pronoun problems here, buddy boy. What's going on?" "What are you talking about?" He tried to pull away, but she didn't let him. In a battle of sheer stubborness, nobody beat a DeLuca. "I thought you and I were the co-founders of the Past Life Rejection Society. You know, the whole "Michael and Isabel", not "Tymrath and Vilandra" club. So, Michael didn't kill Isabel. You know as well as I do that he would never hurt her. And since when did you start to refer to Michael and Tymrath as the same person?" Alex stared at her for a few seconds, and she could see the gradual change in his eyes as they focused on her. She breathed a sigh of relief. There's been something very creepy about the way he'd looked, as if he didn't really see her. He blinked a few times. "You're right." He sounded confused. "Michael's not Tymrath, and I know that. I know he's not responsible for what happened back there. Sorry. Poor choice of words. I'm not sure why I put it that way. I just wondered if that was one of the things haunting him, like you said." Maria put her hands down. Okay then. "Not that I know of. But I know he hates those memories. Just like Isabel hates the memories of how Vilandra betrayed them to Kivar." "Right." Alex gathered up their dishes and took them to the sink. "Well, let me just wash these up and then I'll get you home." He looked over at her and smiled. That was the Alex she knew. "I have a study date with Princess Isabel tonight, and I'd hate to be late." "Coward," she said with a laugh. "I prefer to think of it as being wise." Maria laughed again, dismissing the weird vibes she'd been getting. Apparently, they were all under stress from the events of the last few weeks. ------------------------------------------------------ Michael walked about aimlessly until he found himself standing in the playground a few blocks from the Crashdown. He stood there on the side, watching the kids playing on the swing-sets and jungle gyms. Hank had never taken him to the playground himself when he was a kid, of course. He used to come here, though, and watch the other children with their parents. He remembered how the Evanses would bring Max and Isabel here. From the flashes he'd received from Maria, he knew that her mother would bring her here on the weekends, and that Maria especially liked to be pushed in the swings, as high as she could go. It made her feel like she was flying. Leaning back against a tree, Michael noticed the parents who were there with their children. He tried to imagine himself and Maria bringing their children to the playground. It was easy to imagine Maria with a little girl. She would make a wonderful mother - she had so much love to give. What he wondered about was what type of father he would make. It was strange, the combination of feelings he got everytime he thought of having a child with Maria. The strongest feeling was a sense of completion, of how right it would be. They were meant to have a family together. But under that, there was that little nagging voice that wondered if Michael would screw it up, if he would follow in the footsteps of his parental figures. Hank wasn't exactly a good role model for fatherhood, and he hadn't had any better in his past life. Michael frowned. He wished he could remember Tymrath's parents, but they had died when he was so young. He wondered if they had loved him, if they had been proud of him. Michael shook his head. Stupid, pointless questions and thoughts. Thinking about Hank for too long never did him any good. Looking at the darkening sky, he realized that he'd been standing here in the playground for too long already. Turning away, he went back home, trying to shake off the thoughts of his past and focus on the possibilities of his future. --------------------------------------------------------- Michael entered his apartment, not bothering to put on the lights. As soon as he entered, he felt her. Looking around quickly, he spotted Maria asleep on the couch. Walking over with a small smile on his face, he crouched down on the floor next to her, looking at his sleeping teela-mei. How could her father leave her? he wondered to himself. How could anyone leave her? He reached out and gently touched her hair, so softly that she didn't wake. He couldn't imagine ever leaving her again. He wouldn't have the strength to walk away from her now, even if he knew he should. For better or worse, she was stuck with him. He just hoped that she knew what she was getting into. At least he knew she loved him, even if he had no idea what the future would bring. And he would do everything within his power to keep her safe and be the type of man she deserved. Maria shifted in her sleep, her shirt riding up a bit as she moved, showing some of her bare stomach. Following an impulse he didn't really understand, Michael leaned over and gently kissed her stomach. Feeling hands in his hair, he looked up to see Maria smiling down at him sleepily. "Hey," she murmured. "Hey." He leaned over her a bit, arms on each side of her reclining body. "What are you doing here? I thought Alex was going to take you home." "Yeah, well, I asked him to bring me here instead. I wanted to talk with you." Her hands played in his hair, twirling strands around her fingers. She was really starting to like waking up to his face. "How'd you get in?" He refused to be distracted by her touch - not yet. He could see from the twinkle in her eyes that she was going to take this as a challenge. "I broke in." One hand left his hair and grabbed the front of his t-shirt, pulling him down close to her so that their lips almost touched. "There are some benefits to the activities of the last two years." Instead of kissing him, she pushed him back. If he wanted her, let him make the first move. He almost laughed at her teasing. She wanted to see which of them had more control? He was surprised that he'd lasted this long without pouncing on her. But then he remembered something. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a key and tossed it to her. "Here. So you don't have to break in again." She looked down at it. "You had a key made for me?" He gave a small shrug. "Well, I wouldn't want you getting arrested for breaking and entering." "Understandable," she said with a solemn nod. "After all, if I'm in jail, then who would bail you and Max out the next time you're in trouble?" "Hey!" he protested. "I'm a reformed, law-abiding individual." She laughed. "Yeah, you're the poster boy for law and order." Sitting up, she gestured to the couch. "Come up here." He shook his head with a smirk. He was perfectly fine on the floor looking up at her. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever." Her expressions changed to one of concern. "Are you okay, spaceboy?" She pressed a hand against his cheek, noticing the way he closed his eyes and leaned into it for a second, as if taking strength from her touch. Then he looked at her again. "Yeah. I just needed to think." He rocked back on his heels, trying to think how to put it in words. "I just figured that Hank was a part of my past that I wasn't really going to have to deal with again. At least not in the way of him showing up in town, you know?" She nodded silently, letting him talk. "But now I find out that some alien hunting freak is trying to find him. And if Hanson finds him, then there's a really good chance that I'm going to be walking around someday, and bam! There's Hank." Maria could feel a slight tremor of fear through the bond. "I don't have any idea what I'd do if that happens, Maria. I mean, how do I deal with that? Or maybe he's dead, and then I really don't have to worry about him anymore. But there's no way to know." Maria leaned over and pulled him up by the shoulders. "Come here," she repeated in a firmer voice. Obediently, he let her pull him onto the couch next to her. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "Those are pretty much the two options we came up with, too. But you know that whatever does happen, you're not along anymore, Michael." She kissed the top of his head. "You're never going to be alone again. We've all got your back." Her arms tightened around him. "I've got your back. I'll protect you as much as I can." He made a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "I thought that was my job." "You can protect everyone else, and I'll protect you. Deal?" "Deal." He pulled back a little, then moved her so that she was sitting on his lap. "But what I really came up with during my walk is that I can't change the past. Either of them. But I'm going to try and not let it affect out future too much." He gave her the gentlest of kisses, barely touching her lips. "I promise." The next kiss was slower and longer as he tasted every inch of her lips. Well, he'd lasted five minutes without touching her. Not bad, considering. Before things progressed too far, Maria put her hand on his chest and pushed him back. "Shouldn't we talk?" "Don't wanna," he murmured, pushing up her shirt as he kissed her neck. Maria momentarily forgot what she was going to say, just enjoying the way her body tingled as his hands traveled up her body. She held up her arms so that he could slip the shirt over her head, just in time for him to push aside her bra straps as he kissed his way down her shoulder. But then she remembered. "I had one more thing to say. Stop, Michael." In another minute she wouldn't be able to remember her own name, much less what she wanted to tell him. She could already feel herself starting to drift off into the Michael-and-Maria zone, wherever it was that they went when they were joining. "Fine. What? But make it quick." She giggled a little at the disgruntled tone of his voice. You'd think it had been two years since they'd been together, not two days. "I think you should talk with Alex. Something's up with him." "What are you talking about?" He was having a hard time concentrating on the actual words she was saying, rather than just staring at her lips, but he thought she'd said something was wrong with Alex. Which was impossible, of course. "Talk with Alex. I think the stress of everything is getting to him. I was just getting a weird vibe from him today. He was moody or something. Very un-Alex-y." "Alex is fine. He's Alex." Michael was starting to focus on what she was saying, but it wasn't making sense. Alex was the one person Michael wouldn't expect the stress to get to. He was the foundation the rest of them relied on. If Alex started to crack, then they were all in trouble. "Just talk to him, okay?" "When did I become Mr. Sensitive?" he asked grumpily. "Never. But I thought maybe the two of you had done some male bonding or something when you were off sneaking around Dagmar's house." "We weren't sneaking," he protested indignantly. "Oh? I must have gotten you two confused with the other two people who went off without telling anyone they were going to break into someone's house." He smirked at her. "You're about to lecture me on breaking and entering?" "You've been a bad influence on me, spaceboy. You ought to be ashamed of yourself." She was smiling at him, and he couldn't help smiling back. "I am. Very." "Ashamed enough to take me to see 'A Beautiful Mind'?" she asked hopefully? He groaned and pinned her down on the couch. "I promise to talk with Alex first chance I get. Don't push your luck." "But........" Whatever else she was going to say was forgotten as he kissed her hungrily. It had been much too long since he'd been able to touch her like this. He could feel Maria taking off his shirt and starting to unbutton his pants, but he was more focused on touching every part of her that he could reach. As she ran her hands down his back, Maria let go of all her worries about the past and present and just surrendered to the sensations of Michael loving her and her loving him. ----------------------------------------------------------- Isabel grabbed her books and was heading down the hall to the front door when she heard the phone ring. "I've got it!" she called as she picked up the receiver. "Hello?" Nobody answered. She could hear the person breathing on the other end, but they didn't say anything. She started to get a prickling along her spine, as if someone was watching her. She glanced out the nearby window, but didn't see anyone. Regardless, she moved away from the window. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but stop calling me!" she hissed as she slammed the phone back into its cradle. "Was that another one of those prank calls? They've been happening all day?" Her mother had come out of the kitchen and was looking at her with concern. "Honey, are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little creepy." She forced a smile. "Guess I've seen too many teen horror movies." She gave a small jump as the phone rang again. Before her mother could get it, Isabel grabbed the phone and screamed into the receiver. "I told you to stop calling!" "Uh, okay. Would you prefer smoke signals?" came the sincerely inquiring voice on the line. Isabel let out a breath and relaxed. "Alex. Sorry - we're still getting those prank phone calls. It's starting to bother me. A lot." With a smile, her mother headed back into the kitchen. "Uh oh. I almost feel sorry for the guy making the calls if you find him." She smiled. "Don't waste your sympathies. Anyway, I was just about to come on over." "Actually, that's what I was calling about. I'm not feeling too great. Would it be okay if we put off the studying until tomorrow? The test's not until Friday." "Do you want me to come over and take care of you?" She didn't care what they did. She just wanted some time with Alex. She'd been looking forward to it all day long. It was the only calming thought that kept her from frying the phone after the fifth crank call. "Nah, I just need some rest. I'm going to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. See you at school tomorrow, okay?" "Oh. Yeah, okay." Isabel couldn't quite keep the disappointment out of her voice. "I hope you feel better." "Good night, Iz." "I love........." the dial tone interrupted her. Isabel stared at the phone. She hadn't even had a chance to tell him she loved him. Slowly, she put down the phone. "So, what did Alex have to say?" Her mother peeked out of the kitchen. "He postponed our study date until tomorrow. He's not feeling too well." "Oh, that's too bad. Well, at least you'll be home for dinner then. I'm trying a new recipe." Out of the corner of her eye, Isabel saw Max, who had been walking down the hall towards them, turn upon hearing this and return to the safety of his room. It wasn't that their mother was a bad cook. It was just that she sometimes got creative with her cooking, and then all other members of the Evans household ran and hid. "That sounds great, Mom," she said with a bright smile. "But actually, I think I'm going to go over to Alex's after all. I want to see if there's anything I can do to make him feel better." "All right, dear." Turning back, she went on. "I'll be sure to save you something to eat when you get back." "Wonderful." Very quickly, she ran out the door and to the Jeep. Max was just going to have to come up with his own mode of escape from dinner. The drive to Alex's house wasn't very long. Roswell was a small town, after all. The drive from anywhere to anywhere wasn't long. But the whole time she was driving, Isabel kept having the feeling she was being watched. She couldn't shake it, even though she didn't see anyone in the rear view mirror. Great. At what point did being careful stop and paranoia begin? Guess I could ask Michael about that, she thought with a slight smile. Trying to push her nagging concerns from her mind, Isabel walked up to the Whitman house and rang the doorbell. Alex's father opened the door. "Hello, Isabel. How are you doing?" he asked with a fond smile, which she returned. She liked Alex's father. "I'm good. I just came by to check and see how Alex is." Her smile faded as she saw the look of confusion on his face. "I'm sorry, Isabel. Alex isn't here. He just went out a few minutes ago." Mr. Whitman looked past her, almost as if he expected to see Alex standing behind her. "I just assumed he was going over to see you." "Oh." Isabel faked a smile. "I guess we must have gotten our signals crossed. I'll go see if he's at my house." Apparently, her smile and laugh fooled him, because he wished her good-bye with a smile before closing the door. Isabel managed to walk back to the car calmly and drive a few blocks before she pulled over, shaking. Where was he? Why tell me that he's sick and then go off somewhere? And Alex knows better than to go wandering off alone without telling anyone where he is. Especially now, with Nicholas lurking about somewhere. Isabel took out her cell phone and turned it on so that she could call the others and see if they knew where Alex was. But she already knew that the answer would be no. And she couldn't stop the knot in her stomach from growing bigger and bigger. She just knew that something was wrong. What was going on?

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:23 pm

Liz was waiting impatiently outside the Crashdown when Alex drove up the next morning. She ran to the passenger door and jumped in as soon as the car came to a stop, not even bothering with morning greetings before launching in to the lecture. "You're late. You know that you had us all terrified last night, right?" She glared at him, squashing the tiny tinge of pity she felt when she saw how utterly exhausted he looked. She had been scared half to death when Isabel called to report that Alex was missing, and until Kyle spotted him walking back from the park and called her, Liz had visions of learning that Alex had been killed by Skins. The whole experience had just slammed home what a dangerous situation they were all really in until Nicholas was stopped. "Poor Isabel was almost frantic when she called us. And we were all out searching through Roswell for you." "Nice to know you care." Alex's attempt at a smile faded at Liz's glare. Sighing, he went on sincerely. "Honestly, Liz, I told you last night that I was sorry. What do you want? More blood?" "What I want to know is why an intelligent person like you would go off wandering alone, walking through Roswell without anyone even knowing where you were going. Do you honestly not get why we were scared?" Alex turned the corner, staring intently at the road so that he wouldn't have to see the look on Liz's face. He knew that he'd terrified his best friend, and that bothered him a lot. "I get it. Okay? I promise not to do it again." Liz shook her head and turned away. Alex felt the need to give more of an explanation. "I just needed some fresh air. That's all. I wasn't gone that long." "Two and a half hours!" Liz was practically screeching. "Can you imagine all the things that could happen to you in two and a half hours?" Alex thought about how quickly Michael had killed Pierce. "I know that it doesn't take long for something to happen," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he went on in a louder voice. "I lost track of the time. I didn't realize how much time had passed." As he parked in the school lot, he looked at her and sighed again. "Look, Liz, I've apologized. I spent almost an hour groveling on the phone to you, and then another hour with Maria. She even had Michael get on the phone to tell me how stupid I'd been. And the only reason Isabel didn't come over to yell at me more last night was that Kyle crashed at my place, and he promised her that he wouldn't let me go wandering off again. So, don't you think you can all stop yelling at me now for having the nerve to go out without asking permission?" His voice started to get testy at the end there. He got that they were all worried about him, which was nice, but he didn't need a group of baby-sitters telling him when he could or could not leave his own house. He was surprised by the sudden tight hug. "I was just so afraid we'd lost you," Liz whispered. "I don't know if I could handle that. Please be more careful." Alex's momentary anger melted away. He would have been just as frightened if it had been Liz or Maria who was missing. "I promise, Liz. Am I forgiven?" "Of course." Liz got out of the car and waited for him before walking inside. "But you still have Isabel to deal with. And she might be a bit more upset than me." --------------------------------------------------------- Isabel opened up her locker, only partly paying attention to Maria's chatter. The girl really had too much energy. Personally, Isabel was exhausted. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, what with searching the town for Alex and then the nightmares. And even though Alex turned up safe and sound, she couldn't quite get over the feelings that the nightmares were real somehow, that she really was losing Alex. Losing Alex was unacceptable. She's just found him. Isabel had no intention of letting him go. But she wasn't sure how to fight against something she could only sense, but couldn't see. She wasn't even paying attention to her opened locker until she heard Maria's little squeal of surprise. "Wow." Maria sounded surprised. "I guess Alex must really be trying to make up for last night." Isabel just nodded in agreement as she took out the bouquet of flowers that had been placed inside her locker. Sterling roses - her favorites. "They're beautiful." She smiled as she held them close and took a deep breath of their fragrance. Okay, so maybe she wasn't losing Alex after all. Finding her favorite flowers and surprising her with them was such an Alex thing to do. Maria looked down at her watch. "Okay, I've gotta go. I'm meeting Michael in the eras....... I'm meeting Michael before check-in with Liz. See you in a little bit." She was off in a flurry, just as Isabel noticed Liz and Alex coming from the other direction. Carefully, she placed the flowers back in her locker. "Hey, Isabel," Liz smiled at her. "I'll just let you two talk for a few minutes, then see you at Maria's locker." She went on, hoping that Max was already there. With the Alex scare the night before, they hadn't had much time to figure out what to do about Hanson. Prioritize, Liz thought to herself. Deal with one crisis at a time. Isabel glared at Alex, tapping her foot on the ground. The flowers might be nice, but that didn't mean he was off the hook already. Alex seemed to understand this as he held out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know. I was an insensitive idiot to go wandering off like that without telling anyone. You all thought that evil aliens had murdered me. It was a very wrong thing to do, and I'm sorry. But in my defense, I'd like to point out that I'm not the only one who's broken the no-wandering rule. Michael keeps walking off on his own." Isabel's look made him gulp nervously. It would frighten much tougher and larger men than Alex. "So now you're using Michael as your example and guide for proper behavior?" she asked icily. "No," he answered quickly. "Not at all. I'm just pointing out that we all make mistakes." He looked at her eagerly, hoping for some signs of forgiveness. Not yet. "But I've seen the error of my ways, and I'm very sorry. I promise that I won't do it again. Honestly. Cross my heart." He did just that, crossing his heart and putting up his hand like someone giving a solemn oath. Isabel almost relented at the remorse in his face. Alex really did sound sorry. But there was still something to address. "Why did you lie to me?" That was the part she hadn't been able to get over. Alex was the one person in her life who she would have thought was totally incapable of lying to her. He shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I didn't lie to you." He moved a little closer to her, then a little more when she didn't say anything. He reached over and took her hand, never breaking eye contact. Isabel felt her pulse start to speed up at having him so close, but she wasn't going to let this one drop. It was too important. She needed to know if something really was wrong with him or if she was overreacting. "You said you weren't feeling well. Then you went off on your little walk. So, why the lie?" "I didn't lie." Alex moved even closer, hoping that she could hear the truth in his voice. "I wasn't feeling well. I felt pretty awful, actually. I mean, I broke a date with Isabel Evans. I must have been sick." Taking encouragement from the almost-smile he saw on her lips, he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the back. "But I couldn't get to sleep. So, I thought a short walk would help me get to sleep. You know, fresh air." Turning her hand over, he kissed her palm. Isabel was starting to have a hard time holding on to her anger. After all, he really did seem to be sorry. And it was just a misunderstanding, after all. "And then I lost track of the time." Alex pressed a light kiss on her lips. "I'm really sorry, Iz. I never meant to scare you. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do." "I guess I can forgive you. This once." Wrapping her free hand behind his head, Isabel leaned over and gave him a slower, deeper kiss. For two and a half hours last night, she'd been afraid that she would never be able to kiss him like this again. It made each moment with Alex even more precious. When she finally pulled back, she relented and smiled. "Especially since you gave me flowers." Reaching back into her locker, she pulled out the bouquet. "They're so gorgeous!" Alex just looked at them, a polite smile on his face. "Yeah, I guess so. But they're not from me. Must be from one of your other admirers. Although that doesn't narrow it down too much, does it?" Isabel looked from the flowers to him. "Really? They're not from you? But who else could have put them in my locker?" Alex laughed as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "It's not really all that hard to break into a school locker, my lady. I'm pretty sure I could do it if I really wanted to. I know for a fact that Kyle and Maria can. I don't know about Liz, though." The mental image of Liz sneaking about the school breaking into people's lockers just made him laugh again. "That's just weird," Isabel whispered as she put the flowers back again. "And I'm getting tired of weird things going on." That reminded her of something she'd wanted to discuss with Alex last night. "Alex, I've been having more nightmares." He looked down at her in concern, giving her a little reassuring squeeze. "The same ones as the other night? Something chasing you?" "Yeah." Taking courage and hoping that he wasn't going to be too angry with her, she went on and confessed. "I tried to get into your dreams two nights ago." She could feel his body suddenly tense up, but he didn't say anything. He just let her go on. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I was so scared. I wanted to be with you. I knew that you could keep me safe, that nothing would hurt me with you." He relaxed a little, but she could tell that he was still pretty upset. "Anyway, I couldn't get in." She moved away a little, nervously playing with her necklace. Was it her imagination, or did she see a flicker of relief on his face? "Well, I'm flattered and all, Izzy, but I'm not sure what you wanted from me anyway. They're your dreams, after all. Not much that I can do about them." He turned and started to walk down the hallway, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He was just going to dismiss the nightmares and drop the subject? She didn't think so. "It wasn't like other times when I couldn't get into people's dreams, Alex. This was different. I could almost touch your dream, but there was a wall blocking it. A hard silver wall. I've never seen anything like it before, and I don't know who or what put it there, but it wasn't there the last time I dreamwalked you." Alex shrugged. "So?" She couldn't believe his attitude. "So? There's some freaky wall blocking off your dreams, and that's all you have to say?" Alex smiled at her placatingly. "I'm sorry that you had a bad dream, Isabel. But I can't help you on this one because I don't know anything about this wall or whatever it is. Sorry." Isabel didn't say anything - she just stared at him in shock. She had seen the look in his eyes, and she had seen something almost unbelievable. Had Alex just lied to her face? Apparently, he didn't pick up on her stunned silence. Alex picked up her books and started down the hall. He turned and looked back. "We'll be late for check-in. You coming?" Isabel nodded mutely, turning to close her locker. As she pushed the flowers back, a card fell out to the floor. It must have been with the flowers. Bending down, she picked it up. On one side, a simple message was written. Always. Frowning, she turned it over, looking for a name. There wasn't one. Instead, there was a symbol drawn on it. A dot with a broken circle surrounding it. Tracing the lines, Isabel remembered the last time she'd seen that symbol. She and Michael had been standing in front of the library on Valentine's night. He had formed that same symbol on the grass in front of the building, hoping to use it as a signal to contact Nasedo. Nobody had come that night. It was still months before Nasedo and Tess came into their lives. Thinking back further, Isabel could remember where she'd seen the signal before. No wonder Michael had picked that drawing out of all the ones in the cave drawings. Even without conscious memory, he'd recognized the symbol of his original faction. The symbol of Kivar's house. The mark of the Skins. "Kivar," Isabel whispered as she crumpled up the note in her fist. --------------------------------------------------- Max looked up from the display of grey alien sketches he was organizing as he heard footsteps approaching. Expecting to see a tourist, Max prepared to go into his usual speech for visitors to the UFO Center. Instead, he was very pleasantly surprised to see Liz walking up to him, a soft smile on her face. "Hi," she said gently. "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?" "No." He put down the pictures and walked around the display case to kiss her. Definitely better than a tourist. "Just busily preparing information for the masses about the truth concerning aliens." His voice held an almost hidden glimpse of mocking laughter. Max sometimes wondered what Brody would do if he told him the truth - just walked over and introduced himself as the exiled, reincarnated king of the planet Antar. "And a valuable service it is," Liz said dryly as she looked about the museum. "There doesn't seem to be many knowledge seekers here today, though." "Slow day." He pushed her hair off her face, letting his hand linger on her cheek. "So, what brings you here?" "Well," she said coyly as she walked over to some chairs. Max followed her over. "I finished doing my research for our history paper. You remember our history paper?" She reached over and took his hand, placing it on her thigh. "Yeah." He was more interested in staring at her fingers, though. "Well, it occurred to me that we never did decide what to do about Hanson. And then I thought of a very simple way to find out if he's a Skin or a human." That got Max's attention. "What?" "Hello there." Max and Liz both nearly jumped at Brody's interruption. Max quickly got up, trying to pretend that he wasn't sitting there holding hands with his girlfriend when he was supposed to be working. From the amused twinkle in Brody's eyes, Max hadn't managed to pull it off too well. "Hello," Liz smiled up at him. "How are you feeling today?" "Much better. You know, I haven't seen Maria around much lately. Tell her Sidney said hello, would you?" Liz nodded. "Of course." "Great." Brody turned back to Max. "Since it's so slow today, I'm going to head out early and go home. Can you close up for me? Oh, and when Sheriff Valenti comes by, just give him the statement I have typed up in my office. It just states that apparently nothing was taken in last week's break-in." "Sure. No problem." "Thanks." Shaking his head a little in amusement, Brody started to walk away. "Don't forget about the party here Friday night." Then, he went up the stairs and exited the building. The second he was gone, Liz was on her feet in excitement. "That's perfect. This gives us a chance to try my idea." "Which is?" Liz gave him a smug smile. "We call Valenti and ask him to send over Hanson for Brody's statement instead of coming himself. Then, we bring out the pentagon." She stood back and waited while Max figured out where this was heading. "We hide the pentagon somewhere where Hanson has to walk by it," Max said slowly as Liz smiled eagerly. "And if he's a Skin........" "If he's a Skin, then he goes flying." Liz was proud of her idea. "And then we know for sure if we're dealing with an evil alien or a human. At least it gives us a start for planning how to deal with him." "It could work." Max felt a slow grin form on his own face. It was nice to be proactive for a change. "Okay, I'll call him. I'll come by later and tell you what happened." Liz looked at him as if he'd suddenly gone crazy. "Well, that really shouldn't be necessary, Max, since I'm going to be here when you try it. After all, it's my plan." "No way, Liz." Before she could say anything, he put a finger on her lips. "I'm not taking any chances with you, Liz. You mean too much to me to put you in any more danger." Liz sighed in fond exasperation as she moved his hand away. "Max, let's try to be realistic, okay? We are all in danger. All of us, humans and aliens. It's awful and it's unfair, but there it is." "I hate thinking about how much we've screwed up your lives." She shook her head. "No, Max. It's none of your faults. It's not your fault that some sore loser on another planet wants you dead. What?" she asked as he started to laugh softly. "What's so funny?" She put her hands on her hips and looked at him indignantly. "Nothing really. I was just imagining the look on Kivar's face if he heard himself described as a sore loser. It makes him sound like a little boy throwing a temper tantrum in a sandbox or something. I think he pictures himself as someone a bit grander." Liz dismissed the talk of Kivar with a wave of her hand. "The point is, I'm going to be at the same risk whether I stand with you and fight for what's important to me, or whether I sit at home and hide in my closet. Given the choice, I'd rather take my chances and stand with the person I love." "You're not leaving, are you?" Max had to admire her determination. "No." "I love you, Liz." "Really?" She moved back up to him again, smiling up. "How much?" Wrapping his arms around her waist, Max pulled her closer for a kiss. When they parted, he whispered down to her, "More than anything else in the world. You know that, right?" She nodded, learning her head on his chest. "I know. What I think about all that you've risked for me....... Max, that's why I have to help you. It's an equal partnership. It has to be." He just nodded. "Okay. Let's make the phone call." ------------------------------------------------------ Maria leaned back on the hood of the Jetta, admiring the view. Michael was standing out there in the desert, dressed only in a pair of jeans, concentrating intently as he practiced blowing up rocks. She had to admit that the explosions of shattered rocks were impressive, but she was much more impressed by the way Michael's muscles moved as he swung around to face another boulder. And then there was the way that his hands moved and gestured as he brought them up to attack the stones. It made her remember what it felt like to have those hands touching all over her body. Maria fidgeted a little as she thought about the previous night's activities in Michael's apartment. Michael turned around. She couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the annoyance in his voice as he yelled at her. "Stop it, Maria. How am I supposed to concentrate when you keep distracting me like that?" Jumping down from the hood, she skipped over to him and started tracing patterns on his chest. "I can think of some other distractions we could do, you know." Michael's arms went around her waist, instantly pulling her closer as his head went down to kiss the spot where her neck met her shoulder. But then he gently pushed her back, shaking his head. "No. I need to practice, Maria. This is why I didn't think having you come along was such a good idea," he pointed out. Maria sighed in annoyance. "Do you realize how freaked out Liz would have been if you went wandering around alone again? Especially after the whole thing with Alex last night? Besides, I think you have the hang of blowing up rocks, spaceboy." She rolled her eyes as she gestured to all the gravel that now surrounded them. "Maybe you should try something that actually moves." He grimaced in response. "And what do you suggest? A rabbit? A coyote?" "No." She was shocked. "You can't just kill an animal for practice. That would be wrong." She looked around and had an idea. "How about if I throw some rocks? That way you could practice aiming at a moving target." He could feel her eagerness to help out. Maria was trying to be supportive of his life. He supposed it was the same as his listening to her sing, only she got a lot more enjoyment out of her pasttimes than he did. But enjoyment or not, this was something he needed to do, and she understood it. So, Michael nodded. "That would be a good idea." He stood back and watched as he quickly went over to pick up a rock. "Not that one! It's too big." Rushing over to her, he took her arms before she could lift it up. "You'll hurt yourself." He tried to control the sudden pounding of his heart. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he'd panicked at the sight of Maria trying to pick up the rock. She looked at him in surprise. "It's just a rock, Michael. It wasn't going to bite me or anything." "I know." He ran his hands over her body to reassure himself that she was okay. "But it was too heavy. You could have strained yourself picking it up." "Over-protective much?" She didn't sound really angry, though. More like thoughtful. "I'm not made of porcelain, you know." "I know. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful." Michael had that stubborn look on his face, so Maria gave it up. When he had that look on his face, nothing on Earth was going to change his mind. So, she sighed and pointed to a smaller rock. "How about that one? Does that pass the Michael Guerin Insanely Protective Seal of Approval?" He smirked at her. "Yeah, I think you can handle that one." She smacked him lightly on the arm as she walked over. Carefully picking up the rock, aware of Michael's eyes on her, she swung it and then let it fly. Michael's hand came up almost instantly and he blew it up, apparently without needing much time to aim. They worked this way for almost half an hour. Maria would throw a rock, and Michael would blow it up. While it was better than nothing, Michael was well aware of the limitations of this type of practice. The rocks were moving now, but they were still very predictable. Nicholas wouldn't be. And Kivar certainly wouldn't be, either. Maria was glad for the interruption when her cell phone rang. "Hello. Liz? Hey, girl, what's up?" Michael noticed the way she frowned and walked up, leaning in closely so that he could hear the conversation too. "You and Max are going to do what?" "We're going to use the pentagon to see if Hanson is a Skin or not. Don't worry - we know what we're doing." "Liz, let me talk to Max." Michael grabbed the phone from Maria, ignoring her protests. "Michael." Max's voice sounded calm. "I know what you're going to say, but we're doing this. And you can't be here when we do. We don't know for sure whether or not the pentagon will affect Hanson, but we know for certain what effect it has on you." "I should be there. I need to be there." Maria frowned at the note of desperation in his voice, and gently rubbed his back. The idea of Max anywhere near a dangerous situation without him there to watch his back was making Michael tense up into a million little knots. "I know, Michael. And you will be all the other times. But this really isn't very dangerous. Try not to worry too much." Maria grabbed the phone back from Michael. "Max, you at least have back-up, right? You and Liz aren't going to be alone with him, are you?" "We'll be fine. Come by the Crashdown when you get back. And try to keep Michael from worrying too much." "I'll try." She cast a dubious look at Michael as she hung up the phone. She wasn't sure that it was possible to keep Michael from worrying. He reached out his hand to her. "Give me the phone." As soon as he had it, he dialed. "Yeah. You know what Max is doing? I can't be there... okay, fine." When he hung up, she could feel his relief. He was still tense, but no more so than he had been all day. Something had relieved his mind about what Max and Liz were going to do. "Who was that?" Michael leaned against the car, pulling her close. "Valenti. He's going to be there, and if Hanson does turn out to be Skin, he and Max together should be able to handle it." Kissing her neck, he murmured, "So, what should we do while we're waiting?" Just at that moment, Maria's stomach growled. Pulling away with a laugh, he put his hand on her stomach. "Hungry, teel-sharan?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "Yeah, I guess." Glaring at him for laughing, she went on. "Well, I couldn't eat much at lunch today. It was just way too uncomfortable, what with all the awkward silences between Isabel and Alex." She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in close. "Feed me, spaceboy," she half-laughed, half-growled at him. "Okay. What do you want to eat?" Maria climbed into the passenger seat as he got behind the wheel. "The greasiest burger that we can find in Roswell." Michael turned to stare at her. "You want something un-nutritious? You? The queen of the food lectures? The girl who threw away all my pretzels and potato chips and tried to force-feed me apples? What's up?" She grabbed his hands and placed them on the steering wheel. "I'm just in the mood for a burger, okay? It's not the end of the world." She pointed ahead of her. "So, drive. I'm starving all of a sudden." "Okay," he answered, privately resolving to tease her about her walk on the culinary wild side all through dinner. ------------------------------------------------------- When Max heard a knock on the door, he quickly opened it. Liz and he had already positioned the pentagon on a side table behind a display on the connection between the pyramids of ancient Egypt and alien visitors. It couldn't be seen, but it would still knock any Skin who came near it across the room. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, only to find Valenti standing there, not Hanson. "Sheriff Valenti?" Liz's voice came from the foot of the stairs. She sounded as confused as Max felt. Valenti chuckled as he looked at the two confused teens. "Did you really think I was going to let me do this without any type of back-up?" "Apparently not," Max said dryly. Valenti walked down the stairs and looked around quickly. "Where's the pentagon?" Liz pointed over to it. He nodded in approval. "Okay, then." He looked at Liz. "You have a heavy object within easy range?" "Here." She picked up a heavy pipe that she'd propped up behind a nearby display case. "Good." He unsnapped his holster so that he could get his gun out quickly, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the heavy wrench he'd brought along. Human or alien, he was prepared in case of trouble. When they heard another knock on the door, Valenti went into Brody's office, hiding behind the partially closed door. "Deputy Hanson, hi." Max tried to smile at the man, but he had a feeling it came out closer to a sick grimace. He couldn't deny the fact that Hanson creeped him out. There was something off about him. Just the way he looked at Max made his skin crawl. He looked like he knew something about Max that he didn't even know about himself. But Max forced himself to act cordial. "Brody had to leave, but he left that statement for you. It's just downstairs." "Thank you, Max." Hanson followed Max closely down the stairs, tipping his hat to Liz when he got to the bottom. "And hello to you, Liz. How are you doing? No more trouble, I hope." "More trouble?" Liz asked in a stead voice. His eyes flickered over her body dismissively before he answered. "Well, there was the break-in here. And then the problems at school with the lockers." "Right. The lockers." Liz moved a little closer to the display. She really didn't like the way he was looking at her, as if she was a bug or something equally unimportant. "Here's the statement, deputy," Max said politely, walking over to the table and holding it out to Hanson. As Hanson walked over, he passed the hidden pentagon. Liz held her breath waiting. Nothing. No bright light. No flying Hanson. Instead, the deputy simply took the papers, thanked them politely, and walked out. Once Max had locked the door behind him, Valenti came out. "He's human." Liz wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved. "So was Pierce," Valenti pointed out. "Human doesn't necessarily mean harmless." Max was still looking at the closed door. Liz touched his arm gently. "Max? What is it?" He looked down at her with a frown. "I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have let Michael go after him the other day. There's something wrong with him. I've never seen eyes that look so empty before." He looked over at the sheriff. "That probably sounds stupid." "No. I've learned to trust my instincts. You should do the same." Valenti put the wrench back in his pocket. "Well, I think I can manage to keep Hanson very busy out of town for a few days. That should buy us some time to try and figure out what's going on with him." He smiled at them. "You're going to want to tell the others about this, of course. Tell Kyle and Tess not to be home too late. It's a school night." "Good night, Sheriff." Max pulled Liz close. "Thanks." "No problem. Just doing my job." And Valenti went on home. ----------------------------------------------------- Later that night, after Max and Liz had filled them all in on Hanson's human status, Isabel was home preparing for sleep. While she was glad that Max and Liz were safe, a part of her was still upset at them for taking such a chance. What were they planning to do if Hanson did turn out to be a dangerous Skin? Liz might be good at the science aspect of things, and Isabel had to admit that she had turned out to always put the aliens' interests first, but she wasn't going to be much use in a fight. And Max's powers were more defensive than offensive. They should have told Isabel what they were going to do. She could have helped. At least Valenti had been there. How much help would you have really been? she asked herself in annoyance. It's not like you can concentrate on anything other than the fact that Alex might be lying to you. Why would he do that? Isabel couldn't stop her mind from going around and around in circles. Two images kept dancing in her mind - the look on Alex's face when he denied knowing about the wall and the card that came with the flowers. Kivar's symbol. Isabel looked over at her bed with apprehension. She didn't want to go to sleep. She was too afraid of the dreams that she knew would come. And what scared her the most about the dreams was that a part of her wasn't afraid of them. A part of her wanted to go to the figure in the dreams. So far, she'd been able to keep control. She hadn't given in to the temptation. But what would happen if she did? She'd told Max about the card earlier. He hadn't said anything, just looked at her. What was there to say, really? They'd all known that Kivar was behind things with Nicholas and the Skins. This was just a reminder. She sat down nervously. She wondered how long she could go without sleep and still be able to function well. But if she stayed awake, she'd just keep thinking about the mess with Alex. She grimaced. What a choice. Sleep and nightmares or stay awake and obsess over Alex. Neither choice was particularly appealing. And she hated being so afraid all the time. It made her feel weak and defenseless. She ran her hands through her hair. She couldn't even call Alex. Thinking about Alex made her remember their earlier conversation. "They're your dreams, after all." That's what he'd said. Isabel sat up straighter suddenly. Alex was right - they were her dreams. And more than that, she was the dreamwalker. That was her gift. Isabel had been walking around people's dreams all her life, since before she could even talk. And she'd been letting some shadow chase her and weaken her in her own dreams, on her turf. No more. It was time to take back her dreams. ------------------------------------------------------ Isabel walked through the hallways of the palace. She always seemed to return her. She supposed it was fitting. This was the place where Vilandra had grown up, where she'd fallen in love, where she'd betrayed her family. The place where she'd died. It made sense that she'd be brought back here, to this most important place for Vilandra, by someone who wanted her to believe that was who she still was. Well, she knew differently. Entering the throne room, she ignored the pillar in front of the throne. She'd relived her death at Tymrath's hands often enough over the last week. This dream was going to go differently. Looking around into the shadowy corners, she cupped her hands around her mouth to be louder. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" No answer. Now Isabel was starting to get pissed. "I know you, Kivar. I guess I always knew." Isabel walked around the room, staring into every corner and crevice. "I just didn't want to admit it. But now I admit it." She stopped and threw open her arms. "You want me, come out here into the open. Into the light. Or are you just too scared?" A figure detached itself from the surrounding shadows and walked out into the room. He was still cloaked in darkness, though. Isabel couldn't see his features. It didn't really matter. "I could never be afraid of you, my dear Vilandra." Isabel could feel a shiver go up her spine when he said her old name, and the faint urge to run to him. But it was faint, so much fainter than ever before, and it was easy to crush it down. Instead, she thought of the way she felt empowered during the group connection. Max was right - there was power there that Kivar could never understand. "Let's try this one final time, shall we? I'm not Vilandra. Not anymore. You really aren't very bright, are you? No wonder you haven't been able to squash the resistance in the fifty years since you took over the blood-stained throne." With a thought, Isabel turned the throne red. Kivar gave a small jump and she smiled in satisfaction. This was the first time she'd been able to consciously control the dreams he'd been in. Or maybe she'd been able to all along, but she hadn't know it. "Your blood, Vilandra." Kivar tried to regain control. The floor around her was covered in blood. With a wave of her hand, it vanished and the floor shone again. "You don't know anything about me." With each word, she moved closer. "I'm stronger now. I don't want you. I have everything I need and I'm going to hold on to it. I'm not that selfish needy little princess you knew. I reject you, Kivar. I am Isabel Evans. This dream is mine, not yours, and I don't want you in it." She paused and took a breath. "Get lost, Kivar. You want me, come face us in person. All of us." She gave him a fierce smile. "You might just be surprised at what you find." Before Kivar could respond, she held up her hand. A blinding light shone from it, illuminating all the dark corners of the throne room. When it faded, she was alone. Then she woke up. When she fell back to sleep, Isabel had only pleasant dreams. No signs of Kivar to be found. ---------------------------------------------------------- The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Isabel wasn't foolish enough to think that was the last she'd ever hear from Kivar. Nobody she knew was as strong in the dreamworld as she was - that was the only reason she'd been able to get rid of him so easily. If he did take her up on her dare, and come for her in the real world, things might be different. But at least now she could get some sleep. She'd take what victories she could. There were no more strange episodes with Alex. On the surface, it seemed that things were fine with him. Every time she brought up the subject of his dreams, though, Alex grew irritable and changed the subject quickly. She knew that something was going on, but couldn't figure out what to do about it. No amount of scolding or coaxing could get Alex to admit to knowing anything about the dream wall. Maybe he really didn't, but Isabel couldn't let go of her doubts. Valenti kept his word about keeping Hanson busy. Every day, Hanson was sent out on patrols out of town, or to nearby towns for court appearances or to gather information. It was amazing how much busywork Valenti could come up with when he put his mind to it. By some minor miracle, Amy DeLuca hadn't caught Michael on his sleep-overs yet. And so things went for the next two days. Until Friday night, when the gang attended the party at the UFO Center. ---------------------------------------------------- "Would someone explain to me again why we're here?" Michael looked around the crowded museum. The place was packed with kids from school, all dancing, talking, and participating in other extracurricular activities. While it was a definite improvement over the last event he'd attended here (he didn't see a UFO fanatic in the bunch), the crowds still made Michael nervous. And he wasn't sure he liked Maria being anywhere so stuffy and noisy. Patiently, Max explained for the fifth time. "Brody is trying to attract some of the actual Roswell natives to the Center. He figured a party like this would be a good way to get some younger people in here." "Yes, Maxwell, I understand that part. What I don't get is why we personally are here." "To have fun, maybe?" Tess was already starting to bounce up on her toes at the music. One week back at school and she was already ready for another vacation. Ignoring Michael's snort, Kyle laughed and grabbed Tess's hand. "Works for me." He pulled her out onto the dance floor and started showing her a creative variation on line dancing. Michael just laughed at the two of them. They looked ridiculous, but at least they were having fun. Then he felt the tug on his arm and looked down to see Maria looking up at him with a distinctly evil twinkle in her eyes. "No way, Maria." "I wanna dance." "No. I don't dance." He was going to stay strong on this one, no matter how cute she looked when she got all pouty like that. "Michael," she whined. "Maria," he whined back in exactly the same tone. "Well, I'm not going to just stand here all night. So either we dance or you can take me to the movies. 'A Beautiful Mind' is still playing." "No way," he answered automatically as he glanced around the room, checking out the people there and the exits. "I'm starting to think you're just jealous of Russell Crowe or something." "Ha." He looked back at her as an idea hit him. Leaning down closer, he whispered into her ear, making her body shiver delightfully. "We could go back to my apartment instead." "Tempting, but no. Dance first. Apartment later." Maria was determined to get Michael Guerin out on the dance floor. "That is, if you're good." Michael sighed in resignation. "Maria, I don't even know how to dance." But he was already taking her hand and walking out in the direction Kyle and Tess had gone. "I'll teach you." Max laughed as he saw Maria manage Michael so easily. Despite his grumbles, Michael looked perfectly happy out there. "I hope Maria knows what she's getting into. Remember when you tried to teach Michael how to dance back when we were nine, Iz?" Turning around, he was surprised to see that both Isabel and Alex were missing. Liz smiled at his confused expression. "I think they wanted some time alone." She looked around at the crowd. "Well, as alone as they can get in here, anyway." Liz placed her hands on his shoulder and reached up so that their eyes were level. "Sounds like a good idea to me." She moved that little bit of distance closer, and their lips met. As the kiss went on, everything else faded into the distance. The only two people who existed for them in that moment were Max and Liz. Finally, Max pulled back with a little groan. "Let me just tell Brody that I'm here." He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Then we can see if there's a private corner anywhere." --------------------------------------------------------- Alex and Isabel had found a darkened corner and were taking good advantage of it. Finally taking a break from kissing her (he was in need of oxygen), Alex looked down at her and smiled. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Isabel shook her head flirtatiously. "No. So why don't you?" He laughed softly. "Your hair is so beautiful. It's like gold or sunshine." He ran his hand through it, loving the way that it curled around his fingers. "And your eyes are amazing, Iz. And then there are your lips." He bent down to kiss them again slowly, tasting the lip gloss she used. "What about them?" Isabel was starting to have a hard time forming coherent sentences. Her whole body was tingling with excitement and the feel of Alex standing so close to her. She wanted to feel him touching her, but she wanted to see what he was going to do and say. Things had been so strange between them this week, and she wanted him to make the first moves. "They're perfect." His hand moved down to her shoulder and one finger hooked under the strap of her dress. "And this dress........ Isabel, I have no words for this dress. You look so good in red." Pushing the strap to the side a little, Alex lowered his face to her shoulder, replacing his hand with his lips and kissing her there. She gasped at the sensation and moved even closer to him, putting her arm around his back and pulling him closer. Then his lips were on hers again, kissing her firmly and gently, all at the same time. It was perfect. "I do love you, Isabel," he whispered against her lips. She couldn't get the breath to answer, so she just concentrated on sending him all her love and hoped he could feel it somehow. Alex pushed her against the wall, pinning her there with his own body as he continued to kiss her. The kisses were growing more insistent, and Isabel's body responded. She could feel the desire, the need coming from Alex, along with his love for her. Her legs started to buckle when she felt one of his hands going up under her dress, moving up her thigh, but his other hand caught her and held her up firmly. As much fun as this was, a small part of Isabel's mind was able to remember that they were in a very crowded public place and their corner wasn't really all that private. Time to cool this down a bit. She tried to take her mouth from his, but he wouldn't let her. Instead, both of Alex's hands were on her arms, holding her tightly against the wall, so tightly that it hurt. Isabel was starting to get worried. Something was wrong. The kisses had changed. She couldn't feel anything behind them - no love, no Alex. It was like she was kissing a stranger. This wasn't something she wanted anymore, but she couldn't seem to move. She had a sudden flashback to her dreams. Fear gave her a sudden surge of strength, and she pushed at Alex as hard as she could. Alex went flying back from her. "What is wrong with you?" she whispered, looking at him in shocked fear. She rubbed her arms. She was going to have bruises there if she didn't heal herself. His grip had hurt. She'd never realized before how strong he was physically. He just looked at her blankly for a minute, and that scared her even more. His eyes were so empty - she couldn't see anything in them, not her, not Alex. Just nothing. She looked out at the dancing floor, trying to spot the others. She suddenly didn't feel safe standing there with him. Whatever was going on, something was wrong with Alex. When she looked back, she could see him struggling to come back from wherever he was. She could see the first spark of awareness, of Alex-ness, starting in his eyes. He went pale and looked as if he was going to be sick. "God, Isabel........" he started, but then turned and ran away. Isabel just stood there for a minute, looking after him. Then she turned and went looking for Max. ------------------------------------------------------- Alex ran into Maria, literally, on his way to the restroom. She took one look at his face, and grabbed his arm. "What's the matter, Alex? Are you sick?" Alex pulled back hard, causing her to nearly lose her balance. "Just leave me alone." Then he ran into the bathroom. Maria looked after him for only a second before she started to follow him in. Michael was there instantly, halting her. "What are you doing, Maria?" He pointed to the sign on the door - "Men". "There's actually another bathroom for women." "Alex went in there. He looked really bad. He just pushed me aside and went in there." Maria was so worried about Alex that she didn't even notice the sudden worried frown that formed on Michael's face. "He pushed you? Are you okay? Did you fall?" He grabbed her, turning her around so that he look down at her face. She shook her head in annoyance. "I'm fine. It was just a little nudge to get me out of the way. No big deal. Alex is the one I'm worried about." Michael nodded. "I'll talk to him. You stay here." With that, he walked into the restroom, taking a moment to notice that it was thankfully empty except for him and Alex. Alex hadn't even noticed him come in. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, remembering the look of fear in Isabel's eyes. He'd caused that look somehow. He hated himself for that. He pulled back his fist, preparing to put it through the mirror so that he wouldn't have to look at his own face anymore, but was stopped by a strong hand grabbing his arm. "That won't help," Michael said quietly. Maria was right - Alex did look awful. Alex shook off Michael's hand, looking at him with anger. "Go to hell." He turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on his face. He wanted to be alone, but everywhere he went, there the aliens were. It was becoming suffocating. Michael blinked in surprise. He'd never heard Alex so angry before. "What's going on, Alex? You're got Maria really worried." "Go away." He said it very firmly. "Just go away and leave me alone." "Alex, tell me what's going on. What's the matter?" Alex looked up and over at him, laughing bitterly. Michael took an involuntary step back at what he saw in his eyes. He'd seen that look before, many times, but never from Alex. Eyes filled with hate, Alex answered him. "Why should I tell you anything? Why should I trust you, huh? Come on, tell me." Alex suddenly pushed Michael away. Michael was too caught off guard to even defend himself, just falling back until he hit the door and slid to the floor. Before he could reply, Alex was standing over him. "Tell you what, Michael. Why don't you tell me what your secret is first? How about that? You know, the little secret that you don't want anyone to know about? The personal connection you have with Kivar? Any of this sounding familiar?" Michael moved away from Alex slowly. He could feel the anger and tension coming from the human boy, and knew that he was very close to snapping. That was about the only thing he did know. "Alex......." "No'los." He cut Michael off very effectively as he repeated the Antaran word clearly and distinctly. "So, who's the traitor, Michael? And what was the betrayal?" Each word cut through Michael like a whip's lash. He was totally at a loss. Whatever was bothering Alex, he had never expected to hear so much scorn and contempt in Alex's voice. Ignoring the questions, he returned to the point. "What's going on with you, Alex? What are you so angry about?" "Damn," Alex whispered. He closed his eyes, a shiver passing through his body. When he opened them again, the hate and anger were gone. All that was left was a sort of bewildered confusion. He looked very young and vulnerable. Michael reached out a hand to him as he slowly stood up, but Alex stepped back, avoiding the contact. "I don't know. I have no idea." He sounded so broken, so tired. "I don't know where any of that came from. I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it." Michael was watching his friend carefully, and didn't like what he saw. Alex looked defeated, like he didn't know what was going on and had given up hope of figuring it out. "What happened?" "I upset Isabel." Alex's voice was starting to get firmer now, but the look of confusion didn't leave his eyes. "I better go apologize, I guess. Again." With a sigh, he pushed his way past Michael and left the bathroom. Michael followed instantly. As soon as he was out of the room, Maria ran over to him. "Well?" Michael looked down at her and she felt an icy terror forming in her stomach. "You were right, Maria. Something's wrong with Alex." ------------------------------------------------------- Alex found Isabel. "Can we talk?" he asked quietly. She looked over at him. Whatever had been wrong with him earlier seemed to be over now. "Okay." She led him over to a couch and sat down next to him on it. The crowds had thinned, and there was a little more privacy. "I'm sorry." He lifted his hands into the air and then let them fall back down again. "I keep saying that, but I mean it. I'm not even sure what happened. One second we're kissing, the next you're pushing me away and looking at me like I terrified you." "You did," she answered quietly. "The kissing wasn't the problem. That was great. But then it was like you weren't even you anymore, Alex. Like I was kissing a stranger." "That's when you pushed me away?" She nodded. "I had to. It was the only way to make you stop. You were hurting me, Alex." She could see the sharp pain that went across his face. "Oh my God. I hurt you?" He could remember grabbing her arms, but it didn't seem real. It was like something in a nightmare. "I would never, never intentionally hurt you, Isabel. I know you probably don't believe me, but I wouldn't. You're the last person I'd ever hurt." "I know. I know you didn't mean to, Alex. And I'm not angry. I'm not even scared anymore." She touched his cheek softly. "I love you, Alex. You're the most important person in the world to me. But right now, I'm worried about you. I need to know what's going on. Whatever it is, we can fix it together. But only if you let me in." She looked him deeply in the eyes, wanting so much for him to believe her. "You're the one who taught me that, Alex. We're stronger if we're together. Please, trust me enough to tell me what's wrong." He shook his head. "I want to tell you, Iz. But I don't know. It's all so confused." He put his head down onto her shoulder, almost sobbing. He didn't understand what was going on. Isabel stroked his head comfortingly. "We'll figure it out, Alex. I promise you." ----------------------------------------------------- Max waved out the last of the party-goers. Brody had already gone, leaving him in charge of clean-up. At least he was getting paid overtime. And the others had agreed to stay and help him clean up. And try to figure out what's up with Alex, he thought to himself as he looked at Alex, standing next to Isabel, as if he was afraid to be too far away from her. Michael's attention kept flickering from Maria to Alex. But Max noticed that Alex never looked back at Michael. He wondered what was going on there. Liz appeared with garbage bags which she handed out to the group. "So, let's get rid of the food and drink first. The rest can wait until the morning, right?" She looked over at Max. "Right. The Center's closed until the afternoon tomorrow. So that we can all recuperate." "Great. And then Alex can tell us exactly what's been happening." She started to pick things up, but was distracted by a noise. "Is that someone at the door?" "Yeah." Kyle walked over to the stairs and looked up. "Sorry, the party's over." "I'm not here for the party," came a vaguely familiar voice. "I'm looking for someone. I think she might be in here." "Who is it?" Max came to stand by Kyle, surprised to see the figure walking down the stairs with a smile. "Liz Parker." The young man's eyes spotted her. "And there she is. Hi, Liz." "Eddie?" It had been a year since she'd seen the man from the Mesaliko Reservation. She couldn't imagine what brought him here now. "Yeah." He looked over at Max and pointed. "I remember you. And you," he looked over at Michael. "Yeah." Michael looked at him suspiciously. "I remember you, too. Thanks for that, by the way." Eddie shrugged in amusement. "Well, I did warn you about the sweat. Not my fault if you didn't listen." "He does that sometimes." Maria came over to stand by Michael. Eddie gave Maria a charming smile, causing Michael to move even closer to her and glare at the visitor. This only seemed to amuse Eddie more. He looked back at Liz. "I assume that these others are friends of yours?" Liz nodded. "Yeah, they're friends. You can talk in front of them." "Good." He leaned back calmly and looked at the group. Max and Kyle had come back over and were standing near the others. "Usually, I would go to Riverdog with something like this, but he's off somewhere and didn't bother telling anyone where he was going. So, since you had the other necklace, I thought you might be interested in this one, too." He reached into his pocket, but was stopped as Michael stepped forward and seized his arm. "Interested in what?" Michael spoke quietly, but it was clear that he expected an answer. There was a clear threat evident in the way he loomed over Eddie. Eddie looked up at him and there was no amusement in his eyes now. He just looked Michael directly in the eyes and answered calmly. "I was in the cave today and found another necklace. I thought it might mean something to you, since the other one did." Michael nodded and stepped back. He kept his eyes on Eddie's movements, though, as he took out a necklace and threw it at Liz. Before it got to her, Michael's hand reached out and grabbed it in mid-flight. He held it up so that everyone could see it. At the end of a simple gold chain there was a black stone. When the light hit it, they could see a faint red glow inside the black. And Michael recognized it. "Well, that's all." Eddie turned to leave. "Take care, Liz." "Thanks," she answered absently, looking at the necklace. Kyle followed Eddie out and locked the door behind him. "Well, is it from your home planet?" "I think so," Isabel said, moving closer to look at it. "It is." Michael sounded like he was forcing the words out. He placed the stone in his palm, hoping he was wrong. As soon as it touched his skin, the cold stone warmed up. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let him know that he had been right. "It was mine. Tymrath's." Maria looked from the necklace up into his face. He had that same feeling of panic and fear again, same as the other day when he'd learned about her flash. But before she could say anything, Isabel spoke up. "Really? I don't remember you ever wearing it. How did it get here?" She touched the rock with one finger. "It's warm." "I never wore it. It was just something I had from before." Michael shrugged uncomfortably. "I have no idea how it got here." "It's kind of pretty, isn't it? The way the light hits it - it almost sparkles." Isabel really did like the necklace. She wondered why Tymrath had never worn it. "Well, if you think it's pretty, maybe I can find you something like it for your birthday present," Alex said with a smile as he moved over to look at it more closely. His eyes grew large as he saw the necklace. He grabbed it out of Michael's hand and looked at it, all the color fading from his face. "No," he whispered. "Alex?" Isabel reached out, but Alex was staring at Michael with a look of growing horror. When Isabel's hand touched him, he jumped and dropped the necklace. Maria quickly picked up the cool stone and put it in her pocket. Michael didn't look like he was capable of moving. He seemed petrified by the look of accusation and fear on Alex's face. "Don't touch me," Alex turned to Isabel then. "I just need to get away from all this." He ran out of the building. Isabel was going after him, but was stopped by Kyle. "Hold on, Isabel." She twisted out of his arms. "We can't just let him go when he's upset like this." "Agreed. But maybe it would be better if Liz, Maria, and I went. He seems pretty freaked out by the alien thing right now." "He's right, Isabel." Liz moved over to her. "We'll make sure he's okay." Isabel looked over at her brother. She wanted to be with Alex, but not if she was going to just upset him more. "What do you think?" "Liz and Maria have know him forever," Max answered slowly. "It might be better. Just for now." Isabel nodded slowly, and Kyle started for the door. "Let's go." With quick farewells to their significant others, the three of them went after Alex. Tess looked at the other three aliens. The room seemed much emptier now. "And the dividing line is drawn. Human and alien." Max looked at her sharply. "That's not what they meant, Tess. They weren't trying to keep us out of anything." She sighed as she sat down. "I know. But that's what happened, isn't it?" Max put his arms around his sister. "They'll take care of him, Iz. We'll figure it out." "What about the necklace could have upset him so much?" she asked Michael, who shook his head in honest confusion. "I have no idea." There was no way Alex could know anything about the necklace and what it symbolized, no way he could know enough to be that frightened. "We have to figure it out, Max." Isabel closed her eyes, fighting tears. "We can't lose him." "We won't, Iz." His eyes met Michael's. Michael nodded his head silently in agreement. Somehow, they'd figure out what was happening to Alex and they would fix it. They had to. Edited by: <A HREF=http://p199.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrea ... lm>Anla</A> at: 7/3/05 5:27 pm

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:32 pm

Using her new key, Maria let herself into Michael's dark apartment. He wasn't there, but she was sure he'd show up before too long. After all, where else would he go? He wouldn't go to her house, since he knew she'd gone off with Kyle and Liz after Alex. She ran her hands over her face in exhaustion. They'd managed to get Alex back home and to finally get him to go to bed, but it had been one of the most disturbing experiences in her life. She'd never seen Alex so frantic before. He'd been ranting and raving about how they all needed to stay away from the aliens and how it wasn't safe. At one point, Kyle had actually had to physically restrain Alex in order to get him into the car. Thank goodness that she and Liz had finally managed to calm him down. Seeing her best friend having what appeared to be a total break-down was something that Maria didn't know how to handle at all. In its own way, it was just as terrifying as seeing Liz get shot last year. And the sense of helplessness that came with it was the same. Maria crossed the room in the dark and sat down in the chair near the window. Rolling up the blinds, she reached into her pocket and took out the necklace Eddie had brought them. She held up the black stone so that it sparkled in the light from the outside streetlights. Isabel had been right - it was almost pretty in the way it caught the light. But Maria couldn't think of it as anything even remotely pleasant. She'd felt Michael's panic at seeing it, and while she didn't know the cause, she knew it had been real. That was why she'd picked up the necklace when Alex dropped it. Somehow, Maria knew that Michael didn't want anyone else looking at the necklace anymore, but he was too stunned by the accusation in Alex's look to pick it up himself. So, Maria picked it up and hid it away from the others' eyes. She hadn't even considered her motives until now - the instinct to protect Michael was too natural. It didn't require any thought. It just was. Maria frowned absently as she brought the stone closer to look at it. The faint red inside the stone made it look as if there was a tiny fire glowing inside it. The stone was cool to her touch, though, and smooth. Except for the back. Curious, she turned it over and looked at the back more closely. She could feel something carved into the back of the stone. She reached over and turned on the light so that she could examine it more carefully. There was a design engraved into the stone, so faint that she could hardly see it. She traced it with her finger - a circle with a thick line going through it. It was almost like the mathematical symbol for an empty set. She smiled. Liz would be proud of her for picking up that much from math class. The smile faded as she traced the line going through the circle. No, not a null symbol. The line ended in a sharp point. It wasn't just a line. "It's a knife," she whispered. That was it - the design was of a circle with a knife going through the center of it. And the circle wasn't whole. She could feel that there were two small spaces in the circle, one at the top and another at the bottom. So, the design was a broken circle with a knife going through it. She shook her head in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? She held the necklace away from her again. You couldn't see the design from any type of distance. In fact, if she hadn't felt it, she would never have know it was there. And if the necklace was worn with the design facing in, towards the wearer, then only the wearer would even know it was there. What was the point of a design like that? She heard the door open and quickly stood up, dropping the necklace on the coffee table as Michael came in. She could sense his exhaustion before he even raised his eyes to meet hers. Seeing him made her heart ache. He looked so tired, so lost. Without even thinking, she was across the room, holding him in her arms as he lowered his head to her shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she said, rubbing his back. She wasn't sure what she was talking about - Alex, the necklace, the entire situation with Kivar and Nicholas. It didn't matter. She would make sure that things were okay for him. "We'll figure it out." He held her so tightly that she couldn't breathe for a second, then he released her. Closing his eyes, he leaned toward her until their foreheads met. He tried to absorb her energy into him, to take strength from her love and determination. Finally, he opened his eyes and smiled down at her. "I believe you." And the amazing thing was, he did. He couldn't imagine anything stopping Maria DeLuca from doing whatever she set her mind to. "Smart boy." She led him over to the couch, making him sit down. "Where were you?" Michael ignored the question. His attention had been drawn to the necklace on the nearby table. He looked from it up to her, questions evident in his eyes. "I thought you'd be with Alex." She nodded, picking up the necklace. "I was. We took him home and finally got him settled down to sleep." "Is he okay?" Michael very carefully kept his eyes on her face, not on the necklace in her hands. He didn't want to see her holding it, but giving in to his impulse of ripping it out of her hands wouldn't exactly decrease suspicions. And it wasn't as if the necklace could actually hurt her or anything. Maria shook her head and sighed. "Not really. He's pretty freaked out." "By the whole alien thing?" Michael asked quietly. "Yeah, which is what I don't get." Maria looked at him in confusion. "I mean, isn't it a little late in the game for him to be freaking about it? It's been over a year since we learned about where you all came from. It never really bothered him. Isabel's an alien. No big deal. Alex could have handled learning pretty much anything about her and he still would have been totally devoted to her. And through the whole thing last week, he was totally solid. So why panic now?" "I don't know." Michael couldn't resist anymore. He gently took the necklace out of her hands and stood up, walking to a kitchen drawer and placing it way in the back, out of sight. Maria didn't say anything for a minute, just watching him until he walked back. "You want to talk about it?" she said, gesturing her head to the kitchen. "Later. Alex first." Michael pulled her closer to him, lying back on the couch with her on top of him. He needed to be close to her, to know that she was there and wasn't going anywhere. "Did he say anything to you three about what was going on?" "Nothing that made any sense." She stopped and Michael could sense her reluctance to go on any farther. "What did he say, Maria?" When she didn't answer, he tilted her head back so that she was looking up at him. "Maria, I need to know what's going on." "Okay. He said something about how you guys were dangerous for us to be around." Michael nodded slowly, picking up on what she wasn't saying. "He said that I wasn't safe, right?" Maria nodded reluctantly. He sighed and looked away. "Guess he's taking back his blessing for our relationship." "Wait a minute. You asked Alex for his blessing?" Michael shrugged uncomfortably. A small smile passed Maria's lips. Michael had asked for Alex's blessing. That was kind of sweet, and it showed that Michael respected Alex. Which led to another thought. He was avoiding her eyes, so Maria took his head firmly in her hands and forced him to look at her directly. She looked at his eyes and recognized that look. She'd seen that particular expression twice before - once on the night when he came to her after the fiasco with Hank and then again the night that Max hit him. And Maria had to strange the sudden irrational desire she had to go over to Alex's house and shake him for causing Michael this type of pain, even though she knew that it wasn't really his fault. "Alex doesn't hate you." She could see the startled surprise in his eyes. It was still new, this ability to read each other so well. "You know he doesn't, Michael," she went on gently. "I know. But for a few minutes he did, Maria." The pain in his voice was heartbreaking. Maria sat up, pulling him into another hug. "You don't just start hating someone for no reason, Michael," she insisted in a quiet voice. "Something's going on with Alex, but that doesn't mean he hates you. Not really." She kissed his forehead, then stood up, taking his hand and leading him into the bedroom. "I think you need to lie down." He nodded and followed her obediently. When they got into the other room, Maria pulled off his shirt and tugged off his shoes. He didn't say anything, just lay down when she told him to. Maria sat down on the side of the bed, looking down at him and brushing his hair back in a calming rhythm. He didn't close his eyes, but instead watched her face intently. She wasn't sure he even blinked. "So, where were you, spaceboy?" she asked, trying to change the subject from Alex for a minute. "Hmm? Oh, Max and I went over to see Brody." He almost smiled at the surprise on her face upon hearing that. Of all the places where Maria would imagine Michael going willingly, Brody's house was at the very bottom of the list. "You two went to see Brody? Why would you possibly want to see him?" she asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Relax, Maria. I didn't do anything. I was on my best behavior." He moved over, pulling her down so that she was lying next to him, face to face. His hand traced its way down her leg as he spoke. "Brody thinks I'm okay, you know. He thinks that I'm a nice guy." She laughed sarcastically. "And how do you know that Brody thinks you're a nice guy?" "I can tell when someone's on guard or not. And he's not." He smirked a little. Brody was way too trusting, but he was safe in this particular instance. Michael wasn't going to do anything to hurt a friend of Maria's, even if he did want to. He could draw on Tymrath's life lessons and keep his instincts under control. Shaking his head, he returned to the topic at hand, seeing the concerned frown on Maria's face. "We wanted to ask Brody a few questions about his abduction." He couldn't resist rolling his eyes. How Max managed to work for the guy with his crazy alien theories was beyond Michael's ability to understand. Maria's eyes grew wide as she suddenly got the connection. "You think that's what's going on with Alex? Like with Brody and Larek?" She was about ready to jump out of the bed, but he caught her hand and pulled her back down. "No." He could sense her disappointment. As terrible as it would be to think of Alex being possessed by an alien, at least they would know what was going on. It would be better than this uncertainty. "We thought it was a possibility, but I don't think so now. There are too many differences between Brody's situation and what's going on with Alex. For one thing, Alex hasn't been taken away for any length of time. An alien would need some time to form the connection required for possession, and Alex hasn't vanished. The only time it might have happened is when he was in Sweden, but........." "But what's going on with Alex has only been going on for a week, tops." "Exactly." Michael nodded. "If something like that was going on, then we would have sensed it during the group connection. And when someone's taken over by an alien, they have black-outs and lose time. Alex hasn't mentioned any of those, has he?" She shook her head. "No. He blurts things out and does things he regrets later, but he's never said that he doesn't remember doing them." "Yeah." Michael's fingers twisted in the hem of her dress. "So he's still Alex. Just a very angry, very confused Alex. And I don't have the slightest idea of what to do about it." Maria closed her eyes as she snuggled closer to him, enjoying the feel of his hand pushing up her dress and moving slowly up her leg. "Maybe Isabel or Max could take a peek into his mind and see what's wrong," she suggested. Michael gave a bitter laugh. "Do you honestly think that Alex is going to let one of us into his mind right now?" "No," she admitted sadly. The idea of Alex not trusting Isabel into his mind was something almost impossible to imagine, but there it was. "And Izzy can't get into his dreams. She's tried." Michael closed his eyes, too. "So, we're back at square one. We don't know what's going on, so I don't know what to fight." Opening her eyes, Maria leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "We'll figure it out," she repeated firmly. The worst thing they could do right now was give up. He looked at her in some confusion. "Why are you here, Maria? Not that I'm complaining," he hurried on. "Because I'm definitely not. But why aren't you with Alex?" She gave a small shrug. "Kyle and Liz are staying over at the Whitman place. My mom thinks that I am, too." "Your mom lets you go on sleepovers at Alex's house?" he asked in curiosity and surprise. "Oh, yeah. Always has. Although around the time that we were in sixth grade, Liz and I had to start sleeping in another room of the house." "Interesting." He leaned over and kissed her neck as his hand continued up. "So, your mother thinks that you're over at Alex's house? All night?" "Yep. But I thought that you might need me more right now. Plus, I wanted to give you back Tymrath's necklace." That stopped him. Michael pulled away and lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. She leaned over, resting her head on one hand as she stared at him. "So, want to tell me about it?" "Not really." "Michael." "Maria." He looked at her and sighed. "It was something given to me when I was a kid. Before. I told you about Tymrath's parents dying when I was young, right?" She nodded, noticing the way he flipped back and forth between referring to his past life as "Tymrath" and himself. She was never sure how much of who he'd been before had been integrated into his current personality. Not that it mattered - she loved him for who he was now, all of him. He went on. "Well, I went to stay with some......... I guess you'd call them distant relatives. And they gave me the necklace." "You didn't like them." It wasn't really a question. She remembered the apprehension she'd felt in the vision when he'd thought about going back there. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, seeing things she couldn't. "Some of them weren't bad. But I didn't like it there. It wasn't a good place." He rolled over and looked at her earnestly. "Tymrath's life, my life, started when I met Zandar. There wasn't much good about who I was back then," she started to speak at that, but he put his hand over her mouth, "but what there was, came from Zandar and Vilandra. It'd really rather forget about everything before then. Please, Maria. I just don't think I can talk about this more tonight. Not on top of everything else." She took his hand in her own. "Michael, do you really think you can just forget about it?" "It's not important. Let's just concentrate on the problems we have now, okay? Please." Wow. Two "pleases" from Michael Guerin in that many minutes. And she could feel how close he was to breaking down. There was only so much that he could handle at once. So Maria nodded. "Okay. But you're going to have to tell me, spaceboy. And soon." Michael pulled her closer, just needing to hold her and know that she was real, not a dream or a fantasy, but that she was really there. "I love you, teel-sharan." "I love you, too," she whispered gently, trying to get a small amount of peace and rest in an insane world. Together they could face anything. --------------------------------------------------------- The next morning, Valenti was drawn to his kitchen by the smell of something good cooking. When he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Tess standing over the stove, flipping pancakes. She smiled when she saw him. "Good morning." "Morning, Tess." He rubbed his face wearily. It had been a long night for him. He'd been going through all the records he had on Hanson, trying to figure out what was going on with him. He couldn't believe that yet another one of his deputies was proving a threat to the kids. He was about ready to just fire the whole department. He was pretty sure that he could take care of Roswell on his own. Walking over to Tess, he reached out for a plate of pancakes. A suddenly lowered spatula stopped him. "Trust me, you don't want to eat those. Those pancakes are mine. Why don't you just sit down and I'll bring you some that are suitable for human consumption?" She looked at him carefully. "You look exhausted still. Sit down." "Okay." He sat down and looked at her curiously. "Did you actually put tabasco in the pancake mix?" "Of course. Doesn't everybody?" Tess smiled as she brought him a cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes. "Sure." He laughed. "Thanks." The plate of nice hot pancakes looked good. He poured some syrup on them and dug in. There were definite advantages to letting Tess stay with them. Kyle had never woken up early and made his father breakfast. "So, did you find anything yet?" Tess asked as she sat down across the table from him, pouring yet more tabasco on the pancakes. He blinked a few times, trying to imagine what those pancakes could possibly taste like, then decided not to think about it. He didn't want to ruin his appetite. "Not yet. His record is totally normal. Until lately, the only problem I've ever had with Hanson was that he was a bit over-zealous." "And not terribly bright," she added. "Well, there is that, too." He swallowed another bite. "These are really good, Tess." Her face lit up at the praise. "Thanks." Her smile faded and she got a harder look on her face. "Over-zealous? Is that what you call desperately trying to get Michael arrested?" Valenti shrugged. "He thought Michael was guilty. I didn't think it was anything personal at the time." "And now?" "Now, I don't know." That was all he could say. Who knew what was going on with Hanson, or how long it had been going on? "Hey." Kyle was standing in the doorway, looking tired, too. "Are there any more pancakes?" "No." Tess got up and stood between him and the remaining pancakes on the kitchen counter. Kyle looked confused by the hostility in her voice. "Okay, I just got home, so I know that I haven't had time to do anything wrong yet. So what are you mad about?" "How's Alex?" she asked, tapping her foot and glaring at him. Valenti just leaned back in his chair. No way was he getting into the middle of this. "He's okay. Better this morning," Kyle answered slowly, looking at his father for support, but only getting a shrug in response. Kyle was on his own. "Good for him. You know, other people were worried about him, too. It might have been nice if someone had, oh, I don't know, called to let us know how things were last night. Or are only humans allowed to worry about their friends?" Picking up his coffee, Valenti left the two of them, patting his son on the shoulder as he left. "Good luck, son." As he left the room, he could hear Kyle apologizing to Tess. Kyle hadn't even considered how she would feel at being left out like that the night before. Somehow, listening to Tess making her opinions known very loudly, he didn't think Kyle would make the same oversight again. -------------------------------------------------------- Michael walked into the apartment, tossing his keys down on the counter as he went to the refrigerator. He was starving. He'd been talking with the Valentis about the whole Hanson situation. His eyes went over to the pile of books he'd checked out of the library earlier in the week. He should have some time to study them later. He had to continue his preparations, his training. Nothing in the fridge looked appetizing to him. Was he hungry or wasn't he? Then he realized something. He picked up the phone and dialed. "Crashdown Cafe, how can I help you?" came the cheerful voice. Michael smiled. Just hearing her voice made him feel better. "You're hungry. Eat something." "Michael?" Maria moved away from the counter, taking the phone with her. "You called me at work just to tell me to eat something?" "You're hungry, aren't you? You need to eat." She shook her head in bemusement. "You're all the way across town in your apartment and you can tell that I'm hungry?" "Yeah." What was her point? "That doesn't seem at all strange to you, spaceboy?" "Strange compared to what?" She started to laugh. He had a point. Everything in their lives was strange, after all. "Good point. But I don't need you telling me when to eat, Michael. I already have a mother. Remember her? The woman you live in deadly fear of?" she teased. "I prefer to think of it as respectful caution." "Yeah, right, wussy boy. You and I both know you're terrified of her." He could hear the laughter in her voice, but it wasn't going to distract him. "Back to the point, Maria. You need to keep up your strength. I don't want you passing out from hunger later or something." "And exactly what am I going to need my strength for?" she asked coyly, then laughed again. "Never mind. Don't answer that. I was just about to take a break and eat some lunch." "Good." He sat down and tried to pick up on her emotions. They were very faint at this distance. "How are you doing?" When she answered, her voice was very quiet and serious. "I'm okay. I'm just waiting for Liz to call and report about Alex." "Yeah." He just sat there for a minute, listening to her breathing on the other end of the line. It was almost as good as having her there with him. "Michael? I gotta go and eat something," she said teasingly. "I'll come by later." "Okay." He wasn't in any rush to hang up the phone, though. "Okay. I love you." She hung up the phone quickly. The temptation to stay on the phone with him was too great, and she was already getting looks from the other staff. Michael walked back into the kitchen and hung up the phone. He stood there for a minute, drumming his hands nervously on the counter, then sighed. He couldn't ignore it forever. Slowly, he opened the drawer and reached in, pulling out Tymrath's necklace. He held it up in front of him. He knew he should destroy it, that he should have destroyed it long ago back on Antar. But he'd never been quite able to. He didn't fully understand why, and what little he did understand made him nervous, but there it was. "T'on'xyl," he whispered to himself. Heart of stone. He remembered being awarded the necklace. He could picture the moment clearly in his memory - reaching out his hand, covered in blood, being given the stone on its golden chain. Then proudly slipping the chain over his head. He'd had no idea of what he was getting himself into. Not really. Shaking himself, he dropped the necklace back down into the drawer and closed it away from view. Someday he'd get the strength to destroy it. Until then, there was nothing to be gained from dwelling on the past. It was like he'd told Maria - his life as Tymrath hadn't really started until he'd met Zandar. The sooner he could forget the rest, the better off he'd be. The sudden ring of the phone startled him. He picked it up. "Yeah?" "Michael, it's Liz. We have a problem." She sounded panicky, so he resisted the urge to ask her which particular problem it was that she was referring to. "What?" "Alex is missing." Yep, definitely panicked. "He went in to the bathroom, and then he snuck out through the window. I don't know where he went." Michael rolled his eyes and sighed. Perfect. What next? "Okay, Liz. I'm on my way over. Try to calm down. We'll find him." He picked up his keys and started to open the front door. And to his surprise, there was Alex, hand raised to knock. "Never mind. He's here." Without waiting for a response, he pressed the off button on the phone. His attention was focused on the human boy in front of him, waiting to see what he was going to do. Alex leaned back casually on the doorframe, eyes going to the phone in Michael's hand. "Liz?" he asked with a small smile. Michael nodded. "You worried her when you pulled your Houdini routine." Alex just gave a brief laugh. Michael's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't that bother you?" "Not especially." Alex tilted his head to the side and looked at Michael closely. "You're nervous," he said, still with that smile. "Now there's a change. You nervous about me." Michael didn't know what to say to that. It was the simple truth. He had no idea of what was going on inside Alex's head or what he might do. The only thing he did know for sure was that he wasn't acting much like the Alex they all knew. That made him unpredictable. And he didn't like that smile on Alex's face - there was a tinge of malice in it that didn't fit with Alex. Apparently giving up on waiting for Michael's response, Alex nodded suddenly. "So," he said briskly. "I have this problem. You want to know what it is?" He looked at Michael with wide eyes. He nodded. "Sure," he answered carefully, paying attention to Alex's expression and the tone of his voice. "Here's my problem." Alex's eyes grew hard as he kept on staring at Michael. "I can't think of a single reason why I should trust you or listen to you. My mind keeps yelling at me that you're a dangerous lying monster. That you'll end up betraying us. You'll get us all killed, just like you did the last time." Michael tried to keep his body still, to keep himself from flinching. He had a feeling that was exactly the type of response that Alex was looking for. Alex was saying these things to hurt. "Just some good-for-nothing murdering freak," he went on, the tension in his face a stark contrast to the casual way he was standing there. "We should all stay away from you." Michael's hands were clenched so tightly that he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers. He forced himself to stand still and listen to what Alex was saying, though. And to the way he was saying it, so matter-of-fact and sure of himself. He sounded as if he believed every word. Then Alex's expression changed. He shook his head and the hardness left his eyes, leaving that confused look Michael had seen the night before. "But then I remember the connection. And I remember the way you felt about Max and Isabel and Maria. Even Liz and me. And I just can't believe that you would do anything to hurt us." He looked away for a second, frowning in thought, then looked back at Michael. "Would you?" Michael just shook his head. He couldn't speak. "So, my problem is that I don't know what to believe anymore. Do I listen to my head? The part that's warning me away? Or do I trust what I felt in the connection?" A visible shudder went through Alex, and for a second his face had a look of actual physical pain cross it. "I think about what I've seen, what I know, what I've guessed. And I have one question." Alex's gaze fixed unwaveringly on Michael, as if he could force the truth out of him that way. "From the moment you went to live in the palace, until the end, did you do anything, anything, to hurt Zandar or Vilandra?" "Never." Michael's response was immediate. Alex looked at him for a long minute, apparently trying to decide whether or not to believe him. Michael found himself holding his breath, waiting. He had a feeling this was the moment when they were going to either lose Alex or not. He had to decide for himself whether or not to believe Michael, to believe in the connection the group had formed out in the desert. It was a choice Alex had to make for himself, and it obviously wasn't an easy one for him to make. "I need to believe." Alex's voice began quietly, but grew in volume and certainty as he went on. "And I've decided that I have to trust myself. The connection - you couldn't have faked that. So I'm taking a leap of faith here." He smiled a little. "And now that you've heard all that, will you let me come in?" Michael moved aside and let the other boy inside. Alex went over to the couch and sat down, resting his head in his hands. Michael closed the door behind him and walked over, standing against the wall. He wasn't getting too close to Alex yet. He didn't want to take the chance of setting the human boy off again. "Alex, what's going on?" Alex gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "What's going on? I'll tell you, Michael, old buddy, old pal. I think I'm losing my mind." ---------------------------------------------------------- Maria was innocently devouring a plate of fries when Liz came rushing in to the back room. "What's up, girl?" she asked as Liz dragged her away from her food and upstairs to her room. "Hey, I was eating those!" "You can eat later," Liz insisted, closing the door to her room behind them. "Okay, spill." If Liz wasn't going to let her eat, then she was at least going to have to explain what had her so upset. And if Michael called back to yell at her for not eating, then Liz was going to have to explain it to him. Then a thought occurred to her. "Where's Alex?" Liz took a deep breath. "Alex snuck out through the bathroom window." Maria's mouth dropped open. "He did what? Okay, that is so not Alex. What is up with him?" She shook herself impatiently. Of course, that was the whole problem, wasn't it? They didn't know what was wrong with him. "Well, let's go find him." "Already found." Liz gave a bright fake smile. "Turns out that Alex decided to sneak out the window so that he could go over and see Michael. Because you know, it would have been way too hard to just tell me he wanted to go over there." Liz was really angry. "You know, whatever is going on with him better be something serious, because otherwise I'm going to kick his ass." "Liz!" Maria was shocked. "Such language." "Sorry." Liz dropped down on her bed. "It's just all the stress." "I know." She sat down next to her friend. "I didn't really mean it," Liz muttered. "I know that it's not his fault. I'm just scared, you know?" Maria nodded silently. She thought for a second, then answered quietly. "I'm scared for Alex. And I'm furious at what this is doing to Michael." Liz looked over. "What do you mean?" Maria got up and started to pace. "I mean, Michael's had enough rejection from the people he's loved. He didn't need to have Alex look at him like he was some sort of freak." Before Liz could say anything, she waved her hands in he air. "And it's not his fault. Alex isn't the one I'm mad at. But I want to get my hands on whoever is responsible, whoever's doing this. And then.........." Maria let her voice trail off. She wasn't sure where the images of what she wanted to do to whoever it was were coming from, but they were pretty graphic and she didn't want to disturb Liz with them. At any rate, she knew her friend got the point. Seeing the worried look on Liz's face, she sat back down next to her and gave her a little hug. "It'll be okay, Liz. Michael will take care of Alex." Liz gave a genuine laugh. "Okay, you do get how totally strange that sounds, right?" Maria joined in the laugh. "Yeah, I know. But Michael's changed." "Yeah, I've noticed that." Liz gave her a curious look. "So has Max." "Figures, don't you think? They've got two lives running around in their heads now." Liz grabbed a pillow and clutched it tightly. "How do you handle it? The whole thing about him being Tymrath and Michael both?" Maria thought about it for a minute. "I'm not sure," she answered slowly. "He's just Michael. He's the guy I love. The rest is a part of him. It's not like he has a split personality or something. He's still the same guy he always was. He's just kind of more now." It was hard to put it into words. "It's a little bizarre, but every relationship has its quirks." Liz laughed again. "True," she said with a raised eyebrow. "But I think we have a bit more than normal, don't you?" A slow smile spread across her face. "Of course, there are definite plusses to the relationship, too." "Definitely." Maria smiled back. Then she took a deep breath. "Michael wants me to move in with him." " What?" Maria winced at the scream. Liz looked apologetic. "Sorry. But he wants you to move in? Michael? Mr. I-Don't-Get-Intense wants you to move in?" "Yeah. That was about my response, too." "Well, what did you say?" Maria rolled her eyes. "What could I say? That we're still in school. That it was too soon for that. Way too soon. Besides, can you imagine my mother's response?" "Wow." Liz looked rather stunned. "I mean, I knew that you two weren't just a casual thing, obviously, but still. Moving in?" She tilted her head to the side, looking at her friend carefully. "Do you think he's going to want to get married or something?" Maria tried to look casual. "I don't actually expect a marriage proposal or anything, since in Michael's mind, we're already married." For the second time, Maria winced as Liz's voice grew in volume. "You're what?" She smiled and shrugged. "Turns out that's what the tiasa is all about. An Antaran marriage ceremony." She went on a little defensively. "I don't know why you're so shocked. You knew it was a forever type of deal." "Well, yeah, but married? It's just a bit of a surprise." Liz thought back to last year, when she and Max had come so close to completing their bonding. She wasn't sure if she was glad or upset that they'd been interrupted. "You're still so young." "He's not." Maria's answer came instantly. "Not really. He's older now. So are Max and Isabel. Haven't you noticed the difference?" Liz nodded. That's what was different about Max now. There was a knowledge and a maturity in his eyes that he hadn't had before. "And I'm different now, too, Liz. I'm not sure how exactly, but I am." She looked down at the bed, twirling circles absently on the covers. "I'm picking up things from Michael, all the time. His feelings. Sometimes his memories." "And you think this is changing you?" "A little." Maria looked into the distance, concentrating. "I'm not complaining, mind you. But at times......." her voice trailed off. "At times what?" Liz prompted her gently. "At times I think it would be too easy to lose myself in him. To stop being Maria and just be his." She smiled weakly. "The connection's overwhelming at times." "Does it go both ways?" Maria nodded. "Yeah. Michael picks up things from me, too. He called me earlier to tell me to eat because he could feel that I was hungry." She faked a glare and shook her finger at Liz. "By the way, if he lectures me about not taking care of myself and finishing my lunch, I'm blaming you for it." Liz's smile was short-lived, though. "Does it scare you?" "A little. It scares me more that it doesn't scare me too much." Maria shook her head, trying to come up with words to explain what she was feeling. "It just occurs to me that I have absolutely no plans for my life, Liz. None. My great ambition was to be your wacky side-kick. Remember?" She looked at Liz and they smiled, remembering the night that Maria had learned about the aliens and had run for her life. "And then everything centered on the aliens. On Michael. I just need to find something for myself, something I can hang on to so that I don't lose myself in him totally." Liz nodded in understanding. "There's your music." "Yeah. But I don't know what I want to do with it." Maria shrugged. "I'll figure it out." "Maria, do you regret bonding with Michael?" Liz asked softly. Maria looked at her as if she was crazy. "Regret it? No way. It's the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me. I feel more complete now than I ever did. I just have to be careful to keep some balance and to keep a part of myself separate from him. Which isn't just an alien problem, you know. You can lose yourself in a man even without him being an alien." Liz looked at her friend with admiration. "You're right. You have changed. You've grown up a lot in the last two years." "Yeah, well, Lizzy, haven't we all? And really, who wants to go back to who we were before?" Liz thought of Max and got that little warm feeling that thinking of him always brought her. "Not me. Complications and all, there's no way I'd go back." "Me either." Maria stood up and headed for the door. "Come on. I'm still hungry. Let's get some dessert." Liz got up and followed her. Enough serious talk for now. Time enough for that later when they saw Alex again. ----------------------------------------------- Alex frowned at the pile of books on the couch next to him. Anatomy books? What is Michael doing with anatomy books? Michael placed a glass of orange soda on the table in front of Alex, then retreated to sit down on the chair by the window. "Thanks," Alex muttered, then looked more closely at the alien. He gave a tired laugh. "You don't have to look so nervous, Michael. I don't think I'm dangerous. And even if I do snap totally, you could rip out my heart with one hand, couldn't you?" He paused as he took a sip of the soda. "Could you do that?" "Never tried it," Michael said, trying to keep his tone light. He could tell that Alex's nerves were snapped as tight as they possibly could be, but at least he was talking now. That was progress, right? "What did you mean, you're losing your mind?" Alex put down the glass carefully. "I meant it in the literal, clinical, going insane way. I think there's a very strong possibility that I'm going crazy. Totally stark raving mad." He looked over at Michael. "While I'm thinking about it, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. Even if you are a killer, that doesn't mean I should have been going on like that." "Why do you keep saying that? That I'm a killer?" He was starting to have a harder time staying calm, but was determined not to lose his own temper. Alex's mood was too delicate right now. Michael worried that if he said the wrong thing, Alex might totally freak out again. "Am I wrong?" Before Michael could answer, Alex went on quickly. "Never mind. I know that you're not. That's one of the things I'm talking about. These thoughts and words keep popping into my mind. Only, they're not my thoughts. It's like a little voice is whispering things to me inside my mind. Hearing voices - not a good sign. Hence, the conclusion of insanity." "Thoughts like what?" Alex grimaced. "I've been having these nightmares. They're...... well, disturbing is too mild a word for them. But at first I just figured they were dreams. And dreams can't hurt you, right?" He looked over at Michael as if for reassurance. "Depends on the dream," he answered quietly. Alex looked surprised at that. "Well, then I would start to have thoughts when I was awake. Angry thoughts. And I would say things I didn't really mean. Only I did mean them when I said them. But these are things that I would never think before. Never. They just pop out." Alex winced. "I'm sorry about pushing you last night, by the way. Thanks for not making my head explode or something." He tried to smile at Michael. "Just kidding." Then his expression changed again, eyes sharpening. "Can I see the necklace again?" Michael tensed up. "I'm not sure that's a good idea." Alex's voice took on a note of authority. "I need to see it." After a pause, Michael went and got it. He handed it to Alex, who stared at it in fascination. "I was hoping I was wrong," he whispered. "But I'm not. It's the same." He looked at Michael with disgust. "I had a dream about you. You and Max were on a battlefield. The battle was over and the wounded were being brought in off the field to be treated." Michael started to get a panicky feeling. He was afraid he knew where this was leading. Please, no, he prayed silently. "There was an injured soldier lying on the ground near you. He was wearing this necklace." Alex waved it in Michael's face. "Max turned away. You were alone with the injured man. And you killed him!" He stood up, practically screaming in Michael's face. "He was lying there defenseless, and you reached down and put your hand over his chest. He jerked once, and then he was dead. Just like Nasedo killed his victims." Alex sat down, looking at him with revulsion. "You killed a wounded man. And then what? You kept the necklace? What type of sick freak keeps trophies of the people he kills?" "I didn't keep trophies," Michael whispered. "What?" "I didn't keep trophies," he said louder. He forced himself to look at Alex's blazing eyes. If Alex was going to hate him, then let it be for the truth. About this, at least. "I destroyed that necklace. That one," he gestured to the stone in Alex's hand, "was mine. It was mine long before that happened." Alex sat back against the cushions, appearing exhausted. "So, it was real. My dream? It really happened?" Michael just nodded. Alex closed his eyes. "I was hoping I was wrong. So, you really did kill an injured man? A helpless prisoner?" He opened his eyes at the sound of Michael's derisive laughter. Michael got a hold of himself. "Helpless? Believe me, he wasn't helpless." He looked at Alex in consideration. "You must have been watching from a distance." Alex nodded. "I figured. He wasn't really injured. He was pretending. He was there to kill Zandar." "How did you know?" Alex didn't even think about how strange it was that he had been able to see events from another time and another planet in his dreams. He was more interested in learning the truth. "For one thing, I recognized him." Michael took a deep breath. "He was an assassin sent to kill Zandar. You must not have seen the knife he had, either?" Michael went on before Alex could answer. "No, I guess not. So, I killed him in order to stop him from killing my king." He gave Alex a level stare. "I'm not going to apologize for that. It was my job. I kept Zandar from going out into the field after that. It wasn't safe." "Kivar sent him?" Alex's voice was much quieter than before. "Yeah." Michael remembered what he'd felt in those few seconds after he recognized the assassin. He hadn't had much time to act in order to save Zandar's life. And then he'd taken the necklace before anyone else saw it. Michael's face settled into harsh lines at the memory. He'd understood Kivar's message right away. Shaking away the memories, he looked at his friend. "As close as I can figure, Kivar went after Vilandra right after that. He'd given up on other means of getting to Zandar." "Because he knew that you were there to protect him. That you were loyal to Zandar." Alex's voice was gentle now, understanding. Michael wondered exactly how much he did understand. "I'm sorry for screaming at you. It's just the dreams. I've seen you killing in them, over and over. And they're very vivid." Michael winced. "You should never have had to see any of that." "Until I saw the necklace last night, I thought they were just dreams. That the strange thoughts out of nowhere and the images meant that I was going crazy. When I saw the necklace, I thought that maybe they were true somehow." "And that's why you freaked out." Michael could understand it. It was one thing to know in a detached way what had happened with them back on Antar, and another to actually experience it. "Alex, why don't you tell me about the dreams?" Alex nodded slowly. "Okay. At first, they weren't too bad. I'd be with Isabel, and then she'd disappear. I could hear her laughing somewhere in the distance, laughing at me, but I couldn't find her. Then I'd find her, but she was tied up to a pillar in front of a throne. Max was sitting there watching, and you would come out and kill her. Like you killed Pierce, only," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I could see your eyes. I didn't like what I saw there." Michael looked away quickly. He could imagine what Alex had seen. No wonder he'd looked at him with suspicion and distrust. Alex went on. "I guess my mind must have been showing me you guys as you are now because it's the way I think of you. You looked just the same as you do now. Course, I have no idea what Antarans look like in your natural state." He tried a weak smile. It faded quickly. "Anyway, I just figured the dreams were my mind's way of dealing with the whole story of how your guys died the last time around. "But then they got even worse." There was a note in Alex's voice that caught Michael's attention and made his head spin around. He didn't like it. Alex sounded brittle. He was wound too tight, and was too close to shattering right then. "It's okay, Alex. You don't have to tell me anymore." Alex shook his head insistently. "Yes, I do. After that, I had two types of nightmares. One of them was of you. I saw you kill so many times. And the look on your face when you did it....." his voice trailed off, remembering the nightmares with horror. Realizing that he was still holding the necklace, Alex grimaced and threw it away in disgust. Michael let it go. "The other ones were even worse. They were of Isabel and me. They always started pleasantly. We'd be doing something nice. And things would progress...." he cleared his throat, embarrassed. "That's not important. But then things would change. I would change. And I'd find myself doing things I would never do." He looked at Michael, eyes pleading for him to believe him. "I would never do anything to hurt Isabel. Never." "I know, Alex," Michael tried to console the other boy. "Max and I would never let you anywhere near her if we thought you would." "Considering the fact that the two of you murdered her the last time around, I'm not sure how much that counts." Alex winced as soon as the words were out of his throat. "See? That's what I mean. I have no idea where these things come from. They're not my thoughts. At least, I didn't think they were. Maybe I just didn't know myself as well as I thought I did." He lowered his head again, so confused. Michael looked at his friend, wishing that Maria was there. She would know what to say to make Alex feel better. "They're not your thoughts, Alex. Trust me." Alex looked up at him doubtfully. "You talked about the connection. Well, I could see you in it, too. And your spirit - it doesn't have any cruelty in it. So these thoughts, these images, they're not coming from you." Alex's eyes lit with hope momentarily, but then the light went out of his eyes again. "They're in me, Michael. Where else could they be coming from?" Michael was starting to get a pretty good idea. "When did the nightmares start?" Alex frowned in thought. "About a week ago. The night before we went to Dagmar's house, Isabel had a bad dream and dreamwalked me. They started after that." Michael turned suddenly and hit the wall behind him, his anger needing an outlet. Alex jumped a little, watching him warily. "Damn." Michael turned back to him, practically spitting the words. "It's Kivar." He'd been determined to keep Alex safe from Kivar, and the bastard had been walking around in his dreams for a week. "Kivar? He's been giving me these dreams?" Alex was confused. "Why?" "He's trying to get a foothold in your mind." Michael was trying very hard to keep his temper under control. Blowing things up wouldn't help Alex keep calm. "So that he can control you. So that he can possess you and use your body." Michael felt like he was going to be sick. The idea of Kivar running around inside Alex's body was enough to make him ill. "Possess me? Like Larek does with Brody?" Alex was stunned. Slowly, though, anger was starting to push through the shock. "He could do that?" "It's what he does. He gets a way in and he exploits it." Mind control had always sickened him. Even back on Antar, he'd preferred the more direct methods of fighting. A person's mind should be his own. "There are different ways to get in. Usually, he'd have to grab a person physically and establish the link. The stronger the person's mind, the harder it is to get in." He looked at Alex. "In your case, he got in through the back door. Through Isabel." "What do you mean?" Alex was finding it easier to keep his thoughts straight now that he had a possible explanation to focus on. There was nothing more terrifying than not being able to control your own mind. "Kivar's been in Isabel's dreams, too. She pushed him out finally. He must have used whatever leftover bond they had from Vilandra's life to get in. And then he followed her connection to you to get into your mind, too." "And then what?" Michael didn't answer. "He would have used my body to hurt you guys, right? Right?" Michael reluctantly nodded. "Just great. Isabel managed to push him out, so he moved on to the weakest of the group. Me." Michael looked at him in confusion. "The weakest? What are you talking about? Don't you get it?" Michael crouched down on the floor in front of the couch. "Kivar's been trying to take you over for a week now. A week. You've kept him out." "No....." "Listen to me." Michael sounded impressed, even awed. "You have kept Kivar from taking you over for an entire week. Sure, you've had bad dreams and stray thoughts from him. But at no time have you been consumed by him. At no time have you lost yourself. Even last night, when you were so angry with me, you shook yourself out of it. You were still you." An admiring smile spread across his face. "That must have pissed Kivar off like you wouldn't believe. That you could keep him from what he wanted. That you could fight back." "That's not normal?" Alex asked hesitantly. Michael laughed. "Normal? I've never heard of it happening, Alex. Once Kivar's found a way in to your mind, there's no way of stopping him. Vilandra couldn't do it. But somehow, without knowing what was going on and without any type of training, you did. You should have been his puppet for the last week now, but you haven't." The smile faded. "That's what's been driving you crazy, you know. Your mind's been fighting back without even knowing what it was fighting. It's amazing that your mind hasn't shattered completely." He shook his head in admiration. "You're not the weakest of us. Nowhere near." Alex looked at him closely. "You seem to know a lot about this." Michael's eyes had that remembering look again. "Kivar is the enemy. If you don't learn about your enemy, you don't last very long in the fight." His eyes came back to focus on the now. "I'm sorry, Alex. We should never have let this happen to you." Alex shook his head. "Not any of your faults. It's his." Alex's voice hardened. "Michael, do me a favor?" "Sure." "When you do catch up with Kivar, I want to be there." Michael looked at him in surprise, but then nodded. He would rather have spared Alex this, but apparently it was out of his hands. Alex had earned that right. "I can't believe that he wanted to take over my body like that. That's disgusting." Alex stood up and walked around the apartment. He had a sudden thought. "I'm really glad that I'm not actually crazy yet, but what can I do to stop it from eventually happening? Other than letting him take me over, because that's not going to happen. I'm not letting him use me to hurt Izzy." Michael leaned back, considering plans and options. "You're the one who's been keeping Isabel out of your dreams, aren't you?" "Yeah." Alex looked a little embarrassed. "I couldn't take the chance of her walking in on one of those dreams. They were horrible." He shivered at the thought. His dreams had become a battlefield, and often a bloody one. He'd had to keep Isabel out of them. "How?" "How what?" "How did you keep her out of your dreams?" "Let me guess. That's another thing I shouldn't have been able to do, right?" Michael just nodded absently. "I don't know exactly. I could sense her in my dreams, so I just kind of built a wall in my mind to push her out and then not let her in again." "A wall in your mind.........." Michael jumped up quickly. "That's it. You were able to identify that Isabel was a strange presence in your mind, that she didn't belong there. I have no idea how you managed to do it, but you did." He looked off into space, thinking. "And your mind somehow knew that Kivar was there. Now that you know it consciously, you can do the same thing to him that you did to Isabel." Michael gestured with his hands as if he was shoving someone away. "You just push him out, too." "I don't know, Michael," he replied dubiously. "If he's as strong as you say he is....." "But you're already doing it," Michael said eagerly. This was going to work. "You just need to finish what you've already started. "Do you really think this will work?" Alex wanted to believe that he could have his mind to himself again, all to himself again, but he didn't know. It sounded too simple. He said as much to Michael, who gave him a wry look. "It is simple. Kivar's in your mind. You can push him out. Nothing complicated there. But don't confuse simple with easy." Michael's voice took on a world-weariness Alex hadn't heard before. "You know what the problem is, and how to stop it. You know what you have to do. But it's not easy. There's a lot of work involved. And I'm not a mind warrior. I have no idea of how hard it will be for you to build this wall. What I do know is that you can do it." He gave Alex a level look. "For a week now, you've been fighting back our planet's strongest telepath, without even knowing you were doing it. Now that you do know, I'm certain that you can push him out totally. I don't have any doubts at all, Alex. You can beat him." Alex found himself starting to smile a little. Michael's certainty was contagious. "I can see why people would follow you into battle. Who would have thought that you could give such a good pep talk?" He had to laugh. "You definitely sound as if you know what you're talking about." Michael laughed with him. "Tell that to Maria some time. Maybe then she'll start listening to me more often." Alex snorted. "Yeah, right. You know, I think this is the most I've ever heard you talk at one time." Michael smirked. "It's Maria's influence." The laughter died out, and Alex looked at his friend with a frightened look. "I don't want to go back in there. Into my dreams." "I know." Michael's voice had a gentleness that Alex would never have expected. "Believe me, I know. Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones you have to fight in your own mind. I wish that I could do this for you, but I can't. This is your battle to fight. But you can do it." Alex's look settled into one of determination. Kivar had tried to use him to destroy his friends, to hurt Isabel. No way was Alex going to let that happen. For her, for his family, he'd fight back. "Fine." He lay down on the couch and closed his eyes. "Watch out, Kivar. Here I come."

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:38 pm

Michael sat on his countertop, clutching the edge of the counter tightly as he watched over the sleeping Alex. It had taken Alex a long time to fall asleep, and Michael didn't want to make any noise that might wake him before he finished his task of banishing Kivar from his mind. It would have been better if he had simply gone out of the room, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. There was absolutely nothing he could do to help Alex in his fight, but at least he could be there, just in case. In case of what? he asked himself bitterly. There isn't a damn thing you can do. He hated feeling this helpless. Alex was obviously having a hard time in his dreams. Every time he cried out or tossed on the couch in pain, Michael wanted to rush over and wake him up, to get him away from Kivar for a while. But he didn't. It would only be a momentary escape, after all. The human body needed sleep, and when Alex went back, there Kivar would be. And in the meantime, the longer the connection existed between Kivar and Alex, the more damage there would be to Alex's mind and his sanity. No, this mental battle was necessary. That didn't make it any easier to watch. Michael's fingers were starting to lose feeling. Soon he'd probably be breaking off chunks of the counter. But if he let go, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist waking up Alex. He couldn't stand watching a member of his family being hurt by Kivar. Fighting Kivar is my job. Michael was the angriest he had ever been. Kivar had struck out at his family again, was threatening to take away the people he loved again. And it wasn't just Alex who was suffering - it was everyone. They were all so tightly connected that if one of them fell, they all did. And Alex was their foundation. Michael wondered if Kivar had realized that at all, if he'd known the effects screwing with Alex's head would have on them all. Probably. Mind games are Kivar's specialty, after all. "You can't let yourself care too much about anyone else. That's a weakness - one you can't afford. Concentrate on the mission." The words popped into his mind, memories from his past life. He shook his head angrily, brushing them off. There was some truth in the lessons from Tymrath's training, but they were also lies. Because while caring about others did leave you open and vulnerable, it also gave you strength and purpose. Two sides to the same coin. It was important to have people you knew you could trust and count on. It had taken him long enough to learn that lesson, one that Maria had tried to pound into his stubborn head over and over again, but he finally had. Michael's head turned swiftly in the direction of the door as he heard footsteps in the hall outside. Maria. He'd been expecting her to show up ever since he called her earlier to tell her about Alex. Quickly, he was at the door, opening it before she could knock. Maria and Isabel stood there looking at him. He stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. "Quiet," he whispered. "Alex is sleeping." "Is he okay?" Isabel whispered back, trying to get past him, but finding her way blocked. Michael looked at Maria, raising an eyebrow in question. Maria shrugged. "She has a right to be here." He nodded slowly, looking back at Isabel. "Maria told you what was going on?" "Yeah. Is he fighting Kivar now?" Her worry was so strong that it was almost a physical force. Maria reached over and took her hand. Isabel didn't look away from the closed door in front of her, but she did accept her friend's silent support. "I think so." He took a deep breath. "It looks like he's having a touch time with it, Iz. But we can't wake him up until he's done. That's important." He looked at both of the girls sternly. "Understood?" When they both nodded, he opened up the door behind him and backed into the apartment. Maria and Isabel followed closely. Isabel's eyes focused on the couch instantly. "Oh, Alex," she whispered as she looked at him. He was tossing and turning in his sleep, obviously in the midst of a nightmare. When he let out a small whimper of pain, she started to rush over to him. Michael's arms were instantly around her waist, picking her up and dragging her to the bedroom door that Maria was opening. As soon as the three of them were inside, Maria closed the door quietly and stood guard in front of it. When her feet reached the floor again, Isabel shoved Michael away. "How dare you! He's in pain out there!" Ignoring Maria's "shhh" noises, Isabel's voice was reaching levels that were way too loud. "Alex is in pain and suffering, and we're just supposed to stand here and do nothing?" "You think this is any easier for me?" he hissed back at her, keeping his voice down with a supreme effort. "You think I don't want to tear Kivar into tiny little pieces for what he's doing to Alex? For what he wants to do to all of us?" "Michael!" Maria whispered urgently at him as he glared at Isabel. Following Maria's line of sight, he noticed the way the lamp in the corner of the room was shaking. Desperately, he tried to control his anger before he blew it up. Blowing things up, as much as it might help him release some of his tension, would be a bad idea right then. He didn't want to wake Alex up. After a few deep calming breaths, he went on. "There is nothing we can do right now, Isabel. Nothing. Is that sinking in yet?" He went over and stood by Maria at the door. "This is something Alex has to do, and he has to do it alone. But he'll get it done." He forced himself to smile at her. "He'll do it because he would do anything for you. And because he's stubborn. After all, he kept waiting for you, didn't he? If he had the guts for that, then he can handle Kivar, no problem." Isabel glared at the two blocking the door for a minute, then collapsed to the ground, leaning against the bed and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I know," she said quietly, a tone of despair in it that he hated hearing. "It's just........." Isabel closed her eyes, trying not to cry. "I remember what it was like to have Kivar in my mind. It was like drowning. I couldn't get out, and after a while I forgot to even want to. It was awful. I don't know how Alex can fight him. I couldn't. He was just so strong." Isabel started to rock back and forth. "I don't know how anyone can fight against that, against your own mind being out of your control. You can't imagine what it's like." Maria had left her position at the door and sat down next to Isabel, putting an arm around her shoulder, so neither girl noticed the sick look that crossed Michael's face at her words. "Alex can do it, Isabel," Maria said comfortingly. "He's already proved it." "It's not the same thing as what happened to you, Izzy." Michael was proud of how calm he was able to make himself sound. Determinedly pushing down the memories (Why do they have to keep coming back more and more?), he tried to help comfort Isabel. "Kivar doesn't have his hooks into Alex yet. Not really." Isabel opened her eyes and looked at him. "And how did Kivar even get any access into Alex? Through me. Through my mind. This is my fault." "What is with you aliens?" Maria sighed in mild annoyance. "This isn't your fault. Or Michael's. Or Max's. It's Kivar's fault. He's the one trying to turn Alex into some puppet or scramble his mind. It's the bad guy's fault, not yours." Isabel couldn't accept that. It seemed that everyone she knew ended up having to pay for her past and her alien status. "Kivar wants me. That's why he's doing this, because he wants me back." "Kivar wants to hurt us all," Michael said sharply. "Even if you walked up to Nicholas and asked him to take you to his leader, Kivar would still come after the rest of us. So don't get any stupid ideas." Isabel stared at Michael for a long minute, then nodded. "Okay." She gestured towards the door. "You really think he can do this? Make Kivar leave his mind?" "Yes." Michael's response was immediate. "You remember the connection?" Maria asked her gently. When Isabel nodded, she went on. "How bright Alex's spirit was? Well, I just can't imagine anything being strong enough to turn that light off. Kivar can't do it." "I hope you're right." Gathering her courage, she admitted to something that had been bothering her. "I know it's selfish and not really the point, but I wish Alex had come to me with this problem. I guess I just wish that he's trusted me enough to come to me for help, not you, Michael. Which is stupid, I know. It's good he went to someone for help. I just wish it had been me." Michael dropped to the ground on Isabel's other side. "Izzy, you've got it all wrong." He looked over Isabel's head to meet Maria's eyes, then looked back. He really wasn't good at this touchy-feely stuff. "Alex didn't come to me because he trusted me more than he did you. He came to me because he didn't trust me." Isabel looked at him sceptically. "That doesn't make any sense, Michael." He shrugged. "Sure it does. He was never afraid of you. Afraid of hurting you, yeah. Which I can understand." He ignored the little "hmph" noise Maria gave at that. He leaned back and put his arm around Isabel, too, so that his hand met Maria's. "But I was the one who Kivar was really trying to turn him against. Kivar showed him things about me back there on Antar that totally freaked him out. So, coming to me, trusting me, was this huge act of courage on his part. It was his way of showing that he was going to trust in his own instincts, and not what Kivar put in his mind." "It's like when you're a little kid afraid of the dark," Maria added in a soothing voice. "You eventually have to fact that fear, to turn off the light and show that you're not afraid of the boogie man." Michael nodded in agreement with the comparison. "Only this time, I was the boogie man." Before Maria could even open her mouth, Isabel interrupted. "No, that would be Kivar." She looked at the two of them with a small smile. It wasn't much, but it was a start. "Thanks. I guess that makes some sense. And it makes me feel better." "That's what we're here for," Maria teased gently. "He's going to be okay, Isabel. I know it. And I'm never wrong." When there was no answer for a second, she glared at Michael. "Right, spaceboy?" "Huh? What was the question?" he answered blankly. Growling, Maria reached over and mock-punched him in the arm with her free hand. "Just wait until later, mister. You're going to pay for that." "Really?" he asked with a smirk. Isabel rolled her eyes. "Oh, wonderful. More flirting." It did take at least part of her mind off the Alex situation for a few seconds, though, which she supposed was the whole point. Suddenly, the door opened, revealed a tired-looking Alex staring down at the three of them sitting on the floor, arms around each other. He blinked a few times, then grinned. "Group hug? Can anyone join in?" "Alex!" Isabel shot up from the ground, practically knocking him over with the force of her hug. "Yeah, it's me." He hugged her back tightly. After what he'd just seen, holding Isabel was about as close to paradise as he could ever hope for. She leaned back and looked at him closely. "Really?" He leaned over and kissed her for proof. The instant their lips connected, Isabel was able to sense him and the way he was feeling right then. There was exhaustion and some fear still left, but mostly what she felt was his determination and his love for her. It was the way she always felt him, but stronger than ever. Almost overwhelmed by the sheer strength of his feelings for her, she was glad that he was holding her tightly so that she didn't fall down. Pulling back, Alex ran one finger down her cheek. "Convinced?" "Maybe another kiss?" She smiled at him. But before he could comply, they were attacked by a squealing Maria, jumping and hugging Alex at the same time. "We were so worried about you!" she got out between hugs. Alex laughed. It felt great to be one-hundred percent himself again. Looking back, he could tell that he'd been feeling strange even before he suspected that there was anything weird going on. For the first time in a week, he felt like himself again. "I'm okay now. No worries." Michael got up more slowly than the girls. He could feel the big goofy grin forming on his face, but couldn't seem to stop it. He could feel the sense of total job coming from Maria at seeing Alex, and it just added to his own happiness. But first, he had to make sure. "You threw him out?" Alex looked over at Michael. Their eyes met, and Michael could see that while Alex was back to himself, there had been changes that couldn't be undone. Alex looked exhausted, and there was something different in his eyes now, a determination and strength that hadn't been so obvious before, along with knowledge that he hadn't had prior to this ordeal. But there was no longer the suspicion or hate that had popped in when Kivar was influencing him. He was all Alex again. "No more Kivar. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I don't think he'll be back again." He frowned at the memories. "You were right. It wasn't easy." He smiled down at Isabel, then looked back over at Michael. "But it's done now." The smile faded as he went on. "I saw him this time." Michael felt cold all over at the thought. He forced himself to walk closer to the others. "He wasn't just showing you things this time?" "Nope." Alex tried to think of how to explain it. "We...... talked would be the wrong word. It wasn't words so much as it was feelings. Emotions." He absently pulled Isabel even closer. "I understand more now about what we're fighting. Kivar's hungry." "Hungry?" Maria asked in confusion, looking at the other three. "He wants everything." Isabel explained quietly. "Nothing is ever enough for him. It never will be." "Yeah. I think I'll recognize him if I see him again." Alex nodded at Michael's expression of surprise. "Not what he looks like physically. But his energy, his emotions." Michael held out his hand. Maria took it and went to stand by him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly. He answered Alex. "I think Kivar made a huge mistake going after you." A slow, cold smile spread across his face. "We might be able to use that later." Isabel rolled her eyes as Alex nodded his head in agreement with Michael. "Whatever. Right now, we have other things to talk about." She pulled Alex back into the other room. Before Maria could follow them, Michael pushed the door closed and pulled her back to sit on the bed. "Hey," she complained half-heartedly as he pulled her close. "Let's give them some time alone," he murmured quietly as he kissed the top of her head. "I think they need it right now, don't you?" He leaned back on the bed, pulling her body down next to his. With a contented sigh, she snuggled in closer, enjoying the feel of his body stretched out next to hers. "Okay." She closed her eyes and just lay there for a few minutes. In some ways, she liked the quiet times they spent together just as much as the passionate ones. It still amazed her that she could feel this secure and content to simply be with another person, that she could ever feel this loved and complete. It was a gift that she was determined to never take for granted. But after a few minutes she started to think about the situation with Alex. There were things she didn't understand, things that she wanted to ask Michael about, but she didn't want to interrupt this rare moment of calm. So she tried to keep her curiosity in check. It didn't work too well. "Maria, why don't you stop fidgeting and just ask me whatever it is that you want to ask?" Michael's voice held amusement. She shook her head. "Nope. It can wait." "Until what? Until your head bursts with the stress of trying not to ask?" He was almost laughing out loud now. "Go ahead, teel-sharan. Ask away." She looked down at their connected hands. "Okay. So, Kivar and his Skins can just take anybody over and control them?" Now that she was able to take the time to really think about it, she was pretty terrified by the idea. Michael frowned and turned to her. "Relax. It's not like that. And he can't get to you," he moved to comfort her. He hated it when she got scared like that. "We're connected now. I'd know it if he even tried to get into your mind. You're safe." "What is it like, then?" She could sense his reluctance to answer, but this wasn't something that could wait. "Michael, if we're going to be hunted by Kivar, then we need to know what we're up against." Michael's frown deepened at her choice of words. But she was right - they were being hunted. Kivar would much rather take them out one by one then face them all together. Kivar didn't like losing and would do whatever he had to in order to decrease the odds of the opposition. But then, Michael didn't intend to lose this time around, either. "Fine. What do you want to know?" "Dagmar said that the Skins were stronger telepathically. Is that right?" "Generally." He forced himself to think about this objectively, as if he wasn't talking about his own history. "Some were stronger than others. But most Skins can do minor things." When he didn't go on, she waved her hand impatiently. "Like what?" "Like pick up on feelings. Some telepathy and empathy. Visions when emotions are strong. Stuff like that. Of course, Zandar and Vilandra could do some of that, too. The Skins are just generally more gifted in that area." His mouth twisted in a bitter grimace. "I'm not. I'm much better at blowing things up." Maria's hand rubbed his chest through his shirt, encouraging him silently to go on. "Some were trained to focus their abilities more. To be able to 'nudge' others telepathically." Maria felt the increased tension coming from him, both through their connection and in the way the muscles under her hand tightened up. "What does that mean? Nudge?" Michael sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "They could take someone and nudge their minds to do something. They could only do this with what the individual's natural tendencies were, though." "Like removing their inhibitions?" "I guess. If there was someone who was already angry, for instance, they could build up that anger. Encourage them to lash out at the source. It was a very subtle form of mind control." He looked down at Maria. "Kivar could take this even further, adding emotions that weren't necessarily there to begin with. But he needed something to work with. He's not all-powerful or anything." It was important to keep that in mind. If you started to think that you couldn't beat your enemy, then you couldn't. "Even with Vilandra, Kivar didn't completely control her. She wasn't possessed like Brody is by Larek. He took her interest in him, her flirtation, and increased it. He made her think that she loved him, but the rest of her actions were her decisions." Maria nodded, thinking seriously about this. "Maybe that was why he couldn't get Alex. Their minds were too different. There was nothing there for Kivar to grab onto and use." "Maybe." A thought occurred to him - how was Larek able to possess Brody like that? And how was Kivar able to try possession? Even as strong as Kivar was, he shouldn't be able to do that, especially over such a long distance. Apparently, Maria's thoughts were going in the same direction. "I guess they must have found some way to make their powers stronger when they possess humans." "Yeah. We'll have to do something about that." "Maybe Brody remembers something from his abduction." Michael rolled his eyes. "Oh, good. Can I ask him about it, please? It's so much fun to listen to his theories." Maria laughed quietly. "Maybe we'll have Max ask him about it." "Works for me." "So, these Skins could take any character trait and make it stronger than it would have been ordinarily?" There it was - that tensing up from Michael at her question. She looked at him carefully. He didn't look any different, meeting her eyes steadily. But she could feel his discomfort through their bond. She went on slowly. "Like if someone already had a temper, for example, they could make it worse?" He nodded. "That was the most common form of mental conditioning. The more control is necessary, the more power it takes." "Like with Vilandra?" she asked. "That was more extreme than usual. Kivar's stronger - he's the strongest on our planet, mentally. Vilandra never had a chance once he was in her mind." She had to ask. "Michael..........." But before she could, they were interrupted by a scream coming from the outer room. ------------------------------------------------- After the bedroom door shut behind them, Isabel sat down on the couch next to Alex, carefully looking him over. Other than the tired circles around his eyes, he looked better than he had in days. His eyes met hers with a clarity that she'd been missing. "Finished with the check-up, my lady?" he teased her with a smile. "Not quite." She pushed him back against the cushions, running her hands up and down his body. "Everything seems fine," she went on with a smile. "Although you do seem to be breathing a bit heavily. Are you having trouble breathing, sir?" "You always do take my breath away, Isabel," he responded weakly. "Maybe you should stop doing that, Iz." "Doing what?" she asked, as she ran her hands up under his shirt. "I'm just making sure that you've survived your ordeal okay. Since it's my fault and all." At that, he took her hands and held them firmly, looking at her seriously. "I don't want to hear you say that again, Isabel. I don't even want to hear you think that. Do you understand?" "But..." "But nothing. This was not your fault. Kivar tried to use me to hurt you. To hurt all of you. The things he would have had me do to you...." He closed his eyes, fighting the nausea at the memories. There was no way he was ever going to tell Isabel what he had done to her in some of those dreams. Regaining control, he opened his eyes and met her concerned look. "Kivar is a monster. But that is in no way your fault. So stop thinking that it is." She moved closer to him. "Michael said that you were afraid of hurting me. Is that true?" He nodded silently. She pulled her hands away from his and held his head in them. "I trust you, Alex. More than I've ever trusted anyone, even Max and Michael. I trusted you long before I realized that I loved you. So I want you to promise me something." "Anything," he answered instantly. "Good boy." She laughed at the way his eyes rolled at her response. Then she became serious again. "I want you to promise me that you won't ever try to push me away again or not come to me with a problem because you're afraid of hurting me. I don't know how Maria put up with that particular nonsense from Michael for as long as she did, but I don't have that patience. It hurts more to be left in the dark and afraid." "Okay, Iz." He reached his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. "I promise. From now on, we face things together. As partners." "Partners." Leaning down, she kissed him slowly. "And there are lots of fringe benefits to this partnership, you know." "Oh?" Alex looked at her questioningly. "Definitely." This time, when her hands went under his shirt, he didn't complain or stop her wandering. His hands were doing a little wandering of their own. And the kiss accompanying the wandering was enough to take away both of their breaths. Isabel leaned back and looked into his eyes. She saw no trace of any residual Kivar-ness in them. They were warm and filled with love and passion. So when he pulled her back down, she was able to let go of any left-over concern. She could feel that this was Alex, and that he loved her. Kissing him felt right. Kissing him felt like home. She felt his surprise when she pulled his shirt off over his head. "Isabel...." "It's okay," she whispered. "I just need to feel you, to know that you're really here." "I'll always be with you," he murmured back. She couldn't seem to stop her hands from roaming all over his chest. She wanted him so much at that moment that it was hard to think about anything else. Considering the fact that they were in Michael's apartment (with Michael and Maria in the next room), it was probably a good thing that they were interrupted by an opening door and a scream right then. --------------------------------------------------------- Michael was through the door and barrelling into the next room, hand raised, before the scream even died out. When he saw who had caused the commotion, he just stood there, staring blankly until Maria reached over and pulled his hand down. "Down, boy," she said, laughing. "I think you have to learn to remember to lock that door." "What are you doing here?" he exploded at the two standing in the doorway. Kyle kept his hand over Tess's mouth, trying to hold the wriggling girl as he kicked shut the door behind him. "We wanted to make sure that Alex was okay. We weren't exactly expecting to interrupt what we did. Again." He let loose a long-suffering sigh, quickly followed by a loud "Ow!" as Tess finally pulled away. She pointed over to the couch. Michael finally noticed the two sitting there, and the fact that Alex was shirtless. As Alex, blushing, put his shirt back on, Tess went into a tirade. "Every single time we're over at this apartment, someone is getting undressed and making out with their significant other. First you two," she pointed accusingly at Michael and Maria, "and now you." She turned back to Alex and Isabel. "What is with you people? Doesn't it bother any of you that there are other people around in the apartment?" Isabel looked slightly embarrassed, then lifted her head and gave her best "Princess Isabel" look. "Well, some people could knock, don't you think?" But Tess wasn't finished yet. "It's getting so that you can't even walk down a school hallway or go into an apartment without interrupting someone. I'm tired of being the chaperone! Everyone's getting some action in this apartment except us!" She turned angrily to Kyle. "That's it! We need to reserve some time here in the apartment." "Hey, wait a minute. Our apartment isn't turning into make-out central for the I-Know-An-Alien-Club!" Maria burst out indignantly. She didn't notice the quick look and smile Michael gave at her referring to the apartment as theirs. Maybe he'd get her to move in sooner than he'd thought. "Well, we can't do much back at our house," Tess went on impatiently. "Every single time we even start kissing, Dad appears out of nowhere. It's like he has some sort of radar. It's getting mildly freaky, actually." "Dad?" Kyle asked quietly. Tess turned quickly, staring at him as she seemed to realize for the first time what she's said. A look of total confusion passed across her face, then she regained some dignity. "I'm going to the bathroom." She gave pointed looks to the others in the room. "When I come back out, I expect everyone to still be clothed." Then she walked off. "Well, that was different," Alex said wryly. Kyle laughed as he sat down on the couch. "She's been a little stressed lately. She's been worried about you. We all have. How are you doing?" "I'm okay." Alex frowned, remembering. "Did I try to hit you last night?" "Don't worry about it." Kyle gave a sly grin. "I hate to have to tell you this, Alex, but you hit like a girl." "Hey, you better be careful or you'll get some practical experience with how this girl hits." Maria waved her fist in his direction as she and Michael crowded into the remaining chair. Not that she minded the close quarters. Kyle held up his hands defensively. "So, that Dad thing?" Isabel interrupted. "What was that all about?" "She's never called him that before," Kyle answered. "I guess she must be feeling like more a part of the family." "That's gotta make the whole dating thing a little strange," Maria pointed out. "Yeah," Kyle said philosophically. "But are any of our relationships really what would be considered normal?" "I don't know what you're talking about," Isabel said haughtily. "Things are perfectly normal here." "Right," Alex laughed as he tickled her until she started to giggle. Learning that Isabel Evans, queen of the calm composure, was incredibly ticklish, had been of the highlights of the last few weeks. "Okay, maybe there are a few abnormal things going on," she admitted between giggles. Alex stopped. "But I wouldn't give it up for anything." The two of them shared a look that made Kyle look away, feeling like an intruder. Some things were too private to be viewed by someone else. "So, I accept that there are a few odd things in my relationship with Tess." He sighed theatrically. "The only thing that bothers me is the strong suspicion that Dad likes her better than he does me." "Well, duh." Tess came back into the room and sat down next to him. "Obviously, I'm the favorite child." "And of course, there's her modesty," he went on to the others in the group. While he was looking at the others, Tess reached behind her and grabbed the pillow. Next thing Kyle knew, he was being pummelled by a pillow wielded by a very determined alien girl. He fell to the ground. "Hey, a little help would be nice here," he called to the laughing spectators. "Nah, I think you've got things well in hand." Michael had no intention of getting involved in this. He kept a firm grasp on Maria, too. He didn't like the idea of her getting hit with anything, including pillows. The others didn't seem to share his reluctance. Alex grabbed a pillow and threw it at Tess, who sent it flying back in his direction. Unfortunately, the pillow hit Isabel instead of Alex. And after that, it was a pillow fight free-for-all. After a few minutes of laughing and flying pillows, Michael heard a noise outside the door. "Hold on," he said. Obediently, the others got quiet. Getting up, he grabbed a pillow and gestured for Maria to take another one and come with him, a mischievous smile spreading over his face. He stood on one side of the door and motioned for Maria to stand on the other side. The door slowly opened as Max and Liz entered. "Alex, are you okay?" Liz started. That was as far as she got. Michael and Maria attacked simultaneously, whacking the newcomers over their heads with the pillows. Max just raised his hands and blinked in surprise, but Liz was a veteran of sleep-over pillow fights. Soon, the battle was back on. Michael stood to the side, keeping a close eye on Maria so he could pull her out of the fray the minute it looked like she was about to get ambushed. But, to his pride, she was holding her own. Ten minutes later, they were all collapsed on the floor. "Who won?" Kyle asked Michael, sitting up. "Oh, please," Isabel said indignantly. "We girls totally decimated you guys." "Totally." Maria nodded emphatically in agreement. "Whatever," Kyle said. "I asked Michael." All eyes turned to Michael, who suddenly looked uncomfortable. "You don't actually expect me to answer that, do you?" Glancing over at Maria, Kyle collapsed back down. "Guess not. Coward." Max sat on the couch behind Liz, massaging her shoulders as she smiled up at him. He looked over at Michael, still standing as if on guard. He smiled at his best friend. "Redarg, s'olat," he said firmly. Michael blinked at him in surprise, then started to laugh. "I didn't know you remembered that," he got out between laughs as he sat down on the floor next to Maria. "How could I forget? I said it often enough before." "What does it mean?" Liz was curious. She hadn't heard Max ever say anything in Antaran before. It was interesting to hear the strange words coming from him. "I'm guessing that's Antaran." "It means 'Relax, soldier'," Michael answered. "Zandar used to say it to me every time that I'd come back from a mission." "And then we'd go of and celebrate, doing something that would get us in trouble with Vilandra the next day." Max was still smiling. It was nice to remember something more pleasant from that other lifetime. Isabel only smiled, relaxing against Alex. Max might be the mighty king to their people, but to her he had only been and would only be her brother. No more, no less. The next hour was spent in idle conversation, normal talk about semi-normal things. Max and Michael told some stories from Antar, carefully avoiding anything referring to their last days there. Kyle told them some football stories, and Tess asked the humans questions about what it had been like to live in one town for their whole lives. At one point, it occurred to Max that they'd never really done this before - all of them just hanging out together like this. It was nice. Isabel had been right - they did need to learn how to play again and to just live. What was the point in defending their lives on Earth if they never took the time to actually live them? Michael had some chocolate cake Maria'd brought home from the Crashdown, and they all snacked on that. Alex noticed Maria taking bites from Michael's tabasco-covered piece of cake, but refrained from commenting. Nobody else seemed to notice her change in dietary habits. Even Michael seemed to just take it as something natural, so Alex simply filed it away under "Things to Think about Later." But their current situation couldn't be ignored forever, as much as they might like it. Finally, Tess brought it up again. "So, what do you think we can expect from Kivar now that he's figured out he failed with Alex?" Max shot a quick glance at his second, then looked back at her. "The only thing we can be sure about is that he'll come up with something new." Michael nodded. "He's just testing our defenses now. Trying things out to see what works and what doesn't." "It never ends, does it?" Kyle said it without anger, just with weariness. Tess turned and gave him a quick kiss. She understood better than anyone how he just wanted to keep his family safe. It was a feeling they all shared. "It will end when Kivar's dead." Michael's voice had that cold tone to it that Maria had learned to associate with his Tymrath-memories. "And in the meantime, we take care of each other," Liz said as she put her hand on Max's knee. "No matter what." "We take care of our own," Michael agreed. Maria put out her hand into the middle of the room with a bright smile. "Agreed?" "Agreed." Alex put his hand over hers. "Forever." Isabel shared a smile with Alex before placing her hand over his. Kyle shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" He put his hand on the pile, quickly followed by Tess. "Very poetic, Buddha Boy." She was smiling as she said it, though. "We watch out for each other," Liz said firmly as she leaned over and placed her hand on top of Tess's. "No question," Max said, following their example. Michael looked at the seven of them. He had so much more than he'd ever thought he would have, more then he ever felt he deserved. But seeing the way they looked at each other and at him with such trust and love, he thought Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can deserve this. At least I'll do everything I can to keep them safe. He put his hand under the pile, his palm touching Maria's. "None. We stand together." And they all felt, for the first time in a week, that things would be okay. That whatever came, whatever storm broke over their lives, they could face it. As long as they were together. --------------------------------------------------------- Michael closed the door behind the last of the visitors with a sigh. Turning, he stood there and looked at Maria sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, almost in exactly the same spot he'd been earlier. She swung her legs back and forth, watching him. "I thought they'd never go," he commented to her. She laughed. "Don't try to fool me, spaceboy. You liked having company over. You're becoming a big softie." He smirked. "Yeah, right." His look became more intense, causing her to stop swinging her legs. "I remember mentioning something earlier about you keeping up your strength." "Yeah, I seem to remember that." Maria beckoned to him with a crooked finger. "Come here, spaceboy." He smiled at her and swung himself up next to her on the counter. She looked down at where their hands almost touched. She did love looking at his hands. But before they got distracted, she still had some questions to ask, things that she hadn't wanted to ask when the others were there. "So," her voice trailed off as Michael's hand covered hers, his fingers starting to caress hers. She forced herself to concentrate and not allow herself to be distracted. "This whole killing Kivar thing?" Michael's body grew very still, the way it did every time the subject of Kivar was brought up. "Yeah?" She was starting to get nervous about bringing up this topic. But she had to know. "I remember you saying how it was really important to Rath. Important enough for him to kill Zan in order to do it." He met her gaze without flinching. "Yeah." She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Way to be non-committal," she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she went on, speaking very quickly. "What if the only way to stop Kivar is to go back to Antar?" "Oh." He let out his breath like he'd just been sucker-punched. This obviously wasn't what he'd expected. She looked at him closely, watching him think seriously before answering. "We'll do whatever we can to make sure that's not necessary." He shrugged. "As strange as it is to admit, I don't want to go back there anymore." Maria smiled brightly for a minute. "That's good to know." Then her smile faded. "But what if you have to? What if the only way to stop Kivar is for the four of you to go back to Antar? What then?" Michael answered slowly. "Would you want me to stay here?" Before she could answer, Michael put a finger on her lips. "Wait." He slid off the counter and stood in front of her before lowering his hand. His eyes never left hers as he continued, watching carefully for her reaction. "Would you ask me to stay here when they leave?" Maria narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to get a sense of what he was feeling. She could feel pain at the question, but no hesitation. "Michael........" "I'll stay if you ask me," he went on quietly. "Meilya edar eith." Again, she didn't pick up on any doubt or uncertainty. Being asked to choose between her and Max and Isabel hurt him, but there was no question of who he would pick. He would pick her without a moment's thought. Maria felt like her heart was going to burst, it was so full. Eyes filling with tears, she reached over and gently caressed his cheek. She knew what he was offering her, and what it meant to him. And she knew that she could never ask him that. "I know you would." She smiled at him as she tilted her head to study his face. "I would never ask you to do that. It would kill something in you to let Max and Isabel face him alone." She shook her head in mild amusement and understanding. "It's a part of who you are. You're a protector. You're their protector." She pulled him closer and kissed him lightly. "But you're more than that." "I am?" Michael always wondered what she saw in him that made her love him the way she did. "Yeah. You're also incredibly irritating at times, you know. Your social skills still need some work, and we have to do something about this overprotectiveness you're developing." Before he could say anything in his defense, she pointed her finger at him. "Don't think I didn't notice you glaring at the pillows. Pillows, Michael! Not exactly evil aliens, you know." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "You're also one of the best friends I've ever known. You're not a bad cook, at least by Crashdown standards. You're stubborn, but you're also strong and determined. You're a very talented artist, even if you deny it. And there's one more thing. The most important thing." "And what's that?" "You're mine. So I expect you to take care of yourself." She was completely serious, and he knew it. "I'll do my best," he said honestly. "Are you sure about the whole not-staying thing?" She nodded, a little sadly but surely. "Yeah, I'm sure. But let's do what we can to not make you have to leave, okay? And if you do leave, I need your promise that you'll always come back to me as soon as you can." "Promise." And that was enough for her. She knew that Michael would never break a promise to her. "Good." Maria grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him even closer for a kiss. As their lips touched and parted, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Just like that, all worries about the future were gone. All she could feel was the way his hands were holding her back and legs as he swung her off the counter and carried her into the bedroom. ------------------------------------------------------ A few hours later, Maria reluctantly separated herself from Michael's arms and looked around the room for her clothes. "What are you doing, teel-sharan?" he asked quietly. "Getting dressed and going home," she said. "And before you say anything, there's no way my mother is going to believe that I'm sleeping over at anybody's house tonight, so sorry. I have to go home." He sighed and closed his mouth as he watched her get dressed. Maria stood up to leave, but sat back down immediately, overcome with a sudden spell of dizziness. That was enough to have him up and over at her side. "What's the matter?" he asked in sudden panic. "Nothing." She closed her eyes, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass. "I must have just stood up too quickly." His hands grabbing her arms kept her from moving, and she had to admit to herself that she was glad for his strength to lean back upon. She still didn't feel too steady. She forced a shaky smile as she opened her eyes. "Liz interrupted my lunch earlier, and I haven't had anything except cake since then. Maybe I just need to eat." His frown didn't let up. "You don't feel hungry. Just dizzy." She sighed in irritation. "That could get real old real fast, you know." She went on with more insistence. "Michael, I'm fine. Honestly." He didn't buy it. "Maybe you're working too hard. I could talk with Mr. Parker if you want less hours......" "Don't you dare even think about it!" His concern was sweet, but she wasn't about to let him start making all the decisions in her life. "I need the money, and if I don't work, I don't get paid. It's a wild and crazy little Earth custom we have here." "You could cut back on your hours if you're working too hard." "I'm not working too hard!" "Then why are you so tired and dizzy?" He glared at her. "You don't need the money so much that it's worth making yourself sick!" "I'm not making myself sick, and I do too need the money." "Why?" Maria suddenly looked embarrassed, and glanced down at the ground. "Well, I was thinking about the whole moving-in thing you talked about. And while we're still nowhere near ready for that," she said with a pointed glare at him, "I was thinking that if we're going to eventually do it, then we should save up some money." Michael suddenly felt his momentary anger and annoyance melt away. She was actually thinking about moving in with him. This was a good thing. "Okay, fine. But you still have to take care of yourself." "Fine, spaceboy." She leaned over and gave him another kiss, further distracting him from his concerns. "Now, if you'll let go of me, I have to get home. I'll see you later." She smiled slyly at him, knowing full well that he was going to end up sleeping at her house with her that night. She slipped out of his arms and was out the door. He hated having to watch her leave. Leaning back in his bed, Michael started to think about how he'd have to redecorate the apartment if he was going to convince her to move in sooner rather than later. --------------------------------------------------------- At work the next day, Maria couldn't shake the feeling that Michael was watching her even more closely than usual. She kept shooting glances back at the kitchen, but she couldn't quite catch him doing it. That didn't make her any less suspicious, though. She even confronted him about it once, but he just gave her this innocent look. Well, it was as innocent a look as Michael could manage, at any rate. Finally, she just gave up and decided to yell at him about it later. In the meantime, she just concentrated on work. There hadn't been another incident of dizziness since the previous night, and she was certain that she'd just stood up too quickly. Michael obviously wasn't as convinced. "So, is Brody's order ready yet?" She leaned over the counter between the dining area and the kitchen. "This order was for Brody?" he asked suspiciously. "Yes, Michael," she answered, speaking very slowly. "It is ready yet?" He smirked. "Yes, Maria. It is ready. Why don't I just ask Liz to take it over to him?" She smiled back at him pleasantly. "Why, thank you for the offer, spaceboy, but I think I'll take it over. Brody gives me better tips than he gives Liz." Michael glared at her. "That makes me feel so much better about it." Maria hopped over the counter and pulled him close for a very thorough kiss. After a moment's hesitation, he responded eagerly, hands clutching her waist to pull her even closer. When she broke away, she asked him a little breathlessly. "Do you honestly think you have anything to be jealous about?" He shook his head, a little confused. "It's never really been about jealousy. I know that you're not interested in him and I trust you." "Then what is it about?" she asked in her softest voice. She could see that he honestly didn't even fully understand it himself, but she knew the extent of Michael's hatred for Brody. "I don't know." He shook himself and let her go. "It doesn't matter. Go deliver the food to the freak. We can talk more later." He turned back to take out his anger at Brody Davis on the hamburgers he was cooking. Maria watched Michael pound the burgers for a minute, then slowly left the Crashdown, waving at Max and Isabel as she passed their table. After looking to make sure that there were no cars coming in either direction, Maria started to cross the street to the UFO Center. Seeing Alex, Kyle, and Tess across the street, Maria waved hello and sped up her pace a little. After that, everything happened really fast. Tess noticed a man sitting in a parked car as they walked past it. It wasn't that bright a day, but the man was sitting there wearing a pair of sunglasses. Years of being raised with a paranoid alien made her cautious, so she slowed down to look closer, bringing Kyle to a stop with her, since they were holding hands. Alex kept on walking for a few steps, not realizing that they'd stopped. So, Kyle and Tess were the ones who saw the driver suddenly pull his car out into the road and speed up, aiming directly at Maria. "Maria!" Tess screamed. The other girl turned at the noise and looked directly into a car headed straight at her, dropping the bag she was carrying. Inside the Crashdown, Michael suddenly felt Maria's jolt of fear and jumped over the counter into the dining area. Customers inside quickly got out of his way as he went dashing out of the restaurant, just in time to see the car coming at Maria. Just in time to see Alex run out into the street and grab Maria's arm, pulling her back with him out of the street. Max, Liz, and Isabel were right behind Michael as he ran across the street. Ignoring Kyle, who was standing in the middle of the street watching the car speed off, Michael ran right over to where Maria and Alex were lying on the side of the street. "Maria!" He fell to the ground near her. "Are you okay?" He was almost frantic with fear, which only subsided a little when she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Yeah. Just a little shaken up." She tried to stand, but he wouldn't let her. "Max, check her out before she stands up. Make sure she's okay." His voice didn't allow for arguments, so Max knelt down next to Maria. Isabel was already over near Alex, helping him to his feet and making sure he wasn't hurt. By this time, some customers from the Crashdown were forming a crowd across the street. Liz and Tess went over to do some containment, distracting them so that they didn't wonder what Max was doing kneeling in front of Maria. While Liz explained that everything was fine, Tess made certain that nobody was noticing anything strange across the street. For once, Liz didn't even object to Tess's use of her powers. The last thing they needed was more attention right then, and it was obvious that worrying about keeping things low-key was the last thing on Michael's mind. Max knelt in front of Maria and placed one hand on her head, running the other hand up and down in front of her body, not quite touching her. He hesitated over the area of her stomach, and Michael worried for a minute that there was some internal damage there, but then he went on. After a few minutes, he looked up at Michael with a smile that didn't quite match the wariness in his eyes. "She's fine. Nothing hurt from the fall." "Told you so," Maria muttered. She closed her eyes then as the shaking started. She couldn't believe how close she'd come to dying. If that car had come a little closer. If Alex had been a little slower in pulling her back........... So she missed the look of confusion Michael was giving Max, and Max whispering "We need to talk" to his friend. Michael frowned at Max for another instant, and then a thought occurred to him as some things fell into place in his mind. By then, Max was up and over where Alex and Isabel were standing. Was it possible? Maria opened her eyes as she caught a wave of strong emotion coming from Michael. There was an amazing amount of almost overwhelming joy in there, stronger than she'd felt from him except during the tiasa, along with some underlying worry. The worry she could understand, seeing as how she'd nearly been run over, but the joy? That confused her. And the look on Michael's face didn't help clarify matters any. All the panic from a few minutes ago was gone. Instead, he had that look she'd seen him give her a few times, a look of almost-worship like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. Which, while flattering, didn't really fit with the situation. "Michael, what......" Before she could ask the question, Michael was looking up at Alex and getting to his feet. "Thank you." He couldn't even begin to put what he was feeling into words. If Alex hadn't pulled Maria out of the way of that car... Michael didn't even want to consider what his world would be like without her. It wasn't a possibility he could imagine. He took Alex's hand and shook it, hoping the other boy understood how much he owed him. "Not a problem," Alex said, wincing as he took his hand back. "Quite a grip you've got there, Michael. Anyway," he glanced over at the girls across the street, "maybe we should get inside someplace private. Let Tess relax a bit, what do you say?" "Good idea." Isabel kept on guard as they started to cross the street. If she saw any car even look like it was going to start while they were crossing, she was prepared to blast it. Michael reached down and picked up Maria, ignoring her protests as he carried her across the street. ------------------------------------------------------ Valenti was over a few minutes after Kyle called him. He came straight to the back room where the kids were gathered, ignoring the people in the outer area. Maria was huddled on the couch, between a very attentive Michael and a worried Liz. "I got part of the license plate," Kyle said. "Here it is." He handed his father a piece of paper with a number written on it. "Good. This might help find the guy." Looking over at the expression on Michael's face, Valenti made a mental note to find the driver before Michael did. "There's one thing I want to ask. I looked at the skid marks outside and there's something strange." "What?" Max wasn't sure this was just an accident, and he knew that the others were thinking it, too. But nobody wanted to be the first to say it. "Well, it's not conclusive, but it looks like the car sped out, aiming directly at Maria." "It did," Tess said emphatically. "I saw it. He was trying to hit her." Michael's eyes narrowed into little slits. "When we find him....." Valenti broke in, his voice overriding Michael's. "That's just the thing. I don't think he was trying to hit her. It looks like he started to aim for her, then turned the car at the last minute so that it would swerve around and avoid her." "Why would someone do that?" Liz asked in confusion. The sheriff shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they were drunk and didn't realize they were that close at first." "But you don't think so." Max's statement wasn't a question. "No. Call it instinct, but from what you've described and the skid marks, I think whoever was driving the car knew exactly what they were doing. They meant to scare Maria and come close, but not actually hit her." Michael was torn. He wanted to go out and look at the scene in the road, but he didn't want to leave Maria. Noticing the way he was glancing back and forth between the door and the still-pale Maria, Alex went over to the couch. "Stop hogging the couch, would you, buddy?" he asked in a genial voice. Michael gave a quick smile at his friend, kissed Maria of the forehead, and got up, letting Alex take his place next to Maria. Knowing she was in good hands, Michael dashed outside. "This really doesn't make any sense," Liz protested. "Why just try to scare Maria?" "Does this mean I don't get hero points for rescuing the damsel in distress?" Alex asked in a disappointed voice. "Excuse me?" Maria's response was indignant. "I am not a damsel in distress. Well, not usually, at any rate." She shook her head. "Thanks for saving my life, Alex. I mean that. But let's not give Michael any more reason to be Mr. Overprotective, okay?" Isabel sat down on the arm of the couch near Alex. "Don't worry. You definitely get hero points with me." "All right, then." Alex would have done much more dangerous things to get that type of look from Isabel. Tess was pacing the room anxiously. "I don't like this. Not at all." Maria was distracted. She could sense the worry growing in Michael again. Whatever he was finding outside, he didn't like it. She was about to get up and go out there to him when he returned. His eyes went first to hers to make sure she was okay, then he turned to Valenti. "You're right. The driver didn't plan to hit Maria." He scratched his eyebrow, deep in thought. "I can't pick up any intent to actually hurt her. And it would be fresh enough that I could." "Okay, so why am I getting the feeling that you don't think this is a good thing? Because I'm thinking it's good that nobody wants to kill Maria." Kyle looked from Michael to Max, both of who had identical looks of concern on their faces. "Because it's a distraction. Somebody wanted our attention focused here, on Maria." Max spoke calmly, but he went over to hold Liz's hand. Something else was going on here, something they didn't understand yet. "Yeah," Michael nodded. His eyes roamed over the eight other people in the room. "Everyone I care about is right here in the room with me. What about the rest of you?" It only took a second for his meaning to be clear. "Oh, no," Liz said as she ran up the stairs to her apartment to check on her mother. Max followed quickly. Alex darted over to the phone to call his home, relieved to hear his father answer the phone and his mother's voice in the background. Isabel was on her cell phone, calling home when Maria turned to Michael. "Spaceboy, my mom......" She stopped as she heard Valenti's voice talking to someone on his cell phone. "Amy? Is everything all right there? Oh, we've just had some problems with kids running around town today, causing disturbances. No problems at the shop? Good." Valenti nodded over at Maria, who leaned back with relief. Liz and Max came back down. "My parents are fine," she told them. "And I called my dad's office. He's okay. A little curious about why I suddenly decided to call him in the middle of the day, but I played it off like I wanted him to take more time off on the weekends." Max noticed the look on Isabel's face and his smile faded. "What is it, Iz?" "Mom's not answering the phone at home." She could barely speak past the fear. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything, right? She could just be out at the stores or something, couldn't she, Max?" Max didn't answer and as their eyes met, she realized he was thinking the same thing she was. They were both remembering that day a lifetime ago when their other father had been killed by Skins. Maria stood up shakily, looking at Michael and seeing the sick look on his face. Not exactly reassuring. She heard him whisper to himself, so quietly she could barely hear him, "History always repeats." He closed his eyes as he was flooded with memories, too terribly vivid, of that day so long ago, the day when Tymrath's old life ended and his new one began, the day when a king died. "Well, let's find out," Valenti said, his matter-of-fact tone breaking through the three aliens' memory-induced paralysis. "Let's go." They all ran out of the Crashdown, hoping that their fears were unfounded.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:43 pm

The first thing Maria noticed when they drove up to the Evans house was how quiet the street was. There were no other cars around, no people walking by on a Sunday stroll, no children playing in the street. She tried to dismiss it as just a sign of her nerves (after all, she had almost been killed not even an hour earlier), but the quiet seemed too much. It was eerie, as if all life in this neighborhood had been erased. At the feel of Michael's hand on her shoulder, she shook herself out of her morbid thoughts. They were all getting out of their respective cars, getting ready to go up to the house. She gave Michael a reassuring nod and followed him out of the car. Valenti paused at the front door for a second, waving back the others to stay behind him. The door was ajar. "Someone forced their way in," Michael whispered to the older man, pointing to the faint burn marks around the edges of the door, signs that someone had blasted their way into the house. Valenti just nodded as he took out his gun. Behind him, he could hear Isabel's sharp intake of breath at his action. Alex took her hand as the sheriff slowly opened the door and entered the house, looking around, gun ready to shoot at anyone who threatened the group. Michael followed next, then turned instantly to block the others' entrance. He could feel the amounts of pain in the house - the walls practically screamed with it. "Max, Izzy, why don't you wait out here?" Max looked at him, understanding, but pushed his way past Michael anyway. "No way," was all Isabel said as she shook off Alex's hand and followed her brother. The others followed more slowly, Maria and Liz linking arms. They could feel the tension coming off the aliens. Something was very wrong here. Valenti had already checked out the living room and hallway. Nobody there. The house was perfectly silent except for the tentatively slow footsteps of the group. "Kitchen," Michael said, pointing the way. That was where the vibes were coming from. What was it with kitchens, anyway? First Dagmar, now this....... Valenti pushed open the door, spinning around to check things out. At first, he didn't see anyone. Then he saw the feet poking out from behind the counter in the center of the room. He rushed over to see Dianne Evans lying on the floor, eyes closed, face grey and ashen. His eyes quickly went to the large pool of blood surrounding her. The blood was still coming through from whatever injury there was. "No! Mom!" Isabel pushed past him and ran over to her mother, falling to the floor next to her, shaking her body, ignoring the blood she was getting on her hands. "Wake up!" "Damn," Valenti muttered. "Alex, get Isabel off her! Now!" Alex grabbed Isabel's shoulders, and pulled her back a bit. "Iz, let us check her out." When Isabel tried to shake his hands off, Alex's voice sharpened. "Isabel, you're just making it worse. She might not be dead yet!" "She's not." Valenti found a weak pulse. "She's still alive, but I'm not sure for how long." "Kyle, Tess, go check out the rest of the house," Michael said absently. He couldn't sense anyone else in the house, but the Skins who attacked might have left them a message or something. Like the dying body of Max and Isabel's mother wasn't enough. Then his whole attention went to Max. Max was just standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at the scene. Valenti had turned Dianne's body over carefully to show the huge bleeding wound in her back. It was just like the one on Nasedo when he came to Max's window that night months ago. Alex was holding Isabel, trying to keep her from going back to the unconscious body. Max knew they had only come into the room a minute ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. Funny how time works in moments like that. While he could see everything in front of him very clearly, a part of his mind wasn't there at all. A part of him was back on Antar, holding his father as he died in his arms. Max stood froze, trapped in that moment. He didn't even pay attention to Isabel calling for him. She hadn't been there, after all. Just him and his father. "Max." No, that wasn't true - he hadn't been alone then. It hadn't just been him and his father at that moment. Max forced himself to look away from the two scenes in front of him to see Michael standing at his side, calling his name. "She's not dead yet, Maxwell." Michael was concerned by the blankness in his friend's eyes. He grabbed Max's arm, hoping the physical contact would help jolt him out of his shock. Max blinked, processing Michael's reality, that he was there. Just like the last time. "She isn't dead. Go do your thing. It's not too late for her." "Right." Max nodded and forced himself to walk over to his mother's body. Trying to ignore the hopeful look on Isabel's face, he reached over and put his hand over the injury yet. She wasn't dead yet. It wasn't too late. Desperately, Max tried to reach out and form a connection. It shouldn't be hard to do, after all. This was his mother, the woman who had taken care of him his entire life on Earth. The woman who had taught him and Isabel how to read, who had held them when they had nightmares. The woman who baked them cookies, helped them with their homework, who taught him how to dance. The woman who watched movies on TV with him all those nights when he was heartbroken about Liz, and who never pressed him to tell her what was the matter. His mother. And he couldn't do it. He couldn't form the connection. He couldn't heal her. The blood just kept flowing. "Max, what's wrong?" Isabel's hysterical voice sounded so far away as he stared down at his blood-coated hand in shock. Why wasn't it working? Closing his eyes, he tried again. Pouring everything he had, all his energy, into it. Still nothing. "What's going on, Max?" Valenti asked. Max opened his eyes and looked the sheriff in the eyes. "It's not working." "What do you mean, it's not working?" Isabel's fear and grief was turning into anger. "You saved Liz and an entire hospital wing full of strangers, but you can't save our own mother?" Max flinched at the accusation. "Try again." He hadn't even realized Tess had come back until he heard her voice. "Try to combine your energy with ours." Tess took his free hand, then took Isabel's with her other one. Michael took Isabel's other hand from Alex. Max could feel the other three's energies pouring into him and directed it towards the wound on his mother. Still nothing. He was trying with everything he had, everything they had, and he still couldn't form the connection. If he didn't feel her faint pulse, he would think that she was already dead. Exhausted, Max fell back, feeling Tess and Michael's hands come up to stop him from falling. "I don't understand it. I can't form any connection with her. I can't heal her." He winced and looked away from the silent pain and reproach in Isabel's eyes. Without waiting to hear more, Maria was on the phone dialing 911. If Max couldn't hear her, then they were going to have to give old-fashioned human means a try. Liz had found the household first aid kit by then, and was trying to staunch the bleeding. Anything that might help Mrs. Evans hold on until the ambulance got there. Isabel wiped away her tears and sat there, talking to her mother, telling her how much she loved her and begging her to hold on until the ambulance got there. Saying that everything was going to be all right, even though anyone who heard her could tell she didn't believe it for a minute. "The rest of the house is quiet." Max could hear Kyle quietly talking to his father. They all seemed to be so far away. He looked down at his bloody hands, then over at Michael. "It's just like before," he said clearly. Michael winced, then shook his head. "No, it's not. She's not dead, Max. You gotta hold on to that." Max looked away, shaking his head. It was all happening again. In the distance, they could hear sirens. --------------------------------------------------------- It wasn't long afterwards that they were all gathered in a hospital waiting room. The doctors were working on Mrs. Evans, trying to get the bleeding under control, to save her. Valenti was talking with hospital security as the others gathered in pairs throughout the room. "Are you okay?" Kyle quietly asked Tess. She had been silent since they left the Evans house. "What?" She looked at him blankly for a minute, then nodded shakily. "Yeah. It's just....... that wound looked the same as the one that killed Nasedo." She shrugged. "Just brought up some stuff, I guess." She looked over at Max, standing blankly along a wall, then over at Isabel, sitting next to Alex, silent tears running down her face. "Not that it's anywhere near the same thing. Nasedo was never really a father to me. This is so much worse for Max and Isabel." "Hey. Don't do that." Kyle put his arms around her and pulled her close. "He was the only family you had for a long time. You're allowed to grieve for him." "Well, I have a real family now, right?" "Yeah," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Kyle?" she asked hesitantly. "What?" "Do you ever worry about the sheriff? When he's out doing his job, I mean? Do you worry about him getting killed in the line of duty?" Kyle looked across the room at his father, remember how his dad rushed into the house first today, how he always tried to go in first when they were in trouble. "All the time, Tess. All the time." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maria looked over at Michael, sitting so stiffly next to her, attention focused on Max. When she reached over and placed her hand on top of his, he jumped slightly before turning to her. "Hey, spaceboy." "Hey." He looked around. "I hate hospitals." "Yeah." She followed his gaze back to Max. "Why do you think it didn't work? Max's healing, I mean." "No idea. I thought he could............" Michael's voice trailed off, then he started again. "I was sure he could save her. That things would go differently this time." He clenched his fists in anger. "Max and Isabel don't deserve to lose another parent because of my kind." "They're not your kind, Michael. You turned your back on them a long time ago." He wasn't meeting her eyes. She hated that. When Michael wouldn't look at her, that meant he was either beating himself up about something or he didn't want her to know his feelings. All she was getting through the connection was cold hatred and anger, feelings she associated more with Tymrath-memories than with her Michael. She reached up her hand and turned his face to hers. "This isn't your fault. Anymore than what happened to their father back there was your......" "She could have been my mother, too, you know," he interrupted her abruptly. "If I had just been able to overcome my fear that night. If I had trusted them more. Maybe the Evanses would have adopted me, too." He put his head down in his hands, his next words muffled. "I always envied Max and Isabel their lives. There I was, stuck with Hank, and they had everything I ever wanted. I almost hated Max for that at times. But I never wanted to take it from them." "Of course not, Michael." She ran her hand in comforting circles on his back. "My fault," he muttered. Not really understanding, she simply put her arms around him and pulled him close. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liz walked up to Max, and leaned against the wall next to him. She put her hand in his, but he didn't even seem to notice. He just kept staring blankly at the wall opposite him. She'd never seen him this non-responsive. Never. "The doctors will do everything they can to help her, Max," she said softly, trying to give him some comfort. "I couldn't heal before, you know," he said in a calm voice. That very calmness bothered Liz. It was too detached from what was going on. "I couldn't do anything to stop him from dying. I just sat there, holding him, watching him die. I should have died that day, too, but Tym saved me. I remember wondering why. It didn't make sense to me at the time." "Max, you did your best." He went on as if he didn't even hear her. "Healing must be something I got from the human DNA. One of those 'human' powers that Nasedo told Michael about." He stopped and gave a low, bitter laugh. "Not that it helped much today." He did turn to Liz then, and she almost stepped back from the pain in his eyes. His protective shock was starting to wear off. "Why didn't it work, Liz? Why couldn't I heal her? She's my mother!" "I don't know, Max. I'm so sorry." She took him in her arms and held him as he leaned into her as if all his strength was gone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "She has to be all right. She can't die." Isabel kept repeating it over and over again, so quietly that Alex wouldn't even be able to hear her if he wasn't sitting right next to her. "I need her too much. She can't die." "We have to hope, Izzy. The doctors here are good. They'll do everything they can." She just shook her head. "She doesn't even know the truth about us, Alex. We've been lying to her our whole lives." The individual conversations stopped as a doctor came into the room, walking over to where Max and Liz stood. Valenti walked over to join them. After a few minutes of quiet conversation, Liz left them and walked over to the others. She stopped in front of Isabel, kneeling down in front of her. "They were able to stop the bleeding." She looked back at Valenti, who was talking to Max, trying to get through to him. "But the problem is, she's dehydrating at an amazing rate. They're trying to control it, but they're not sure they can. Right now, they've just managed to slow it down." "Dehydrating?" Isabel asked blankly. "Yeah. Seems that there's some type of foreign substance in her system. A poison. The wound was probably the point of entry. The doctors have never seen anything like it before. The words 'medical impossibility' keeps being mentioned." Liz reached up and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She had faith in science, but how could science deal with things from another planet, things which they had no knowledge on? "Impossible meaning alien," Alex whispered. "Yeah." Liz took a deep breath. "They don't know how to stop it. And if they can't....." her voice trailed off as Max joined them. "Then she'll die." Max's voice was flat, unemotional. "Like Nasedo did," Tess said in a tiny voice. He looked at her. "Exactly." "No," Isabel shook her head quickly, memories of Nasedo's disintegrating body going through her mind rapidly. "There has to be something they can do." Liz reached over and took her hand. "They're not giving up, Isabel. They're trying to figure out the exact components of the poison so that they can come up with an antidote." "If it's something they Skins came up with, then it's going to be hard for them to figure it out. You know, since it's not from Earth." Maria's voice was subdued, too. She couldn't imagine what she would do if it was her mother lying in there. "Hard, but not impossible," Kyle put in. "They haven't given up yet, have they, Liz?" "No, and they're not going to. Neither should you." Liz looked beseechingly from Isabel to Max. Isabel closed her eyes and nodded. When she opened them again, she looked around and frowned. "Where's the sheriff?" "He's trying to arrange some added security for Mom," Max explained. "Some added security he can trust. Just in case they come back and try again." "Security he can trust? That could take a while." Max's only response to Kyle's comment was to shrug. "So, we wait?" Maria wanted to do something to help, but nothing was coming to mind. "We wait." Max sat down, and Liz quickly sat next to him. Isabel turned to Alex. "Can you come with me? We should call Dad and let him know what's going on." "Of course." Alex got up and followed her out of the room and down the corridor. Back in the room, the silence stretched on. ------------------------------------------------------- When they got to the pay phones, Isabel turned to Alex. "Can you call him please? I don't think I can handle telling him about Mom." "No problem." Alex gathered her close and gave her a quick hug. "It's going to be okay, Iz." "You can't promise me that. And you know it." Pulling herself free, she reached in to her purse and pulled out her phone book. "His number's in here. I'm just going to get some water. I'll be right back." Before Alex could protest, she walked off. She needed some space right then. Isabel walked down the hallways, absently wandering. She'd been so certain that Max could heal their mother, that things would be okay. And then Max would have no choice but to let her tell Mom everything, all about them being aliens. Things would be fine. But it didn't work out that way, and now they were going to lose their mother. And there wasn't a thing they could do about it. The helplessness was the worst part. Every time they got past one crisis, another came right up. She was starting to wonder what the point of even trying to fight was, if there was no way they could ever win. The odds were stacked too high against them. As Isabel wandered, she started to get a feeling of being watched. She glanced around, but none of the few people in the halls seemed to be paying her any particular attention. Still, she couldn't shake the certainty that someone was watching her. Ultimately, her walk led her through the side doors of the hospital and outside. She walked a few feet, then stopped, glancing around. There was nobody in sight. "I know you're there." She heard a faint chuckle, then saw a shimmering in the air a few feet away from her. Nicholas appeared. "Hello, Vilandra." Not caring if anyone saw them, Isabel used her powers to throw him back against the wall. "What did you do to her?" Not looking the least bit hurt or concerned, Nicholas got up and brushed himself up. "Me? I'm no scientist, Vilandra. I have no idea what's in that particular poison. And I don't especially care. All I do know is that she's going to die if she's not given the antidote soon." Antidote. There was an antidote. Slowly, Isabel forced herself to lower her hand and try to talk calmly. "What do you want?" "I think it's the other way around. What do you want, Vilandra?" Nicholas gave her a smug grin. "You really are attached to those humans who raised you, aren't you? I would have thought you'd have better taste." Isabel tried to rein in her anger. "If you don't want to end up little bits of husk-dust floating through the air like your dear sister, you better get to the point." She saw something glimmer in Nicholas's eyes at the reference to Whitaker's death. Was it fear? Anger? She couldn't tell, and it was gone almost instantly. "The point is, I'm offering you a deal." "A deal. What deal?" "You come with me to see Kivar, and he gives you the antidote so that you can save your mother's life." Isabel felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. "Kivar? He's here?" Nicholas just nodded. She narrowed her eyes at him. "The last time I went off somewhere with you, I ended up almost getting killed. The last two times, in fact. Why should I believe anything you say?" Nicholas shrugged. "It's different this time. I'll be honest with you. Your death would make me very happy. But Kivar doesn't want you dead. The other three, yes. You, no. And I follow orders." "You're lying." She shook her head in disbelief. "Kivar's not here." "So suspicious." Nicholas made a disapproving clucking noise, then reached into a pocket. "He sent you this as proof." He handed Isabel a ring. Her breath caught as she looked at it. It was exquisite, a ring made of thin filaments of precious silver and pink stone woven together. She knew that ring. It had been hers back on Antar. She'd given it to Kivar as a token of her love for him right after their first night together. She could still remember how it had felt to be in his arms...... "None of that was real," she whispered to herself, looking down at the ring in her hand. "Of course it was." She looked down at Nicholas's quiet statement. She hadn't noticed him coming up so closely. "You know that. You remember how it felt with him." She did remember. She remembered sneaking out of the palace to see Kivar. She could recall how she'd dreamed about those stolen moments in his arms, how being with him had been worth all the risks. Stop it, she commanded herself silently. Clutching the ring tightly, she whispered, "He's nearby, isn't he?" She could feel the pull to be with him. It was so much stronger than it had been in the dreams. Nicholas just grinned at her. "Will he really give me the antidote?" she asked, hating the sound of desperation in her voice. But this was her mother's life. "He just wants to see you, Vilandra. From what I understand, you practically invited him here." That grin never left his face. "But it's your choice. You can stay here if you want. If the human woman dies, it won't bother me any. You decide. She's the only mother you have left, though. And this is your only way to save her." Isabel tried to get her thoughts under control, but everything was getting so confused in her mind. She knew that she should turn around and go back inside, go back to Max and..... but she couldn't finish the thought. This was the only way to save her mother. And a part of her did want to see Kivar again. She barely noticed the ring as it fell to the ground. When Nicholas held out his hand, she reached out hers. But then she hesitated. There was something, no, someone, she was forgetting. If only she could think straight. This was wrong. As Isabel started to pull her hand back, her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Nicholas sighed in annoyance and looked over her body to the Skin standing behind her, syringe in hand. "You better not have hurt her," he said, crossing his hands and glaring at his assistant. "She'll be fine," the other Skin rushed to assure him. "Kivar wanted her to come to him willingly." Nicholas rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Whatever. Help me get her into the car, then go tell Kivar we have her." He looked around with distaste. "The quicker we get out of this stupid town, and off this forsaken planet, the better." ----------------------------------------------------- Michael couldn't stand the sitting around anymore. "Let's go find Alex and Isabel," he whispered to Maria, who nodded agreement. Quietly, the two of them left the waiting room and went down the hall in the direction of the phones. When they got there, Alex was just hanging up. He nodded in welcome at them. "Mr. Evans is on his way here. It shouldn't take him long." Michael looked around. "Where's Iz?" Alex frowned. "She went to get some water." He started to feel a nervous knot growing in his stomach. "She should have been back by now." "This is not good," Maria murmured. Quickly, they went through the halls. No sign of Isabel. Questioning a nurse, they learned that Isabel had been spotted going outside, so they followed. Once outside, they didn't see anyone. Alex quickly ran around the side of the building to keep looking. Michael and Maria moved to follow him, but Michael stopped when he saw something glittering in the grass next to the sidewalk. "Hold on a minute, Maria." He went over and picked it up. "What is it?" Maria peered over his shoulder to look at the ring he was holding. "This was Vilandra's." Michael frowned, trying to remember. "She used to wear it all the time, up until.." His fist clenched around the ring as his voice trailed off, remembering. When he opened his fist again, the ring was a melted lump. "Let me guess. Something about Kivar, right?" Maria was starting to move beyond nervous to downright panicked, and it wasn't just because she was getting that feeling from Michael. "We better catch up with Alex," he said shortly, grabbing her hand and pulled her along. Alex was all the way around the hospital, walking towards the small playground they had back there, before he saw another living soul. But it wasn't Isabel. Instead, he saw Deputy Hanson. Wondering what he was doing there, Alex started to approach the deputy. Then Hanson looked up and his eyes met Alex's. Alex knew those eyes. He recognized the empty hunger in them. He'd been trapped in dreams with that emptiness, that hate and greed, for nights after endless night. Hanson smiled and tipped his head briefly in acknowledgement of Alex's recognition. Then, he calmly drew his gun and pointed it at the teen. Frozen, Alex could only watch the gun as it was aimed at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Michael and Maria approaching. That snapped him out of it. Raising his hand and pointing at Hanson, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "It's Kivar!" just as the gun went off. Michael didn't hesitate for a minute. Letting go of Maria's hand, he ran, throwing himself through the air to push Alex out of the way. He felt the bullet graze his shoulder as they landed, but ignored it as he stood, determined to stop Kivar. When he got up, Hanson was already turning and walking away, apparently unconcerned. But before Michael could do anything, he heard a noise behind him and looked to see a man jump out from behind a corner and grab Maria. "Hey!" Maria yelled as she was suddenly grabbed from behind. A rush of adrenalin went through her body as she instinctively started struggling, trying to shake off the man. While the man winced in pain as she kicked him, he didn't let go. Fine. Twisting her hand, Maria dug her nails into her attacker's skin. The peeling skin that came off only proved that her suspicions were correct - it was a Skin. Which explained why, no matter how much she kicked and twisted, he was able to hold her. Alien strength, she thought bitterly as she prepared to stick her elbow into his stomach and pull away. Then she stopped and looked at Michael. The instant their eyes met, Maria knew that he wanted her to stay still, to stop fighting. She didn't get it, but she could sense the emphasis in his silent message, so she did. Michael had been about to rush the attacker, when he saw one of the Skin's hands go into his pocket. Michael had no idea what was in there, but he could tell from the Skin's body language and the look in his eyes that there was something there. And if it was a weapon of some sort, something that could hurt Maria, then Michael wasn't taking any chances. As it was, the other arm had gone up around Maria's neck, threatening to choke her if she kept up her struggling. The worse thing was, Michael could tell that this Skin, whoever he was, was capable of hurting Maria. Of killing her. Just like he had been able to pick up the recent violence in the Evans house, Michael could sense it clinging to this Skin, although in a weaker amount. He didn't think it was a coincidence. "Come any closer, and she's dead," the Skin said quickly, starting to back away slowly, holding Maria as a shield between him and Michael. His hand came away from his pocket, in order to hold Maria tighter. So Michael stood still, and hoped that Maria would do the same. He didn't dare try anything, not with Maria's life in danger. He could feel Maria's anger, and under that, her fear, and it was only making his own terror worse. One wrong move here, and their life was over. He couldn't act if he was petrified with fear. Frantically, Michael searched through his memories, trying to remember some of the calming techniques he'd learned as Tymrath. He pushed his fear down as far as it could go, locking it away to deal with later. He forced himself to focus on the problem objectively, to not dwell on the fact that it was Maria standing there in danger. He couldn't lose her. Instead of fear, Michael focused on the anger. The hate. Kivar. That was easier for him to deal with. He could work if he was angry. He couldn't work if he was afraid. Maria felt the jumble of emotions going through Michael, and felt him eventually calm down. Well, calm was the wrong word. Focused was better. And as she felt him focus, she felt her own breathing slow down. She trusted Michael. With every breath, she could feel him reassuring her. He would take care of this. Carefully holding his hands to the side, Michael started to walk slowly towards them. Doing his best to appear non-threatening, he searched for any idea of how to get that Skin to let go of Maria. Then he remembered something that Nicholas had said at their last meeting. "Your name used to be enough to terrify any of our people. I knew soldiers who would rather take the risk of execution for desertion rather than face you in battle." And that gave Michael an idea. Frowning in concentration, Michael started to speak quickly in Antaran. Maria couldn't understand what he was saying - the only word she recognized was Tymrath's name. Oh, and the word "teel". Something about hearts. But from the cold fury radiating from him, she doubted he was discussing anything romantic. Alex had gotten to his feet by then, too. He had even less idea of what Michael was talking about than Maria did, but he could see the effect it was having on the Skin. The other alien was growing paler by the word, and his hands were starting to shake, loosening their hold on Maria. All his attention was focused on Michael, not the girl in his arms, and there was a look of total terror on his face as he looked at Michael. Michael was only watching the Skin with part of his attention. The rest was focused on Maria. When he saw that the Skin had practically forgotten that he had a hostage in his arms, Michael caught Maria's eyes and looked down, hoping she'd understand. Maria suddenly elbowed the Skin in the stomach and dropped to the ground. In a flurry of movement, Michael was on the enemy alien, throwing him through the air and against the hospital's back wall. Alex ran over to Maria as Michael stormed after the Skin. "Are you okay?" Alex asked her in worry. "Two near-death experiences in one day," she answered grumpily. "It's a bit much, don't ya think?" She tried to control her shaking. "Next time, I get to save one of you two." "Oh, I don't know." Alex forced a grin. "You were holding your own okay there for a while. I think you tore off about half of his Husk." "Eww, don't remind me." Maria took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?" She looked over at him. "That bullet didn't hurt you, did it?" ' "Nah," he hurried to calm her. "Besides, it was only my first near-death experience of the day. I'm still behind you." "Ha, ha. Let's try to keep it that way, okay?" At the loud thump behind them, they both turned to see Michael beating the Skin's head against the wall until he lost consciousness. Then Michael dropped him to the ground, rushing back to Maria. "Maria." His hands were running all over her body, checking to make sure she was okay. "I'm okay. Honestly." She could feel Michael's calm facade slip totally and the panic return, along with relief. It was almost enough to overwhelm them both. She was glad she was already on the ground. She doubted she'd be able to stand. "He could have killed you," he whispered. "I'm fine." She wanted to reassure him. Michael was more worried now that it was over then he'd been able to be at the time. "Shh...." he whispered gently, leaning his head towards her until their foreheads touched. "Just let me check." Before she could ask him what he was talking about, he closed his eyes. Without even knowing why, she found herself doing the same. She could feel his breath just a few inches away from her face, feeling his hands gently rubbing circles on her upper arms. And then she could feel him even more. She could feel him inside her, checking her out like Max had, only not from the outside like Max. It was as if Michael's spirit was actually inside her body, as if their souls were mixing someplace where bodies were unnecessary, and the only thing that was important was the way they felt towards each other. Every inch of her was tingling and filled with Michael's love for her. Even though his hands never left her arms, she felt as if he was touching her all over. Every cell in her body was joined with Michael's. It was the most intimate feeling she'd ever felt in her life. And then it stopped. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, that look in his eyes again - the one that said she was the most amazing thing in the world. "You're okay." He said it with such relief that she had to laugh at him. "I said that. One of these days, spaceboy, you're going to have to start listening to me." He just smirked at her, then got up, pulling her up with him. Then he turned back to Alex, who was just standing there watching them. "So, Hanson's Kivar, huh?" "Yeah." Alex had a determined look on his face. "I'm thinking that his being here might have something to do with Isabel's disappearance." "Kivar just tried to kill you, Alex. Have you really thought about that?" Maria asked her friend. He shrugged absently. "I've decided to repress that particular thought until later. After we find Isabel. Then I can have a total break-down." Michael was looking back over at the unconscious Skin. "That one let Kivar get away. I bet he knows where they took Isabel." Maria followed his gaze. "Do you think he'll tell us?" Michael smiled coldly. "He'll tell." "Hey," Maria remembered something. "What did you say to him that freaked him out so much?" "Not much. Just let him know who I was, and told him about some of the things I did back then." His look changed to contempt as he looked at the other alien. "It didn't take much to scare him. Coward." Maria opened her mouth, then decided not to ask. She didn't need to know the details. Before she could say anything else, Michael had turned to her and was cupping her cheek gently with one hand. "Maria, I want you to go back inside and let the others know what's happened. Send Tess to find us, okay? We might need her help." "What about the others?" He thought a minute, then shook his head decisively. "I think we can handle asking this guy some questions without needing the entire group. And Max shouldn't have to leave his mother. Not for this." He turned to Alex. "Can you go find us an empty room inside that we can use?" "Sure. No problem." Alex went in through a side door. "Michael, I don't like leaving you." Maria was starting to get a bit concerned. Now that his relief was fading a bit, she could feel him starting to build up that cold wall again. But under it, she could sense something that left her confused and worried. There was a mixture of fear and excitement. The fear she could partially understand. The excitement worried her. He smiled down at her. "I'm okay. Trust me, this is something I can handle." He enveloped her in a hug. "Tell the others what's going on, okay, teel-sharan?" Despite her doubts, she nodded and went back inside. She could always come back after letting the others know what was up. The minute they were gone, Michael walked over to the unconscious body. He frowned down at him, thinking about his threat to kill Maria. That wasn't acceptable - she wasn't part of their fight. Quickly and efficiently, Michael pushed down the collar of the other's shirt, nodding in satisfaction when he saw that there was no chain there. No necklace. He hadn't really expected there to be one, as frightened as this guy had been, but it could have been an act. It never hurt to be careful. Next, Michael looked through the pocket the Skin had been reaching for, his frown only increasing when he found the pocket knife. So that was what he was going for - a knife to hurt Maria with. Looking around, Michael noticed a jump rope on the ground nearby. Perfect. Smiling a little, he picked up the rope. He hauled the Skin to his feet and prepared to carry him inside. ----------------------------------------------------- When the Skin woke up, the first thing he saw was Alex looking at him steadily. "Michael, he's awake." "Good." Michael walked around in front of the Skin, looking down at him, absently shifting the knife from hand to hand. "Took him long enough." Instinctively, the Skin tried to get up, but couldn't. He was tied to the chair with the jump rope Michael'd found. "Stop that!" Michael said harshly, and he did. He remembered the stories he'd heard about Tymrath, and he didn't particularly like the look he was getting. "So," Michael started. "Here's your situation. You laid hands on someone under my protection. Not the smartest move." Michael's voice was hard and level, lacking any emotion but leaving no doubt as to his sincerity. "You have only two things going for you now." Alex perched up on the counter in the corner, watching. He recognized that he wasn't a participant in this particular fact-finding mission. Tess would keep everyone away from this hallway as long as she could, but every moment they spent was a moment longer where Kivar had Isabel. Michael seemed certain that he could get the information they needed to find her, and Alex had no interest or intention of interrupting him. Michael crouched down in front of the Skin, taking the knife and slowly tracing it up his cheek, barely touching the skin. "The first thing is, I can find some measure of understanding for loyalty to your commander. Even if it is Kivar, and especially since, fortunately for you, you didn't actually hurt her." The pressure on the knife increased, causing it to dig deeper. "The second thing is, we need information." Michael leaned back, removing the knife. "So you have a chance to get out of here alive. But only if you cooperate." The Skin nodded quickly. "What's your name?" "Allan." The shaking in the Skin's voice disgusted Michael. This guy was no fighter. Why had Kivar sent him? "Not your Husk name. Your real name. Your Antaran name." When the Skin didn't answer right away, Michael slapped him hard. He tried to ignore the conflicting emotions rushing through him as the Skin's head snapped back. Concentrate on the objective. "Eustan," he managed to get out. "Eustan," Michael said slowly, thinking. "Nope. Don't know you." Michael stood up and looked down, arms folded. "Why would Kivar send you, anyway? You're no fighter. What are you doing here?" "I'm a scientist. I worked on the poison." "And the antidote?" Alex slid down and walked over to stand next to Michael. Eustan's eyes slid from Alex back to Michael. "Answer him," Michael said sharply. "Yes. There's an antidote." Speaking more quickly, he went on. "We don't have much of the poison, but Kivar has some, along with the antidote. We couldn't bring much with us from Antar." "So there is an antidote." Michael pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Time to deal with that later. "Where's Isabel?" "Who?" Eustan seemed genuinely confused. "Vilandra." Alex was starting to get impatient now. It could be seen in the tension flowing through his body, and heard in the tone of his voice. Michael could empathize. If it was Maria who was missing, he'd be beyond impatient by now. He'd be tearing things into little pieces. Possibly starting with Eustan. Eustan just shook his head. But Michael could read his eyes. Eustan knew where Isabel was. He just didn't want to say. He was more afraid of Kivar than he was of them. Time to change that. "Fine." Michael leaned down closer, smiling again in that frighteningly cold way. "You're about to help me prove a theory I have. Wanna know what it is?" When Eustan didn't answer, he went on. "See, I already know how to kill you. Direct hit to the self-destruct button on your back. Brilliant idea, by the way. But my working theory is that if your Husks have enough human DNA in them to allow you to live here, then they also have enough human DNA in them to let you be hurt like a human could be." His smile grew even wider. "I've been doing some research into human anatomy, you see. Preparing." "That's what the anatomy books were for," Alex burst out in realization. Michael didn't even look around, his eyes intent on Eustan. "So, let's find out if my theory's right." Michael reached out and placed his hand over Eustan's heart, starting to gather his energy for a blast of energy. The captured Skin started to squirm in his seat, trying to pull back away from Michael as he could feel the air between them start to crackle with energy. Then, Michael tilted his head to one side, hand travelling up until it was around Eustan's neck. "Or maybe I should just choke the life out of you. The way you tried to do to her." Michael's hand bent around Eustan's neck, but before he started to tighten it, Alex spoke up. Michael took down his hand and leaned back. "I'm guessing you didn't know Tymrath was here when you showed up. I'm not sure why you're willing to die for someone who would set you up like that." Eustan's eyes slowly focused on Alex, really paying attention to him for the first time. A look of disgust on his face, Alex went on. "I know for a fact that Kivar doesn't give a damn about you or what happens to you. Is he worth dying for?" When Eustan didn't answer, Michael nodded. "Whatever. You're not going to help us, then you die. As painfully as I can manage." He patted the Skin on his shoulder in an almost friendly manner. "I used to be good at this, you know. But it's been a long time. A lifetime. Literally. This should be interesting." He started to reach out his hand again, but was stopped when Eustan started to yell out information, speaking as quickly as he could. "There's an old factory outside town where Nicholas has been staying. We've been using it for our base of operations. It used to be a drug company, I think." Alex nodded. "I know it. That's the factory MetaChem used to be in until they built the new one." "Good," Michael said shortly, turning away and walking over to the sink in the corner. He splashed some water on his face, feeling sick. He could hear Alex turn to look after him. "Michael? Are you okay?" He turned back just in time to see Eustan break the ropes tying him down and push Alex aside, rushing out. Michael quickly grabbed Alex's arm. "Let him go. Tell Tess." Alex looked at him in confusion, but nodded and left the room. ------------------------------------------------------ After Alex left, Michael slowly slid to the ground, closing his eyes, trying to fight off the terror he was feeling. What am I becoming? He had honestly been planning out the things to do to Eustan if mere threats hadn't been enough to make him talk, things that only a short while ago, he would never have even thought of. Would I have done them? Desperately, he tried to calm down his breathing. That was too close. That was much too close. He had to be careful - he couldn't take chances like that. If he lost control, even for a second.......... But I didn't. And I got the information I needed. Now we can save Isabel. He could have killed Maria. That made the shaking stop. If that Skin had hurt Maria - well, then Michael really didn't know what he would have done. As it was, Michael had recognized the familiarity inherent in the situation, the ease with which he'd fallen into the patterns. Do what you have to in order to accomplish your goal. It had been too easy, it had been too natural. It was so much simpler to just let the anger and the hate sweep him up. That was the trap. That was what he had to guard against. Damn. It was too easy, though. Too easy. Michael was back on his feet by the time Tess and Alex came back into the room. Tess didn't look happy at all. She glared at him. "Why did we just let him go?" "You know he's going to warn Kivar we're coming," Alex added. Michael nodded. "Yeah, of course. But Kivar already knows we're coming." He took a deep breath, rubbing his eyebrow. "Kivar knows that I'd come after her. You, too, I'd guess, after all his time running around in your mind. I don't care if Eustan warns Kivar." Alex got it. "Oh. You want Isabel to know we're coming." Michael smiled a little. "I don't want Izzy to think she's alone." "Okay, Michael, I guess I get that," Tess spoke slowly. "But do you realize that was the same Skin who tried to run Maria down earlier?" Michael's head whipped around and stared at her for a long minute. The look in his eyes was enough to make even her nervous. It was too intent, too not-Michael. She stared to back away a little. "Michael?" "That was the same one? He almost killed Maria twice?" "Yeah. He's the same one. I recognized him when he ran past me." Michael finally looked away. "Well, it's too late to worry about that now. Now we have to go get Isabel back. That's the most important thing now." Michael looked back at Tess. She was relieved to see that the strange look in his eyes was gone. "Tess, Alex and I are going to go after Isabel." "I'm coming with you." Her response was immediate. "No, you're not. You go back and tell the others." Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "Is this some sort of 'we have to protect the womenfolk' nonsense?" Alex snorted in the background, muttering something about how it was more like they needed protection from their womenfolk. Tess chose to ignore him for the moment. "Because if it is, then forget that. You know I can take care of myself." "I know that, and that's not what this is about. Tess, I know what I'm doing." She continued to glare at him. "Max is going to want to come, too." "Yeah, but do you really want to be the one to take him from his mother's death bed?" he asked bluntly. When Tess shook her head, he went on. "Don't let them come after us, Tess. Especially not Maria. Understand?" She shrugged. "Yeah, I understand. But easier said than done, commander." Her voice carried more than a tinge of sarcasm. "How exactly am I supposed to stop Maria from going wherever she wants to go?" Michael gave her a smile and squeezed her shoulder briefly. "I have complete faith in your abilities." "Whatever." Tess rolled her eyes. "I can't help but notice that you're not telling Maria yourself that she has to stay behind. Coward." Michael really had nothing to say to that. Tess was right. They walked out and separated, Tess going back to the others, the boys heading out to Alex's car. -------------------------------------------------------- The two were silent until they got to the car. Before they got in, Alex looked over at Michael. "So, why can't Maria come?" "It's too dangerous," Michael answered shortly. "And it's not too dangerous for me?" he retorted. "Gee, I'm flattered. Or maybe insulted that you don't care if I get killed by an evil alien or not." Alex's voice didn't increase in volume, but the tone changed. Michael could tell he was getting quietly furious. "I'm getting sick of all the secrets, Michael. It's tiring having to guess at what's going on with you. What's up with you and Maria now?" Michael gave him the patented Guerin scowl. "The longer we stand here, the more time Kivar has to do whatever he's doing with Isabel. Is that okay with you?" Refusing to back down, Alex glared back at him. "You really can be a jerk, you know that?" Angrily, he got into the car, starting the engine and pulling away, barely giving Michael a chance to sit down. As the drove out of the parking lot, Michael looked over at his friend and let out a regretful sigh. "Sorry. That was stupid." "Yeah." The silence went on. Finally, unable to handle it anymore, Michael blurted out, "I think Maria's pregnant." "What?" The car nearly swerved off the road as Alex turned in his seat to stare at Michael in shock. Michael anxiously grabbed the door. "Road!" he yelled, pointing with one hand as the other held on tightly. "What? Oh, right." Alex turned his attention to the road, bringing the car back under control. "And Maria says that I drive erratically," Michael muttered. "Maria's pregnant?" There was still a note of shock in Alex's voice as he watched his passenger out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure?" "Not completely." Michael shrugged, trying to be casual but failing totally. He hadn't even put the thought into words to himself before. "Pretty sure." "It's not possible," Alex said with certainty. Despite everything, Michael had to laugh. "Um, yeah, it is, actually." "That's not what I mean. I mean, she's on birth control. Has been for a year now, ever since your little sleepover that her mom walked in on." Michael looked at him curiously. "How do you know about whether or not Maria's on birth control?" Alex looked a little uncomfortable. "It's part of the whole having girls as best friends thing. I get to hear all types of conversations I would be just as happy not to be a part of." "Okay. Well, I guess it didn't work. Because she's pregnant." "You think." Alex was having a hard time processing this. Maria pregnant. Michael and Maria as parents. He shook his head - this had been a very strange day. "It would only be a week, Michael, at the most. Isn't that too early to find out? What makes you so sure?" he pointed out. "Lots of things, but mostly, I could sense another energy when I scanned Maria, after Eustan," his voice dripped contempt at the alien's name, "threatened to crush her throat." "So, Eustan threatened not only Maria, but also your child." Alex put things together. "And helped poison Max's mother, and was involved in taking Isabel." Alex sighed. "No wonder you were wanting to kill him so badly, then." Michael tensed up and looked over at Alex. "What are you talking about?" "I could see it, Michael. You wanted to kill that guy so bad it was hurting you not to." Alex turned at the light and kept on going. He decided not to focus on the idea of Michael and Maria as parents and what that meant for them. He had enough to deal with right then - they all did. Yay for denial and repression, he thought with a cynical humor. "I didn't notice you doing anything to stop me." Michael's voice was low and bitter. "No, you didn't." Alex's was very quiet. "I could also see that you hated the fact that you wanted to do it. And," his voice gained emphasis, trying to drive what he was saying through the alien's thick skull, "I also saw that you didn't kill him. You're still you, Michael. That hasn't changed." Michael didn't respond to that. "I think it would probably help you to talk to someone about what happened to you before." "Nothing to talk about." What happened to the good old days when nobody paid attention to him? First Maria, now Alex. Next thing he knew, Liz was going to want to have long discussions about his feelings. "Don't, Michael. I don't get all of it yet, but from what I've figured out..... Just talk to someone, would you? If not me, then Maria." He looked at Michael out of the corner of his eye. "I'm guessing Max is probably the last one you want to talk to about this, huh?" "It wouldn't help." Michael crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. "Talking doesn't change the past. And it doesn't matter now." It didn't involve any of the others, just him. And he intended to keep it that way. "It might help. You don't know until you try." "Fine. Why don't you start it, then? You can open up and tell me exactly what Kivar had you doing to Isabel in those dreams." When Alex didn't answer, Michael nodded. "See? It's not important. Some things are personal." "I hope you're right," Alex said, pointing ahead. "Because we're almost there. And I think we're both going to need to be in our best form going up against Kivar." "Nervous?" Michael forced a cocky grin. No need to let the troops know how worried he was, right? Alex looked at him as if he was crazy. "Terrified. What do you think?" But his grip on the steering wheel stayed firm and steady. Michael nodded to himself. Despite everything, Alex was still Alex, and was still willing to rush into any dangerous alien situation for Isabel. Some things never changed, thankfully. He just hoped that they were all able to hold onto their true selves as firmly.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:52 pm

~ "Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight. ~ Gotta kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight." _______ 'Lovers in a Dangerous Time', Barenaked Ladies Tess took a deep breath as she finished telling the others what had happened, and looked around the waiting room. Kyle had dropped back to his seat, groaning. Typical. Liz was looking over at Max. Also typical. Max and Maria were both staring at her, identical frowns on their faces. Although, actually, when looked at more closely, Maria seemed to be only halfway focused on Tess - her attention was obviously elsewhere. Max, on the other hand, was giving Tess his undivided attention. It was starting to make her a little nervous actually, and she started to shift awkwardly from one foot to another. "Yeah, so they said that they were going to get Isabel back from Kivar," she repeated. Still no response. Still the stares from Max and Maria. "Just for the record, I told him that they shouldn't go alone. But you know how Michael gets." Maria snorted derisively at that. Yeah, she knew how Michael got. "Kivar has Isabel, and Michael and Alex are planning on just walking up and getting her away from him?" Kyle looked over from where he was sitting. "Well, sounds like a plan. 'Cause it's not like he's an evil overlord bent on world domination and killing you all or anything." "Not helping, Buddha Boy," Tess said quickly. Sighing loudly in frustration, Maria turned her full attention to Max. "He's gone. I can sense Michael, but he's far away. So we can't stop the two of them before they leave on their fool's quest." Maria clenched her fists and gave a groan of annoyance. "I could expect something on this level of stupidity from Michael, but Alex? He's usually saner than this." Max shrugged. "It's Isabel. Alex doesn't actually think sanely where she's concerned." He turned away from the group and sat down in the corner, trying to think this through rationally. Liz looked with concern at Tess, then walked over to sit next to Max. "You know that Michael's just trying to do what he thinks is right, don't you? He's just trying to keep you and Isabel safe," she said tentatively, awaiting the inevitable explosion that came whenever Max became impatient with Michael. Tess walked over and stood in front of them. "Liz is right. Michael didn't want you to have to leave your mother." Her voice got gentler. "Your mother should come first." Max looked up at the two girls in surprise. "I'm not angry with Michael. This isn't the smartest thing in the world, but it's what he does. He jumps in first when he thinks we're in trouble." His mouth twisted into a half-smile. "Old habits die hard." His eyes flicked quickly to Maria, then back again. "The thing is, we have to break that habit. Michael has too much to live for this time to keep risking it for us." "So, what do we do?" Kyle asked. As all eyes turned to him, he shrugged uncomfortably. "I mean, we're down three right now. Isabel's taken by Kivar, Michael and Alex are going up against him to get her back, and they're out there without any back-up. We're not going to just leave them there, are we?" "No way. We're going after them and we're bringing them home. And then we're going to review the whole sticking-together rule again for those in the class who are a little bit slow." Maria's voice was a mixture of anger and concern. Yeah, sure. Michael doesn't even want me being threatened by pillows, but it's okay for him to go off and fight Kivar almost on his own? Someone's sense of perspective is seriously out of whack. Max sighed. "Hold on minute, Maria," he started to say. "We don't have a minute, Max." She tried to keep her voice down. Screaming about alien matters wasn't that great an idea, even if they were in a room to themselves at the moment. "Something's wrong, Max." She waved her hands around, trying desperately to think of a way to explain something that she couldn't even understand fully herself. "Something's wrong with Michael." Max's gaze on her sharpened. "What do you mean? Is he hurt?" She bit her lip as she shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with him physically. It's what I'm getting from him emotionally that has me worried." She hesitated, trying to decide how much to share. "He's scared." "Makes sense, going up against a big bad evil alien," Kyle pointed out, stopping when Maria turned to glare at him. "It's more than that. He's scared of something more than just fighting Kivar. I don't think that's what has him afraid at all, actually." She shut up then. In some ways, Michael's fear didn't seem like it was enough for someone about to fight the alien responsible for getting them all killed once before. But in another way, his fear seemed too much. It was all confused, and she couldn't get it straightened out in her mind. All she did know was that there was something wrong. So they had to get there and help him out. They could yell at him and Alex later. "Look, I get that you need to stay with your mother. The rest of us can go after them." "Stay with my mother and do what?" Max muttered angrily, looking down at his hands. "She hasn't regained consciousness. And we can't heal her without the antidote........" He looked up then, thinking. Noticing the way that Maria was biting her lips nervously, he tried to give her some comfort, speaking louder. "Michael knows what he's doing, Maria. This is what he's good at." He met her angry look evenly, watching as she bit back whatever it was she'd been about to say. Finally, she answered, trying really hard to keep from screaming. "So, the mighty king has spoken? We just leave them there?" Max leaned back and closed his eyes. He really hated being the king. Strange how much he'd liked it the last time around. Maybe he'd learned something. But whether he hated it or not, he was in charge, and he had to make a decision here. The Zandar part of his mind knew it was a simple decision to make. Michael knew what he was doing. He had gone into this dangerous situation to retrieve Isabel, knowing the risks, and prepared to take them in order to protect his king. He's sent Tymrath into scores of similar situations and never thought twice about it. And Tymrath had come back every single time. The king simply couldn't go risking his own life, and the lives of others needlessly. Because it wasn't only his own life he had to think about. There was Tess, Liz, Maria, Kyle - all waiting to hear his decision. That was the decision Zandar would have made. It was logical, rational, and undoubtedly the correct one to make. Max knew that. Not to mention the fact that his father was going to be there soon, wanting to see his children and find out what was wrong with his wife. Bad enough that Isabel wasn't there. What would he think if both of them were missing when he arrived? Max opened his eyes and instantly met Liz's. She was looking at him with so much worry and concern, obviously trying not to say anything to interfere with his decision. Max knew that if it was here being threatened by Kivar, he would have gone after her, too, the same way that Alex had gone to save Isabel. And Max knew that he couldn't do what Zandar had done. Not in this case. Maybe there would be times when he would have to send Michael out into life-threatening situations for the greater good. He honestly hoped not, but he had to look at things realistically. It was possible. But not now. Kivar was here, and Michael was in trouble. Max knew that if Maria said it, it was true. Michael needed them, and Alex and Isabel were in danger, too. Whether it was the right thing to do or not, Max couldn't just leave them there and not try to help. He reached over for Liz's hand. They'd come for him in the White Room, after all, even though the smart thing would have been to just leave him there and get out of town themselves. "I'm not sure I'll ever be good at this king thing," he whispered quietly so that only Liz could hear him. She squeezed his hand in response. Then he looked up at Maria. "No, we don't leave them." He heard Tess let out a breath in relief. She would have stayed if he had told her, but he knew that she wanted to go after the others just as much as Kyle and Maria did. "If Michael's in trouble, then we go to help him. And we get the antidote for my mother." In that second, Max realized something about himself and his kingship. He understood that the only people he was really concerned about protecting were his family here on earth. Like he'd told Isabel, they were counting on each other, and that was what was important. He frowned. That might be a problem later on. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he went on. "At least Tess and I are going. The rest of you should stay here." "No way," Liz replied, just as Maria leaned back and sneered at him. Max was caught off-guard by just how Michael-like that expression was. "And how are you going to keep me here?" Maria asked combatively. Tess looked from Max to Maria, a little nervously. "Michael specifically told me not to let you go after him, Maria. He'll be okay." Max nodded in understanding. "Michael would kill me if I let anything happen to you, Maria. I'm not taking you into anything this dangerous." Maria pursed her lips and nodded. "And I ask again, how are you going to stop me?" She saw the looks Max and Tess exchanged and went on quickly. "And even if you use some alien power thingie to keep me here, I'll just follow after you as soon as I can." Her voice got a bit smug. "Plus, how you gonna find them?" That stopped him. Max turned to Tess. "Tess?" She was staring at Maria, a mixture of annoyance and amusement on her face. Finally, she turned to answer Max. "They just told me they were going after Isabel." Tess shook her head. "I don't have the slightest idea where they went." "See?" Maria tried not to gloat too much. "I can find them. I can track Michael. You won't find them without me, Max, so I guess I'm coming." "If she's coming, so am I," Liz broke in quickly. "They're my family, too." Max tried to control his frustration. Maria was right - they wouldn't find them in time without her help. Michael really was going to kill him. "Fine. If," he pointed his finger at the two girls seriously, "you promise to stay behind Tess or I at all times. And when we tell you to lie low, you do it." "No problem," Liz said instantly, Maria nodding agreement behind her. Max turned his attention to Kyle. "Maybe you should stay, let your father know what happened when he comes back." The words were barely out of his mouth when Kyle interrupted him. "You think I'm staying here to explain how the rest of you just went wandering into a Skin stronghold without him?" Kyle shook his head in disbelief. "Not going to happen, my alien friends. When that conversation occurs, I want all of you with me to deal with the wrath of Dad. There's strength in numbers." Time was running out. Max turned to Maria. "Let's get going." She nodded. Max went to open the door into the hallway and started out. Looking down the hallway, he saw something that made him grab Liz's hand and pull her quickly in the other direction, the others following closely. "Max, what is it?" she asked as they burst through some side doors outside. "My dad," he answered shortly. "He just got here." Max tried to bury the thought of his father's expression. There was nothing he could do for his mother right then except get the antidote. Max decided to take his chances with the possibility of action. They'd been reacting to Kivar's games for long enough. ----------------------------------------------------------- In the car, Max concentrated on following Maria's directions to the outskirts of town. She seemed to have no doubts concerning her ability to follow Michael's psychic trail. When they would reach a crossroads, Maria always knew which way to go. Liz was starting to feel nervous. Maria was being way too quiet. Liz knew her friend was concentrating on sensing Michael, but still, a quiet Maria was an unnatural entity. And the silence in the Jeep was starting to get deafening. When Kyle finally spoke, Liz practically jumped out of her seat from the surprise. "You all realize that Dad's going to be totally pissed with us, right?" Liz turned in the front seat to look at him, sandwiched between Maria and Tess. "Kivar has Isabel prisoner, and you're worried about your father being mad at you?" Kyle nodded, a look of surprise on his face. "Well, yeah." Liz simply shook her head in disbelief. Tess piped up. "He's right." She turned to Kyle. "You understand that I'm going to totally put all the blame for this on you, right?" "Wouldn't expect anything else." Kyle put his arm around her and looked up at Max with concern. He could only imagine what must be going on through Evans's mind right then. Max's expression was one of calm determination, but Kyle finally knew him well enough to realize how much of that was an act, a way of dealing with things without breaking down. Or not dealing with. Kyle just wasn't sure that was the best way to go. "Anyway, I was thinking about us all getting matching ID bracelets," Kyle continued. "Ones with the message 'I will not wander off on my own.' Maybe that will stop Alex and Michael next time they get a brilliant idea like this." "Not likely to work with Spaceboy," Maria said bitterly. "Turn right, Max." Max followed her directions. "Tess, you're sure that Skin said there was an antidote?" "That's what Alex said." Max nodded absently, focused on the road and his own thoughts. Liz turned back to the front and placed her hand on his knew, gently patting it, reminding him that she was there. Max's mother might be dying, his sister was abducted by their worst enemy - there was no way to make this situation better. "What I don't get is how Michael thought he'd get away with this," Kyle pointed out something that had been bothering him. "He must have known we'd come after him." Maria shook her head, giving a short laugh. Max answered, "No, he wouldn't." Liz frowned. "Kyle's right. Did Michael really think that we would let him do something so dangerous without trying to help?" Max sighed. "Of course he did. I let him do things like this all the time before. Which way now, Maria?" She frowned slightly in concentration. "Left." "Okay." He looked at Liz out of the corner of his eye. "I would send Tymrath out on the most dangerous missions, and I never sent someone after him. He wouldn't expect things to be any different now. The only one he'd expect to come after him would be Maria, and he probably figured I'd lock her up in a closet or something to keep that from happening." Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Max could see Maria's attention focus on him at that. He continued quickly, before she had a chance to question his statement, the side of his mouth twisting up sarcastically. "The king had to be protected at all costs. Let Tymrath do the dirty work." "Stop." It made Liz nervous when he talked like that. She didn't know how Maria handled it. "You had faith in Tymrath's abilities." "I was smug and over-confident," he corrected her absently. "And we all got killed." "Well, that isn't going to happen again," Maria burst out angrily. "And the little alien angst-fest is just going to have to wait until after we get Michael, Alex, and Isabel out of there." She glared at them all pointedly. "Understood?" As they all nodded agreement, Maria sat back in her seat, still trying to sort out the mixture of emotions she was receiving from her teela-mei. Anger, hate, fear, panic, pride, apprehension, excitement (that last worrying her the most) - they all mixed with an almost overwhelming urge to lash out at something. Looking down at her hands, Maria was surprised to see that she had clenched her hands into fists, almost as if she was also trying to keep herself from losing control and hitting something. Taking deep breaths, she forced her breathing to slow down and slowly let go of her fists. She had to keep some objectivity and distance. Michael might need her to be able to bring him back from wherever he was going emotionally, and she couldn't do that if she was swept up right alongside him. "Drive faster, Max." ------------------------------------------------------ "So, what's the plan?" Alex asked with curiosity. They were almost there. Michael sighed impatiently. "What's Kivar going to do with Isabel?" Alex tensed at the question. "Why........" "Just answer me, Alex." Michael sounded tired. "Don't think about it too much. Just answer." Alex's hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he answered. "He'll have her show him where the Granolith is. He'll take her with him, he'll hurt her, and then he'll kill her." His jaw tensed as details of those dreams went rerunning through his head. He brushed them away - there wasn't time for them right now. But they did give him an idea, a much too vivid idea, of what Kivar had in mind. "That's what I figured." Michael leaned his head on his forearms, resting them on the dashboard. "Not much time for us to come up with a plan, is there?" Alex looked over nervously. Michael seemed distracted, as if he wasn't paying complete attention to what was going on there. On what was going on now. "Hey, buddy, this would be a really bad time to have one of those alien flashbacks of yours." Michael blinked in surprise, turning to Alex. He almost looked like he was going to laugh for a minute. "Don't worry. I'm just thinking." He rolled his eyes. "I do that sometimes." "Maria would be very proud of you," Alex said gravely. "Whatever." Michael returned his attention to the problem at hand. He could see the factory now. There were some smaller buildings, storage sheds, around it, along with a small grove of tress. Maybe they'd been part of a park or something for employee's lunch breaks. Tapping his fingers impatiently, Michael tried to figure out what to do. "They know we're coming anyway," he muttered quietly. "Yeah," Alex replied slowly. "That was the point of letting Eustan go, right?" Michael nodded. No time to come up with a really good plan. Isabel didn't have the time. It clicked then. Kivar knew they'd be coming. He knew that Eustan would spill and let them know where he was hiding, and he knew that there was no way that Michael would just let him take Vilandra..... Isabel, he corrected himself irritably. Kivar was practically inviting him to show up. "Fine." Sometimes he preferred the direct approach anyway. Michael looked up at the factory they were quickly approaching. "Alex, pull around and park behind that shed," he pointed. Alex didn't look terribly thrilled, but he did as he was told. "So, what's the plan?" "Wait here," Michael said, starting to open the car door. He stopped when Alex grabbed his arm in a firm grasp. "Isabel is in there. You're not leaving me out here." Alex's voice held a note of steely determination. He wasn't going to back down on this. "I know. I wasn't going to try." Michael respected Alex's relationship with Isabel. If someone tried to take Maria away from him...... "I'm just checking something out." Alex studied him closely, then apparently decided to believe him, because he let go of Michael's arm. He watched as Michael swiftly left the car and ran up to the side of the building. --------------------------------------------------------- When Isabel woke up, the first thing she noticed was how comfortable she felt. Not just physically, but emotionally, too, as if she were exactly where she belonged and where she was meant to be. Without opening her eyes, she smiled as she felt the hand tracing its way down her cheek. Kivar. She'd missed this so much. His touch felt just as good as it had before. This is wrong. This is very, very wrong. STOP IT! She ignored that little voice. It was too hard to listen to it, and why bother when everything else felt so incredible? Opening her eyes, she blinked and drew back a bit from the smiling face of Deputy Hanson. Looking around, she saw that they were along in a bare room. The only furniture was the bed she'd been resting on. There were no windows, and only one door. Confused, she turned back to Hanson, who looked amused. "I know, it's not exactly the face you were expecting, Vilandra." He ran his hand through her hair, pulling her gently closer to place a tender kiss on her forehead. Isabel found herself melting into his embrace, getting closer. With each touch from him, that little voice inside her head was getting quieter and quieter. "But it's the best I could do. Things will be better when we get home." "Home?" she whispered. Images of a house competed in her memory with those of a palace under an alien sky. He ran a hand down her back, distracting her from thoughts of which memories were really her home. "Home. Back to Antar. Where we belong." He placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head back so that she was looking directly into his eyes, drowning in them. "I came here for you, Vilandra. I've been looking for you for such a long time. Now all we need is the Granolith and we can go home." Isabel couldn't look away from his eyes. They were all she could see, his voice all she could hear. "You do know where the Granolith is, don't you, Vilandra?" There was a command in his voice, and she nodded quickly, eager to please him. "Yes, I can take you there." Her heart sped up at his smile. "Good. Then we can go back and we can be together, the way we were supposed to be." Before she could respond, someone opened the door and rushed in. Kivar sighed as he looked over at the man who entered. Isabel was certain he was a Skin, but she didn't recognize him. Kivar got up and walked over to him. "Yes, Eustan? What is it?" The Skin looked at her with apprehension, then back at Kivar. "There might be a problem," he gulped nervously. "A problem?" Kivar asked silkily. He didn't sound at all worried. "And what might that problem be?" Eustan was wringing his hands, looking like he wanted to bolt rather than tell his news. "Well, it's Tymrath." Isabel sat up straight. "Tym?" she whispered quietly. Kivar looked back at her sharply, waiting until her eyes met his again, unable to look away. Finally, apparently satisfied, he gestured impatiently to Eustan. "What about Tymrath?" His eyes never broke contact with hers. "Well, he knows where you are." Eustan was backing away, towards the door. "Ah," Kivar said. He didn't sound worried at all. Actually, he sounded extremely satisfied with himself. "That means we should be expecting a visit from him." "Tym's coming?" She frowned. "No, that's not right." She smiled proudly as the thought finally formed. "Not Tymrath. Michael. Michael's coming here." Kivar's eyes narrowed and he walked back to sit next to her again, taking both her hands in his own. "Tymrath will be coming here, yes, Vilandra. Do you want to go with him?" Yes, whispered that voice. She wanted to go back to him and Max, to her family. Before she could answer, Kivar went on. "Remember that he and Zandar are the ones who killed you before, Vilandra. They'll just do it again. Do you really want to go back to the people who killed you, who never really loved you?" As he spoke, the memories came rushing back to her, so vividly that it felt like she was really back there, tied to the pillar in front of the throne. Zandar watching without expression. Tymrath walking out and killing her. She could almost feel the energy blast tearing through her, the hate in his eyes the last thing that she ever saw. "No," she threw herself into Kivar's arms, shaking with the pain of the memory. "No, I don't want to die again. Please, Kivar." "Shh, don't worry." He rubbed her back gently. "I promise you that if you come with me I won't let them anywhere near you again." He looked up at Eustan. "Why don't you go take care of the lab before our guests show up?" Eustan nodded, eager to get away from Kivar, but before he could leave, Isabel looked up. "The antidote? Nicholas said that you would give it to me." "Of course," he agreed, standing up and pulling Isabel with him. "Eustan, get the princess the antidote for the human." "Right away, my lady." Eustan bowed as he left the room. Isabel froze where she was. Fragments of conversation flashed through her mind, interrupting her thoughts of Kivar. "Only the best for my lady. Isabel?" "Ummm?" "Are you?" "Am I what?" "My lady?" "Always," Isabel whispered, voice gaining firmness as she went on. "You're stuck with me forever." "Vilandra?" Somehow, Kivar didn't think she was talking to him anymore. Isabel tried to pull her hand away from his. This was wrong. This was all very wrong. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong with him. Yes, you do. The foreign voice, Kivar's voice, in her head was so loud that it drowned out anything else she might have been thinking. Mental images of her time with Kivar back on Antar washed over her, overwhelming her with their intensity. She pulled away from him, sinking to the floor as she put her hands over her ears, vainly trying to block them all out. Kivar just watched coldly as she fought a losing battle against his control. --------------------------------------------------------- Alex was starting to worry about Michael when he heard a tapping noise on the window. Jumping, he looked over to see the alien standing there. Alex hadn't even heard him coming up. He quickly got out of the car. "Well?" "There's a back door to the factory," Michael said eagerly. "It's blocked off, but I got it open. Of course, they probably know it's there, but it's a little better than walking straight in through the front door." He rocked back a little, apparently having a hard time standing still. "I picked up five people, or aliens, in there." "Five? Isabel would be one." "Then Kivar, our old friend Eustan, and likely Nicholas," Michael broke in quickly. "I'm not sure who the fifth is." He smiled, eyes gleaming. "Not that it really matters." "Well, if it's another evil alien, then it matters," Alex pointed out slowly. He really didn't like that look in Michael's eyes. He seemed way too excited about this. Rushing in to what could possibly be an ambush by Kivar definitely did not ran high up on Alex's list of things to get excited about. Michael waved a hand dismissively. "Five's better odds than I thought there's be. Let's go." "Hold on." Alex reached out a hand to stop Michael, but some instinct made him pull back at the last minute. He wasn't sure that Michael should be touched at that moment. Michael turned and looked back at him. "What's the plan?" he asked again. "The plan? The plan is that we go in there and get Isabel out. That's the only thing to remember. Whatever happens, you keep going to get Isabel out of there. If anyone gets in our way, I'll take care of it." It was like when he was sent to get Aveen out, only with better odds. And with Kivar at the end of the course. Alex backed up a bit from the sudden predatory glint in Michael's eyes, only to back into the car. "Take care of it how?" "However I have to." He started to walk towards the building, but was stopped when Alex stepped in front of him. "What?" he snapped. "Are you sure about this, Michael?" Alex laid a gentle emphasis on the name. For the first time, he was starting to grow concerned about Michael's state of mind. There was just something off about him. It's the eyes, he realized. There was an underlying cold excitement in the eyes that he'd never seen in Michael's eyes before. At least not in real life. He had seen them before, in those nightmares. Michael took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he looked back at Alex, his eyes had regained some of his essential Michael-ness. He lowered his voice. "I am not going to let Kivar kill Isabel. There is no way in hell that I am going to watch her die again." He looked away, into the distance, back towards Roswell. "I'm not going to let any of you die this time around. Not Isabel, not Max. Not Maria." That last was said with clenched teeth. Twice that day Kivar's Skins had threatened Maria. It was going to stop now. "Kivar's not going to win this time around." "I get that," Alex answered in a matching quiet voice. "But we don't want to lose you in the process, either." Michael frowned at the other boy, then smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "You won't. Maria won't let me be lost." He gestured towards the factory. "Can we go get Izzy now?" Alex nodded, trying not to notice how his heart was speeding up and how sick to his stomach he suddenly felt. It didn't matter how scared he was. Isabel was in trouble. End of story. ------------------------------------------------------- They went around to the half-hidden door and silently entered the factory. "Stay behind me," Michael whispered. Alex nodded quickly. Duh - like he was actually going to go first into a building full of evil aliens. Five or five hundred - it didn't really matter from Alex's perspective. He liked watching sci-fi movies, not being in one. From the instant they entered the building, Michael reached out with his sense, trying to remember all his lessons from his training. Of course, he was ignoring one of the primary ones - don't enter a situation you know full well is a trap. The others would be disappointed in me. He brushed away the thought. They didn't matter to him. And anyway, in this case, he didn't have much of a choice. Letting Kivar leave with Isabel wasn't an acceptable option, and the longer he had her, the more chance that he could get her back under his control again. Michael understood why Alex had tried to pull him back from the brink outside, but he doubted that he could make it through this without relying on his instincts and memories of Tymrath. He needed Tymrath for this. There was no way he was going to fail his family again. They walked down empty hallways. The place was huge. Five aliens could easily hide in this place indefinitely. There was no sigh of Isabel or Kivar. Just empty hallways and empty rooms. Nothing to see there, except the occasional scaffolding to show that there had been some plans for renovation at one point before the place was abandoned and Nicholas moved in. A slight tingling on the back of his neck was the only warning Michael had. It was enough. Spinning around as he raised his hand, he let go of an energy blast. It met Nicholas's in mid-air, the two blasts colliding and exploding, making the hallway shake for a second. Alex had to grab the wall to keep from falling. Michael didn't even sway on his feet. "Nice. Much better," Nicholas said, clapping as he walked out from the shadows. "Someone's been practicing." "Valar, Nykal," Michael spoke evenly. He even managed a slight smile. "Tor'lag." Hello, Nykal. It's been a while. He laughed briefly. "Or not. I guess it depends on your point of view." Alex regained his balance, and looked around, desperately searching for something heavy to hit the Skin with. Nothing seemed available. Figured. "Well, well." Nicholas's eyes widened in surprise. "And you've been taking lessons in Antaran. Now where would you have found a teacher for that down here?" He tilted his head to one side in mock curiosity. Michael fought the urge to blast the pipsqueak out of the hallway, preferably in tiny little pieces. Not yet. "Actually, I remembered it." Without waiting for an answer, he moved so that his body was between Nicholas and Alex. "Alex, go get Isabel." Alex shook his head, not caring that Michael couldn't see him. "I'm not leaving you here with the evil alien spawn." "Don't worry about me." Michael's attention never wavered from Nicholas. "Nykal and I have some unfinished business. The little matter of his killing me." Michael smiled again, a baring of teeth. When he went on, his voice was sharper, more commanding. "Alex! Remember the priority. He's just trying to keep us here to give Kivar more time with her." "Well, that's not all I'm here for. I'm also here to kill you both," Nicholas replied smugly. Alex didn't really want to leave, but Michael was right. This was just another distraction. And deep down inside, he knew that time was running out for Isabel. Every minute that went by, he could feel her slipping away from them. So he slowly backed away, hoping that he could find Isabel quickly and that Michael knew what he was doing. "Say hello to Kivar and Vilandra for me!" Nicholas said, waving cheerfully as he left. Suddenly, he found himself sliding backwards down the hall, not stopping until he hit the wall. Shaking himself from the impact, he slowly got to his feet, watching as Michael advanced steadily towards him. "You remember everything now, do you?" "I remember." With a wave of his hand, he sent Nicholas flying through the air, hitting the wall again. "Then you remember me beating you." Michael saw the hand rising in his direction and jumped to the side. The blast singed his side. Perfect, the same side as Kivar shot. Michael gritted his teeth. He'd just have to ignore the pain until later. He could do it. The next blast from Nicholas hit Michael in the leg. Dropping to the ground in pain, he clutched his leg as he waited for Nicholas to come closer. As soon as he was close enough, Michael spun out, putting his weight on his arms as his legs swept under Nicholas, knocking him to the ground and then swinging his legs down on the smaller alien's body, noticing with satisfaction the way Nicholas grunted in pain at the impact. Getting to his feet, Michael yanked Nicholas up by his shirt and pinned him to the wall, using his powers to keep him there. Before he could reach over to hit him with a direct bolt of energy, Nicholas managed to bring up his arm and throw Michael back. Flying through the air, Michael went right through an open doorway and into a nearby conference room, landing next to a large table. "You're definitely doing better," Nicholas said. Michael got up, reaching back to touch his head gingerly. When he brought his hand back down, he could see the blood on his fingers. It wasn't much comfort, but Nicholas wasn't looking too great either. "But not good enough." Eyes lighting up eagerly, he used his powers to shoot the table towards Michael. Michael didn't have time to react before he was being crushed between the table and the wall. Okay, that hurts. A lot. Michael could feel that he was about to lose consciousness, and he fought off the pain as best as he could. -------------------------------------------------------- Max led the way up to the factory's main doors. Maria had found the way without hesitation. Now they just had to find the others. He looked back at the four behind him. He wished they'd been able to contact Valenti, but the best they'd managed was to leave him a voice mail message. The sheriff would have been a comforting presence. "Maria, you sure you won't wait...." his voice trailed off at the fierce look he received from her. "Never mind." He looked at Tess. "Tess, you and I go first." She nodded in understanding. The five walked down a hallway. Max was trying to get an idea of which way to go to find Isabel, but he was coming up with a blank. He knew she was there somewhere, but he couldn't get anything more definite than that. Well, they'd just have to keep looking until they found her or the others. Liz looked over at her best friend, noticing how tightly Maria was clenching her fists. She reached over and pulled at Maria's hands, ignoring the way Maria tried to pull them back. "Maria, you're going to be drawing blood in a minute. What's wrong?" Maria gave a quick look around. The others were just a few steps ahead of them, but far enough that they wouldn't hear her if she whispered. "It's Michael. He's so angry. And I think he's fighting someone." "You can sense him fighting?" Liz wasn't sure why this connection kept surprising her, but it was just so intense. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or looking forward to the day when she and Max had a connection that strong. Maria nodded. "I can feel how close to the edge he is." She looked at Liz. "Something's wrong." She repeated with utter certainty what she had told them earlier. Before Liz could answer her, the two girls were both seized by a strong hand and pulled into a side hallway, door slamming shut behind them to keep them separate from the others. Maria was instantly thrown dismissively to one side, leaving Liz to look at their attacker. "Lonnie." Liz backed away from Isabel's dupe carefully, noticing the dazed expression on Maria's face. Liz hoped that Maria hadn't hit her head when Lonnie threw her aside. She'd been through enough already for one day. "Well, if it ain't the king's bitch." Lonnie laughed as he looked down at the smaller girl. "Now this is an unexpected treat. I'm gonna like killin' ya." Liz looked around desperately as Lonnie raised her hand, but didn't see anywhere to go. She didn't think she could outrun an alien energy blast. But before Lonnie could attack, a form came running down the hallway from behind Liz, pushing her out of the way. Liz could only watch in shock as Alex appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and hit Lonnie hard. Apparently, it surprised Lonnie just as much, because the girl went falling to the ground, released energy hitting the ceiling instead of Liz. None of them noticed the creaking noise that followed the impact. "Liz, are you okay?" He kept his attention carefully on Lonnie, though, to see if she was going to try attacking again. Lonnie rubbed her cheek gingerly, wincing. Then her eyes focused on Alex. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as she smiled at him. ------------------------------------------------------- All of Nicholas's attention was focused on the table, trying to crush Michael with it, to cut him in two. Michael didn't seem to be able to push it back with his power. Fine. He'd just try something different. Looking at the heavy table, Michael imagined the thousands of fine lines that he saw when he blew up rocks. Then, he released his powers. The table exploded into hundreds of smaller pieces, flying through the air, away from Michael. Nicholas flinched as some of the pieces hit him. Good. Using his distraction, Michael mustered what strength he had left and shot Nicholas backwards through the air. And through the wall. Michael blinked in surprise at that. He hadn't realized he had that much strength left. "Wow." He walked over to the gaping hall in the wall and stepped through, back into the hallway, looking for his adversary. Nicholas was still moving, struggling to get to his feet. Brushing himself off, he glared defiantly at Michael, raising his hand. Michael could feel the energy forming in the air between them. "You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered. What did it take to stop him? He was like the Energizer Skin. Looking around, Michael noticed that Nicholas had come to a rest not far from one of those scaffoldings. Moving swiftly, before Nicholas could release his next energy blast, Michael used his powers to drop down the scaffolding on Nicholas. And watched in satisfaction as one of the pipes hit Nicholas in the back, turning him instantly into a pile of dust. "One down." He dropped to the ground. Every single inch of his body hurt. His side was scorched, his shoulder was still sore from earlier, and he was starting to get dizzy from the head wound. The sense of being beaten senseless brought back too many memories. He could almost believe that Hank was going to come swinging at him at any second. "No." No time to think about that now. Michael forced himself to get to his feet again. He had to keep going, before the adrenaline wore off. Besides, he won. He was still standing. He let himself take a moment to just immerse himself in that energy, the rush that came with winning. Rath was right - it was intoxicating, all that power rushing through his body. Then, Michael went on. One down. Kivar still to go. ------------------------------------------------------ Alex gulped nervously as Lonnie looked him up and down, eyeing him in a fashion that was making him very uncomfortable. "Well, well, Opie. Who'd a thought you had it in ya? I'm going to be all bruised tomorrow." She liked her lips. "Course, Kivar said that you liked it rough. Does my twin know this side of ya, I wonder?" "Shut up," he whispered, fist still clenched tightly. "You don't know anything about me." "No? Maybe not." Lonnie slowly got into a crouching position, looking like a wild animal about to attack. Her smile slowly returned. "But Kivar does, and he tells me everything. So what about it, Opie? Wanna try again?" Alex looked at the girl on the floor. Under the piercings and the tattoos, under the attitude and the clothes, she still looked like Isabel. When he'd come down the hallway, he'd seen someone about to attack Liz, and stopping them had been instinct. But now, looking at Lonnie, she looked too much like Isabel. And hitting her - it just reminded him too much of those nightmares Kivar gave him, nightmares that made him sick. He couldn't do it. It would be too much like hitting Isabel. Seeing his fist slowly unclench and fall to the side, Lonnie's smile grew even wider. She got the rest of the way to her feet and raised her hand. "No? Oh, well. Kivar wants you dead just as much as he wants Maxie-boy gone. Say bye, Opie." But before she could attack, Lonnie went down again. And this time she stayed down as Maria hit her over the head a few times with the heavy pipe she'd found in a corner pile. "I am getting so sick of people pushing me around today!" Maria screamed, hitting Lonnie one last time to make sure she was down. "Was there a memo or something? Beat up Maria DeLuca Day?" "Maria." Liz looked the pipe away from her. "I think you've got her." "Fine." With one last kick, Maria looked from Lonnie's unconscious form to Alex. "Told you that the next time I'd save you, didn't I?" "Never doubted you." Alex gave her a quick hug. Then he pushed her away and looked at the two girls with a frown. "Hey, what are you two doing here? You were supposed to stay at the hospital." "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Maria rolled her eyes at Alex. She was getting tired of the overprotected males in her life. Like dealing with Michael wasn't enough. Liz gave a brief smile. "We all came when Tess told us." "Okay, so where are the others?" "Lonnie locked them on the other side of the door." Just as Liz said that, the door blew open, showing Tess and the others behind her. "Liz!" Max ran over to make sure she was safe. Ignoring the two of them whispering, Maria fixed Alex with a stare. "Where's Michael?" Alex fidgeted uncomfortably. "Last I saw, he was fighting Nicholas." "He was what? Didn't Nicholas kill him the last time around?" Kyle was worried. "Let's go back him up." "Hold on." Maria closed her eyes and reached out along the link to Michael. She gave a gasp as she was flooded with a surge of emotions. Excitement and satisfaction seemed the strongest. She opened her eyes and looked at the others. "I think Michael won. He's okay." Physically, at least. There was still something underlying his emotions that she didn't like. "Okay, that's good." Kyle let out a breath of relief. He'd gotten used to the cranky alien. "Hey, look!" Tess pointed behind them. While all of their attention had been focused on Maria, Lonnie had regained consciousness and was running down the hallway. "She might know where Kivar has Isabel." Without a second thought, Alex took off after Lonnie, followed closely by Tess. Before they got too far, the ceiling, weakened by Lonnie's blast, gave way and caved in behind Alex and Tess, cutting them off effectively from the others. Kyle saw a beam from the crawl-space falling down directly in the direction of Liz. Picking her up, he threw her to one side and tried to follow. Not quickly enough, though, as the beam fell on him. Everything went dark. ---------------------------------------------------------- Alex stopped, gasping for breath. Somewhere along the way he'd lost Lonnie, and now, looking behind him, he saw that he'd lost the others as well. That was probably not a good thing. He thought briefly about going back to find them and make sure they were okay, but then he felt something. A little tinge in his subconscious, an instinct, whatever you'd want to call it. But whatever it was, it was telling him that Isabel was close. So he went on down the hall, finally coming to a closed door. Okay, the smart thing to do is definitely to go back for the others, he told himself sternly. Get one of the nice strong aliens to help you out here. But despite what he told himself, he saw his hand going out to open the door. Because Isabel was on the other side. She was calling to him, deep inside his soul, and he had to go to her. So he turned the doorknob and walked in, a calmness forming around him. For the first time since that car nearly hit Maria, he wasn't afraid. When Alex entered the room, he immediately saw that there were only two other people present. There was Hanson (Kivar), pulling Isabel to her feet from the ground. She let him pull her up lifelessly, and allowed him to pull her around to face Alex. Alex's calm nearly slipped when he looked at Isabel's face. Her eyes were so blank - it was like there was nobody there at all. For a second, he was afraid he was too late, that they'd lost her after all. But then he remembered the feeling he'd had only a minute earlier. Isabel had called him to her, so she wasn't completely gone. "Look at this, my dear," Kivar drawled out mockingly. "We have company, Vilandra. Isn't that nice?" He positioned Isabel in front of him, arm tightly wrapped around her waist. "Just let us go," she told Alex, voice dead. "You heard what she said," Kivar said triumphantly. "Vilandra's made her choice, and surprise, surprise. It's not the pathetic human." His voice turned hard and threatening. "Get out of our way." Alex ignored Kivar. He wasn't important, not to Alex. Isabel was who was important. "Isabel, I know you're still in there. Somewhere." "Let us go," she repeated in that same vacant tone. He didn't see anything in her eyes, no recognition. Alex took a step closer. "I know how you feel." Alex spoke only to Isabel, knowing that somewhere deep down, she could hear him. "It's like drowning, right? That's how you put it. But you can fight it." She shook her head slightly. "You can, Isabel. I did it, and so can you. Think about what you have here, Izzy. Think about how much we all love you. You're Isabel Evans. You're stronger than him." He jerked his head in Kivar's direction, but never stopped looking at Isabel. Was he imagining it, or had he seen something flicker in those eyes? "Hold on to me, Iz. Remember the connection. Hold on," his voice dropped, as he held out his hand. He stood there, holding out his hand to her, hoping that she could sense him reaching out to her, that she could use the connection as a life-line to pull herself out of her mental prison. He had faith in the strength of their bond. From a distance, Isabel could hear him talking, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but the images Kivar was sending her. She could almost see other ghostly images, memories that were vague and confused. A green teddy bear. Sitting on a rock, looking up at the night sky. They started to gain clarity. Dancing in the desert under the stars. "If I'm holding onto you, maybe you won't get lost." But I am lost, Alex. I am so lost. And I don't know if I can find my way back. Alex? And with the name, came such a feeling of love, so very strong. But was it strong enough? Slowly, Isabel's hand rose from her side. She held it out to Alex, not touching his. They were too far away from each other for that. But something incredible happened. Alex was never completely sure if he really saw it or if it was just his imagination, but it seemed that for a moment a shining white light streamed from his outstretched hand to Isabel's. And in that instant, he felt even more connected to Isabel than he had up to then. "That's enough of that," Kivar said impatiently, reaching down and pulling out his gun with his free hand. "Tymrath's not around to save you this time." He aimed at Alex, who didn't even flinch. He never looked away from Isabel. And couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading over his face as he mentally felt something snap. Isabel turned, breaking free of Kivar's grasp and kicking him with all her strength. His gun fell to the floor and she kicked it aside before proceeding to throw Kivar across the room. "I told you I was stronger now," she hissed down at him. She ran over to Alex, hugging him tight. "Alex." She relished the feel of his arms around her again. When she'd come back, she could feel the connection with Kivar breaking. It simply couldn't exist alongside the one she shared with Alex. She was free of him. No more Kivar in her mind. "Hey, Izzy. Welcome back." His smile told her that he understood. Then, he looked over her shoulder, noticing that Kivar was starting to move. "I think we should get out of here." "Good idea." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him back out into the hall, away from that room. For a few minutes, there was silence in the room. Then, "Ow!" Kivar got to his feet slowly, rubbing his head. "That was interesting." Smiling a little, he looked around the room for his gun. Before he could find it, though, he heard the new arrival enter the room. The smile grew wider. "Hello, Tym." Michael entered the room, closing the door gently behind him and leaning against the wall. "Hello, Kivar." -------------------------------------------- Liz blinked around in the faint light. They were in a small space, surrounded by fallen plasters and beams. Then she noticed the form next to her. "Kyle!" She heard a faint groan in response and felt a wave of relief. He wasn't dead. She shifted over next to him. "It's going to be okay, Kyle. Just hold on." "Wasn't actually planning on going anywhere, Liz," came his faint response. "You know, since there's the little matter of this beam on top of me. Where's Tess?" Liz looked around. "I don't see anyone but us. I think Tess was farther up the hall. She's probably fine, Kyle." "Good." His voice was still faint, but held the undeniable hint of relief. "I really didn't want to have to explain to Dad why I let a roof fall on her." Liz gave a brief laugh. "Coward." "That's what Tess says." His voice was getting fainter. Liz looked around at the situation. Nothing was on top of the beam, so she guessed it was safe to move it without worrying about making the rest of the building fall on them or anything. She pushed with all her strength, and after a few minutes, had the beam off Kyle. She moved over to him, looking to see what injuries he had. "Where does it hurt?" "Just everywhere." He tried to smile, but closed his eyes at the pain. "Seriously, I just think it's where the beam fell." "Your chest, then." Liz gently started to push up his shirt. "You know, if you're trying to make King Max jealous again, you might want to wait until I can participate more fully." She shook her head down at him. "Thanks for the offer, Kyle, but I'm just seeing if you're bleeding." She put the shirt back down. No signs of that. Hopefully there wasn't any internal bleeding. "What now?" Kyle opened his eyes again, which Liz found a good sign. She wanted him awake and alert. Liz took a deep breath and looked around, trying to block out her worries about Max and Maria. "Now I find us a way out of here." ---------------------------------------------------------- In the green light on the other side of the debris, Maria looked at Max. He was using his force field to hold up the beams threatening to fall on them. "How long can you hold them up?" "No idea. Let's try to find a way out of here before we find out, huh?" He kept an eye on Maria. "Anything more from Michael?" She shook her head. "Things are the same. He's upset." She looked around for a way out. "I think he's trying to keep me out." "He's trying to keep you safe, Maria. He didn't want you here." "Yeah, what's up with that?" She had Max as a captive audience at the moment (not like there was anywhere he could go, after all), and she wanted an answer. Plus, she tended to talk when she was nervous or scared. "Why is everyone so suddenly being all worried about me?" "I don't know, Maria. Maybe because a Skin tried to kill you twice today?" "Okay, the first time doesn't count. He never meant to kill me, and it was only a distraction. It could just as easily have been Liz he pretended to almost hit if she'd been the first one out. And it's not like I'm the only one who's been in danger today." Maria held up her hand, counting off on her fingers. "Alex was almost shot by Kivar, who seemed to take him personally, and then almost got blown up by Lonnie. Liz was also almost killed by Lonnie. Michael was shot by Kivar, even if it was only a graze. Isabel was abducted. And your mother......." her voice trailed off, wincing. "I'm sorry, Max. I probably shouldn't have brought that up, huh?" Max focused his attention on the shield. "It's okay. It's not like I've forgotten about it. But we're going to get that antidote." "Of course we are," Maria said with total conviction. "But my point is, we've all had a sucky day. I've gotten off light in comparison." "Michael's just protective of the people he loves. You know that." Maria narrowed her eyes at him. "It's more than that. What's up?" Max shook his head. "I'm not having this conversation with you." "Max..." "I'm serious." Max's voice held a note of finality to it. "You have a question about how Michael's acting regarding your relationship, you talk to him about it. I'm not getting involved." She frowned at his back, then let it go. He had enough to worry about. If it was her mother........ She heard a noise behind them. ---------------------------------------------------------- It took a while, but Liz finally managed to move the debris out of the way and crawl out into the hall. Blinking and waving away the plaster dust, she noticed a figure coming down the hall towards her. "Tess?" It was the small blond alien, but Tess didn't even answer. Liz got shakily to her feet and moved closer to the other girl. Tess didn't even seem to notice her - staring straight ahead, apparently dazed. "Tess? Are you okay?" Still no response. "Tess, Kyle's back there." That got her attention. "Kyle?" Tess's eyes focused on Liz. "What happened to Kyle?" Liz gestured back. "He's in there. Can you help me get him out?" "Of course." Working together, the two girls managed to pull Kyle through the opening. When they were back in the open section of the hallway, Tess bent over him, worried. "What happened?" "Lonnie made the ceiling go boom." Kyle managed a weak smile. "Hey." "Hey." She leaned over and kissed his lips gently. "You better be okay, Buddha Boy. Who else am I going to blame for this whole thing?" "What happened to Lonnie?" Liz asked, looking around nervously. It would be just their luck to have the crazed alien pop out from behind a corner or something. Tess frowned in concentration. "She got away. Lonnie has left the building." Shaking her head quickly, she went on. "Where are the others?" "Back there." Liz pointed to the destruction behind them. "Okay." Tess walked over to examine it. Although they obviously needed to regroup, she was even more concerned about getting Max out so that he could heal Kyle. Kyle didn't seem to be in any mortal danger, but he was in pain, and she didn't like that. The injuries were too serious for her to heal, so she needed to get Max out here, fast. "Here goes." Liz and Kyle watched as Tess very carefully used her powers to move the bits and pieces of the ceiling away, digging her way through until they reached Max and Maria. The five of them quickly moved away and down the hall to someplace more structurally secure. "Heal Kyle." Tess looked at Max, holding on to Liz, impatiently. "Now." "You better do what she says," Kyle murmured up at him. "She's pushy, you know." "Really? I hadn't noticed." Max and Kyle exchanged a look of rare understanding, then Max leaned down to heal him. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to do it, seeing as how he hadn't been able to heal his mother earlier. But much to his relief, he was able to form the connection with Kyle easily. Liz gathered him in her arms when he leaned back from the healing, momentarily exhausted. "Cool," was all Kyle was able to get out before he was practically smothered by Tess's hug. "I'm okay, Tess." She pulled back and smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't you dare ever do anything like that again!" "Guys," Maria said quietly. They all turned their attention to her. She was staring down the hallway in the direction that Alex and Tess had gone earlier. "Somebody's coming." --------------------------------------------------------- Kivar got to his feet calmly. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." Michael looked around the room, taking in the surroundings and then dismissing them as his eyes returned to the man across from him. "Prank phone calls? Putting flowers in her locker? Isn't that kind of petty?" Michael shook his head mockingly. "Really, Kivar. Couldn't you come up with anything better than that?" Kivar laughed, spreading wide his hands in a deceptively innocent air. "Well, you know. It was fun. Had her pretty spooked, didn't I? Plus, you know how important it is to test the opposition for weaknesses." He shrugged. "And it's not like that was the only thing I was working on." Michael's eyes narrowed at the reference to the dreams Isabel and Alex had, but he didn't say anything. Kivar looked at Michael intently. "You look awful, Tym. Who was it? Lonnie? Nicholas?" "It was Nykal." Neither man raised his voice, speaking in calm tones. "I didn't even know that Lonnie was here." "She's somewhere around." Kivar's tone dismissed Lonnie as irrelevant. "So where is Nykal?" Michael grinned widely. "Dead and dust." One down..... He started to walk casually around the room, prowling slowly closer to Kivar. For his part, Kivar didn't look at all saddened by the news of his second's death. If anything, he looked proud. "Good for you, Tym. Glad that you won this time around. I always figured it was more luck than anything else before." "Before." Michael stopped walking, looking away from the other. "I meant to talk with you about that." Shooting out his hand without even looking, he released a small focused blast of energy. Just enough to knock Kivar off his feet and mak

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:05 pm

Maria threw the keys over on the countertop as they entered the apartment. Michael hadn't said a word the whole ride back. He'd even let her drive, which was somewhat of an earth-shattering event in and of itself. It worried her. He'd seemed relatively okay when they left the old factory - tired and bruised, but okay. But now he had that look on his face, mingled shame and fear, that he'd had last year in the UFO Center. Maria could tell that he was shutting down again, the same way he had withdrawn after killing Pierce. Well, too bad. If Michael thought he was going to be able to pull the same garbage he had back then and try to push her away again, he was in for a surprise. As she remembered him walking away last year, Michael's hand around her waist tightened, pulling her even closer as if to reassure himself that she was there, and Maria knew that she was wrong. Michael wasn't going to try to send her away again. For better or for worse, they were together now, and they were staying that way. No matter what. Her elation died down when she got a good look at the bruises on his face, though. Silently, Maria raged at the beings on another planet who were putting him through this. Michael had been through enough already in his life. He didn't need this constant warfare. None of them did. "Let's get you cleaned up," she said gently, using her mothering tone on him. Sometimes, when Michael was really upset or hurting inside, she just had to be quiet and let him come to things in his own time. Pushing him rarely helped anything. "Come on." Obediently, he followed her into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed when she gestured. Maria bit her lip as she looked down at him. They really should have had Max heal him before they left. Oh, well. Michael had his reasons. She turned to go to the bathroom for the first-aid supplies she'd purchased earlier in the week, but was stopped when a strong hand grabbed her arm. Looking back, she saw Michael staring at her with a panicked look on his face. "I'm just going to get some bandages. Honest, Michael. I'll be right back." She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the forehead, turning again to leave when his hand dropped away. In the bathroom, Maria took a moment to lean back against the wall and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. It had been a long day. Cars and abductions and falling roofs, oh my. With a rueful smile touching her lips, she opened her eyes and got out the kit. Gathering her courage, she went back into the other room, prepared to deal with Michael's pain. Seeing him in pain always hurt her, too. Pausing, she looked at the alien she loved. He was sitting there silently on the edge of the bed, head bowed as he stared at his hands. She knew what he was remembering. It had been so hard for him to pull back, to let Hanson's body fall to the ground. There was something basic and primal in Michael, something that had wanted to destroy Hanson totally, even after he realized it wouldn't affect Kivar at all. She had been there with him, felt everything he was feeling. But he won - he listened to the louder part of him, the part that didn't want to kill an innocent man. Michael won, and Hanson would live to annoy someone else on another day. She walked over and sat down on the bed next to him. He still didn't speak, barely glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She could feel his nervousness, his fear of what she was going to say. She sighed inside. I thought we were past this. "All right, let's see what we have here, spaceboy," she said, turning his head as gently as she could, looking at a small cut he had on his forehead. She pursed her lips in concentration. "Well, this doesn't look too bad at any rate." She dabbed some antiseptic on it, then attached a bandage. "Bet it'll be all gone soon, since you heal fast, right?" She tried to catch his eyes with hers. "Does it hurt too much?" He shook his head silently. If he didn't say something soon, she was going to lose it and start screaming. Even having Michael yell at her for showing up and butting in to alien business would be better than this continued silence. Patience, she reminded herself. "Take off your shirt." Well, that got a response at least. She almost laughed at his surprised look. "Don't get excited, spaceboy. I want to see if you reopened the wound from Kivar shooting you." He nodded and started to unbutton his shirt. That's when Maria noticed the way his hands were shaking. Oh, God. It was worse than she'd thought. "It's okay, Michael. I'll do it." With the ease of long practice, she had his shirt off in seconds. Before she could take off the bandage they'd placed there earlier, she was stopped by Michael's quiet words. "Do you still think I'm one of the gentlest souls you've ever met?" His voice was almost frightening in its utter lack of emotion. Resisting the urge to simply take him in her arms, she continued to check out his earlier wound. "That's not too bad, either. Of course, there's nothing I can do about any internal damage." She looked his chest over carefully. "You really should have let Max heal you. There's only so much basic first-aid I can do." "Maria." There, an emotion. Mild exasperation might not be the emotion she wanted to elicit from Michael, but it was better than nothing. She sighed, gathering her courage. Maria felt even more woefully unprepared for this than she had the night at Dagmar's. All she wanted was to make everything better for him, but she didn't know how. Michael deserved so much better than this life he was given. She decided to go with simple honesty. Looking him directly in the eyes, she answered. "Yeah. I do." "Are you out of your mind?" he exploded. "Did you even look at Hanson after I was through with him?" Reaching over, he grabbed his shirt and waved it in her face. "This isn't even all my blood. Most of it's his. I hit him and I kept on hitting him. How can you possibly call me a gentle soul?" "Michael." She needed to calm him down. He was just as much on the edge now as he was earlier. Maria grabbed the shirt and threw it aside, holding his hands tightly in hers, waiting for the tremors to pass. "Who did you think you were fighting?" "What are you talking about?" "Just answer me, Michael," she demanded sharply. "Who did you think you were fighting?" "Kivar." His tone left no doubt that he thought it was a stupid question. "You know that." "Exactly. And gosh, do you have any reason to believe that you're in danger from Kivar? Did he possibly do anything, like kidnap Isabel or threaten to kill us all or any little thing like that?" Michael's eyes focused on her intently. "You know he did." "Okay. Let's follow this. When you realized it was Hanson, an innocent human, what did you do?" His eyes were smoldering with anger now, but she could feel that it wasn't directed towards her. He was angry with himself. "I tried to stop." "No, Michael. You didn't try to stop. You did stop." He pulled his hands away and leaned against the headrest. Maria scooted closer, kneeling directly in front of him. "You did stop, Michael," she continued more gently. "It was hard, I know. I know that you wanted to tear him to pieces. I know that you wanted to burn his heart right there in his chest." Michael took a sharp breath. How much did she feel from him? "But you did stop, Michael. Kivar didn't win. You did." She couldn't keep the savage pride out of her voice at that. She was starting to realize that she hated Kivar just as much as Michael did. They were never going to let Kivar win. Not this time around. "I almost couldn't." Michael closed his eyes, remembering those terrifying moments when he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to regain his self-control. As Tymrath, he'd fought so hard to gain some measure of control over himself. He wasn't sure if he could do it again. "But you did." She moved even closer, practically on top of him now. "Your biggest fear has been that you couldn't control yourself, right?" He nodded slowly. "Well, you should be happy then, because you did it. Congratulations." He just shook his head. Incredible. Only Maria could find a good thing in this mess. "I'm serious. Isabel had to face her demons, and so did you. And you both showed that you can defeat them." She leaned over, intending to kiss him, but he put out a hand to stop her. "What if it had been Alex?" he asked. "What if it was Alex, not Hanson?" Michael couldn't stop himself from imagining that scenario. It so easily could have been Alex's body that he'd had to fight, not Hanson's. Maria hadn't considered that, but she refused to let him sidetrack her. "It wasn't. Stop with the what-ifs, all right? We can't live like that. Things suck enough without dragging in imaginary horrors." Besides, deep down, she knew that Alex would have preferred Michael to kill him rather than let him hurt Isabel. "You fight to defend us. If not for you, Nicholas would have killed Alex, and Kivar would have Isabel now. Would that have been better? Nope, don't think so." "So, what? I'm just supposed to be okay with all the fighting and killing? No big deal? Is that what you want from me, Maria?" Now it was his hand grabbing hers, holding it tightly. "I've been there, done that. Is that what you want me to be again?" "Of course not. Hate the fighting. Hate Kivar for making you fight. Hate the situation because it totally sucks, and try to find other solutions. But if someone tries to kill you or the rest of us, then I don't see that letting them get away with it is really an option we have. And if you let this continue, you're not going to be able to fight back and defend yourself when you need to." She ran her free hand through his hair. "I don't have all the answers, Michael. I know that you'd prefer not to ever have to fight again. But I don't see that happening as long as Kivar's around. You were brought back to fight him, after all." Michael gave a bitter little laugh at the irony of the situation. "Despite all that, I also know that you are a gentle, loving person. I know how you watched over Alex while he was fighting Kivar. I saw the way you held Isabel when she was afraid and the way you were with Laurie. I know what you feel, remember? And it's not like you're going around picking on innocent bystanders to beat up or anything." "Or little kids," he muttered, almost too quietly to hear. But she did hear it. And her heart broke a little again. So that's what this is about. He's not just afraid of becoming his old self again. He's also afraid of being Hank. This time she did give in to the need to hold him. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, Maria let him rest his head against her shoulder. Rubbing gentle circles on his back, she willed him to feel all the love and trust she was sending him. She'd be strong for him, until he could be strong for himself. They sat there for a while in silence, just holding each other as they let the events of the day pass. Very slowly, Maria could feel Michael's self-hate dwindle. Someday, he was going to have to give himself a break. Eventually, Michael pulled back, looking her up and down with an amused smirk on his face. "What?" she exclaimed, slightly annoyed. He had better not be laughing at her. "Do you realize you went around chasing evil aliens in your Crashdown uniform?" He waved at her dress. Blushing, she looked down. There really hadn't been time to change. At least she'd left behind the antenna. Luckily, she had a change at the apartment that she could wear later. "Yeah, so? You don't think I can kick alien butt in this outfit?" Laughing, he leaned down. "No, I think it's perfect." His laughter died as their lips met for a very slow kiss. "You're perfect." Recapturing her lips, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her over on top of him. Maria let herself surrender to the feel of his hands slowly pushing up her dress and the increasing hunger in his kisses. This was much better. Then she accidentally bumped into his injured shoulder, and she felt the bolt of pain go through him. She pulled away regretfully. "Maybe we better wait until tomorrow to continue this." He tried to pull her back. "It didn't hurt that much," he argued hopefully. "Nice try, spaceboy. Lie down," she ordered. With a smirk, he did. She lay next to him, holding him tightly in her arms. "Go to sleep, Michael." "Love you, teel-sharan," he whispered sleepily. "I love you, too." ----------------------------------------------------------- Liz walked back into the waiting room at the hospital, trying to carry four cans of soda at one time. Considering the fact that she hadn't slept in over 24 hours, she thought her motor coordination was doing surprisingly well. Still, she was relieved to be able to drop the cans on a table finally. Success! A small smile formed on her face as she noticed the only other two people in the room. Alex and Isabel were curled up together in one of the chairs, sleeping. She wouldn't have thought that the crowded chair would have been the most comfortable place in the world to sleep, but the two seemed totally at peace. Isabel's head was resting on Alex's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her securely on his lap even in his sleep. Spotting an blanket over in the corner, Liz carried it over to her sleeping friends and gently tucked it over them. Isabel continued to sleep, but Alex opened his eyes blearily. "Everything okay?" he whispered. "Shh, everything's just fine. Go back to sleep." Liz's smile grew even wider as he followed her orders and drifted back off. The two of them just looked so cute sleeping there. Rubbing her neck, Liz walked over to the window and looked outside. Roswell was just starting to wake up for the day, people starting to move about in the early morning light. People who had absolutely no idea that aliens were real and that some of them wanted to invade Earth and take it for their own. Her smile faded. That was a part of Dagmar's lecture that none of the others ever mentioned. If Kivar won, he and his Skins would come to Earth and that would be the end of human life here. The group was so focused on protecting each other from Kivar that they hadn't really focused on the bigger picture. There was so much more at risk here than their lives. The future of two whole planets was at stake. No, that's not quite true, Liz reminded herself. Max focuses on it. He knows what's at risk here. He just doesn't like talking about it. She knew Max better than she knew anyone, and she knew that he understood the possible consequences of the battle between them and Kivar. He simply hadn't come up with a solution yet. None of them had any easy answers. But looking back at Alex and Isabel, so secure in their love and trust in each other, Liz found herself smiling again. They would fight their smaller battles for now, fight for each other, and slowly they'd work their way towards the bigger one. Baby steps for now, until they were ready for more. Somehow, Liz knew they would be ready when they needed to be. The door opened slowly. Max entered, eyes lighting on Liz instantly. He gave her that slow little smile that made her melt inside. She was constantly amazed by how much power he had over her. Yes, they would definitely be ready to face whatever came. "Hey." Liz walked over to hug him, speaking quietly so as not to wake up Alex and Isabel. "Is your mom sleeping again?" "Yeah." Max gave her a quick kiss, then nodded in the direction of the sleeping pair. "How long have those two been asleep?" She shrugged. "Not too long." She picked up two of the soda cans. "I thought you might be thirsty." "Thanks." Pulling her along behind him, Max walked over to the other side of the room and sat down, apparently deep in thought. Liz sat next to him, holding his hand. She was just grateful that they'd gotten back to the hospital yesterday in time. Valenti and Isabel had distracted Mr. Evans while Tess mindwarped the hospital staff into not noticing Max and Liz sneak into the room with the antidote. It hadn't taken the antidote long to work, and everyone was thrilled (and in the case of the doctor, fairly stunned) when Mrs. Evans woke up shortly afterwards. They still didn't know why Max's healing hadn't worked. Yet another unanswered question. "Does your mother remember anything about what happened?" Max shook his head as he took a long gulp of the soda. "Not really. She was attacked from behind, so she never saw anything. Dad's pretty upset about the whole break-in, but the sheriff's assuring him that the department will do everything to find out who was behind it," he finished wryly. His father had seemed to accept the story that Max and Isabel had returned home with their friends and had interrupted the break-in, but Max wasn't totally sure. He sighed, moving closer to Liz. "He's just too glad about Mom being okay to ask too many questions right now." "Good." Liz squeezed his hand reassuringly. "So, what's the problem?" He looked at her and gave a surprised laugh. "Am I that obvious?" "To me, yeah. What is it?" Max looked uncomfortable. "Come on, Max. We promised no more secrets, right?" "Okay," he muttered. Looking away, he spoke very quietly. "I'm just feeling overwhelmed. Not to mention useless." "Useless? What do you mean?" Liz sat up and looked at him in shock. How could Max feel useless? He shrugged. "It's just........ well, take yesterday for example. What did I really do to help anything? Michael and Alex found out where Kivar was holding Isabel. Michael did the fighting. Alex and Isabel are the ones who defeated Kivar. What did I do?" "Well, you healed Kyle. Again," she pointed out. Max shook his head slowly. "Yeah, but Kyle would have survived either way. I just feel like I'm a figurehead, something for the others to rally around, but not much real use. People have died to protect me, and I don't think I'm worth it." He forced a smile. "I know, it's not a real problem compared to everything else that's happened, but you did ask." Liz frowned in concentration. "Do you want to be the fighter, like Michael?" "No," he burst out quickly. "I've seen what that does to him. Believe me, I don't envy Michael his burden. I just want to be able to help, too." Liz smiled at him gently. "Idiot," she said fondly. "You're talking to the girl who would be a year dead if not for you. So, I would have to say that you're pretty helpful. I just don't think your strengths lie in the same direction as Michael's. It's not that either or you are more important than the other. You're just different. It's like the you from the future said - your talents compliment each other. Maybe your time simply hasn't come yet." She tilted her head and looked at him closely. "Did that make any sense?" He smiled again, more genuinely this time. "Yeah. Thanks." "You are very welcome." "Maybe my strengths are supposed to lie with things like figuring out a way to save the Antarans without destroying Earth in order to do it." He was surprised by Liz's little jump. "What?" "I was just thinking that before you got here," she said in a tone of wonder. "I guess great minds think alike." Before she could answer, Max leaned down and captured her lips in a longer kiss. He'd missed having her around to talk to all those months. To talk to and to touch like this. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get enough of kissing Liz. Liz wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling herself closer to him, swept up in the kiss and the sensations. Finally, she pulled away to breathe. Looking over guiltily, she was reminded that they weren't alone. This would have to wait until they had a bit more privacy. Trying to get back on topic, she burst out, "Any ideas on the whole Antar thing?" Max looked amused, but allowed her the distraction. "Not yet. I want to talk with Michael and find out exactly what Kivar and he talked about. Find out if Kivar mentioned anything about his plans." "He wanted to take me back to Antar. To the palace." Liz and Max jumped farther apart at Isabel's voice. She was speaking quietly as she sat up a bit. Alex was rubbing his eyes sleepily. "So apparently Antar hasn't gone kaboom yet," Alex added, calm voice not revealing any of his anger at the thought of Kivar trying to take Isabel. There'll be another chance to deal with Kivar, he reminded himself. There weren't many things that Alex was certain of anymore, but that was one of them. He and Kivar would meet again. No doubt. But for now, there were more important things. "Good. We have to find a way to communicate back there," Max pointed out. Isabel nodded in response, then glanced at the door as it started to open. Tess walked in slowly, closing the door behind her quietly. Taking a deep breath, Tess dropped down in the nearest chair. "Well, the medical staff has been dealt with," she said, sounding exhausted. "All the records have been altered. There is no longer any accurate evidence regarding the alien," she made air quotes with her fingers, "toxin in your mother's system." Alex gently moved Isabel aside and got up, picking up one of the sodas and handing it to Tess as he sat down next to her. "Take this. You look like you're about to collapse." "Thanks." She closed her eyes and took a sip. "Providing a good alien cover-up takes a lot of energy, I'll have you know." "Too bad you can't just wipe out their memories with one of those little flashie thingies from the 'Men in Black' movie," Alex said with a teasing grin. Her eyes opened and she smiled brightly. "I love that movie. The neurolizer is so much easier than a mindwarp." Then she frowned. "Although I'm not sure I like the idea of having all those people lurking about spying on aliens." Isabel laughed as she sat down on Alex's other side. "It's just a movie, Tess. And the Special Unit's closed." "True." "Aliens watching alien movies," Alex said, chuckling. They all stared at him. "What? I find it funny, that's all." "I like the old Star Trek TV show," Max admitted quietly. "That's just because you like the women in the short skirts and the go-go boots," Isabel said, rolling her eyes. "Is that a bad thing?" Alex asked innocently, jumping when Isabel and Tess both poked him in the sides. "Hey! No fair!" "Can we maybe get back to the topic?" Liz fought hard not to smile. Someone around here had to be serious. "Yes, Mother," Alex said. He, Tess, and Isabel all turned to look at her with matching serious expressions. She opened her mouth to answer, then glared at Max. Was he laughing at her? Instantly, Max wiped the smile off his face and Liz continued. "Tess, how exactly did you take care of the situation here?" Tess gave a small smile. "Well, first I had to change all the records and destroy the physical proof of the toxin. The staff is now convinced that there was an error with the equipment during the original tests. They still know that your mother had a high fever and that there was a concern with dehydration, but now they think it was nowhere as serious as they had first believed. Especially since she's recovered so completely all on her own." Tess shrugged. "They're not sure what happened exactly, but they're not too worried about it. They're just glad she's having such a speedy recovery now." "You mindwarped them?" Liz asked, wanting to be clear. Tess looked at her steadily. "Yes, Liz, I mindwarped them. I mindwarped the doctor, two nurses, and the lab technicians who ran the original blood tests." Taking a deep breath, she went on, trying to control her annoyance. "I know that you don't much like my mindwarping, and maybe I can't blame you for that. But I think you'd like it a whole lot less if Roswell Medical was suddenly swarming with doctors from all over running experiments and asking questions that we can't exactly answer. I did as little as I could and still keep us safe. We're just lucky that the sheriff managed to convince the doctor to keep this as quiet as he could. We would have had a problem if he had already contacted anyone outside the hospital." "How did he manage that one?" Max wondered. "Seems that the doctor's son got lost in the desert a few years ago. Sheriff Valenti found him and got him back safely, so the doc owed him one." "Tess, I'm sorry." It was hard for Liz to let go of her Tess-issues, but in this case, the alien girl was right. "I just hate lying." "It's not exactly something that makes me leap for joy either, you know. But I prefer it to being dissected." Waving her hand, she went on in a more friendly tone of voice. "It's okay, Liz. We're all just stressed right now. We need some rest." "What about Hanson?" Alex asked, instinctively putting his arm around Isabel when she shivered. Hanson was innocent, and they all knew that intellectually. But he also knew that it was going to be a very long time, if ever, before Isabel could manage to look at the deputy again and not think of Kivar. "The sheriff and Kyle were taking him to his home." Tess stood up decisively. "And speaking of which, I'm going home and sleeping for about a week." "School!" Liz suddenly burst out, panicked. "We're going to be late for school. We'd better get going." "Liz, Liz. There is absolutely no way that I'm going to school today," Isabel said, looking at her as if she had lost her mind. "And we don't have to. Sheriff Valenti already called the school and told them about Mom's attack and that he was questioning us about it today. We're all excused for the day." "It's nice having the sheriff on our side instead of hunting us, isn't it?" Alex said with satisfaction. "Can you give me a ride to Michael's apartment, Tess? I have to get my car back from Maria." "No problem. Just hurry up, will you? I am so ready to go to sleep." "Yes, Captain." Alex got up, kissing Isabel on the forehead. "I'll see you later?" "Definitely." Isabel watched them leave, then turned to Max and Liz. "I think we'd better go check up on Mom. Plus, Dad'll probably be ready to give us the whole lecture of us running off when she was in the hospital by now." Max groaned, but he got up. No real point in delaying the inevitable. ----------------------------------------------------- The alarm went off and Kyle rolled off the couch and onto the floor, doing his morning push-ups without really thinking about it. When he finished, he got up, only then noticing his father standing in the doorway. "Did you get any sleep, Dad?" Valenti rubbed his face wearily. "Nope. Just got back in." "How's Isabel's mom doing?" He was pretty sure that the antidote had worked, since nobody had told him differently, but it never hurt to have confirmation. "She's fine." Valenti sat down on the couch, pushing the blankets and pillows to the floor. "Sit down, son." Kyle slowly did so, worried by the tone in his father's voice. "Shouldn't we wait until Tess gets home before I get yelled at? That way, you only have to do the lecture once." "I'm not going to yell at you." At Kyle's look of flat-out disbelief, he went on. "Well, okay. I'm going to yell at all of you later. Which you deserve. But right now, I want to talk with you seriously." "All right." Kyle was starting to get really worried. "Is something wrong? With Hanson?" "The situation with Hanson has been dealt with." "How?" His chest grew tight with a sudden suspicion. "Dad, what did you do?" "What? Nothing." Valenti shook his head. "Hanson is taking an extended leave of absence. He doesn't remember anything about the last few weeks. Poor guy thinks he's had a nervous break-down or something. So he's going to visit family in Utah. I really don't think we're going to be seeing him again anytime soon. But I've promised to help him get a transfer when he's ready." It wasn't Hanson's fault that he'd been dragged into this alien mess, but he'd come out of it better than some. Kyle gave a sigh of relief. "Okay, what's the problem then?" Valenti looked at his son seriously. "Do you have any idea of how dangerous what you all did yesterday was?" Before Kyle could answer, he went on. "I mean, really dangerous? It has nothing to do with bravery. You, Maria, and Liz have no way of defending yourselves against aliens. They can kill you in a second without breaking a sweat. You didn't see how quickly Michael killed Pierce. You would have no defense against that." "Come on, Dad. You know that Michael's not a threat." "Of course, I know that. I don't blame Michael for killing Pierce. But that doesn't mean I'm disregarding the threat posed by aliens who don't have the same respect for human lives as Michael does. You have no way of protecting yourself from that, and throwing yourselves into the middle of an alien fight is a good way of getting yourself killed." Kyle took a minute to put his thoughts in order. His father wasn't yelling at him, which in a way was almost worse. It meant that he had to really listen to what his father was saying. He was glad that his dad felt they could talk like two adults about this, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. "I know, Dad. Believe me, I have no interest whatsoever in getting myself fried by alien death rays. But what were we supposed to do? Just stand there and do nothing while Kivar took Isabel?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Dad, but that's not going to happen. I'm part of the great alien fiasco now. And if one of us," distantly he wondered when he'd started thinking of the group as us instead of them, "is in trouble, then we all move to help. It's just the way it is." Valenti looked at him for a long minute. He wished that he could just keep his son away from everything alien, but they were long past the time when that was an option. "Fine. But there has to be some moderation, Kyle. You have to realize that sometimes you can help, and sometimes you just can't. And you have to learn to recognize which it is. Find ways to help without putting your lives in danger, because that's not going to help the others at all." He reached over and clasped Kyle's shoulder. "I came too close to losing you once. I don't ever want to come that close again." Kyle was touched by the rare emotion in his father's voice. He knew his father loved him, although it wasn't often that he showed too much outward emotion. Now, though, he sounded almost as if he was on the verge of tears. "I know, Dad. I promise to think about it. Really." "Fair enough." Valenti started to get up. "I'm still going to yell at you all later, though. I'm trying to decide if you all need to be grounded or not." Kyle almost laughed, but then he caught the expression on his father's face. Not good. Somehow, Kyle was certain that if his father decided to ground the entire I-Know-An-Alien-Club, then even Michael would be grounded. He just hoped that enough groveling on the part of the group would prevent that. As Valenti walked away, a thought occurred to Kyle. "Why not Alex?" Valenti turned back. "Why not Alex what?" Kyle frowned, thinking. "You said that Maria, Liz, and I had no way or protecting ourselves against the aliens. Why didn't you include Alex in the list?" Now it was Valenti's turn to look uncertain of his own thoughts. "I don't know. I spoke with Max at the hospital. He agrees with me about you all, by the way." "Oh, now I'm sure to agree," Kyle muttered, but stopped at the look his father gave him. "Sorry." "There's just something different about Alex now." Valenti turned to go to his room. "Maybe he isn't as helpless anymore. I don't know." He went to get some badly needed rest, leaving his son to think about what he'd said. ------------------------------------------------------- Alex paused outside the door to Michael's apartment, hearing raised voices inside, although he couldn't make out the words. When his knock on the door went unanswered, he tried the doorknob. Finding the door unlocked, he walked on in, slamming the door shut behind him. Michael looked over at him, recognizing him as a non-threat, and went right back to what he was doing. Which was apparently fighting with Maria. "I am so sick of this Mighty Alien, Puny Human thing!" Maria barely glanced at Alex as he walked in. "I never said that you were puny. And if talking was an alien power, then you'd have Kivar beat in no time." "Very funny." Maria put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You can't just keep me locked up in this apartment while you go off and do whatever super-secret alien thing you're doing." "Why not?" Maria started to answer, then closed her mouth, looking at him suspiciously. She had a feeling he was actually considering the idea. He wouldn't try it. Not if he knows what's good for him. "Because we're a team. Besides, if you were looking for some quiet little girl who was just going to sit around waiting for you, then you picked the wrong girl, buddy." "Obviously." Alex winced as the argument went on. "Don't mind me. Continue with what you were doing." He went over to the refrigerator and got out an orange soda. Sitting down at the counter, he listened to the two of them. It was truly fascinating, in a strange way. "How many times have we humans saved your alien butts, anyway? Right, Alex?" "Don't drag him into this," Michael said before Alex had the chance to answer (not that he had any intention of doing it, not being an idiot). "This isn't about him. This is about you walking right into a situation where you could have gotten yourself killed." "And what is it that's got you all Mr. Insane Protective Guy these days anyway?" She was momentarily thrown by the smirk he gave her. "You've always driven me crazy. In many ways," his voice dropped suggestively as he walked closer to her. She put up her hand and stopped him before he got too close. She wasn't going to let him distract her. "I mean it, spaceboy. This irrational overly-protective thing of yours is getting too much lately. And you've somehow managed to drag Max and Alex into it, too." She ignored the glare Michael sent over her shoulder, and didn't see Alex's answering shrug. "Don't you think I deserve to be let in on the big secret, since I'm the one you're trying to shield from big bad pillows and rocks?" "Damn it, Maria. I just don't want anything to happen to you. Is that really such a bad thing?" Irritation laced his words. He hated the idea of her in danger, hated the mere possibility that Kivar might realize how important she was to him, that Maria was his weakest spot. Maria's expression softened as the anger drained away. Caressing his cheek, she answered him gently. "No. It's not a bad thing at all." Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him down and gave him a long, thorough kiss, one that made Alex look away and finally clear his throat noisily when they didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. Pulling away, she went on. "But you can't try to control me in order to protect me. That's not going to work." Michael rested his forehead on hers, staring into her eyes. "I can't lose you, Maria. I can't be without you anymore," he whispered for her ears alone. "You won't have to be," she whispered back. Then, she turned and walked over to Alex. "You here for you car?" "Well, it wasn't just to listen to the two of you fight. Although, don't get me wrong, that's always fun." He grinned impishly at her, ducking as she mock hit the side of his head. "Can you hang out here a minute with grumpy guy?" She deliberately ignored the glare she could feel Michael sending her way. "I just have some errands to run. I'll be quick and then you can have your car back." "Sure," Alex replied easily. He wanted to talk to Michael about some things anyway, and it would be easier if Maria wasn't around. "Thanks." Maria gave Alex a quick hug. "I'll see you in a little bit, spaceboy. Try and get some rest." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and was out the door. Michael looked after her for a second, then followed her outside. He caught up with her in the hallway, and grabbed her around, spinning her around. "What?" Maria's voice was cut off by his mouth on hers. Wrapping his arms around her, Michael leaned her back into the wall, kissing her as if he never intended to let go. She could feel his hands going up underneath her shirt, making her shiver as they traveled upwards. Hooking her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, Maria pulled Michael even closer to her. All it took was a touch, and she needed him. Finally, Michael broke the kiss and took an unsteady step backwards. Taking deep gulps of air, he waved down the hallway. "Now you can go." "Okay." She took a step towards him, wanting to touch him again, but then stopped herself. She could wait until later, when Alex wasn't waiting back in their apartment. "I'd better go." And with that, she practically fled down the hall. If she had stayed another second, she had a strong suspicion that she and Michael were going to end up finishing what they had started the night before, Alex or no Alex. Groaning, Michael rested his head against the wall for a second, then returned to the apartment. Alex had made himself comfortable on the couch, still sipping his soda. Without a word, Michael poured himself a soda and tabasco, then went to sit down in the chair next to the window. "Don't," he warned Alex, noticing the amused look in the other boy's eyes. He didn't need any comments about his running after Maria. Alex simply nodded and the two sat in companionable quiet for a few minutes. Then, finished with his drink, Alex broke the silence. "You have to tell her." "Hmmm." Michael made a non-committal noise. Alex pressed the subject. "I mean it, Michael. Maria deserves to know about the....." he couldn't say it. Now it was Michael's turn to look amused. "Baby, Alex. You can say it. Give it a try. Ba-by," he said mockingly. "The idea of you and Maria having a kid is a bit too 'Twilight Zone' for me to wrap my mind around, so give me a break." Michael put down his glass and looked at him seriously. "Is it really that bad, do you think? Me having a kid?" He hated the hesitation in his voice, but he couldn't help it. He had no doubts about Maria's ability to be a good mother. He just wasn't sure about him as a father. Alex shook his head slowly. "I don't know. Not bad exactly." He looked at Michael carefully. "You'll be a good father, Michael. That's not what I'm worried about." He hesitated, then went on, careful to keep his voice level. He decided to just be blunt and say it. Beating around the bush didn't seem to work where Michael was concerned. "You're not Hank. And no matter what you might be afraid of, I know you would never hurt your kid." "What do you know about it?" Michael's voice was shaking with anger. Anger and maybe a little fear, because that was what he was afraid of. Having a baby with Maria was the most amazing thing that could ever happen to him, but if he messed it up...... He would rather die than that. Alex noticed the way that Michael tensed up as soon as Hank's name was mentioned, instantly on guard. Demons to fight, he mused silently. We all have them now, don't we? He answered Michael calmly. "Not much. Just that you're not going to hurt someone you love. And it's not a totally bad thing, having a kid around. I'd like being Uncle Alex. But it's still a huge responsibility. It's going to change your lives forever, buddy of mine." He deliberately ignored the way that Michael rolled his eyes at that, lips twitching in an almost smile. "You still have school to finish. How are you going to provide and take care of a baby? Are you ready for it?" Alex didn't mean to be depressing or anything, but he had to be honest. They were so young. And that wasn't even taking the whole alien thing into consideration. How were they going to fight evil aliens and take care of a baby at the same time? The entire situation was a lot to take in, a lot to consider. Oddly enough, Michael had relaxed again as he leaned back into the seat. "Yeah, I know. Maria's going to totally freak out. It'll be hard." Alex's eyes narrowed as he studied his friend. "Okay, then why aren't you freaking out more? You're taking this way too calmly." Michael shrugged, looking off into the distance. "I'm not really sure. A part of me is terrified by the whole thing. And I know that it would have been better if we were older and more prepared." His attention returned to Alex. "But another part of me just feels that this is right. It's what's meant to be." As far as he was concerned, it was a miracle, but he didn't want to get too mushy. "Alien mating season," Alex said slowly. "Great." He gave a small laugh. "Is that what's going on? Some interplanetary cultural difference?" "Maybe." Michael frowned, trying to remember. It wasn't something he'd ever thought about back then. Taking a teela-mei, going through the tiasa - that was forbidden to him. It wasn't even a consideration back then. He couldn't let anyone in. "On Antar, you go through the tiasa and you start your family." He gave a small smirk. "I just didn't realize the process was quite so immediate." Well, that partially explained it. Michael's alien half was genetically predisposed to want to have a child with Maria, so even though it wasn't something he'd have intended, it also wasn't something that upset him too much. Maria would probably be another story altogether, though. And Alex didn't even want to think about what Amy's response was going to be. A thought occurred to him. He cleared his voice nervously. "Um, is it like that for all Antarans, do you think?" He wished his voice had come out a little stronger, rather than the high-pitched squeak he managed. Michael looked genuinely amused. "Worried about things with Isabel?" The smile faded abruptly and he frowned. "What exactly are your intentions towards Isabel anyway?" he asked, folding his arms authoritatively. "My intentions?" Alex blinked a few times, surprised. Wasn't he supposed to have this conversation with Isabel's father? But then he simply smiled. "Whatever Isabel wants. We're going at whatever pace she's happy with." Michael smirked. "You are so whipped." "Me? I'm whipped?" Alex held up the newspaper he'd spotted on the table in front of him. Holding it up, he pointed triumphantly at the circled movie times. "And why is that the times for 'A Beautiful Mind' are circled? Were you planning on going to see this," he gasped theatrically, "chick flick?" The paper was grabbed from his hands quickly. Alex braved the glare he received, grinning widely. He might indeed be whipped, but he wasn't the only one. "Anyway........." Michael scowled at him. "I'll tell her, okay? Can we just drop it? I'm tired of talking about my feelings and stuff." "No problem. I think we've talked about you enough. Would it be okay if we talk about me now?" Alex tried to keep his tone light, but judging from the increased sharpness in Michael's gaze, he had failed miserably. "What is it? More nightmares?" "Nah, nothing like that." Alex gathered his courage. He would have loved to ignore this, but if they'd learned anything over the last weeks, it was that avoidance didn't solve anything. "Although it does have something to do with Kivar." "Go on." Alex looked away, trying really hard not to betray his calm macho exterior by appearing too panicked. "Well, I'm trying not to be paranoid or anything. But I couldn't help noticing that I was the only one Kivar actually tried to kill." Oh, forget it. No way could he seem calm about this. He looked back at Michael and held up two fingers. "Twice. He tried to kill me twice. And Lonnie said that I'm up there on his Most Wanted Dead List, right next to Max." He managed a shaky laugh. "Now, while I'm flattered to be considered as important as the king of an entire planet and all that, I'm thinking there could be other ways to show it than sicking evil aliens on me." "Kivar hates losing." Michael was able to keep his voice calm, despite the anger churning through him. Damn. Kivar was still targeting Alex. He had a feeling there was more to it. "He didn't try to kill you, though, did he?" Alex's tone wasn't accusatory, but he obviously expected a response. Despite his discomfort, Michael was impressed. Alex had no intention of being left out or of playing games anymore. He expected to be kept in the loop. Fine then. "Kivar still thinks he can use me." There. No evasions. "He knows he can't use you. That's the difference." Alex considered that for a minute before replying. "Kivar's an idiot." His voice rang with certainty. Much to his surprise, Michael found himself laughing. "Well, yeah." He was gratified to know that Alex had no doubts about his loyalty. "But he's still dangerous." The laughter died, and when he spoke again, it was in a tone of command. "What else do you need to tell me about Kivar?" "Ugh." Alex got up, needing to stretch. "You know, a few weeks ago I was just a normal teen." He caught Michael's look of disbelief and hurried on. "Okay, a normal teen who was involved in a conspiracy to hide the existence of extraterrestrials on Earth and who was frequently on the run from authorities, but still an overall normal kid. Now I get to undergo mind melds with alien dictators." He got out another soda. "Kivar gave me a message on his way out." The memory he'd tried to block out came rushing back in all its vivid glory. Alex tried to lift the can to his mouth, but his hands were suddenly shaking too much, and he ended up spilling the orange soda all over the counter. "Sorry." He could never describe the horror of connecting with Kivar's mind to anyone. It was filled with so much hate and greed. Alex looked around for a towel to wipe up the spill. "Don't worry about that." Michael had gotten up and crossed over to the counter, waving his hand to clean up the spill. "What did Kivar say?" "He's coming back. And I'm the first one he's coming after when he does." The words were spoken quietly, almost mechanically. Michael looked at him in concern, then pushed him back towards the couch. "Sit down." Alex did. "He actually said that?" "Yeah." He was calming down again a little, managing to look at the memory with some objective distance. "I'm the first one he's going to kill. He really does hold a grudge, doesn't he? Sore loser." Alex noticed the way Michael was clenching his fists. "Maybe you should sit down and take some deep breaths or something. You really can't afford to blow up another television. Michael sat down, shaking his head. How could Alex be making jokes right then? "I'm sorry, Alex. You know that we'll do everything to make sure that doesn't happen." "Yeah, I know." He was starting to feel better, really. It helped some to just put it out there in words. "I'm not telling you about this because I want you, any of you, to feel guilty. It's not your fault that there's a lunatic after you. And it's not because I expect you do really do anything about it. Not more than you would do anyway." "Then why?" Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to tell someone about it. I'm scared, Michael. I've never had anyone specifically want to kill me before. And I wasn't sure if I was going to completely freak out, and if so, I wanted to get it out of my system before talking with Isabel." Michael nodded. "Well, being scared is smart. You'd be an idiot if you weren't." "Is that your idea of being comforting?" Alex laughed. "Honesty," Michael replied bluntly. "We're going to stop Kivar. It's just a question of time." "I know." Alex gave a quick grin. "And no matter how scared I am of Kivar's death threats, you have more to worry about. You're the one who's going to have to tell Amy DeLuca that you got her daughter pregnant." Michael groaned. "Don't remind me." Serious talk over, he picked up the remote. "So, let's see if there's any hockey on today." ------------------------------------------------------ Kyle was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear Tess come into the room. A small smile formed on her lips as she looked at him, sitting on the couch, looking so serious. Her eyes roamed over his body, appreciating his attire, which was a pair of shorts and nothing else. "Morning, Buddha Boy." Kyle gave a jump at the sound of her voice, almost falling off the couch again. Trying to control her giggles, Tess walked over. "Nice outfit. I approve." She sat down next to him and ran her hands over his chest for a minute, liking the feel of his skin under hers. "Although doesn't this go against the sheriff's mandatory clothing rule?" "Dad's sleeping," Kyle managed to get out, pulse speeding up as Tess moved even closer. "Really?" With a mischievous little grin, Tess wrapped her arms around his neck. "We'd better take advantage of that." And the next thing Kyle knew, they were kissing. When Kyle pulled back, he pushed back her hair and took a good look at her face. "You look exhausted." "I am exhausted. You think cover-ups are easy to engineer?" "Turn around." "Why?" She sounded suspicious. Of course, Tess would probably be suspicious if Santa Claus showed up in the living room and handed her a present for Christmas. The girl had spent way too much time with Nasedo in her formative years. "Just do it." Eyes still narrowed distrustfully, she turned her back to him. "A person's body and mind both need to be relaxed and in harmony." He gently started to massage the back of her neck. "And even aliens need to rest sometimes." "That feels so nice," Tess whispered. He could actually feel the muscles starting to relax and the tension fading from her body. He wondered at how things had changed in the last year. Back then, the only thing he'd thought about where Tess was concerned was that she was hot and that maybe he could get some action going with her. He definitely wasn't looking any farther than fooling around in the back seat of his car or behind the library, nothing major or lasting. Now here he was, worried about protecting her and keeping her safe and happy. He laughed at himself. He was turning into Alex. But she was more than just a cute blonde. She was Tess. She was a part of his life, someone he loved. And she was an alien. Bizarre. But he could deal. Relaxed, Tess eventually fell asleep. Kyle held her as she slept, thinking about the changes in his life and wondering what the future was going to bring for them all. --------------------------------------------------------- Maria's hands were full with the grocery bags and there was no way she was even going to try and open the door, so she simply kicked on it. When Alex opened the door, she brushed past him. "Where's Michael?" "He was beat, so he went back to sleep." Alex reached over and took a bag from her. "Anything good in here?" He glanced inside, then looked up, disappointed. "Fruit?" Maria laughed. He sounded like a sad three-year old or something. "There's some chocolate chip cookies at the bottom of the bag." Alex let out a muted yell of triumph and started going through the bag. "Please, help yourself." "I was going to." Alex found the cookies. "Eureka!" She rolled her eyes and took a cookie before Alex gobbled them all up. "How's he doing?" "Okay." At least, that's what she thought he said. It was hard to make it out through the mouth full of cookie. "And how are you doing?" She grabbed the box of cookies and held it behind her back. "Answer first. Tell me the truth, and then you get the cookies." She knew from years of experience that when Alex was hungry, bribery could get you far. "Well, I'm still minorly disturbed by the whole almost-getting-killed and telepathic fighting with Kivar, but otherwise I'm okay." As he said it, he realized it was true. He hadn't been lying to Michael - he was scared at the idea of Kivar coming after him. However, for the moment, they were all safe, and that was what was important. Not that he intended to make it easy for Kivar. But that was another story altogether. Maria was looking at him closely. It was the look she always got on her face when she was deciding if he was hiding something from her or not. She knew him too well. Finally, she nodded, apparently satisfied. "And how's Isabel?" "Glad that her mother's going to be fine. Now can I have the cookies. I haven't eaten since yesterday." "Poor baby." Maria handed him the cookies and walked over to peer in the bedroom. Michael seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She walked back to Alex, closing the door silently behind her. "This is really hard for him." She sat down, Alex following suit (although he brought the cookies with him). "You get that, don't you?" "Yeah. In my completely untrained expert opinion, based on years of experience with aliens, you, and other strange lifeforms....." "Hey!" She waved a pillow at him in threat, but he just laughed and went on. "I'd have to say that it's harder for Michael than the others because the two lifetimes he has fighting in his mind have such major differences. Max and Isabel are pretty much who they were before." He frowned. "Not that it's easy for either of them. Max has enough issues to keep his therapist in business for years, if he could ever talk about them." "Capture and torture will do that to you," Maria agreed, taking a cookie. "And Izzy's got the whole Kivar thing." She nudged her friend in the side. "But at least she's dealt with that one." "Yeah. But it's harder for Michael." He looked at Maria, wondering how much she understood. "Do you know why?" "You mean, has spaceboy deigned to confide everything to me?" She shook her head, half in amusement, half in annoyance. "But I think I've got the main idea of it. Tymrath was trained to fight. So for a part of Michael, that's natural. He fights to protect his family. But the Michael part of him, the one from his life here on Earth...." "That part has a hard time dealing with the violence inside him, because he's afraid that it makes him the same as Hank," Alex finished quietly. "He's still reconciling those two parts of who he is." "You think he will?" Alex's eyes lost focus for a moment, apparently lost in thought. Then he nodded absently. "He'll have to, won't he? Yeah, he'll work it out in time." Maria was glad to hear that. Talking with Alex always made her feel better. "And what about you? You going to work out whatever's worrying you?" An impish smile spread across her face. "Maybe Isabel's going to have to help you relax." Alex laughed as he got to his feet. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Of course, if any of us manage to graduate from high school with a total breakdown, we'll be lucky." "Cute. Here are your keys, Dr. Whitman." He took them and gave her a hug. "Try to get some rest too, Maria." "I will. Thanks for babysitting." She didn't think the comment deserved quite as much laughter as it received. He winked at her. "Thanks for the cookies." Then he left. Maria paused, wondering what to do next. She was tired, but didn't really feel like going to sleep yet. Too much to think about, she supposed. They might not be in any physical danger at the moment, but there were emotional aftershocks still to be gotten through. Nothing was ever simple for them. She heard muffled noises coming from the bedroom, and rushing into it. Michael was still asleep, but he was twisting back and forth on the bed, muttering something. Going over to him, she could make out the words, but didn't understand them. They must be Antaran, but she had no idea what they meant. Based on the way he was tossing and the look on his face, she figured it was a pretty good guess that it wasn't anything good. Maria reached out to try and shake him awake. Before she could even touch him, her wrist was captured in a tight grasp. Michael's eyes flew open, staring directly into hers. And for a moment, Maria wasn't in their bedroom anymore. Instead, she was trapped in a small space, crouched up against a wall, surrounded by blue flames. She could feel the heat getting closer as she looked around wildly, trying to find a way out. Then she was back in the bedroom, swallowing her panic as she took deep calming breaths. You're okay. You're safe. But what the hell was that? "Maria." Michael relaxed his hold on her wrist, although he still held on to her. That's when she noticed that he was breathing fast, too. She could practically hear his heart racing from where she was sitting. He was frightened too. Which meant that whatever it was she had just seen had come from him. "You were having a nightmare." It wasn't a question. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Michael opened his mouth to say no, but much to his surprise, that wasn't what came out. "It was about before." "Before?" She took his other hand in hers, too. "You mean, Tymrath." "Yeah. Before." He looked at her closely. "You sure you want to hear this?" "I'm sure." She wanted to know everything about Michael, good and bad. It was all a part of who he was, so it was a part of her now, too. "Okay, I was dreaming about how my......." he broke off with annoyance. "About how his parents died." "Blue fire," she whispered. He pulled her down closer, a look of near-panic on his face. "How did you know that?" "I just saw it when you woke up." Her whisper held fear, too. "It was another of those vision thingies, I guess. You were there when it happened?" He spoke quickly, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. "There was an explosion. I managed to get out." He remembered blasting his way through a wall - the first time he'd ever used his powers on that large a scale. His terror had given him strength. "I couldn't get to them, though. I was too young, too untrained." He tried to control the bitterness. If he'd been just a little older, maybe....... He shook his head. Too late now. Much too late. And it wasn't his fault. Not really. He knew whose fault it was. Maria watched the lightning fast change on emotions on his face. Grief, fear, anger, shame, hate - they all went through Michael, and thus, through her. "I'm sorry, Michael." He forced a smile and pulled her into a hug. "I know." He positioned he next to him on the bed. "So, we never finished our argument from before." "Sure we did. I won." Michael simply snorted in response. "I'll be careful, Michael, but you can't keep my locked away from everything that might possibly be a danger. It won't work." "I know." His voice sounded wistful. "I just wish I could." I wish I could keep us both locked away and safe. "Since we're in such a reasonable, confiding mood right now," another snort from Michael, which she ignored, "maybe you can tell me why you've been so overly-protective lately. And why you've got Max and Alex all worried, too." When Michael didn't answer, not even to deny it, she turned to look at him. He was staring straight ahead, face blank. "Michael?" She started to get worried. "What's the matter? What is it?&quo

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:09 pm

Far from Roswell, a woman peered out of a window, not even noticing the gorgeous view of the ocean before her. Thoughts turned inward, she apparently didn't hear the sound of someone opening the door to the room and watching her. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, he stood in the doorway as he looked her over carefully. Even dressed as casually as she was, in jeans and a black t-shirt, the red-haired woman was beautiful enough to turn most men's heads. The observer was cynically amused to think about how many others who had been taken in by her appearance, never suspecting the danger until it was much too late. Absently toying with the black stone around her neck, the woman spoke without turning. "It's about time you got here." He laughed, reclining against the door. He should have known that even he couldn't sneak up on her that easily. "It took some time to make certain of everything. You did want me to be sure, right?" Frowning, she turned to face the figure standing in the shadows. She could barely make out his form, but the faint red glow from his necklace was obvious even in the dim light. "Of course." She sat down on the edge of the desk, attention focused on her visitor. "It's him." "Tymrath." She closed her eyes briefly in relief. Finally. "And he remembers?" The man laughed. "Oh, he remembers. You should have seen the way he jumped when he saw the necklace." She looked at him with skepticism. "Tym jumped? I find that hard to believe." He shrugged. "Okay, so it's not like he actually leapt into the air and shrieked. I doubt that those idiots around him even noticed anything. But it was obvious enough to me." She nodded. His observations could be trusted. He wasn't finished yet. "There's something else you might be interested in." "What?" Her curiosity was piqued by the sound of amusement in his voice. "He's taken a teela-mei." While her expression didn't change, he could see the shock in her eyes. She hadn't expected that. "Tym? He bonded with a teela-mei? Are you sure?" Instantly, she knew that was the wrong thing to say. She could see him tense up at the implied insult. "Never mind. I know you're sure. It's just surprising. I thought Tym was smarter than that." She shook her head, not sure if she was feeling more amusement or disgust. "So he and Vilandra finally did it, huh? I never thought he'd go through with it." "It gets better." He sounded relaxed again. "It's not Vilandra." This was fun. I wasn't often that she was caught off-guard. She held up her hands. "Hold on. He bonded with someone other than Vilandra?" Then who? She was certain that Tym wouldn't bond with the Aveen-clone, so that left............. She gasped. "He connected with a human?" His smile shone through the shadows. "Her name's Maria DeLuca. You should see the way he looks at her." She practically fell off the edge of the desk, she was laughing so hard. "Oh, that's too much. Tymrath, bonded to a human." Recovering herself, she went on. "Well, it doesn't really change anything. It might make things more complicated, but our goal remains the same." "Agreed," he replied smoothly. "So what should I do now?" She considered for a minute. "Go back to Roswell. Keep an eye on Tym and this girl." She shook her head, still having a hard time accepting the idea of Tym bonded for life to anyone, much less a human. "I have some arrangements to take care of here, then I'll join you." "As you wish." With a mocking bow that left her rolling her eyes in exasperation, he turned and left. She returned to the window, mind turning over the possibilities. They'd been waiting for so long, but now they could move. She ran her fingers over the warm, smooth stone she wore around her neck. "Now we can begin."

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:56 am

And next is the sequel: Shattered Rating - Mature (for violence and sex, although nothing too graphic) Category - AU, CC, All Characters (predominently M&M) Spoilers - Up to Viva Las Vegas Disclaimer - Roswell does not belong to me. Nor do any of the characters. They belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, and Jason Katims. I am simply writing this for my own enjoyment (and to keep Roswell alive in my mind <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> ). Summary - After the events of Mysteries, the Pod Squad has to deal with the consequences of remembering their past lives and the legacies of their past selves. Author's Note - Okay, I've been convinced that things are so different from the show now that this story should be considered AU. <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> My first fic, Mysteries, started about two weeks after VLV, so my story is alternate universe after that episode. Mysteries is also found here at CID. In that story, Max, Isabel, and Michael remembered their past lives as Zandar, Vilandra, and Tymrath. Michael and Maria bonded both physically and emotionally in an Antaran mating ceremony known as the tiasa, and Maria became pregnant. This fic starts approximately three months after Mysteries ends. Oh, and I guess there should be an angst warning. 'Cause this is going to be pretty angsty.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:59 am

My name is Maria DeLuca. Okay, gotta say, I don't get the point of introducing myself to my own journal. Am I preparing myself in case of amnesia? Or do I intend to have my children read this someday? Because I'm thinking there's a big "no" to that idea. When my daughter grows up, there are lots of things about her parents' lives that I don't intend to get into. Like certain after-hours extracurriculars at the Crashdown. There's a logic in the introduction somewhere that I'm missing, but I'm following Liz's example. After all, the only reason I'm even writing this stupid journal entry is because Liz thinks it'll help me deal with my "emotional issues" over everything that's happened in the last month. She has no clue. But Liz worries, so I promised her I'd try this, and here I am, babbling to some stupid notebook (and making oh so certain that we're properly introduced). After all, grief relief isn't cutting it this time. Alex would laugh at this. Maria DeLuca, trying to keep a regular journal. I can't even remember to write down my homework assignments most of the time. No way will I manage to keep a daily journal. Of course, if Alex was here to laugh at me, then this whole thing wouldn't be necessary, now would it? Life is strange, you know? It changes all the time. Up and down it goes. And you don't realize when the changes are coming. They just come and hit you out of nowhere, sucker punching you when you least expect it. I wonder - if we had known what was coming, would things have changed? Would Max still have healed Liz? Would she have told me? Would we have brought Alex into the alien abyss? Would we have taken the risks, dared the possible price that would come? Alex was too high a price to pay. I don't think I can bear the thought that I'm going to lose Michael, too. Losing Michael might kill me. But it's happening. I know it, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I've torn down that stupid stonewall of his over and over again, but there's nothing I can do against the wall he's building up around himself now. Ugh. Start at the beginning, DeLuca. Two months ago, I was happy. Moderately freaked and slightly panicky, but still happy. I had a life I loved, a family I belonged to, a baby on the way. And most of all, I had Michael. Spaceboy can be annoying at times, but I wouldn't change him for anything. Who would have ever expected Michael Guerin to be so domestic? I never would have believed that under that belligerent attitude, there was a guy who just wanted a family to love and come home to. He threw himself into preparations for our daughter with as much energy as he'd ever shown on the search for his home planet. Maybe even more. Michael doesn't believe in doing things halfway. I think he must have read every book on pregnancy in the library. And while our news threw everyone in the group for a loop, they all accepted it. Even Liz, although I think she had the hardest time wrapping her mind around it. Then Alex died. Even now, writing the words seems wrong. Alex is dead. I can say the words, but I can't really believe it. Alex is never going to be able to play at a Whits concert again. He's never going to hang out with Liz and I and make corny jokes as we watch a video. He'll never be at the apartment watching a game with Michael or Kyle, or watch Isabel come into the room and get that goofy smile he would get. He'll never see my daughter. He'll never get to do anything again. God, I miss him. I want my best friend back. I spent the weeks after his death in shock. A car accident, Valenti told us. There was an explosion, and not enough of a body for Max to even try bringing him back. Just an emptiness in our group that Alex's light once filled up. Without Michael, I have no idea how I would have gotten through those weeks. He was there for me and Mom, constantly taking care of us. I guess that was how he dealt with it himself. He couldn't help Alex, so he took care of me and our baby. Alex would have approved. Michael tried to keep it from me, but I could see it slip out at times. He didn't believe for a minute that Alex died in a random accident. Neither did Liz. But unlike Michael, Liz didn't believe in being careful or cautious. Now there's something else Alex would have laughed at - Michael being cautious. But I guess Spaceboy's learned what the stakes are that we're playing for. Some game - Kivar wants us all destroyed. Kivar intends to win. Of course, so does Michael. Is that what I'm sensing from him these days? What is he becoming in order to defeat Kivar, in order to make sure we're safe and protected? That we don't end up like Alex? Here's something Liz can't understand. I don't really know who I am anymore. I'm not the same girl I was even a year ago. I feel so much older at times. So tired. So alone. Focus, girl. So Liz went a little insane and started accusing the aliens of causing Alex's death. She'll probably deny it until her dying day, but that's what she did. She didn't really mean it, but she said it. She and Max both say they're over it now, but I'm not so sure. The distance that grew between them during those weeks was pretty huge. Whatever. That's their lives, and they have to live it their way. They seem to be pretty solid again, but sometimes I wonder. I'd love to be able to ask Alex what he thinks about it, but....... Losing Alex lessened us all. But learning the details of his death is what shattered our lives into a million tiny little pieces. I don't know if we can ever put them back together. I want to. I want things back the way they were more than I've ever wanted anything. But Michael has some of the pieces, and I don't think he wants to put them back together again. At least, not the way they were before. Again with the what-ifs. What if Max hadn't started spending so much time with Tess again while he and Liz were fighting? What if Isabel hadn't turned to Kyle for support after Alex died? What if she hadn't wandered into Kyle's dream that night and gotten a hint of what was going on? What if we hadn't learned the truth? What if we'd gotten to the pod chamber a few minutes later? Would Tess have managed to get Max into the Granolith and delivered him to Kivar? Or would Max have realized what was going on and managed to fight back? Would she have killed Max the way she killed Alex? She almost killed me that day, too. I almost died when she threw me up against the wall of the pod chamber, and my daughter would have died with me. The few flashes I got from Michael afterwards showed me that was the moment frozen in his mind. Not only did Tess take Alex from us, she almost killed our child too. That's not something either of us can forget. Or forgive. Liz thinks I'm mad at Michael for leaving. She doesn't get it. I know why Michael had to leave. Hell, I told him to go. They needed to destroy the relay devices Kivar and the others were using to possess humans. Michael needed to know that the next time he faces Kivar he won't have to worry about any complications. Just him and Kivar, so that he can end it finally. No innocent humans in the middle. I get that. And this isn't about any abandonment issues I might have. I know that Michael will come back to me when he's finished. At least, he'll come back physically. It's his spirit that I'm worried about. His Michael-ness. Because I can barely feel him these days. He's been away from me for 18 days, and ever day he grows a little farther from me. The connection's still there, but Michael is deliberately trying to cut me off. He doesn't want me sensing what he's doing or feeling. And that's what I'm so mad about. He has no right to do this to me. He was never supposed to leave me this alone. And I worry about how alone he is. And why he wants to be. It's not working all the way, of course. I still get glimpses of feeling from him, a sense of him from out of nowhere, when I'm talking with Liz or working at the Crashdown. But it's so  cold. Except it's not always cold. Sometimes.......... I get dreams from Michael. They're not dreams about him. They're not dreams about anything, really. Just feelings, emotions so strong and so intense that they make everything in my waking life seem bland in comparison. They're not cold, not unattached. They're full of pain and anger, hate and determination, fire and blood. Energy and excitement and power. So much power rushing through my body, energizing every nerve. When I wake up from those dreams, my heart is racing and everything seems so much more real than it was before I slept. I like how it feels. I like  feeling. It's almost addicting. The dreams are full of Michael. Not the Michael I knew, but the Michael he's becoming. The one that I saw a glimpse of when he fought Kivar three months ago. Tymrath. I know that I should be afraid of the dreams. Liz would be. She'd be right. And in my more rational moments, I am. I can only imagine what's going on in Michael's mind that there are his dreams. I know that it's wrong to welcome them. But they're all Michael's letting me have of him now, and when I'm feeling that rush of energy, I feel like he's here with me. Is this how he feels all the time now? So the question is, what scares me more? What's happening to Michael, the way that he's letting himself fall apart and change into something different? Or what's happening to me? How can I put the pieces of our life back together if I'm being swept under by it too? And how can I take care of our baby if I can't even figure out what's going on in my own mind? Well, guess what. Liz's wrong. Writing this down hasn't made me feel any better. Go figure. This is stupid. Michael's coming home. I can feel him getting nearer. I guess we'll see what comes next. And who's coming home to me.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:03 am

"This is stupid," Max burst out impatiently. "Just come inside with me. Liz is waiting for us." "No," Isabel replied steadily. She looked through the windows into the Crashdown. "You're going to check up on Maria, right?" Max nodded, not understanding his sister's reluctance to go into the restaurant. But then, there were lots of things he didn't understand about her these days. He supposed that was to be expected. He had no idea what he would do himself if Liz died. In Isabel's case, there were things like this unexplainable refusal to join him and Liz for lunch. "Yeah, you know I have to check up on the baby." A sad smile formed on Isabel's face. A baby. She was happy for Michael and Maria, really she was. But it was hard to think that she was never going to be able to have that herself. Shaking her head before her thoughts strayed too far into forbidden territory, she went on. "Well, thanks anyway, brother mine, but I have no interest in having Maria shooting daggers at me across the restaurant while I try to digest." She waved her hand dismissively. "You have fun with Liz and fill me in on things later." "What are you talking about?" Max asked in genuine confusion. Isabel looked at him in surprise, then laughed. It didn't sound really happy. Max hadn't heard her sound happy since Alex died. "You can't be serious." She shook her head at her brother. "You are serious. Wow, Max, oblivious much? Ever since we got back, Maria's been glaring at me every time we meet. If looks could kill, I'd have been dead five days ago." She shrugged, trying to act as if Maria's attitude toward her didn't bother me. Max didn't buy it. "Why would Maria be that upset with you?" he asked slowly. Isabel sighed theatrically. "I have no idea why Maria does half the things she does. Honestly, Max. I don't know what I've done to piss her off so much, but she's furious at me about something. And I don't feel like dealing with it today." She gestured imperiously. "Give me the keys to the Jeep." He handed them over, trying to work out what Isabel had just told him. He hadn't noticed Maria's animosity towards Isabel, but he had noticed other things that concerned him. At first, he had thought the mood swings were just due to everything going on in Maria's life, what with the pregnancy and then Alex's death. But after Michael left, it seemed to get worse. Maria was so angry all the time. Sometimes she hid it better than others, but Max could see it in the glint in her eyes that came out of nowhere. And she wouldn't let anyone touch her. It worried him. After all, they had no idea how this pregnancy was going to affect her. It wasn't like there were lots of magazine articles detailing alien-human hybrid pregnancies. When Michael had called them after being gone for a week, Max had hesitated to leave Roswell and join him. Leaving Maria alone didn't seem like a good idea. But Michael insisted that he needed Max and Isabel to help him destroy the relay center, so Max had reluctantly packed up and left. In all actuality, he would have refused, no matter what Michael said, except that his second had already arranged for Valenti to take over Maria-watching duty. And deep down, Max knew that Michael wouldn't have left Maria even for a short period of time if he didn't feel that it was something absolutely necessary. What had really surprised him was that Michael hadn't returned to Roswell with them after they destroyed the relays. Claiming to have something important to do, Michael had sent them back alone, promising that he would follow soon. Max couldn't imagine what would have been more important to Michael than getting back to Maria. Yet something else to worry him. Like this situation between Maria and Isabel. "Iz," he started, but was quickly shut off. "Let it go, Max, okay?" She glared at him until he shut his mouth. "I'm going to the mall, anyway. I promised to meet up with Mandy and Lisa for some clothes shopping." She tossed her head and struck a pose. "I have to look my best when we go back to school tomorrow, don't I?" "Of course," Max replied dryly. "Don't want to disappoint your fans." "Like I could," she answered with a small smile. She started to head back towards the Jeep, but he put his hand on her arm gently to stop her. "Iz, do you really think this is going to help?" he asked quietly. For a second, Isabel's eyes softened, but then she walked past him. He frowned at her back, concerned. It was too bad that he couldn't go to Kyle about his worries for Isabel. Kyle had really been the only one in the group able to get through to her right after Alex's death. But right now, Kyle had no interest in communicating with anyone not of this earth. Sighing, Max went into the Crashdown. ---------------------------------------------------------- Carefully adjusting her alien antennae, Liz hurried down the stairs from her family's apartment. She was glad that her parents were out of town visiting relatives for the afternoon, since Maria and Max were coming over and the talk was bound to venture into Antaran topics. Or at least, the topic of one particular half-Antaran baby. Max was totally focused on taking care of Maria and the baby these days. Of course, so was Liz. Maria was her best friend, and her unexpected pregnancy was something that she wanted to help out with. But the whole thing scared Liz. They had no idea what the effects on a human body of carrying a part alien baby would be, and it wasn't like they could just go to a doctor for a check-up. That had been decided early on. With a sudden sharp pain, Liz remembered Alex joking about the possibility of "Little ET" being born green. Michael had glared at him for a minute, then his face had softened into a small smile when Maria had simply laughed. He'd reached over and taken Maria's hand with a gentleness that still caught Liz by surprise, and said that as long as the baby wasn't a band geek, he'd be happy. Max and Isabel had to step in and referee the insults that started flying between the two boys. They had all been laughing hysterically as Michael and Alex tried to one-up each other. Liz paused at the bottom of the stairs, blinking back tears as she realized something. That had been the last time she'd seen Alex alive. The six of them had been hanging out at Michael's apartment watching some movie. Probably "Braveheart". She wasn't sure Michael owned any other video. Afterwards, Alex had gone over to see Kyle. He was going to help Kyle with his new computer. After that....... Her thoughts were thankfully interrupted as the back door to the Crashdown slammed open, startling her. Jumping a little, Liz managed not to squeak too loudly as she spun around to see what the commotion was. "Maria! You nearly took the door off the hinges!" Trying to get her breathing under control, she glared at her friend. Whatever Maria's problem was these days, destroying Crashdown property was neither the way to feel better nor was it something likely to endear them to her parents. And when news of Maria's pregnancy came out, they were going to want all of their parents to be as inclined toward reason and generosity as possible. "Yeah. Sorry." She didn't look sorry. Liz frowned. Maria looked almost jittery. She was standing in one place after closing the door, but practically jumping up onto tip-toes. Liz was concerned. She'd seen her friend like this more and more often in the last few days, and it seemed like something significant. Not that Maria had ever been the calmest person, but this seemed more. "Maria, you haven't been drinking those Jolt colas again, have you? Because you know that caffeine isn't good for the," she lowered her voice to a loud stage whisper, "baby." Maria rolled her eyes at Liz's overly-dramatic whisper. "Nope. No caffeine. I've been good." She waved her hand and sat down on the couch, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Okay," Liz said slowly as she walked over to sit next to her. "Then what's up? Are you having a hard time sleeping again?" The first week or so after Michael left, Maria had been having serious difficulty sleeping. She'd practically collapsed of exhaustion one day. Max had needed to use his powers on her finally in order to get her to sleep. That had been an extremely unpleasant event. Maria hadn't wanted Max to touch her at all, much less use his powers on her in any way other than checking out the baby. But she'd finally given in after he pointed out that it wouldn't be good for the baby if she got sick. Still, it was clear that Maria hadn't liked it, and that Max was uncomfortable with the whole experience. Maria looked up with startled eyes, then jumped up from where she was sitting and started to pace the room. "What? No, Lizzie. Don't worry - I'm getting plenty of sleep." She forced a smile. "I'm just a little excited, I guess. Michael's coming home today." Her smile faded and her eyes got that far-away look that had also been happening more and more often. "He's not far now." Her gaze refocused. "And where's your alien, by the way? My shift starts soon, and I want to get the check-up out of the way." "He'll be here soon." Liz walked over to look through the window into the Crashdown dining area. No Max yet. "So, did you try writing in your journal?" Her back was turned to Maria, so she missed the rolled eyes and smirk her friend gave at the change of topic. "Yep. Tried it. I wrote a whole entry. You'd be proud of me, Liz. I even introduced myself politely. Wouldn't be right to talk to the notebook without that." "Huh?" Liz turned. "Did it help?" Maria sighed. "Not really. I ended up burning the book when I was done." "Why?" she asked in shock. She fidgeted uncomfortably at the look Maria gave her. It was a look that said Maria was seriously doubting her intelligence. "Because, Liz," Maria said slowly in a tone that could have been used while explaining something to a particularly slow-witted three-year-old, "it would be incredibly stupid to write down alien secrets and then leave them lying around for anyone to read." As Liz's embarrassment deepened, Maria stopped moving and stared at her, dumbstruck. When she could finally continue, her voice lowered even more, into a furious whisper. "Liz, please tell me that you're not still writing everything down in your journal and leaving it around!" When Liz simply looked down at the floor, not answering, Maria grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the stairs, away from the door. "Didn't you learn anything? What if the wrong people read your journal, Liz? God, you're supposed to be the smart one!" Unbelievable. Liz pulled her arm away. "It's hidden somewhere safe." "Right." Maria's voice was dripping sarcasm. Liz found herself losing her own temper. "You know, you sound just like Michael. The grumpy, antisocial Michael." "Well, Michael is sometimes right. Not that you or Max would ever admit that." Liz drew back, staring at her in shock. "What is wrong with you, Maria? What are you so angry about?" Liz caught a second of confusion in Maria's eyes before the blond girl closed them. Taking a deep breath, Maria shook her head. "Nothing. It's just...." Her eyes flew open as the door opened and Max came in. Without a word, Maria turned and went up the stairs to the Parkers' apartment. Max looked at Liz, the question clear in his eyes. Liz just shrugged. "Don't ask me. I have no idea." Then she went upstairs, Max following closely. ----------------------------------------------------------- By the time she got upstairs and into Liz's room, Maria had managed to calm herself down. She wasn't sure where that anger had come from. It was happening more and more often these days, though. Placing a hand on her stomach, she closed her eyes and reached out to her unborn daughter. She wasn't showing at all yet, which would have worried her more except that Max said the baby was doing fine. She guessed the baby was just tiny or something. But for the last month, Maria had been able to sense the baby too, the way that Michael had been able to from the beginning. It was faint, but the presence was definitely there. Maria felt the baby's energy and smiled, the last traces of her anger fading away as it was replaced by total love for the little life growing inside of her. These days it seemed that the only thing able to bring her any peace at all was connecting with the baby. "It's okay, little girl," she whispered. "Mommy was just a little upset, but that's all. Daddy's coming home, and we both love you very much." She sat down on Liz's bed. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise." She tried to send out as reassuring vibes as possible. Whatever was going on with her and Michael, she couldn't let it affect the baby. Too much stress wasn't good. She opened her eyes when she heard Max and Liz enter the room. She smiled brightly at them. "How are you doing, Dr. Max?" Max couldn't help responding to the smile on Maria's face. "I'm doing fine. How are the two of you?" "I think we're fine, but I guess you're going to check it out, right?" She laughed and moved over to the edge of the bed. Liz stayed by the door and watched as Max walked over and crouched on the the floor next to Maria. Max reached out his hands, letting over hover over Maria's stomach while the other almost touched her forehead. He frowned in concentration, eyes shut tight. This would have been easier if he could have touched her, but the first time he'd tried to scan Maria and check on the baby, she had knocked his hand away so hard that he almost went spinning across the room. She had been extremely apologetic afterwards, and honestly didn't seem to understand why she had acted that way, but Max had decided not to try a repeat of the experience. So Max had to do the scans while being careful to never actually touch her. After a minute, Max brought down his hands and leaned back with a smile. "Well, both of you are doing good." "You're sure?" Liz asked, coming slowly closer. "I mean, shouldn't she be showing by now?" Max shrugged. "I have no idea. Some pregnant women start to show later than others. But I am sure that you're both fine. The baby's strong." His grin got even wider as his attention returned to Maria. "Takes after her mother." "And father," Maria laughed. "A little Guerin to loose on the world." She gave a mock shudder. Max laughed. Liz took the opportunity of Maria's good mood to bring up a subject that they'd been avoiding. "Maria, maybe you should tell your mother now." Maria's smile faded. "Right, Liz. Because that's going to be such a fun conversation." "She's going to find out sooner or later," Liz continued stubbornly. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think." Maria shook her head, getting up off the bed. "I'm not even thinking about that until Michael gets back." Then, the subject closed, she went down to work. Liz sighed, sitting down where Maria had been. Max rose and sat next to her, arm going around her comfortingly. "Until Michael comes back. And when is that going to be, exactly?" She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. Michael shouldn't have left Maria, no matter what his reasons were. Plus, Liz was convinced that postponing telling Amy about her coming grandchild was a mistake. First, Michael and Maria had put off telling her because they wanted to make sure that there wasn't going to be any strange alien-related complications to the pregnancy. Then Alex's death had overshadowed everything else. Now, Maria was using Michael's absence as her excuse. Liz knew Amy DeLuca well enough to know that the later she found out the news, the more explosive the confrontation was going to be. Max shifted uncomfortably. "Michael will be back as soon as he can. You know he won't stay away from Maria any longer than he has to." Liz looked at her boyfriend skeptically. "I can't imagine a reason good enough to justify being away from Maria right now." Max frowned. "Michael has his reasons, Liz. You don't understand." She pulled away and turned her whole body to face him. "Fine. Then make me understand, Max. Explain to me what exactly is going on with Michael." Her voice softened as she noticed the way he avoided her eyes, staring instead at the floor. "Max, what exactly happened?" She knew that Max and Isabel had followed Michael to upstate New York and the three of them had destroyed the power relay that allowed the aliens, Kivar included, to possess humans. She was also aware that there were plenty of details she hadn't been told. Still looking at the floor, Max answered slowly. "We thought the facility with the relay in it was empty when we went in. We were wrong." He looked up and Liz was struck again by how much older his eyes seemed lately. "Michael told us to wait for him, but we didn't. We hadn't gotten far when we were ambushed by a man with a gun. He shot at me and pushed me off to the side. I hit my head and lost consciousness for a minute or two." He forced his voice to stay steady. "Michael and Isabel didn't know if I was alive or not. Then the man shot Isabel." He reached out and brushed back a strand of her hair. "Isabel told me this part. I wasn't conscious at the time. She was shot, and the man raised his gun again. She tried to convince him to stop, but he didn't listen. He had the gun to her forehead, about the shoot." Liz let out a gasp at that. She doubted that even an alien could survive being shot in the head at pointblank range like that. "Michael came back. Maybe he heard the noise. Isabel said that she didn't even hear him come into the room. He came up behind the man and killed him before he could shoot." Liz's eyes grew wider as this sunk in. "He snapped the man's neck. I woke up just in time to see Michael lowering the body to the ground, and turn to check on me." He remembered the look in Michael's eyes - the fear that he had been too late to save Max. "Max," Liz breathed as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She couldn't believe that she had come so close to losing him. Then a thought occurred to her. "Michael snapped his neck? I wouldn't have thought that would work on a Skin." She frowned. Skins could be killed by hitting their self-destruct button on the back, and something like fire or an explosion could also kill them, but otherwise they seemed very resistant to injuries. Valenti had shot one right in the chest, and he hadn't even slowed down. Then she saw the look on Max's face. "Oh, no. He was human," she whispered in a tiny voice. For a second Max had the impulse to ask if that made a difference. Was it okay to kill aliens, but not humans? "Yes. A human working for the Skins. He knew exactly what the skins were up to. He just didn't care." Liz blinked. "How do you know that?" Max closed his eyes momentarily in exhaustion. "Michael knew him. He spent the week before we showed up doing research and scouting out the place." "Oh," she repeated, trying to get her thoughts straight. "Michael must have been devastated. I remember how he was after he killed Pierce." "If he hadn't killed the guy, Isabel would be dead. Me too, probably," Max said, sharper than he'd intended. "Yeah, but still............" her voice trailed away. Max shook his head. "I don't know what he was thinking, obviously, but no. It wasn't like when Pierce died." He remembered how calm Michael had been until after Max healed Isabel. Then he had started yelling at the two of them for not listening and putting themselves in danger. "He was all business. Well, after he was sure that we knew how stupid we'd been to risk ourselves like that. We destroyed the relay, and he sent us outside. He joined us in a little while." Just before the entire building exploded. Max still wasn't sure how that had happened. Something about the alien technology, he supposed. Liz was obviously still stunned. "All business?" She shook her head slowly. "That doesn't sound like Michael." He looked her directly in the eyes. She was starting to get it. "No, it doesn't." Slowly, so very slowly, she went on. "But does it sound like Tymrath?" She felt a chill start to spread through her body. This was so not good. Max sighed. "Michael Guerin couldn't protect Alex from Tess. Maybe he figures that Tymrath can do the job better." She stood up, shaking. "Alex's death wasn't Michael's fault. We all trusted Tess." "You didn't," he pointed out evenly. She shook her finger at him. "It wasn't Michael's fault." Standing up, he took her hands in his own. "I'm not arguing with you. I know that it wasn't Michael's fault. But Michael thinks it is." His voice was very gentle. He understood what Michael was going through right then, the guilt he was carrying and the fear. "And Tess almost managed to kill Maria and the baby. Do you think Michael would hesitate to do anything,  anything, to keep them safe?" Liz felt like crying. "You told me once that he was terrified of becoming again who he once was? Remember?" He nodded. "So how can you let him do it now?" Max couldn't keep the pain out of his voice. "Liz, how do I stop him?" With dismay, Liz realized she didn't have an answer to that question. ---------------------------------------------------------- With relief, Maria finished changing back into her regular clothes and hung up her uniform in her locker. It had been a long shift, and now she was ready to go home and have a nice relaxing bath. And then a good night's sleep before school started up again the next morning. Senior year. Putting her hand on her stomach, she realized that she was going to have to figure out what she was going to do about school soon. Things had been in a holding pattern for so long now. At least the summer school classes she'd taken had helped her get some credits out of the way. They also had the added benefits of giving her something other than Michael, Alex, and Tess to think about. As soon as she thought about Michael, Maria felt that familiar tingling that told her he was near. She froze for a minute, suddenly nervous. Maybe she wasn't as ready to face him again as she'd thought. It had been almost three weeks with no word from him. Quickly making a decision, she went out the back door. Let him come to her at her house later. She'd rather see him on her own turf. Not to be. As soon as the door closed behind her, a shape separated from the shadows in the alleyway. Michael. He walked up to her slowly, eyes traveling hungrily over her body. It had been too long since he'd seen her last. He stopped walking about a foot away from her. Looking at him eagerly, Maria started to think that maybe she'd been wrong. He didn't act as if anything was wrong. He seemed relaxed, only his eyes betraying any deep emotion. They were filled with passionate intensity. She couldn't look away. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, then Michael broke it with a smile. "You cut your hair." She let out a small laugh, reaching up to touch her now shoulder-length hair. "Yeah. Last week." She forced her gaze away from his eyes and looked the rest of him over. He looked fit. Actually, he looked good enough to jump right then and there.  Control yourself, girl. Tearing her eyes away from the muscles showing through his tight t-shirt, she looked at his hair critically. "And I think your hair's even longer than it was before." She tilted her head. "I like it." He laughed. "Well, that's good." He reached out to touch her hair, but she stepped back. She wanted to touch him so much that it scared her, but not yet. She had to establish a few things first. Ignoring the flicker of doubt in his eyes, she leaned back against the wall of the restaurant. "Almost three weeks, Michael. You could have called." She was impressed by the steadiness in her voice. "No, I couldn't." He moved to stand directly in front of her, but didn't reach for her again. When she raised a doubtful eyebrow, he went on. "I needed to concentrate on what I was doing, and if I let myself think about you, I couldn't do that." "What, you had to be a stonewall?" Okay, the bitterness was leaking into her voice now, but really, he deserved it. "Something like that." He voice had dropped and he moved even closer to her. "I had to stay calm." "Right." Maria remembered the feelings she got from him in those dreams. Calm was not the word she would use to describe them. "And did you manage that?" He hesitated for a minute before answering. "Close enough." Catching her eyes again, he went on in a hesitant voice. "Maria, I need to know that you and the baby are okay. Can I?" He gestured towards her stomach. She couldn't deny him that, no matter how annoyed she was with him. At her nod, Michael reached out his hand and laid it gently over where their baby was resting. He was always so gentle when it came to the baby. And then she could feel his spirit and hers and the baby's, all mixing together as Michael scanned her. It was so different from when Max checked on them. When he was finished, instead of pulling back, Michael leaned forward, resting his arms on either side of her, effectively trapping her along the wall. He rested his head next to hers, closing his eyes as he breathed in her perfume. "I missed you so much, teel-sharan," he whispered in a tired voice. "So much." Her annoyance vanished at the exhaustion in his voice. "I missed you, too." She raised one hand and ran it through his hair and down, caressing his cheek resting it on his shoulder. And instantly she knew that her initial assessment of Michael being relaxed was wrong. So very, very wrong. Because as soon as she touched his body, she could feel the energy rushing through his muscles, through his body as he stood there, eyes closed and giving every appearance of being completely out of it. She had always known intellectually that Michael had a ton of alien energy at his command, when he knew how to control and access it, but this was different. Now it was right below the surface, hidden from casual eyes but waiting to be used at any second. His body was practically humming with it. And once again, Maria was struck with the difference between the appearance Michael could project to the outside world and what he was feeling inside. But instead of making her nervous as it had months ago, now it simply intrigued her. What could he do with all that energy? Maria lowered her other hand until they were both spanning Michael's chest. She could feel the energy under her hands start to spread into her. It was like in those dreams, only better. Stronger. She tried to speak, but couldn't. She moved even closer to him, until their bodies were flush next to each other. At her movement, Michael's eyes opened and watched her intently. When she raised her eyes to his, that was all he could take. So fast that she couldn't follow the movements, he had her pinned back against the wall with his own body, hands clutching her to him as he kissed her eagerly, the passion of the weeks they were apart overcoming him. Maria thought for a second about the fact that they were out in a public alley, but then decided she didn't care. She needed to be with Michael. Now. She pulled back for air, then returned to the kiss. The flashes from Michael started then, fast and overwhelming with their intensity. In the space of seconds, Maria could feel Michael's grief at Alex's death, his love for her and the baby, his anger at Tess, his need to protect them. Above all of that, his rage and lust roared through. And over and over again, painful in its clarity, she saw herself being thrown across the pod chamber, hitting the wall and landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. She could sense the despair in Michael, the second when he thought she was dead and all he wanted was to bring down the cave on them all. And then, something else, something that went by so fast that she wasn't sure she really saw it. Because suddenly, the flashes stopped. It was as if a door slammed shut. Michael had cut her off. He was still kissing her, but she pushed him back. Angrily, she moved away from him. "What is it, Maria?" he asked in confusion. "What do you think?" she hissed at him angrily. "You've been doing this ever since you left." She saw awareness coming into his eyes before he shut that down too. His face became an expressionless mask. "You don't get to do that, Michael. You don't get to cut yourself off from me like that." She frowned, trying to figure out what it was she had seen and felt there at the end. Had that been Rath in his memories? "Michael, what did you do?" He reached out his hand to her. She wanted to take it. She wanted to take it so badly that her hand started to raise before she realized it and stopped it. When he saw that she wasn't going to take his hand, he lowered it slowly. "Nothing you need to worry about. Everything's fine." "Right. That's convincing." He shook his head in frustration. "I'm going to keep you safe, Maria. Both of you. Don't you know that?" She moved closer to him. "Just tell me what's going on Michael. What's bothering you? Please." For a second, she thought he was going to. Then a car drove by quickly, and Michael blinked. The moment was lost. She looked at him sadly. "Let me know when you decide to tell me what's up, Michael." Maria pushed past him and went to her car. She could hear him following her quietly, but chose not to turn around. She wasn't sure she could bear to look at him again right then.

Anla · Post by **Anla** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:07 am

Maria turned off the ignition and sat there in the car for a minute, looking up at her house and steadfastly refusing to look around at the bike that had followed her home. Or more specifically, at the rider on the bike. It figured that Michael would follow her home. He never could make anything easy.  Forget this, she thought with irritation, jerking open the car door and stomping back to him.  I am not going to run away from him. We've been through too much for this nonsense. Stopping a few inches away from where he was still sitting on his bike, she crossed her arms and glared at him, eyebrows raised expectantly. He returned her look blankly. Try as she might, she couldn't read anything in his expression. "Well?" "Well, what?" he asked in an annoyingly calm voice. "Well, are you going to tell me what's going on?" she managed to get out through clenched teeth. Michael sighed, scratching his eyebrow. "What do you want to hear, Maria? Didn't Max tell you what happened?" "Yes," she snapped back, her anger growing the longer she saw his calm expression. "I want to know what happened that Max  doesn't know. And I want to know why you're trying to so hard to block me out." Michael looked away. Grabbing his chin, she turned his head back to face her. "Let me in, Michael. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad." For a second, she saw something. It was her body on the floor of the Pod Chamber again, quickly followed by the image of something covered in blood. She didn't have time to make it out, because Michael jerked back from her, nearly falling off his bike. "Stop that," he hissed angrily at her. "Let it be, Maria."  You have no idea how bad some of the things in there are. "I can't do that," she replied sadly, stepping back. "And I can't go back to us being like this. Not anymore." When he didn't answer, she cast a look over her shoulder at the house, then sighed. "I think you should leave, Michael. We're both too upset to talk right now." That made her pause. Since when had she ever turned away from a confrontation with Michael? But this was different. Their emotions were both too volatile. Pushing Michael right then might be a mistake. Not to mention the fact that she might say or do something she'd regret later. Besides...... "And I don't think Mom's going to be real happy to see you." That surprised him. "Why not? I thought she was getting used to me...... Oh," he said, thinking he'd figured it out. "You told her?" "About the baby? No," she answered matter-of-factly. "She's just mad at you for disappearing all this time." "You didn't tell her? Why not?" She blinked, startled that he even had to ask. "I tell Mom, and the first thing she's going to want to do is take me to see a doctor. Well, after she screams at me, of course." Maria shrugged. "And we both know that I can't go to a doctor. I figured I'd wait for you to get back." She tried to force a smile. It didn't exactly work, but Michael still admired the strength that went into the effort. "At least this way, there will be two of us to be yelled at. I'm hoping she'll direct most of it at you." "Thanks." "You deserve it." Before going inside, she decided to give it one more chance. She hated begging, but this was important. "Please, Michael. Do you have any idea of how alone I feel?" For a minute, she thought he was going to tell her. She could see it in his eyes - he wanted to. But then he bowed his head. "I can't," he whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear. She reached out to him again, but with a quick movement, he started the bike and rode off. Away from her. ------------------------------------------------------ The door to the Valenti house opened, and Michael was confronted by Kyle's unhappy face. Actually, unhappy was putting it mildly. Michael noticed the way that Kyle's mouth tightened when he saw who was on his doorstep and the way his hands clenched into fists. Without noticably altering his stance, Michael readied himself for whatever was coming. An angry Kyle might be unpredictable. After a minute of silent glaring, Kyle stepped aside to let Michael into the house. "Dad, the Martians have invaded." There was a bitterness in his voice that Michael hadn't heard from him in a long time. Grabbing his jacket, he pushed Michael aside roughly. Michael's body tensed up at the move, but he forced down the instincts calling for him to strike back. Kyle wasn't the enemy. At least, he didn't think so. "I'm out of here," Kyle continued. Before he left, he turned back to Michael. "Leave Maria alone. She'd been through enough thanks to you," he whispered so that his father wouldn't hear. Then he left, before he saw Michael's face finally lose its calm facade. For a second, Michael's eyes narrowed as he watched Kyle get into his car and drive off.  Who does Kyle think he is, trying to keep me away from Maria? By the time he turned back to face Valenti, his face was calm again, showing no sign of the anger he was feeling. "Michael. I'm glad that you're back safely." The grin on Valenti's face as he clasped Michael's shoulder showed his sincerity. Michael found himself smiling in return. It was nice to have one warm welcome back to town. "Come on in. Do you want something to drink?" "No." Michael followed Valenti into the back room, eyes opening in surprise at what he saw. "What's this?" He pointed at the saws and lumber littering the room. The place was a mess. If Isabel saw this, she would have a heart attack. "This?" Valenti picked up his beer bottle and took a deep gulp before answering. "I'm making some bookshelves. I was going to make some chairs, but looks like that won't be necessary." "Huh?" He shook his head. "Not important. Anyway, the woodwork helps me relax when I'm stressed." "Okay." Michael took a really hard look at Valenti. There were new lines on his face, and a sadness that didn't go away fully even when he smiled. "You look tired." The older man shrugged. "Well, things are always busy around here, you know?" He busied himself picking up a plank of wood and moving it onto the table. "My car's broken down. Again. That's always fun. And we've been having trouble with some kids hassling the tourists lately." "Anything I need to worry about?" Michael perched on the edge of the table. Maybe chairs wouldn't have been such a bad idea. "Naw. It's not alien-related. Probably some kids from the high school. We'll stop them." Michael met Valenti's piercing gaze steadily. "What took you so long to get back here?" Michael shrugged casually. "I had some stuff to take care of. I had to make sure there weren't any Skins behind us, planning to attack." "And were there?" Michael's lips turned up in a small smirk. "Not anymore." When Valenti's gaze didn't waver, Michael tried to change the subject. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Maria." He shook his head. "No problem. You know that." "Yeah." Michael looked down at his hands, twisting one of his rings nervously. This was harder. "How was she?" "Honestly? Not too great." Valenti's voice was matter-of-fact, not accusing, but Michael still flinched. "She's been pretty upset ever since you left town. Even before that, ever since we learned about........" his voice broke off. "Ever since everything that happened. You must have known that." "Yeah." Michael's voice was very quiet. "Was it worth it, Michael? Whatever it was you were doing?" Michael took a deep breath and stood up to leave. "I hope so, Sheriff. I really hope so." ----------------------------------------------------- Isabel sighed with irritation as she left the mall with her friends. "I somehow think that I can manage to walk around the parking lot to my car without getting lost. But thanks for your concern." "It's not about getting lost," Lisa insisted. "It's getting dark, and it's on the other side of the mall. Just let us drive you over there." Isabel was fairly certain that if she had to spend one single minute more listening to their inane chatter about who was wearing what to school tomorrow that she would have a total and complete breakdown. Like any of that was important. Still, she had her image to protect, so she forced herself to smile. "Really. I'll be fine." She spoke very slowly, hoping it would sink in. Mandy frowned. "I don't know. It's not smart to walk around alone at night, you know." "She won't be alone." Lisa and Mandy gave identical little jumps at the new voice. Isabel simply looked over calmly at the shape leaving the shadows. "I'll walk her to her car. I promise she'll be safe." Michael gave the girls a winning smile. "But it's nice of you to worry about her. Isabel's lucky to have such good friends." If Isabel didn't know better, she'd think he actually meant it. There wasn't even a hint of mockery in his voice. "Well, if you're sure," Lisa said, blushing and preening under Michael's eyes.  Oh my God, Isabel thought, starting to feel a little sick.  Is she actually about to start flirting? With Michael of all people? This is just so wrong. Not that Michael was even likely to notice. Michael was, after all, very much taken. Maria might be acting psycho lately, but that didn't mean Isabel was going to just stand there and watch other girls' futile attempts at putting the moves on him. She was going to have to take action. Isabel was saved from having to move in and squash Lisa by Michael's response. Apparently he had already lost patience with the girls. "You can go now. Shoo." His smile faded and he waved impatiently at them. "Leave." His voice grew sharper, obviously startling the girls as he barked at them. "Now." Isabel shook her head. "I'll see you two at school tomorrow." Then she started walking, knowing that Michael would follow. She waited until they were a distance away from the other two girls before she slowed down and turned to him. "Do you have to be so rude?" Michael frowned, apparently giving the matter deep thought. "Yeah," he finally concluded. "I think I actually have to be." She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Jerk," she said affectionately. "Brat." Michael fell into step with her as they walked around the outside of the mall. "They're my friends, you know. You could at least try to be nice to them." "I did try. I even was," he pointed out. "For all of two seconds." "And they're not your friends." "What are you talking about?" she asked with some irritation. "They're not your friends. They're little sheep who you hang out with because you know that they weren't a threat to you. But they're not your friends." Before Isabel could say anything, he hurried on. "I'm your friend. And Maria, Liz, and Kyle. But them?" He snorted derisively. "If they knew the truth about you, how long do you think it would take for them to run away? That is, if they could manage not to trip over their own feet." "Thanks, Michael. That helps a lot." Isabel stopped walking and glared at him. "As for my 'friends', as you call them, Kyle won't even talk to me these days." "Yeah, I saw him earlier. What's his problem?" Isabel's voice was laced with bitterness. "Oh, you know. The usual. He doesn't want himself or his father anywhere near the evil aliens. Which basically seems to include all aliens." Michael's response stopped her tirade cold. "Well, you can't really blame him for that, can you?" Isabel's anger deflated, replaced with the ever-present sadness. "No, I guess not. I just wish......" Voice trailing off, she started to walk again. Michael easily kept pace. After a few minutes, she went on. "And Maria keeps looking at me as if she wants to rip my spine out and stomp on it." "Nice imagery." His voice sounded amused. "I'm not joking, Michael. Maria looks like she wants to claw my eyes out or something." "Eat your heart in the marketplace," he muttered. Faced with her blank look, he went on. "It's Shakespeare. 'Much Ado About Nothing'? How do you and Max manage to do so well in school when you never actually read anything?" "Well, actually showing up for class helps. And I read." "Reading the prices of things in fashion magazines doesn't count." When he spoke again, Isabel thought she heard a slight change in his tone. A very faint tension, but she couldn't be sure. "Maria's really mad at you, huh? Why?" Maybe he was starting to take her seriously. "I have no idea. She's been doing this ever since we came back, and to tell you the truth, it's getting pretty old. So if you can find out why your crazy girlfriend is glaring at me, let me know, okay?" She tried not to show it, but Maria's attitude really hurt. She had no idea what it was about. The only thing she could think of was that Maria blamed her for Alex's death. She hoped that wasn't it, but it was all she could come up with. "She's not my girlfriend," he corrected her absently, thoughts momentarily elsewhere. "She's my teela-mei." It was an important distinction. "Fine. Whatever. Find out what's wrong with her and fix it, would you?" "I'll try," was all he said on that subject. "I wasn't trying to upset you or anything. Hang out with the sheep all you want. Just be careful. Don't confuse what you pretend with what's real." They continued on for a few minutes in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Isabel appreciated Michael's company these days. Unlike Max, Michael didn't try to force her to talk about things. About Alex. Isabel knew that in his own way, Michael missed Alex as much as she did. But neither of them wanted to talk about him. Alex's loss was ever-present in their thoughts, but they didn't know how to put their anger and grief into words. Instead, they were just there for each other. They'd almost reached the Jeep when Michael stopped short. Turning back to see what had stopped him, Isabel was surprised to see Michael looking through the display window of a toy store. He had a strange look on his face, one that she thought she'd seen on his face before. Then she remembered. It was the way he'd looked at the ice cream truck when they were kids. Max and Isabel had always run up to it and bought ice cream. Michael never had any money for ice cream, and he wouldn't take theirs. Instead, he just watched the truck with longing. Isabel wished now that she'd been more insistent on buying him an ice cream. "Michael?" He glanced at her, then waved excitedly at the display in the window. "Girls like dolls, right? I remember you had lots of dolls." "Yeah." Isabel joined him at the window. His eyes were fixated on the dolls. "Which ones did you like the best?" He was overwhelmed by the choices. There were baby dolls, and rag dolls, and dolls in fancy dresses that he couldn't imagine a little girl not destroying. "Aren't those ones too fancy for little kids?" "Those are for older girls. Or for collections. Usually, you'd go for a rag doll or a soft doll to play with." Isabel smiled at him. It was actually rather cute. He looked so excited. Who would have thought Michael Guerin would be so interested in what type of doll to buy? "Hey, didn't you blow up one of my dolls when we were kids?" He gave her a quick look out of the corner of his eyes, then returned his attention to the display. "I don't know what you're talking about." She frowned. "Yes, you did. I remember now." "It was annoying. It kept asking me for its 'ba-ba'." He turned a look of horror at her. "Do they still have dolls that do that?" "I'm sure they do." Then she realized something. "Wait a minute. You blew it up on purpose? You told me it was an accident." She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I loved Miss Ba-Ba!" He rolled his eyes at her. "Come on, Iz. That doll freaked me out. It wouldn't shut up. Dolls aren't alive. They're not supposed to talk to you. It was very disturbing." He shivered. She shook her head at him. "You are an incredibly strange person." "Wait," he cried out. "Maybe I should get the baby a stuffed animal instead. They're good, right?" He started to bang on the door. "Look, there's a stuffed dalmation. That's perfect." "The store's closed, Michael. We can come back tomorrow." He just gave her an impatient look. "I want to get it now. While I'm thinking about it." There was no telling what tomorrow might bring. In response to Michael's insistent banging, an employee came to the door to point out that they were closed. But much to Isabel's astonishment, Michael managed to convince her to let them in. Isabel was stunned to see Michael charm the girl (who couldn't have been much older than them) completely with his story about getting his baby a present. Isabel just stood on the side and watched as Michael managed to accomplish his objective of buying the dalmation. Michael was smiling, pleasant, extremly sociable. And so very  not Michael. It was really sweet to see Michael put so much energy and effort into getting a present for his baby. So why, she wondered, did it make her a little nervous to see the smug expression on his face when they left the store?  Because that's not who Michael usually is. He's usually very direct and to the point. He doesn't waste time trying to charm people he doesn't know. She thought of the mercurial changes in attitude he had shown Lisa and Mandy, smiling at them one minute, glaring and scaring them the next. She gave a little shake of her head, trying to dismiss her worries. She was over-reacting. So he'd learned some social skills, finally. So what? If she didn't know what to expect from Michael, then who did she know? Still, she couldn't help remembering his earlier advice to her.  "Don't confuse what you pretend with what's real." ---------------------------------------------------------- Michael flicked on the lights and looked around his apartment. It felt longer than three weeks since he'd been there last. It felt like a lifetime. He supposed that, in a way, it had been. He certainly didn't feel like the same man who had decorated the ceiling with pictures of the Antaran night sky, or who had framed those two pictures on the side wall - one of Maria, one of Laurie. He smiled a little as he set the stuffed dog down on the counter. He hoped that Maria liked it. He'd chosen it because it reminded him of the dog she'd had when she was a child, the one he'd seen in flashes from her. Plus, he wanted to make sure that his daughter's first stuffed animal came from him. Michael was going to make sure that she had everything he had lacked growing up. And he didn't just mean material goods, like toys and stuffed animals, although those were important. More important were things like love and acceptance. Knowing that there was a place for you in the world, one filled with people who loved you. Safety. Nothing and no one was every going to hurt his daughter. Reluctantly, he turned away from the stuffed dog and went over to his duffel bag. Reaching past the clothes to the bottom, he brought out a heavy object and stopped to examine it. He grimaced. It hadn't changed any since he was given it three days ago. At first glance, it would appear to be identical to the other two orbs they had, the ones that were safely hidden away in what was left of the Pod Chamber. But upon closer examination, Michael could see that someone had erased the whirlwind galaxy symbol from the communicator's shiny surface, replacing the symbol of Zandar's house with the dot surrounded by a broken circle. Michael shook his head as he traced the symbol of the Skins. He wondered what had been going through Rath's mind when he made the change. Had it been arrogance, replacing the symbol of Zan's house with his own? Or had it been a simple asseration that Kivar wasn't the only one with the right to that symbol? "Whatever," he muttered. It didn't actually matter. Frowning, he replaced the communicator in the bag. He'd have to find a good hiding place for it later. Looking around the room, Michael was swept with the memories. This was why he'd avoided his apartment during those few days between learning about Tess and leaving town. There were too many reminders here, of both Alex and Tess. His eyes lit on the spot where Tess had piled rocks last summer.  Was it only a year ago? He could picture it so clearly in his mind, the look on Tess's face as she instructed him in how to focus his energy. Other than Maria, Tess was the first person who had actually believed in him, believed that he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. He knew that Max and Isabel loved him, but deep down, they had always expected him to be Michael the screw-up. Tess had faith in him, had supported his search to learn more about what they were and how they could defend themselves against their enemies. In some ways, Tess and he had been very much alike. And then she had betrayed them to those same enemies. "No'los."  Traitor. Closing his eyes tightly, Michael tried to fight down the growing rage as he recalled the day they'd learned the truth about Tess.  Michael muttered under his breath as he went to open the door. He was busy, trying to baby-proof the apartment. Who would have thought there were so many potential dangers to a baby just lying around? He was still covering the electrical outlets with those special baby guards. "This had better be important." The door swung open before he got to it, and right away Michael knew that it was going to be bad. Liz came striding in, very focused and very angry, with that half-crazed look on her face that she'd had ever since Alex's funeral. Isabel was right behind her, followed closely by Maria, leading a dazed Kyle. Before he could even ask, Liz was in his face, yelling up at him. "Tess killed Alex!" "What?" His mind couldn't even process this information. Losing Alex had finally sent Liz Parker over the deep end. But then he looked at Maria and saw the pain in her eyes. As she nodded, the sick feeling in his stomach increased. "No, she couldn't have." But even as he said it, he knew that Maria believed it to be true. She wouldn't lie to him. "Kyle saw it," Isabel explained quickly. "Alex found out that Tess was working with Lonnie." Michael's confusion grew even more. Tess working with Lonnie? Why? "She mindwarped Kyle, but I managed to retrieve the memory." Even in his confused state, Michael could hear the discomfort in her voice when she admitted that. He filed it away as something to ask about later. The first thing was.......... "Max is with Tess," he said quickly. "I was talking to him before, and he said she called. She told him there was something she wanted to show him." Liz and Isabel exchanged panicked looks. "She must know that I was suspicious." Isabel's voice was heading quickly towards hysteria. "Where would they go?" "The Granolith Chamber." Kyle's weary voice caught them all off-guard. Michael's sympathy went to him as he saw the pain in the human's eyes. "That's what Tess and Lonnie were working on. They were trying to get the Granolith to work." "Kivar would want Max brought back to him," Isabel said unnecessarily. Michael was already hustling them out the door. He only paused to look at Kyle. "You don't have to come," he started, but was stopped by an emphatic shake of Kyle's head. "Yes, I do." Kyle's voice was final, and there was no time to argue. The whole drive to the Granolith Chamber, Michael prayed that Isabel and Kyle were somehow wrong. He couldn't believe that Tess would betray them like that, that she was the one responsible for Alex's loss. His mind replayed every single moment of friendship, of family - pillow fights and training, spying on Hanson and laughing in Vegas. None of this made any sense. Then they got to the Granolith Chamber. They burst in, catching Tess and Max in the middle of an argument. The Granolith was already activated (how, Michael didn't know) and Max was backing away from the small girl, a look of confusion on his face. Confusion which only got worse when he saw the group burst in. The first person Tess looked at was Michael. Even while Liz was shouting her accusations and Kyle was yelling at the girl he loved for using him to help cover-up Alex's murder, Tess kept her eyes locked on Michael's. And Michael knew that it was true. He could see it in her eyes, even before she admitted it, spinning some nonsense about a deal with Kivar. That all Kivar wanted was Max. Tess was so much like him. Practical, focused, capable of going to great lengths to accomplish her objectives. Michael supposed that made sense. She'd been raised by Urza, after all, and he had been the one who trained Urza all those years ago. Staring into the eyes that had been among the first to ever look at him with unconditional support, Michael could see the knowledge of her guilt. She had done it. She had killed Alex. No'los. He raised his hand. With a sad smile, Tess reacted, throwing Maria across the room and into the wall. Michael didn't remember much after that. Apparently, Isabel also released an energy blast, but her power was weaker and less focused. She hit the Granolith instead of Tess. They had no idea of how much, if any, damage was done, because by then Tess had entered the Granolith. In the rush of Max healing Maria and Michael carrying her out through the falling rocks of the Chamber, they didn't see the exact direction the Granolith went. No way of knowing if it was still capable of getting Tess back to Antar. What he did remember was the sight of Maria lying on the ground after being thrown against the wall, and that one moment when he'd feared she was dead. He understood Zandar's madness after Aveen's death much better now. Michael's eyes flew open as he snapped back to the present. His anger was close to over-flowing now. How could Tess do that to them? He fought to control his breathing, but with no success. His palms were starting to heat up, energy desperately striving to escape. To destroy. Heartbeat speeding up, he knew that he was going to lash out in a minute. That was the problem with all this anger and energy - it was too much to keep inside.  I have to learn to control it again. That's all. I did it before. I can do it again. But how long would it take? He focused on the coffee table. It took less than a second, then the table was bits of scrap timber. Michael stumbled into the kitchen area, almost opening one of the drawers before he consciously realized what he was doing. He stopped himself, hand on the drawer handle. He was not going to open the drawer. He was not going to take out the necklace.  Yeah, just keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll actually convince yourself, he thought bitterly. Was it his imagination or could he actually feel the heat from the necklace, even through the drawer? It would be so easy to just give in, to surrender to the feelings, the power and the anger. He knew that was a risk when he allowed himself to open up his contained reservoirs of energy, but it was one that he had to take. He was stronger this way, his instincts quicker and sharper. It had already proven useful. Isabel would have died otherwise. But he had to get control of himself before he could even think of letting Maria back in. He had no intention of letting Maria go through this struggle.  Think about something else. He desperately sought another topic to concentrate on. Maybe they should focus on trying to locate the remaining Skins here on Earth. Their number was small now. He remembered his encounter with them last week, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe they were all dead. Max could try using Brody's computers to find any trace of alien energy. Once they had a general area to investigate, he could find the enemy aliens. It was how they'd discovered the relay center in the first place. He scowled. Maybe thinking about Brody wasn't the best way to calm down. That guy really bugged him. Before his thoughts could go any further, there was a quick knock on the door, followed by Max slowly opening the door and entering. He looked at the destroyed table and then at Michael, raising his eyebrows quizzically. "Did the table do something wrong?" "Does Brody know Maria's pregnant?" Michael burst out, ignoring Max's attempt at humor. Max blinked at the sudden change of topic, closing the door behind him and sitting down before answering. "I don't think so. Maria's been pretty much avoiding him all summer, in fact. He's pretty upset about it." "Good." Michael relaxed a little at the news. He knew that he had no right to try and keep Maria away from Brody and that they were just friends. Michael also knew better than to even try to suggest to Maria that she should stay away from him. But the fact that Brody was in love with Maria didn't sit well with Michael, and if she decided all on her own to avoid the guy, then Michael wasn't about to complain. "So why didn't you come by the Crashdown when you got back?" Max asked. Michael didn't answer, apparently distracted. His attention seemed focused on the drawer handle he was fiddling with. When Max repeated the question a little louder, Michael looked up at him. "Oh, I ran into Maria outside." He shrugged. "I got distracted." "I bet," Max answered dryly. "Was it the fighting or the making-up that was so distracting?" Michael smirked. "Do you really want the answer to that?" "No, not really." Max's smile faded. Michael tensed up.  Here it comes. "So, where have you been?" "I told you, I had some stuff to do. Just watching your back, Maxwell." He looked directly at his friend. "I wanted to make sure that there was nobody coming after us from that direction. Coast's clear. Well, that coast at least." Max knew that there was more to it than that, but he also knew that it was practically impossible to get Michael to share more information than he was willing to. So he turned the subject to something equally important. Maybe even more so. "I've been thinking about something," he started. "Always dangerous," Michael interrupted lightly. "Very funny." The humor in his voice didn't last long, though. "I've been thinking about Tess."  Well, so have I, Maxwell. That's why my coffee table is now splinters. But he couldn't say that. He struggled to keep his voice calm. "What about her?" "What do you think of her story about Nasedo?" This was something that had been bothering him. Well, one of the many somethings. "What? That he sold us out and betrayed us to Kivar?" Michael shook his head decisively. "Never happened, Maxwell. Tess was lying. Or she's stupid." He paused to consider. "Or both." "You sound certain." "Think about it, Max. If Urza really had made a deal with Kivar, then why would the Skins have killed him? Unless he never meant to go through with it in the first place. That's the only way I can even begin to imagine the situation. If he only pretended to make a deal with Kivar, then he could have bought us some time." He tore his hand away from the drawer handle and scratched his eyebrow. "But there's no way that Urza ever intended to kill us. He had too many chances to do it while we were still ignorant and defenseless. Don't forget - I trained him. And no one I trained would have been stupid enough to save someone, let them grow stronger, and then try to kill them." "What would you have done?" Max sounded genuinely curious. Michael gave a quick grin. "I would never have let us hatch. And that's why I don't buy Tess's story. It makes no sense. If Urza wanted us dead, he could have killed us while we were still in the pods." He shrugged. "He had many character flaws, but in his own way, he was loyal." "To you?" Max had never really known much about the military aspect of their lives back on Antar. He didn't recall if he had ever even known Nasedo back then. Michael looked surprised. "Of course not. To you. Loyalty to the king came first, always." Was it Max's imagination, or was there a slight tinge of bitter sarcasm in Michael's voice? "I really don't understand it then." Max sighed. "If Nasedo hadn't made a deal with Kivar, then why would Tess betray us like that?" "That would be the million dollar question, wouldn't it?" Michael looked at Max almost pityingly. "That's pretty much the point of betrayal, Maxwell. If you can see it coming, then it doesn't work." He contined more briskly. "Don't bother trying to figure it out. You won't be able to."  Be grateful for that. "But she seemed so happy. She and Kyle were doing pretty well, I thought. And she was friends with everyone........." He looked down at the floor sadly, so he missed the look that quickly crossed Michael's face, before it returned to its previous impassivity. "Why are we having this conversation?" Michael asked in a deadly quiet voice. "What possible difference does it make? She did what she did. She killed........" He couldn't say it. "She made her choice. Does the why matter?" "Don't you want to know her reasons?" Max was honestly confused by Michael's response. "No," he answered bluntly. Coming around from behind the counter, Michael advanced on Max, tension clear in every move, his voice growing louder with each word. "I don't care why she did it. I don't care if she had a crummy childhood, or if someone told her that Urza made a deal with Kivar, or if she was scared that she was going to die like her dupe did. I don't give a damn about any of that. And do you know why I don't care?" Max simply shook his head. "Because she KILLED ALEX!" he roared. "She took him from us, and no amount of explanations is going to bring him back. What's done is done. Her excuses and explanations mean nothing to me." "Well, I want to know," Max replied firmly. "I need to know why a friend would betray us all like that. I need to know why Alex died." Michael focused his attention on the far wall, trying to build up his inner walls of control. Max wasn't the one he was angry at. When he spoke again, it was in a clipped tone. "Fine. You drive yourself crazy trying to figure out why she killed Alex. But don't expect me to help you out." "Michael, if Tess comes back to Roswell......." he was interrupted by Michael's bitter laugh. "Tess may be many things, but she's not  that stupid. She'd know better than to come back here." "If she comes back," Max continued, ignoring the interruption, "I want a chance to talk to her. To ask her questions." He caught Michael's eye and went on seriously. "I mean it, Michael." For a long moment, Michael stared silently back at him. Then he slowly replied. "I'll try." "You'll try?" Max's voice showed his surprise. In all their time on Antar, Tymrath had never said that he would "try" to do what his king told him to do. He just did it. Max wasn't sure he liked the implications. "Yeah." Michael walked over to the door and opened it. "I'm tired, Max. It's been a long day." Recognizing the obvious dismissal, Max walked over to the door, pausing as he went by Michael. "I'm serious. If she comes back, I don't want her to have any 'accidents' before I can talk to her." He wasn't reassured by the chilly smile on Michael's face. "Don't worry, Max. Whatever happens to Tess won't be an accident." Then the door closed firmly behind him. -------------------------------------------------------- Valenti was sitting silenly in wait at the kitchen table when Kyle came home. His son hesitated briefly in the doorway, then came in and got a soda out of the refrigerator. "Where were you?" his father asked quietly. "Out with friends," Kyle replied briefly. After a sip of his soda, he went on. "I see that he's gone, huh? What did he want?" "Michael," Valenti laid emphasis on the name, "just wanted to check in and thank me for keeping an eye on Maria." Kyle gave a contemptuous snort at that. He wasn't too impressed with Michael's concern for Maria these days. Valenti's look changed to one of suspicion. "Kyle, have you been drinking?" "No more than you have." Kyle then pointedly looked at the beer bottle in his father's hand, then the empty ones over near the recycling bin. "No, take that back. Less than you have." Now it was his turn to sound disapproving. His father had been drinking more and more lately, ever since they learned about Tess. Pushing aside the pain thinking of her brought him, he went on. "I'm completely sober, Dad, don't worry. I haven't had a thing to drink." Valenti was worried about his son. For the last month, Kyle had been growing more and more distant, and he had no idea how to reach him. Tess's betrayal had devastated them both. How could he make things better for Kyle? Kyle had cared for Tess deeply, and she had killed one of his best friends. Worse, she had used Kyle to help her. Even though Valenti didn't know the details of what had happened between Kyle and Isabel, he knew that it had to have been something bad. Kyle'd had a rough couple of months. He tried not to think of his own feelings for the girl who'd betrayed them, the girl he'd considered a daughter. He had obviously failed them all. If he had known something was wrong with Tess, then maybe he could have moved in and helped, done something, anything, before the situation ended with Alex's death. Still, Kyle hadn't done anything wrong, and he hated seeing his son turning his pain and grief into this bitterness and anger. A few days after Tess's departure in the Granolith, Valenti came home from work to find that Kyle had invited Liz and Maria over. The three of them had systematically erased every reminder of Tess from the house. All of her belongings, clothes, music, books, even her favorite foods - all gone. To Valenti's surprise, that had hurt. He wasn't sure from one minute to the next how he felt about Tess. Despite everything, he supposed his love for his "daughter" hadn't completely left him. Could it? But it couldn't compete with his anger and disgust for what she'd done. Mostly, he simply couldn't understand it. Why would Tess do such a thing? He knew that whatever confusion he was feeling himself, Kyle was undoubtedly feeling it doubled. Yet Kyle refused all attempts to get him to talk about things. "Kyle, I know that you're angry about what Tess did," he started, continuing despite Kyle's bitter laugh. "But you shouldn't take it out on Michael. You know as well as I do how he feels about Maria. He felt he had to leave, but he's back now. Give him a break." Kyle shook his head in disbelief. His father was still defending the aliens, even after everything. "Yeah, Michael's a prince." He turned away to put his glass in the sink. "What a guy. Knocks Maria up and then skips town while she's still grieving for Alex." He stopped talking at the sound of his father's bottle dropping and breaking. He winced.  Damn. He hadn't meant to say that. Turning slowly, he saw his father shakily rise to his feet, ignoring the broken glass and spilled beer on the table. "What did you say?" he asked in a deceptively quiet voice. "Maria's pregnant?" Kyle held out his hands in a gesture of peace. That was so not the way he should have phrased it, but he let his anger at Michael get ahead of his brain.  Stupid, stupid. "Dad, let's talk about this rationally." Okay, not much chance of that. "Okay, let's just try to talk about this. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to be put in a position of having to lie to Maria's mother. And it wasn't a dangerous alien-related emergency or anything." Even to himself, the excuses sounded lame. He had told the others that they ought to tell his father, but they'd insisted, and he'd allowed himself to be convinced. Glaring, Valenti pointed at his son. "Come on. You're driving me." Kyle knew better than to argue. Once again, their household was being disrupted by the aliens. ---------------------------------------------------------- An hour after Max left, Michael threw his pencil across the room in disgust. Great. Now he couldn't even manage to concentrate enough to draw anything. He dropped his head back on the couch in frustration. Ever since he could remember in this lifetime, he'd found some small amount of comfort in his drawings. Not that he'd ever kept them around or anything - he could imagine what Hank's response would have been to that. But still, he'd drawn little doodles in his workbooks or on napkins. It was a good way to relax and focus, all at the same time. He hadn't been able to draw anything since Alex died, though. Returning his attention to the sketch pad in his hand, Michael flipped through the pages, randomly glancing at the drawings. The book was filled with pictures of Maria in various scenes and vague sketches of Antaran landscapes. He stopped when he reached a picture only a few pages in from the start of the pad. Gently, he traced the outlines of Maria's face. She looked so happy in that picture, with a big grin on her face. Michael smiled faintly in response to the memory. He'd managed to catch her at rehearsal one day. She'd been so into her music that she hadn't even noticed when he took out the pad and started drawing. He had to sneak up on her to get a good casual pose. The smile faded as he looked at the rest of the picture. There was Alex, holding his guitar in one hand and a toy microphone in the other. He'd been pretending to interview Maria about her impending stardom. The two of them looked as if they didn't have a care in the world, so young and happy. So innocent. No one would have guessed, looking at that picture, the horrors that Alex had gone through only a month earlier. "I'm sorry, Alex," Michael whispered as he looked down at the picture. "I let you down, buddy." He smiled again. He could almost hear Alex's voice -  Old buddy, old pal. "But I won't let them down. Maria and Isabel are going to be safe, no matter what." His chest was tightening with the sharp pain of grief, hands shaking as they held the pad. "Astan'y, Alex."  I swear, Alex. Michael had made few promises in his lifetime. This one was as solemn to him as those he'd made to Maria during the tiasa. He failed Alex, and that mistake could never be fixed. But he wasn't going to fail the others. Putting his pad aside, he stood up. He needed to do something, anything, to work off this excess energy so he could get some rest before school the next day. Maybe he would swing around town and check up on everyone again. He could go by the Whitman house. The least he could do was keep an eye on Alex's parents. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps outside. Concentrating hard, Michael could make out the rapid heart-beat of whoever it was. They were upset. Angry maybe, or frightened. He concentrated some more, trying to get an idea of who it was. Human. He raised an eyebrow at the furious pounding on his door. Angry, then. He went to open the door. Valenti's furious glare met his calm look. Yep, definitely angry. Valenti stormed into the apartment, pausing once he reached the center of the room and looking back at Michael. As soon as Michael closed the door, he burst out, "Is Maria pregnant?"  Kyle has a big mouth. Michael hadn't thought that many things could catch him off-guard anymore, but that did it. "Well?" Valenti demanded. Michael forced himself to look up and meet the other's eyes. "Yeah." Not much else to say, really. The answer seemed to deflate the sheriff. He sat down suddenly on the couch and Michael was reminded again of how tired he seemed. How much older. Valenti rubbed his hands over his face, then looked back sternly at the alien youth. "What are your plans? Are you going to get married?" "We already are," he answered instantly. "What?" Michael jumped back a bit at the sharpness in Valenti's voice. "When exactly did this happen?" He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Please tell me it wasn't when you were in Vegas." Michael almost laughed. "No." He sat down next to Valenti. "It wasn't a human ceremony." Valenti exhaled loudly. "The tiasa." At Michael's look of surprise, he grimaced and gestured impatiently. "Dagmar told me about it, remember? When?" "About three months ago. That's when Maria got pregnant." Valenti closed his eyes, shuddering internally. Three months. Maria was three months pregnant and they'd somehow managed to keep it from Amy this far. No way was their luck going to hold much longer. And when Amy found out, it was going to be extremely unpleasant for everyone involved. Hell, it would probably be unpleasant for everyone within a three state radius. "And the reason that you decided not to tell me was?" "It wasn't any of your business," Michael answered bluntly. He went on quickly at Valenti's irritated glare. "I don't mean that as an insult. Really. But this was something private between Maria and me." Michael shrugged. "Plus, you already have enough things you have to lie to Mrs. DeLuca about. It's not fair to keep adding to the list." He smiled. "It's tricky enough dealing with the DeLuca women. No need to make it harder for you." Valenti gave a brief laugh in agreement. The two of them were in a very select group there. He then pinned Michael with a serious stare. "What are you planning to do?" he repeated. Michael looked away, uncomfortably toying with one of his rings. "I want her to move in to the apartment. That was the plan before......." He shrugged, then went on. "You know. I'm going to need a second job." He looked up. "You heard of any place hiring?" "I'll ask around and see what I can come up with." "Thanks." Michael looked down again, intently staring at the tips of his boots. It was hard to meet Valenti's eyes. Michael was afraid of what the sheriff could see in his own eyes. "I haven't really had a chance to talk with Maria much since I got back. We have some things to work out." Bracing himself, he looked up again. "But we will. And I promise you that I'm going to take care of her and the baby." Valenti looked at him for a long minute, trying to read what the alien was thinking. He could see determination in Michael's eyes, and he had no doubt that Michael would do anything he could to take care of his family. That wasn't even in question. But he knew that this was going to be difficult, and a large part of him wished that Michael and Maria weren't having to face this already. Were they ready for this step? He shook himself mentally. Ready or not, the baby was on its way. If only he could figure out what it was about Michael's expression that was bothering him so much. "Why did you leave her alone, Michael? What could have been important enough for that?" Michael smirked, deliberately breaking the eye contact. "I was Skin-hunting." Not a lie. Not exactly the truth, either, but not a lie. He shrugged. "It won't happen again. I'm not going anywhere." Valenti felt little cold shivers starting to travel up his spine. "Skin-hunting," he repeated slowly. "I don't recall you ever being quite so casual about it before." He saw the way Michael's body tensed up at his words, how Michael kept avoiding his gaze. None of this was reassuring him. "What's wrong, son? What's going on?"  Son. For a crazy minute, he wanted to confide in Valenti, to tell him everything. Insanity, because Michael couldn't bear the thought of seeing the sympathy and acceptance in the sheriff's eyes change to disgust and suspicion. There was no way he could tell him. No matter how much he might want to. "Sorry. Just a bad joke." He forced a smile, but saw that it wasn't convincing Valenti at all. "Michael." The sheriff never got to finish what he was going to say. Michael was already on his feet, grabbing his duffel bag and backing up towards the door. He had to get out of there. Now. Before he did something, said something, that he'd regret. "I have to go check up on everybody. Just lock up after yourself." Michael was gone before the sheriff could even move to stop him. --------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, honey." Her father's voice interrupted Liz's reading. She looked up from her book and smiled at him, sitting up on her bed. "I didn't hear you get home. Did you and Mom have fun visiting Uncle Pete?" "Yeah. He wished you were there, though." Jeff Parker faked a stern look. "You missed out on seeing the slides from his trip to San Francisco." "Slides? Dad, nobody actually makes slides anymore. People use video cameras." "Not if the slides were from a trip to San Francisco in 1978." "Oh." Liz smiled as she shook her head. "Sorry I missed that, then." "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll still be there the next time we visit." Jeff handed her a box. "He wanted me to give you this." Liz lifted the cover. "What is it?" She saw a bunch of papers and photographs, all just thrown into the box. "Apparently, they're some of your grandmother's notes and things from when she was writing her book. Uncle Pete thought you'd like to have them." "Wow." Liz looked up, eyes bright and eager. "This is great. Thanks, Dad." She jumped up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't stay up too late going through those," he warned as he left the room. "Remember, tonight's a school night." "Uh, huh." Liz was already engrossed in the contents of the box. An hour later, she was still going through the notes. Looking at them made her feel closer to her grandmother than she had since her death two years earlier. Her grandmother had really been an amazing woman. Her notes were filled with fascinating information about the archeology she had studied throughout New Mexico, mixed in with anecdotes about the people she'd met while working. "Only a few minutes more," she whispered to herself with a yawn. It was getting late, and she wanted to get a good night's sleep before school the next day. She picked up another photograph, intending it to be the last one she looked at before packing everything up and going to sleep. She smiled as she looked at her grandmother. This must have been about twenty years ago. According to the note on the back of the photograph, this picture was taken on the Mesaliko Reservation. Liz sat up straight, her former tiredness forgotten. Standing with his arm around Grandma Claudia was a man who Liz recognized. He was younger, but still unmistakable. "Riverdog." ------------------------------------------------------- Michael lowered himself to a crouching position beneath Maria's window. He'd wandered about town for a while, until, of course, he found himself at Maria's house. Michael could sense her inside, not yet asleep, but safe in her own house. After the way they'd left things earlier, he figured she wouldn't let him in, but he still needed to be close to her. the time when they'd been apart had been torture for him. Plus, this way, he could be there to make sure nothing happened to her. So, he made himself comfortable on the ground in her yard, leaning against her wall and hoping that the darkness would prevent any curious neighbors from seeing him. When the window above him opened half an hour later, he looked up with surprise. Maria leaned out of her window, resting her head on her arms and simply observing him in silence. He just returned the look. Finally, she spoke. "You gonna tell me what's going on yet?" His only response was to keep looking at her. "You really are stubborn, aren't you, Spaceboy?" She reached down her hand. "Come on in. I don't want you catching alien pneumonia or something, staying out there all night." Without speaking, Michael took her hand and rose, letting her lead him inside. But when he moved towards the bed, she pushed him back, gently but firmly. "No way. Not unless you tell me what's going on." She pointed to the floor between the bed and the window. "You can sleep on the floor." Dropping his hand, she gathered a pillow and blanket off her bed and threw them at him. "Go on." Without waiting for an answer, she climbed back into her bed. With a shrug, he did as he was told, and made himself as comfortable as he could on the floor. Oh, well. He'd slept in worse places. At least he was near her. The two of them lay in silence for a while, until Maria's voice whispered across the room. "I'm glad you're home, Spaceboy." In the dark, she couldn't see his answering smile, but she could feel it. Edited by: <A HREF=http://p199.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrea ... lm>Anla</A> at: 7/5/05 12:26 pm

Fan Fic and More

Anla - Roswell - Completed

Chapter 21 - Freedom

Chapter 22 - Connected

Chapter 23 - Loose Ends

Chapter 24 - Reflections on the Past

Chapter 25 - Shining Stars

Chapter 26 - Date Night

Chapter 27 - Awakening

Chapter 28 - School Days

Chapter 29 - Haunted

Chapter 30 - Shadowed

Chapter 31 - Fighting Back

Chapter 32 - Opening Gambit

Chapter 33 - Taking the Queen

Chapter 34 - Bleeding Daylight

Chapter 35 - Looking Forward, Looking Back

Epilogue

Shattered

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Returning Home

Chapter 2 - Walls