ALPHA & OMEGA (M/L, CC, TEEN-MATURE) Complete - 10/21

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 11:28 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, April 14th, 2000)
(Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker's House)
(Washington, DC)

Vanessa watched Daniel from across the table. It never ceased to amaze her that a man who had been appointed as the head of the super-secret FBI special unit less than a year ago could be so free with the information. Yes, they had been dating for almost a year and she had given him no reason not to trust her. She even appeared to share his concerns about an alien invasion, but the first rule every good soldier knows, was captured perfectly in a quaint Earth colloquialism - 'Loose lips sink ships.'
She listened intently as he told her about the interrogation of Agent Topolsky. "She’s had first-hand contact with this creature, posing as a teenage boy, and maybe it has used some kind of mind-control on her but she actually believes it doesn't pose a threat."

Vanessa was not totally convinced the FBI had actually discovered one of the Royal Four and she pressed for more information. "What did she say about this creature?"

"She said it seemed like a typical, confused, even shy teenager." He barked a brittle sound resembling a laugh. "Can you believe it? This thing is here to decimate the population and take Earth for its own purposes, and she thinks it's cute."

"What are you going to do?" Vanessa asked, as she moved around the table toward him.

"I will finish getting all of the information I can out of Agent Topolsky and then I will go to Roswell to check this thing out for myself."

Vanessa threaded her fingers through the wispy tendrils of hair brushing his neck. "Will you keep me informed?"

He pulled her roughly to him and took her mouth in a hard kiss. "Of course."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, April, 16th, 2000)
(Bethesda Psychiatric Institute)
(Bethesda, MD)

Kathleen Toplosky waited until the nurse had left her room and then she spit the pills into her hand. She didn't know how long she had been in the mental hospital because she had been drugged when she had been brought in. Pierce had finished with her for the time being and putting her in a psych hospital was a convenient way to get rid of her, but still keep her handy in case he still needed her.

As soon as the drugs had started to wear off enough for her to be conscious of what was happening, Kathleen had started palming the pills that were given to her, and finally she felt confident the drugs were out of her system.

While she had bided her time, she had conceived a plan to escape. In the evenings, the nurse was a slight woman with blonde hair. Tonight Kathleen would overpower her and force some of the drugs into her. Then she would trade clothing with the nurse and just walk out the front door.

It would probably be hours before anyone discovered she was missing and by that time, she would already have retrieved the orb from the Special Unit vault and be halfway to Roswell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Crazy)
(Wednesday, April 19th, 2000)

Tess flipped through the channels on the TV but none of the programs held any interest for her.

"Tess," she said aloud, the sound of her new name somehow making it more real. She had been called many names over the years, but she liked this name. Somehow she felt it fit her.

She used the remote to turn the TV off and started to pace around the room, finally ending up by the window. Roswell, she thought, as she looked at the buildings out the window. Just another town like so many others where she had lived, but this time her family was here; Michael, Isabel, and most importantly Max.

She and Ed had only arrived in town that morning but she was anxious to be reunited with her family. Her 'father' had made her promise she would stay in the hotel room today while he went to take care of some business for his new job, but it was frustrating to be so close to them.

Tess abandoned the window and sank back into the couch, opening the box containing the pictures of Max and the others, and lifted out the one on top. It was a picture of Max sitting at a table studying. With her finger, Tess traced the line of his jaw, continuing up the side of his face, and over his hair.

"Max," she intoned, drawing his name into several syllables, as if speaking it would conjure him before her.

Many times her eyes had greedily devoured the pictures of him. Max was so handsome, he was everything she had ever expected and more. She brushed her finger over his lips in the photo and then touched her own. He was waiting for her. He had been waiting for her his entire life.

Ed had told her that they had arrived in Roswell at the perfect time. The planet Venus was in the correct position to start their biological drives and Max would be drawn to her more than ever.

"Max and Tess," she whispered. Once they were together, she knew they would never be parted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaldar had watched the girl, he had seen with Max in the desert, for the last month and he had discovered a lot about her. Her name was Liz Parker and she attended the same school as Max and the others. She was a good student and especially talented in science. She was dating Max and they were often together. Her parents owned the Crashdown Cafe where she worked, which explained why Max was there so often. Liz seemed like a normal human but Kaldar had the continuing impression that she was something more, but he just couldn’t seem to pinpoint what it was.

He followed Max and Liz when they left the Crashdown, intending to observe them further. He drove behind them at a discrete distance and when they stopped, he drove past them and parked a few yards away. He climbed out of the car and looked around. Kaldar didn't recognize the place and he carefully crept through the trees until he had a good vantage point where he could observe them.

He had noticed the other cars in the area and paid little attention to them, but now he could see that each car contained a pair of amorous teenagers. It was what the humans called a make-out spot. Kaldar smiled as Max and Liz climbed into the back seat of the Jeep devoiuring each other’s lips hungrily, and he decided to leave them to themselves, feeling like he was intruding.

Kaldar had almost made it back to his car when he saw someone emerge from the woods and head straight for the Jeep. He ran forward ready to defend Max and Liz, as the person knocked on the window of the Jeep, but stopped just a few feet away as he heard her words.

"You're in danger, all of you."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

"The best way to protect yourselves is to just act like normal kids," the woman said.

"We are normal kids," Max said.

"Okay," she said looking around, "I think I was followed. Don't trust anyone. I'll find you again."

"Topolsky," Liz said.

Kaldar watched undecided as the woman retreated into the trees. He didn't know who she was or why she thought the children were in danger but the Max and Liz obviously knew her.

Instantly Kaldar decided to follow the woman Topolsky and find out what she was up to.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Crazy)
(Thursday, April 20th, 2000)

Ed handed Tess some money for her lunch. "Remember Tess, the others have been living as humans, among humans. Max is especially entrenched in his human existence."

"I know," Tess said exasperatedly. "You’ve already told me."

She started to brush past him and out the door, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"I just don't want you to go charging in like a bull in a china shop, so to speak. Be patient. Give them some time to get to know and accept you before you reveal yourself to them. They haven't had the benefits of the memory recovery techniques. It is probable they don't remember anything about coming out of the pods or about their other lives on Antar. If you just spring it on them, you might turn them from us."

"But they are my family," she argued. "They will accept me."

"What if they don't?” Ed asked. “We don't want to scare them away."

"Okay, okay" she agreed reluctantly. "I’ll do what you say."

"Approach Isabel first,” Ed suggested. “She would be more likely to welcome a new friend than the boys. Use your powers subtly and she will accept you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess saw Isabel sitting with a boy across the quad. Isabel was the first one of her family Tess had seen, and she intended to make use of the situation. Tess focused her powers on Isabel as she approached the table.

"Can I join you?" she asked.

The guy with Isabel glanced in her direction. "Actually, we were in the m, the middle of something."

"You're the new girl, right?" asked Isabel.

Tess frowned at the guy and used another burst of power on Isabel. "If you're busy, I could..."

"No," said Isabel enthusiastically, "have a seat. Join us. Sit down."

"Thanks. I'm Tess."

"Isabel," she introduced herself and motioned to the unfriendly guy beside her, "This is Alex."

"Hi," Tess said to Alex, already not liking him.

"Hi," he answered. "So, welcome to Roswell."

Tess focused her attention on Isabel, her main goal. Alex was merely a human, a distraction. "I always hate the first day at a new school."

Isabel immediately caught her meaning, "Done this before?"

"Only about a hundred times,” Tess said. “Everyone's always so nice."

Tess noticed that Alex frowned as he asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

"Well," she explained, "the guys are usually nice because they want to jump my bones. And the girls are usually nice because they want to find out if I want to jump their boyfriends' bones." She focused on Isabel again, "You must get that a lot."

"Yeah," Isabel admitted, "How about the girls who hang out with you to meet a better class of guys?"

"Or the guys who say they understand you and really just want to be your friend, but all they really want is fifteen minutes alone with you in the janitor's closet."

"We have an eraser room," Isabel said with a smile.

"Thanks for the warning," Tess said, as she absent-mindedly poured a packet of sugar into her yogurt.

Isabel noticed at once, "Oh, my God. I do that, too."

"Good," pronounced Tess, "I can't stand people who use fake sugar. Nothing can ever be too sweet. Don't you think?

"Let me see your schedule," Isabel said, "I wonder if we have any classes together."

Tess smiled, mission accomplished. Isabel was already hooked and Michael and Max would soon follow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaldar sat in the alley outside of the hotel where he had followed Topolsky last night, and popped a few Tic Tacs into his mouth. So far he had not discovered anything new, but when the woman left her room, he would search her possessions for clues.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel invited Tess to her house after school, and Tess eagerly accepted. They entered Isabel's room and put down their things. Isabel motioned toward the hall, "The kitchen is that way. Help yourself to a drink or whatever. I'll be there in a second."

As Tess approached the kitchen, she could hear male voices within. She stopped just outside, to listen, somehow knowing Max was speaking.

"Um, try taking her out,” Max said. “Someplace nice. And, uh, surprises. They love surprises. Like, you know, little things. Like a note in her locker, or a flower in the middle of the day."

Tess walked into the kitchen, calling out, "How do you know women so well?" She smiled at the stunned expressions on the guys’ faces. "Don't let me stop you. This is fascinating."

Max’s eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

Before Tess could answer, Isabel came in behind her. "She's my friend."

"How come we've never met her before?" Michael asked belligerently.

"God, Michael," Isabel said, "could you be any more rude?"

Tess smiled, remembering their earlier conversation. "Actually, it's kind of refreshing." She focused her attention and powers on Max, drawing him to her, "I'm Tess."

When neither Max or Michael responded, Isabel broke the silence, "This is my brother Max and our friend Michael."

"Nice to meet you," Tess said, noticing with satisfaction that her powers were affecting Max. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her the whole time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaldar had not found anything in Topolsky's room other than a couple of changes of clothes, and he had waited for her to return determined to follow her.

He trailed her at a discrete distance, but almost lost sight of her when she ducked into a restaurant. Kaldar entered the restaurant and looked quickly around, spotting Topolsky almost immediately. She was sitting with her back to him in a booth and he was surprised to see a frightened Liz with her.

Immediately behind Topolsky stood a large aquarium, and Kaldar slipped behind it to hear their conversation, noting the fear in Liz's voice as she whispered urgently to Topolsky.

"Why are you following us?” Liz asked. “We haven't done anything wrong."

"You can play that game all night, or you can listen to me and maybe save all of our lives," answered Topolsky. "You're smart. I knew you were the one I could get through to. They don't know I'm here. If they did..." she let the sentence trail off, not wanting to consider the consequences.

Liz wanted clarification, "Who is they?"

"The people I work for," Topolsky said.

"The FBI," Liz intoned, the fear robbing her voice of any emotion.

Topolsky shook her head, "It's more complicated than that. I've learned things, seen things that no one would believe. Sometimes I don't even believe them myself."

"Where have you been all of this time?" asked Liz.

"To hell," Topolsky said simply. "And I've come out to warn you."

She leaned closer to Liz and lowered her voice, and Kaldar had to strain to hear.

"There's a hunter, an alien hunter. He's buried deep inside the FBI. Even the president and the director are on a need-to-know basis only. Do you understand what I am saying? He answers to no one, and he will stop at nothing to get what he's looking for."

"What is he looking for?" Liz asked breathlessly, afraid she already knew.

"Max Evans, and anyone he thinks is involved with him. All six of your names are on that list. You have to believe me."

"I believe you," Liz said softly.

Kaldar could see that Topolsky was obviously relieved. "I knew you would,” she said. “We can't be seen together, do you understand? Meet me tomorrow night, behind the theater at eight o'clock. I'll know more by then."

Kaldar waited until Liz left the restaurant before he emerged from behind the aquarium. He had no idea how the FBI knew about the kids but he had to make sure they were safe.

He walked a few blocks down the street and slipped into the alley behind the local computer store. It was closed for the evening but he used his powers to let himself in and disarm the alarm. He had often used the computers in the store's office after hours, to search for the children. The computers were top-of-the-line Earth equipment, but compared to the technology on Antar they were like toys.

Easily Kaldar hacked into the FBI secure mainframe and retrieved all information about Topolsky. He quickly scanned her bio and list of assignments, noting that she had been assigned to 'special duty' over two years ago.

Those files were behind additional security but he circumvented it easily. The Special Unit, as her current assignment was called, appeared to be mainly concerned in the existence of extraterrestrials on Earth. Kaldar scanned her reports from her assignments, stopping on the final one, code-named - West Roswell High.

He read the e-mails and reports submitted by Kathleen Topolsky about Max and his friends, learning that Max had healed Liz in September when she had been shot in an altercation at the Crashdown, bringing them to the attention of the FBI. He also found that Kathleen’s reports had been submitted without her knowledge to an Agent Pierce who seemed to be in charge of the Special Unit.

Pierce had personally written a report detailing Kathleen Topolsky's exposure by the children whom she had been assigned to watch. He concluded that her feelings for them had caused her to become careless and she had allowed herself to be exposed. She had returned to FBI headquarters and told her immediate superior of her failure, and Pierce had blamed the fiasco on the two of them. Kathleen had tried to resign but Pierce told her that she was theirs for life.

Then she had been gruelingly debriefed but Pierce had obviously not liked her answers because he had finally consigned her to Bethesda Psychiatric Institute under the care of a Dr. Malcolm Margolin. According to the report, Pierce had told the doctor Kathleen had suffered a breakdown that caused her to believe she was part of a secret group within the FBI who hunted aliens. There was also an additional report from the doctor briefly outlining his initial examination of Kathleen and his recommendations for her treatment, including heavy doses of anti-psychotic drugs.

Finally Kaldar found Pierce's report of Topolsky's escape from the mental hospital and his supposition she would return to Roswell to warn the aliens. Included in the report was an order that caught Kaldar's attention.

The broadcast from the camera in subject Guerin's apartment will be kept under constant surveillance for evidence of contact by Agent Topolsky.

Kaldar sat back in the chair. Topolsky was telling the truth. Max and the others were in danger. He would have to find a way to protect them while being careful not to expose them any further. His first inclination was to go to Michael's apartment and destroy the camera but he immediately rethought the impulse. He needed to consider his actions very carefully, the lives of his charges depended on him.

He typed in a search for the Bethesda Psychiatric Institute to find a photo of Dr. Margolin. It might just come in handy, he thought to himself, to be able to resemble Topolsky's doctor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pierce listened as one after another of his agents reported no progress in their search for Kathleen Topolsky.

"This is not acceptable," he said softly. "Roswell is a small town, there are only so many places she can hide."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Crazy)
(Friday, April 21st, 2000)

Kaldar arrived early behind the theater for the meeting Topolsky had set up with Liz, but after waiting more than an hour, it was obvious Liz wasn't coming. By nine o'clock Kathleen had obviously come to the same conclusion and she left the alley. Kaldar followed her and was surprised again when he saw who she was meeting.

He listened to Kathleen's conversation with Sheriff Valenti and wondered about his role in the children's lives. Kaldar had noted in the FBI reports that it had been the Sheriff who had initially alerted the FBI to the children, but it sounded as if he'd had second thoughts and even killed to protect them.

A plan started to form in Kaldar’s mind and he thought the Sheriff might be just the right man to help. First he would take care of Topolsky and then he would turn his attentions to Pierce.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Returning from the Evans’ house, Tess let herself into the hotel room and sank down onto the sofa. She glanced at the note Sodan had left on the table for her.

Working late.

Brief and to the point. That was typical, she thought with a sigh. He was never around when she wanted to talk.

She had been so excited to spend the evening with Isabel at her house, hoping to also spend time with Max, but her first disappointment had been that Max had not been there. He had gone on a date with Liz.

Tess grabbed a pillow from the sofa and squeezed it in frustration. She had thought it would be so simple. She would just have to show up and Max would immediately know they belonged together. She hadn't counted on him having a girlfriend he was so loyal to.

She had also been disappointed that evening to discover Isabel's mind was somewhere else all evening. Surely, Tess had asked herself, Isabel couldn't be in love with the geek Alex. Isabel was supposed to be with Michael, not a human.

Sodan had told her many times over the years, that the four of them belonged together, they were the only hope for their planet's salvation. But, Tess reminded herself, Max, Michael and Isabel didn't know that. She would have to show them they had a purpose and they needed to be together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Crazy)
(Saturday, April 22nd, 2000)

Kaldar popped a handful of Tic Tacs into his mouth as he watched from Michael’s balcony, while Kathleen searched Michael's apartment. Kaldar had been using his powers more than he should in the past couple of days but he'd had no choice. The safety of the children was more important than the pain in his head.

He wasn't sure what Kathleen was looking for in Michael's apartment but he tried to keep her in sight so he could see anything she discovered. She finished in the kitchen and started toward the living room and his hiding place. He stepped back into the shadows and used his powers to change his outward appearance to blend into his surroundings, effectively hiding himself from her.

Kathleen searched the living room frantically, tossing things off of shelves and overturning furniture. Finally she entered the bedroom and started emptying drawers.

Kaldar's attention was drawn away from Kathleen by Michael's arrival, the sight of the devastation briefly stopping him before Kathleen stepped into the room to confront him.

"If I give you proof, will you believe me then?" Kathleen asked.

"Get out of my house," Michael commanded.

Kaldar got a look at what Kathleen had been searching for when she held up the orb to show Michael.

"I know what this is," she said.

"That's a paperweight," Michael said as he grabbed it from her.

"It's a communicator,” she said confidently, “and there's another one just like it. I took it from the special unit evidence vault back in Washington. Now, I know they only work when they're together, so if I bring you the other one, if I risk my life for you, I need to know that you will take me with you when your people come to get you."

"You're crazy," Michael tried to dismiss her.

"No, Michael. Look. We are all going to die and it's not going to be pleasant. We only have one chance. I will meet you tomorrow night at Buckley Point with the other communicator. If you ignore me this time, there won't be a next time."

Michael considered her for a moment. "If I decide to come, what time?"

Kathleen smiled in relief, "Anytime you want. Is midnight okay?"

Michael nodded. "I'll think about it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pierce smiled as he watched Michael and Kathleen on the monitor. "Buckley Point tomorrow, midnight."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Crazy)
(Sunday, April 23rd, 2000)

Kaldar stood in the alley behind the Crashdown, knowing sooner or later that Michael would come out. He had donned the guise of a homeless man he usually wore, and waited patiently for his master, attempting to ignore the pain in his head.

He did not know if Michael or the others would go to meet with Kathleen but if they did, then he and the Sheriff would be there to watch over them. If they didn't go, then he would proceed with the rest of his plan without having to worry about Michael or the others. One way or another it would end tonight.

At five o'clock, right on schedule, Michael pushed open the door, hefting two large bags of trash, and headed for the dumpster.

Kaldar emerged from the shadows. "Guerin? Michael Guerin."

Michael swung toward him with a suspicious expression, which softened immediately when he took in the other man's appearance. "What do you want?"

"A lady told me to give you this," Kaldar explained, holding out a folded piece of paper.

Michael looked at the paper but didn't touch it. "What lady?"

Kaldar shifted from foot to foot, feigning nervousness. "A blonde lady, don't know her proper name. She just said Topolsky. Said she'd give me five dollars if I brought it here."

Michael quickly ran his eyes over the homeless man before him. "Thanks," he said as he took the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. "Wait here and I'll get you a hamburger and fries."

Kaldar nodded and gave his master a toothless grin.

Michael quickly bagged the hamburger and fries he had made for himself and took it out to the man. "Go and tell the lady you earned your five dollars."

He waited until the man had disappeared around the corner before opening the note.

9pm instead of midnight.
Same place.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wearing the guise of Dr. Malcolm Margolin, Kaldar walked into the Roswell Sheriff's office, with an outstretched hand. "Sheriff Valenti, I am Dr. Malcolm Margolin. I work at the Bethesda Psychiatric Institute in Maryland."

Sheriff Valenti shook his hand, "Nice to meet you doctor. How can I help you?"

"I’m here about one of my patients who escaped a few days ago, a Kathleen Topolsky."

Jim couldn't keep the surprised expression off his face, "Kathleen Topolsky is a patient of yours?"

"I discovered you knew her when she was working here at the high school. She had a nervous breakdown and was sent to us, and I have been treating her for the last six weeks. She has come to believe there is a conspiracy in the government to cover up the existence of extraterrestrials, who live right here in Roswell."

"Is she dangerous?" Jim asked.

"No. As a matter of fact I have already taken her back into custody. But this morning when I found her, she was raving about aliens and an orb. She told me that she convinced some of your local kids to meet her at a place called Buckley Point tonight at nine o'clock and I was worried something might happen to them. I just wanted to explain to them what had happened and make sure they were okay. She was very upset but I think I made out the names Evans and Guerin."

Jim nodded, "I know them. Kathleen has caused trouble for them before. It’s nice of you to be so concerned about some kids you never met."

"It was our fault Kathleen escaped and I would feel responsible if anything happened to them."

Jim sat back in his chair. "You don't mind if I check this out, do you? There have been a lot of strangers around here lately that aren't what they claim to be."

"Go right ahead,” Kaldar said. “Although it is Sunday, there will be someone at the institute who can verify my identity and also my photo and bio are on the institute's website."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaldar, in the form of Dr. Margolin, stopped his car on a fire road just a few hundred yards from the meeting place at Buckley Pont. He and the Sheriff had successfully convinced the kids that Topolsky was crazy, and sent them home. Now all he had to do was get rid of Pierce and the Special Unit. He emerged from the car and shifted into the guise of a hiker.

Kaldar started into the woods, heading toward his truck that he had left earlier near the meeting sight. He intended to get a look at the FBI men who came to meet Topolsky and follow them to their headquarters. Then he would destroy them all.

Suddenly he stumbled and caught himself on a tree, and after a moment, pushed himself to continue.

After he eliminated the threat to the children, he could rest and recover his strength, but now it was too important. He made the trip through the woods as quickly as he could, falling three more times before he reached the camouflaged truck and slipped inside. He sank into the seat and let his head fall back against the headrest.

According to his watch he would have to wait an hour before Topolsky was due to arrive. He popped the entire contents of the box of Tic Tacs into his mouth, the pain in his head making it hard for him to see clearly. For a moment he thought he saw a shimmering light and then it was gone. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the pain and reached into his pocket for another box of the little mints. He attempted to open the box but it felt strange in his hand and when he opened his eyes, he stared at his hand for a moment in disbelief.

The hand was not human as he expected, but the grayish-pink, mottled skin of his true form. He had reverted to his true form once before when he had over-used his powers but this time it was too important, there was too much at stake. Sodan didn't know where the children were and the FBI was too close to them.

Kaldar concentrated on shifting back into human form but the more he tried, the greater the pain in his head became. He continued to push through the pain but it felt as if something inside him snapped and then the pain welled up from within as if he were literally on fire. A scream was torn from him as the pain became unbearable and he tried to stop but his powers escalated wildly, consuming him from within.

His last thought was overwhelming sorrow that he had failed his master.

Kaldar's body slumped onto the seat and after a moment, disintegrated into a pile of dust.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Tess, Lies & Videotape)
(Sunday, April 30th, 2000)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Tess had been frustrated by Max's lack of reaction to her in the last week. The only time he had paid any attention to her was when she had used her powers on him. She just wasn't getting through to him. He should be reacting to her presence instinctively but things were not happening as quickly as she had anticipated. It was obvious Max and the others didn't remember anything about their past. They were fumbling around for any scrap of information they could get.

She had wanted him to recognize her and come to her and she had been afraid if she used her powers on him too much, he would be angry when he found out. But seeing Max with Liz over the last few days had made her change her mind. Max was giving Liz the attention and love that rightly belonged to her and Tess decided she would use her powers to get him to notice her, to speed things along. They were meant to be together and she decided anything she had to do to make Max see it would be worth it.

She looked through the window of the Crashdown. It was just as she thought, Max was there with Liz and the others.

Tess focused her powers at Max making herself seem alluring, desirable. Then she opened the door and walked toward the group, but they were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't notice her. Typical, she thought. She stopped just behind them as Max spoke.

"We don't even know what it is."

"What is?" Tess asked, drawing Max's attention to her. She knew she had walked into an important discussion when everyone went quiet. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"No, no," Isabel rushed to reassure her. "Hey we were just, um...," she let her sentence trail off when she couldn't think of anything and quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you join us? Have a seat."

"Thanks," Tess said brightly, trying to keep up the illusion of innocence.

"Sure," Isabel said.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" asked Tess.

Liz tried again to change the subject, "Can I get you something to drink, Tess?"

"Oh, thanks," Tess responded, letting herself be distracted because they were obviously not going to bring her into their confidence. "Uh, Cherry coke with lime." Instead Tess turned her attention to Max, increasing her powers. She glanced at him to make sure she had his attention and when she saw that she did, she planted images in his mind.

She let the images swirl around him for a few moments before bringing him out of it. "What's the matter?" she asked, directing her question at Max. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

"What?" Max asked, obviously still confused. "No." He turned to Liz, "Let me help you with that."

Tess watched as Max and Liz went into the back together, angry that he would turn to the human. Through the window she saw Max pull Liz to him for a kiss and sent him another image, replacing Liz with herself.

She changed the size and shape of the Liz's body in his arms, to her own. She changed the texture of Liz's skin and hair in Max's hands, to her own, and finally she changed Liz's scent and the shape of her lips, to her own. Tess felt Max pull away from her as he realized the differences, and she let the images slip away.

Tess smiled, knowing Max was looking through the window at her. She had his attention now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Tess, Lies & Videotape)
(May 1st, 2000)
(West Roswell High School)

Tess watched Isabel as Alex passed them in the hall. He could be a problem if Isabel decided to be with him instead of Michael, and Tess decided to see exactly what kind of hold Alex had on Isabel. "He's got it so bad for you," Tess said.

"He's sweet," Isabel answered vaguely.

"Sweet as in nice guy, or sweet as in potential love connection?" Tess pushed.

"Sweet as in I don't know." Isabel quickly changed the subject. "What about you? You've been here a couple of weeks. You must have somebody on your radar."

"Still soaking it all in," Tess started. She had to make sure Isabel accepted her destiny and it wouldn't hurt to start laying the groundwork now. "Although I have to admit, I'm a little bummed your brother is unavailable. I'm sort of into those serious, wounded guys."

"Yeah, well, you can forget it," Isabel laughed. "He's a total goner. You should hear him talk about her. Oh Liz is my soul mate. I never felt like this before," she said in a mocking tone. "It's enough to make you want to gag."

Tess was hurt by the words but continued. "That's weird. I thought I felt him..." she let her sentence trial off, letting Isabel make of it what she would.

Isabel was intrigued, "What?"

"Nothing," Tess dismissed, "I'm sure it was nothing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max stumbled out of the classroom unsure of what had happened. The visions he'd been having of Tess were getting more vivid and he couldn't control them. The one he had just experienced had been so real he had actually caught on fire and not been aware of it.

He wasn't attracted to Tess that way but there was something about her that was familiar. It was like he recognized her somehow, had known her in the past, but the feelings of attraction he felt for her were wrong, false. And the most disturbing thing about the situation was that he didn't feel in control of himself. Something was happening, changing within him, and he didn't know what to do.

Max saw Michael down the hall and ran to catch up with him. Michael knew him better than anyone, they could figure it out together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Tess, Lies & Videotape)
(Tuesday, May 2nd, 2000)

Tess watched Max and Liz talking through the door of the Crashdown as the rain poured down. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she could tell by their body language that things between them were strained. She smiled, her plan was working already. They just needed another push or two and Max would be hers.

She waited until Max had exited the building and walked past her car, before alerting him to her presence. "Max!" she called to him. "My car broke down. Can you believe it?"

"No," Max said suspiciously.

"No?" Tess asked.

"No, I don't believe it."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked, amazed he could see through her trap.

"You planned this," he realized.

"I planned what?" she asked innocently.

"To be out here."

Tess started pushing her power into him. This encounter was getting out of her control. "Max, you sound a little crazy."

Max could feel something happening, feel his will being taken away from him. "You're doing something to me," he accused.

Tess continued to influence Max with her powers, trying to calm him down. "Max, my car broke down. I'm waiting for somebody to help me. I didn't plan anything."

Max could feel the false emotions welling up in him, drawing him to closer to Tess. "I'm with Liz," he blurted out, as if saying it aloud would banish the other emotions.

Tess leaned closer to Max, while holding him in place, "I know you are."

He tried to leave but he couldn't move. "We belong together," Max continued, his voice the only thing he still had control over.

"I'm sure that's true," said Tess, moving closer.

Max moved closer to Tess, against his will, with hesitating steps, and fought it with everything that was in him. "I don't want anyone but her."

"I'm sure you don't," Tess agreed as she tightened her psychic hold on Max and brought him to her for a kiss. She glanced at the Crashdown and saw Liz move toward the door. This was the perfect opportunity. Tess willed Max to take her in his arms, to hold her like he loved her. She sent him a barrage of images, showing him that they were intended to be together, then she let herself get caught up in Max's kiss for a moment.

When she looked toward the Crashdown again Tess knew her victory was complete. The look of complete horror on Liz's face told Tess everything she had wanted was now hers, she just had to sit back and wait for Liz and Max's relationship to destroy itself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Tess, Lies & Videotape)
(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)
(Wednesday, May 3rd, 2000)

Pierce watched the tape of the final broadcast from the camera at Michael Guerin's apartment, carefully studying Max's words.

I kissed Tess.

It was like something was controlling me.

Pierce stopped the tape and turned to the Agent next to him. "Who is Tess?"

"I don't know sir, but we will get on it immediately."

Pierce fast-forwarded and started the tape where Michael was speaking.

Why come to me? Why not go talk to your new buddy Valenti about it, all right?

Max attacked him verbally, "Would you leave it alone, already? He gave us back the orb. Maybe he isn't just out to get us."

Pierce stopped the tape again, "They have the other orb and it looks like Sheriff Valenti is right in the middle of this whole thing."

"Do you want me to put someone on the Sheriff?" the Agent asked.

"Yes," Pierce said. "Keep someone on him and report to me immediately if he discovers anything."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Tess, Lies & Videotape)
(Sunday, May 7th, 2000)

Agent Marley stopped the van just down the street from where the Sheriff parked his cruiser. He watched out the back window as Sheriff Valenti attempted to keep the children, he was following, in sight. The kids were congregated around a house looking in a window.

The Agent reached for his radio, "Control, this is Marley."

"This is Control."

"The Sheriff is observing the subjects, who are staking out a house."

"Whose house?" control asked.

"Unknown, but I can give you the address."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ed waited until the front door had closed behind Max and Liz before crossing to the window. He carefully drew back the curtain just enough to see Max and Liz meet Michael and Isabel and the humans, outside. It was just as he had suspected, the whole thing had been a setup, an information-gathering mission.

He smiled. He had to admire Liz. She had obviously come into their house suspecting they were aliens. Anything could have happened to her but she had come alone.

As the kids walked down the street and climbed into their cars, a movement in another vehicle caught Ed's attention. The figure slumped down behind the seat in order to avoid being seen, but Ed was able to make out who it was. Sheriff Valenti.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:07 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 6

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Four Square)
(Monday, May 8th, 2000)

Ed stopped his car outside the Sheriff's Station and turned the miniature camera over in his fingers. He suspected that Liz had left the camera in the house last night, which meant the Special Unit must have been using it on the kids. But since he had seen the Sheriff at the house too, he had to check him out.

Either way, someone was too close to them and when he found out who it was, he would eliminate the threat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Isabel dressed for school, her thoughts wandered to the dream she'd had of Michael and herself together. It had disturbed her in ways that she couldn't even start to explain. Not only had Michael always seemed like a brother to her, but the whole notion of being with him romantically was repulsive, wrong, and every fiber of her being rebelled against it.

But something was happening to her. She could tell that she was different, she could feel herself changing, but she was frightened of what she might be changing into. And somehow she just knew that Tess had something to do with it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)

Pierce looked up as Agent Marley entered his office. "What have you got?"

"We have the name of the people who live in the house that the kids and the Sheriff were watching. A man named Ed Harding, who works as a consultant for the military, and his daughter Tess."

"Tess," repeated Pierce.

"And there is something else,” Marley said. “Ed Harding went to visit Sheriff Valenti at his office this morning."

Pierce looked surprised for a moment and then smiled. "The Sheriff again. His name comes up more and more often.” His brow creased thoughtfully. “I wonder what Ed Harding and his daughter have to do with this. Pull the man off the Sheriff and put him on Mr. Harding. I will take care of Valenti myself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(West Roswell High School)

Tess watched Isabel go into the school office. It was obvious Isabel was trying to gather information on her. Well, Tess thought, if it's information Isabel wants, it's information I'll give her. It was time to step up her plan by continually turning up the heat on Isabel and Michael. The dreams would convince Isabel and Michael they belonged together and then it would be much easier to bring Max to heel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode – Four Square)
(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)
(May 9th, 2000)

Pierce looked up from the reports he was reading when his phone rang. "Pierce," he answered gruffly but his tone softened immediately when he recognized the caller. "Vanessa, how nice to hear from you."

"How's it going there?" Whitaker asked, not wanting to seem too curious, but eager to know if he had confirmed the identity of the suspect.

"Don't know yet. My first note is to look into the Sheriff here. I think he may be the key to everything."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Four Square)
(Wednesday, May 10th, 2000)

Ed checked the rear-view-mirror again. The same car had been following him since he had left work. In his mind, he had eliminated the Sheriff as a threat and that only left the Special Unit, but he had to make sure.

He drove into town and pulled into a parking space. He got out of the car and headed down an alley that he knew was a dead end, blending into the brickwork of the wall as soon as he was out of sight of the man tailing him.

After a few minutes a man in a conservative dark suit, peeked covertly around the corner of the building, and then proceeded into the alley. He looked around, obviously surprised that the man he was following could have gotten away. He pulled out his radio, "Control."

"This is Control."

"This is Marley. I was following subject Harding but he's gone, disappeared down a dead end alley, like he vanished into thin air. I don't know how he got away."

"Check the immediate area and then stay close to his car. He will have to come back for it eventually. I will put someone on the house."

"Yes Sir, Agent Pierce."

Ed waited until the Agent had left the alley to take his human form again. So Pierce was in charge of the Special Unit now, he thought to himself. He remembered Pierce's words from the first time he had seen him more than a year ago. Pierce would kill them all if he got the chance.

Pierce must have discovered the children after Ed had left his last position at the FBI in Texas, Ed thought. While he had posed as an FBI agent, Ed had searched the computers for any mention of the Special Unit but he hadn’t found anything. He had anticipated doing a more thorough search of the computer but he had been forced to leave Texas quickly, when he had learned of the signal in Roswell. Maybe that was how Pierce tracked the kids too, but Ed had to know for sure. And now that Ed knew what he was looking for, he would hack into the FBI computer system and see what he could learn about Agent Pierce and any ongoing investigations in Roswell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max to the Max)
(Thursday, May 11th, 2000)

Tess waited until Max had followed Isabel out of the pod chamber before turning to Michael. "You want to know, don't you?” she asked. “You want all the answers. I can give them to you, but first you have to convince them that I'm not your enemy."

Max had proved to her last night that he didn't trust her and Tess figured it would be easier to work on Michael first. She pulled the alien book out and offered it to Michael. "Max didn't tell you about this, did he? Take it," she said, pushing it toward him, hoping he or the others would remember how read it. "It will prove to them I don't want to hurt you. If you convince them, then I can explain everything."

Michael turned the book over in his hands and reluctantly left the chamber.

Ed revealed himself, stepping away from the wall where he had been hidden, returning to his human form. "How could you bring them up here like this? You know the Special Unit is close. You saw that camera. Who do you think put it on them in the first place? Our friend, Pierce."

"Oh yeah?" asked Tess sarcastically. "So why don't you just kill him? According to Max, you've done that before."

"What has he been telling you? You're going to trust him over me?" Ed would never admit it, but her words had hurt him. "Listen, you and I have spent a lot of time together. Now I don't want to say we're family..." he conceded, only to have Tess cut him off.

"You're not my family," Tess spat. "You never will be. Max, Michael and Isabel are."

"Fine," Ed said, betraying no emotion. "Go have your little reunion. If I have to kill people, I kill people. Pierce is dangerous. You all still need me if you expect to survive him."

Looked at him closely, noticing for the first time that he was upset. "You're really scared of Pierce, aren't you? More than the others."

"He's smarter,” Ed said. “He's closer to the four of you than anyone's ever been."

Ed watched as Tess went after the others. Shape shifters were engineered not born. He had no parents and didn’t know who his clone donors had been, and it had never mattered. But he and Tess had lived as father and daughter for ten years and he had come to care for her, have the feelings of a father of sorts. And she was right, he was not her family. He was her protector, and he had always known that one day he would have to fit back into the roll of protector. But Tess' denial of him had hurt.

Ed didn't know if the personalities on the originals were supposed to be transferred into the clones, but he felt that Tess' behavior was a failure on his part. Her behavior on Earth was considerably different than it had been on Antar. Ava had been soft spoken, kind and always concerned about others around her, but Tess was rude, demanding and selfish. Ed acknowledged he had spoiled her, giving her anything she desired, and allowing her the freedom to develop as she had. He had not felt it was his duty or even his right to discipline her, but perhaps he had been wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)

The conversation with Agent Marley the day before, continued to play in Pierce's head. How had the middle-aged Harding evaded an Agent in his prime, so quickly? There was something definitely wrong with the whole situation.

Marley's words echoed again, 'he vanished into thin air'

Pierce turned to the tapes they had recorded from Michael Guerin's apartment and ran his finger over the dates, finally finding the one he wanted. He put it into the VCR and fast-forwarded to a conversation Michael had had with Isabel. He played the tape where Isabel was speaking.

"That would mean that each of us has this information in some part of us we're just not conscious of."

"Or Liz is getting the messages from somewhere or someone else," said Michael.

"Nasedo?" Isabel asked.

Pierce rewound the tape and started it again.

messages from somewhere or someone else," said Michael.

"Nasedo?" Isabel asked.

Pierce stopped the tape. Could Ed Harding be Nasedo?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ed walked down the street until he was sure he was being followed, then he ducked into the alley. He turned to confront the man who tailed him, "I was hoping it would be one of you. I need to send a message to Agent Pierce."

He reached out and put his hand on the Agent's chest, quickly bringing his organs to a deadly temperature. Then he dragged the man to the rental car, parked further down the alley and put him into the trunk.

Phase one of the plan was complete, now he just needed to get Liz, and lure Pierce into the trap.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Later that night – in the Jeep)

Tess was growing more frightened as they continued to drive, looking for Liz and Nasedo, and she tried to convince Max they shouldn't interfere. "Max, I can't understand why you are doing this. You are putting us all in danger because of a human. Nasedo will handle everything. He didn't tell us what he was doing because he didn't want us involved. We should only be concerned about ourselves."

Max couldn't believe what Tess was saying. Didn't she care about anyone or anything but herself? Liz had helped them selflessly many times, risked herself to save them more than once, and even if he didn't love her, there was no way he would just let Nadeso take her.

When Max didn't reply, Tess tried another approach. "Max you will have to forget about Liz anyway. You and I were made for one another. We belong together."

"No," Max said simply.

"You can't deny this," Tess said, turning to encompass them all with her statement, "any of you. It's our destiny. It's what we were planned for. Even if you don't want to believe me, you can't hide from the truth."

Max was growing angry but he fought to keep his temper, "It's not about the four of us right now, it's about Liz."

"Liz is human," Tess continued, "She has nothing to do with us."

Tess' words finally pushed him past the breaking point. "No," said Max softly, "you have nothing to do with us."

"Michael, is that what you think?” Tess gasped. “Isabel?"

Both of them turned away from her, their silence answering her question.

Tess was dumbfounded. She had finally found her mate and her family and they valued a human more than her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max to the Max)
(Mirror Maze at the Carnival)

Ed, disguised as Max, searched for Liz in the maze of mirrors. He had to admit she had spirit. She hadn't given in to him and she was good at thinking on her feet.

He walked around a corner and ran into Max. "What are you doing? Get out of here."

"Where's Liz?" Max demanded.

"Pierce doesn't care about her, he only wants me," Ed said, trying to calm Max.

"He wants her, too. He wants all of us," Max asserted. "I'm not leaving without her."

"I won't let him take you," Ed tried to reassure Max, but was cut off by Liz's appearance.

"Max!" she cried as she rushed to him.

"Liz," Max called out, and rushed toward her, but he was stopped less than an inch away from her by a wall of glass. When he realized he couldn't get to her he looked her in the eyes, "Get out of here."

"Not without you," Liz insisted. Suddenly Liz saw the FBI Agents behind him in the mirrors. "Max! Behind you!"

Ed slipped around the mirrors and took Liz by the hand. He had to get her to safety, his King had ordered it. Max was powerful, Ed thought, surely he could handle a couple of humans. And Ed knew Max wouldn't leave without Liz. He led Liz out of the maze and into a bus, where she would be safe until this was over. "Right in here."

Liz looked him over quickly for injuries. "Max, are you all right?"

Then she surprised him with a kiss, but he could tell by the look on her face, she knew he wasn't Max even before she spoke. She had known before too, when she had kissed him in the car, and he wondered briefly how she could sense the difference. Earlier she had said Max had changed her, and Ed had thought she was speaking metaphorically. She had also said she and Max had seen into each other's souls, but if she really had seen into his soul maybe Max had done something to her when he healed her. Maybe she had been somehow changed.

"You're not Max," Liz said, backing away from him.

"No, I'm not. And now I've got to get him back." He changed his appearance into that of a clown and ran back toward the mirror maze to make sure Max made it out.

But he skidded to a stop as he saw several FBI Agents surrounding a gurney that was being pushed toward an ambulance. He didn't have to see the patient's face to know who it was. Agent Pierce had Max.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - The White Room)
(Friday, May 12th, 2000)
(The Roswell UFO Museum)

Liz turned to Tess, "Where's Nasedo?"

"I don't know," Tess said.

Michael joined in the interrogation, "He's supposed to be at our side. Where is he?"

"I told you," Tess said angrily, "I don't know. He's never left me alone like this before."

Isabel sighed, "Then it's up to us. We have to find Max."

Alex tried to make them see reason. "What makes you think we can go up against alien hunters and win?"

Michael was instantly angry, misunderstanding Alex's protest. "What the hell choice do we have? Let him be a pincushion for Pierce? Let him die?"

"No," answered Alex quietly.

Liz spoke up, "We have to go to Valenti."

Michael couldn't believe what she was suggesting. "What, and tell him everything?"

Isabel tried to appeal to Michael, "Max was willing to do it to save Liz. Maybe now is the time to trust him."

Tess listened to the others making plans. They had not even asked her what her opinion was and Isabel was siding with Liz. She had to make them see they belonged together, and they would work better as a team. The four of them were the only ones who mattered. They didn't need help from anyone, not Liz, not the Sheriff, not anyone human. "What makes you think that Valenti is better equipped than we are?" she asked.

"He's the law," Maria said, stating the obvious. "He's got resources."

"So do we," Tess reminded them. "Stronger ones." She turned to Michael and Isabel, "Look, I know what I can do. What about the two of you?"

"What do you mean? Michael asked.

"Your powers, Michael," Tess said. "Your gifts. You do have them, don't you?"

Michael looked down, embarrassed, "We're not too advanced."

Isabel tried to explain, "We can do easy things, like change simple molecular structure, but we don't use them very often. What about you?"

Tess smiled. She could tell her suggestion was winning them over. "Being around Nasedo has taught me quite a few things."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - The White Room)
(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)

Ed emerged from his hiding place as the Agents wheeled the sheet-covered body past him and into the building. He had anticipated that they would bring the dead Agent, he had left on the side of the road, to the morgue, and he could use the man's hand to get past the security scan.

Last night he had followed the ambulance from the carnival to the base. The security had been too tight to attempt rescuing Max and he had been forced to wait. He used the time to re-familiarize himself with the layout of the base and then chose a convenient spot to hide and wait for the arrival of the dead Agent.

Ed waited a few more minutes to give the other Agents time to leave the room. Then he shifted into the face of one of the Agents he had seen earlier and followed the corridor to the morgue. As he approached the door, he heard voices from inside; male and female voices, and they seemed to be arguing.

He recognized the shrill tone of one of the female voices and shook his head. What did they think they were doing?

He pushed open the door and confronted them, determined to give them a scare. "Hey. You shouldn't be here. What are you doing here?"

Michael raised his hand and attempted to gather his power, but it was wildly unpredictible and would not obey him. Then Michael watched as the Agent stretch out his hand toward them. A burst of power hit Michael in the chest and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor.

"It's you," Tess said, the relief evident in her voice.

Ed shifted into the Harding persona, and Tess turned her fear and anger on him. "Don't ever leave me alone like that again."

Ed dismissed her petulant tone, "I have four of you to watch now."

Michael was wide-eyed with curiosity, "I've been looking for you for a long time."

Ed smiled, "Not as long as I've been looking for you. Now you're about to get yourselves killed."

"We're here for Max," Isabel said, defending their actions.

Ed shook his head, "This isn't the local Sheriff you're dealing with. You should have known better. None of you are equipped to be here. I've got to get you out of here," he said aloud, but another plan was already taking shape in his mind, and it would require the help of all three.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Destiny)
(Saturday, May 13th, 2000)
(Roswell UFO Museum)

Kyle waited until Max and the others left the room. "Dad, what the hell happened?"

Jim studied his son. He had almost lost Kyle and he was more grateful to Max than he could ever express. But Kyle would have questions and Jim knew he would have to tell Kyle the truth. He just wasn't sure how to do that. "Kyle, you know I’ve been investigating Max."

"You told me to stay away from him." Kyle put his hand on his chest, covering the place where he had been shot and Max had laid his hands, healing him. "Is this why?"

Jim nodded. "Do you remember last September, the shooting incident at the Crashdown?"

"Yeah. That's when Liz started acting all weird."

"That's because Liz was shot and Max saved her life, like he just saved yours."

"The handprint on her stomach," Kyle remembered. "So the stories Grandpa told were true?" he asked incredulously.

"They must have been."

"But he told me about a killer alien from back in his time, leaving bodies with glowing handprints on them. Is that Max Evans?"

Jim shook his head, "I didn't know at first, that’s why I told you to stay away from Max, but I’ve gotten to know him and the others and they are just scared kids. They don't know where they’re from or why they’re here."

"The others?" Kyle asked, picking up on his father's phrasing.

"Michael and Isabel too."

Kyle accepted the information. "What about Deputy Fisher? Does he know too?"

"Fisher was really an undercover FBI Agent named Pierce who has been hunting Max and the others. He took Max captive and tortured him. I helped Max escape." Jim paused, "Max, Michael & Isabel recently found another alien who was sent with them to be their protector. Pierce injured him, maybe killed him. So I helped Max lure Pierce here so they could find out where this other man is and if he is alive. Somehow Pierce got loose and got a gun, and Michael had to defend us from him. Pierce was killed."

"Michael killed an FBI Agent?"

"Michael saved my life," Jim said simply. "Unfortunately we can't tell anyone what really happened because it would expose Max and the others. So we will have to get rid of Pierce's body and pretend like this never happened." Jim looked Kyle in the eye to make sure he had his son's attention. "The reason I am telling you this Kyle, is because we both have to keep this secret. We are both involved and I promised Max I would help him. I gave my word."

Kyle looked at his father and nodded, "I understand, dad. I won't tell anyone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Destiny)
(Sunday, May 14th, 2000)
(The Pod Chamber)

Ed got up off the floor and stood before them.

"I knew you wouldn't leave us," Tess said.

Ed smiled, "You're not ready to be left alone."

Michael agreed, "You're right, we need you. Show us how the orbs work."

Ed motioned to Liz, "She doesn't belong here."

Max stepped forward, "She's with me." He brought the conversation back to the orbs, "We want to know. You're the only one who can show us."

Ed considered them for a moment. He knew this day would come, and he hoped to put it off for a while longer but when it came right down to it, the decision was Max's. "It's not my job to show you. My only job is to keep you alive.

Max picked up on his phrasing immediately, "Your job?"

Michael pressed the point, "Well if your only job is to keep us alive, then tell us. They're communicators. They communicate with who?"

Ed sighed, "You're not ready to know yet."

Michael was like a dog with a bone, "They communicate with our home planet, don't they? Why don't you want us to contact them?"

"Because you don't know who else you may contact in the process," Ed admitted.

"Who else is there?" asked Isabel with a haunted tone.

Ed was reluctant to mention their enemies on Earth, fearing that their curiosity would lead them to investigate. The skins were beyond anything they could possibly imagine and they just weren't ready. "Set off those orbs, and you have no idea who you may be leading straight to us."

Max jumped to a conclusion, "You don't know, do you? You don't know how to use the orbs. If you knew, you would've already used them. You're here to protect us, but not to lead us, you said it yourself. But if you're not the leader, who is?

Ed remained silent, allowing Max to continue with his misconception that he didn’t know how to use the orbs, but steadily met Max's eyes, answering Max's last question. The others all looked at Max, finally understanding, and Ed continued, "If you really want to know what the orbs do, you can find out for yourselves. I can't stop you, but do it at your own risk."

Max brushed Ed's warning aside, a plan suddenly forming in his mind, "If you're really here to protect us, there's something you have to do. The only way we can ever go back is if nobody's hunting us anymore."

"Pierce is already dead," Michael reminded him.

Max shook his head. "He'll only be replaced," he looked at Ed, "unless we replace him."

Ed smiled, understanding Max's meaning and shifted into Pierce.

"The other agents are at an abandoned gas station in Hondo," Max informed him.

The faux Pierce smiled, "Now that I'm the head of their Special Unit, we'll have all their resources. You'll be safe now."

Max waited until Ed had disappeared before he picked up the orb. "I want to know."

Michael and Isabel took the other orb and Max turned to Tess. "Maybe if we just focus like Nasedo's always said."

The four of them pushed their energy into the orbs, activating the mechanisms within.

The orb that had been in the special unit vault had no message to show and it sent a single signal, revealing their position.

The orb from the desert activated the message stored within. A blue light radiated from the swirling symbol briefly and coalesced, growing brighter and brighter and finally the face of a woman appeared.

If you are seeing me now, it means that you are alive and well. I take this form because it will be familiar to you, and it will help you to understand what I am about to say. You have lived before. You perished in the conflict that enslaves our planet but your essence was duplicated, cloned, and mixed with human genetic material so that you might be recreated into human beings. My son, you were the beloved leader of our people. I have sent with you your young bride. My daughter, the man you were betrothed to, and your brother's second-in-command.

"Oh my god, Max," exclaimed Isabel, "Our mother."

Our enemies have come to the Earth. You will know them only by the evil within. Learn enough to use your skills, your knowledge, your leadership to combat the enemy so that you can come back and free us and I may once again hold you both in my arms. I live for that moment. Help us. I love you.

Isabel was practically overcome with emotion. She had been so upset to discover they had been hatched, thinking it meant they had no families but to see their mother was more than she had ever hopped for. "She's so beautiful."

Michael was just as awestruck, "I always knew there was something out there, but I had no idea how important it was."

"Things will never be the same," Max said, "but whatever happens, we have to stay together." He glanced at Tess, to let her know he considered her part of the group. "It's the four of us now."

Tess thrilled to Max's words. He had finally accepted his destiny, accepted her, and she threw herself into his arms and lifted her lips to his. "I knew this was meant to be."

Max held Tess' arms to keep the distance between them and gently put her away from him. "No." He turned to Liz and took her arm to stop her from leaving. "Look, everything I told you before is still true."

Liz had watched the message with growing horror. It just wasn't fair. She and Max had found one another across the galaxy, survived crazy humans and the FBI, overcome every obstacle, and now a message from their mother on another planet was tearing them apart. Max and his 'young bride' were the last hope of an enslaved race. They had been sent to Earth to prepare to take back their planet and Liz knew that left no place in Max's life for her. Max didn't belong with her. He was supposed to be with Tess, just like Nasedo had said.

Liz struggled to keep the tears back as she turned to Max. "Max, you do have a destiny. You just heard it. I can't stand in the way of it."

Max shook his head, not wanting to believe Liz's words, "But you mean everything to me."

Liz reached up to touch his precious face, and knowing it would be the last time, she gently kissed him. "Goodbye, Max." And then she turned and went out the door before she could change her mind.

Max was stunned. Just that morning, he had been so happy, knowing that soon all of this would be over and he and Liz could be together without any further complications. And now his curiosity had ruined everything. He wished he had never suggested they activate the orbs. He would trade everything to have Liz back.

He quickly followed her out of the cave, not ready to simply allow her to walk out of his life. "Liz. Liz, wait."

Liz turned automatically toward Max's voice, unable to mask the pain on her face that mirrored his own. She hated causing him pain but they had to let go of one another, and the sooner the better. She couldn't stand the thought of having him in her life, growing closer, loving each other only to have to send him away with another woman when the time came for them to return home. Liz turned from him and started walking away, but broke into a run after only a few steps.

Michael followed Max out of the pod chamber and witnessed the scene between Max and Liz. He could hear the anguish in Max's voice and see it in Liz's face. But maybe it was for the best, he thought. Max and Liz knew they didn't belong together, maybe it was better for them to part now.

Max took a step forward to follow Liz but Michael put a restraining hand on his arm. "You gotta let her go."

Isabel and Tess emerged from the pod chamber and came up behind them. Isabel could feel the pain coming off Max in waves, but Tess seemed to be oblivious.

"What happens now Max?" Tess asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Destiny)
(Monday, May 15th, 2000 3:33PM Western Time)
(SETI [Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence] Institute Satellite Array - Lafayette, CA)
(Immediately after the activation of the orbs)

Courtney jumped when her trithium amplification generator activated. It happened so seldom that it always surprised her, but when she turned the pentagon to check the message, she almost dropped it. The signal was not from Copper Summit as she had expected, it was carried on a frequency that was only used by the Tageonant Royalty.

Finally it was happening. The Royal Four were using their communicators and she would be able to trace the signal using the program she had created and covertly planted in the SETI computers. She only hoped the program was functioning properly.

Courtney raced to her computer station and ran a search using the arrays in Puerto Rico and England to complete the triangulation and she waited impatiently as the program traced the signal's origin. She only had to wait a moment, and as the location was revealed, she had to laugh. The signal's duration had been too short to get an exact pinpoint but the computer had traced the signal back to where it had all begun, the crash site.

Roswell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max watched where Liz had disappeared around the rocks, long after she was gone, with Tess' question echoing in his head. He was the leader. He was in charge, and it was up to him to decide what to do.

Max swiped at his wet eyes and slowly turned toward the others. "Isabel and Michael, you take the Jeep and make sure that Liz gets home. Tess and I will clean up here. Then we'll take Tess' car and meet you guys at the Harding house in about an hour, to decide what we’re going to do with Pierce's body."

Isabel looked suspiciously at Tess, "Max..."

He held up a hand, cutting her off, "Iz, it's okay." He glanced at Tess, "She and I need to have a talk. Please just take care of Liz."

Michael took Isabel by the elbow. "You've got it Max," he agreed, knowing how important Liz's safety was to him. "We'll make sure she's okay."

Isabel hesitated again, "Max, are you sure?"

He forced a smile, "I'll see you in an hour."

She nodded and followed Michael down the hill.

Max turned and walked back to the pod chamber without a glance at Tess, but knowing that she was right behind him. He reached down and picked up the orbs and tossed the question over his shoulder. "So did you know about this?"

Tess positioned herself where Max could see her, and waited until she had his attention before she spoke. "You mean about what your mother told us?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Ed didn't think we should tell you right away. He thought it might scare you. I wanted to tell you. I knew you wouldn't turn away from your people, from your destiny, from me." She leaned into him. "Now that you know we are married, you don't have to feel guilty about wanting to be with me. Your own mother told you we are supposed to be together."

Max stepped back, shaking his head, "No Tess, you don't understand. I don't love you."

"Well," she said with a smile, "we barely know each other but in time..."

Max cut her off, "Time won't make any difference, Tess. I love Liz. I always have, I always will, and I’m going to do everything in my power to get her back."

"But the message," Tess objected, "our mission. You heard what your mother said."

"I won't let anyone tell me who to be with," Max said more harshly than he meant to, and then lowered his voice to a conciliatory tone. "We can still work together as a team, still work to save our people."

Tess had a confused look on her face. "I love you and you are supposed to love me," she said woodenly.

"I'm sorry, Tess. Things don't always work out like you think they should,” Max said. “And how could you love me, you don't even know me?"

"I knew you and loved you then, and you are the same person."

Max shook his head, "Obviously I'm not." He motioned to the healing stones, still lying on the ground, "Let's find a place in here to keep those and the orbs and get back to your house."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Former Eagle Rock Military Base)

Ed, disguised as Pierce, strode into the Special Unit behind the Agent he had retrieved from the Sheriff's closet. He had met the Agents in Hondo, quietly killing one and then shooting the other. Then he had used his powers to darken the dead-man's skin and sent the body on the helicopter to be examined by the lab. After disposing of the other body he had gone to Sheriff Valenti's house and released the other Agent from the closet.

As they approached the check-in scan, Ed saw a man working on the panel. "What's going on?" he asked the Agent.

"Agent Pierce, the scan was damaged during the escape. When we locked down the facility, the gate short-circuited and we had to pry it open. The scanning computer was fried. We have been working on it but we haven't been able to fix it. I'm afraid it will have to be replaced."

Ed smiled, "The shape shifter is dead and he was the last one. There is no reason to have a skeletal scan anymore."

He walked down the hall to Pierce's office and gathered all of the files he could find about Max and the others. He changed Max's lab results and any other damning evidence he could find. Eventually he would destroy all mention of them in the FBI files but first he needed to get rid of the other men in the Special Unit, so no one would be left to ask questions.

He would eliminate the Agents one by one, either killing them or assigning them to other duties. He would have to interview each man to determine if he really knew anything. If they did, he would discretely get rid of them, but he would do that somewhere besides Roswell. Then he would go to Washington DC and destroy the files there and finally the Special Unit itself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Harding House)

Max held his many questions until Michael and Isabel arrived and when they were all seated, he started the interrogation. "Tess, tell us what you know about this war, about our other lives."

Tess smiled with satisfaction. Max was accepting his role as leader and it would only be a matter of time before he accepted her. She took a breath and started, "I don't know a lot of details but Ed has told me that a man usurped Max’s throne and we were all killed in the war.”

“Wait a minute,” Michael interrupted. “Maxwell was the King?”

“Of course,” Tess said. “You heard the message.”

“The message said leader,” Michael pointed out. “There’s a big difference between leader and King. A leader could be temporary, like a president, but King is for life.”

Max focused on Tess. “But we were killed.”

Tess nodded. “We made a back-up plan to harvest our genetic material and were sent to Earth to prepare to take back our planet."

Max, Michael and Isabel waited for Tess to continue, but she remained silent.

Finally Isabel spoke. “That’s it?”

“That’s what?” Tess asked.

Isabel shook her head, "That is basically what the message from our mother said. Don't you know anything else?"

Tess frowned, "Like what?"

Michael spoke up, "Like how did we lose the war? How are we supposed to prepare? And how do we get back when the time comes?"

Tess looked down. "I don't know," she admitted.

Michael snorted, "Didn't Ed tell you anything?"

Tess straightened to her full height. "Ed is just our protector. Max is the King. He will tell us what to do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House

Max waited in the alley beneath Liz's balcony for her to go up to her room. He leaned against the building and rubbed his forehead, it had been a long day. After the meeting at Tess' house, they recovered Maria's Jetta and returned it to her, briefly telling her everything, and suggesting Liz might need her. Then he, Michael and Isabel filled in the Sheriff, on the events of the day, including the contents of the message from their mother. When it had gotten dark, Max had gone with Michael and the Sheriff and disposed of Pierce's body.

From the desert, Max had come straight to the Crashdown, craving Liz's calming influence after the crazy events of the last few days. He had seen Liz through the window in the restaurant but what he needed to say to her would be better without an audience. Finally he saw the light in her bedroom go on and he climbed the ladder, eager to talk to her.

Liz sank down onto her bed, exhausted. After walking away from Max that morning, she didn't know how she had kept it together all day. She had wanted to hide from the world and just cry, but she had been scheduled to work so she had been forced to push aside her grief and pretend nothing was wrong.

Maria and Alex had come to the Crashdown to try and make her feel better, neither of them really understanding why Liz felt she had to give up Max. She had tried to explain it to them, and even though they didn’t agree with her, they did support her decision. They had wanted to stay with her but Liz had told them she was tired and they had left a few minutes ago.

And now she was alone. Alone. Liz nearly choked on the word. She had never felt so alone in her life.

Just that morning she had been so happy. She and Max were finally together. Yes, the FBI was after them and Max had just escaped captivity, but it had seemed they could overcome anything, together. Then they had heard the message from Max and Isabel’s mother, their real mother.

Intellectually Liz had always known there was a reason Max and the others had been sent to Earth, but she had never imagined exactly just what that would entail. But as she had stood listening to the message, everything snapped into place. Max was the King of his planet and with his 'young bride' he was expected to save his people.

Max really was meant to be with Tess and it wasn't just the design of some scientists, it had been Max's choice. Max had married Tess in his other life. Even if it had been an arranged marriage, he had married her.

Liz wiped the moisture from her eyes. She had to put it behind her. It didn't matter how much she loved him, Max had a destiny and she couldn't be the one to keep him from it, no matter how much it hurt her. Eventually Max would see it was for the best too.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the window. She knew who it was before she turned, and quickly tried to pull herself together before she faced him. Taking a deep breath, Liz crossed to the window and opened it. "Max, what are you doing here?"

Beneath the brave face Liz was feigning, Max could see her anguish. "We have to talk," he said softly.

"I think we’ve said everything, Max."

Max shook his head. "We haven't even started with what's important." He glanced at the window frame separating them. "Can I come in?"

Liz looked toward the door. The last thing she needed was her parents asking questions. "No, I'll come out."

Max waited until she had climbed out the window before he started, the words he had rehearsed going right out of his head. "Liz I know you’re upset by what happened today but it doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"Max, it changes everything," Liz said sadly.

Max shook his head, "No, it doesn't."

"Max you heard what your mother said," Liz said, her voice cracking with emotion. "You were meant to be with Tess."

"No one is going to tell me who to be with. I love you. You are the only one I want."

Liz shook her head, "There is a reason you were sent here, Max. You are the King of another planet and your people are expecting you to save them. You have a duty to them and if I let myself get in your way, someday you would come to regret your decision to be with me."

"That would never happen Liz," Max assured her.

"I can't take the chance," Liz said softly, as tears gathered in her eyes. "You can't change destiny Max, and you can't escape it."

"I don't care about any of that," Max said.

He advanced toward her and Liz backed away a couple of steps and held up her hands, wanting him to stop. "No Max. We have to stay away from one another."

"I won't accept that Liz," he said, taking another step closer. "I know you love me and I won't let you deny what is between us."

Liz stepped backward and bumped into the wall and Max continued to advance until there were only inches separating them. He reached out and stroked her soft cheek with his fingertips.

"Max, please stop," she begged breathlessly.

Max pressed his forehead to hers. "No. I will never stop until you admit we belong together." He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently.

Liz tried to resist him but it was too difficult when she wanted the same thing. She felt herself lean into him and return his kiss.

When Liz responded, Max threaded one hand through her hair and encircled her waist with the other. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, knowing he was winning the battle to get her back.

Liz wrapped her arms around Max's neck. She loved him so much but she couldn't let this continue. This had to be the last time they were together.

Max could feel her emotionally withdrawing from him and pulled back.

Liz shook with reaction from Max's kisses. "Max we have to stop this. It can't happen again."

"We belong together Liz and you know it," he whispered.

"Max please don't do this," Liz begged. "You're making it harder than it has to be."

Max shook his head, "I won't stop. You mean too much to me. I won't let you go, it will never be over between us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, May 18th, 2000)
(The Harding House)

Ed stood before the Royal Four in the living room. He had noted with relief Liz Parker wasn’t present when he had entered, and he hoped that Max had changed his mind and was ready to accept his destiny. He had to admit that he could see what Max loved in Liz. She was a remarkable human, and Ed had begrudgingly begun to respect her strength, determination and loyalty. Liz had helped the Royal Four many times, and she had even stood up to him. But it didn’t matter how remarkable she was, Liz was a human and not part of the plan, and the sooner Max learned that, the better.

"I will be leaving tomorrow to go to Washington with the Special Unit." He reached out and handed Max a bag and a slip of paper, "These are your possessions I recovered from the Special Unit and my cell phone number. Use it if there's an emergency, but I don't anticipate you will have any trouble until I get back."

"What about Tess?" Max asked.

"She will continue to live here as Tess Harding. She is seventeen and old enough to stay alone while her father is out-of-town on business. I have arranged for all of the bills to be paid and she knows how to access all of the accounts in case anything happens to me."

"How long will you be gone?" Michael asked.

Ed looked at his watch impatiently, "I don't know. As long as it takes to destroy all evidence of your existence from the Special Unit files."

"But what about the enemies Max's mother told us about," Michael pushed. "They could be coming into town even as we speak."

"Even if they were able to trace the signal, they can't tell you from any other humans,” Ed said. “Just don't do anything to draw attention to yourselves and you will be safe. But you'll need to start developing your powers. Now that you are reaching maturity, you will grow stronger, more powerful, and from what I have seen, all of you need to work on control. Tess can help you with that."

Max nodded, "We'll set up a regular training schedule."

Ed nodded his approval.

In his search of the archived records at the Special Unit, Ed had specifically searched for the fate of the other two shape shifters, Kaldar and Letras. He had found no reference to Kaldar but discovered that Letras, who had been recaptured with him in the desert, had been held by the Special Unit for almost three years. There were detailed records of his captivity, including transcripts of interrogations, details of torture, and finally reports of his execution, autopsy and cremation.

Ed had been disappointed, because he had hoped to find one of the others alive, to help with the protection of the Royal Four. He anticipated being in Washington D.C. for at least a couple of months and he hated leaving the children alone for long. He had even considered contacting Cuerena early, to have her come to Roswell, but he had dismissed the idea almost immediately. He didn’t want to alter the plan needlessly. The children were safe, they had ready-made covers, and now Tess was there to give them the wisdom of her experience.

Ed had also wondered if he should tell them about the Granolith but had quickly pushed the idea aside. He had never mentioned it to Tess because he didn't want her to be able to pass along the information and for the same reason, he didn't tell the others now. If something were to happen to him, they would still learn about it from Cuerena when she arrived.

Yes, he thought to himself as he looked at them, he was right to keep as much from them as he could. The last thing he needed was them asking a lot of questions. Today’s fiasco had proven they would be easier to control if they didn't know anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, May 19th, 2000)
(The Parker House)

Song Playing: Since Yesterday by Strawberry Switchblade

Liz tossed her book bag carelessly onto the floor and sank down into the sofa with a loud sigh. Max had pursued her relentlessly the last few days; following her, calling her, sending her notes and flowers. She had begged him to stop but he had refused, and even though his arguments were persuasive, she knew she shouldn't give in to him for both their sakes. The only problem was, it wasn't becoming easier to deny him as she had anticipated, it was becoming more difficult.

Max continually argued that they loved one another too much to be apart, but it was precisely because she loved Max so completely that she had to let him go. Yes she wanted to be with him more than just about anything; the only thing that was even more important to her was Max's happiness.

She had discovered that real love was not a selfish emotion. Max's life and happiness meant more to her than her own and she couldn't let him throw away his family, his people, and his throne for her. Max had to be free to find his true path and purpose in life.

And even though Liz knew she was doing the right thing, it still wasn't easy. She loved Max so much it was torture denying herself, but to deny the man she loved was tearing her apart. She didn't think she would be able to hold out against him much longer and she had to do something or she would end up with him again.

Her eyes fell on the letters on the table before her and she reached for the stack, absent-mindedly flipping through them. She needed to get away from Max, put some distance between them for a while until she could gather her strength. And then the handwritten address on one envelope caught her attention.

Lucy Hodges
3493 Bridge St.
St. Augustine, FL

Aunt Lucy, Liz thought. Lucy was always inviting Liz to spend time with her. Liz nodded, quickly making up her mind to go. It might just be the perfect solution.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:31 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 7

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday - May 28th, 2000)

Song Playing: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

As Max walked, he shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked a rock that was in his path, deep in thought. He felt he had no one to talk to and there was so much going on; his new role as the leader, the possibility of being attacked by their enemies, trying to keep the others safe. And his experience in the white room still haunted him, the memories of pain, the fear.

In typical guy fashion Michael just brushed it aside, thinking Max would get over it sooner if they didn’t talk about it and instead Michael tried to force Max to concentrate on their alien mission. Max knew Isabel wanted to help him get through it, to be supportive and symphathetic, but she had seen some of what he had been subjected to and she didn’t know what to do either. And Tess just acted like the whole thing hadn’t happened.

Growing up, Max had thought that was his ultimate nightmare, to be exposed and tortured by the government. And the physical pain had been bad, but Max had been surprised and horrified to discover that there were other hurts that went much deeper. Pierce had used psychological torture too, threatening his friends, his family, Liz. And in the white room, under Pierce’s care, Max had really discovered his absolute worst fear. Losing Liz.

He smiled grimly. He should have known it all along. It was why he had risked himself and Michael and Isabel, to heal Liz when she was shot, because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Max had healed Liz, and he had saved her from Pierce, but he had lost her anyway. The pain he had experienced in the white room was nothing compared to the pain he had felt when Liz left him. And each day that Liz was gone, the pain grew worse, and his depression deepened.

Liz had also experienced what happened to him in the white room. She had seen it in the flashes she received when they had kissed in the van. And though Max hadn’t wanted her to see, somehow part of his burden and fear had lifted knowing that she was sharing it with him. He knew Liz understood, and more than anything he wanted to talk to her, to be healed by her beautiful soul and loving embrace. But Liz had felt she had to leave him.

Liz had been gone for only a week but Max thought he would go crazy if he didn't do something. She had refused to tell him where she was going or when she would be back, and he didn't even have a way to contact her.

Of course, he thought, that was just what Liz wanted. She thought it would be easier to put their relationship behind them if they weren't in the same town. And if she had stayed, Max admitted he would have continued to pursue her until she had come back to him.

He had left his house that evening to take a walk and relieve some of his nervous energy, and once again he found himself outside the Crashdown. For so many years he had come here just to catch a glimpse of Liz and he still associated it with her, but a quick glance inside was enough for him to see it wasn't the same without her.

Max slumped down into one of the chairs on the sidewalk and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Nothing had been the same since Liz had walked away from him that day at the pod chamber. He felt unsure of himself in his newly discovered roll as the leader and there had already been things he wanted to discuss with Liz to hear her opinion. She knew him like no one else and he could tell her things that even Michael and Isabel wouldn't understand.

Liz was his best friend, his confident, his heart and soul, and without her he just felt torn, incomplete. And she had to know that, because she felt the same way about him. She also had to know that no one else could ever take her place in his life, especially Tess. It just wasn't possible.

Max saw Maria through the window of the Crashdown. He knew Liz had made her best friend promise that she wouldn't tell him where she was, and he didn't expect Maria to break her promise. But being with Maria was the only thing that brought him any comfort, it was the next best thing to being with Liz.

Maria saw Max sitting at a table outside and smiled sadly. She knew the separation was hurting both Max and Liz and she wished she could do something for them. She pushed open the door and slid into the chair next to him, "Hey."

Max smiled, "Hey."

Maria sighed. "So, I won't betray my best friend, but I think you and Liz belong together and maybe I can help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, June 6th, 2000)
(Congresswoman Whitaker's Apartment)
(Washington, DC)

Vanessa had not been able to contact Daniel for over three weeks and she was starting to worry. Sometimes when he got involved in his work he forgot to call, but he had never been out of touch this long. She picked up her phone and dialed his cell phone.

He answered almost immediately, "Pierce."

She was instantly relieved, realizing that she had feared for his life. "Daniel, I have been trying to reach you for weeks. Why didn't you call? Where are you?"

"I am back in Washington," Ed said vaguely. He didn't know who the woman was, but with some careful maneuvering, he might find out. "Sorry, I meant to call, but things in the case were coming to a head."

"Really?” Vanessa asked. “What happened? I thought that maybe you had uncovered an alien conspiracy and they had killed you to stop you from talking."

"No," he chuckled, covering his surprise, "nothing as interesting as that." Obviously Pierce had revealed the details of his investigation to this woman and he would have to convince her it was a hoax or eliminate her too. "The whole thing was just a big wild-goose chase."

Vanessa was stunned. After last talking to Daniel, she had been convinced he had really found the Royal Four. "What do you mean? You were so sure when I last talked to you that Max Evans was an alien. You were going to capture him and run tests to prove it."

Ed winced, hearing Max's name on her lips, but continued as Pierce. "We did, and the tests proved conclusively that he is one-hundred percent human."

"But the information Agent Topolsky had," she stuttered incredulously. "The lights in the sky, the girl who was healed."

"All just rumors, coincidences and hoaxes," he said dismissively, with a laugh.

"So you’re abandoning the investigation?"

"There’s nothing to investigate."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, June 23rd, 2000)
(St. Augustine, FL)

Song Playing: Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young

Liz sank down onto the hot sand and crossed her arms over her drawn-up knees. She had been in Florida for over a month but the pain of leaving Max had not lessened. In a way, it was easier to be away from him because she knew if she would have stayed in Roswell, Max would have doggedly pursued her. So she had run away to the farthest place she could find.

She smiled sadly. She was a coward. Instead of staying and facing Max like she should have, she had chosen to let time and distance lessen the pain of their parting. But the joke was on her, because her plan wasn't working. If anything, Max's determination to keep them together made her love him even more.

Liz had left him because she didn't want to stand in the way of his destiny. Max was a King. He came complete with a mission to save his people, and a wife, and that didn't leave a place in his life for her.

She wiped the sudden tears from her eyes as she remembered Max's words from the cave.

Everything I told you before is still true. You mean everything to me.

Max meant everything to her too but instead of being able to revel in his love and return it, she had been forced to turn her back on him for his sake. She knew Max would have been happy having a normal life with her, but Liz couldn't let him settle for that, she loved him too much.

As Liz had listened to his mother's message that day in the cave, Max's own words from another day had also come back to haunt her, and every time she had felt like picking up the phone to call him, she had repeated them until she was strong again.

The other night, you know, when we went out and the whole day before, ever since we kissed, I've been off balance. You made me forget that anything else existed, but that's not real. We don't belong together.

Liz had believed that Max was wrong until that day in the cave, and then she knew she was the one that had been wrong. They didn't belong together, they were different. And no matter what sweet words Max had spoken to her, no matter how many times he had begged her to stay, no matter much they loved one another, there were other things at stake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: Hunting High and Low by a-ha

Max threw rock after rock into the murky water of the quarry, trying to release some of the frustration building up inside him.

Michael was becoming more belligerent, pushing him to take some kind of action, but Max didn’t know any more than they did, and he had no idea about what he should be doing. As far as he was concerned, Michael and Tess were simply grasping at any straw to help ease their confusion.

Michael, Tess and even Isabel seemed to be on some holy alien crusade, practicing their powers and cutting off all contact with humans. It scared Max that they all seemed to be rushing toward some preordained destiny and none of them had any control. He could feel his humanity slipping from him and was desperately trying to hold on to it.

The alien nightmare he was living had driven Liz away from him and he wanted nothing to do with it. He skipped meetings and training sessions that the others planned, and instead concentrated on how to win Liz back.

But along with his humanity, Max could feel Liz slipping from him. She had left town and still refused to talk to him. She had cut him off completely and even though Maria was on his side, Max was starting to wonder if Liz would ever change her mind.

He picked up another rock and hurled it as hard as he could into the water, the aching pain in his arm fueling his frustration and anger. Max grabbed more rocks and threw them one at a time until his arm felt like it would fall off, but it just made him angrier.

Using his powers, Max sent rocks scattering off the cliff and into the water below. Then he held out his hand and used his powers to lift a bigger rock and hurled it across the chasm, smashing it into the cliff the other side.

At that moment, he wished he had more destructive powers like Michael. He felt like blowing something up. He held out his hand again and concentrated on a large rock before him and willed it to shatter, but nothing happened. Concentrating harder, he built his power within and finally hurled it outward. He felt the power spilling down his arm and through his hand, but when it left his fingers, instead of the destruction he expected, a bright green wall appeared before him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(June 30th, 2000)
(In the desert outside Roswell)

Grant set his equipment aside and started digging. He had just moved to a new site and was eager to get some preliminary readings of the soil.

He had dug down a little more than a foot when he struck something solid. Thinking it was a rock, he poked at it with his shovel to determine the size, but the dirt collapsed into a hole. There were old mineshafts and wells all over this area, and at first Grant wasn't surprised. But when the strange blue glow started to illuminate the dark opening, he bent down for a closer look.

Sticking his head inside the gap, he could see it was a small chamber, sporadically populated with clusters of blue crystals. Carefully he lowered himself down inside and noted that the crystals themselves were giving off the glow.

He reached out to touch one of the crystals with a smile growing on his face. He didn't know of another cavern even remotely like this one and a discovery of that magnitude could make his career.

He let out a whoop of joy and spun around, but stopped as he noticed that the hole he had just climbed through had closed. Thinking he must have been mistaken about where the opening was, he looked around, but quickly discovered he was sealed inside.

He let out a shaky breath wondering how he was going to get out, but a drop of moisture on his shoulder made him look up. At first he couldn't see anything, but then there was another drop and then another, and suddenly it seemed as if the crystals around him were melting. But they didn't move like any liquid he had ever seen. The substance appeared more like a viscous goo than a liquid, and it was moving against gravity, steadily toward him.

Propelled into action, Grant aimed his shovel at the place where he had entered, and hit it as hard as he could. A handful of crystals broke off, and encouraged by his progress, he did it again.

A slimy substance dropped onto his head causing him to drop the shovel to wipe it away, and it was quickly followed by another and another. Grant brushed the goo onto the cavern floor and reached for his shovel but the handle was covered in the blue goo. He grabbed the exposed end, intending to shake off the blue substance, but the goo held the shovel fast. More of the goo dripped onto his head and shoulders, and Grant released his grip on the shovel to wipe at it furiously, becoming more and more frightened.

Suddenly he heard a soft humming sound and turned to see what it was, but he slipped in a puddle of goo and fell heavily to the ground. He attempted to sit up but his hands and feet were encased in the goo and held securely. The slimy substance slowly oozed up his arms and legs, and he opened his mouth to scream just as a group of crystals across from him parted, and a creature that could only be described as a jellyfish, emerged from within.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, July 20th, 2000)
(In the desert outside Roswell)

Courtney skirted the edge of the quarry and kicked some pebbles into the water. Every day she searched a bit more of the desert outside Roswell, where the computer had located the signal, but so far she had found nothing. She had been so excited that she would finally locate Rath and she had not considered she might have to spend more time futilely searching.

When Nicholas had contacted her concerning the point of origin of the signal, she had easily convinced him it had been too short of duration to trace but he had cautioned her to remain vigilant for the next occurrence. She had left her post at SETI in California the same day and traveled to Roswell, confident that Nicholas could not trace the signal from her amplifier because of the alterations she had made, routing all of the signals through the SETI computer systems. She would be able to keep in contact with Nicholas and he would never suspect she was not where she was supposed to be. She could locate Rath and convince him to return to Antar to lead their people before Nicholas and Khivar knew what had happened.

As she looked at the sun, which was starting to sink toward the horizon, she turned to start the long trek back to her camp. She had just topped a hill when the rumble of an engine shattered the silence and she quickly dropped to the ground to observe the newcomers.

A small, white SUV pulled into view, stopping near the edge of the quarry and two passengers emerged. One was a small female with curly, blonde hair and the other was a taller, dark-haired male. Courtney watched in fascination as they set up a line of rocks and the female spoke intently to the male. Then the blonde raised her hand toward the rocks and one by one, turned them each to dust.

Courtney nearly jumped for joy as she watched them set up another group of rocks. Finally she had found the Royal Four.

She eagerly memorized both of their faces and the vehicle, as the male attempted to duplicate the female's destruction, but his power was wildly out of control. He missed more than he hit, and Courtney almost laughed aloud as he accidentally caused some near-by brush to explode into fire.

She watched them until sunset, when they climbed into the vehicle and drove away. When they were completely out of sight, Courtney stood and stretched, hardly noticing her cramped muscles. After fifty years of searching, finally she had found them. She wanted to celebrate but contacting the others in the resistance would be too dangerous until they were ready to go back to Antar.

Courtney took a deep breath. There was still a lot to do. She would have to make her way into town, find them, determine which one was Rath, and then convince him to follow his destiny to lead their people in a victory over Khivar and the Tageonant royalty.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, July 26th, 2000)
(Congresswoman Whitaker's Apartment)
(Washington, DC)

Over the past few weeks, Daniel had been acting less and less like himself and Vanessa was worried. She had begun to suspect his mind had been altered when he had been in Roswell. And the only beings she knew of who were capable of that, would be the Royal Four. She really didn’t know what their individual gifts were, but she knew they were all very powerful.

It meant Max Evans was really an alien as Daniel had originally suspected. Vanessa glanced toward the phone thinking of Daniel. She had come to rely on his information concerning the FBI's investigations of alien activity, but since his return to Washington, he seemed convinced there were no aliens in Roswell or anywhere else. He had spoken of wasted time and effort, and the paranoia of his superiors, even suggesting the Special Unit be closed down. Vanessa had spent a lot of time trying to reason with him, to convince him everything that had transpired could not just be hoaxes, but he had stubbornly refused to reconsider.

But now that she suspected Max Evans to be one of the Royal Four, she couldn't let Daniel's continued disbelief hinder her mission. She had to start an investigation of her own.

She gathered the notes of her conversations with Daniel and quickly flipped through them. She used a separate sheet of paper for each teen's name and started to list any facts that had been gathered about them.

Max Evans, she mused, sister Isabel Evans and friend Michael Guerin, all three of whom had been found in the desert in 1989, the timeframe when the pods would have hatched. Curious that she had never noticed the connection before, she thought to herself. There were no records on any of them before that year and the humans had simply assumed they had been abandoned in the desert and placed them in the adoption program. Vanessa smiled. They were certainly three of the Royal Four.

Vanessa shook her head in disbelief. This information had been in front of her for months and she had just not connected the pieces. She thought briefly about contacting Nicholas with what she had learned, but quickly discarded the idea. She would find Vilondra and the Granolith herself, and then they could return to Antar and she would be hailed as a hero.

Vanessa eagerly took out the dossiers she had copied from Daniel's files and concentrated on the other female members of the group; Maria DeLuca, Liz Parker and the newcomer Tess Harding. Surely one of them had to be the fourth.

She scanned the information briefly on the three girls and came to a quick conclusion. Maria and Liz both appeared to be human. They had both lived in the same community all of their lives, they had birth certificates, early school records, baby pictures. She didn't think they could be aliens, unless their protectors had done a masterful job of concealing them.

So it left Tess to be the fourth. Her records were complete as far as Vanessa could tell, but Tess had been raised by a single parent who had moved around constantly with his job. Vanessa nodded, almost certain Tess had to be the fourth, but there was so little information and she had to be sure. She needed to go to Roswell to gather as many facts as possible, but she would be too easily recognized. She would have to send a representative.

She contacted her most trusted Lieutenant, Sacor, now her personal secretary, Scott Hancock. "I have a job for you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, August 3rd, 2000)
(Crashdown Café)

Finding the boy and girl that she had seen in the desert was easier than Courtney had expected. She had just gone to a few of the local teen hangouts in Roswell, and on the third day, she had wandered into the Crashdown Café, and there they both were. A few days later she had gotten a job at the Crashdown so she could more easily keep an eye on their activities.

She had watched the comings and goings of the group of friends carefully to determine who was who. After a few days it was clear that Max was definitely the leader, leaving the hotheaded Michael to be Rath. It really hadn't surprised her after witnessing his performance in the desert. When they had been children together, Rath had always possessed a quick temper, usually acting first and questioning later. He could disguise himself with a new face, on a new planet, but nothing inside had really changed.

Courtney had tried in her brief time at the Crashdown to befriend Michael, but he was sullen and standoffish and made it perfectly clear he didn’t want her friendship. But she wouldn't give up that easily. She would take things with him slowly and give him the time to get to know and trust her, and when he was ready, she would reveal everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, August 5th, 2000)

Sacor had been in Roswell for a week but he had made little progress. He had thoroughly researched the Parkers, the Evans and Amy DeLuca, and he had determined that they were all apparently human just as Vanessa expected. But he had been unable to locate Ed Harding. It seemed that Mr. Harding had suddenly quit his job as a consultant to the army and taken a new position. He had been out of town for a couple of months, leaving his teenage daughter in town alone.

Vanessa suspected that Tess Harding was one of the Royal Four but Sacor had been unable to prove anything. He had carefully followed Max, Isabel and Michael hoping they would lead him to the fourth alien, but he had discovered nothing definitive. The three of them often met with Tess, Maria and Alex but nothing of significance had been discussed within his hearing.

He had overheard Max asking Maria about Liz Parker. Apparently Liz had left town suddenly at the beginning of the summer and had refused to tell Max where she was going. Sacor had immediately discussed this break in the ranks with Vanessa and she had told him to discover all he could about Liz Parker. If she wasn't one of the aliens, perhaps the rift in the friendships would persuade her to help them.

Sacor had availed himself of Liz's school records and sent all of the information on to Vanessa. He had also discovered that Jeff Parker was prodigiously proud of his only child and would, with practically no prompting, discuss her at length. Sacor had learned that Liz was spending the summer in Florida with an aunt and wasn't expected to return until just before the start of school. He had not been able to determine her reason for leaving town so quickly but it definitely had something to do with Max Evans.

Sacor had noticed another interesting thing in the time he had been in Roswell. He had seen a member of their group working in the Crashdown Cafe who was not assigned there. Her presence in Roswell was not only unexpected but also problematic. Because even though he didn't think Courtney would recognize him, he had been forced to limit his presence at the Crashdown to the times when she was not working.

He did not know the whereabouts of every one in their group but he had taken notice of Courtney's assignment at SETI with interest because he had wanted it himself. He eagerly passed the information about Courtney's whereabouts to Vanessa hoping to get her sanctioned or even executed for her disobedience.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, August 6th, 2000)
(Congresswoman Whitaker's Apartment)
(Washington, DC)

Vanessa had read Sacor's last report with a great deal of interest. Not only had he reported that Courtney was in Roswell against orders, but he had discovered there was a rift between two of the major players in the conspiracy; Max and Liz.

And for some reason Liz had not only left the state, but traveled to the other side of the country to escape him. The only reason that Vanessa could determine for Liz’s actions was love. Obviously something or someone had come between Max and Liz and Vanessa was convinced that if she could discover what or who it was it would lead her to the fourth alien.

But in order to do that, she needed to get closer to Liz. Vanessa flipped through the information Sacor had copied from Liz’s school records. Liz was an honor student, and before last year she had been active in several extra-circular groups, including the student senate. But in the last year, she had dropped her activity in all of the outside organizations. That timeframe, Vanessa noticed, fit with the date of the shooting in the Crashdown, that had led the kids to FBI attention. And if Liz left the state to get away from Max, maybe she wanted to distance herself from them altogether.

Vanessa needed a way to get Liz to interact with her, to trust her, and finally after hours of consideration, she conceived a plan. She would open a branch office in Roswell and hire Liz, the former student senator, to work with her. Surely Liz would jump at the chance to leave the Crashdown, where the Antarian royals regularly held court, and redirect her life to its former path.

Vanessa picked up the phone to set the whole thing up through her office. She needed this opportunity to be genuine. Liz was not a fool.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, September 10th, 2000)

Song Playing: Only You by Yaz

Jeff dropped Liz's bags on her bedroom floor. "It's sure good to have you home sweetie," he said, as he pulled Liz into a hug.

Liz hugged him back, "It's good to be home dad."

She waited until he left the room before she grabbed her phone and dialed Maria. "I'm home," she announced to her friend.

Maria's squeal of delight coming through the receiver made Liz hold it away from her ear. "Maria calm down."

"I'll be over in five minutes."

"Maria, if you see, um anyone, don't tell them I'm back yet. Okay?"

Maria rolled her eyes, "Liz, you will have to face Max eventually."

Liz sighed, "I know, but just give me a couple of days to settle in before I see him."

Liz put down the phone, opened her window and climbed out onto the rooftop. It seemed like a lifetime since she had been home, but it also was much too soon. She had hoped the months away from Max would dull the pain of leaving him, but being away from him had only proven to her that she would never get over him. She knew now, it would be a constant battle against herself.

With a sigh, she planted her elbows on the wall and looked down into the street, but ducked quickly when Max came into view. Shaking her head, Liz laughed at herself. Of course she hadn’t really seen Max, she had simply been thinking about him so much that she was seeing things.

Carefully she peeked over the edge of the wall, convinced Max wouldn’t be there, but he was standing on the sidewalk, looking into the Crashdown.

Liz drank in the sight of him, feeling like she was alive for the first time in months. With her eyes, she traced the outline of the face that was so dear to her. Max looked older, tired, and she knew she bore the same signs of the difficult separation.

For a moment, it was as if Liz was perfectly in tune with Max. She could feel his emotions, almost hear his thoughts. Sorrow and regret were uppermost but they didn’t overpower his overwhelming love for her. Liz longed to return his feelings, to revel in their love but she couldn’t allow that to happen.

Suddenly Liz had the feeling that Max could sense her too. As his gaze turned toward her balcony, Liz ducked behind the wall again. It had been a close call and she was sure he hadn’t seen her, but her heart was pounding.

Liz wiped angrily at the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. Her heart wasn’t pounding because she was scared, it was pounding from the excitement of seeing Max.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Skin & Bones)
(Monday, September 11th, 2000)
(Roswell, NM)

Vanessa had just arrived in Roswell and she already had a sense of satisfaction. She was interviewing Liz Parker the next day for a position as her assistant, and she had confirmed Courtney's presence in town with the poloroids Sacor had delivered.

Vanessa had suspected Courtney's membership in the rebel conspiracy for years, but with no proof to back up her suspicion, she had not wanted to subject an innocent to Nicholas' tender care. Now she could see that her soft heart had caused her to overlook a spy. But since Courtney had shown herself to be guilty, Vanessa decided to turn the situation to her advantage and deliver Courtney to Nicholas when she handed over Vilondra and the Granolith. It would put three big feathers in her cap, as the humans said, and it would assure her not only a promotion but also a place at Khivar's side.

Everything was falling into place for her. Now all she had to do was to determine which of the hybrids was Vilondra. Tomorrow Sacor would search Tess Harding's house for clues but Vanessa really did not expect him to discover anything. She was convinced Liz Parker was the key.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Skin & Bones)
(Monday, September 12th, 2000)

Max stood dejectedly on the sidewalk as Liz went inside with the Congresswoman. Their first meeting had not gone quite like he had pictured it. He had hoped that Liz would have changed her mind about being with him, but obviously she hadn’t. She was doing everything in her power to move on without him, including changing jobs.

But he wouldn't let her. He wouldn't just sit back and allow her to push aside everything they had between them. He would use everything at his disposal to win her back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Skin & Bones)
(Monday, September 13th, 2000)

Ed pulled Max into the alley. "Did you find anything?" he asked, refering to Max’s search of Congresswoman Whitakers’ concerning Pierce’s bones.

Max nodded, "The bones are going to be delivered tomorrow morning to the University in Las Cruces."

"I'll be there," Ed said.

Max smiled, "So, did you have a good time distracting the Congresswoman?"

"No comment," Ed said, and countered with a question of his own. "How have you and Tess been getting along?"

"Well, I haven't performed any mating rituals if that's what you're asking," Max said wryly.

Ed had noticed how Max had looked at Liz when they had been at the Crashdown earlier. He was still in love with her, and refusing his destiny with Tess. "You heard your destiny,” Ed reminded him. “You heard it with your own ears."

"I just want to get Michael out of jail and go back to my life," Max said with a sigh. He was so sick of all of the destiny crap. "I'm not a King and we are not at war."

"You're the boss," Ed said. “I would just be careful not to confuse what you want to be true with what really is true."

Ed turned and walked away. He could understand Max's attraction to Liz. She was not only beautiful but loyal, intelligent and brave. Even after everything he had put her through, she'd still had the courage to openly defy him at the Crashdown. Yes, it was easy to see what Max saw in Liz, but Ed couldn't let Max's feelings for the human jeopardize their entire mission.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Boston, MA)

Brody Davis' attention was diverted from his computer by the three men who rushed into his office.

"Brody, we found something," the first man said as he slammed a long, curling piece of paper onto the table. He smoothed his hand over the wrinkled surface and pointed out a red spike on the graph. "We've gotten data from all of the sources and compared directional tracking. And we’ve discovered the signal's origin."

The second man piped in, "And you are never going to believe where it came from."

Brody looked at the men before him. "Well don't keep me in suspense."

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself," said the first man, shaking his head.

The third man was unable to contain his excitement, "Brody it's the place where it all began. Roswell! The signal is from Roswell."

"You're sure?" Brody asked, "Roswell?"

The three men nodded and Brody picked up the graph with a smile, "Roswell." He depressed the button on his phone, "Celia, get me on the next connecting flight to Roswell, New Mexico."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Skin & Bones)
(Thursday, September 14th, 2000)
(Roswell UFO Museum)

Milton held out his hand to his visitor, "I'm Milton Ross, owner of the museum."

The visitor shook Milton's hand, "Brody Davis." He glanced at the building, "Nice place you've got here."

"Well thank you," Milton said proudly, "I have put together this whole collection myself. It's the work of a lifetime."

Brody nodded, "And would you ever consider selling?"

"Selling?" Milton asked with a laugh.

Brody smiled, "I have taken quite a fancy to the building and most particularly the location."

"Mr. Davis, everything in this museum, it's my life's pursuit,” Milton said. “It’s my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. There is no amount of money you could offer me that would make me change my mind."

"I will give you one million dollars in cash for the building and everything it contains."

Milton looked at Brody with narrowed, suspicious eyes, "A million dollars?"

Brody nodded.

Milton smiled, "I have always wanted to go to South America and test my theories on extraterrestrial contact with the ancient civilizations."

Brody smiled, "I will have the papers for the transfer of ownership tomorrow morning."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ed finally reached the Evans house. It had been more than twenty-four hours since he had been attacked by the Congresswoman. He had thought she looked familiar when he had met her as Pierce but it had never occurred to him that she might be a skin.

He had probably seen her on one of his visits to Copper Summit but he hadn't recognized her until it had been too late. She had taken him by surprise and sent an unexpectedly powerful burst of energy into his chest. Then she had searched him and found the amplifier he had taken from the skins and left him for dead.

Painfully he pulled himself up to Max's bedroom window. There was so much he needed to tell his young master, so much he had withheld, but there was so little time. He could literally feel himself dying. Whitaker had inflicted a mortal wound, they would not be able to heal him this time.

He knocked on the window, desperately hoping Max was there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Ask Not)
(Thursday, September 14th, 2000)

Song Playing: Open Your Eyes by Alter Bridge

Max burst through the doors of the Crashdown and slumped to the floor in exhaustion. "Nasedo's dead."

"What?" Michael asked, as Liz and Alex rushed forward to help Max into a chair.

"He came to me, injured. Said…" Max paused to try and catch his breath, "said it was another alien, and that we're all in danger. He died, in my arms."

"Where is he?" Michael demanded.

"In my room," Max said softly.

Liz touched his face and everything else faded into the background. Max could literally feel her concern for him, pouring off of her. In the past, he had received impressions of what he thought she was feeling, but this time he was sure he was receiving her emotions. It was so powerful, so overwhelming and he knew without a doubt that no matter what she had said, she hadn't stopped caring for him. Her love for him was as strong as ever.

The horrific reality of Nasedo’s death fell away as he sank into Liz’s soft, welcoming eyes. The connection of minds and souls was everything he had ever dreamed a relationship with Liz would be, and he never wanted it to end.

He was so involved in the feelings passing between himself and Liz that he barely noticed Tess healing a scrape on his cheek. But when Michael and Isabel pulled him away from Liz, the tenuous bond dissipated. Max looked back at Liz, willing the connection back again but the moment of perfect oneness had passed, and as he was dragged out the door, he wondered if Liz had felt it too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Ask Not)
(Friday - September 15th, 2000)
(The Harding House)

Max looked at his hand where the skin had just disintegrated and then he looked at Tess. No matter what his personal feelings were about her, he was in charge and he was responsible for her. He couldn't just leave her in this house alone.

He immediately thought of Michael. He would be the perfect solution but Max knew it wouldn't be that easy. Michael didn't like or trust Tess and he wouldn't want her moving in with him.

Max cast his mind around for another solution and suddenly the words that Sheriff Valenti had spoken to him, when he had saved Kyle, came to his mind.

I don't care who you are, or what you are. I'll be here for you.

Max looked at Tess again. He would take her to the Valenti's for the time being, until he could work out a better solution.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Valenti House)

"Of course Tess can stay here," the Sheriff said, "but sooner or later people will start to ask questions."

Max nodded, "I thought of that so I made a copy of Ed's will and created a handwritten note requesting that you be Tess' guardian until she turns eighteen. I put them into an old envelope and changed the post mark to a couple of days ago." He handed the letter to the Sheriff. "You can say you got it in the mail today."

Sheriff Valenti opened the letter and read the note.

To Whom It May Concern,

My job requires that I leave town for a top-secret mission at an undisclosed location for an unspecified length of time. My daughter Tess is not able to come with me for obvious reasons and Sheriff Jim Valenti Jr. of Roswell has agreed to look after her while I am away.

We have no other relatives and in the short time we have lived in Roswell, our two families have become good friends. Tess has just started to settle-in and I really don't want to uproot her again to move her to a military base to live alone. During her life, it has been necessary for us to move several times and it is her wish as well as mine that she stay in Roswell in the care of the Valenti's to finish high school.

Tess and Sheriff Valenti both have access to the bank accounts and the safety deposit box containing the legal documents. Should any problems arise I have issued a power of attorney to Sheriff Valenti authorizing him to make any decisions necessary.

Respectfully Yours,
Edward Harding

The Sheriff nodded, "This should work unless someone starts getting too curious."

Max nodded, "We'll worry about that if it happens."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Ask Not)
(Monday, September 18th, 2000)
(Congresswoman Whitaker's Office)
(Roswell, NM)

"Tess," Vanessa repeated, as Liz left her office. She smiled. Finally she had discovered the identity of Vilondra.

A few days ago she had realized that Courtney was focusing her efforts on Michael Guerin, meaning he was the former King Zan. Leaving Max to be the former General Rath, whose former betrothed and the current bane of Liz Parker's love life was Princess Vilondra, now known as Tess.

Soon all of her hard work would pay off, she thought, as she peeled of a large piece of skin from her rapidly dying husk. She would make contact with Vilondra and together they would deliver the Granolith to Nicholas.

Vanessa glanced at the phone. She had not told anyone of her plans and in order to keep the credit to herself she had disposed of Sacor, just as she had disposed of the Royal Four’s shape shifter protector.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brody looked around his new office in the UFO museum. The equipment had been set up more quickly than he had thought possible. It still amazed him what money could do. With all of his new equipment he hoped he would be able to re-establish contact with the beings that were obviously visiting Roswell.

He reached for the chevron-shaped device he had purchased. The dealer who had sold it to him had guaranteed it was alien technology.

He'd had the device tested extensively but none of the tests had been conclusive. Brody had created a computer program to calculate every combination of the symbols and spent a lot of his free time trying them, but nothing had ever happened. He had started to think the device was a hoax until it had started beeping on that day in May.

Absent-mindedly he twisted the dial with the symbols, as he left the room. Suddenly the device emitted several beeping sounds and then a burst of light. Brody was so surprised, he nearly dropped the device, but a sound across the room drew his attention.

"Who's there?" he called out. "Stay where you are! Hey! Don't move!"

He could hear someone scrambling across the floor and then footsteps running out of the room, before he could reach them. He called out again, "Hey! Hey!"

He looked at the device in his hand, with wide eyes. He was right to have come to Roswell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Surprise)
(Sunday, October 15th, 2000)
(Chavez County Electric Power Facility - Plant #2)

Tess awoke to a throbbing pain in her head and quickly shut her eyes hoping to block it out. Then she suddenly remembered what had happened and looked around for her attacker. She was alone now, but the earlier events came rushing back. Whitaker had forced her off the road with her powers and done something that had knocked her out.

The next time she had awoken, it had been to Whitaker slapping her, demanding answers to her questions. Tess had been completely ignorant about Whitaker's main concern, a device called the Granolith, causing Whitaker to throw her into a wall.

It was then that Tess realized Whitaker had killed Nasedo. When she had blurted it out, Whitaker had only laughed, "I'm impressed, Vilondra, I always heard you weren't too bright."

Tess had raised her chin and haughtily informed the older woman she was not Vilondra.

Whitaker had studied her for a moment and then nodded, "Yes, I can see my mistake." Then Whitaker raised her hand and Tess didn't remember anything else.

Tess cradled her ribs and attempted to stand but the pain quickly forced her back down. She took a few deep breaths and used the wall to support herself as she tried to rise again, but cried out as the pain became unbearable. Desperately she looked around the room. She had to escape while Whitaker was gone. She was afraid of what Whitaker would do to her when she returned, or maybe, Tess thought, Whitaker had simply left her there to die.

Sitting back, Tess closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. She would contact Max, he would come to save her. Tess concentrated on forming a connection with Max, sending him images of herself in trouble but after several attempts she gave up with a heavy sigh. Max wasn’t hearing her. For a moment she was surprised that he didn’t respond, but a voice inside her spoke the awful truth. Tess hadn't wanted to admit it, even to herself, but faced so brutally with the facts she couldn't deny it. Max had never heard her, never even given her a second thought.

Tess felt tears starting to gather in her eyes and wiped them away angrily. She wouldn't allow herself to give in to weak human emotions. There was a perfectly good reason Max hadn't heard her. Nasedo had told her more than once that the females on Antar tended to have greater mental abilities, while the males' powers tended to manifest in a more physical manner. And, Tess consoled herself, when Max remembered her, they would form a particularly close connection.

And feeling better, Tess changed her attention and concentrated instead on contacting Isabel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Surprise)
(Congresswoman Whitaker's Office)
(Roswell, NM)

Vanessa smiled at herself in the bathroom mirror, the look of shock on Liz's face, when she had invited herself to Isabel's birthday party, still fresh in her mind. She had been forced to beat the information out of Tess, but it had been worth it. Isabel was Vilondra.

She had taken Tess because she had mistakenly believed she was Vilondra, but even before Tess told her the truth, Vanessa should have realized Tess wasn’t Vilondra. Tess had been so easy to take prisioner, and Vanessa had always believed Vilondra to have more spirit than that. At least she expected more of a fight.

But now that Vanessa knew the truth, the differences between Tess and Isabel were obvious. Vanessa had never met the former Queen Ava, and really didn’t know anything about her, other than she had married young. But she had expected the former Queen to have a more dignified bearing at least, not the whining, spoiled child she had discovered in Tess. Vanessa shrugged. She might not have known anything about Queen Ava, but Vanessa certainly didn’t have any respect for her current form, Tess.

It was just one more reason to hate the Royal Four and everything they stood for, and one more reason to finish her mission quickly so she could return home. All she had to do was reveal herself to the Princess and they would return to Antar and Khivar.

Vanessa passed her hand over her face and hair, using her powers to refresh her makeup and smooth her hair, and then down her clothing to remove the wrinkles. She reached for the doorknob but paused.

It was a birthday party and she should arrive with a gift. She walked into her office and noted that Liz was gathering her things in the other room. Vanessa grabbed a Fed-Ex envelope and passed her hand over it, altering it into a gift box. Then she took a handful of pens and changed them into the rough shape of an alien. A little childish perhaps, she thought, as she placed the alien inside and passed her hand over the box again to wrap it, but she was sure it would get Isabel's attention.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Surprise)

Michael followed Courtney out behind the Crashdown, and when he reached her grabbed the cigarette she was smoking.

"Worried about my health?" Courtney asked seductively.

Michael ignored her and got right to the point, "Who are you?"

Courtney was genuinely surprised by his question, "What?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Michael challenged.

Courtney wondered if Michael had discovered her true identity but played it cool. "Are you, like, high or something?"

Michael took the picture of Courtney, he had discovered in Congresswoman Whitaker's office, out of his pocket and showed it to her.

Suddenly Courtney was scared. It was a picture someone had taken of her in Roswell, "Where'd you get that?"

Michael shrugged, "From your file in Whitaker's office."

Courtney was really scared now. She had known Whitaker had set up an office in Roswell and had been careful to avoid her. But she was horrifed to learn that Whitaker knew she was in town and had obviously been surveilling her. Whitaker had to know she was in Roswell against orders, so why hadn't they come to get her? Courtney needed to get more information, and tried to push past Michael, "Get out of my face."

Michael stood his ground, "You're gonna tell me exactly what's going on."

"No," Courtney said stubbornly, not ready to deal with him, "I don't have to tell you anything."

"So, you working with her?" Michael asked belligerently. "You spying on us? Is that what you're doing?"

Courtney was surprised they had figured out what Whitaker was doing so quickly, but she put him off. "You're a big man, aren't you?"

"Don't jerk me around." he ground out. "If you're not working with Whitaker, then why does she have photos of you, documents, huh? Why is she watching you? Why is a U.S. Congresswoman interested in a waitress from Roswell?"

Courtney couldn't reveal the truth to Michael until she had gained his trust or the whole thing would be for nothing. She had to think fast to throw him off the track, "Because I was sleeping with her stepson, that's why!"

"Stepson," Michael said dully.

Michael was obviously surprised by her answer and she continued with her story, laying it on thick. "That's right. He screwed his life up with drugs, and I screwed my life up with him. When we got busted, do you know who went down for that? I spent 2 years in Buckman, and the only reason why I got out of there is because I promised that bitch that I would never see him again. So I guess that she's just making sure I keep that promise."

"All right," said Michael, still totally off balance from her answer. "Thanks."

"Thanks?" Courtney asked suddenly angry. Whitaker was after her and maybe all of the skins too and she could be dead tomorrow, and Michael had the nerve to thank her? She drew back and slapped him hard. "Jerk!"

Michael grabbed her shoulders and an electric sensation flared between them. It was different than anything he had ever felt, but familiar at the same time, and he looked at her as if she would contain the answers. He could literally feel Courtney's anger dissolving and being replaced by the desire to kiss him, and it was intoxicating. She felt familiar in his arms, as if she had been there many times, and for just a brief moment he had the sensation he was home. He started to lean in closer to her, when the sound of an approaching car drew his attention away from her.

Maria stopped the Jetta close to Michael and Courtney and yelled, "Michael, we got to go. Isabel's in trouble."

Courtney watched motionless as Michael and Maria drove away, feeling disappointed. For a moment she thought Michael was remembering her but then they had been interrupted. But she quickly pushed thoughts of Michael to the back of her mind. She could deal with him later, if she was still alive.

Her attention turned back to her more immediate problem, Vanessa Whitaker. Courtney thought it unlikely that Whitaker had reported her presence in Roswell to Nicholas, but she decided to go to her office and see what she could find.

She made the excuse of a headache to Liz, to get out of serving duty, and quickly exited out the back and ran down the alleys to Whitaker's office. Using her powers, she opened the back door and slipped into the dark room. Quickly closing the door and the blinds, she started searching in the desk. Whitaker was obviously a neat freak and it didn't take Courtney long to see there was nothing of interest to be found. Courtney carefully replaced everything she had moved, exited the way she had come, and headed toward Whitaker's condo, hoping she would find some answers there.

The condo was only a few blocks away and she was there in minutes, easily letting herself in the sliding glass door on the porch. She headed straight for the office, hoping to find a safe or confidential files, but discovered only a few copies of outdated FBI memos. But when she started up the computer she found a locked folder.

Using her powers to gain access, Courtney discovered an electronic diary Whitaker was keeping. She quickly scrolled through the entries to the ones that were from the last few months. Skimming the contents of the pages, Courtney found she had no reason to fear. Whitaker had political aspirations, hoping to gain favor by turning over Vilondra, Courtney and the Granolith all at the same time. She had even killed her Lieutenant to stop him from informing Nicholas before she was ready.

Courtney sat back in the chair and smiled. All she had to do was kill Whitaker before she could complete her plans.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Summer of '47)
(Tuesday, October 17th, 2000)
(West Roswell High School)

Michael saw Liz at her locker and he used his ready-made excuse to stop and talk to her. "Have you seen Max?"

"Oh, Michael," Liz said, startled by his appearance and civil manner. "Um, no. He said something about stopping by the Crashdown later."

Michael could see something was wrong. He had never given much thought to anyone else's feelings, but now he felt guilty that he might be the cause of Liz's discomfort. "You okay?"

Liz was surprised Michael noticed her mood, much less asked about her. "Me? Yeah, sure. Why?"

Michael wasn't quite ready to confront the past head-on and grabbed for the closest point of disagreement, "Well, the whole Congresswoman Whitaker thing. We'll work it out."

Liz shrugged, "Yeah, I know."

Michael looked at Liz. She had stood up for them time and time again. She had risked her safety and possibly her life to save them and he had always treated her as the cause of all their problems. Liz really did deserve better from him. "And, uh, and this morning," he stumbled, "Yeah, I'm sorry."

Liz looked at Michael, her confusion evident on her face. "Thank you. Did Max ask you to do that?"

"What?"

She smiled, "The whole being nice thing."

"No," Michael said, with a touch of humor, "I came up with it myself." He turned and started to walk away to stop any more of her questions.

Liz called out to him, "I like it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - The End of the World)
(Monday, October 23rd, 2000)

Liz looked out the Jetta's window into the rainy night without really seeing anything. She had only accompanied Maria to the psychic to be supportive, she didn't believe in Earthly psychic abilities. But Madame Vivian's words had convinced her like nothing else could have and the possibilities behind the words left them echoing in Liz's head.

He chooses love.
He chooses you.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

END OF BOOK 7 - THE INTRUSION OF SHADES (THE CLANDESTINED DISCLOSED)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:15 am

BOOK 8 - RESTRUCTURING REALITY (THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE - MAX)

re-struc-tru-ing -
1 : to make new, amended, improved, altered
2 : to rebuild
3 : to change the makeup, organization or pattern

DISCLAIMER: Some of the dialogue used was taken from the episodes and I am not claiming credit for having written it but used it simply to set up the tone of a scene or show parallels between lives and realities.

AUTHORS NOTE: This is the original time line depicting the events that led to Max being sent back in time. Everything on the show has happened from The Pilot up until the night that Future Max would have appeared.

The story jumps ahead to show major events and changes from the time line that aired. The events surrounding the episodes the End of the World and the Hybrid Chronicles still take place, except as shown. I did not show every scene from these episodes but only a few major story points to remind the reader of the events. I have also included a scene that was supposedly cut from EOTW because I thought it depicted the relationship between Max and Tess, at that time, so well.

All dates are shown and a complete time line is included that tells when each event took place. I have labeled the scenes with Episode Equivalent titles to show the reader the timing of events in relation to the episodes that aired.

WARNING:
Multiple Character Death - but since it is an alternate time line, it isn't permanent.

CREDITS: We Haven't Turned Around is by Gomez
I Shall Believe is by Sheryl Crow
Independence Day and Alien are the property of Twentieth Century Fox
Braveheart is the property of Paramount
Wisdom of the Buddha - The Unabridged Dhammapada, translated and edited by
F. Max Muller and is the property of Dover publishing, 2000 ed.

DEFINITIONS:
legion - a unit of soldiers containing 5000 men
squad - a unit of soldiers containing 9-10 men, trained to act together
trithium amplification generator - aka amplifier - the black, chevron-shaped device used by the Skins for communication and suspending the powers of Antarians, among other things.

NAGGING QUESTIONS:
1. Why exactly did Tess leave and when?
2. How did the skins take control of Earth?
3. Who is Serena?
4. Why did Future Max and Liz decide to change that particular event at that particular time in history?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EARTH

Humans
Liz Parker - the girl that Max Evans loved enough to risk exposure healing her when she was shot at the Crashdown Cafe
Jeff Parker - Liz's father - owns the Crashdown Cafe
Nancy Parker - Liz's mother
Philip Evans - Max and Isabel's adoptive father - he is a lawyer
Diane Evans - Max and Isabel's adoptive mother
Maria DeLuca - Liz's best friend
Amy DeLuca - Maria's mother - owns a novelty store specializing in alien merchandise
Sean DeLuca - Maria's cousin and former inmate of Chavez County Juvenile
Alex Whitman - Liz and Maria's best friend
Chuck (Charles) Whitman - Alex's father
Gloria Whitman - Alex's mother
Kyle Valenti – Jim Valenti’s son, Liz's former boyfriend, also saved by Max
Sheriff Jim Valenti Jr. - Sheriff of Roswell - Kyle's father
Deputy Eric Hansen - junior deputy - promoted to Sheriff after Jim Valenti was asked to step down
Laurie Dupree - Granddaughter of Charles Dupree (Michael's DNA donor) - kidnapped by the Ganderium Queen because of a rare gene flaw
Charles Dupree - Grandpa Dupree - human taken by the shape shifters for his DNA - Laurie Dupree's Grandfather
Melissa Foster - the girl that Isabel and Valenti mistakenly thought was the kidnap victim
Dan Lubertkin - member of the State Police Board and Sheriff Valenti’s old friend
Agent Susanne Duff - FBI Agent investigating the kidnapping of Laurie Dupree
Bobby Dupree - son of Charles - uncle of Laurie
Meredith Dupree - daughter of Charles - aunt of Laurie - after Laurie's parents died Bobby and Meredith had Laurie declared insane so they could control her money
Carmen – the Dupree’s housekeeper

Shape Shifters Loyal to the Royal Four
Nasedo - Sodan - Ed Harding - Sam Morgan - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat and a pilot, special skill - heat and energy blasts
Letras - (le-tras) - Zan's former tutor, expert in philosophy, history and military tactics, captured by the special unit and killed
Cuerena (soor'-ren-ya) - scientist and Granolith expert, special skills - illusion - assigned the dupes protector
Tic Tac - Kaldar - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat, special skill - empath -injured by the humans and has terrible headaches when he uses his powers

Skins
Nicholas Crawford - General Calles Nicaron (kal-ees) (ni-ca'-ron) - Khivar's right hand and head general
Courtney Banks - Lieutenant Scorene - (skor-ra-nay) - Rath's friend from childhood and member of the Michael worshippers
Congresswoman Vanessa (Crawford) Whitaker - Major Nesta - Head of the Granolith Project
Tyrone Greer - T. Greer - Major Grester - Head of the Vilondra Project
Walt Crawford - Colonel Jafto - Nicholas' second in command, posing as his father
Ida Crawford - Idos - Nicholas' personal servant, posing as his mother
Gregory Jensen - Gragras - (gra-gras) - the scientist in charge of the skins project
Corporal Raltos - one of the soldiers prepared for Khivar to possess on Earth
Major Tratis - the commander of the second group of skins sent to Earth
Lieutenant Zaptfa – Major Tratis’ aid

Hybrids
Max Evans - Zan
Isabel Evans - Vilondra
Michael Guerin - Rath
Tess Harding - Alyssa Morgan

The Dupes
Zan - Max's dupe
Lonni - Isabel's dupe
Rath - Michael's dupe
Ava - Tess' dupe

ANTAR

Tageions (tauj'-ee-ons) - people inhabiting the north lands
King Zantor Tageonant (tauj'-o-nant) - (Zan) - Max - the rightful King of Antar
Queen Avalynd Telnada Tageonant - (Ava) - Zan's young bride
Royal Princess Vilondra Tageonant - Isabel - Zan’s sister
Queen Nedra Tageonant (ne'-dra) - Zan & Vilondra's mother
General Alarath Varros (Rath) - Michael - Zan's head General and second in command
Tageonon (tauj'-o-non) - the capitol city of Antar, where the king's palace is located

Harcions (Har-see-ons) - people inhabiting the south lands
Khivar Roistar - the man who usurped Zan's throne
General Calles Nicaron (kal-ees) (ni-ca'-ron) - Nicholas - Khivar's right hand and head general
Lieutenant Scorene - (skor-ra-nay) - Courtney - Rath's friend from childhood and member of the Michael worshippers
Major Nesta - Congresswoman Vanessa (Crawford) Whitaker - Head of the Granolith Project
Major Grester - T. Greer - Head of the Vilondra Project
Colonel Jafto - Walt Crawford - Nicholas' second in command, posing as his father
Idos - Ida Crawford - Nicholas' personal servant, posing as his mother
Gragras - Gregory Jensen - (gra-gras) - the scientist in charge of the skins project
Corporal Raltos - one of the soldiers prepared for Khivar to possess on Earth
Major Tratis - the commander of the second group of skins sent to Earth
Lieutenant Zaptfa – Major Tratis’ aid

Shape Shifters sent to Earth with the Pods
Sodan - Nasedo - Ed Harding - Sam Morgan - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat and a pilot - special ability energy blasts
Letras - (le-tras) - Zan's former tutor, expert in philosophy, history and military tactics - captured by the special unit and died
Cuerena (soor'-ren-ya) - scientist and Granolith expert - special ability illusion - assigned the dupes protector
Kaldar - Tic Tac - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat - special ability empath - injured by the humans and has terrible headaches when he uses his powers

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 1

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - End of the World)
(Monday, October 23rd, 2000)
(The Parker House - Liz's Bedroom)
(After The Trip To Visit Madame Vivian)

Liz draped the lace over her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Madame Vivian had said Max would choose her and Liz let herself dwell in the pleasant dream she had of the future, of becoming Max's wife and loving him until the end of their days.

"I Liz Parker take Max Evans to be my..." Liz let the sentence trail off as her smile slowly dissolved. It was a beautiful fantasy and as desperately as she wanted it, she could not let Max choose her. He had a duty to his people and she couldn't stand between him and his destiny.

Liz sighed, it would be so easy to give in to her feelings. Her love for Max had not diminished in the months they had been apart. And Max had left her in no doubt of his feelings, having pursued her relentlessly since she had walked away from him in May.

She laid the lace aside and brushed the hair out of her face. How could life be so cruel? she wondered. When Max had reversed the connection between them, all of those months ago, something had been awakened inside her. It was as if she had recognized something in Max and was irresistibly drawn to him, growing to love him more and more each day.

It had practically killed her to walk away from Max at the pod chamber that terrible day last May, after they had finally exchanged vows of love, but she loved him so much that she would never be able to forgive herself for holding him back.

The sudden sound of music outside her window drew her attention and she crawled out the opening and onto the balcony. A Mariachi band stood in the street below her, one man with his face completely covered by his hat. At an unseen signal, the hat was lowered to reveal the face most beloved to her, Max.

The soft strains of music floated up to her as he began to sing. The words were in Spanish but even though she did not speak the language she could hear the sorrow and heartache the song expressed. As Max continued to sing, he produced a bunch of red roses from behind his back and tossed them up to her. The flowers arched in the air and seemed to stop for a moment as the color washed out of them leaving white roses where red had been just a moment before.

She deftly caught the flowers, immediately bringing them to cover her face, before Max could see just how close to surrender she was. Since she had returned from Florida, Max had constantly pursued her even though she continually rebuffed him, and her resistance was wearing thin. She gathered her strength and put the flowers aside to smile serenely, not wanting to encourage him.

A sound behind her drew her attention.

"Lizzie? What the hell is going on out there?" her father called as he came into her room. "Is that Max again?"

Jeff climbed out the window and looked over the edge of the balcony, "Max is that you again?" He quickly took in the scene below, "It's eleven-o’clock. Tomorrow's a school day..."

Max smiled, as he and the mariachi band, still singing, started to walk away.

Jeff shook his head, "Aw, jeez."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - End of the World)
(Tuesday, October 24th, 2000)

Max watched Isabel, Michael and Tess as they looked at the Granolith. He had to admit, the alien object was fascinating but also frightening at the same time. Somehow he felt drawn to it, like if he could just remember how, it would reveal all of its secrets to him. He shook his head with abhorrence, glad he didn't remember. He didn't want to know what it was. It was a purely alien thing and he didn't want to have anything to do with it.

Since Nasedo's death, a voice that resided in the back of his mind had been steadily growing stronger. There was no one to help them anymore. There was no one to make sure they followed their destiny, and as far as they knew, there was no way to return to their planet. No one could blame him for failing his mission. There was nothing else they could do. He was ready to leave his alien side, and everything it meant, behind him. To Max, it seemed the perfect chance to embrace his humanity and with it, everything he had always wanted.

Suddenly Tess spoke, breaking into his thoughts. "Maybe we should pool our energy."

Max looked at her with a blank expression, "Pool our energy?"

Tess explained, "If we join hands and concentrate maybe we can make some kind of connection that we can't make on our own."

This was exactly the type of thing Max had been avoiding. What if something happened that revealed more of their past or their mission to them? He couldn't take the chance. And the fact that the suggestion had come from Tess angered him even more. He put all of his mistrust and ridicule into his tone, "Is this something Nasedo told you?"

Tess recoiled from his harsh words. "No. It's an original idea, or isn't that allowed?" she snapped back.

Max remained silent, dismissing her, but Tess wasn't ready to accept his decision, "Can we at least try it?"

Max glared at Tess and she turned to Isabel appealing to her.

Isabel tried to dispel some of the tension, not understanding her brother's reluctance, "I'll try it."

Tess turned to Michael, asking for his agreement with the single word, "Michael?"

Michael, who had been studying Max, shrugged. "If it pisses Max off, what the hell."

They each took a place around the Granolith. Tess reached for Michael's hand, and Michael reached for Isabel's.

But as Tess and Isabel reached for Max's hand, he shook his head. "I really don't..."

Isabel cut him off with a scolding tone, "Max."

Max reached to take Isabel's hand and turned to Tess. He looked at her outstretched hand and the revulsion started to rise up in him as it did every time he had to be near her. He felt as if he constantly had to be on guard around her, because if he wasn't careful, she would trick him and pull him in. But he didn't want to show her his weakness and reluctantly took her hand.

For a moment he attempted to focus, but just being near to Tess was unnerving him. He didn't want to be close to her and he most certainly didn't want to discover anything that could ruin his chance with Liz, as the message in the cave had. Liz had been softening toward him since her return from Florida, and he couldn't risk anything else happening. He dropped Tess and Isabel's hands and took a step back.

Tess turned to him, with a hurt look, "What are you doing?"

"It didn't work," he barked.

Tess was incredulous, "You didn't give it a chance."

Max attacked her verbally, "I've got too much on my mind to play ring-around-the-rosy, all right?"

Tess' voice dripped with venom, "Holding hands is childish, but serenading Liz on her rooftop is crucial to our survival."

Max looked at her, wondering how she knew, and Tess seeing the surprised look on his face, laughed, mocking him. "It's a small town, Max. Sing in Spanish, it gets around."

Max was angrier than he had ever been with her. How dare she belittle what he and Liz had between them? "My relationship with Liz is none of your business," he spat at her.

Tess was hurt and she lashed out at him, "It's not that you think joining hands is a bad idea, you just can't stand to touch me."

Max knew he should be ashamed of his behavior but he couldn't even pretend she hadn't guessed the truth. He looked her steadily in the eyes, not saying a word.

"I am so out of here," she said, as she turned and headed toward the door. Tess felt the first pricks of tears and willed them away. Why should she care what Max thought of her? But she had to admit to herself that she did care what Max thought. She had stopped trying to get close to him like he had told her and she hadn't used her mind powers on him in months. She thought if they could become friends, he would remember and grow to love her but it hadn't worked out like that. Even with Liz gone over the summer, Max had stayed as far away from her as he could.

Tess stopped near the door and straightened her shoulders; she wouldn’t let Max know how much he had hurt her. She tossed her blonde curls and looked back over her shoulder, "Grow up Max," she said caustically, trying to cover her pain, and stormed outside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Café)

Maria stomped into the kitchen, still depressed about what Madame Vivian had told her. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" Michael asked apprehensively.

Oblivious to the caution in his tone, Maria continued casually, "Yeah, about our relationship."

Michael looked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted another head. "You gotta be joking me."

Maria shook her head, "Some stupid psychic told me that the next forty-eight hours are critical, so could you just try not to be a bonehead? Is that, like, a possibility?" She stopped talking as Courtney walked into the kitchen. "No waitresses in the kitchen," she said for what seemed like the thousandth time.

But Courtney ignored her and turned toward Michael, "Hey, Mikey G. You got my order yet?"

"Yeah, right there," he said, motioning to the counter.

"Takeoff Tacos, Plutonium Platter, and the Greek God salad, light on the feta. You're such a good boy," she said as she brazenly slapped Michael on the butt, and turned with the food to leave.

Michael felt the disapproval radiating from Maria and hurried to cover, "She put in that order before I got busy."

But Maria was not so easily placated, "Okay, give it up, Guerin. What's going on with her?"

"Yeah," he said misunderstanding her, "that's exactly what I want to know."

"Michael," Maria warned.

"I don't trust her."

"Hmm. Neither do I."

He finally caught Maria's meaning and explained his thoughts, "I mean, there's something going on with her. Another new face in town arrived this summer after the signal went out. Her picture was in Whitaker's office. She's constantly hanging around me, always giving me these looks."

"So, do you think she's an alien?" Maria asked skeptically, not sure if he was stringing her along.

"Or with the government," he said with conviction, "I don't know."

"Well, I'll tell you what I know, Mikey G," Maria said sarcastically, "the slut wants in your pants."

"That might work," he said to himself thoughtfully, a plan already starting to form.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Courtney hopped off of Michael's motorcycle, "Thanks for the ride."

When Michael had come up with this idea, it had seemed so easy and now he was not sure how to proceed. "No problem."

"You handle your machine really good," she said.

He was surprised that he was genuinely flattered by her praise. "Thanks."

Courtney lingered. "Well, I guess it's time for another night curled up in my sheets, fondling my remote control."

"I guess," Michael said, trying to sound uninterested.

"Unless, of course," Courtney flirted, "you want to be my remote control for the night?"

"I'd better go home."

"Too bad," she sighed. "Well, good night." Courtney stepped into him and kissed him hard, hoping to temp him to change his mind.

"What the hell," Michael shrugged. He was pleased that his plan had worked out so well. Of course they always did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: Take a Chance on Me by ABBA

Max agilely climbed the ladder to Liz's balcony and looked through the window, hoping she was there. Even after he had embarrassed himself with the Mariachi band, she was still refusing his calls and he had come to try again. He could see Liz through the window studying at the table. She was so beautiful and he loved her so much and every time he saw her he felt as if his heart would break because they were not together.

He smiled joylessly remembering all the times he had pushed her away. He had been such a fool for wasting so much of the time they could have had together. He could have used the time to bind her to him so closely that she never would have considered leaving him.

He shook his head. Often the events of the terrible day Liz had walked away, had plagued him. He had been a fool to listen to Michael. He should have gone after her immediately and convinced her to stay with him. All summer he had played the day over and over in his mind and he felt with a soul-deep conviction, if he had stopped Liz that day, everything would have turned out differently.

Max had pursued Liz relentlessly after she walked away from him but he continued to have a sickening feeling that he was too late. She had tried to avoid him but he made sure they were constantly together either at school or at the Crashdown. He was making his presence known, letting her know in word and deed that he would never let her go. They had been together physically more than ever before, but spiritually he had felt the abyss that forced them apart, widening each day.

Then exactly a week later, Liz had left for Florida. They had both known why she was going, even if she had acted as if the whole thing had been previously arranged. She wouldn't even have told him she was leaving if he hadn't have happened to come to her window and seen her packing.

Max shook his head. There were so many things he could have done differently, but it was useless to dwell on the past. He needed her in his life and he would do anything he had to do, to make her see they belonged together. He would never let her go and he would never stop pursuing her until she changed her mind. If he thought she didn't love him it would be different but he knew she loved him with the same soul deep, searing love he felt for her.

He had pursued her before she had left and even with a summer of separation and her continued denial, he had no intention of backing off now. If anything, he was determined to try harder to win her back. It was a battle worth winning and he had everything on his side; time, love, and Liz herself, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Max knocked gently on the glass separating them and Liz looked up immediately. He saw the joy that crossed her features momentarily before she had time to cover it with a polite smile. His heart leapt, knowing he could still cause that kind of reaction in her and he was more certain than ever they belonged together.

Liz slid the window open. "Max, what are you doing here?" she asked with a tinge of fear in her voice that she couldn't hide.

Max smiled gently. He knew she was afraid of giving in to her feelings for him and it made him proceed boldly. Before she could protest, he took her face in his hands and kissed her, pouring all of his love and desperation into the connection between them. And when she didn't immediately pull away, his heart soared, knowing that he was gaining ground in the war to win her back.

**Flash**

Max saw several memories of kisses they had shared and felt Liz's feelings that accompanied the images.

**Flash**

He saw the time that they had spent together in the van after he had escaped from Pierce and the Special Unit.

"Max, the day that you saved my life, your life just ended."

"No, that was the day my life began. Liz, when I was in that room, and they did what they did to me; you're what kept me alive. The thought of you, the way your eyes look into mine, your smile, the touch of your skin your lips. Knowing you has made me human. Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny is the same: it's you. I want to be with you, Liz. I love you."

"I love you."

Max could feel that the memory of their time together in the van was Liz's most precious, most cherished, because they had professed their love. She still loved him, and when they were connected like this, she couldn't deny it.

He finally ended the kiss and studied her face, noting she was as shaken with the feelings that had passed between them as he was. "I felt that," he said, trying to catch his breath, and noting Liz was in a similar state. "And I know you did, too. And I know you think that I need to let you go, for the sake of Michael, and Isabel, and my race. So I can follow my destiny. But Tess isn't you. Tess can never be you."

Liz struggled to hide the tears that were threatening, having heard Max say the words she had longed to hear more than anything. But she quickly shored up her resolve, determined to do the right thing. "Max, we have to stop this. We have to. I am telling you that we have to."

Max ignored her protest, knowing she was close to surrender, "Go out with me on Friday. There's a Gomez concert in Santa Fe. I have tickets."

"No." She shook her head trying to clear the visions of them together again, "No, Max. I can't go out with you ever again. Please stop doing this."

Max smiled softly, "I can't."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Valenti house – Kyle’s room)

Tess removed the poster from the wall and passed her hand across the surface, testing the pink she had chosen.

Kyle entered the room, interrupting her. "I thought I told you I didn't want you doing that Bewitched crap in the house."

Tess rolled her eyes and gently scolded, "Out of my room."

"It's my room!" he asserted

"You, you know what?" she started to protest, but gave up before the fight began. "Just... just forget it. I'm sick of this place, and I'm sick of Max Evans."

Kyle couldn't believe his ears, "Don't toy with me."

Tess continued angrily, "I never asked to be his mate. He thinks I'm just gonna wait around until he comes to terms with his destiny? Well, I'm not. He can figure it out on his own. They all can." She turned to Kyle, "You know, they didn't even know where the pod chamber was until I came along. I hate this life." She dropped onto the bed and released a sigh of frustration, "I feel better."

Kyle watched her tantrum with growing interest, "You look really great when you're pissed."

"Yeah, right," she said sarcastically.

Kyle rushed to assure her, "No, I'm serious. I feel, like, all this energy coming from you right now." He turned introspective, "In order to trim the lamp of wisdom, we must attend to our bodily needs."

Tess stood and looked at him consideringly, "Let me tell you something, Buddha-boy, I got a lamp that needs some serious trimming."

Kyle quickly closed the distance between them and took her lips in an eager kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - End of the World)
(Wednesday, October 25th, 2001)
(Michael's Apartment)

"What's up?" Michael greeted Alex at the door.

"Nothing," Alex answered woodenly, "Nothing at all."

Michael regained his seat and spooned more cereal into his mouth, "Well, I was kinda watching the game, so if you got something on your mind..."

Alex used the remote to turn off the television and turned to Michael, his anger building with each moment, "Do you have any idea what you've done to Maria?"

Michael suddenly realized the reason for Alex's visit and rushed to reassure him, "Dude, it was a misunderstanding."

But Alex was too immersed in his anger to listen. "Look, I don't care that you've got 30 pounds on me or...or that you can kill me with some...some twisted alien power," his voice rose in anger. "I will not let you treat her like that. I don't care that Isabel treats me like crap, but no one does that to Maria, all right? She's not just some girl!" Alex shouted.

Michael softened his voice and worked for a sincere tone, "You gotta believe me. I have nothing..."

Unfortunately Courtney picked that moment to push open Michael's door, "Knock, knock."

Alex accepted Courtney's presence as proof positive of Michael's betrayal. He turned without thinking and hit Michael squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling across the floor. "Ow!" he protested, grabbing his injured hand.

Michael considered him from his place on the floor as he rubbed his jaw, "You realize you just risked your life?"

"Yeah."

Michael's opinion of Alex rose ten times in that moment, "You're a really good friend, man."

"Call me that again, and I'll really kick your ass," Alex called as he left the apartment.

"Are you okay?" Courtney asked as she approached Michael, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Michael said dismissively.

Courtney helped him to stand and as they touched, Michael felt a jolt of recognition flash through him. She seemed familiar, almost like home. He could sense the desire coming from her in waves and he pulled her to him for a rough kiss. He was acting on pure instinct and pulled her closer, his hands sliding around to her back. Her shirt rode up and for a moment he did not comprehend the significance of the substance coming off her but as it penetrated his foggy mind he pushed her away. "You're a skin?" he asked accusingly.

Courtney could hear the animosity in his tone and decided instantly he would not listen to her explanation now. She moved quickly away from him and suddenly ran.

"Stop!" Michael ordered but she heard the destruction of something behind her and threw herself out the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Parker House – Liz’s Room)

Song Playing: Angel by Sarah McLachlan

Liz turned over in her bed again, hoping a new position would finally help her sleep. After a few more minutes, she turned back to the first position and re-arranged her pillows with a sigh. It was just no use. Her head was too full of Max to sleep.

He had come to her window earlier with the tickets to the Gomez concert and had tried again to temp her into going. He had been charming and funny and he had told her how much he loved her.

She had been so scared of giving in to him that she had made him stay outside the window, but even that had not discouraged Max. In fact, it had seemed to make him more confident. He had countered every argument she made and begged her to reconsider. She had wanted to give in to him, every fiber of her being yearning to go to him, but she had held her ground.

Finally she had been forced to tell him to leave, "Max there is no use. It doesn't matter what we want. You have to follow your destiny."

Max had simply smiled, "Liz, everything you say and do just makes me love you more."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Harvest)
(Thursday, October 26th, 2000)
(West Roswell High School)

Maria met Liz in the school hall, "You okay?"

"Oh, I didn't get much sleep last night," Liz explained.

Maria paused as she studied her friend, "You look like you got your heart stomped out. No wait, that would be me. Well if it's possible, you look worse."

"Max came over last night and I had to tell him again..." she let the sentence trail off.

Maria pulled Liz into a quick hug, "I'm sorry Liz."

Liz nodded, "Maybe we should talk about it later."

"Over lots of ice cream," Maria added.

"It's a date," Liz said.

Maria noticed Michael coming toward them, "I'll see ya later." She turned the opposite direction and walked quickly to her locker.

"Hey," Michael said casually, as he stopped beside her.

"Whatever, dude," Maria said, dismissing him.

"No, I have something to tell you."

"I'm not interested," she said, trying to walk away.

Michael moved to stand in front of her, "Hey, it's about Courtney."

Maria waved her hands dismissively, "I am so not interested."

He cut her off, "Hey, will you just listen to me?"

Maria was becoming angrier, "You listen to me. She made a play for you, and you went for it. So, what? Now she's screwed you over and you've come to realize she's a cheap, manipulative tramp? Well, this is not news to me."

Michael casually threw down his trump card, knowing it would get her attention. "She's an alien. A skin, like Whitaker." Michael smiled. The surprised expression on Maria’s face was almost worth all of the trouble.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(West Roswell High School)
(An Empty Classroom)

"I knew there was something wrong about her, even before I found her picture in Whitaker's office," Michael said proudly.

"Where's Courtney now?" Max asked, having a difficult time concentrating with Liz in the room. Last night had proved to him that she was close to giving in and all he could think of was holding her in his arms again.

"I don't know," Michael said. "She went out the window. I tried chasing her..."

Maria cut him off, "But it's hard to run with your pants around your ankles?"

Tess had been eyeing Max and Liz with a sour expression. "Settle the personal crap on your own time," she said, deliberately including Max in her gaze as she continued. "If Courtney's a skin, it means she was working with Whitaker."

"You're right," Isabel agreed softly, "There's no way two skins would just happen to be in Roswell at the same time. They were working together, which means Courtney knows everything about us."

Michael looked at Max, who was obviously more interested in Liz than their conversation. "Maxwell, are we disturbing you?" Michael asked, motioning toward Liz with a jut of his chin.

Isabel jumped to her brother's defense. "Leave him alone, Michael." It was the first time she had seen Max somewhat happy since Liz had left him.

Michael admired Liz for having the fortitude to leave Max to follow his destiny, but at the same time he had despised her for causing Max so much pain. "Something you wanna share with the class?" he asked Max sarcastically.

Max shook his head to clear the thoughts of Liz, "Look, if Courtney is a skin and she was working with Whitaker, the first question is, does she know that Whitaker's dead?"

Maria motioned to the television that was showing a picture of Whitaker with birth and death dates, "If she didn't before, she does now." Maria turned up the volume and the television announcer's started with the story.

"We have this story just in. A controversial New Mexico congresswoman is dead. We'll have that story in just a minute."

The group looked at each other wondering how her death had been discovered and they listened eagerly as the announcer resumed the story. "Widowed just six months before her husband John Whitaker's upcoming election, she took his place on the ballot and won the election by a higher margin than any Democrat in fifteen years. But all that ended yesterday, just outside her hometown of Copper Summit, Arizona, where a tragic single-car accident cut short a life of public service."

"A car crash?" Tess asked incredulously.

"She died two weeks ago. I was there," Isabel said, her voice harsh.

"We were all there," said Max attempting to take the blame for her death off of Isabel's shoulders.

"How could she be in a car crash if she's dust?" Michael asked angrily.

Tess echoed his thoughts, "Who's conveniently covering up her death for us?"

"Nasedo said the skins were among us," Isabel said, her voice shaky, "Skins, plural. Maybe other skins created a fake car accident to keep the Feds from looking too closely into Whitaker's background."

Tess turned to their leader, "Max, what do we do?"

"Uh, let me guess. Nothing," Michael said caustically.

Max looked to the girl he loved and a smile spread across his face. "Liz," he said simply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Congress Woman Whitaker's Office)
(Roswell, NM)

"Has anybody been asking questions over the past few days?" Max asked Liz as they searched Whitaker’s office.

Liz shrugged. "People have been calling. There wasn't anything unusual. I just have been saying that she's on vacation, just like we said."

"Well, somehow the skins know she's dead," he said thoughtfully. "None of us has said anything, unless..." he let his thought trail off and Liz picked up on it immediately.

"You mean, Courtney."

Max continued, "If Courtney was working with Whitaker then maybe she was there that night too."

Liz shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. If Courtney was there, she would have helped Whitaker. And why would Whitaker be surveiling one of her own people?" Suddenly a thought occurred to her, "What if Courtney is a renegade of some kind, a traitor? Maybe she could help us."

Max considered her observations as Maria broke in, waiving an envelope. "Look at this. The postmark says Copper Summit. It's from something called the Universal Friendship League."

Liz glanced over her shoulder at the envelope, "Whitaker never mentioned it."

"What the hell is the Universal Friendship League?" Isabel asked with a shiver. "Could it sound any creepier?"

"It's marked personal," Maria said.

Max took the letter from her, opened it and read the contents aloud.

Dear member:
Your failure to report as scheduled violates protocol.
We must receive word by the twenty-fifth of this month
or terminate your membership, effective that date."

"The twenty-fifth was yesterday," Isabel noted.

Maria spoke up, "That's when they say she died."

Max glanced at the signature at the bottom of the letter.

Sincerely, T. Greer
Senior Coordinator, Vilondra Project

"Vilondra?" Isabel gasped.

Max turned at his sister's distressed tone, "Does that mean something to you?"

"No," she responded shortly, and quickly attempted to change the subject. "We should call."

Max handed the letter to Liz and she dialed the number.

The phone was answered on the first ring, "Yes?"

Liz was taken back by the strange greeting, "Hi, um, is this the, the Universal Friendship League?"

"Who is this?" the voice on the phone asked suspiciously.

"I, I'm calling from Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker's office. We just, um, opened this letter this morning and I wanted to call and apologize for not responding sooner."

"Yes?"

"We just wanted to let you know that, unfortunately, Congresswoman has passed away."

"Thank you for calling," the man said crisply, and hung up the phone.

Liz held the phone away from her ear. "They just hung up."

Max looked thoughtful for a moment. "The first thing we need to do is find Courtney."

Michael laughed, "So we agree."

"Yeah," Max said.

"There's a first," Michael said sarcastically.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max stopped the Jeep around the side of the Crashdown.

Liz turned to him, "You need to tell Tess what we found at Whitaker's office."

Max shook his head. "I told the Sheriff what happened. He'll fill her in."

"You can't keep avoiding her, Max,” Liz protested. “Tess is one of you."

"No," Max said harshly, "she's not one of us and she never will be."

"Max," Liz said softly, trying not to choke on her words, "Tess is part of your family and you need her."

Max held Liz's gaze, "You are all I will ever need."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Michael's Apartment)

Michael and Maria knelt on the couch watching the building across the street through binoculars. They had been there for what seemed like hours after they had searched Courtney's apartment.

Maria rubbed her neck to sooth the soreness. "This isn't gonna work," she said, trying for a more comfortable position. "She's not just gonna stroll up to her hideout while we're sitting here watching her."

"This was your idea," Michael responded.

"That's not the way I remember it," Maria said dryly, with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, so now it's my fault."

"Yes," she agreed, warming to the subject. "You know what? Just to make things simpler, from now on you should consider everything to be your fault, okay? Okay."

Michael gave her a significant look, "Well, I know one way to make the time go faster."

"Oh, funny," she said sarcastically.

"I know," he said with a grin.

"But if we can talk reality here for a second," Maria said, changing gears, "I think she booked. Out of town."

"No way. She wouldn't do that. She's obsessed with me," he said matter-of-factly.

"Well, I guess that makes two of you, then, doesn't it?" quipped Maria.

Michael choose to ignore her mockery, "She'll show up sooner or later."

Courtney walked in the open door behind them, having heard the last of their conversation. "How 'bout sooner?"

They both jumped off the couch as if they had been shot and Michael raised his hand to defend them.

Courtney held up her hands in a protective gesture, "Whoa! Hey, truce."

"Don't move," Michael said menacingly.

"Don't worry. I won't." Courtney took in the situation and continued with admiration in her tone, "You're watching the building. You figured out where I'd be from the pictures. That's very good, Mikey G. You're everything I thought you'd be and more."

"Oh, please!" Maria exclaimed, rolling her eyes, "Do your lips not get chapped from all the ass-kissing?

"Sit down," Michael said motioning to a chair.

"Anything you say."

Michael started the interrogation, "So you're a skin, like Whitaker."

"How'd you get on to Whitaker?"

"We're asking the questions here, okay? Now, why are you in Roswell? Where's the rest of your evil army? And most of all, why are you obsessed with my good-looking, if badly groomed boyfriend?"

Courtney looked at Maria for the first time since entering the room, "I'm not obsessed with him, okay? I follow him in the political sense. He's our leader."

"Our leader?" Maria asked

Courtney continued, "We're not with the other skins. We're renegades who believe that if you were in charge instead of Max in the first place, that none of this would have ever happened."

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked, "In charge of what?"

"Our planet, Michael." Courtney said and then realization dawned. "You don't remember any of this, do you?"

Michael was growing angry, "Suppose you tell me."

Maria was starting to get a headache with all of the talk of political systems on other planets and past lives. "Yeah, the short version, please."

"The short version is that our planet was on the brink of a golden age, and then it all fell apart. You were the one who could have united our planet, pulled together the warring factions, brought peace. But you weren't on the throne."

"Max," Michael said simply.

"You wouldn't betray him. That loyalty cost your lives and those of everyone you loved. Please, just don't let history repeat itself. You're the one we need. You're our leader, our salvation."

Maria couldn't believe Michael was even listening to this crap. She grabbed Michael and yelled into his ear, "Michael, if you can hear me now over the sound of your rapidly inflating ego, could you please tell me that you do not believe what this, this Michael-worshipper here has to say?"

Courtney wanted to continue, tell Michael about the past, about the bond they had shared as children but the moment was past. She could already see Maria's words taking effect in Michael. He was pulling away form her. She was losing him again. In that moment, she envied Maria and their closeness. Rath had never responded to her that way. It was obvious Michael listened to Maria, he respected her opinion, he trusted her.

Michael snapped back to reality from his visions of grandeur, Maria's words penetrating his fantasy. Courtney was their enemy, she would do anything, say anything to defeat them, including turning them against each another. "No. No, no way. No, this is just part of your plan to divide and conquer.

"I knew you weren't ready to hear this," Courtney said sadly.

"What's in Copper Summit, Arizona?" Michael asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Copper Summit's just some old tourist trap," Courtney said cautiously.

"What's there? he pushed doggedly.

"I'd stay away from there."

"Why?"

Maria narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Yeah, why?"

"Let's just say there aren't any Michael-worshippers in Copper Summit."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A couple of hours later, Max, Isabel, Alex and Liz joined them at the apartment. Michael filled in the newcomers on the earlier conversation and Courtney briefly outlined the situation on Antar.

Max pushed for more information, "So what about this group you belong to?"

"We joined with Khivar when he started to oppose you," she shook her head, "sorry, we opposed Zan, because we wanted to change the system of government to include all of the people. Something similar to your government in the United States," she said motioning to Liz. "But then we discovered what Khivar was really planning. He talked of a government by the people, but what he really wanted was a dictatorship, with himself as dictator. Khivar tricked us into following him with promises he never intended to keep."

"Like what happened in the Russian revolution," Liz said distractedly.

"Yes," Courtney agreed. "So we started to sabotage Khivar's army from the inside and some of us infiltrated the group he sent to Earth. But over the years, Nicholas has discovered most of the others and now there are just a few of us left."

Alex spoke up, "And you came here to get Michael to help you?"

Courtney nodded, "We want him to come back to Antar and lead us."

Maria, Alex and Isabel broke out laughing.

"Hey," Michael objected, "you don't think I'm capable of running a planet?"

"Michael," Isabel said, between fits of laughter, "think of all of the bureaucracy and politicians you would have to put up with. I don't think you're capable of that."

Michael huffed, "Maybe you're right. It sounds way too dull, definitely more like Max." He slapped Max on the back, "You can keep all of that royal crap, Maxwell."

"Thanks," Max said dryly, turning back to Courtney. "So what about the group in Copper Summit?"

"That's where we, the skins, have been headquartered since we came to Earth."

"How long have you been here?" Max asked.

"We have been on Earth since 1950, so about fifty years."

"So why are you called the skins?" Liz asked.

"It's because we wear husks."

"Husks?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, me. My skin. This thing that I'm wearing. It's basically a shell. It protects us from the environment."

"Like a space suit," Alex suggested.

"Yeah. This planet's atmosphere is hostile to our race," Courtney said, indicating the other aliens. "The husks are a life form technology that we can genetically manipulate to resemble human bodies. Our relationship to it is essentially parasitic."

Maria shivered, "Your skin is alive?"

"Like the trees are alive."

Michael motioned toward Courtney, "So, what's with the peeling?"

"They're good for maybe fifty years, but the husks are dying."

Michael continued with a cocky tone, "Well, if all the skins in Copper Summit are about to die, then all we have to do is wait them out. If the husks die, we're home free, right?"

Courtney's silence was suggestive.

"Okay, what are you not telling us?" asked Maria.

Courtney looked around the room at all of the people waiting for her answer. "The harvest," she said softly.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Isabel was the first to break the silence. "I am almost afraid to ask, but what is being harvested?"

Courtney laughed, seeing they were envisioning multi-tentacled alien monsters. "Husks," she said simply. "We have been growing new husks for about twenty years and they are almost ready."

A collective sigh of relief went through the group.

Alex laughed, "I thought we would have to expect something straight out of the movie Alien."

Courtney sobered, "Sometimes the truth is worse."

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"Nicholas, the leader of the skins on Earth. He can do all the things you can, times a thousand. But the thing you should be the most afraid of, is this." Courtney pointed to her head. "He can get inside of your head and take anything that he wants. Basically, he rapes you of your memories and your thoughts."

Michael leapt to his feet, "We have to stop this harvest. If we do, we could end this right now."

Max rose, "How can we stop it, Michael?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted, "but we'll come up with something."

"You heard Courtney," Max said. "The skins outnumber us at least ten to one."

"So what's your solution, Maxwell," Michael sneered, "do nothing as usual?"

"Michael," Courtney interrupted the escalating argument. "This is a huge mistake. If you go there, you're gonna get yourself killed."

"Yeah, well, that's my problem," Michael answered curtly.

"I didn't spend fifty years finding you so that you could throw your life away out of misplaced loyalty."

"Fifty years," Maria laughed. "So, what? That would make you sixty-five, seventy? You're old enough to be Michael's grandmother. I just, I love that. I do."

"Hey, husks don't age," Courtney said simply. "I've been a babe for fifty years. What are you gonna look like fifty years from now?"

"Would you two let it go?" Michael sighed, "You're giving me a headache."

Max broke in, "Okay, everybody calm down. This doesn't change anything. We do what we always do, act normal, blend in, concentrate on being human. Especially with our enemies' headquarters so close, we don't need any more attention on us. So no one uses their powers in public and no one does anything that isn't easily explained by human standards."

Max turned to look at each member of the group, stopping on Michael and held up a hand as he started to object. "And no one is going to Copper Summit. That's an order."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Harvest)
(Friday, October 27th, 2000)
(The Night Of The Gomez Concert)

Liz sat in her room listening to her Gomez CD and tears ran down her face as the haunting strains of track number six started. Max's romantic streak had shown through again when he had bought tickets to the concert. We Haven't Turned Around was the song that had been playing when Max had first kissed her.

And tonight, the night of the concert, to which she had refused his invitation and symbolically so much more, she finally allowed herself to mourn the fact that she could never have him in her life.

We came, we came, we came again
To stem the tide and point the blame

She had kept the grief inside herself for so long that when she allowed the first tears to fall, all of the pent up anguish came pouring out. And as the song continued to play, soul-deep sobs racked her small frame uncontrollably.

Came back for more
Came back to see what you had in store
Everyone join the line, everyone
Yeah

Max climbed the ladder leading to Liz's balcony, with a smile lighting his face. Even though Liz had repeatedly told him she wouldn't go to the concert with him, he knew her defenses against him had been weakening, she was close to giving in.

But as he approached her window, Max could see Liz sitting on her bed, crying like she had lost her last friend in the world and all other thoughts vanished from him mind except comforting the girl he loved more than life itself.

So you wanna spin the world around?
So you wanna spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down

Liz was so lost in her grief that she didn't hear the window open or recognize that the one person who was capable of relieving her suffering was present.

So you wanna make catastrophe?
Won't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody running high

Without a word Max slipped his arms around Liz's shivering form and pulled her tightly into his embrace. He recognized the grief she was experiencing first hand because her cries echoed the pain that had resided in his heart since she had left him. He could feel her love for him shining brightly, even though she had tried to deny it for his sake, and he loved her even more.

He gently kissed the top of her head in a comforting gesture but having her in his arms again intoxicated him. The scent of her skin and the memory of the sweet taste of her lips taunted him and he knew he didn't have the strength to fight against it.

The same, the same, the same again
To steal the time and haunt the graves

It didn’t surprise Liz that Max was there, holding her, comforting her. It seemed so natural that he should be there to share her pain and she turned to him, eager for a brief respite from her grief. On some deep level, Liz knew she shouldn’t be with Max like this. She shouldn’t allow him to see her pain, shouldn’t allow him to comfort her, but she was too exhausted to fight him anymore. Fighting both Max and herself had been a losing battle from the start, and she was on the verge of surrender.

Somehow she could feel the anguish in Max's soul that mirrored her own. Max needed this healing as much as she did and she didn't have the strength to hurt either of them any longer. And when Max brought his lips down to meet hers, Liz couldn't bring herself to turn away.

Just because it's there
Don't mean you see it anywhere
Maybe it's a trick of the light
Maybe, yeah

Max pulled Liz closer to him, deepening the kiss when she didn’t resist. And when she kissed him back, he felt his heart come alive again for the first time since she had walked away from him, months ago. After all of the hiding, all of the denial, she was finally letting her true feelings show. He kissed her hard, his lips searing her skin as if they were on fire. He was branding his mark of possession on her, sealing their hearts and souls together irrevocably, and afterward she would never consider leaving him again.

So you wanna spin the world around?
So you wanna spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down

It seemed to Liz, as if she were in a beautiful dream. Everything was so right, so perfect. Liz had no feelings of guilt or regret, there was only Max. He filled her senses completely and she knew that she would no longer deny him. They were already one, they had been since the first time Max had connected with her and she knew now that being physically apart had changed nothing. This night, these feelings and actions were inevitable; they were written in the stars, they always had been.

So you wanna make catastrophe?
Don't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody come alive

Max could feel the change in her and he reveled in the knowledge that again she was his, now and forever. He laid her back on the bed, looked into her eyes and spoke for the first time since entering her room. "Are you sure, Liz?"

Yeah
So you wanna spin the world around?
So you wanna spin the world around?
And anybody else, bring 'em down

"Yes Max," she answered, putting all of her feelings into her eyes for him to see. "I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I love you Max, I have always loved you."

"I love you more than anything Liz, and I will continue to love you until the end of eternity," Max vowed in return.

So you wanna make catastrophe?
Don't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody running high

Their kisses and caresses grew more heated and more urgent, both of them eager to make up for the time they had spent apart.

So you wanna spin the world around?
So you wanna spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down

So you say we haven't turned around?
So you say we haven't turned around?
Just everybody else is going wrong
Going wrong

As the song ended, Max protected the woman he loved and their bodies united, forging a bond that joined their minds and souls. And they both knew nothing would ever come between them again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:41 pm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 2

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Harvest)
(Saturday, October 28th, 2000)

Song Playing: From This Moment by Shania Twain

The sun coming in through the window woke Max and he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. It only took him an instant to remember the glorious night he had spent with Liz in his arms. She was still beside him, curled into his side, her head resting on his chest, and his arms still encircled her. He allowed his eyes to roam over her face. She was so beautiful.

He didn't want to wake her but couldn't help himself and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He thought she looked like an angel sleeping beside him.

"If you didn't want to wake me you shouldn't have done that," Liz murmured with a smile, her eyes still closed. She snuggled closer into his chest, opening her eyes. "And there is no way I look like an angel. My hair must be sticking out all over the place."

"It's perfect," Max said, as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You are perfect." He brushed his lips against hers but suddenly drew back with a frown. "How do you know I thought you looked like an angel?"

Liz smiled, "Well you just said it."

Max shook his head, "I didn't say it."

Liz brow wrinkled in confusion, "I heard you."

Max looked closely at her, his eyes searching her face. Was it possible that she had heard his thoughts?

Liz gasped, "I heard your voice, but you weren't speaking."

"What did I say?"

"You wondered if I heard your thoughts." Liz paused considering. "There were moments in the past, when I suspected we were sharing thoughts, feelings."

Max nodded, "I know what you mean. There were times, when we weren't even physically together but I knew what you were thinking. I thought it was just me, my powers, but it never happened with anyone else."

"I thought it was intuition or instinct, because I knew you so well," Liz said with a smile. "But a tentative connection must have been there all along. I guess it started when you healed me. Then last night, when we made love, it must have ... cemented the connection between us."

Max shook his head slowly, frightened that this latest development might be enough to turn Liz from him permanently. "Liz, I'm sorry. If I would have known..."

Stop it Max, Liz thought, concentrating on pushing the thought to him, to see if the bond would work both ways.

"Liz I heard you."

Liz smiled gently, "How could you think I wouldn't want to be connected to you?"

"But to hear each other's thoughts. It could get... intrusive."

Liz shook her head. "Max I love you so much. I think it's wonderful that we are this closely linked."

Max wrapped his arms more tightly around her, "So do I."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Cafe)

"Good morning," Liz called out to Maria as she came down the stairs, into the back room of the restaurant.

Maria paused and she studied her friend. Liz was almost glowing. "You look like you're about to burst with something. Okay what happened girlfriend?"

"Have you seen Max today?" Liz asked innocently, while she cast her mind out to see if she could feel him, testing the limits of their connection.

"He did this to you?" Maria asked with a smile.

Liz stumbled over her words, not sure what to say. "No, uh... well, yeah. I just... I can't even explain it."

Maria was instantly indignant, "You can't explain? This is me you're talking to here."

Liz blushed, "I just... Well, we just... um..." she let the sentence trail off.

Maria suddenly brightened, "Liz, you and Max didn't..."

Liz nodded.

"Tell me all about it!"

"Maria," Liz intoned exasperatedly.

"Okay, okay not everything but..." she paused for a moment and then nodded her head, "Yeah, everything."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Evans House)

Michael pushed open Max's window and climbed inside, "Where the hell have you been?"

Max smiled, "Good morning to you too Michael."

"Hey, I tried to find you last night but you didn't come home, did you?"

Max looked Michael steadily in the eyes, "Liz and I are together, if that's what you're asking," he said, challenging Michael to state his opinion or shut up.

Michael met his eyes, saw Max's steely determination and backed down with a brief nod. He got right to the point. "We need to figure out what we’re going to do about this thing with Courtney and the skins."

"Michael it would be suicide to just walk in there. All of the skins have gathered for this harvest. Even Courtney told us to stay away."

"And you trust her?"

"Not entirely,” Max said. “But I do believe that she's not working with Nicholas and Khivar."

"So what are we going to do? We can't just do nothing, again."

"What do you want to do Michael?"

"I don't know but this is the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out with one blow."

"I agree,” Max said, “if we had any resources, but we don't. There are over one hundred skins in Copper Summit. We have no weapons and no allies. We can't control our powers, we don't even have a plan."

"We can't just let the harvest take place. It will give them another fifty years."

Max shook his head. "It can't be helped. It’s much safer to stay away. Courtney said they are stuck on this planet just like we are, so as long as they don't find us there is nothing they can do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess stormed into the Valenti house, rushed past the couch where Kyle was sitting and slammed the door to her room. She was so furious, she could have single-handedly torn down the house. She had discovered that over the last week, there had been at least three meetings she had not been invited to, and Max had made it abundantly clear he didn’t want to see her. He had sent either Michael or Isabel to tell her about the decisions they had made, like she was an outsider, not a part of the group.

While Liz had been out of the picture over the summer, Tess and Max had gotten closer and she had thought she was making progress in winning him back. She had thought he would remember her as she remembered him and everything would work out the way it was destined. Even though Max had offered her a type of friendship, he had made it clear he didn’t want a deeper relationship with her. But since Liz had returned, Max had done his best to exclude Tess.

Tess picked up a pillow and threw it across the room. She was his wife, whether he liked it or not, and she was not going to let him just push her aside.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Go away Kyle," she called out automatically. It had been a mistake to get involved with him, she now knew. She had only wanted a casual relationship but Kyle wanted something more from her and she was not able to give it to him.

Tess groaned as the knocking grew louder. She thought any guy would jump at the chance for a sexual relationship with no strings but she had picked the one guy who wanted more.

Tess crossed to the door and opened it, knowing Kyle wouldn’t go away until they had talked. She slumped down onto the bed and waited for him to join her but he stood in the doorway until she looked in his direction.

"What's wrong Tess?"

"Wrong? What could possibly be wrong?" Tess asked, her anger building with each word. "Max is having meetings without me, acting as if I don't exist, don't count, when I am his wife. He spends all of his free time with Liz and he obviously doesn't want to see me. No, nothing is wrong."

A hurt look crossed Kyle's face briefly and Tess saw it before he was able to cover. "Kyle," her voice softened, "you know I like you and I like being with you but..."

Kyle cut her off, "But you are in love with him." He nodded once crisply and then slapped a hand to his forehead, "What is it with this guy? First Liz and now you." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Okay, okay. I thought you weren't going to wait around for Evans. You were going to live your own life."

"I still intend to,” Tess said, “but I’m part of their group and I should have a vote on what we do." Her voice cracked with pain, "A few weeks ago they thought that the new owner of the UFO museum was a skin and the three of them went to kill him. They found out he was a human but they didn't even tell me what they were doing. I could have helped." A faint sob escaped before she could stop it and she wiped at her eyes. Her voice came out just above a whisper. "All three of them have been pushing me away. I thought after Whitaker took me that Isabel and I would grow closer again but..." her voice trailed off into silence.

Kyle moved to sit beside her and put his arm around her. "I know this is not what you want to hear, but you have to give them time. The three of them have been together for a long time and to trust and accept new people can't be easy."

Tess was instantly indignant, "But they had no trouble accepting and trusting the humans."

Kyle continued softly, "From what I understand, they didn't have much choice about trusting the humans. And when you came to town, you weren't honest about who you were and you did play some dirty tricks."

She lowered her head unable to look him in the eye, remembering how she had used him. "But you forgave me."

"Yeah," he said tipping her chin up, forcing her to look at him, "but it took some time and some help from the Buddha." He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Tolerance, patience and understanding are the highest virtues every man should develop."

Tess smiled, "Okay Buddha boy. Maybe you can help me develop some patience and understanding."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max stood beneath Liz's balcony and waited until the light in her room went on, then he reached out for her with his mind. Liz.

Liz heard his call and answered immediately. Max, where are you?

Can't you tell? he teased.

Liz could feel his smile through the connection and reached out with her mind. She couldn't tell precisely where he was but she knew he was near. I don't know exactly, but close. Suddenly it was if the connection between them came into focus and she got a flash of the alley beneath her balcony. Max what just happened? It was like I saw through your eyes.

I was concentrating on strengthening the bond. I guess it worked.

Max, I love being this close to you.

So do I, he answered, as he climbed her ladder. We share a part of each other that no one else can touch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Wipeout)
(Sunday, October 29th, 2000)
(Copper Summit, AZ)
(The Crawford House)

Ida walked into the living room where Nicholas was playing Mortal Kombat. "Sir?"

Nicholas ignored her, concentrating on his game.

"Excuse me Sir," she said a little louder.

"Not now mom," he yelled. "I'm at a crucial part." His fingers furiously pushed the buttons on the controller but his character fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Nicholas threw the controller to the floor as he leapt to his feet, "Damn it mom," he bellowed, "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me?"

"I'm sorry Sir."

"Well, what is it?"

"The last of the troops have gathered for the harvest."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Michael and Isabel looked down on the town of Copper Summit from their vantage point in the hills, and Isabel once again voiced her doubts, "Michael, I don't think this is such a great idea."

"Yeah, you mentioned that once or twice," Michael said, still gazing through his binoculars.

"We could have at least told Max we were coming," she persisted, "or brought Tess with us. Her powers could come in handy."

"Max wasn't interested in coming the last time I asked, and Tess would just tell him." He lowered the binoculars and looked at Isabel with a creased brow, "You don't trust her, do you?"

Isabel shook her head, "No I don't. Especially after all that stuff she did to us. And the way she is always kissing up to Max just creeps me out, but she is one of us. Maybe she could help."

"The only thing she would have helped with, is tattling to Max," Michael scoffed.

Isabel was feeling guilty about her decision to go against Max's orders but she hadn't wanted Michael to go alone, "Max told us not to come."

"I know. I just wanted to see for myself."

"And what do you think?"

"There are way too many of them for us to take on," Michael admitted with a smile. "For once, I think Maxwell was right. But if you ever tell him, I'll deny the whole thing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, November 4th, 2000)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Courtney smoothed the new husk over her body. It had a different feel than the other skin. It was lighter and she could feel more sensations through it, but best of all, her vision was improved. She moved to the mirror and studied her face. She looked the same. She couldn't see even a small difference in her new body.

Courtney smiled. Michael was attracted to this body and it would help her win him over to their side.

After the celebration tonight and the strategy meeting tomorrow, she would return to Roswell and continue with her plan to bring Michael over to their side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)
(Onboard the Leptus)

"This is completely unacceptable," Khivar roared as he slammed Corporal Raltos’ borrowed fist down on the table.

Nicholas winced. The operation to recover Vilondra and the Granolith had lasted years longer than they had anticipated. Then their members had started being killed and he had been forced to cover up their disappearances by claiming they had deserted. But now Major Nesta, who had been posing as Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker, had disappeared and was presumed dead.

The body of Corporal Raltos, containing Khivar's consciousness got to his feet, still ranting. "It was one thing when we were losing a few minor soldiers here and there. Losses are to be expected. But to lose the Major who was in charge of recovering the Granolith is just too much of a coincidence. I can only see two possibilities. Either one of Zan's shape shifters has infiltrated our group, or the traitors are more numerous than we thought."

Nicholas rushed to cover his butt, "Sir, I assure you that everything is being done to uncover the remaining traitors..."

Khivar cut him off, "Nicaron the situation is intolerable. The signal sent last summer means the pods have surely hatched and that means every day that passes is one more day I am without Vilondra."

Nicholas wondered if Khivar would blame him for failing to locate Vilondra, and if he did, what would happen to him. Nicholas knew being on Earth would not save him and he made a bold inquiry, risking his master's wrath. "What would you like us to do?"

Khivar paused for a moment, "I will send a legion of troops to Earth to help you locate them. I want this ended as quickly as possible."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Max in the City - aka. Journey to New York)
(Saturday, November 25th, 2000)
(Roswell City Park)

Tess watched from behind a tree as Max and Liz strolled past her. She hardly needed to hide, she thought to herself. They were so wrapped up in one another, she doubted if they would notice her anyway. But Max had never noticed her.

She had watched the two of them carefully since Liz had returned from Florida. Tess had seen how Max pursued Liz and how Liz continually denied him, and then suddenly, a month ago, they were back together.

Tess had really been surprised. She thought Liz had understood the importance of their mission and would stay out of their way. When Liz had walked away from Max at the pod chamber that day, Tess had assumed all of them would accept their destiny and they would finally have the humans out of their lives. They would be able to concentrate on their mission, hone their skills and prepare to return home. But Max, Michael and Isabel kept insisting on involving the humans in everything they did. They had grown up with humans and they didn't understand, as she did, that the four of them were all they would ever need.

She squared her chin. One day Max would understand and he would come to her. She would just have to be patient until he remembered what they meant to one another. In the mean time, she could keep herself occupied with a human too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, December 9th, 2000)
(Roswell Airport)

Maria and Liz hugged Alex one last time before he went through the airport metal detector. Only ticketed passengers were allowed past that point and they had to say their goodbyes there.

"Have a great time in Sweden, Alex," Liz said.

"And don't let all of those gorgeous Swedish women make you forget your friends back here," Maria added with a wink.

Alex smiled, "No way."

"What about your host family's phone number or address?" Liz asked.

"Real mail is so slow, to and from Europe, that I probably wouldn't get any letters in time to answer them, but e-mail is almost instantaneous." He lifted up his laptop and pointed to it with his free hand, "See, got the computer right here. And I'm also taking my cell phone so you can call and it'll be just like I never left.

He shrugged, "How great could Sweden be anyway? I'm sure it's just the same as here but with snow and lots of hot tubs and blonde beauties in bikinis as far as the eye can see." He paused in mock consideration. "Actually," he said in a teasing tone, "I may never come back."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Roswell The Miracle - aka. A Roswell Christmas Carol)
(Saturday, December 23rd, 2000)
(Roswell City Park)

Song Playing: Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton

Max sat on the bench next to the girl he loved and allowed his eyes to roam over her face in amazement. Over the last few weeks their bond had strengthened and grown so that the connection was always there between them. They could sense each other at all times and strong emotions were automatically sent to the other. And when they concentrated on strengthening the link, they could telepathically communicate with a clarity that surpassed verbal communication because the subtleties of their feelings and emotions were also passed through the bond.

Max took her hand in his, "I love you so much, Liz."

"And I love you, with all of my heart."

He used his free hand to withdraw a rectangular, red velvet box from his pocket and wordlessly held it out to her. A sudden rush of sorrow washed over him as he remembered the last Christmas, when he had intended to give it to her. He had so cavalierly pushed her away and almost lost her completely.

Liz picked up on his feelings immediately, "What's wrong? Why are you sad all of the sudden?"

Max chased away the troubling thoughts, "I bought this to give to you last Christmas and then..." he let his words trail off, knowing that she didn't need him to fill them in.

"Oh," Liz said simply, as understanding dawned.

"I kept it as a reminder of all you meant to me," Max said, as he met her eyes and saw the tears gathering there. He reached across and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb. "But now that we’re together, I want you to have it."

Liz slowly opened the box and gasped when she saw the shining silver necklace, nestled in the lining. The charms Max had chosen were perfectly symbolic of their love; two hearts bearing their names, on either side of a star.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - To Serve & Protect)
(Saturday, January 27th, 2001)
(Sheriff Valenti's Office)

Jim leaned back in his chair, "Alright, let me get this straight. You can go into people's dreams?"

"Yes," Isabel said, trying to explain her power, "But usually I choose whose dreams I go into. This one just came to me."

Jim was skeptical, "Well, how do you know this was real, not just somebody's nightmare you stumbled into?"

Isabel shook her head, "I don't know, but it felt real. She needs help."

Max stepped in to defend his sister, "Sheriff, when Tess was being tortured Isabel got flashes from her, and that's how she knew Tess was in danger. That's how we saved her life. We should check into this."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - To Serve & Protect)
(Sunday, January 28th, 2001)
(The Evans House - Isabel's Room)

Isabel drifted into a restless sleep and almost immediately she was pulled into the scene in the forest. She watched helplessly as the girl was dragged across the ground in a body bag. Isabel could feel the girl's fear so acutely, it was if she were experiencing it as well. She rushed forward trying to help but she was stopped as the assailant turned toward her and she recognized him immediately, Grant.

"No! Oh, no! It can't be!" she cried out.

Suddenly she was snapped out of the dream as Max shook her. "You started crying Isabel. What happened?"

Isabel collapsed into him, "No, Oh God! It's Grant! It's Grant. I saw him. I saw him. Oh God! Oh God. No."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sheriff Valenti's Office)

Jim answered the phone, glad for the break from his argument with Dan, "Sheriff Valenti."

Max spoke right to the point, "It's not over."

Jim was confused, "You wanna explain that to me."

Max explained, "It's not Melissa Foster. It's some other girl. She's in Frazier Woods in the clearing outside the abandoned pump house. We have to go right now."

Jim glanced at Dan, who was watching him suspiciously.

"Sheriff?" Max asked when the Sheriff didn't answer.

Jim came up with a quick cover story, "Where are you now Deputy?"

Max picked up on his signal, "We're at our house. We'll meet you on Clark's street, near the Crashdown."

"Stay where you are," said Jim, not wanting them to expose themselves by getting involved any further, "I'll take care of it."

"No," said Max, anticipating trouble that Valenti might not be able to handle on his own, "We're going with you. Can you meet us?"

"Yeah," Jim relented, "I'll meet you there Deputy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz waited until she could feel Max's emotions calm. He had been so frightened and she had been scared to contact him, not wanting to distract him from what he was doing. His feelings had transmitted themselves to her as if she had been there with him, but she couldn't tell what was happening, just that he was scared. But now that he was more settled, she wanted to know what had happened.

She reached out with her mind, unsure of where Max was or if she could reach him. Max.

He answered immediately. Liz.

Max, what happened? Liz asked urgently, I could feel your fear.

Liz could feel Max's surprise and then sorrow. I'm sorry Liz. I have been hiding something from you.

Liz was shocked that he could hide anything from her with their connection. What are you talking about?

The last couple of days, Isabel has been having dreams. She has been seeing a girl that was drugged and kidnapped and tonight we found her.

Is she okay? Liz asked, concerned.

Yeah, she'll be fine.

But Max that doesn't explain why you were so scared.

Max didn't want to worry her but he knew it would come out. The kidnapper was there and he shot at us.

Max are you okay? Was anyone hurt?

We're all fine. We’re on our way to the Sheriff's station to give statements.

Why would you keep this from me, Max? We are supposed to be together.

We are, Liz.

No, Max. We’re not together if you are keeping things from me.

It wasn't like that Liz. Isabel thought the girl might be an alien and I didn't want to risk you getting hurt.

Max, life is dangerous. You can't protect me all the time.

Maybe no,t but I can keep you away from the alien stuff. Liz, you deserve to live a normal life without these alien problems constantly intruding.

But Max, it is part of what you are.

No, he denied vehemently, with the single word. I just want to put that part of my life behind me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - We Are Family)
(Monday, January 29th, 2001)

The last customers left the Crashdown and Liz slid into the booth with Max and kissed him. "Max, you've been sitting here since six o'clock."

Max smiled, "I don't wanna go home."

Liz studied him and tried to weigh his emotions through their connection. "Max I can tell you're upset. What's going on?"

Max knew that he couldn't hold back from her. "There's someone dangerous in our town, Liz. Someone who'd do that to a defenseless person."

Liz smiled, "That's why you're here. You're worried about me."

"I have to make sure you are safe, Liz. I don't know what I would do without you."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Liz could see Sean through the glass. "One second," she said to Max. She crossed to the door and opened it a crack.

Sean smiled, putting on his most charming face, "I would kill for some Chili Orbit Rings."

Liz smiled back, "I'm sorry, Sean, but the kitchen's closed."

"Come on," Sean tried again, "Okay, umm, Asteroid Pie."

Liz shook her head, "Uh, the last piece went at six o'clock."

Sean pouted, "Why do you gotta be so cruel, Parker?"

Liz shook her head, "Just come back tomorrow, Sean, okay? I'll give you ten percent off."

"Twenty," Sean said.

Liz started to shut the door, "Good night, Sean."

Liz turned back to Max with a smile, "There are two pieces of Asteroid Pie left in the fridge. I'll go get my books and we'll study until Alex gets here with his slides."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Parker House)

Liz headed down the stairs to get an extension cord but she stopped when she saw Sean.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I was hungry," Sean said with a shrug.

Liz shook her head and turned to the cupboard to begin her search.

"The, uh, auto show's in town this weekend," Sean said.

"Uh-huh?" Liz said over her shoulder, continuing her search.

"I was gonna go," Sean said.

"Where is that extension cord?" Liz asked herself.

Sean reached past Liz when he saw the cord and handed it to her. "So, uh, you wanna go?"

Liz shrugged, "Umm, I don't know. Cars are, you know, I just, maybe I will check it out."

"With me?" Sean asked.

Liz focused on him for the first time, understanding dawning. "Oh."

Alex called down the stairs as he descended, "Hey, uh, Liz, do you have some Windex or something? The lens is dirty." He stopped when he saw the other guy, "Sean."

Sean smirked, "Alice."

Alex gave a false laugh, "Hey, that's funny. I haven't heard that since they put you away."

Liz answered Alex's question, "In the kitchen?"

"Thanks," Alex said, as he turned to go into the kitchen.

Liz turned back to Sean, "Yeah, um, you know, thank you very much for the invitation, but I can't go with you like that."

Sean nodded, "The guy who was in there with you before?"

Liz smiled, "Max. Yeah. We're together."

Sean shrugged, "No sweat. Thanks for dinner."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Liz's balcony)

Liz filled in Alex as they looked at his slides, "I just wish Kyle would understand where Max is coming from."

"Well, you know, I guess some things don't change in a month."

Liz agreed, "It's too bad."

Alex nodded and clicked to the next slide, "Okay. This is my host family, the Olsons, and they live in Uppsala which is just north of Stockholm, and that is Johan, Gustav, Rebecka, Mattias, and little Kiki."

Liz continued, "You know, on the other hand, Kyle has every right to be angry. This is complicated.” She glanced at Alex and realized she was interrupting, “Sorry."

"No problem," Alex said as he clicked to the next slide.

"So," Liz started, "did you meet anyone special?"

Alex shook his head, "No. I was really hoping to meet someone to take my mind off of Isabel but no such luck.” He motioned inside, “Hey, speaking of which, what is up with you and Sean DeLuca earlier?"

"Oh, yeah,” Liz sighed. “He didn't realize I was with Max and he asked me out."

Alex laughed, "What, is the guy blind? You and Max spend like every waking moment together."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - We Are Family)
(Tuesday - January 30th, 2001)
(West Roswell High School)

Max stopped Kyle in the hall, "Can we talk?"

Kyle was angry and blamed all of his father's problems on Max, "No."

"Look," Max started, "I'm sorry about what's happening."

Kyle turned on him, "There's gonna be a hearing. They might take away his job."

Max was worried about Sheriff Valenti too. "Kyle, your dad has some stuff in his office, stuff that Michael found out at that burial site. It's alien. And if that agent starts poking around..."

Kyle cut him off, "You might be exposed? What a shame."

Max understood what Kyle was feeling but if the FBI found the substance it wouldn't be good for any of them. "Your father could be nailed for withholding evidence. It would only make things worse for him."

"So take care of it," Kyle said simply.

Max sighed, feeling frustrated, "I'm already on their radar. This is the safest way to do this. No one will think twice if you walk into that office. Kyle, we need your help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: The Answer by Sarah McLachlan

Max closed the door to the eraser room behind him, "I got your note. What's wrong?"

Liz eyes were brimming with tears, "Nothing. No. No. Um, that's not true. I've just been thinking a lot lately, and... Have you ever wanted to see Sweden?"

Max was thrown by the sudden change of subject, "Sweden?"

"I mean or anywhere," Liz clarified. "Peru, Nigeria, New Zealand."

Max nodded, "Sure. Why?"

"Watching Alex this week. I just realized that, it's our right to see the world, to live our dreams. You and Isabel and Michael and Tess, you guys are getting cheated on a lot of things, and it's not fair. None of it is."

"I know," Max said. "That's why I want to make sure that you follow your dream of going to Harvard."

Liz shook her head. "That doesn't matter to me Max. It is more important to me to be with you."

Max smiled and pulled her into an embrace. "Then you will have to go to Harvard because that is where I intend be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Disturbing Behavior)
(Saturday, February 3rd, 2001)
(The Evans House – Max’s Room)

Max flipped through the biology book and looked into the microscope. He was pretty sure it was a type of bacterium but there were thousands if not millions of types.

Isabel interrupted him, "Are you getting anywhere?"

"I think we're dealing with some kind of, uh, alien bacterium... or something."

Isabel cocked her head to the side, "Maybe you should ask your lab partner. She's the science whiz."

Max shook his head. "I'm trying to keep Liz out of this."

"Are you sure that is such a good idea? She could help us figure out what is going on."

"I don't want Liz involved in the alien stuff."

"Why not Max? What’s going on?"

Max sighed, not sure how to explain it to Isabel. "I just want Liz's life to be normal. Liz left me because of what we learned that day in the cave. What if the alien crap drives her away from me again? I don't think I would survive it."

"What does Liz say?"

"She wants to be involved in every aspect of my life, but I just can't take any chances."

Isabel sat on the bed, "Max, Liz is alive because of your powers. She accepts you for who you are. She loves you."

"I know. I just can't lose her."

Isabel nodded, "I know Max but you won't. She wants to help and she might be our only hope."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell UFO Museum)

Liz turned the knob, bringing the specimen into focus and recognized it immediately. She turned to Max and Isabel, "It looks like they're alien versions of negleria filarae." She explained further when she met their blank looks, "Waterborne parasites found in the blood cells of certain species of fish."

"Parasites?" Max asked, concerned, "Well, that implies they need something to feed on... like an arm?"

"Maybe," said Liz thoughtfully, "but you said that they didn't effect you."

"No, I got the feeling I didn't taste good or something."

Liz looked at him, "Then they didn't react when Sheriff Valenti picked them up?"

Max shook his head, "No."

Liz turned introspective, speaking her theory aloud, "Sounds like they're not interested in terrestrial organisms."

"Well, except Laurie," Max reminded her, "They formed on her grave site."

"So, maybe," Liz speculated, "there's something unique about her, something the parasites are looking for. Or there could be something unique about her gravesite. It's in Frazier Woods, right?"

"Right."

Liz nodded. She reached for her phone and quickly dialed. "Isabel," she spoke into the receiver when she answered, "Hi. It's Liz. We need you to do something."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Disturbing Behavior)
(Sunday, February 4th, 2001)
(Tucson, AZ)

Michael, Maria and Laurie stopped at the front gate of the Dupree house.

"Wow," Maria gasped, "Grandpa's done pretty well for himself."

Michael turned to Laurie, "You okay?"

Laurie smiled, "I'm nervous. I haven't seen my Grandfather for so long."

Michael pressed the buzzer on the gate and almost immediately a voice spoke through the intercom.

"Can I help you?"

Michael stepped back so the camera could see him, "Yeah. We're here to see Charles Dupree."

"Who are you?" asked the voice through the intercom.

Michael motioned to them each in turn, "I'm Michael, this is Maria, and this is Mr. Dupree's Granddaughter, Laurie."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell UFO Museum)

Isabel met Max and Liz after her meeting with Grant. "So he has about fifty experiments going on in Frazier Woods, all of which he explained to me in excruciating detail, but the common thread through each one is the water table."

"What about it?" Max asked.

Isabel continued with her story, "The woods are unusual because the water's so close to the surface. In some places, it's less than three feet below ground."

Liz spoke up, "You know, if the parasites really are waterborne, and that's just a theory, they might be in the water table."

"Yeah," Max agreed, "but how would alien parasites get in the water table in the first place?"

Liz walked to the computer and pulled up a map of the water table, "Okay. Uh, this is a map of the water table for the entire county."

"It looks like a bunch of, uh, rivers," Max noted.

"Yeah," said Liz nodding, "that's basically it. The water flows from one area to another through a system of underground rivers and streams..." she let her sentence trail off as she pulled up the section of the map they were interested in, "Frazier Woods."

"So the stream passes right underneath the grave site," Isabel said.

A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Max, "Let's see the rest of that stream."

Liz widened the view to look up-stream, "Oh, my God."

"What?" he asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"Do you know what that is?" Liz asked. "That's Pohlman Ranch."

"The crash site," Isabel breathed with a gasp of fear.

"Yeah," said Liz. "The stream passes right beneath it."

Max stated what they were all thinking, "That means that the parasites might have been on our ship."

Liz turned to them, "Somebody kidnaps a girl and buries her in the ground so a bunch of alien parasites can, I mean, can do what to her we don't know, and, and then how does he know about these parasites? Is he human, or is he alien? Are these things dangerous to normal people in Roswell?"

"Okay," said Isabel taking a deep breath. "Where do we go from here, Max?"

Max shook his head, "I have absolutely no idea."

Liz spoke up, "We need help."

Max and Liz looked at one another, the same thought suddenly occurring to both of them and they both spoke aloud, "Courtney."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - How the Other Half Live)
(Monday, February 5th, 2001)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Max, Isabel and Liz sat down at a table with Courtney and Max came right to the point, "We need your help. We think that some form of a parasite was released into our Earth's ecosystem when our ship crashed fifty years ago. We think they're dangerous."

Courtney's brow furrowed for a moment. "When you say parasite, what do you mean?"

Max shrugged, "I don't know. It looks like blue crystals."

Courtney shook her head, "I could be wrong but if it is what I think it is, we are all in trouble."

Liz sat forward, "What do you think it is?"

Courtney sat back in her chair, "When you want to create an alien-human hybrid, you need something to help bridge the differences. The cells normally don't mix, don't fit together. That's where the Ganderium comes in.

"Ganderium," Liz said simply, somehow feeling better now that they had a name for the crystals.

Courtney nodded, "The Ganderium are a genetically engineered life form, designed to make up for the differences in non-matching genetic materials. In a controlled environment, like on your ship, they're harmless, but released into an eco-system, the Ganderium will perform the only role they know, infect human cells.

Isabel spoke up, "But they're not infecting just any human cells, they seem to be focusing on one particular girl."

Courtney nodded, "Not every human would be infected right away. For the Ganderium to work, the host's genetic structure has to have a flaw."

Liz nodded in understanding, "That's why they're going after Laurie. She must have the defect."

"What happens if they succeed in infecting Laurie?" Max asked.

Courtney took a deep breath, "Once they've infected her, the Ganderium will mutate into a universal virus. She'll infect anyone she comes into contact with, human or otherwise and eventually every infected person on the planet will die. The mortality rate would probably be over ninety percent of the population."

Max shook his head. "How do we destroy them?"

"Once they've infected the host, it's all over," said Courtney softly.

A sudden realization came to Liz, "They didn't finish. The Ganderium didn't finish infecting Laurie."

"She was buried right out there with the crystals," said Isabel.

"No," argued Liz. "That's why they're still coming after her. To complete the process."

Courtney broke in, "If that's true, then we may still have a chance. The Ganderium are hive-like, with workers, drones, even a Queen. The Queen is the only one that can infect the host. But the crystals have to build up in the blood stream to a critical level before the Queen can infect the host. So we have to find the Queen, kill her, and the rest of the hive will die.

Mad nodded decisively, "The first thing we have to do is go back to Frazier Woods and find out how many more of these crystals are out there. Or rather, down there. And then we have to find a way to destroy them. Collect whatever digging equipment you can and meet outside in an hour. I'm going to call Kyle, Alex and Tess for more help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Dupree Mansion - Poolside)

Carmen placed the phone in front of Michael, "This one is for you sir."

"Thank you," said Michael as he reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Michael, it's Max. The crystals can't live without oxygen."

"Okay," Michael said, wondering how that information applied to him.

"That's how we can stop it," Max explained.

"Well, I got a news flash for you Maxwell," Michael scoffed, "there are no crystals around here."

"So Laurie's safe?" Max asked, attempting to bring Michael around to the point of the call.

"She's under my constant watch," Michael said, "I'm not even sleeping. How are things with you?"

"Tired," Max sighed. "It's been a long couple of days."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"It's been raining pretty hard here."

Carmen handed Michael the DVD player. "Thank you," he whispered to Carmen.

"Morale's a little low," Max continued.

"Ah Max, I gotta take another patrol round the perimeter."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max drove himself and Liz back to his house. His parents were out of town and it would take Isabel hours to get back from Tucson. He and Liz could spend some much-needed time alone together. They were both soaked and dirty from digging holes Frazier Woods but as Max stopped the Jeep in his driveway and looked across to Liz, he thought she had never looked more beautiful. She was bathed in the glory of saving the world.

But as much as Max was happy that they had succeeded, he blamed himself completely for endangering the Earth in the first place. The parasites were alien. Their ship had brought them to the Earth and the crash had released them into the environment. They were responsible.

Liz broke into his thoughts, having felt his emotions through their bond, "This wasn't your fault, Max."

"We brought those things to Earth."

"They wouldn't have been dangerous if the ship hadn't crashed," Liz argued.

"The ship," Max scoffed, "is just the first thing in a long line of alien screw-ups."

"What are you talking about, Max?"

Max took a deep breath. "Liz, everything we have discovered about our past and what we really are, has only brought pain and death; the FBI and Pierce, the skins, Tess, and the message from our mother, and now the Ganderium. And Nasedo, who was supposed to be our protector, killed more people than I want to think about."

"But Max, that isn't you."

"How do we know that Liz? How do we know anything about who I was in my other life?"

Liz shook her head, "Max you aren't like that. I know."

Max's heart swelled with love at Liz's words but he was afraid if he pursued his alien heritage, he would discover something about himself or his people that would turn her away from him. "Liz, the only good thing that has come of my being alien was saving you and how it brought us together. That is what I want to concentrate on, you and me, and building a life. I don't care about anything else."

"But Max what about your people, your destiny?"

Max shook his head, "They will have to figure a way out of this mess themselves. How could one man possibly make a difference in a war that has been going on for more than fifty years? I am not a King. I don't know anything about being a leader, and even if we did return, I wouldn't know how to help them anyway."

"But Max..."

He shook his head again, silencing her. "I want to cut everything alien out of our lives. I just want to be a normal person and live a normal life."

Liz smiled, "Max, you know I'll follow you anywhere. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." She reached up and touched his cheek, strengthening the bond between them and sent him a brief flash of them stepping into a steaming shower together. "Now, I think we should go get cleaned up."

Max kissed her gently, "Anything you want, my love."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Dupree Mansion)
(Later that evening)

Michael turned to Maria, "Maria, let me ask you something."

"Hmmm?"

"What would you think if Laurie moved in with me? I mean, like we said, she's kind of my sister."

"She is," Maria said carefully.

"Yeah," said Michael answering his own question, "but after all she's been through, she probably needs some peace and quiet."

"Probably," Maria agreed.

"And a chance to get away from all the alien stuff and, if she lived with me, well, I'm kinda a magnet for the intergalactic trouble."

"Yeah."

"What's gonna happen to her? We can't leave her here with these freaks."

"Well," said Maria, "that's something we can handle. All we need is a lawyer."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 4:24 pm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Viva Las Vegas)
(Thursday, February 15th, 2001)
(Michael’s Apartment)

Michael woke up from another nightmare, gasping with relief that it wasn't real. For the last two weeks the nightmares had gotten steadily worse, he needed to do something to stop them.

He wandered into the living room and took out the bag of money the Duprees had given him. The money was tainted and somehow he knew it was causing his dreams. If he got rid of it, maybe his dreams would stop.

He threw the money onto the table and went into his room. He quickly stuffed some things into a bag and then returned to the living room. He picked the money up off the table and turned it over in his hands and then coming to a decision he put the money into the bag too and headed out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Evans House – Max’s Room)

Max was awoken by the sound of his window opening. "What's going on?" he asked Michael who was climbing inside.

Michael threw his bag onto the floor, "We are leaving, that's what's going on. You and I. We're getting out of this town for a couple of days."

"What? Why? What's wrong?" Max asked, concerned.

"I need a road trip," Michael explained. "I gotta clear out the cobwebs."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Michael sighed, "I'm talking about getting out of this two-bit town for a couple of days and having some fun. Is there something wrong about that?"

"No," Max agreed, as he turned on the light, "there's nothing wrong with that. You wanna tell me what's really going on."

"Nightmares, Maxwell. I can't shake them. I've had them every night for two weeks. I mean my brain needs a vacation, or I swear to God I'm going to lose it on someone or something, and it's not gonna to be pretty.

"Okay," Max said, "we'll take a vacation."

"Yeah, today," Michael said. "Now, let's go, out of town."

"Today?" Max asked. "But we need a plan."

"Screw the plan, let's just go."

"Michael, you gotta trust me here. We need a cover story, so no one looks for us."

Michael shook his head, "I cannot make it through another day of school."

Max tried to calm him, "Look. You know there is no way I’m leaving without Liz, and Maria will be hurt if you don’t include her, right? So we'll tell them and cover our tracks and then we're out of here. Okay?"

"Okay, okay, okay,” Michael agreed. “But we don't have to be with them all the time do we? We can have some guy time right?"

Max smiled, "Yeah. So, where are we going anyway?"

"You're gonna love it. It's a place without rules, without responsibilities, a place where we can forget about our troubles. It's a city of dreams."

"Which would be..." Max let the sentence trail off for Michael to finish it.

"Vegas. We're going to Vegas baby."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(West Roswell High School)

Michael was waiting for Max outside his third period class. "So Max, will that plan to cover our absence stretch to include a few others?"

"Like Isabel?" Max asked.

"No," Michael said, shaking his head.

"Yes," Max nodded. "She heard us talking this morning and she wants to come."

"Great." Michael said unenthusiastically. "Maria invited Alex, and Tess found out and invited herself and Kyle too. The whole damn town is coming."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Bali Hai Hotel and Casino - Presidential Suite)
(Las Vegas, NV)

Michael had handed out the money and fixed the group's IDs. Everyone headed out except Max, Michael and Liz.

Max turned to Michael, "Give me a minute. I'll meet you by the elevator."

He waited until Michael had left before he took Liz in his arms and pulled her into a searing kiss. After a moment he broke the kiss with a sigh, "I am going to miss you today but tonight will be all about us."

Liz smiled and kissed his cheek, "I can't wait." She motioned to the door, "Now go have some fun."

Liz could feel the anger pouring out of the person in the room behind her but she waited until Max closed the door before she spoke. "What do you want Tess?"

"You're sleeping with him?" asked Tess, as she stomped into the room.

Liz turned to face the other girl, "I don't really see how that's any of your business."

"I'm his wife," Tess shouted.

"You were his wife," Liz corrected. "Every wedding vow I have heard has a, 'til death do us part,' clause. You both died so your marriage ended."

"No," Tess argued. "Max loved me in our last life and he will love me again. You are just a ... a distraction."

Neither of them had heard the door open a moment earlier but suddenly Max burst into the room and rushed angrily toward Tess. "How dare you speak to Liz like that. Our relationship is none of you business."

"Hello," Tess said sarcastically, as she waved at him, "your wife here."

Max shook his head, "You may have been my wife in our last life but you mean nothing to me in this one."

"Max!" Liz said critically, surprised by his harshness, and she reached out to take his arm.

His attention was captured by her gesture and he felt his temper dissolve under her gentle touch. "Sorry, Tess. I shouldn't have said that."

Tess was close to tears and pushed past them and out the door without a word.

Max turned to Liz, "I'm sorry Liz. I just got so angry when I heard her attacking you, us."

Liz wrapped her arms around him, "Max it doesn't matter what Tess or anyone else says. It won't change the way we feel about each other."

"No," Max agreed, "nothing can change that."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Off the Menu)
(Friday, April 13th, 2001)
(The Gap - Roswell Mall)

Maria and Liz stood in front of the mirror as Liz examined two shirts. She held a yellow one in her right hand and put it in front of her, "I like the style of this one but," she switched hands and held up a red shirt, "I like the color of this one." She turned to Maria, "What do you think?"

Maria pointed to the red shirt, "I think the red is much better on you but you're right, the style is terrible."

Liz nodded and pointed to the yellow shirt again, as she turned to Maria. "I wish this style came in red..."

Maria grabbed her arm. "Liz," she hissed through her teeth.

"What Maria?" Liz asked, suddenly concerned.

"Okay, okay," Maria started, "now don't freak out."

"Maria, why would I freak out?"

Maria lowered her voice to a whisper, "Look at the shirts."

Liz laughed, "What do you mean? You practically had me freaked out, being all mysterious. I thought something was wrong."

Maria's eyes widened and she spoke through clenched teeth, "Look at the shirts."

Liz glanced down at the shirts in her hands and for a moment she didn't understand what she was seeing. She smoothed her hand over the shirts; they were now both red. Liz looked at Maria. "What happened?"

"You happened girl," Maria said.

Liz shook her head, "What do you mean, I happened?"

"You changed the color. I saw you."

Liz laughed nervously, "Don't be silly. I couldn't possibly have..." she let her sentence trail off and her smile faded. "Could I?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Evans House – Max’s Room)

Liz finished telling Max of the events at the mall. "I tried to change the shirt back to yellow but I couldn't do it."

Max shook his head, "Liz this is bad."

She could feel his worry through their connection, "Why is it bad?"

"You won't be able to control the powers and if it happened at the wrong time, if the wrong person saw, it would put you in danger. We'll have to work on controlling your powers enough so you can suppress them."

Liz nodded, disappointed by Max's reaction. She thought he would be as excited as she had been when the initial surprise had worn off.

Max sensed her disappointment and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I know you were excited about your powers and you wanted me to be too. But Liz the best thing I can give you is a normal life."

Liz shook her head. "Max, I don't care what kind of life I lead as long as I'm with you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Valenti House)

Kyle opened the door and looked at the six people gathered before him with surprise. He addressed Max, who was standing in front, "Did I miss a memo for a meeting?"

"Are Tess and your father home?" Max asked. "We need to talk."

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Come on in."

Tess and Jim rose from the sofa as the others entered.

"Is something wrong?" Tess asked.

Max shook his head, "No but we wanted to tell you what happened today, because it could effect all of us."

Jim motioned for the others to sit. "What happened?"

Max glanced at Liz sitting beside him and she nodded for him to continue. Max turned to face the others. "Liz has developed powers."

"What?" Tess asked angrily, as she jumped up from her seat. "How did that happen?"

Max shrugged, "I don't know, but we think it must have been..."

Kyle cut Max off and finished his sentence, "because you healed her." Kyle looked around with wide eyes, "So it could happen to me too."

Max nodded. "We don't know if you will develop powers but you could. I healed you several months after Liz. It might take a certain amount of time for them to show up, or they might come tomorrow, but we just wanted to warn you to be careful."

Kyle nodded silently.

Max continued, "Also, I think we should keep this to ourselves for now. I mean, I don't want anyone to tell Courtney," he said, looking specifically at Michael.

"You think she might betray us?" Michael asked.

Max shook his head, "Not on purpose. But if our enemies found out, it would make Liz and Kyle targets and they wouldn't be able to defend themselves."

Everyone nodded their agreement.

Max took Liz's hand, "I will be working with Liz to help her control her powers but she might have some accidents at first. She might even be doing things that she is not aware of, so if any of us see her do something, um, otherworldly, just fix it as quickly and discretely as possible."

He looked around the group and met the eyes of the aliens and Kyle, "It's more important than ever that we not to expose ourselves. With Liz and maybe Kyle getting powers they can't control, we need to keep a low profile. So no one uses powers in public and be careful in private too."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Heart of Mine)
(Wednesday, April 25th, 2001)
(West Roswell High School)

Maria looked at the Prom poster and then significantly at Michael.

Michael rolled his eyes, "Just kill me now. I don't do proms. I don't believe in them."

"You don't believe in them?" Maria asked.

Michael shook his head, "The whole thing is totally bogus. It's completely unnatural."

Maria laughed, "You know what, I find it to be really unnatural that you're half alien warrior and half Grandpa Dupree. But I make do."

Michael sighed, "I knew you were going to make this thing into a whole issue."

"Oh my God!" Maria exclaimed. "This is potentially one of the five greatest nights of my life! And if you're not going to do your part in providing that for me, then I'm just gonna, I'm gonna seek other options. That's what I'm gonna do."

Michael's brow creased, "So what are you saying, that we're seeing other people?"

Maria's mouth dropped open in surprise, "Oh my God, you are so annoying!"

"Fine then," Michael said, "we're seeing other people."

"Fine!" Maria shouted back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Heart of Mine)
(Thursday, April 26th, 2001)
(West Roswell High School)

Isabel saw Alex across the library. She had hoped he would ask her to the Prom but she had to admit he might be afraid she would turn him down, again. She smiled. Maybe he just needed a little encouragement. She crossed to his table and sat down, "So I think Billy Sorian is going to ask me to prom."

"Billy, huh?" Alex asked. "Are you sure? Cuz I heard he was taking Amy Green."

Isabel smiled, "Well, the point is, I would've said no."

"Oh," Alex said with a nod.

Obviously Alex wasn't getting her drift. Isabel decided to change her approach. "What about you Alex? Anyone special?"

Alex shook his head, "Not right now."

"Really?" Isabel asked interestedly. "Maybe someone special, from your past, who's ready now and before she wasn't."

Alex smiled, "Isabel, it would be my pleasure to take you to prom."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Cafe)

Liz rolled her eyes, "Maria I am not going to help you break into Michael's apartment. I just know that you'd regret it.

"Well, yeah, if we don't find any evidence."

"Of what?" Liz asked.

"That he's seeing someone else!" Maria said exasperatedly. "Hello!"

"This whole thing came up yesterday," Liz said, trying to calm her friend. "How could he already have another girlfriend?"

Maria nodded, "That's exactly my point Liz. He obviously already had this bimbo on the side and was just looking for an excuse to break up with me, ya know?"

Liz shook her head, "No, I just think that you are overreacting. Look, I will talk to Max and we'll find out what is going on. Okay?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Valenti House)

Kyle knocked on the door jam as he stood in the doorway of Tess’ bedroom, "Hey."

Tess looked up from her book, "Hey Kyle. What's up?"

Kyle shifted nervously from foot to foot. He had no idea why this was so difficult. After all he and Tess had been sleeping together for months. "I know that I'm not the guy you really want to be with so feel free to say no, or laugh or be outraged or whatever. But would you, um, want to go to the prom, you know, with me?"

Tess smiled. Kyle was cute when he was nervous, "You know, I'd really like that Kyle."

"Oh," he said with a relieved smile. He had to admit to himself that he was falling in love with her and it made him happy to know that for at least one night, she was with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Michael's apartment)

"Hey Max," Michael greeted, as he stood aside to allow his friend to enter. "What's up?"

"That's what I'm hoping you can tell me," said Max.

"What do you mean?"

Max sighed and jumped right in, "Imagine this. I am dating Liz. Maria is Liz's best friend. Maria is dating Michael. Michael and Maria have a fight about the prom and seeing other people."

Michael nodded as understanding dawned, "Maria talked to Liz, who asked you to come to me."

Max smiled, "Right. So why don't you put us all out of our misery and tell me what's going on."

Michael turned to the kitchen counter and started to rub at a stain. "The problem is, I, uh, I can't dance."

"You can't dance," Max deadpanned. "You told Maria you wanted to see other people because you can't dance."

Michael shook his head, "No, you don't understand. Maria wants to go to the prom and have it be this big thing that she will cherish for the rest of her life and I don't want to ruin that."

"Well, breaking up with her will certainly make it memorable," Max said dryly.

"No, Max. I didn't really break up with her. I just said that to buy myself some time."

"For what?" Max asked, now really confused.

"To learn how to dance. I'm taking dancing lessons and I thought I would surprise her at the dance."

Max nodded. "You know you are driving her crazy? And what am I going to tell Liz?"

Michael scratched at his eyebrow, thinking. Suddenly an idea came to him, "Tell Liz to tell Maria that I am working on a surprise."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Heart of Mine)
(Friday, April 27th, 2001)
(Prom Night)

Max walked into the Crashdown to meet Liz but stopped as she emerged from the back room. It was as if everything else in the world dropped into the background and only the two of them were left. Liz was so beautiful, she took his breath away.

Liz smiled and spoke to Max through their connection, You always say the perfect thing.

They crossed to each other and Max took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips. Because I love you.

I love you too, Liz said.

Max kissed Liz briefly, aware that her parents were around and turned to the others that he had noticed before Liz had captured his attention. Alex was wearing a tux and Maria and Isabel were clad in formal gowns but Michael was dressed in his usual working attire.

Max turned as Tess and Kyle came through the door and pasted a polite smile on his face. He hadn't wanted to include Tess but he liked Kyle and didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him his date wasn't welcome. Just being near Tess made Max’s skin crawl. It was as if she represented everything he was trying to remove from his life. Sometimes he felt if Tess wasn’t around everything would be perfect.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Prom)
(West Roswell High School)

Song Playing: I Alone by Live

Liz smiled contentedly as she and Max swayed to the closing notes of the song. It had been a great night, better than she ever could have dreamed. Isabel and Alex had gotten back together and Michael had surprised Maria at the dance. Even Tess and Kyle were having a good time.

Liz had tears in her eyes as the last song ended, "It's been a wonderful evening, Max. I love you so much."

Max kissed her gently, "You mean everything to me."

Max and Liz were so wrapped up in one another that neither of them noticed Tess' thunderous expression.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Cry Your Name)
(Monday, April 30th, 2001)
(The Whitman House – Alex’s Room)

Alex sat on his bed writing chords for his new song. Since the prom, when he and Isabel had gotten back together, the music and lyrics were flowing from him, and he was rushing to get them all written down. He hadn't been able to write in months but Isabel inspired him, there was just no other explanation.

He was interrupted by a knock and answered without looking up, "Come in."

It wasn't until the second knock that he realized the sound was coming from the window and not the door. He got off the bed and drew back the curtains, somewhat irritated at the interruption. But he smiled when he saw who it was and quickly opened the window and motioned his guest inside. "Isabel, what a nice surprise. I didn't expect to see you today."

Isabel climbed in the window and Alex noticed her agitation, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No, no. Nothing is wrong. I just need to tell you something."

Alex's heart sank, "Oh no."

"No, really Alex, it's nothing bad," Isabel reassured him as she sat down in the window seat. "Last semester, Ms. Rikesdale told me that I only needed to take one more class to graduate. So I did."

Alex didn't even try to cover his surprise, "So you're graduating?"

"Alex you are the only one I have told."

Alex nodded," So are you, going to college?"

Isabel continued, "I could, but after everything that has been happening lately, I've decided being a kid for another year isn’t such a bad thing."

She paused and looked down at her hands nervously, "And with everything that has happened between us, I wanted to stay and see where it was going to lead."

Alex smiled, "Isabel as much as what you're saying means to me and as much as I want you to stay, you can't."

"Who says I can't?" she asked.

Alex took her hands in his, "What if, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but what if it doesn't work out between us? You might come to regret your decision to stay."

"Alex, it's not like I'm being held back a year. I will just be graduating at the time I was supposed to, with all of you. Plus college will still be there, waiting for me. I can take all of the A.P. classes to get college credit and save my parents some money in the process."

"So you really have thought this through?" Alex asked hopefully.

Isabel nodded, "I want to stay with you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - It's too Late and It's too Bad)
(Monday, May 14th, 2001)
(Roswell City Park)

Tess strolled through the park as she often did at night. It was a her way of sorting out her life and she was so deep in thought that she didn't see the other person until she was nearly on top of him. "Oh, hey Max," she greeted warmly, "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking home," Max said with a nod and moved to continue past her.

"Oh," Tess said quickly, not ready to end the encounter, "the Jeep broke down?"

Max stopped a few feet away, "No, Isabel and Alex took it to Buckley Point."

"And Liz?" Tess asked.

Max frowned, wondering at the reason for Tess' curiosity. "She and Maria are preparing for an oral report."

Tess moved closer to him, "So you're all alone tonight?"

Max took a step back, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Tess said innocently. "I just thought if you didn't have other plans, you might want to come to the observatory with me."

"The observatory?" Max asked.

Tess nodded, "Yeah. There's a star that I go and look at sometimes. It's called Barnard's star and you can see it from our planet too." She took another step closer to him. "Our world's out there, Max. It's not close and sometimes it seems like a dream to me too, but I know that it's real, and I know you know that too." She pointed to the sky, "That's reality, Max. This," she said, motioning to her body, "this is the dream."

Max shook his head, "No Tess. I don't remember anything about our world and I don't want to. Our other life is the dream to me; it's a nightmare I hope I never have again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode Equivalent - Baby It's You)
(Wednesday, May 16th, 2001)

Kyle and Alex walked into the Crashdown and took seats at the counter next to Max.

"So what are we doing tonight?" asked Kyle.

Liz set their usual drinks in front of them. "Maria heard there's a free Nelly Furtado concert down at Las Cruces University but Michael wants to watch Braveheart again."

"Oh," Alex said enthusiastically, "I vote for the University."

Kyle looked at him strangely, "You like Nelly Furtado? I thought you were more of an alternative man."

Alex laughed, "Yeah I am, but while we're down there I can check out the new super computer. Las Cruces has a great computer science program and it is one of my first choices for college."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, July 15th, 2001)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Courtney smiled as she watched Liz and Maria embracing each other. Maria was leaving to visit her Grandmother and that would leave Michael alone with her. Michael had been refusing her advances, but now she had a month to win him over and with Maria out of the picture she didn't think it would take that long.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, September 21st, 2001)
(Roswell City Council Chambers)

Jim sat before the City Council, not sure what to expect. The last time he had been there had not been a pleasant experience but he had understood the reasons why they had to fire him.

Jim waited as the meeting continued with discussions of road repairs and zoning regulations but finally the chairman of the City Council addressed him. "Mr. Valenti, due to the lack of evidence of any wrong-doing on your part from the internal investigation, and the affidavits from Laurie Dupree, Agent Susanne Duff of the FBI, and the legal actions of Philip Evans on your behalf, added to the inexperience and the sometimes questionable actions of acting Sheriff Hansen, we, the members of the City Council, would like to offer you the position of Sheriff.

Jim couldn't have been more surprised if they had said they were running him out of town. It took a minute for the information to sink-in but when it did a smile spread across his face and he got to his feet. "Members of the Council, Mr. Chairman, I accept your offer."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, January 15th, 2002)
(The Valenti House)

Kyle put the mug on the counter in front of him and took up his stance, arm outstretched. Since he had learned that Liz was developing powers, Kyle had gone through this routine every morning. He closed his eyes and focused on building his energy and using it to push the mug across the counter. After a moment he cracked one eye open and then the other, relaxing his body in defeat. It was the same every morning, nothing happened.

Sometimes he wasn't sure if he was glad or disappointed that he hadn't developed powers but today he was angry. Max Evans had come storming into their lives, taken Liz from him, gotten his father involved in their alien mess and eventually fired, and Max continued to treat Tess like crap.

Yes, Kyle admitted to himself, Max had healed him and he was grateful but it just made him dislike Max even more that he had to be grateful to him. He wouldn't have been in danger in the first place if it hadn't been for Max. But worst of all, Kyle hadn't even gotten any super-powers in the bargain. Was there some intergalactic conspiracy against the Valenti family?

Suddenly Kyle felt power surge through him and down his arm. He watched stunned, as the mug flew across the counter and smashed into the wall, sending shards of ceramic in all directions.

He was so surprised that he didn't move until Tess came running into the room. "Kyle, what happened? Are you okay?"

He turned to her with wide eyes, "I think I've developed super-powers."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, January 18th, 2002)

Liz and Max walked to the mailbox hand in hand. Max held the lid open and with a smile and they simultaneously dropped their envelopes into the box. He let the lid close and pulled Liz to him for a kiss.

They had both submitted applications to several colleges but Liz knew Max was counting on them both getting into Harvard. It had been her wish for years to attend college there and Max wanted her to have her dream. But it truly didn't matter to her any more. She would go anywhere or do anything to stay with Max.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, March 4th, 2002)
(The Valenti House)

"Feel the power building up within yourself," Tess said. "But always keep it under control. Then concentrate on directing the power where you want it and visualize what will happen."

Kyle built the power and pushed it down his arm and into the blue ball on the table, imagining the color change in his mind. Where his finger touched the ball, a small spot of red appeared and started to spread, swirling into the blue until the entire ball was red.

"Excellent," Tess said.

Kyle jumped out of his seat, "I did it. Did you see that?" he asked, pointing at the newly red ball. "I changed the color."

The ball suddenly exploded and they both jumped.

Tess was the first to recover with a laugh, "Yeah, you did it all right."

Kyle laughed with her for a moment and then was suddenly serious, "Tess tell me, why are you helping me with my powers?"

Tess shrugged, "You need to learn how to control them."

"Yeah," Kyle agreed, "but you're not just helping me control them are you? You're teaching me how to use them, how to strengthen them. Max told everyone to stop using powers so we wouldn't risk exposure and you are going against his orders."

"Max is wrong," Tess said simply. "We can't allow our powers to get weak because we didn't use them. He'll see that one day and be glad that we've developed our powers. He'll be glad we're strong."

Kyle nodded, "Will I develop a special power, like your mind-thing?"

"Mind warp," Tess corrected him dryly. "I don't know, not everyone does," she said with a shrug. "It depends on how powerful you are. We'll just have to wait and see."

Kyle leered at her comically, waggling his eyebrows, "So I could wake up one day with x-ray vision.”

Tess laughed, "Down Buddha boy." She motioned to the pieces of the ball, "Now let's see if you can put it back together."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, May 6th, 2002)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Max and Liz held hands, barely able to contain their excitement. They smiled at their friends gathered before them, Isabel, Michael and Maria; they were only waiting for Alex to arrive, to tell them the news.

Finally Alex trotted into the restaurant and slid into the booth beside Isabel. He planted a brief kiss on her cheek and turned to the others, "Sorry I'm late. So what's the big news?"

Max and Liz turned to one another with a smile. Max nodded and squeezed her hand and Liz blurted our their news, "Max and I were both accepted to Harvard."

Maria jumped up with a squeal and hugged Liz, "I'm so happy for you. It's what you've always wanted.

"Hey, congratulations you two," Alex said.

Isabel hugged her brother, "I always knew you could do it."

As the others congratulated them, Max noticed that Michael was standing quietly to the side. He approached him and spoke softly so the others couldn't hear, "What's up Michael?"

"Congratulation," Michael grunted.

Max raised an eyebrow at his tone, "You don't sound like you really mean it."

Michael shook his head, "No Max, I do mean it. You worked hard to get in, you earned it." He scratched at his eyebrow, "It's just," he stopped to clear his throat. "It's just that Isabel and Alex are going to school in Las Cruces and now you and Liz are going to..." He cocked his head, "Where is Harvard?"

Max smiled, "Near Boston."

Michael nodded, "You and Liz are going to Boston. I just never considered that we would be separated. It seems so final."

Max smiled, "We have always been like family. But families grow," he motioned to Liz and Maria, "and families sometimes move apart, but they are always still families. Nothing can truly separate us."

"Yeah, I know," Michael said, almost afraid to ask his next question. "Um, Max, what about, um, our mission?"

Max nodded his understanding. "I know we've never really talked about this Michael but since Nasedo died, I've felt lost but free at the same time. I've never wanted anything except to be normal, and when Liz and I got together I thought I would finally have that, but then Nasedo showed up and ruined everything. Everyone expected me to be this ruler, this King, but that was the last thing I wanted. What did I know about being a leader?"

Michael remembered his behavior toward Max with shame. "Max, I'm sorry, I never thought about how it was affecting you."

Max accepted his apology with a nod of his head. "When Nasedo died, I felt relief that there was no one to push us toward our destiny. No one could blame us for failing to help our people because everything had gone against us." Max looked past Michael toward the windows, "I felt relief but I also felt shame. I am abandoning our people, our families, who are waiting for help." He turned to look at Michael, "But I don't remember our other families or our planet. It doesn't seem real to me, it's like a half-remembered fairy tale I heard when I was little. Our life here on Earth is the only thing that's real to me. You, Isabel, Alex, Maria, Liz, that's my family. And I have decided to concentrate on the here and now and making a life on Earth."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, May 10th, 2002)
(Ristorante Celestino)

Song Playing: Together Forever by Rick Astley

Max gazed at Liz across the table, the flickering candlelight illuminating her face. He didn't think she had even been more beautiful than she was at that moment. She smiled and he knew she had heard his thoughts. "I mean it Liz."

"I know you do. I can feel it in your heart."

Max smiled, "Then you know how much I love you."

Liz smiled, "I know. I can feel your love surrounding me. I could never doubt it."

"And I can feel your love for me," he said, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small velvet-covered box. He had told Liz this dinner was to celebrate the fact that they had both been accepted to Harvard but he also had another agenda. "And I want to make it official."

Max took Liz's hand in his own and knelt before her, "Liz, I love you with so much of myself, I don't know where I end and you begin. You complete me in ways that I never knew existed and I can't imagine living my life without you." He held out the box and opened the lid, "Will you marry me, Liz?"

The tears of joy that had been gathering in Liz's eyes spilled down her cheeks as she reached to take Max's face in her hands. "Yes, Max. Yes, yes. You make me so happy I can't imagine what my life would have been like without you. I love you so much, I will marry you any time, any place you say."

Max took the ring out of the box and kissed Liz's dainty hand before sliding the ring home onto her finger. Then he stood and gathered Liz to him, in a tight embrace. "I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make you happy. You will never have any regrets."

"I know, Max. We will build a perfect world, together."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 2:07 pm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, May 13th, 2002)
(West Roswell High School)

Monday, the news was all over school; Max Evans and Liz Parker were getting married, and as one of their group of friends Tess had been subjected to excited congratulations all day. At first, she had thought it was a joke but as the day wore on, it seemed more of a certainty. And then she saw Liz's ring in the sixth period class she shared with Liz and Maria.

Maria waved Liz's hand, complete with engagement ring, in Tess' face triumphantly, as if she were declaring Liz the winner in a contest between them. Tess became so angry that she stormed out of class, ran to her car and peeled out of the parking lot.

She didn't really have a destination in mind, she simply drove. And as the thoughts flew through her head, she became more and more furious. Tess paid no attention to the scenery as she drove, too lost in her thoughts to notice anything else.

She silently raged against Liz and Maria, Michael and Isabel, but most of all she raged against Max. No matter what the others had done, it was Max who continued to deny her. Max was the one who deserved all of her anger.

Tess slowed her car and pulled over to the side of the road, noticing her location for the first time. She was near the road that lead to the pod chamber. She slammed the car in gear, turned onto the road and drove quickly toward the rock formation that housed the pod chamber.

A few minutes later, she pulled to a skidding stop at the base of the rocks. She jumped out of the car, ran up the slope, activated the door and stormed inside. Tess walked into the middle of the chamber and spun slowly around, again and again gaining speed with each rotation, faster and faster, until she was dizzy.

In this place, built completely of alien materials she had always felt the closest to home, but now, standing among the things from her planet, she felt like an outsider. Max had made her feel like she didn't belong among her own people.

A cold shiver raced up Tess' spine and she turned and ran back to her car. She started it and jammed the accelerator to the floor. No one would treat her like that, not even Max. She glanced at the clock on the dash of the car, school would be getting out in half-a-hour, just enough time for her to get back to school and confront Max.

As she drove into the school parking lot, Tess spied Max heading toward his Jeep and stopped her car just a few feet away. Max had a stupid, dreamy smile on his face that enraged her even more and she jumped out of her car and verbally attacked him. "How dare you get engaged to Liz!"

Max's smile dissolved at her words. "What are you talking about Tess?"

Tess stopped inches from him and pointed her finger into his face, "You can't just marry someone else. You're my husband."

"Keep your voice down," Max hissed, as he looked around to see if they had been overheard.

"I don't care who knows, Max!" Tess yelled.

"Well I do care," Max said angrily, trying to keep his temper. "I don't want you to do or say anything that might hurt Liz."

"Liz. Everything is always about Liz." Tess shook her head. "Look how fast you run to her defense. Why couldn't you ever feel that about me? I'm your wife."

Max shook his head, "None of that matters now Tess. Nasedo is dead, we don't have a way home and if we reveal ourselves, the skins will kill us all. Just face it, Tess, it's over. We failed, and the only thing we can do is make a life for ourselves here."

Tess stood silently as Max got into his Jeep and drove away. She couldn't believe he would deny everything, his people, his throne, and her, so he could stay on Earth with Liz. Max was so wrapped up in Liz that he couldn't even think straight. But, Tess thought, they were not married yet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, May 14th, 2002)
(The Parker House)

Liz climbed the stairs, eager to relax after a long day of work but stopped when she saw both of her parents sitting at the kitchen table, obviously waiting for her. "What's going on?" she asked apprehensively.

Her father was the first to speak, "Liz, we need to have a talk. Why don't you sit down?"

Liz sat across the kitchen table from her parents and waited for the bad news.

"Liz, honey," her mother started, "we have given this engagement of yours a lot of thought..."

Liz jumped to her feet, "You don't want me to marry Max?"

Her father held up his hands in a calming gesture, and as Liz regained her seat, he continued, "Now Liz, it's not that. We just think you should wait a while. You should concentrate on your future and you don't need any distractions. You are headed to Harvard and that will be a big change in your life. Moving away from everyone and everything you know, it can get lonely and maybe that’s why you accepted Max's proposal."

"I accepted Max's proposal because I love him will all of my heart and soul,” Liz said, “and nothing is going to change that."

"You think that now, Liz," her mother said, "but you have dated so few people. You just don't know who is out there in the world. Maybe you will find someone that you will love more than Max."

Liz shook her head, "You don't understand."

Her mother nodded, "I do understand. First love is powerful and you will never forget it but it rarely lasts and if you marry Max now, you might end up regretting it."

"And what do you really know about Max?" her father asked.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked.

"I mean he has been in trouble with the law. There was that whole scandal surrounding Sheriff Valenti last year and Max was right in the middle of it."

Liz shook her head. "I explained to you what happened, last year. Max is a kind, law-abiding, honor student, who also got into Harvard, in case you've forgotten. And it's not like we are getting married tomorrow. We’re planning on waiting until next year." She paused looking at her parents, wondering what had happened to bring this on. "Why are you doing this now? You seemed happy for me when I told you on Friday."

"We hadn't had time to think it through," her mother said. "And then we had a visit from your friend Tess and she told us..."

Liz's eyes narrowed and she cut her mother off, "Tess was here, talking to you about Max?"

Her father nodded. "She was just concerned you might be making a mistake marrying so young and so quickly. She said that she and Maria had tried to talk some sense into you but you wouldn't listen to them."

Liz nodded, "I see." Her parents had obviously been mind-warped by Tess and the reason she had done it was just as obvious. Tess still wanted Max for herself.

"Tess didn't think we should mention to you that she had been to see us, but we thought it might make more of an impact on you that your friends were worried about you too," her father said.

"And maybe," her mother continued, "it would be a good idea for you to spend some time away from Max. Like a cooling off period."

"So now you are telling me I can't see Max?" Liz asked emotionlessly.

"Just for a while," her mother agreed. "We just want you to really think this whole thing through."

Liz nodded, knowing she would not be able to talk her way through Tess' implanted emotions. "Maybe you're right," she said as she rose from the sofa. "I have a lot of thinking to do."

Liz waited until she reached the safety of her room before contacting Max through their bond. Max.

What's wrong Liz? I can feel that something is upsetting you.

It's my parents.

What happened? Max asked concerned.

Tess happened, Liz said. She mind-warped them.

Are they okay?

I think so, but she turned them against you, against our engagement.

Max was incredulous. What are you saying?

Tess told them she and Maria were worried about us getting married too young and now my parents want us to spend some time apart, to cool off.

Max could feel Liz's distress through the connection and he sent back his love. Liz, no one will keep us apart, not Tess and not your parents. We will figure a way out of this. I promise.

Liz felt herself relax under Max's reassurance. I just couldn't bear being separated from you Max.

That will never happen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max pounded on the Valenti's door and when Tess opened it, he verbally attacked her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Tess gave him her most innocent look, "I don't know what you are talking..."

Max cut her off, "Cut the crap, Tess." He grabbed her arm and propelled her inside, slamming the door behind them. "I know what you did to Liz's parents."

"I didn't do anything," Tess denied. "The Parkers were already having doubts about you and Liz, I just gave them something else to think about."

"You used your powers on them," Max accused. "To get what you want, you invaded their minds."

"It's not just what I want, it's what you want too," Tess said softly. "If only you would let me help you remember."

Max shook his head, "So you can mind-warp me in to doing what you want too? I don't think so."

Tess became instantly angry, "I wouldn't have to mind-warp you. We were in love and we could be again if you weren't so stubborn."

"Tess, I want you to fix whatever it is you did to the Parkers."

"Why should I? So it will be all clear for you to marry Liz?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Max said simply.

"You mean the right thing for you and Liz, but what about me? You get Liz and I get the shaft?" Tess paused and her expression became calculating. "If you promise that you will give me an honest chance, I'll undo what I did to the Parkers." She pouted prettily and reached up to touch his face, "I don't know what you ever saw in Liz anyway."

Max slapped her hand away and laughed joylessly, "You are so selfish and manipulative, I can't even believe it. All you ever think about is getting your own way and you don't care who you hurt in the process. Liz is exactly the opposite. She is kind and caring in a way you couldn't possibly understand. Last year when she walked away from me at the pod chamber, she was willing to sacrifice her happiness, her future, so you, a person she doesn't like or trust, could follow your destiny. Liz was willing to give you everything, but instead of being grateful or thanking her, you thought it was something Liz owed you." Max shook his head, "Even if we were married in our last life I know I never could have loved someone like you.

"How dare you speak to me that way, humiliate me," Tess screamed. "I was a Queen and your wife. And you can deny it all you want, but in our other life, you loved me." Tess raised her head haughtily, "But you were different then, you were a King. Now you are just a boy."

Max looked her in the eyes and spoke slowly and clearly, trying once again to get though to her. "I don't love you Tess and even if Liz died tomorrow, I would never be with you. You disgust me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, May 31st, 2002)
(West Roswell High School)

The graduation ceremony was supposed to have been the culmination of her school career, one of the moments she had been looking forward to all of her life, but to Liz it had passed in a blur. The only thing she could think of was her parents prejudice against Max. It was true that she was old enough to just marry Max but she hated thinking of disappointing her parents, even if the reasons were artificial. Liz glanced at Tess, a few rows ahead, and wondered not for the first time, how one person could cause so much trouble and misery.

Suddenly Tess turned, looked at Liz and smiled, and Liz was assaulted with her feelings. Tess thought she had won. She thought she had succeeded in keeping Max and her apart. Tess had known that Liz would not want to go against her parents' wishes, she had been counting on it, and she was right.

But suddenly none of it mattered to Liz, not Tess or her parents or anyone else. The only thing that mattered was the fact that she and Max were in love and they wanted to be together.

As the students threw their caps in the air, Liz made her way to Max's side. "Max, I think we should get married."

Max pulled her to him in a tight embrace. "So do I."

Liz shook her head with a smile, "Now. Tomorrow. As soon as we can arrange it."

"Liz I don't want to go against your parents,” Max said. “I'll get to know them, and my parents can talk to them, we'll change their minds. You'll see, everything will be okay. Maybe they are right. Nineteen is very young. We were planning on waiting until next year anyway and that will give your parents time to come around."

Liz leaned into Max and smiled, "Max our age doesn't matter. Romeo and Juliet were even younger and they knew they were meant to be together. And like those star-crossed lovers, I think we should elope."

Liz could feel Max's surprise through their connection and she kissed him quickly but passionately. "Why should we wait?" she continued. "We are old enough and we are leaving for college together. I want to live with you, be with you. I want to go to sleep every night and wake up every morning beside you. Let's elope and then we can start our life together. I want to be Mrs. Max Evans."

"Elope?" Max shook his head, "No Liz. You deserve a big wedding with the white wedding dress and flowers and your friends and family." He touched her face gently. "I want everything to be perfect for you."

"Max, none of that matters to me at all. The only thing that matters is being with you and I don't want to wait any longer. Wherever we get married it will be perfect."

Max smiled. "Every day I think there is no possible way I could love you more, and then you do something like this that proves me wrong."

Liz smiled, "Does that mean you agree?"

"There's nothing I want more than to marry you, Liz," Max said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, June 1st, 2002)

Song Playing: Heaven by Bryan Adams

Liz looked down at Max's hand, she held in her own. She had barely been able to take her eyes off of him since the ceremony and now that Max was driving them back to Roswell, she could study his handsome features at her leisure. It had been a long day but she had been right, a wedding any place with Max had been perfect.

That morning they had discovered it would take approximately a month to get a marriage license in New Mexico and it seemed as if their elopement would have to be postponed. Then Max had confessed a fantasy he'd had since they’d returned from Vegas last year. He admitted he was a closet Elvis fan and seeing the Elvis Chapel, when they had been in Vegas, had left a lasting impression on him. He had told Liz, with a shy smile, that he had dreamed more than once of marrying her there.

Liz had agreed eagerly, considering it to be the perfect solution because there was no waiting period for a marriage license in Nevada.

They had gotten in the Jeep and driven straight through, taking turns at the wheel on the twelve-hour trip. When they had arrived, Max had insisted they be properly dressed and Liz had insisted they have the ceremony at the Elvis Chapel. Max had been so handsome in his tux and Liz had felt positively radiant in her white gown, and after a brief ceremony and a 'Congratulations kids,' from the King, they had been officially married. The day had been so full of joy and love but now they were on their way home to face the music.

Liz raised Max's hand to her lips and kissed it gently causing Max to turn to her. "Max, when we get back to Roswell, we'll have to confront my parents."

"Having regrets already?" Max asked with a teasing tone.

Liz smiled, "Of course not. It's just, there won't be much of a chance for a celebration when we get home and today has been so wonderful I want to make it last as long as we can. I was thinking instead of driving straight back, we could stay in Phoenix. We could call everyone, Maria and Michael, Alex and Isabel, and they could drive up and meet us and we could have, like a reception."

Max pulled over to the side of the road, took Liz's face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly before he spoke. "That sounds perfect, Mrs. Evans."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, June 3rd, 2002)

Tess waited in the shadows near the Jeep behind the UFO Museum, knowing it was the only time she would be able to get Max alone. Apparently Max and Liz had eloped on Friday and returned late Saturday but she had known nothing about it until the Sheriff had told her this morning. The news had hit her like a physical object and for several minutes she hadn't been able to speak, and now hours later, she still couldn't believe it. Tess had been so sure that Max would eventually turn to her, she hadn't even considered the possibility he might go through with the marriage to Liz.

Concealed in the darkness, she watched as Max exited the building, smiling a farewell to his fellow employees, when suddenly the truth hit her. Max was so at ease with his friends, his co-workers, his family, but not with her. From their first contact he had been suspicious of her intentions and that had never changed. She had believed she had been gaining his friendship, his trust, but she realized she had just been fooling herself.

Glancing at the telltale ring on his hand, she waited until Max was within a few feet, to reveal herself to him. "So you and Liz got married," she said softly.

Max nodded but didn't speak and Tess could see he was prepared for her to attack. He expected her to do something to him, harm him in some way, and Tess slowly shook her head. Max didn't know her at all, he never had, and he obviously didn't want to. For some reason he didn't love her in this life and she knew now he never would. She had let herself believe she was one of their group but she never had been, and as all of the illusion was suddenly stripped away, she had never felt so alone in her life.

Tess took a step forward, saw the mistrust in Max's eyes sharpen and smiled sadly. "What do you want me to do, Max?" she asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

Max could sense some change in Tess, and for a moment he felt sorry for her. All of her life she had been told he was her destiny, her love, and that had been taken away from her. But as he studied her, he remembered another time when she had been waiting for him in the rain outside the Crashdown, had planted feelings in him and forced him to kiss her, and he dismissed his softening toward her as her own creation.

Raising his chin in determination, Max hardened his heart against her and angrily ground out his words, "I want you to leave us alone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Valenti House)

Tess was so busy stuffing her belongings into the suitcase, that she didn't hear Kyle enter the room.

"What are you doing, Tess?"

She spoke without looking up from her task, "I'm getting out of here."

Kyle grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, "What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

Tess shrugged, "Maybe I'll look for the other aliens who were on our ship, maybe I'll tour the world. I don't know exactly but I'm definitely leaving Roswell. There's nothing here for me anymore."

Kyle released her and spoke in an even tone, "Nothing here."

Tess shook her head. "I realized that I have been fooling myself. Max, Michael and Isabel don't care about me. They don't want anything to do with me and now that Max is married..." she let the sentence trail off and turned back to her packing.

"So everything is still about Max?" Kyle asked incredulously. He walked around so he could see her face again. "I thought we had something. Tess, this doesn't have anything to do with Max and the others. Who cares what they think? I am talking about us. You and me, that's what matters."

Tess looked at Kyle. She knew he had been in love with her for some time but she had always dismissed it as an unimportant detail. He should have known she had never been serious about him, could never love him. She had just been biding her time until Max came to his senses, but maybe Kyle hadn't realized it. "Kyle, there is no way I can stay here now."

Kyle shoved the suitcase aside and took her hands in his, with a smile. "Tess, screw the others. We are good together. You can stay here with me."

Tess laughed, "And do what? Be your little housewife?"

Kyle recoiled like she had struck him and dropped her hands but Tess didn't see his pain and she continued obliviously, "Kyle I am an alien Queen. I belong on another planet in a palace surrounded by servants, not in a small town kitchen, baking cookies for a PTA fundraiser."

Kyle nodded, "I see. I'm not good enough for you. My life, my planet, none of it is good enough. You never had any intention of being with me, did you? You were just using me."

"Oh come on Kyle," Tess protested, "we were using each other. We both knew I was waiting for Max."

"I loved you!" Kyle shouted. "You made me think we had a chance. We were sleeping together."

"Like that means anything," Tess said with a shrug.

"It meant something to me, Tess, but I guess I was just fooling myself too." He turned and walked out of the room, but stopped at the door and called over her shoulder, not able to look Tess in the face again. "You're right, Tess. There's nothing for you here anymore."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, June 7th, 2002)
(Crashdown Cafe)

It had been almost two years since Courtney had revealed herself to Michael but she had not made any progress in wining him over to her side. She had tried to seduce him, time and time again but he had always refused her. She had offered many times to help Michael learn to control his powers and recover his memories but he was suspicious of her motives and shied away from her assistance. Finally she had realized because of his life on Earth, Michael didn't trust easily and for the last year she had worked slowly to rekindle the friendship they had shared on Antar.

Courtney waited until she and Michael were alone, closing the Crashdown, to pose the question that had been on her mind. "So Max and Liz are off to Harvard," she started casually. "And what are your plans?"

"Mr. Parker is making me the manager at the Crashdown and I'm going to check out some of the classes at the Community College."

Courtney's eyebrows rose in surprise. "And what are you going to study?"

Michael shrugged, "Don't know yet. I figure I can take the basics and that will give me a while to decide."

Courtney shook her head, trying to keep her temper. "You should be taking classes in history, government, political science, law, or at least let me help you recover your memories."

"Haven't you gotten it through your head yet?" Michael asked heatedly. "I'm not going to betray Max."

Courtney's temper rose to meet Michael's, "So you're satisfied staying on Earth and being a fry-cook? You could rule a planet!"

Michael's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Yeah? And what's in it for you? You looking to be the next Queen of Antar?"

Courtney shook her head and moved a few steps closer until she was touching his arm. "You know I'm attracted to you and if you offered me the position, I wouldn't turn it down. But my main goal is equality for all of our people."

When Michael didn't respond she started to lightly run her fingers up and down his arm and lowered her voice seductively. "Don't you ever get sick of hearing about all the wars and killing on this planet? Do you ever wish you could do something to change it?" She leaned into him until she was whispering in his ear. "On Antar you could. You would determine how the government would be run. You would make the laws." She kissed him gently on the neck, "You would be a King."

Michael took her by the arms and gently pushed her away. He studied her face as she smiled seductively and he shook his head. "Sometimes you seem so familiar to me. Like home."

Courtney smiled, "It's your old memories coming through."

Michael was taken aback, "We knew each other, before?"

Courtney nodded, "We grew up together."

Michael shook his head, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Courtney shrugged, "I didn't think you would believe me."

Michael released her and turned away, "I won't do this. I'm with Maria."

Courtney pressed her body against his back and slowly ran her hands down his arms, "That could change and I'm willing to wait."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, June 8th, 2002)
(The Evans House)

Liz looked around the backyard at all of her friends. When she and Max had returned from Vegas last weekend and announced to their parents that they had eloped, Liz's parents had met the news with less enthusiasm than she had hoped. But the Evans has always liked her and warmly welcomed her into their family. They had invited her to stay with Max at their house until the two of them left for college and this weekend they were hosting a belated reception.

Liz's own parents were there but she could feel their disappointment from across the yard. They were not happy she and Max were married but she hoped she could change their minds before she left for Harvard in the fall.

A lone figure sitting on the grass under a tree, caught her attention and Liz walked across the lawn to join him. "Hey, Kyle. Can I sit down?"

Kyle smiled, "Sure Liz."

Liz sat next to him, noticing the fine lines of strain around his eyes. "I'm sorry Tess left," she said softly. "I know you were getting close."

"I thought we were, but obviously she didn't. I told her l loved her and I wanted her to stay," Kyle shook his head, "but she said my life wasn't good enough."

Liz felt anger rise up within her. How dare Tess say that to Kyle? He was one of the most kind, tenderhearted guys she knew. "Then she was a fool, Kyle. You are a great person and any girl would be lucky to have you."

Kyle smiled, "Thanks Liz, that means a lot."

"It's just the truth. You know, it might seem impossible now but some day you will meet the right girl and she will love you for what you are."

Kyle looked at Liz and for just a moment he thought he saw the air around her shimmering with a soft, golden light and then it was gone. He smiled sadly as he felt a pang of regret. Liz was truly the best person he knew. He loved her like a sister and was sorry he had allowed his relationship with Tess to mar his friendship with Liz. "Liz, I'm glad you’re my friend. The Buddha says, swans go on the path of the sun, they go miraculously through the ether, the wise are led out of this world."

"I'm glad we're friends too." Liz smiled at him and it slowly dissolved. "Kyle, I want to apologize to you. Last weekend when Max and I were married, we had a sort of wedding party in Phoenix. I didn't invite you because it would be rude not to invite Tess too. It's not that I thought she would do anything, I just didn't want her glaring at me on my wedding day. I'm really sorry, Kyle."

Kyle shook his head, "Liz, I understand and I don't blame you. I know better than anyone that Tess tried to cause as much trouble as she could between you and Max. She used all of us to get what she wanted and I wouldn't blame you if you hated her." Kyle took her hand in his, "Let's just always promise to be friends in the future, even though you're going to Harvard to get a fancy education and I will still be here, a lowly student of the local Community College."

Liz smiled. "Kyle, you will never be a lowly anything."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, September 1st, 2002)
(The Evans House)

Max knocked gently on Isabel's door as he pushed it open.

Isabel looked up from the boxes she was packing, "Oh Max, come to help me pack?"

Max shook his head, "No I came to give you this." He held out a small wrapped box complete with a bow.

"What is this?" Isabel asked as she took the box from him.

Max shrugged, "You'll be leaving in a couple of days and Liz and I are leaving next week. Just call it an early birthday present."

Isabel tore off the wrapping and opened the box. She stared at the contents in confusion before lifting it out. "It's your keys for the Jeep."

"You know that Liz and I got a furnished apartment right off campus and we are both working at school, so we won't even need a car. We thought you could take the Jeep to school with you. You'll need something to cart all of this stuff with you," he said motioning to the pile of boxes around her room. "But by the time you're finished packing you might have to get a U-haul too."

Isabel smiled, "I don't know what to say, Max. Thank you."

Max smiled and shrugged, "The Jeep probably wouldn't make it across the country anyway."

Isabel nodded. "You're probably right."

"And you'll have to let me borrow it when we come back for vacation."

Suddenly Isabel felt tears in her eyes, "This will be the first time we've been separated."

"I know," he said as he pulled her into an embrace, "but only by distance. Nothing can ever really come between us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, December 15th, 2002)

Dark clouds rolled across the night sky faster than naturally possible, frequent shafts of lightening and the accompanying thunder shattering the silence. The wind whipped across the desert, blowing sand around the observer and she put up a hand to shield her eyes. She turned in a slow circle but the view was the same in all directions, just sand, rocks and scrub brush as far as she could see.

The wind sped up suddenly, sending the sand swirling faster and faster into an impenetrable mass surrounding her and she closed her eyes against the stinging particles.

**Flash**

A glimpse of the empty pods in the pod chamber

**Flash**

A light was ignited in a dark cave

**Flash**

Alien symbols

With a gasp, Liz sat up and looked around quickly, glad to find herself in her own bed. She was where she should be, in her apartment just off campus, with Max sleeping peacefully beside her. Releasing a sigh of relief, Liz settled back into the pillows, careful not to wake her husband. She had been having the same dream for the last two weeks and each time she hoped it would reveal something more but each time it was exactly the same.

When she had told Max about her dream, she could tell it frightened him and he dismissed it as simply a dream, a product of the pressures of school. But Liz knew it was something more, she could feel it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, January 7th, 2003)

Cuerena had been waiting outside the pod chamber for more than six days, and night was falling on the seventh. She was supposed to have met the other shape shifters on the morning of the first of this month, but obviously something was wrong. At least one of them should have come to meet her by now.

She scanned the desert before her one last time, but there was no sign of life. She hadn't wanted to consider what the absence of the others shape shifters meant but it was time to face up to it. The others had probably either been captured or were dead. She would have to start a search for them and hopefully find the Royal Four alive.

For the first time since arriving a week ago, Cuerena entered the pod chamber and kindled a light to illuminate the darkness, hoping to find a clue to lead her to the others. She searched the rooms thoroughly, finding the healing stones, communication orbs, the book written in royal code, and a few old footprints in the dust on the floor. Someone had been there within the last year or so but there was no sign that might point her to their current location.

With a sigh of frustration, Cuerena turned toward the door and extinguished the illumination, but its flickering light briefly brightened a dark corner, practically hidden by cobwebs near the door. She rekindled the light and directed it into the corner, revealing Antarian writing on the wall. Brushing the dusty webs out of the way, she quickly read the faded message.

It was from Sodan and he had left directions to his abode.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Nasedo’s Cave)

Cuerena studied the symbols on the wall of the cave. There were instructions on how to use the map and certain landmarks were identified, but there was nothing to show the current location of Sodan and his charges.

It was evident that no one had been in the cave in a few years and Cuerena had no idea where to start her search.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, January 11th, 2003)

Cuerena stopped just inside the door of the Crashdown Cafe with a smile; Michael was in the kitchen cooking.

She allowed herself to sink into a booth and released a sigh of relief. It had only taken a few days for her to find him and it would have been less if she had considered looking in the school yearbooks earlier.

She had found their pictures in the yearbook at West Roswell High School that morning and then gotten their addresses from the school files. First she had disguised herself as a girl of twenty and had gone to the Evans' house to see Max and Isabel, as she had learned their names were, but their adoptive mother had proudly told her they were both away, attending college. Then she had gone to Tess' house but the family who now lived there told her they knew nothing of the previous owners.

Finally she had gone to the address listed for Michael, as Rath was called. The landlord of the apartment complex told her he had moved out a few months before and didn't have his new address but he suggested she try the Crashdown Cafe, where he believed Michael still worked.

And he had been right, Cuerena thought. Now all she had to do was introduce herself to Michael, but obviously that would have to wait until they were alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Cafe)

Maria went into the kitchen and crossed to Michael, and standing on tip-toe she hissed in his ear, "Michael."

"What?" he asked, stepping away from her and rubbing his ticklish ear.

Maria looked around furtively and leaned in close to him, "Keep your voice down."

"Why?" Michael whispered back.

"Okay, don't look now..." Maria said, but stopped as Michael automatically started looking around. She gestured frantically and pulled him into the back room.

"What?" he asked. "I don't see anything."

Maria flattened herself against the door leading into the dining room and quickly peeked through the small diamond-shaped window. "Okay, see that girl out there in the blue shirt?"

Michael walked to the door and looked through the window, "Yeah."

When he lingered, Maria pulled him away. "She's been out there for hours."

"So?" Michael shrugged.

Maria rolled her eyes and spoke in an exasperated tone, "Michael, she's up to something. She's been sitting there all day, looking at you. What if she's, you know, another Michael worshipper?"

Michael's brow creased, "How would she know who I am?"

Maria shrugged, "I don't know but we gotta do something."

Michael huffed, "Like what? Go up to her and ask her if she's an alien? Forget it Maria, you're just paranoid." He glanced out the window again checking-out the brunette beauty, "Maybe she just digs me."

"Yeah," Maria said sarcastically, "Dream on, Spaceboy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Michael shrugged into his jacket and locked the back door of the Crashdown behind him. Maria's shift had ended earlier and he had told her to go home. She had still been paranoid that something sinister was happening but the suspicious woman had left soon after Maria had drawn his attention to her.

He threw the last bag of trash into the dumpster and turned to his bike.

"Michael Guerin."

A voice called his name from behind and he whipped around with an outstretched hand. He recognized the girl from the Crashdown immediately. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

Cuerena bowed low and formally, "I am Cuerena, General Varros."

"My name is Michael."

"Yes. In this life," she agreed. "I was sent here with you, as your protector."

Michael's eyes narrowed, "A protector. So where have you been all this time?"

"I was assigned to protect the duplicates until they reached maturity. Then on the first of this year, I was supposed to rendezvous with Sodan and the others at the pod chamber, but no one came, so I searched for you."

Michael shook his head, "I don't know any Sodan."

"Perhaps you knew him by another name. He is also a protector, a shape shifter. I found a cave where he had been living, outside of the Mesaliko reservation. He drew a map..."

Michael stepped forward, cutting her off, "Nasedo. You mean Nasedo."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Max and Liz’s Apartment)
(Cambridge, MA)

The sound of the ringing telephone awakened Max and he groggily fumbled around for the offending instrument. Calls in the middle of the night were never good news and he apprehensively spoke into the receiver, "Hello?"

Michael's voice answered him, "Maxwell, you and Liz gotta get back here right away."

"What?" Max asked as he rubbed at his eyes, sitting up, "Is something wrong?"

"Let's just say that one of our, um, relatives showed up," Michael said cryptically.

"Our relatives?" Max asked in a wooden tone. Michael always went into his cloak and dagger routine on the phone when he discussed alien affairs. "Why don't you just spell it out for me Michael?"

"A woman showed up today. She's a friend of Nasedo's, from way back."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 1:41 pm

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, January 12th, 2003)

Max hadn't been able to stop the ideas flying through his head as he and Liz had flown back to Roswell. He had thought he was free to live his life as he choose and now there was another person who would want to tell him to follow his destiny. Unfortunately he didn't have the choice of dismissing this new shape shifter from their lives as he wished. He knew the others would welcome her into their group and eventually they would expect him to return to their planet.

At least Tess was gone, he thought. He was married to Liz and no one could take her away from him.

He looked at Liz, dozing next to him. He had been so afraid something like this would happen when Liz had told him she was having dreams. He had dismissed the dreams as nothing special, hoping they would just go away but he knew they hadn't. Liz had stopped telling him when she had the dreams, but he knew she was still having them. As he slept, he could feel the dreams spilling over their connection and sometimes he saw and felt what she did.

He knew that Liz didn't completely understand his reasons for wanting the cut all of the alien things out of their life, but she respected his wishes and didn't actively use her powers. That was why her dreams had scared him so much, because they were out of Liz's control. They were coming to her without her seeking them and Max was terrified about what that meant for the future.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cuerena looked at the group gathered in Michael and Maria's apartment. There were three of the Royal Four and five humans; Liz, who had come with Max and was obviously his mate, Alex, who had come with Isabel, Maria, who was living with Michael, and the local Sheriff and his son. The introductions were made but no one mentioned Tess, and Cuerena decided to wait until she could get Max alone before she inquired.

Cuerena bowed formally when she was introduced to Isabel but sank to her knees before Max, "Your Majesty, what is your command?"

Max shifted uncomfortably, "Um, Cuerena, we aren't used to such, um, formality. Why don't you just call us by our first names?"

"But Your Majesty, it wouldn't be proper."

Max grimaced, "The titles would be awkward in public and it would just be easier to call us the same thing all of the time. So from now on I am Max and this is Isabel and Michael."

"As you wish, Your Maj...," Cuerena stopped and started again, "As you wish, Max."

"Okay," Max said with a smile, "Now why don't you tell us how you came to be here."

She quickly related her story, telling them of the decision to send her to New York with the duplicates and briefly outlining her life there. Then she told them about returning to the pod chamber and waiting for the other shape shifters. "So because I knew what you would look like, it was easy to find you in the school year books and then I obtained your addresses from the school records."

“And you used our addresses to find Michael,” Maria said.

Cuerena nodded. "Michael told me you knew Nasedo but what of the two other shape shifters, Kaldar and Letras?"

“The other shape shifters may have been killed by the military,” Max said. “I think at least one of them was.”

Isabel stepped forward, "I wonder why Nasedo never told us about you?"

Cuerena shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe he thought it was better that you didn't know." She turned her attention to Max, "The General, um, Michael refused to tell me anything until you got here, and I must admit I'm very curious to know what happened to you."

Max nodded. He had instructed Michael, on the phone, to make sure Cuerena was a shape shifter before he would believe her story and she had passed the test. She was what she claimed to be and she was there to help them. And Max knew she would eventually expect them to return to their planet. He pushed aside his worries for the moment and concentrated on telling their story.

Max related how they had been found and raised by humans, how they discovered that they were different, and being reunited with Michael. He continued with the circumstances around healing Liz and telling her what he was, and finishing with the investigation of Valenti and the FBI.

At first, Cuerena had been surprised the humans were involved, but as Max related the story of their past, she started to understand. They had grown up among humans and it was all they knew.

Liz picked up the story where Max left off, and had just finished explaining how Alex had become involved when Cuerena broke in. "So all of that time you didn't know anything about yourselves."

The three of them all shook their heads and Max answered, "We followed up on the few clues we had, but they kept leading nowhere."

Cuerena shook her head, amazed they had survived so long on their own. "So when did Nasedo come into your lives?"

"It wasn't too long after Liz told Alex," Isabel answered. She continued the story, relating their involvement with Topolsky and the FBI, finally getting to the time when Tess and her father had come to town.

"And the three of you didn't remember anything about the fourth pod?"

"No," said Max. "And when we found out that Tess was an alien, we thought she was Nasedo."

"We discovered the truth, but then Nasedo took Liz," Michael said. He explained about Pierce and the white room, Max's escape, and the message from the orbs. "So until we got the message, we didn't know anything about who we were."

Max continued with the disbandment of the special unit and Nasedo's return. "Nasedo came to my window, terribly wounded and warned us that our enemies were in town. Then he died in my arms."

"How was Nasedo wounded?" Cuerena asked.

"A skin killed him," Max said simply.

"A skin?" Cuerena asked, clearly confused.

"Our enemies who followed us to Earth. Apparently the Earth's atmosphere is toxic to our kind and they have to wear husks to protect themselves. They call them skins."

"Khivar's troops who shot down our transport?" Cuerena asked.

Max shrugged, "I don't know. Nasedo was never big on the details."

Cuerena nodded, "He was a warrior not a tutor."

Max continued, "Anyway, you can meet one of the skins later. She is with a group who are working to overthrow Khivar."

"And you trust her?" Cuerena asked.

Max shrugged, "As much as I can trust an admitted enemy soldier who wants to put Michael on the throne."

Michael smiled at the verbal barb and continued the story with their discovery of Whitaker and Courtney. Then he told her of Whitaker's death, the harvest and the Ganderium fiasco.

Cuerena took it all in, disgusted with herself that she had not thought of the consequences of the crash. If she had envisioned what could have happened she would have killed the Ganderium at the crash site and not allowed them to breed and strengthen. "You saved the Earth and no one will ever know," she said softly.

"We are the ones who endangered it in the first place," Max replied.

Michael was impatient, "So what do we do now?"

Cuerena shrugged, "The other shape shifters and I never discussed how we would return, after the transport was destroyed in the crash. Everything just happened too fast." She motioned to Max, "I always assumed Zan would call home or his allies and get another ship."

Max laughed, "We don't know how to call home and I don't remember any allies."

"You have the two communication orbs in the pod chamber and I can teach you memory recovery techniques," Cuerena offered.

"So everything is up to Max," Michael intoned blandly. Over the last couple of years he and Maria had grown much closer despite Courtney's interference, or maybe because of it. Maria had suggested that the two of them move in together and now they were together all the time. They worked, went to school and lived together and he couldn't imagine life without her. He had occasionally wondered what he would do if he had the opportunity to return to their planet, but as time passed, it seemed more and more like an impossibility. But now that Cuerena was there, a whole new realm of possibilities was opened to them and suddenly he was scared. Scared that he might have to leave Maria, scared of the unknown represented by their planet and their people, scared of what he might have to do.

Then he remembered what Max had told him on the day he and Liz were accepted to Harvard. Max had been scared too but he had decided to put it behind him and make a life on Earth. If they had a choice of going back to their planet or staying on Earth, Michael knew what Max's decision would be, and for the first time he was genuinely glad Max would choose Earth.

Max decided to avoid the subject of their mission for the time being, "It's getting pretty late. Why don't we continue this in the morning?"

There were nods of agreement all around. The Sheriff and Kyle left for home and the others went to sort out sleeping arrangements and fix some food.

Cuerena waited until she was alone with Max to ask the question that had been worrying her. "What happened to Tess?"

Max had expected the question and answered simply, "She left town a few months ago."

"And you don't know where she is?"

"No."

Cuerena pressed for more information, "Did she leave because of you and Liz?"

"No," Max denied instantly. "Liz had nothing to do with it. Tess left because I told her to."

Cuerena could tell it was a sore subject for him and decided not to press any further. "It is curious," she said. "My Zan in New York, never loved his Ava either."

Max nodded, taking in the information and feeling justified in pushing Tess away. Max had wondered occasionally if he would have accepted Tess, had they been together their whole lives, but now that he knew Zan had also rejected her, he could release his guilt about not loving her. Something had changed since their last life and neither of them loved her in this life.

Cuerena noted his thoughtful expression and quickly changed subjects. "Has Liz started to develop any powers?"

Max was surprised by her question and its accuracy. "She has, but how did you know?"

"It is one of the side-effects of the healing. Whether you realized it or not, in order to bring Liz back from such a terrible injury, you had to alter the basic chemistry of the surrounding cells. Liz's body has gradually changed to become like yours. It has been more than three years since the healing, she is completely a hybrid now."

"No," Max cried, "not Liz. What have I done to her?"

"You saved her life."

Liz ran back into the room, feeling Max's distressed state through their connection. She looked at Cuerena suspiciously, "What's wrong Max?"

Max couldn't bear to look at Liz, "Cuerena told me that when I healed you, I changed you."

Liz smiled, "I know that Max."

Max shook his head, "No, you don't understand. You're a hybrid now too."

Liz crossed to Max and cupped his face in her hands, "Max, I have suspected it for a while, especially after I started getting powers. And I haven't been sick for almost two years."

"But you never said anything," he protested.

"I didn't want to upset you," Liz explained. "I knew how guilty you would feel for changing me, but Max it makes me so happy to be what you are. It just binds us more closely together."

Max wrapped his arms around Liz, kissed her tenderly and spoke across their bond. Liz, everything you do just makes me love you more.

Max, my love for you grows every moment of every day.

Liz broke the kiss first and looked into Max's eyes, "But there is one thing you're forgetting."

"What's that?" Max asked.

"Who's going to tell Kyle?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max was awakened by the sound of the front door opening and he turned in his makeshift bed on the living room floor, just in time to see Isabel slip out into the night. He rose, careful not to wake Liz, pulled on some pants, a shirt and some shoes, and went after his sister.

He caught up with her a few minutes later, sitting on a swing in the apartment complex's playground. "What wrong Iz?"

Isabel was not surprised Max had followed her and she answered without turning, "I like my life, Max. I'm happy. Alex and I are close, school is good and I don't want to change it. I don't want to go back to our planet."

Before Max could answer another voice interrupted.

“I thought I might find you two out here," Michael said. "What’s going on?"

Isabel turned to look at her brothers. "I was telling Max that I don't want to go back."

Michael sat on the swing next to Isabel. "That's funny, because I came out here to tell Max the same thing. Ever since we came out of the pods, I've been on some quest to figure out where I belong. I finally found home. The weird thing is, it's here, it's on Earth."

"You of all people," Max said with a smile. He looked to each of them, "I'm sure you both know I intend to stay on Earth with Liz."

"So what are we going to tell Cuerena?" Isabel asked apprehensively. "She expects us to go back."

Max shrugged, "We'll tell her the truth."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max waited until everyone had eaten breakfast the next morning to confront Cuerena, and since he was the leader, he had taken the job of telling her. "Michael, Isabel and I have decided we’re going to stay on Earth."

Cuerena nodded, "Of course. You're not yet ready to return. I will help you regain your memories and hone your skills..."

Max cut her off, "No, you don't understand. We're not going to pursue our mission or return to our planet."

Cuerena's brow wrinkled in confusion, "I don't understand. What about your people, your planet?"

Max took a deep breath and tried to explain, "We don't remember any of that and we don't feel any loyalty or responsibility toward them." He took Liz's hand in his own, "All we know is our life on Earth and we don't want to leave it."

"But Your Majesty," Cuerena said, using his formal title in her shock, "your people are expecting you to return."

"Return to what?" Max asked. "A world that is controlled by our enemies? A world that has been at war for more than fifty years? How could the three of us possibly make a difference?"

"I don't know," Cuerena admitted. "I assumed you must have had a plan."

"Whatever the plan was, it got screwed up a long time ago," Max said. "And the three of us have decided that we will not live our lives based on a plan, other people constructed in another life. We choose to live our lives here on this planet."

Cuerena nodded, unsure of what to do.

"Tomorrow Liz and I will return to school and everyone else can go back to their lives."

Suddenly her duty became clear and Cuerena got to her feet, "Then I will accompany you to Boston."

Max shook his head, "You don't have to do that."

"I must protect you," Cuerena said, "It is my duty, my purpose in life."

Liz watched the interaction with growing unease. She had suspected what would happen but now that it was being played out before her, an unsettling feeling was building within. Suddenly the amorphous feelings solidified and she was frightened that Max would send Cuerena away, and for some reason she knew it must not happen. Liz placed her hand on Max's arm and started to rise, "Max, I have to talk to you."

Max looked at her with confusion clearly written on his face, but followed her to her feet. "Excuse us for a minute," he said to the others as Liz practically dragged him out the door. She closed it firmly behind them and took a deep breath to gather her thoughts before she spoke. "Max you can't just send Cuerena away."

"Why not?" he asked, surprised.

"Don't you see? She has devoted her whole life to serving you. She left her home and family to come on this mission with you, to be your protector, risking her life every day to save you. All of the other shape shifters have died or vanished, so she has nowhere else to go. She said it's her purpose in life to protect you. What else would she do with her life? Get a job at Wal-Mart?" Liz shook her head, "No Max, you are responsible for her, we both are. She's a person, we can't just throw her out like a toy we're tired of playing with."

"You're right," Max nodded. "So we take her to Boston with us? What is she going to do there?"

Liz shrugged, "I don't know but at least she can feel useful while we figure something out."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, January 14th, 2003)

Liz looked at the shape shifter, who was sitting next to them on the plane. Before they had left Roswell, they had agreed that Cuerena keep her youthful appearance so she would blend into the campus atmosphere but they had not figured out exactly how she would fit into their lives. Liz turned toward her, "So what kind of job did you have in New York?"

Cuerena shook her head, "I had no job other than to protect and train my charges."

"How did you get money?" Liz asked.

"When we needed money I created it."

"Oh, of course," Liz nodded, not sure what to say.

"You and Max have jobs?" Cuerena asked.

"Yeah, we both work part-time to make extra money to supplement our scholarships, and maybe next year we can afford a better apartment."

"There is no need for you to work," Cuerena said. "I could easily..."

Max cut her off, "No."

"But Max," Cuerena continued, not understanding his conviction, "if you didn't have to work it would give you more time for other things, like studying and spending time with Liz."

Liz could feel Max's growing unease and tried to explain, "Max wants to do things the human way."

Cuerena accepted the information with a nod of her head, "Am I to live with you?"

"I don't know," Liz started consideringly. "You will have to stay somewhere until we figure this all out."

"Absolutely not!" Max said.

Cuerena spoke up, "It is not necessary for me to live in your apartment. My species is adaptable to most conditions. In New York we lived in the sewer tunnels..."

"Wait," Liz cut her off. "You lived in the sewers?"

"Yes, it was very convenient. We were rarely bothered and there was no rent or other bills."

Liz turned to Max and with a single look, convinced him to reconsider.

"Okay," Max relented, "she can stay with us for now." He had to admit Liz was right. It did seem that Cuerena had lived a miserable life on Earth and it was up to them to make it better. "We don't have a room for you but we can get a sofa-bed or something. I don't know what you'll do with yourself, maybe you could enroll in classes but we don't have to decide right now. We'll tell our neighbors you are an old friend or a cousin but we'll have to do something about your name. It's too unusual. We should change it to something more common, Sarah or Sandy or something." He turned to the shape shifter, "Haven't you ever used a more human name?"

Cuerena nodded, "I have used many names..."

"I know Max," Liz interrupted with a smile, "we'll call her Serena."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the next few months, Serena attended classes with Max and Liz so she could stay close and protect them.

Max continued to keep her at arms length, sometimes bringing up the subject of her getting her own place, but he never took any action to force her out.

Liz was less suspicious and welcomed her into their lives and they became good friends. Serena was much more advanced in all kinds of science and she and Liz would talk for hours. Serena was careful not to mention her life on Antar, fearful it would bring up memories of Zan and Ava and there was no reason to tell Liz about that. With Liz's help, Serena also learned about Max and his reasons for wanting to leave his other life behind. Liz helped her to understand him better and she accepted his decision to stay on Earth.

Max often worked late and he was glad Serena was not only a companion but a protector too. He didn't worry about Liz when she was with the shape shifter and that was the main reason he let her stay.

At Max's suggestion, Serena took a job where Liz worked, and with the three of them working through the summer, they would be able to afford a bigger apartment in the fall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, May 15th, 2004)
(Boca Raton, FL)

Tess finished the last of her drink and replaced the empty glass onto the table beside her. "Kathy," she called to the maid. "Kathy, I need another ice tea."

"Right away ma'am," the woman said, as she took the glass and hurried away.

Tess stretched out on her lounge chair and glanced at the shimmering water of her pool. This is the life, she thought to herself.

It had been so easy using the money Nasedo had gathered over the years, to create the appearance of great wealth and buy this house on the beach. It was certainly different from some of the places she had lived with Nasedo over the years. Even though he had squirreled away large sums of money, Nasedo forced them to live within the income of the individual he was impersonating.

Kathy returned with the iced tea, "Is there anything else ma'am?"

"Not right now," Tess dismissed her with a wave of her hand. She tossed her long, blonde curls over her shoulder and looked down at her tan, bikini-clad body. If Max could only see her now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, October 25th, 2004)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

"General, we are receiving a message from just beyond the edge of the solar system. The troop ship is requesting the information for evading Earth's defenses."

"So send it to them," Nicholas barked.

"Yes sir," the Lieutenant quickly agreed.

"I am surrounded by fools," Nicholas bemoaned. "I hope the new troops are a little more on the ball. Maybe they can teach you something," he ranted, addressing no one in particular. He turned and strode out of the room. "I want to know the minute they arrive," he yelled over his shoulder, "and tell Corporal Raltos to come to the communication room immediately.

Nicholas entered the communication room and waited impatiently for Raltos. He had waited over fifty years for this moment and finally it was here. He felt confidant Khivar's plan would work and work quickly. They would be heading back to Antar in a matter of days.

Raltos entered the room and Nicholas motioned to a chair. He placed a hand on the Corporal's forehead and sent a burst of energy into him. After a few minutes Raltos sagged slightly and then jerked to attention, and Nicholas greeted his lord formally. "Your Majesty, the troops will be on Earth in a matter of minutes."

"Excellent," said Khivar. "We don't know what was salvaged from Zan's transport after the crash so we must assume he has monitoring capabilities. Wait until the troops arrive and then issue an invitation to Zan and his party to attend the peace talks."

"And if they don't respond?" Nicholas asked.

"I am sure they will respond if the invitation is worded correctly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas tuned the trithium amplification generator to the transmission frequency used by the Tageion royalty on Antar and spoke the words that Khivar had given to him.

"Zan Tageonant, this is General Calles Nicaron. His Majesty Khivar Roistar invites you to attend a peace conference to discuss a cessation of the hostilities that have plagued our planet. Khivar wishes to extend a hand of peace at a time and place of your choosing."

"Of course the discussion will include terms for your return to Antar ceremonially accompanied by a legion of troops and one of Khivar's greatest warships that is currently in orbit around this planet."

Nicholas paused for effect and couldn't help a small chuckle before continuing, "We eagerly await your reply."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Pod Chamber)

The two orbs emitted a bright shaft of light upon receiving the signal, but there was no one in the chamber to see it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The home of the Dupes)
(New York, NY)

The sudden light that burst from the orb surprised Lonni and she practically fell off the couch. She had never seen the orb do anything, and after all of these years suddenly it had come to life. Serena had told them she would contact them through the orb if it became necessary and had taught them how to use it, and Lonni assumed it must be her.

Lonni took the orb in her hands and pushed a stream of power into it. The message started immediately.

Zan Tageonant, this is General Calles Nicaron. His Majesty, Khivar Roistar invites you to attend a peace conference to discuss a cessation of the hostilities that have plagued our planet. Khivar wishes to extend a hand of peace at a time and place of your choosing.

Of course the discussion will include terms for your return to Antar, ceremonially accompanied by a legion of troops and one of Khivar's greatest warships that is currently in orbit around this planet.

We eagerly await your reply.

Lonni smiled. Khivar had finally found her. She could return home and reclaim her life at his side.

She pushed another stream of power into the orb as she spoke, "This is Vilondra Tageonant. I don't know what Khivar wants but I will help in any way I can. I just want to go home."

The answering voice came through the orb immediately. "Vilondra, how lovely to hear from you."

"What do I have to do to go home?" she asked aggressively, getting right to the point.

Nicholas' laugh came through the orb, "The same Vilondra I see."

"I don't remember everything from my other life but I do remember Khivar and I remember what it was like to be Vilondra. I want that life, and I'll do what I have to, to get back."

"Well Vilondra, why don't we meet and maybe we can make a deal that will be mutually beneficial."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, October 30th, 2004)
(New York, NY)
(A Sidewalk Café)

Nicholas sat across the table from Lonni. "Well," he started casually, "why don't you tell me about your life here. You live in New York..." he trailed off waiting for her to continue.

"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes, "we live in New York. Look, can't we get to the point. I didn't come here to reminisce."

Nicholas held up his hand, "Indulge me, please."

Lonni sighed, "Fine. Zan, Ava, Rath and I have lived in New York our whole lives. Until about two years ago a shape shifter lived with us as our protector."

"And where is this shape shifter now?" Nicholas asked casually.

Lonni shrugged, "Don't know. Said she had stuff to do and we were old enough to look after ourselves."

Nicholas absorbed the information without comment, "Did the shape shifter tell you about your past?"

Lonni shook her head, "She never would really say much. She told us we would remember in time but I am the only one who remembers very much."

"And do you remember me?" Nicholas asked.

"A little. I remember that you are Khivar's most trusted General." She dropped her head and looked through her eyelashes seductively, "And I remember that you used to look at me."

Nicholas smiled. It was just as the scientists had told them. Lonni didn't remember what had happened just before her death. "You were very beautiful," Nicholas said with a shrug, and then quickly changed the subject. "Can you contact your shape shifter?"

"No, she said it wouldn't be safe, so she didn’t tell us how to get a hold of her. What is it with all the questions about the shape shifter?"

"We need to find her,” Nicholas purred. “She would be part of any deal for you to go home."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, November 1st, 2004)
(Copper Summit, AZ)
(Onboard the Leptus)

"You have found Vilondra?" Khivar asked, through Corporal Raltos' borrowed mouth.

Nicholas shook his head, "No, it was the duplicate. She calls herself Lonni."

"How can you be so sure?" Khivar demanded.

"They were guarded by only one protector who left them almost two years ago, with no way to contact her."

"To go and help protect the real Royal Four," Khivar finished, disappointedly. "And you have not received any other response because the shape shifters have warned the real Royal Four about using the communicators."

"I also asked Lonni about the Granolith but she had never heard of it.” Nicholas shrugged, “She is useless."

Khivar sighed, "It would be expedient to eliminate all clones of the Tageonant line. Perhaps she could be useful in luring the other duplicates into a trap."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, November 4th, 2004)

Lonni woke up to a throbbing pain in her head and tried to raise her hand but discovered she was shackled to a chair. She cracked her eyes and quickly looked around the unfamiliar room but she had no idea where she was. She pulled at her bonds but they held her tightly. For a moment, she thought that maybe Rath was playing a joke on her but then she remembered going to meet Nicholas.

She had gone to the address he had given her and he had been waiting inside, but he hadn't been the only one. She had been quickly surrounded, and then everything had gone black. For the first time in her life, Lonni was scared and she struggled against the bonds, attempting to use her powers to loosen the handcuffs, but nothing happened.

The door opened and Nicholas stepped inside. "Oh good, you're awake."

"What kind of game are you playing Nicholas?" Lonni asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"There's no game, Lonni," Nicholas said, as he approached. "You have information and I want it."

Lonni smiled, "Well, there is no need for the fancy bracelets. I will tell you whatever you want to know."

Nicholas placed his hand on her head, "Yes you will, but this method is much faster."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lonni strode into the abandoned sewer tunnel she called home and stopped at the sight of Rath lounging on the sofa.

He looked up from the hockey game he was watching, "Where've you been?"

"Out," she said, glancing around the room. "Where’s Zan and Ava?"

"Don't know, lover." Rath shrugged as he rose from the sofa and stalked purposefully toward her, "So why don't you come over here for a little somethin'-somethin'."

Lonni closed the distance between them quickly and as Rath reached for her, she raised her hand between them and shot a burst of power into his chest. Rath's eyes widened in shock and he sank to his knees as Lonni shifted into a boy before him.

"Goodbye, lover," Nicholas said, as he watched Rath take his last breath and fall to the ground. He called out to the troops waiting in the tunnel, "Come on in."

Greer stopped next to Nicholas and motioned to Rath's body, "Do you want us to clean that up?"

Nicholas shook his head, "No, leave him." He motioned to the wall near the entrance, "We will wait there and when Zan and Ava come in and see him lying there, they will rush past us to help him and they'll be dead before they know what hit them."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, November 5th, 2004)
(Lafayette, CA)

Nicholas and Ida stopped outside the door to the SETI Institute. Neither of them had been there since Courtney had been assigned to the Institute but the new technology that had arrived on the transport from Antar was worth the trip. Khivar had sent a new type of receiver that was capable of tracing signals being received. There were unsure if it would function in the Earth's atmosphere but Nicholas was hopeful Courtney could find a way to make it compatible with the SETI array. If it worked, all Nicholas had to do was send a message on the royal frequency and they would be able to detect where the Royal Four were when they received it.

Nicholas looked up at Ida, "Okay, turn on your best small town idiot routine."

At the reception desk, Ida gave the attendant her best bumpkin smile and switched on her thickest drawl. "Howdy ma'am. I was wondering if you could help us," she started. "Me and my son, Nicholas here, are visiting from out of town. Now my sister's daughter works in the computer department and it's her birthday," she said, motioning to the brightly wrapped package Nicholas was holding, "and I thought it would be fun if we could surprise her."

The attendant smiled, "Tell me her name and I will call her to the desk and you can surprise her."

"Isn't that nice?" Ida asked Nicholas. "The kind lady will help us with our surprise."

Nicholas gave the attendant his most practiced innocent look, "Thank you ma'am. My cousin is Courtney Banks."

The attendant checked her phone list and then a frown crossed her features and she re-checked it. "I don't see a Courtney Banks. Let me call the head of the department, he will know where she is."

She reached for the phone and dialed and after a brief conversation, replaced the receiver. "I'm sorry but it seems that your niece has not worked here for about four years."

Ida put a hand to her mouth, "Oh dear, surely I couldn't have gotten that muddled. Thank you for your help, ma'am," she said, as she took Nicholas by the hand and headed for the door.

Once they were outside, Ida dropped Nicholas' hand, "What do we do now, Sir?"

"We find out what Courtney has been up to these last few years." Nicholas said as he reached into his pocket, withdrew his amplifier and entered Courtney's code. When she answered, he spoke into the device, "Courtney, how have you been?"

"Fine, Sir," she answered.

"How is SETI?" he asked.

"It's great."

"Good, glad to hear it," he said looking at Ida, with a raised eyebrow. "I have a new technology that might help us in our search for the Royal Four. I thought I would come out there for a visit and bring it to you, but right now I have so much to do and I might not be able to make it for a week or two."

"Oh, um, no, no Sir, don't come here," Courtney stuttered. "I mean, you have so much to do and I could use a vacation. It would be nice to see Copper Summit again."

Nicholas nodded, knowing he had given her no choice but to return. "Well, we will expect you tomorrow then? At the UFL?"

"Yeah. I'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

Nicholas deactivated the amplifier and looked at Ida, "Let's get back to Copper Summit. We want to welcome our prodigal home in style."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, November 6th, 2004)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Courtney entered the main hall of the Universal Friendship League and was immediately grabbed from behind.

Nicholas stepped out from behind a curtain on the dais, "Secure her hands. We don't want any more heroic suicides."

Greer and Walt shackled her tightly between two metal poles as Nicholas approached. "So Courtney," he sneered, "what have you been up to these last few years? Obviously you haven't been in California at SETI. Would you like to just tell me or should we do it the hard way?"

Courtney pulled at her shackles frantically, but they wouldn't give. She knew Nicholas would take all of her memories and kill her and there was nothing she could do. She motioned for him to come closer and when he stopped a few inches away, she smiled, "I think I see a chest hair, Nicholas. Way to go."

Nicholas smiled, "Fine. We'll do this the hard way." He placed his hand on her head and started to sort through the information of her memories. He ripped through her mind causing as much pain as he could, but when he saw where she had been, he stopped in surprise. He had suspected her of being a traitor but to find out that she had been in collaboration with the Royal Four for the past four years was an exciting bonus.

"You always were the social butterfly, Courtney. Always the first to make new friends." He laughed as he turned to the others in the room, "She has been in contact with the Royal Four." He motioned to Ida, "Get a recording device. I want to make sure to get every detail."

When Ida returned, Nicholas replaced his hand on Courtney's head, "So let's see what's going on with the Royal Four." He carefully sifted through her memories of the last few years, gleaning every piece of information she had, and spoke aloud for the recording device as the pictures flashed through his mind.

"Three of the Royal Four have been in Roswell the whole time," Nicholas said with a laugh. "Practically right under our noses."

"Zan and Vilondra are called Max and Isabel Evans. They were adopted by humans, who still don't know what they are. Max has married a human named Liz and they are attending Harvard." He looked at Walt with a shrug, "Harvard, that's impressive."

Nicholas returned to his task, "Isabel is attending the University of Las Cruces. Rath is called Michael Guerin and works as a fry-cook in a restaurant owned by Liz's parents." He raised an eyebrow and the others laughed.

Nicholas continued reciting the details of their lives in Roswell, recounting how each of the humans became involved and how Courtney was revealed to them.

Courtney struggled to block Nicholas, but it was no use. She just didn't have enough power to stop him.

Finally, when Nicholas was convinced that he had gathered every piece of information, he released her and turned to Walt. "Unfortunately she doesn't know where the Granolith is and their Ava, now called Tess Harding, left town in a jealous fit because Max married the human. But we have found the missing shape shifter and she is the last one."

Greer motioned to Courtney, "Do you want me to alert the troops?"

Nicholas shook his head, "No. It's just a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving and according to Courtney's memories, the whole gang will be coming home for the holiday. We'll wait until they are all together and then lead the Royal Three and the humans into a trap.

"No," Courtney screamed. "You can't! Please!"

Nicholas smiled, "It seems that Courtney has a bit of a crush on the former General." He turned back to her, "Sorry Courtney," he mocked, using her own words, "I guess you wasted fifty years for nothing after all." He nodded once at Walt over her head.

Walt picked up a convenient crowbar and slammed it into Courtney's back, smashing the seal on her husk and she disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Nicholas pulled his amplifier out of his pocket and used it to signal the warship orbiting in the shadow the moon. "Major Tratis, this is General Nicaron."

He was answered immediately, "Yes General?"

"We have located three of the Royal Four. I am laying a trap for them and I want your troops ready in two weeks time."

"Of course, General," Tratis spoke into the amplifier. He deactivated it and turned to Lieutenant Zaptfa at his side, "Have you tried on your skin?"

The Lieutenant shook his head, "No, not yet."

"They are horribly uncomfortable," Tratis said.

"Yes,” the Lieutenant agreed, “I heard some of the men complaining."

"Nicaron told me that it took them a while to get used to the skins when they first arrived on Earth but these new skins we have are much more advanced. We have a couple of weeks until we are needed. I don't think it is necessary to make the troops get into the skins yet, they can't be that difficult to use."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown, Cafe)

Michael picked up the ringing phone, "Hello?"

"Michael, this is Courtney," she whispered.

Michael sighed, "What do you want? And why are you whispering?"

"I can't talk any louder. I was called back to Copper Summit and something is going on."

"What's going on?" Michael asked.

"I don't know yet, but I will get back to you as soon as I find out."

"Hey, Courtney," Michael said, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I will." Nicholas put the phone down and turned to his senior staff, "Okay, let's put this plan together, so we can get off this stinking planet."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, November 24th, 2004)

Liz looked out the window of the plane taking herself, Max and Serena back to Roswell for Thanksgiving. Usually she loved this time of year, getting caught up in the spirit and warmth of the season, but this year was different.

She'd had a bad feeling ever since Michael had told them about Courtney's phone call and the feeling intensified with every day that passed. Something was terribly wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, November 26th, 2004)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Michael hung up the phone and turned to Max and Liz, sitting at the counter. "That was Courtney again. She's coming back tomorrow and she has something big she needs to tell us."

Max nodded, "Okay, I'll tell Isabel. Where and when does she want to meet?"

Michael scratched at his eyebrow, "She said it was really important and the humans should be there too."

A shiver of fear ran through Liz, "Did she say what it was?"

"No," Michael said softly and then frowned trying to shake off the sound of worry in Liz's voice. "I'm sure she was totally over-reacting."

"Yeah," Liz agreed, with a weak smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas stood before his troops and outlined the plan on a diagram, pointing to the various locations as he spoke. "Tomorrow at ten o'clock, three of the Royal Four, five humans and a shape shifter will arrive. We have more than enough troops to take them alive and that is exactly what I want. We will wait until they have all entered the building before surrounding it. We don't want to risk being seen too early or they may escape."

He pointed to a group of the soldiers in the front, "I want you to take their rear, blocking their escape from the front door." He pointed to two other groups, "You will take up positions at the side entrance and you will take the back of the building."

Nicholas motioned to his senior staff standing next near him, "Walt and Greer will select some of you for surveillance of their houses in case of an escape. You will be fully briefed by them. And our new arrival, Major Tratis, will be selecting others to man the roadblock." Nicholas turned back to the main group of the troops, "The rest of you will be concealed in the foliage around the buildings to prevent any escapes."

Nicholas looked out at the sea of new faces, the newly arrived, untried troops. He had almost refrained from using the new troops, but Major Tratis had assured him they were some of Khivar's best men. "Some of you have never been in my command before and only know me by reputation. Let me assure you that every word of my reputation has been earned. I do not tolerate failure. So I will reiterate my main goal again so there are no misunderstandings. I want all of them taken alive. Any powers used will be of the non-lethal variety and just in case you don't realize how serious I am, any deviation from my orders will be punished by death."

He paused to let his word sink in, "Are there any questions?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 10:16 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 6

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, November 27th, 2004)

Max stopped the Jeep next to the other cars in front of the old soap factory on the outskirts of town, where Courtney had suggested they meet. Maria's Jetta was there and the Sheriff's cruiser was parked next to Courtney's ancient Volkswagen Bug. Max glanced at his watch, it was just ten o'clock and he, Liz and Serena were the last ones to arrive.

Liz had been apprehensive about this meeting since they had heard about it and even though she had been trying to block it, her tension had been filtering to him through their connection. Max looked at her and noticed that her eyes were darting around as if she were searching for signs of danger. "It will be okay," he said as he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Liz forced a smile to her lips, "I hope you're right."

They exited the Jeep and headed toward the door and Liz released a tension-filled sigh when she saw the others gathered inside; Alex and Isabel, Michael and Maria, Sheriff Valenti and Kyle and finally Courtney. At least everyone was okay and she allowed her eyes to roam over the room as they took their seats on some overturned crates. The place looked basically the same as the last time she had been there for the party during the heat wave, all those years ago. They were in the same large room where the sound equipment had been set up, and Liz could still see signs of the fire on the wall and ceiling.

Courtney waited until they had taken their seats to speak, "I am glad you could all come today because I have something very important to tell you."

Suddenly the door slammed shut behind them and a dozen people with outstretched arms blocked their escape.

Michael swung back to face Courtney, "What's going on here?"

Courtney lips moved but it wasn’t her voice that came from her mouth. "Quite obviously it's a trap," Courtney said, as she morphed into a boy, "and you have walked right into it."

"Who are you?" Max demanded.

Nicholas smiled, "On this planet I am called Nicholas but don't let my outward appearance fool you. I am in command of the skin army, and on Antar I am Khivar's right hand."

"General Nicaron," Serena said softly, with a touch of awe in her voice. She had recognized the boy as the one she had seen in New York all those years ago but she had never known who he really was.

Nicholas nodded, "Give the shape shifter a cigar."

"What do you want?" Max asked.

"What do I want?" Nicholas asked, as he paced before them. "What do I want? Well," he said, scratching at his chin, "I think I'll start small, like the location of the Granolith."

Max shook his head, "We don't know what that is."

Nicholas laughed, "Oh come now Zan, or should I call you Max? You really don't remember anything from your other life do you?"

Max didn't answer and Nicholas continued, "I have the ability to take any information from anyone's mind. Courtney's memories were particularly helpful in laying this trap for you. It was careless of you to reveal so much to an enemy soldier, but you always did put your trust in the wrong people. She knew everything about you, except where to find the Granolith."

Nicholas motioned to the group, "But some of you must know where it is. I thought I would start with the humans, maybe your wife, Liz. Of course my mind probe does have the nasty consequence of killing humans most of the time. But what can you do?" he asked with a shrug. "If the humans don't know anything then I will move on to the former General, now fry-cook, Michael, then your protector..."

As Nicholas spoke, Max made eye contact with Serena, Michael and the Sheriff, motioning to the skins behind them, and then he looked at Isabel, motioning to Nicholas. Then he spoke to Liz across their bond. Get Maria and Alex out of here.

He didn't wait for an answer, charging forward with a yell, and the entire room erupted into chaos.

Nicholas used his powers to knock Max aside but Isabel tackled him and they fell to the floor.

Liz grabbed Maria and Alex and yelled to the others, "Let's get out of here." She pulled Maria toward the back exit and Alex followed closely behind them. Another door to the side burst open and more skins poured into the room. The first few through the door stumbled and fell, blocking the entrance and the skins behind them shot wild bursts of energy at the humans, knocking Liz to the floor.

Max got quickly to his feet just as Liz fell. He grabbed a piece of wood off the floor, swinging at the skin closest to him, trying to get to Liz.

Serena and Michael used one burst of power after another, destroying the husks and the enemy soldiers inside. The skin soldiers continued to stumble in through the door, sending bursts of energy humming past Michael's head and he knocked aside their outstretched hands.

The Sheriff and Kyle had both grabbed pieces of wood and were fighting back-to-back fending off their attackers, trying to clear a way to the door.

Isabel struggled with Nicholas on the floor, desperately attempting to hold his deadly hands away from her. He was stronger than she thought and they rolled from side to side, each trying to get the upper hand.

Alex yanked Liz to her feet and they ran toward the front door. Alex turned just in time to see a group of soldiers with outstretched hands firing at them, and he pushed Liz and Maria aside, as three blasts simultaneously hit him in the chest and slammed him against the wall.

Serena fought her way to the side door, where more soldiers were coming through, and used her powers to push them out and sealed the door shut. Then she headed to do the same to the back door.

Max could feel Liz's pain through their bond and rushed to her side. "Michael, quick over here," he called as he ran.

Liz and Maria were kneeling next to Alex, and as Max dropped to the floor beside them, a gasp of horror escaped him. Alex's neck was at an unnatural angle and a pool of blood was quickly forming under his head. Max took Alex's damaged head in his hands and when he felt the bones protruding from the back of his neck, he knew there was no hope. He shook his head sadly, and motioned to Michael. They pulled Liz and Maria to their feet and headed for the front door.

Kyle destroyed the last skin soldier and turned to see Isabel struggling with Nicholas. He reached them just as Nicholas used his powers to throw Isabel away from him. Her body slammed into Kyle and they were both propelled back into the wall, the burnt boards breaking under their combined weight. Dazed by the blow to his head, Kyle watched blearily as Isabel got to her feet and held out her hand to him. He tried to roll over, but his movement dislodged the precariously leaning boards, and the wall and ceiling collapsed on top of him and Nicholas.

Isabel jumped back, as the ceiling fell and a cloud of debris filled the room, unable to believe what had happened.

The Sheriff ran forward, "NO!" He started to pull at the pieces of board that covered his son but the rest of the structure started to fall and he was forced back.

"Everybody out!" Max yelled as he pushed Liz toward the door. "Serena, get the Sheriff out of here."

Maria's Jetta exploded as they ran out into the parking lot and they were rushed by a large group of skins. Max used his shield in a burst that threw the skins back, and the gang ran to the two remaining cars to make their escape. Max yelled to Michael and Serena, "Go with the Sheriff!" He, Liz and Isabel climbed into the Jeep and Max started it and turned toward the entrance.

Skin soldiers emerged from the bushes surrounding the buildings and sent blasts of energy at the cars, and Michael and Serena shot back with deadly accuracy.

Isabel looked around, her voice frantic, "Where's Alex?"

Liz turned to her with tear-filled eyes but didn't have to say a word.

"NO!" Isabel screamed. "Not Alex!"

Max slammed on the breaks. The skins had constructed a roadblock that completely cut them off from the parking lot exit and he couldn't see a way past.

The Sheriff stopped his cruiser next to the Jeep and yelled through the open window, "Follow me. I know an old fire road in the back."

They turned the cars and headed back past the buildings as more and more skin soldiers emerged. The Sheriff ran down several skins who were blocking their way, sending their bodies flying. Energy blasts streaked through the air and struck both vehicles as they drove; one shattering the back window of the Sheriff's cruiser.

As the vehicles rounded the building, they passed the cars the skins had hidden and Serena and Michael sent blast after blast into them, causing as much damage as possible. One car exploded, causing a chain reaction that engulfed several others in a massave explosion, and the Sheriff increased his speed as debris rained down around them.

The skins ran around the building and got into the remaining cars to pursue their escaping prey.

The Sheriff drove as fast as he could on the dusty road and still keep the cruiser under control. He felt tears come to his eyes and angrily wiped them away. He couldn't believe Kyle was really gone but he had seen the ceiling collapse on top of him and he knew there was no way anyone could have survived.

Isabel watched with growing rage as the skins' vehicles pulled nearer and nearer to them. The skins had killed Alex and they would just as easily kill all of them too but she wouldn't let that happen. She concentrated on building a tremendous amount of energy, letting the power of her anger work for her. Then she stretched out her hand and sent a crackling, black ball into the front of the closest car, surprised when it cut a hole completely through the vehicle and embedded itself into the truck following it, causing both cars to explode.

The swirling dust kicked up by the cars' tires and the smoke from the explosions obscured Isabel's view of the road behind them, but as they continued into the desert, she couldn't detect any sign of pursuit. After a few minutes she turned to Max, "I think we lost them for the moment."

Max nodded, "Liz have you got your cell phone?"

Liz wiped at her eyes, "Yeah."

"Call Valenti."

Liz dialed and Maria's voice came over the phone, "Liz?"

Liz spoke into the phone, "It looks like we have lost them for now but we have to find a safe place."

"We can't go home," Max said.

"Was that Max?" Maria asked. "Did he say we can't go home?"

"He's right," Liz agreed. "Nicholas said he read Courtney's mind. The skins know everything she knew. They know who we are and where we live, and they are probably waiting for us at home."

Liz heard Maria repeat her words to the others in the car and she heard Michael's reply, "Then we gotta keep driving."

Max spoke to Liz, "Ask Serena how likely it is that the skins would be able to monitor our cell phone conversation."

Liz listened to Maria repeat the question and Serena's answer, "Serena checked Valenti's phone and said it’s not bugged. She thinks the skins didn't bother because they thought they had the perfect trap. She also says it would be almost impossible for them to listen to the call because of the amount of cellular traffic on various frequencies."

"Okay," Max started, "we need to figure out where to go."

Liz heard Maria tell the others what Max had said and then Valenti's voice came across the phone, "There is a track that connects to this road going south, and eventually hooks up with 285. We can keep going south and drive through to Texas."

Liz repeated what the Sheriff said and Max agreed, "We should head for one of the larger cities. The small towns will be too easy to search and maybe we should stay away from the main roads, just in case."

Maria relayed what Max said and Valenti answered, "That sounds like a good plan. There are fire roads running all through the backcountry. If we head west when we reach Artesia we can take the back roads through the National Forest and down along the boundary of Fort Bliss almost straight into El Paso. It's a big enough city to hide us for a few days until we decide what to do. The trip will take longer than following the highway but Max is right, they might be searching the main roads."

Max agreed with Valenti's plan, "Okay. That's what we'll do. But we need to change the colors and license plates of these cars before we hit the main road. We should switch cars as soon as possible and we'll have to stop in Artesia for gas."

As they watched the Sheriff's cruiser, the lights on the roof disappeared, the white paint swirled into a dark blue and the license plate numbers changed.

Isabel worked on the Jeep. She altered the grill to a more modern style and changed the dull khaki to a glossy black, the trim to chrome, and finished with a new license plate.

Max spoke to Liz, "Tell them we should change our clothes and when we stop in Artesia each group should go to a different gas pumps and stay apart. Someone might remember a large group meeting at the gas station."

Liz spoke up, "Maybe we should change our hair too, make us blondes and them brunettes. It would help to separate us even more."

Max nodded, "Good idea."

"Max," Isabel said, from the back seat, "what about our parents? If the skins know who we are and where we live then our parents could be in danger. We have got to warn them to leave."

Liz turned to Max, "If they know everything Courtney did then they are aware that our parents don't know what is really going on. That's why Nicholas made sure we were all there today because we all knew the truth."

Max tried to reason through the problem aloud. "If we do call them and tell them to leave, what would we tell them? If they know the truth, we put them in even more danger. And there is no way they would just leave their lives behind unless there was a really good reason."

"You're right," Isabel agreed sadly, "what could we tell them? They would never believe us."

Maria had been relaying their conversation and suddenly spoke up, "Liz, Serena says that she believes our parents will be safe. She thinks the skins will watch them hoping we will contact them."

Liz told Max and Isabel what Serena said, and voiced her agreement. "I think Serena is right. They will try and track us down again and the only lead they have is our parents."

Isabel's voice was almost a whisper, "Then we can never go home again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas carefully used his powers to lift the rubble off of himself and shore it up at the same time, not wanting to risk another collapse.

Ida rushed in with a group of soldiers and they held up the wall while she pulled him out, "Are you okay, Sir?"

"I'm fine," Nicholas said, as he got to his feet, brushing himself off. "I saw the wall falling and used my powers to save myself.

The skin soldiers pulled Kyle from the same pile.

"Is he alive?" Nicholas asked.

One of the soldiers pressed his fingers to Kyle's neck and nodded.

"You must have saved him too when the wall fell," Ida said.

Nicholas nodded in agreement, "I'm sure you're right, otherwise he would have been dead for sure." He indicated the other body the soldiers were gathered around, "Who's that?"

The soldiers parted as Nicholas approached and he recognized another of the humans, Alex. Nicholas could tell by the angle of his neck that he was dead and turned his back on him with a nod, "Now, would someone like to tell me what happened?"

"I'm not really sure, Sir," Ida started. "It all happened so fast. One minute there were the sounds of blasts in here and then the building started to collapse. They ran out, and cars were exploding, and they drove off into the desert."

Nicholas nodded and pulled out his amplifier, "Major Tratis, report."

"The road block stopped them Sir, but they drove around the back of the building and into the desert. We tried to pursue but they destroyed most of the cars and by the time we found a way around, they were gone. They were just too powerful for us, Sir."

"Thank you, Major," Nicholas drawled. "Gather the remaining troops and report to me."

Nicholas changed frequencies, "Walt, they have escaped, do you read me?"

"Yes Sir, I read you."

"Keep your troops in place and let me know about any activity." Nicholas turned the amplifier off without waiting for an answer. This whole day had been a disaster from beginning to end and he had a pretty good idea what had gone wrong. He had seen the new troops stumbling and falling over themselves, missing their targets, and it could only mean one thing; they had not adjusted to their skins as Major Tratis had reported.

Nicholas waited until all of the troops were standing around him before he sent a powerful blast of energy into Major Tratis. The Major fell to his knees and Nicholas put his hand on the Major's head to extract his memories. He quickly ripped through the images until he found what he was looking for and then allowed the man to fall to the ground.

He turned to the soldiers before him, "It seems that Major Tratis was not capable of following my orders and his failure has allowed the Royal Three and their humans to escape. And now instead of leaving for home, we are back where we started, searching the country for them."

There were murmurs from the crowd and Nicholas held up a hand, signaling silence. "There is only one way I deal with this kind of failure, so let it be a warning." He motioned to two of his trusted soldiers and they picked up Tratis and held him before Nicholas. Tratis struggled feebly but the attempt just made Nicholas laugh. He concentrated on building his energy and then once again placed his hand on the Major's head and pushed the power into him. Tratis cried out and Nicholas concentrated on building the heat within the husk. For a moment, it appeared as if Tratis were glowing from inside but Nicholas knew it was the flames burning his body, and then the husk exploded into a shower of dust.

Nicholas calmly brushed his soiled hands together and turned to Lieutenant Zaptfa, who flinched. Nicholas smiled, "I don't blame you Lieutenant, you were just following the orders of your superior. But in the future, if your superior disobeys my orders, you report it to me."

Lieutenant Zaptfa swallowed hard, "Yes Sir."

"Now Lieutenant, I want you to take some soldiers into the desert and make a thorough search."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max studied Liz's sleeping form as he cradled her in the back seat. She was having a bad dream, probably about the events of the day, and he smoothed his hand over her forehead, sending his love to her through their connection to soothe her nightmares away.

He had always been afraid that something like this would happen and he would end up ruining Liz's life. And he did feel guilty for bringing her into his world, but at the same time he felt selfishly happy that she was at his side. He didn't know what he would do without her.

Liz had been the one to suggest leaving the Jeep in Artesia in its original condition and taking another car. It had taken him a moment but then he had seen the brilliance of her idea. When the Jeep was discovered, the skins would waste valuable time searching for them in Artesia while they were making their escape. So he and Isabel had left the Jeep in the parking lot of a twenty-four hour grocery store and stolen an SUV from another lot down the block, quickly changing the color and license plate, before continuing on their journey.

He glanced out the window, noting that the sun had finally set on this long day and Max started to feel himself relax. They had seen no signs of the skins and they were just a few minutes away from their destination. He mourned the loss of Alex and Kyle but he was glad so many had escaped the trap, glad Liz had escaped.

He blamed himself entirely for leading the others into the trap. He was the leader and it was his responsibility to keep his people safe. He should have trusted Liz's burgeoning powers and avoided the place altogether. Instead he had delivered all of them into the hands of their enemies and they had nearly lost everything. And now they were running for their lives, with little money and no resources.

They had been forced to leave their homes and families and everything they had ever known behind them and he feared they could never return. Max's parents were expecting Liz, Alex, Isabel and himself for dinner in just a few minutes. Tears pricked his eyes when he thought of what his mother and father would have to go through, both of children disappearing on the same night. Their families might never know what had happened to them and worst of all, Alex's family would never know he was dead.

But no matter how much he grieved for the others, his mind kept returning to Sheriff Valenti. Jim had lost everything he had ever worked for that day; his home, his job, and his son, and it was all because he had helped them.

Isabel spoke over her shoulder as she concentrated on her driving, "It's almost six o'clock, Max. We were supposed to go to home for dinner."

"I know," Max said softly.

"They'll be so worried when we don't show up." Her voice rose with anger as she continued, "Then they'll find out that all of us have disappeared on the same day and eventually someone will find the Jetta. They'll probably think we were all murdered by a cult and buried in the desert. I mean what other explanation could they possibly come up with. Loving sons and daughters and a Sheriff don't just disappear."

"Iz," Max said softly, only to be cut off.

"I mean it just isn't fair to them. There has to be some way to contact them and tell them that we are okay. There has to be."

"Iz," Max tried again. "We'll find a way. I promise."

"But not Alex's family. They will never know what happened to him," Isabel said with a haunted tone. "Oh Max, if I hadn't gotten involved with him again, this never would have happened. He died because of me."

"No Iz, that's not true and you know it," Max said. "Alex knew there were risks and he still wanted to be with you. Anyway, even if he wasn't with you, the skins still would have tracked him down using Courtney's memories. None of us were safe from them."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas had sent the remaining troops out to search but they had made no progress. None of the Royal Three or the humans had returned to their houses and there had been no sign of them in the desert or on the roads. And now that it was dark, they would have to wait until tomorrow to continue the search.

Nicholas looked at Kyle, who was still lying on the floor. The healer had been unable to connect with the unconscious human to heal his head injury but he was familiar with human medicine and anatomy and assured Nicholas the injury wasn’t serious, although he had said it could be a few hours before the human awoke. Nicholas nudged Kyle with his foot; the human was the best hope they had of locating the others and the Granolith.

Nicholas sighed, running his hand through his hair, he had delayed long enough. The troops would remain here and continue their search but he would have to return to Copper Summit and report his failure to Khivar. They had been so close to succeeding but it had all fallen apart. Luckily he had a scapegoat. He could truthfully tell Khivar that Major Tratis was to blame for this fiasco. If Tratis had done what he had been ordered, none of this would have happened.

Nicholas turned to Ida, "Bring the car around and send in someone to load the human into it. We are returning to Copper Summit."

Ida motioned to Alex, "What about him?"

Nicholas shrugged, "He's no good to us. Have someone bury him out back."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, November 28th, 2004)
(El Paso, TX)

Max squeezed Liz's hand as he looked at the others seated around them. They had all stayed in the same motel room last night, taking turns at watch, and none of them looked like they had gotten much rest. Max had not been able to sleep all night, trying to decide what he needed to do to keep them all safe.

Liz, Jim and himself had spoken with Serena at length about her abilities and their options, and together the four of them had decided on a plan. At daybreak Max had sent Serena out to get food and a newspaper and now that breakfast was over, it was time to tell the others what they had come up with.

Max addressed the others, "Yesterday was a terrible day, the worst day of my life. Everyone here lost people they love and it won't be easy to move on, but we have to because we aren't out of this yet."

He paused to let the information sink in. "Liz, Jim and I have been trying to figure out what to do and we have come up with a plan but this will affect all of our lives and I think we should all agree. So please don't interrupt until we will tell you what we have in mind, then you can all tell us how crazy we are. Okay?"

The others looked at one another and nodded silently.

"First, our biggest problem is a place to live. We can stay at motels for a while but soon we will be tripping over each other and a big group like ours is bound to be noticed. We think we should look for a house to buy, right here in El Paso."

Max held up a hand as he saw Michael starting to protest, "Yes, I know we are close to Copper Summit and we have no money or credit, but with Serena's help we can set up accounts and enough background information to pass any credit check."

Liz continued, "And as for our location, we think it could be an advantage. It's not like the skins will do door-to-door searches and they will probably think we will get as far away from New Mexico as possible. If we buy a house, we can avoid landlords and it will be easier to find a place that is big enough for all of us, away from nosy neighbors."

The group was silent as Max continued, "Second, we need to get rid of any items that could link us to our past; cell phones, pagers, I.D. and we each need to choose new identities. We can put all of our new information in the Texas government computers and make it look like we have lived here for years."

"Third, I'm sending Serena to New York to get the help of the others. On the way, she could stop in Roswell and mail letters to our families, so at least they know we are alright."

"We could also send an anonymous tip to the police about where to find Kyle and Alex," Liz said softly.

Max looked around the group, meeting each person's eyes, "Finally, Liz and I both hope that we all agree to stay together. A large group could be more easily recognized but we all have different strengths and talents and I would hate to think that our enemies were able to drive us apart. We only have each other now and I don't want to loose any more of my family."

Michael spoke up, "Won't buying a house kinda tie us down?"

"We can always just leave," Liz said, "and the house will revert back to the bank. Then we do the same thing in the next city."

"We know what we are suggesting isn't legal or ethical," Max said, "but we don't see any way around it. We have to have money to survive. We can change one-dollar bills to hundreds, but for some things we will have to manipulate data in the bank's computers. We can't just take several thousand dollars in cash to a bank without arousing suspicion. Liz has volunteered to keep an accounting of everything we spend and if we ever get out of this mess we can pay back the appropriate people."

Max asked, "Any other questions?"

"What are we going to tell our parents?" Maria asked.

"Jim came up with a idea," said Max. "He suggested telling our parents that we were put into the witness protection program. It might seem far-fetched but it would explain why we all disappeared on the same day without telling our families and they would know not to look for us. It is better than the truth because the main thing keeping our families safe is their ignorance."

The others sat silent, digesting the plan. When no one spoke for several minutes Max continued, "Our entire lives have changed literally overnight but we'll try and make the best lives we can. It won't be easy. We can't ever go home again, and probably at first we will have to move around a lot. Everyone will have to agree not to use powers unless it's absolutely necessary, so we don't draw any attention to ourselves. So even if the skins are still looking for us, there will be nothing for them to find. We will blend in with everyone else and hide in plain sight like we always have."

Max looked at each of his friends, "I think we should take a vote now. All in favor of the plan?"

He scanned the room and nodded; there were seven raised hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas slammed into his office in the UFL building; he was not in a good mood. After returning from Roswell last night, he'd had to report their failure to Khivar, then he'd stayed up all night directing the search. The houses of the friends and family of the Royal Three were under constant surveillance and he had arranged for the phones to be bugged and the mail to be watched. He had distributed photos to each of his men and kept in continual contact with the officers.

In the early hours of the morning, Max's Jeep had been discovered in Artesia and even though Nicholas suspected it was a decoy, he'd had to concentrate on searching the area. It was now almost dark and still there had been no other sign of them.

Then he had received the news from his new technician at SETI. The technology to trace the reception of a signal would not work on this planet. It had something to do with the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere and the technician didn't think they would be able to alter it to work.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "What?" he growled.

Ida cautiously pushed open the door, "Sir, the human is awake."

Nicholas jumped out of his chair. It was the first piece of good news he had gotten since the catastrophe in Roswell. He strode into the hall and down the stairs to the sub-basement where Kyle was being held. He motioned for Ida to unlock the cell door and stepped inside, "So you're finally awake."

Kyle recognized his captor as the same person who had laid the trap for them, "What happened?"

"Now that is an interesting story," Nicholas started. "It seems you're friends escaped and left you to our tender care."

Kyle shook his head, "No, they would never do that."

"But you are here in lovely Copper Summit and they're not. How else do you explain it?"

Kyle kept silent and Nicholas continued, "If I were you, I would want revenge."

Kyle shook his head, "I remember, the wall collapsed. My father and the others must have thought I was dead or they never would've left me."

Nicholas smiled, "You sound so sure, but Courtney's memories tell me that you're not one of Max's favorites. To rescue you, Max would have had to endanger his wife, his family, and I don't think he values you enough to do that."

Kyle smiled, "You don't know what you're talking about. Max is too honorable to leave anyone behind, even me."

"So you won't tell me where they are?" Nicholas asked.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

"And the Granolith?"

Kyle shook his head, "I don't know what that is."

Nicholas saw the sudden tightening in Kyle's face and knew he was lying. The human had heard of the Granolith and he knew where it was. He smiled, "You're lying."

"No," Kyle denied quickly, "I have never heard of this Granny--, what did you call it, Granny-ith?"

"It's Granolith, as you well know," Nicholas laughed. "You will tell me one way or another. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"I don't know anything," Kyle repeated.

Nicholas smiled, "Okay, the hard way." He didn't want to risk using his mind probe on Kyle because it so often killed humans before all of the information was gathered, but, Nicholas thought to himself, there were other ways of extracting information. He rubbed his hands together, building power between them and then sent a blast of steady energy into Kyle.

The blast hit Kyle in the chest, knocked him into the wall and held him there, and a scream was torn from him.

After a moment, Nicholas stopped the energy and grabbed Kyle by the hair, forcing him to look at him. "The location of the Granolith?"

Kyle spoke through his teeth, "I don't know anything."

Nicholas raised his hand and sent another powerful blast into Kyle, doubling the length of time.

Kyle writhed on the floor, screaming in agony.

When he released him, Nicholas asked once again, "The Granolith?"

Kyle drew gulps of air into lungs, attempting to breathe past the pain, and raised himself into a sitting position. He looked up into Nicholas' gloating face, "I don't know anything."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, December 4th, 2004)

A dense, black fog obscured everything from her view as she stumbled along the corridor, trying to feel her way. Her hands found an opening and she turned down the new hall. The screams of agony became louder with every step she took but she at least she knew she was finally getting closer. She could feel the hopelessness pouring off of the other and she called out in reassurance, "I'm here. I'm coming." But she could tell that the other was unaware of her presence.

Her progress was stopped by another wall and she pounded her hands on it in frustration. The cries became more desperate as the other's pain increased and then suddenly there was silence.

"No!" she cried. Strong arms encircled her and she fought against them wildly, trying to break away from her captor but the arms were too strong and held her tightly in place. As she continued to struggle, a sense of calm started to surround and settle into her. And after a moment, she heard her name, and the arms holding her were suddenly familiar.

"Liz, wake up!" Max held Liz tightly and strengthened the connection between them, concentrating on bringing her into wakefulness. "It's just a dream. Liz!"

Liz's eyes fluttered open and she stopped struggling, "Max?"

He nodded with relief, "You were having another dream." He gently took her head in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead, "I was scared that you weren't coming back to me, I had a hard time waking you."

They were interrupted as the door crashed open and Michael and Isabel burst into the room with outstretched hands and Jim with a baseball bat right behind them. They looked quickly around but seeing nothing, their eyes fell on the couple in bed.

"What's going on?" Michael asked.

"It's okay," Max reassured them. "Liz just had a bad dream."

The others visibly relaxed and Isabel took a deep breath, "That must have been some dream."

"I'm sorry I woke you," Liz apologized.

Michael smiled, "That's okay. We need something to keep us on our toes."

The others left and Max turned his attention back to Liz, "Are you really okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Let's go downstairs," Max suggested, "I'll make you some tea and you can tell me about it."

Liz nodded her agreement, "That sounds nice."

Song Playing: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

As they walked down the stairs, Liz looked around the house that had been their home for a little over a week. They had purchased the large farmhouse because it had enough room for all of them and it sat on a large piece of land that was well away from any neighbors. They had quickly arranged for furnishing and other household necessities and had started the difficult task of settling into their new life.

Max settled Liz at the table and went to fix the tea, and Liz allowed her thoughts to roam back to the terrible day when they had lost Alex and Kyle. Of course they had also been forced to leave their friends, families and homes but it would have been more bearable if the two others had been with them. Liz felt tears prick her eyes and quickly wiped them away. She had lost two of her best friends, but Isabel had lost her love, and the Sheriff had lost his son. Her eyes immediately went to Max and she was so grateful that she had not lost him.

"Max, I love you."

Max turned to her with a smile, "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?"

"After everything, I'm just glad we're here together."

Max nodded his understanding and gathered her in his arms. "The last week has been very hard and you are having these nightmares."

Liz froze, "I didn't tell you I was having nightmares."

"No, " Max said with a smile, "you didn't want to worry me. But I love you so much and I know you too well for you to be able to keep things from me."

Liz sighed, "I should have known."

"So do you want to tell me what the dream was about?"

"It's awful, Max, it's the same every time. I can hear someone in pain and I try to help, but there is a thick fog and I can't see where I'm going. I try to find my way but the cries become more and more urgent and I can't get there. I'm completely helpless."

Max stroked Liz's hair, "This is about Alex and Kyle and the way we had to leave them. I feel guilty about what happened too but there was nothing else we could have done."

"I know," Liz agreed. "I just can't believe they're really gone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, December 8th, 2004)

Serena had arranged for the final purchase of the house and furniture and made sure Max and the others were settled before she had left them. As Max instructed, she had stopped in Roswell to mail the letters to their families and then she had continued to New York.

Serena had changed her appearance several times as she traveled, and now as she approached the subway tunnel that led to the home of the duplicates, she slipped into an alley and changed into the guise of a homeless man. She descended into the subway and turned into the secret entrance leading to her former abode.

A feeling of dread settled into her as she neared the entrance. Uncharacteristically it was pitch black and totally silent. She continued carefully into the room and reached for the switch, but the light did not turn on when she flipped it. She kindled a light and pushed it up, to hover over-head but the scene the light illuminated shocked her so much, the light nearly went out.

All four of her former charges were laying on the floor, dead. As she approached them, she saw the blast marks on each of their chests. They had been killed by aliens. Serena didn't know how Nicholas had found them but he had, and they had lost their lives. She turned to leave but the orb sitting face down on the table caught her eye and she put it into her pocket.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, December 18th, 2004)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Kyle cradled his broken arm against his chest as he sat on the floor meditating, attempting to lessen the pain. He repeated the mantra over and over, "No suffering befalls the man who is not attached to name and form," but he was having a hard time concentrating.

He had been a prisoner of the skins for three weeks and every evening Nicholas came to torture him. Sometimes Nicholas was alone and sometimes he brought other skins with him. They had various powers that they used to physically and mentally torture him and Kyle never knew what would happen next. It was obvious that Nicholas had hoped to destroy his spirit and loyalty to his friends, but the continual pain had only created a deep hatred in him for the skins and everything they were trying to accomplish.

Last night Kyle had taunted Nicholas into using a wild burst of energy that had snapped both the bones in his left arm and Kyle knew he had found one of the alien's weaknesses. Nicholas was easily moved to anger and it could be used against him.

Kyle could feel the anger building up within him at the thought of the diminutive skin leader and one of the Buddha's sayings suddenly came to him, We live happily indeed, not hating those who hate us, we dwell free from the hatred. He took several deep breaths and attempted to release his hatred as he continued with his chant, "No suffering befalls the man who is not attached to name and form. No suffering befalls the man who is not attached to name and form." Slowly he felt himself relax and the pain started to leave him. He concentrated harder on pushing the pain away through his breathing, and he didn’t hear Nicholas enter the room.

Nicholas watched Kyle as he persisted in his chanting and noticed that he must have broken the human's arm. Usually he was careful not to cause any permanent damage but Kyle's continued refusal to talk had frustrated him and then the human had started to taunt him, and he had simply gotten carried away.

"Is the Buddha helping with the pain," Nicholas mocked, "or has he forsaken you like your friends."

Kyle's eyes snapped open and he felt the hatred rise up again at the sight of Nicholas. He took a deep breath attempting to calm himself and looked Nicholas in the eyes, "Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time, hatred ceases by love."

Nicholas laughed. "I can feel your hatred for me human," he mocked, "and your mantras haven't done anything to lessen it. But you should be directing your hatred at your so-called friends. If they hadn't left you to save their own butts, you wouldn't be here now. They don't deserve your loyalty, they certainly didn't show you any.

Kyle shook his head, "I won't betray my friends."

Nicholas shrugged, "Everyone breaks in the end."

Kyle knew Nicholas was probably right but he couldn't let his friends down, because if Nicholas found them he would kill them all. Kyle knew there was only one way out, he had to make Nicholas kill him before he gave up the information. He gathered his courage and forced himself to laugh as he shakily rose to his feet. "You're wasting your time peewee, because you just don't have it what it takes to get me to talk."

Nicholas raised his hand and sent a blast of energy into Kyle, slamming him into the wall.

Kyle fell to the floor and an intense pain lanced through his broken arm. He almost passed out, but fought through the pain and staggered to his feet. He laughed again. "That was pathetic, junior. Is that the best you've got? No wonder you got banished to this planet, you're completely incompetent. You've been here for more than fifty years and you can't even get information out of a human."

Nicholas roared and sent a powerful stream of energy into Kyle that once again knocked him to the floor.

Kyle writhed in agony as the pain ripped through him. It intensified to a level that he thought was impossible, and even though he fought against it, he screamed. The pain was like a fire that tore through him and he shut his eyes trying to block it out. Kyle felt his strength pouring out of him, and as he slipped into the waiting darkness, a figure appeared before him; Liz.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz placed a hand on the wall to guide herself along the corridor. The fog obscured everything and the sounds were the only thing guiding her. The screams were particularly loud and tonight she could feel the pain behind them. But it wasn't only a physical pain, the other had given up and was preparing to die. "I'm here," she called out, "I'll help you."

She hurried forward but was stopped by another wall. "No!" Liz yelled. "Not again." The screams stopped and she quickly felt along the wall looking for an opening, "Where are you?"

There was no answer but there was another scream of pain, more powerful than any of the others, and suddenly the fog lifted. Liz was standing inside a cell with Kyle and Nicholas was killing him.

"No!" she called out, "Stop!" She rushed forward, trying to stop Nicholas but the fog swirled around her and she passed through him. She reached out toward Kyle but she could no longer see him. "No!"

Liz felt herself fall and suddenly woke up in her own bed.

Her movement woke Max and he grasped her by the shoulders, "Liz are you okay? Did you have another dream?"

Liz nodded, "I saw Kyle. I think he's still alive."

Max pulled her to him, "No Liz, he can't be. We saw the building collapse on him."

"I saw him in my dream. He was being tortured by Nicholas. Max it was real, I know it was."

"Liz," Max started gently, "I know it seemed real but it couldn't have been. Kyle is gone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Ida rushed into the room when she heard Nicholas cry out and there was a look of such feral rage on her master's face that she nearly went back out again. But she knew in his anger, Nicholas would simply obliterate Kyle without realizing it and they would lose the only lead they had. She called out to him, "Sir."

Nicholas didn't respond and she risked stepping closer to him, "Sir! You have to stop. You'll kill him."

Ida's words penetrated Nicholas' rage and he stopped the stream of energy, with a nod to her. "Yes, I got a little carried away."

Ida entered the cell without comment and checked the human for signs of life, feeling relief that he still had a strong pulse. "He's just passed out," she said as she noticed the injury to his arm, "probably because his arm is badly injured. Do you want it repaired or should we leave it like it is?"

Nicholas paused considering the possibilities, "If we leave the arm, it will cause him a lot of pain but he will not withstand as much interrogation." He motioned to Ida, "Send for the healer."

She reached the door before Nicholas' called out to her, "Wait. Tell the healer to fix the arm the human way, set it in a cast. The pain and the cast will serve as a reminder of my power that he will not soon forget."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:48 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 7

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, December 21st, 2004)
(El Paso, TX)

Liz idly picked at her dinner as her thoughts consumed her. For three weeks she'd had the same dream but for the last two days, there had been nothing. If Kyle had been alive and trying to contact her, he had been unable to for the last two days and she didn't want to consider what that might mean.

Her gaze automatically fell on the Sheriff. She and Max had agreed not to tell him of her last dream where Kyle had been revealed to her. She knew Max didn't think the dreams were real and she didn't want to cause any false hope in Jim. If Kyle had somehow survived, he had been suffering horribly and there was nothing any of them could do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Kyle awoke to a dull pain in his head and raised his hand but stopped as he noticed the cast encasing it. His brow wrinkled in confusion. Obviously Nicholas had come to his senses before he had killed him, but Kyle couldn't understand why he had gotten him medical attention. But he did understand that he still had the same problem, he couldn't let Nicholas get the information out of his head. The next time Nicholas came to him, he would simply have to taunt him until he forced the alien to kill him.

Kyle slumped back onto the cot. He had thought he would never wake up again when he slipped into unconsciousness and it really hadn't been as frightening as he had expected. There had been a welcoming darkness where there was no pain and... Liz!

Suddenly he sat up. He had seen Liz. He knew it was her, it felt so real.

Maybe it was a new power manifesting, he thought to himself. Maybe somehow he had tapped into something that connected him with Liz, and maybe he could contact her again. He felt a surge of hope for the first time since his capture. He might just get out of this alive after all.

Kyle sat on the cot in lotus position and concentrated on focusing his energy. He really didn't know how Max and Liz communicated with one another, but he drew from within himself his memory of Liz. He fixated on her personality, her essence, the thing about her that was uniquely Liz, until he could see her clearly in his mind. Then he called out to her, wrapping her name in the energy he had gathered and pushing it into his vision of her.

Liz.

He sat quietly receptive but after a few minutes with no reply, he felt his hope dim briefly. Then he strengthened his resolve and built his energy to try again. Just because it didn't work once didn't mean it wouldn't work. He had faith in Liz and he knew if anyone could hear him it would be her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(El Paso, TX)

There had been a strange sensation just on the edge of Liz's perception all evening but she just couldn't figure out what it was. It was like the nagging feeling she got when she was forgetting something, but it was subtly different. As she had gotten ready for bed, the feeling had intensified and she had tossed in bed, unable to sleep for more than an hour, trying to discover what was happening.

Finally she drifted into a troubled sleep and once again found herself in the corridors, but this time there was no fog.

Liz.

A voice called her name within her head and she knew instantly it was Kyle. She turned and hurried to the room where she had seen Kyle before and found him sitting on a cot, his eyes closed, obviously in deep meditation. She stopped close to the bars of his cell and reached out to touch them, but her hand went through them. She walked through the bars and reached out to Kyle but she couldn't touch him either.

"Kyle," she said aloud.

Kyle's eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice, and he had a brief glimpse of Liz before his concentration broke. He reached out to her as her image dissolved before him, "Liz!"

Liz woke up immediately. The sensation she'd been experiencing had been just different enough that she hadn't realized what it was, but now she knew it had been Kyle trying to contact her. He had tried to speak to her like Max did, but she hadn't recognized him. She could feel the similarities to her connection with Max but there were differences too and those were what had confused her.

In her mind, she reached for the new thread of connection. It was not as strong as the connection she shared with Max and there was a different flavor to it, as if it were a piece of Kyle, but it was basically the same. Liz brought the link sharply into focus and pushed her thoughts into it. Kyle, can you hear me?

She felt a rush of emotions along the connection but uppermost was anguish. Liz?

Liz felt tears prick at her eyes, Kyle, we thought you were dead.

The skins saved me. But Liz, listen, you've got to get me out of here. They are trying to get the location of the Granolith from me and I don't know how much longer I can hold out.

Do you know where they are keeping you? she asked.

I'm in Copper Summit, but I don't know where exactly.

I'll tell the others and we'll come up with a plan. We'll get you back, Kyle, I promise.

Liz felt his relief through the connection, I never doubted you, Liz.

Liz ended the connection and turned to shake Max awake. "Max, get up."

Max rubbed at his eyes sleepily, "What's wrong?"

"Max, Kyle is alive and we have to help him."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone sat around the table, listening intently as Liz finished her story.

There were tears in the Sheriff's eyes but a smile on his face, "My boy is alive."

Liz nodded, "But we have to figure out a way to get him back, fast."

"It's not going to be easy," Michael said, "to just walk into the skins' stronghold and take back a prisoner, especially when we don't know where he is."

Serena spoke up, "I think Liz can help with that."

"What do you mean?" Max asked warily.

"From what Liz was describing, it sounds like she is developing a new power. Kyle could see her, and she could see what was happening, but she couldn't interact with anything. Typically it is called astral projection. Basically she can send her mind to a different place than her body. If she could do it again, she could simply walk out of the building and see where Kyle is being held."

Liz agreed quickly, "I'll do it."

Max accepted her decision with a brief nod, "We still need a plan to get Kyle out. A layout of the town would be helpful too."

"Um," Isabel started, "Michael and I can help with that."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

"Well it's like this Max," Michael started, "Isabel and I went to check out Copper Summit back during the harvest."

"You what?" Max asked incredulously.

"We were careful," Michael assured him. "We hid in the hills outside of town."

Max swallowed his disapproval and focused on the present, "Can you and Isabel draw a map of the city?"

Michael looked to Isabel and then nodded.

"Okay," Max said. "Since the skins are looking for us, maybe we can turn that to our advantage. Somehow we could make the skins think that we are somewhere so Nicholas will send the troops after us."

Michael picked up on the idea immediately, "Yeah, we could make, like a distraction to lure them away from Copper Summit."

"It would have to be good or they wouldn't fall for it," Max said.

"Can't they track the signals from those orbs?" Maria asked. "We could just send a message from like Chicago or somewhere and let them go chasing after us.

"That's not a bad idea," Max said, "but the skins know, that we know the signal can be tracked. They would never believe we would be so careless."

"Unless," Liz said, with a speculative gleam in her eyes, "they thought we didn't know about it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz waited until after three o'clock a.m. to initiate contact with Kyle, hoping that most of the town would be asleep and Kyle would be alone. She called out along the connection, Kyle.

He answered immediately, Liz.

Kyle, are you alone?

Yeah, what's going on?

Remember when you saw me? It's a new power I have. Liz explained. Hopefully I’m going to appear there in a few minutes and find out where you're being held.

Hopefully? Kyle asked.

Well, Liz admitted, I didn't know I was doing it. I thought it was a dream, so I'm not really sure how it works, but I have lots of people to help. We'll figure it out.

Okay Liz, I know you'll do your best. So what's the plan?

If everything goes as planned, we'll get you out of there the day after tomorrow. Liz felt Kyle's relief through the connection. Just hold on a little longer.

I'll be here, Kyle said, unless I decide to step out for a pizza or something.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel waited until she could get Max alone and pulled him aside. "Max, if Kyle is still alive then maybe Alex is too."

Max shook his head but Isabel continued, "They could both be held in the same place, maybe Kyle knows where Alex is or maybe Liz can find him too."

"Iz," Max said gently, "Alex is gone. I saw him."

"No Max," Isabel's voice rose desperately, "he could still be alive. It could have been another skin trick. You just thought he was dead."

Max shook his head again and reached into his pocket, "I was going to give this to you, but it never seemed to be the right time."

He held a folded piece of paper out to her and she hesitatingly took it and smoothed it open. It was the front page of the Roswell Gazette from December eleventh. Isabel looked at her brother, "You told us not to get the Roswell paper so we wouldn't have anything that linked us to Roswell."

"That's true," Max admitted, "but I also didn't want you to see the articles about us, about our families, because I knew it would hurt you. I've had Serena keep up on what was happening in Roswell because we need all the information we can get."

Isabel's hands started to tremble and she asked in strangled voice, "So what's in this paper you wanted me to see?"

Max pointed to an article at the bottom of the page and Isabel glanced down. The headline brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm really sorry Iz," Max said, and left her to read the article alone.

Isabel wiped the tears from her eyes and started to read.

Body of Missing Roswell Teen Found

The body of Alex Charles Whitman was found
yesterday, by the Roswell Sheriff's department,
in a shallow desert grave behind the old Barnet
Soap Factory. The Sheriff's department
received an anonymous tip earlier that
morning leading them to Whitman's remains.
Acting Sheriff Hansen reported that Whitman
had sustained a broken neck and the body had
obviously been there for some time.

Whitman was one of a group of eight Roswell
residents, who disappeared on November 27th
of this year, under mysterious circumstances.
The Sheriff's department is conducting a search
of the area surrounding the soap factory for the
others, but so far, there has been no evidence
pointing to their current location.Others missing
include Roswell Sheriff Jim Valenti Jr. and his
son Kyle; the two adopted children of prominent
local lawyer Philip Evans, Isabel and Max Evans;
Liz Parker Evans, wife of Max Evans and
daughter of Jeff Parker, owner of the local
theme restaurant The Crashdown Cafe.

Also discovered near the soap factory was
the charred frame of a Volkswagen Jetta
belonging to...

The article continued but Isabel dropped the paper to the floor as she dissolved into tears.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Serena, Liz and Max sat around the table and Serena tried to explain to Liz how to use her new power. "You have done this subconsciously, so you know how, you just have to try not to let the conscious part of your brain get in the way. Remember you are not in a corporeal form so you don't have to follow the laws of physics. No door or wall can stop you and gravity does not effect you."

Liz nodded.

"Just close your eyes and focus your energy," Serena said. "Concentrate on the place where you saw Kyle."

Liz closed her eyes and tried to picture the cell with Kyle on the cot, but all she saw was the thick black fog.

Serena continued, "Let his energy guide you to your destination."

With her mind, Liz grasped the connection she had with Kyle and let it propel her. She felt as if she were getting lighter, floating, and then she suddenly gathered speed and the fog thinned as her velocity increased. A rush of images assaulted her, too fast for her to make out, and then she was standing before Kyle.

The room was completely dark, but Kyle sat on the cot as had she expected. He saw her immediately and smiled. Liz longed to stay with him and offer comfort but she wasn't sure how long she would be able to continue, so she waved and turned to the door.

Liz reached out to touch the door and her hand passed through. She took a deep breath and before she could think about it too much, she walked through. Behind it were stairs leading up, and Liz concentrated on lifting her form up through them. She could feel herself becoming lighter and she floated up through two flights of stairs and out into a large room on the main floor.

Liz could see outside through the windows on the double doors across the room and quickly headed toward them. As she reached them, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she knew her time was running short. She pushed herself through the doors and out into the dark street, as the fog started to swirl in around her. She quickly turned around and her gaze settled on the building where Kyle was being held, and her eyes roamed over it, trying to memorize every detail. It was a two-story, yellow brick building, but the thing that stuck uppermost in her mind was the name, The Universal Friendship League.

Liz looked around at the surrounding buildings, studying any landmarks and trying to see the name of the street. She noticed a sign across the street and hurried toward it, but the fog became more dense with every step and Liz felt another wave of dizziness. She wanted to return to Kyle one more time, but she could feel herself weakening. She pushed herself the last few steps, but the fog completely engulfed her before she could read the name of the streets.

Suddenly she was back in her body and reeled to the side, not prepared for the rapid change.

"Liz!" Max cried as her body swayed toward him and he caught her easily. "Liz, are you okay?"

Liz felt Max's strong arms encircle her before she fell and heard the worried tone in his voice as he called her name. She turned to him with a weak smile. "I saw it, Max. Kyle is in the sub-basement of a yellow-brick, two-story building, The Universal Friendship League. But I couldn't stay long enough to see the street it was on."

Liz collapsed into Max as her strength left her and he lowered her to the floor, quickly making a connection to check for injuries. He relaxed only after he was satisfied nothing was wrong with her.

Max's cries brought Michael, Maria, Isabel and Jim running into the room.

Maria rushed to Liz's side, "What's wrong with her?"

"She's just exhausted," Max said. "She'll be alright."

Jim came forward, "Was she able to tell where Kyle is?"

"Yeah, he's in the Universal Friendship League building. She said it was yellow brick, two stories but she couldn't see what street it's on."

"I remember it," Isabel said. "They sent Whitaker that letter, remember? I thought the name was really creepy. It is at the T-intersection of the two main streets."

"Okay," Max said, "you and Michael get to work on a map of Copper Summit. Jim see if you can find a place that will be suitable. Serena get the orb and the other equipment we'll need. After I put Liz in bed I'll come down to help with the rest of the plan."

Max gathered Liz in his arms and headed up the stairs toward their room, with Maria following closely behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, December 23rd, 2004)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas rushed into the communication center. His soldiers had just picked up a transmission on the royal frequency and they had been able to pinpoint the location of the origin. Nicholas stopped, barely inside the door, noticing the strange looks on the faces of Ida and Walt and the others gathered there. "What?" he asked.

Walt grinned, "The, um, message, obviously starts in the middle of an argument. He coughed, trying to hold back a laugh and shook his head, "You just have to hear it."

"Okay," Nicholas said, and nodded to the communications officer. "Play it."

"...have to listen to me, Max," Michael shouted.

"Michael, we've already had this argument several times and I don't want to rehash the whole thing again."

"Max, this orb may be the only thing standing between us and death," Michael said dramatically.

"Michael, put the damn orb down. You don't even know what you're talking about."

"We should use this thing to call for reinforcements, call your followers on Antar and the other planets. We can't possibly hope to defeat the skins alone. "

"No, Michael. We aren't calling anyone." Max laughed, "Remember what a bunch of bumbling fools the skins were, falling all over themselves? They must have outnumbered us ten to one. I couldn't believe how easily we escaped them.

Michael scoffed, "Yeah, you saw how many of 'em there were. Maybe we just got lucky that day."

"Lucky?" Max huffed. "We shouldn't even be having this discussion. I decide what we do. I am the King."

Michael laughed, "Some great King you are. Alex, Kyle and Courtney are dead, and we had to leave our homes and everything we've ever known. For hell sakes, Maxwell, we are hiding in friggin' Kansas."

"Not for much longer," Max reminded him. "Remember we're leaving tomorrow just after sunrise. We can't afford to stay in one place too long."

"Yeah, so we're running like a bunch of scared rabbits. If we had the help of our allies..."

Max cut him off, "If we use the orb it will also alert the skins to where we are."

"Well, I say bring them on, we might as well get this over with. What else are we going to do, hide the rest of our lives?"

"No," Max said, "but we need a plan. We can't just walk into the skins' headquarters and have a shoot out, like it's the wild west or something. Besides you can't even control your powers half of the time."

"Hey," Michael said defensively, "I've been practicing and I'm getting better."

"Yeah but you can't control your powers at all when you're upset. Remember all of the windows you accidentally blew-out of the last house, when you and Maria were fighting? Glass was flying everywhere, Michael. It's just lucky that no one was hurt or killed. You don't even know if you could control your powers enough to use the orb," Max scoffed. "So Michael, I'm going to ask you once nicely, to hand over that orb, before I have to take it from you."

"You can try," Michael said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Michael, I'm warning you..."

The voices stopped as several blasts of power sounded. Then there was a loud crash and the transmission stopped.

Nicholas looked around him at the amused faces of his senior staff and they burst into laughter. Nicholas smiled and shook his head, "I always knew Rath was a moron." He turned to the communications officer, "So they're in friggin' Kansas. Do you have the address yet?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Havensville, KS)

Isabel slipped the orb and the tape recorder into her bag, got into the rented car and dialed a number on her cell phone, "Hi mom. I just wanted to tell you I'm running a little late and not to hold dinner for me."

A woman's voice answered her, "Okay dear, we'll start without you."

Isabel ended the call, put the car in gear and headed north toward Topeka and the airport.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The hills outside of Copper Summit, AZ)

Serena turned off her cell phone, "That was Isabel with the signal."

"Okay," said Max, turning to the others, "they'll have to high-tail it out of here to get to Kansas before tomorrow morning. And hopefully the message we sent and the fact that we escaped him before will make Nicholas angry enough to send most of his troops after us. So all we have to do is wait until they leave and then we go in to get Kyle."

As they watched, the sleepy little town erupted into a maelstrom of activity. Skin soldiers poured out of the buildings and jumped into vehicles, with the diminutive Nicholas at the heart of it all, shouting orders.

Max watched with growing horror at the number of troops. Courtney had told them at the time of the harvest that the skins were down to just over a hundred, but clearly there were more than that in Copper Summit now. Max turned to Serena, "Can you tell how many of them there are?"

"I've counted at least four thousand and there are still more coming out," Serena said. "If the information that Courtney gave you was accurate, Khivar has sent more troops."

"There could be thousands more of them down there," Michael said. "And what's the deal with the cars? Don't they have space ships or something?"

Serena nodded, "They do, but using them even at night is risky. There are people everywhere watching the skies and everybody has a video camera these days. If the U.S. government found out about the skins, their mission would be over. Nicholas would never take that chance."

Max nodded, "Let's just wait and see what happens."

More and more vehicles filled with skin soldiers drove out of Copper Summit until only a handful of people were left standing in the street. Nicholas was obviously giving them orders, gesturing wildly and shouting. Two of the remaining soldiers went into the yellow brick building where Kyle was being held and the others got into two cars and drove north. Finally Nicholas got in the passenger seat of the single remaining vehicle and it headed east with the others.

Max and the others watched Copper Summit for an hour after the skins had left, but there was no activity. Max looked at Liz. He had wanted her to stay in El Paso where he could be sure she was safe, but she had insisted on coming and he had to admit to himself that he was glad. He needed Liz at his side. He felt stronger when she was with him. "Liz, contact Kyle and ask him how many guards are with him."

He turned to the others. "I don't know where those other skins went who drove north, but the town seems to be deserted. This will probably be the best chance we'll get. Jim, you and Michael go in from the west and Serena and I will go in from the south and we'll meet in front of the UFL building. Serena will go in first disguised as Nicholas, we'll take the guards by surprise and get Kyle out as quickly as possible."

"Max," Liz interrupted, "Kyle says there are two guards with him and according to his description they are the ones we saw go in earlier."

"Okay," Max continued, "Liz and Maria will stay here." He held up a hand to stop Liz's protest and continued, "You will stay here to keep watch. If any of the skins come into town and head toward the UFL building you can contact me through our connection."

Liz nodded in agreement.

Max looked at each of the people before him, "Hopefully we'll be in and out quickly and we'll meet at the hotel where we agreed. If anything goes wrong, split up and keep in contact through the cell phones. This won't be like last time. We aren't walking into a trap and Maria and Liz have our backs, but we still need to be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks and keep yourselves safe.” He nodded. “Okay, let's go get Kyle."

Max turned to Liz and embraced her. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Liz forced a smile to her lips, "Be careful."

Serena took Nicholas' appearance and got in the car with Max, who now had blond hair. They drove slowly into the town looking for an ambush, but there was no sign of activity and Max stopped the car in front of the Universal Friendship League building. A curly-haired Michael and a long-haired Jim met them on the front steps of the building and they followed Serena inside.

As they descended the stairs, Max contacted Liz through their connection, Liz, tell Kyle we're coming down the stairs and Serena looks like Nicholas.

Okay, Max. So far everything's clear.

Serena entered the room where Kyle's was being held and two skin soldiers sat at a table playing cards. They snapped to attention when they saw her.

"Sir, we didn't expect you back so soon."

"Change of plans," said Serena dismissively. She motioned to Max, and he and Jim moved past the soldiers to unlock Kyle's cell. She turned back to the skin soldiers, "I have another job for you two."

One of the guards noticed Michael for the first time and raised his hand menacingly as he recognized him, "Hey isn't that..." his sentence was cut off as Jim broke the seal on his husk and he turned to dust. The other skin whirled toward Jim but a blast of power from Serena easily eliminated him.

Max and Jim helped Kyle out of the cell and up the stairs and Max called out to Liz, Is the street clear?

It's clear Max. We haven't seen anyone.

They reached the main floor of the UFL and paused at the outer door but they saw no one. Michael held the doors open for Jim and Max to get Kyle through, and Serena rushed ahead to the car. She opened the door to Jim's car and they put Kyle in the back seat. Max climbed in with Kyle and Jim got behind the wheel while Michael and Serena got into Max's car.

As they drove out of town, Max removed the cast and healed Kyle's arm. In the connection created, he saw a brief glimpse of what Kyle had been subjected to during his time with the skins. He quickly checked Kyle for other injuries but besides some soreness he was okay. "I fixed your arm and I don't see any other damage."

"No physical damage at least," Kyle said tightly.

Max nodded stiffly. Kyle's experience had been similar to what he had been subjected to in the white room but where he had only been tortured for one day, Kyle had suffered for almost a month. "Kyle, I'm really sorry. If you need to talk..."

Kyle nodded, "Thanks for coming to get me Max."

"It was Liz who found you," Max reminded him.

"Yeah and I'm going to give your wife a big hug when I see her."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, December 24th, 2004)
(Havensville, KS)

The bulk of Nicholas' army were setting up positions around the small town while Nicholas and his band of hand-picked soldiers waited to rush Max's hideout. The signal sent by the orb had been tracked to an abandoned granary just outside of town, near the cemetery. Nicholas glanced at the sign just down the road.

Havensville, Kansas
Population 147

Nicholas had to admit that it was a good location to hide out, even if the name of the town was a little hokey. The granary was far enough out of town for them to mostly avoid the locals and even if anyone did notice them, they would probably assume the group of teenagers was a cult. There were two large and four small buildings on the compound, giving them lots of room to hide, but Nicholas was counting on them acting like humans not soldiers. They were probably all staying together in the old farmhouse.

He had watched the compound for about half an hour, but there was no sign of movement, no lights, and it was eerily quiet. Nicholas glanced down at his watch, there was just over an hour until sunrise and he wanted to take Max and the others before they could reach their cars. He spoke into his amplifier, "Is everyone in position?"

All the group commanders reported positively and Nicholas barked orders into his amplifier, "Hold the parameter at all costs but I want all of them taken alive. Teams one through six, move out."

Nicholas led his team into the house and they quickly went from room to room but found no sign of the Royal Three or the others, and as they finished their search, Nicholas realized that a thick layer of dust covered everything in the house. No one had been in there for years. A suspicion started growing in his mind and he spoke into his amplifier, "Groups two through five, report. Any sign of them?"

Each of the group commanders reported negatively.

Nicholas signaled the commanders of the troops at the parameter asking if anyone had attempted to pass, but as he suspected, they answered negatively.

Nicholas changed the frequency on the amplifier and signaled the soldiers guarding Kyle but there was no reply, also as he suspected. Then he signaled the communications room on the ship, calling the leader of the group he had assigned to protect it, "Greer, come in."

He was answered immediately, "Yes Sir."

"Send some men to the UFL building. I think our prisoner has been liberated."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been a subdued holiday season because of Alex's and Kyle's deaths, and the fact that they had been on the run. No one had planned on celebrating or exchanging gifts, but now that Kyle was safe, a feeling of thankfulness and optimism infused the group.

Maria and Liz stopped on the way back from Copper Summit and bought the fixings for a traditional turkey dinner, a small Christmas tree and decorations. While Max and Serena went to collect Isabel from the airport, Liz and Michael prepared a sumptuous feast and Maria and the Valentis decorated the tree.

Later they all gathered around the table and Max stood and raised his glass to give a toast. "This is to remembering absent friends and family. Just because they aren't with us doesn't mean they will ever be forgotten. And to Kyle for his bravery and determination that allowed us to get him back. And finally to all of you." Max looked at each person around the table, "I couldn't have gotten through this without each and every one of you. I love all of you. You are my family now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Khivar faced Nicholas in Corporal Raltos' borrowed body, "So let me get this straight. You had one of Max's human friends who knew the location of the Granolith in your possession, but you couldn't force him to divulge where it was, because you didn't want to damage his mind. In the mean time, you received a seemingly accidental message from Max that conveniently pinpointed their location. So you sent the majority of the troops to take Max's group, leaving your town and your prisoner relatively unguarded. And while you were gone, Max took back his human."

Nicholas winced. He knew it was his fault but Khivar had made it sound worse than it was, and Nicholas didn't think his master would forgive him this time. He had served Khivar almost his entire life and he was the closest thing to a friend that Khivar had, but Nicholas had no illusions. Khivar would kill him without a second thought if he had outlived his usefulness.

The sudden sound of Khivar's laughter filled the room. It was a terrible sound, joyless, almost maniacal, and Nicholas was afraid to look at his master.

Finally Khivar spoke, "You have to admit it was a daring plan. I'm surprised that Zan came up with it, but maybe the human DNA has given Max some backbone."

"Or maybe it's his human wife," Nicholas offered.

"Yes," Khivar mused. "Zan was so much in love with Ava, it's hard to believe he has cast her aside for a human. This Liz must be something special." Khivar shrugged, "It's too bad we don't know where his Ava went. She would be very helpful, and after Max's rejection, she might be eager to join us."

Nicholas nodded but stayed silent, waiting for Khivar to decide what to do.

"Do you still have the message Max sent?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Nicholas answered formally.

"I would like to hear it for myself."

Nicholas crossed to the console and pressed a series of buttons, activating the message.

"...have to listen to me, Max," Michael shouted.

"Michael, we've already had this argument several times and I don't want to rehash the whole thing again."

"Max, this orb may be the only thing standing between us and death," Michael said dramatically.

"Michael, put the damn orb down. You don't even know what you're talking about."

"We should use this thing to call for reinforcements, call your followers on Antar and the other planets. We can't possibly hope to defeat the skins alone. "

"No, Michael. We aren't calling anyone." Max laughed, "Remember what a bunch of bumbling fools the skins were, falling all over themselves? They must have outnumbered us ten to one. I couldn't believe how easily we escaped them.

Michael scoffed, "Yeah, you saw how many of 'em there were. Maybe we just got lucky that day."

"Lucky?" Max huffed. "We shouldn't even be having this discussion. I decide what we do. I am the King."

Michael laughed, "Some great King you are. Alex, Kyle and Courtney are dead, and we had to leave our homes and everything we've ever known. For hell sakes, Maxwell, we are hiding in friggin' Kansas."

"Not for much longer," Max reminded him. "Remember we're leaving tomorrow just after sun rise. We can't afford to stay in one place too long."

"Yeah, so we're running like a bunch of scared rabbits. If we had the help of our allies..."

Max cut him off, "If we use the orb it will also alert the skins to where we are."

"Well, I say bring them on, we might as well get this over with. What else are we going to do, hide the rest of our lives?"

"No," Max said, "but we need a plan. We can't just walk into the skins' headquarters and have a shoot out, like it's the wild west or something. Besides you can't even control your powers half of the time."

"Hey," Michael said defensively, "I've been practicing and I'm getting better."

"Yeah but you can't control your powers at all when you're upset. Remember all of the windows you accidentally blew-out of the last house, when you and Maria were fighting? Glass was flying everywhere, Michael. It's just lucky that no one was hurt or killed. You don't even know if you could control your powers enough to use the orb," Max scoffed. "So Michael, I'm going to ask you once nicely, to hand over that orb, before I have to take it from you."

"You can try," Michael said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Michael, I'm warning you..."

The voices stopped as several blasts of power sounded. Then there was a loud crash and the transmission stopped.

Khivar scratched his chin as the message ended and spoke his thoughts aloud, "It was a clever plan. I can see why you fell for it, but there may be a grain of truth in it too."

"What do you mean?" Nicholas asked.

"The part about contacting their allies. Obviously they know more of our troops have been sent to Earth. What if they are in contact with the dowager Queen and the rebel forces? They could be planning to bring their own army to Earth."

"It's possible," Nicholas admitted. "But why would they tell us in the message?"

"To throw us off," Khivar said thoughtfully. "If Max already has troops coming to Earth they could arrive and kill all of you before more of our troops got there. If he has the resources, I have seriously underestimated him."

Khivar paced back and forth before the desk, growing angrier and angrier with each step. Suddenly he stopped, slamming his fist on the desk. "We can't let Max get the upper hand now. This whole thing has dragged on too long. I have been complacent and Max is gaining ground.”

Khivar nodded, having made up his mind. “I will send two more legions of troops to you. Until they arrive, keep searching for Max and his group. If you find them before the troops arrive, then proceed with the original plan. But if the troops arrive and you still have not found them, I want you to take that insignificant little planet apart. You will have fifteen thousand of our finest battle-ready troops, armed with the latest weapons, and three warships with full compliments of fighters at your disposal. Destroy anything that gets in your way."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 10:11 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 8

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Over the next few years, Max and Liz and the others settled into a comfortable existence, taking jobs and even going to school. They moved several times to different parts of the country, to avoid discovery.

After Kyle had been rescued, Max had forbidden them from using their powers except in emergencies, fearful of drawing attention to themselves. But Michael and Kyle disobeyed him and practiced secretly.

Liz also guiltily disobeyed Max and used her new power of astral projection to see her parents. She was glad they had finally accepted her marriage before she and Max had left for college. It would have been even more awful if she and her parents had been fighting when she had to go into hiding. Liz missed them terribly and even though they didn't know she was there, it made her feel better to know they were all right. At first, it had been difficult for her to get to them, but with practice she was able to visit them whenever she wished. Liz hated keeping secrets from Max but she couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her parents again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, September 16th, 2009)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

"The new troops have arrived, Your Majesty," Nicholas informed Khivar. "How do you want to proceed?"

"Dispatch four squads of your best men to Roswell and take the Evans and the Parkers hostage. Then send a message to Max, telling him to come forward by an appointed time, or we will kill his and his wife's parents."

"Max would be an idiot to sacrifice himself for them," Nicholas sneered. "He won't surrender. He will probably try to rescue..." he let the sentence trail off as he realized Khivar's plan. "Of course, he will try to rescue them and we can set a trap." Nicholas frowned, "Max might suspect a trap though and not come."

Khivar shrugged, "At least it will appear that I gave him a peaceful way out. If he doesn't come forward, destroy Roswell. We will systematically destroy that planet one city at a time if necessary, until they surrender themselves to us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Broussard, LA)

Serena knew of Max's distaste for alien things and had kept the communication orb out of his sight for years. It was too important to abandon and she thought that one day he would change his mind and be grateful she had retained it. She kept it on a shelf in her room and had hardly given it more than a passing thought in years, only considering it when she dusted around it or packed it for another move. So when the shaft of blue-white light burst from it, she was so surprised, she almost fell off her bed.

After the initial shock, she grabbed the orb and headed into the living room were the others were gathered, and thrust the orb at Max. "We just received a message."

Max scowled, "From whom?"

"I haven't listened to it yet," Serena said.

Max sighed, they had to listen to the message, no matter how much he wanted to ignore it and he nodded to Serena.

She cupped the orb in her hands and sent a small burst of power into it and the message started.

"Max Evans, this is General Nicaron. His Majesty Khivar Roistar wishes you to surrender yourself, Isabel and Michael into our power no later than noon on Friday of this week. That should give you plenty of time to get to Copper Summit from anywhere in the United States. To assure your cooperation we have taken Philip and Diane Evans and Jeff and Nancy Parker into our possession. If you do not surrender by the appointed time, they will be executed.

"We will expect the three of you on Friday in Copper Summit at the UFL building. I'm sure you remember the way."

Max jumped out of his seat and knocked the orb out of Serena's hands with a growl, "They've already ruined our lives. Can't they just leave us alone?"

"What are we going to do Max?" Isabel asked. "We can't let them kill our parents."

Max reached for the cell phone and quickly dialed his parents' number, "First, we have to find out if it's true. It could be just another trick."

The Evans' phone rang until the answering machine came on and Max hung up. He dialed the number for the Crashdown but got the same result. He looked at his watch, it was just after seven p.m., the Crashdown's busiest time of the day, but there was no answer. A shiver of fear raced up Max's spine, Nicholas was telling the truth.

Liz picked up on his fear immediately, "No!"

Max took Liz into his arms and turned to the others, "This is my fault. I thought our families would be safe because they didn't know anything, but I never considered that Nicholas would use them against us."

"I wonder why he waited so long," Serena said. "He has known where your families were for years. Something must have changed for him to do it now."

Max dismissed her point, "It doesn't matter. We have to figure out where they're being held and come up with a plan to rescue them."

Kyle stepped forward, "Can Liz see where they're being held, the way she found me?"

Liz nodded, "I'll try."

Max nodded to Serena, signaling her to come to them. "Liz, do you want to do this here, or do you need some privacy?"

Liz shook her head, "It's fine Max." She allowed Serena to lead her to the sofa.

"Do you remember how you used your powers when you found Kyle?" Serena asked.

Liz glanced at Max guiltily, not wanting to admit to him that she had used her powers many times to see her parents, and nodded, "Yeah, I remember." Closing her eyes, she concentrated on finding her parents’ energy, as she had done so many times before. After a moment she felt herself becoming lighter and lighter, and she lifted off the ground and sped toward the place where she could sense them. Images rushed passed her, flying faster and faster and suddenly she found herself in a room.

She recognized the room immediately, it was the place where the skins had kept Kyle, but now her father was inside the cell instead of Kyle. He was crying, pleading with someone, reaching out to them, and Liz took a step toward him, but the sudden cry behind her made her stop and turn, and what she saw froze her in place.

Two skin soldiers were holding her mother on the floor in a kneeling position and Nicholas had his hand on her head. Her mother writhed in agony as Nicholas used his powers to extract information from her head and Liz was helpless to do anything but watch. In a matter of moments, her mother's screaming stopped, and as she closed her eyes and slumped forward, Liz knew without a doubt her mother was dead.

The two soldiers dragged her body into the corner of the room and dumped it next to two others that Liz had not seen before. But now she could easily recognize them as Max and Isabel's parents. Nicholas must have done the same thing to them.

But the Evans and her mother were beyond help and Liz turned back to her father just as Nicholas motioned for him to be brought forward. Liz saw an older woman approach and speak to Nicholas.

"Sir, if you kill him too we won't have any humans to bargain with."

Nicholas smiled, "That's the beauty of it. Max knows we took them so it doesn't matter if they are alive or dead. He won't know they are dead, and he'll walk into the trap anyway."

The two skin soldiers forced Liz's father to kneel before Nicholas and he reached out toward Jeff's head.

Liz rushed forward, "NO!"

Nicholas stopped and glanced around. "Did you hear anything?" he asked the other occupants of the room.

Ida looked around too, "What do you mean, Sir?"

Nicholas frowned, "I thought I heard someone call out, a woman." He looked at each of the others, "You didn't hear anything?"

The others shook their heads and Nicholas shrugged and continued, placing his hand on the human before him.

Liz had been so surprised Nicholas heard her that she hesitated for a moment, but then she concentrated all of her energy into solidifying herself enough so Nicholas could see her. She felt herself becoming more heavy, more solid but when she reached out to touch Nicholas, the fog started to swirl around her. "NO!" Liz screamed, "It's too soon."

But the fog became more dense and she helplessly watched Nicholas kill her father. The fog started to obscure her vision but she used all of her strength to hold on as long as she could. She could see her father straining against the skin soldiers, trying to free himself, as Nicholas pried the information from his head. Liz could almost feel her father's pain as he screamed out in agony and then was suddenly quiet.

Liz let the tears spill down her cheeks as she allowed herself to slip back into her own body. She felt Max's strong arms around her and opened her eyes.

Max could feel Liz's anguish through their connections and held her tightly to him, "Liz are you okay?"

Liz shook her head. "They're dead," she whispered, "Nicholas killed them all."

"No," said Isabel, as she jumped off of the sofa. "They can't be dead, you must be wrong, Liz."

Liz looked at her sister-in-law, "I watched him kill my mother and father, and I'm sorry Isabel but your parents were already dead."

Tears started to gather in Isabel's eyes and she quickly left the room.

Liz turned to Max, "I'm sorry, Max. I wish I could have done something."

"There was nothing any of us could have done, Liz."

Liz nodded and motioned toward the door where Isabel went, "Maybe you should go after her."

Max reached out to touch her cheek, "Liz, what about you?” he asked softly. "You saw it happening."

Liz nodded again and her eyes fell on Maria across the room, "What about Maria's mom? She could be in danger."

Maria jumped out of her seat, "You think they might go after my mom too? We've got to do something, warn her."

"Amy is probably being watched," Serena said. "The skins may be using her to draw us out."

"We'll have to be careful," Max said, "but we can't just leave her in Roswell. We need to come up with a plan, fast." Max looked at Maria, "Is there somewhere you could tell your mom to go that she would know without you telling her the name? Preferably somewhere outside of Roswell, in a public place where there would be a large crowd."

Maria looked thoughtful for a moment, "I think I know a good place. There's a mall near my Grandmother's house in San Antonio where we used to go. Ingram Park Mall."

"Okay," Max said, "that will be perfect." He looked at Kyle, "Get on the internet and find out what stores are in that mall, their hours and a layout too if they have one."

Kyle nodded and headed for the computer.

Max turned to Jim, "Find out how long it will take us to get to San Antonio and how long it will take Amy to get there." Then he turned to Michael "Start packing up our stuff, just the essentials. We don't want to have to come back here."

Serena stepped forward, "Max you can't risk yourself. This situation is almost certainly a trap."

Max shook his head, "That's why I’m sending you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The group had come up with an acceptable plan before Max allowed Maria to call her mother. They suspected Amy was being watched and Max knew they only had one chance to pull this off. As much as he wanted to save Amy, he wouldn't risk the others to do it.

He handed the cell phone to Maria, "Okay, you have to convince her quickly and remember to be careful about what you say. Don't mention that we know our parents are dead, in case the skins are listening."

Maria nodded and dialed. It was just after eight p.m. and she prayed her mother was home.

The phone was answered after two rings and Maria nearly broke into tears when she heard her mother's voice. "Mom!"

Amy was silent for a moment, "Maria? Is that you?"

Maria choked back the gathering tears, "Yeah, it's me."

"Maria, oh my God," Amy sobbed, "Are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, but mom you have to calm down and listen to me. This is very important."

"Okay, " Amy agreed.

"Mom the people that are after us, have taken the Parkers and the Evans and they might come after you too. You have to leave town right now."

"Why would they come after me?" Amy argued. "I don't know anything."

"Neither do the Evans or the Parkers, but the people after us are trying to use them to draw us out of hiding. Mom, these are bad people, they killed Alex and they will go to any lengths to get us. You have to leave tonight, now."

"Leave for how long?" Amy asked. "Where would I go? What about the store? I can't just leave it."

"Mom you don't understand," Maria said, getting angry. "They almost surely have bugged your phone and can hear what we are saying. They could be coming for you now. Your life is at stake. Don't pack, just get in the car and go."

Maria could hear the silence on the other end of the line and hoped she was getting through to her mother, "I wouldn't ask you to do this if there was any other way. You can come to us and we can protect you."

"Okay," Amy agreed. "What do you want me to do?"

Maria released a sigh of tension, "Okay, don't say any names or places, just listen. Remember the mall that we used to go to near Henny's house?"

"Yeah," Amy said with a touch of surprise in her voice.

"Drive straight there as soon as we get off the phone. Park on the south side of Dillard's and go to the dressing room at the back of the gown section. A woman will meet you there and tell you the name of the dog we had when dad left. Go with her and she will bring you to us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, September 18th, 2009)

Serena and Amy had changed outfits and cars six times in the last two days, but in the end it didn't matter because Serena could not detect any sign of pursuit.

As they had planned, Serena had met Amy in the dressing room and taken her into the back where they changed their appearances. Then they had used the employee's exit to get out of the mall and rushed to Serena's waiting car.

Amy had asked many questions on the drive but Serena had told her it was not her place to explain and Amy had been forced to curb her curiosity. Serena wouldn't even tell her where they were headed or when they would arrive.

They had driven in a different direction after each time they changed cars, but finally Serena decided they weren't being pursued and told Amy they were on their way to meet the others. Amy still didn't know where they were going, only that they were in Oklahoma and headed northeast.

Finally they exited the freeway and headed into a small town called Vinita. Serena pulled the car into the parking lot of the Western Motel, drove around the back and parked next to a black SUV.

Amy had barely gotten out of the car when Maria burst out of a hotel room, "Mom!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Vinita, OK)

The group had voted unanimously to tell Amy what was really happening when she joined them. It had taken an hour to tell her the whole story and several demonstrations of the aliens' powers before she believed them.

Amy turned to Max, "So these other aliens, these skins, are after you because you were a King on your planet?"

Max nodded, "They were sent here to kill us."

"And they killed your parents?" Amy asked.

"The skins were trying to use them to draw us out. They didn't think we would know they were dead," Max said.

Amy's brow creased, "How did you find out?"

Max put his arm around Liz and told Amy the slightly altered version of what Liz had seen, that he and Liz had agreed to tell the others. "Liz tried to see where our parents were being held, like she did with Kyle, but they were already dead."

Amy looked at Liz. The child she had known had grown into a woman but she could still see the six-year-old girl who used to play Barbies with Maria. "I'm really sorry about your parents, they were good people."

Liz smiled and took Amy's hand, "Thanks."

Amy turned her attention back to Max, "So what do we do now?"

"Get another house," Max said, "and start living our lives again."

"What about the skins?" Amy asked. "The deadline they set for you is today."

Max shrugged, "They don't know where we are and I guess they'll figure out we're not coming sooner or later."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Universal Friendship League Building)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas watched as the minute hand on the clock clicked to one p.m. He picked up the amplifier and signaled Walt who was waiting with a legion of troops near Roswell. "Destroy Roswell."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Vinita, OK)

The group spent the afternoon in the motel, catching up on the past few years. They had rented adjoining rooms, and after they finished dinner, Max, Liz and Serena sat in one room discussing where they should go next, while the others watched television in the other room.

"It might be a nice change to live a little farther north," Liz suggested.

"We can't get too close to Boston though, the skins might look for us there," Max said as he pointed to the map. "But what about the eastern part of Ohio? Maybe one of these towns outside Columbus."

Suddenly Michael burst into the room, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost. He motioned over his shoulder into the other room. "You guys have gotta see this."

They followed Michael back into the other room where everyone was gathered raptly around the television, the emotional voice of the news announcer the only sound in the room.

To recap the late-breaking news, the city of Roswell, New Mexico was destroyed this afternoon and most of its fifty-eight thousand residents are presumed dead.

The pictures shown behind the reporter, were miles away from a Roswell that was engulfed in smoke and fire.

The reporter spoke with a shaky voice. "Reports are still sketchy at this time but what we can tell you, based on the survivor reports, is that a group of people dressed as civilians, armed with explosives and high-tech weapons that appeared to be lasers, entered the city this afternoon. And in less than half-an-hour, the city of Roswell lay in ruins. They demolished business, homes and schools, completely destroying most of the city, seemingly unconcerned about taking innocent lives.”

“At this time, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for this unprecedented act of terrorism and the perpetrators seemed to have just disappeared. The military and National Guard have the area around Roswell cordoned off while they search for survivors and try to determine exactly what happened. The FBI has asked for anyone with knowledge of the perpetrators to come forward..."

Max walked to the television, switched it off and turned to face Serena, "The reporter said people dressed like civilians used weapons to destroy Roswell. Nicholas told us there was a warship in orbit, surely it has weapons."

"Yes it does," Serena said, "but maybe they didn't want to use them and risk exposing themselves."

"What kind of weapons are we talking about on that ship?" Michael asked, "Bombs, lasers, what?"

"And how destructive are they?" Max continued. "Capable of destroying a city?"

Serena explained. "A warship carries fifty smaller attack ships similar to Earth's fighter planes but they have greater maneuverability and are capable of space flight. The attack ships are equipped with energy weapons similar to lasers but they are mainly geared toward destroying other ships. The warship itself is equipped with a larger version of the energy weapon but it requires an incredible amount of energy to use and is only capable of short bursts of power. It probably could vaporize several blocks or maybe a square mile, but that is all. It is nothing like the weapons the aliens had in the movie Independence Day, where they could destroy most of New York in a few minutes."

"A nuclear explosion would be capable of that type of destruction," Liz said.

Serena shook her head. "We did not use fission weapons on Antar because our bodies are even more vulnerable to radiation than yours."

"But you haven't been on Antar for almost seventy years," Liz pointed out. "They would have made advancements in technology you wouldn't know about."

Serena nodded, "They will have superior weapons but the amount of energy it would take to destroy a city in that manner would be enormous. Seventy years ago we didn't have anything even close to generating that kind of energy. For centuries all of our technology has been based on the element trithium. They would have to have discovered a new power source and developed completely new technology around it."

"It doesn't make any sense," Michael said. "Why do this now after all of these years? If Khivar wanted to destroy the Earth, he's had plenty of time to do it."

Liz nodded, "You're right, Michael. Something must have changed for them to do this now, but we might not ever know what that is."

"Maybe he has decided to take over the Earth too," Isabel speculated.

"It doesn't matter what their motives are," Max said. "We can't let the skins get away with this." He turned to Serena again, "Do we have a chance against them with the current level of Earth technology?"

"Max there are more than five thousand of them, " Michael reminded him. "We can't possibly hope to fight them."

Max nodded, "You're right. We wouldn't stand a chance but the U.S. military would. I think we should make an anonymous call to the FBI telling them who destroyed Roswell and where they are."

Isabel laughed, "What are you going to tell them, Max? That a group of aliens has set up camp in Copper Summit, Arizona."

Max smiled, "No, I thought I would tell them the skins are a cult that have gotten their hands on high-tech weapons. I could say I was part of the cult but left when they started talking about helping aliens destroy the planet." He shrugged, "It's even pretty close to the truth."

Serena nodded, "It could work. The military could overwhelm them by sheer numbers."

"I think that's a good idea," Jim said. "The skins hadn't done anything we could prove up until now. This is the perfect opportunity to get the military to wipe them out."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, September 19th, 2009)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas' amplifier sounded and he pressed the activation sequence, "What?"

"This is Greer, General. Captain Toilad on the warship Plemas reports that there are U.S. troops moving into position around Copper Summit."

"Tell the Captain I want exact numbers and positions," Nicholas ordered. "Move the ship into a lower orbit if necessary."

"But General, if the ship moves into a lower orbit they risk being spotted," Greer reminded him.

"Yes they do," Nicholas agreed as he switched off the amplifier. He turned to Walt, who was seated across from him, and smiled, "The U.S. military is lining up outside of Copper Summit. I have been itching for a good fight for years."

Walt nodded as Nicholas pressed another sequence of symbols on the amplifier, "Battle stations! This is not a drill!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, September 20th, 2009)

"In the last ten years I have been embedded with our troops all around the world," the reporter said in a voiceover, as the footage started to roll depicting the events he was describing, "but I have never seen anything like this. It was like something out of a movie.”

“U.S. military forces had the town of Copper Summit, Arizona surrounded but it was totally silent and appeared to be deserted. After repeated failed attempts at communication with the inhabitants, we started to move in. Then suddenly the sky erupted with a deafening sound, and what I can only describe as flying saucers attacked our positions. They fired some kind of energy weapon that destroyed tanks and personnel carriers, and sent us running for cover."

Tess smiled as the reporter continued, the sound of his voice fading into the background. She knew the skins' actions would be horrifying Max. He had always been so involved with the humans, so protective of them.

When she had heard about the destruction of Roswell yesterday, Tess had let herself momentarily dwell on the pleasant image of Max's broken and bloody body lying on the side of the road, but her satisfaction was short-lived. Max deserved the worst kind of torment for casting her aside, but somehow she knew he would have survived. He would have gotten out of Roswell in time, or maybe he was living somewhere else entirely, but she was sure he hadn't died, it was just her luck.

For years, Tess had tried to put Max and the others out of her mind and concentrate on making a life for herself and mostly she had succeeded. But the past two days had brought all of the pain of Max's betrayal back to the surface. Tess let her eyes roam over the opulent surroundings of her house, but she knew they were nothing compared to the palace on Antar.

Max had denied her everything that was rightfully hers and she vowed to have her revenge. Suddenly the twisted hatred on her face turned into an enchanting smile as the perfect solution came to her. It was so simple, she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. Max had betrayed her, she would simply return the favor.

She would go to Copper Summit and make a bargain with the skins. In return for immunity and passage back to Antar she would give the skins the Granolith and help them destroy Max and everything he loved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas smiled as he inspected the destruction his troops had inflicted on the U.S. military. They had easily destroyed their tanks and vehicles and sent the soldiers scurrying into the hills. But he knew the government would never let it stand. The next time the military came, they would have better weapons and more troops. He turned to Walt and Greer, "I want all troops on the highest alert. Destroy anything that comes near Copper Summit. This is only the beginning of the war."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009)

Tess had flown to Phoenix, but from there she had been forced to drive the rest of the way to Copper Summit. The military blocked all the major highways leading into the area and cordoned off the roads leading into the small town for more than twenty miles. She had been turned back by the soldiers at a checkpoint, but she detoured onto a small dirt road and waited in the wilderness until dark to continue her journey.

Now she was less than ten miles away from Copper Summit and Tess had to admit that she was growing nervous. She really hadn't made a plan. She had simply come, driven by her need for revenge, but now she was having second thoughts. Maybe she should have stayed in Florida and negotiated her surrender to the skins, made an agreement before she had come.

What if the skins didn't agree to her terms? She would have delivered herself to the enemy with no hope of being rescued. Nicholas could take the information about the Granolith from her mind and there would be nothing she could do about it.

Tess saw the lights from the town ahead, she slowed the car and pulled off the dirt road she had been following. Her doubts had belatedly made her cautious but another thought buzzing in her head was drowning out the sound of her doubts. The skins represented the only chance she might ever have to get revenge against Max and return home, and anything that might happen to her in Copper Summit was better than staying on this planet the rest of her life.

She made up her mind with a nod of her head and pressed down on the accelerator, eager to arrive. The skins weren't unreasonable. What she was asking for wasn't that much and they would probably be glad to have her help. She might even be welcomed home as a hero.

Suddenly a blazing light illuminated the area around her and a ship swooped down out of the dark sky. A burst of red energy erupted from the ship and headed straight for her. Tess had only seconds to realize that she had made a huge mistake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, September 25th, 2009)
(Vinita, OK)

Exactly one week after they had watched the report of Roswell's destruction, Max and the others were seated in front of the television witnessing the end of the great city of Los Angeles. Just after dawn that morning, the skins' ships had descended from the clouds over the sprawling metropolis, and within two hours, nothing remained but a smoldering pile of rubble. The strike had obviously been timed to catch the majority of the citizens in the morning commute, when cars blocked all of the major roads, preventing mass evacuation.

The group sat in a shocked silence as the enormity of the situation overwhelmed them. The television news crew had caught the majority of the destruction of the city center and the station was replaying the carnage over and over.

Finally Liz couldn't watch anymore. She walked over to the window and pulled the drapes aside, hoping the warmth of the sunlight would chase away the shivers that racked her body. They couldn't let the skins destroy the world around them.

Max rose from the sofa and followed Liz to the window, wrapping her in his arms and tucking her head under his chin. He spoke through their bond, automatically seeking to reassure her. It's okay Liz. Everything will be okay.

No, Max it's not okay. The skins have killed thousands of innocent people. We have to do something. We have to stop them.

Do you have any ideas on how to stop them? Max asked cautiously.

I have one idea, Liz sighed, but I don't want to even think it.

Max nodded, knowing what she meant. You are thinking the skins might stop if Michael, Isabel and I turned ourselves over to them.

It has crossed my mind, Liz admitted. But apart from not wanting to lose you, I'm also not sure it would work. If you did go to Nicholas he would get the Granolith and then nothing would stop him from destroying Earth and your world too.

If I thought it would save Earth, I would turn myself over to Nicholas, but I'm sure you're right. He would get the Granolith and destroy Earth anyway. There has to be another way.

Liz sighed, I did have one other idea. What if we called your people for help?

Max shook his head. I have already spoken to Serena about it. She said that no one came to our aid when Khivar took my throne. So I doubt they would travel three or four years to another galaxy to help us. And even if they did, the Earth would be in ruins by then.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the skins had destroyed L.A., the U.S. military bombed Copper Summit but when they searched through the rubble they discovered it had been deserted. Not one skin soldier had been seen on Earth after the destruction of Roswell. Max anonymously gave the military all of their knowledge about the skins, including how to kill them, but it was of no use because it was discovered the skins had repositioned themselves into orbit where none of Earth's weapons could reach them.

Over the next two years, the skins destroyed city after city in a largely uncontested campaign, because none of the Earth's defenses were strong enough to stand against them. After L.A., they systematically leveled every large city and major military instillation in the U.S. and then continued with the smaller cities and towns. At first, the allies of the United States came to their aid, but the skins decimated each of the armies and then turned their destruction on the other countries, slaughtering civilians by the thousands, as they leveled the foreign cities.

The human survivors were forced to flee into the countryside or live in the ruins of their former homes. Some banded together in groups to try and fight the skins, while others just tried to survive. What was left of the U.S. government went into hiding and an elite group of the military were assigned, to keep the President and the others alive.

After the Earth's major militaries were decimated, the skins erected several new strongholds from which Nicholas directed the continuing destruction and subjugation of Earth. Any captured humans were put into labor camps and forced to work for the skins, while the free humans continued to annoy the skins with supply raids and rescue attempts. Nicholas was forced to send ground patrols to fight the rebels and take as many captives as possible.

Max assembled a group of people who wanted to stand against the skins. At first, he carefully hid the fact they were aliens, assuming that the humans would automatically distrust them if they knew the truth. But the truth came out quickly when their group was ambushed, and Max, Michael and others were forced to use their powers to save them all. Max feared his troops would turn against them but they eagerly accepted their differences when Max explained the skins were their enemies too.

Max and Liz decided to conceal the fact he could heal because they were afraid he would be overwhelmed by requests. He also asked them to conceal the fact that Liz was a hybrid and tell everyone Liz's talent for prognostication was a natural human ability. He was afraid she would be a target if the humans turned against them, but he was even more afraid of what Nicholas might do to her if she were captured.

Max found he had a natural ability for leadership, and even though he didn't remember his other life sometimes the answers to difficult problems would simply come to him and he knew it was prompted by his past experiences. He led one successful raid after another and soon the stories spread of their group's success, and people came from all over to join with them.

Max's army moved almost constantly, traveling great distances at night to avoid detection, afraid if they stayed in one place the skins would find them. They learned how to use camouflage to their advantage and relied on guerilla warfare tactics for engaging the skins. Liz and Serena learned how to make C-4 and other explosives and Max's troops were able to capture some energy guns from the skins, called blasters. They repeatedly attempted to get a communication amplifier from a skin soldier but none of the ground troops they killed were carrying them.

They used every resource at their disposal to defeat the skins. Whenever they could, Max's troops would take a skin soldier prisoner, but they always killed themselves before they gave away any information. Isabel attempted dream walking the skin soldiers and Liz tried astral projection to help determine what Nicholas' troops were planning, but there were so many groups of skins acting on Earth and in orbit, that it was almost impossible for them to get anything more than trivial information. Isabel had even tried to get into Nicholas' mind, but he was too powerful for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, June 13th, 2012)
(Outside the ruined city of Helena, MT)

Jim, Amy and Kyle led a small band of rebels to the edge of the trees surrounding the skin outpost. It had recently been erected to prepare for the construction for another skin stronghold, and supply ships had been making regular trips to stock it. Max's scouts had reported that the outpost was not heavily guarded and the supplies could be easily taken.

Jim raised his binoculars and peered through them, only seeing half-a-dozen skin guards. Their group should be able to handle that number easily but something felt wrong. He scanned the area looking for anything out of the ordinary, but could see nothing. The food and supplies in the building were desperately needed and he pushed his doubts away. He signaled to his men silently, motioning for some to go right, others to go left, and the remainder to follow him. Then he turned to Kyle, "Stay here, watch our backs and signal us if anything goes wrong."

Kyle briefly hesitated, sensing his father's apprehension and then nodded, "Okay dad."

Jim signaled for the men to move forward and they spread out along the edge of the forest, carefully staying under cover. At another signal from Jim they rushed the skin soldiers taking all six of them by surprise and then they proceeded cautiously into the building.

Kyle kept a careful watch on the surrounding area, looking for any signs of more skin troops. He hated waiting, but it was a necessary part of the raids.

His father's voice suddenly came over the walkie-talkie, breathing hard as if he were running, "Everybody out, it's a trap. There are no supplies here, only empty boxes. Kyle do you see any..."

Jim’s voice was cut off as an enormous explosion engulfed the building, throwing Kyle to the ground. "Dad? Amy?" Kyle gasped, as he sat up, unable to believe what had just happened. "Dad!" he shouted, and jumped up running toward the fire hoping to save his father, but the intense heat forced him back and he knew no one could have survived. Stumbling back into the trees, Kyle fell to his knees, retching in the grass.

He sat for a few minutes just trying to draw breath and automatically went into a meditation. Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase your good deeds. All created things perish. All created things are sorrow. All forms are unreal. As he repeated the words, Kyle's mind cleared and the reality of the situation sank in. The skins had deliberately lured them here to kill them. They had set up the whole situation with no other thought than killing more humans.

Kyle could feel the hatred rising up within him and unconsciously started the meditation against hate. Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time, but then he stopped himself. After everything the skins had done, they deserved his loathing and he let his hatred for them build, deliberately stoking and strengthening it with memories of the past. He knew the Buddha would be disappointed that he had given in to his hatred but he couldn't stop himself.

Hot tears flowed down his cheeks as he mourned the loss of his father and the others. The skins had taken almost everything from him, including his faith, and that just made him hate them more. With every fiber of his being, he hated the skins and he would use the energy his hatred provided, to slaughter every last one of them.

Kyle looked down at the skin blaster in his hand. He had taken it off a skin soldier he had killed last year and the sense of irony never ceased to amuse him. He would use their own weapon to destroy as many of them as he could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, November 23rd, 2012)
(In the ruins of Idaho Falls, ID)

It was a cold night, as Max and Isabel led the small band of fighters through the eerie silence of the abandoned buildings. Once it had been a thriving town but now it was nothing but a pile of rubble. There was not even a single building standing where their group could take shelter for the coming day.

The fighters were spread out military style, so a single blast from the enemy could not kill them all. Max always led with Isabel, while Michael and Kyle took up the rear. Max kept Liz and Maria near the back of the troops for their safety and assigned a couple of ex-marines to watch over them.

Suddenly a brilliant light erupted, making the night sky brighter than high noon, and then the laser blasts started.

“Scatter,” Max yelled, as he and Isabel dove for cover. “lz take the left flank,” he ordered and then through the connection he shared with Liz, he sent more instructions, Tell Michael to take the right flank and you and Maria stay back and keep down.

He felt Liz’s mental ascent through the connection and turned his full attention back to the battle. It only took a few minutes for him to determine they were only fighting a small group of Khivar’s soldiers, probably scouts, but they couldn’t let any of the enemy live to pass on their position.

Using a blaster he had taken off an enemy soldier in an earlier battle, Max sent one burst of energy after another into the darkness, where he estimated the enemies to be. Even though he couldn’t see them, it was as if he could somehow sense their presence and he made each shot count.

They were just gaining the upper hand when suddenly he felt Liz’s fear through their connection. Without a second thought Max leapt up and rushed to where Liz and Maria were hiding, knowing he would never make it in time.

And then it was as if he were seeing through Liz’s eyes, and Max watched horrified as a skin soldier rushed toward her and Maria. The enemy soldier had somehow sneaked past their defenses and his first shots had taken out the men protecting Liz and Maria. That had alerted the women to his presence or the soldier would have taken them completely by surprise.

Maria and Liz both carried weapons and had been trained to use them, but neither of them had actually shot an enemy soldier and Max never wanted them to. In Liz and Maria, Max saw the last vestiges of the world before Khivar had attacked, and as crazy as he knew it was, he wanted to preserve their innocence. In all of this war and insanity, Max had hoped he could spare them the weight of taking a life, even if it was the enemy.

Through Liz’s eyes, Max saw Liz and Maria raise their weapons to fire, but the skin soldier used his powers with a careless flip of his hand and threw the girls several yards, sending them crashing into a wall. Liz was the first to regain her feet and shoved Maria out of the way as the skin’s next blast hit the rocks near them. They fell to the ground and scrambled behind the rocks but the weapons had been knocked from their hands and now they were defenseless.

Another blast from the soldier also hit the rocks, but it was closer and Max felt the flying rock chips sting Liz’s face. The skin soldier knew the women were unarmed and took his time walking toward them for his next shot.

Through the connection, Max experienced Liz’s fear that she would be killed. She was desperately afraid, but she didn’t fear death, her greatest fear was that she would be separated from him. Liz was not ready to be parted from him and an incredible anger started from deep inside her. Max could feel her anger fueling a rush of power, that quickly built up within her body.

Max raced around the final corner as Liz stood, channeling her power through her hand, toward the enemy soldier. The burst of energy hit the soldier square in the chest and left a sort of burn mark, but at first it appeared to Max as if nothing happened.

Max took aim on the enemy but a horrible scream escaped the soldier as he clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground. He flailed around for a moment as a finger of blue flame flickered from a hole in his chest and then he burst into a shower of ash.

For a moment none of them moved, frozen in place by the shock and then Max felt Liz’s overwhelming grief. He crossed the last few yards between them and took her trembling form in his arms. Liz collapsed into him, sobbing uncontrollably.

Max gently stroked Liz’s head as he sought to reassure her, “Shhhhh. It’s okay, my love.” But he knew his words were lies, and carefully shielded his true feelings.

What kind of King was he? Max asked himself, then shook his head. No, it was more basic than that. What kind of man was he, that he couldn’t even protect his wife? Liz was the most important thing in the world to him. He would do anything for her, sacrifice anything for her, but he hadn’t been able to keep her safe and she had been forced to take a life. Yes, they were at war but Max had tried to protect his sweet Liz as much as possible from the horrors.

Max felt a piece of him die as the scene re-played in his mind. He had failed Liz in almost every way possible but he vowed to redouble his efforts. Never again would he trust anyone else to protect her, he would personally ensure her safety.

Max pulled the still trembling Liz closer and quickly checked her for injuries. Finding nothing major he sighed in relief as he healed the few scrapes and cuts she had received. Then he gently stroked her hair, “I’m so sorry, Liz but I swear I’ll never leave you again.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, August 29th, 2013)
(Outside the ruined city of Cheyenne, WY)

Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Isabel, Kyle and Serena stayed at the makeshift table in their shelter after the latest strategy meeting. Max was increasingly depressed by their ever-worsening situation but he had to keep up a brave front for the troops. It was only when he was alone with his family that he allowed his true feelings to show. "We kill a few skins here and there and have some small successes but we aren't making progress fast enough. This skins have almost completely wiped human civilization off of the face of the Earth and it won't be long before they find us or the Granolith."

He paused, looking down at the table. "We have lost so many people, so many who didn't deserve to die. And none of us would have survived the raid last week if Liz hadn't gotten the premonition. I just feel like all of this is my fault. If I had let all of you develop your powers, maybe we would have been strong enough to fight them and none of this would have ever happened."

He turned to Liz, "If I hadn't told you to suppress your powers maybe you would have seen what would happen. I just wish I could go back and change everything."

Liz put her hand on Max's, "None of this is your fault, Max. You didn't choose this and I know you would change it if you could."

"Maybe we can change it," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" asked Isabel breathlessly.

"You remember that my primary task on Antar was a Granolith technician?" Serena asked. "I studied the Granolith for over two-hundred years trying to discover how it worked and possibly duplicate it. In that time, I developed several theories about its capabilities."

"And you think one of these theories could help us?" Michael asked.

"Maybe," Serena admitted. "If we were left with no other choice it would be worth exploring. The Granolith is capable of producing an enormous amount of energy and according to the calculations I have made, I believe it would be able to tear a hole in time-space."

"You think it’s capable of time travel," Liz said softly.

"The Granolith is basically a machine like the computers on Earth," Serena explained. "To use it you just have to program it, tell it what to do."

"How do you program it?" Max asked. "I didn't notice an interface of any kind on the Granolith."

Serena picked up two nearby rocks and passed her hand over them, fashioning them into a rough six-sided crystal approximately eight inches long. "You simply make a crystal like this one, the size and shape don't really matter, the Granolith will adapt. There needs to be some silicon in the mixture, rocks or sand are the best materials to use. The important thing is that you put your instructions in it when you make it. Just push your thoughts into the energy you use to form the crystal. For time travel I would specify a time and a place you wish to travel and who is going on the trip."

"And what about returning?" Max asked.

Serena shook her head, "If a traveler changes the past, he won't be able to return. He will have come from a reality that no longer exists. The events that made him who and what he is won't have happened and he will disappear as if he never lived, because in essence, he never did exist."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, January 12th, 2014)
(Near Hot Springs, SD)

Nicholas surveyed the battle below him from his vantage point in the hills. More and more humans had joined with Max's army as the skins tightened their grip on the Earth, and now Max commanded thousands. The rebels had become increasingly troublesome, raiding one skin outpost after another. They always struck quickly and forcefully, sometimes overwhelming his troops with their sheer numbers. It was as if they had information about his troop movements they could not have known, hitting their targets when they were most vulnerable.

Nicholas had been forced to delegate some of his other duties and lead the skin army against the rebels in many battles. On more than one occasion, Nicholas thought he had the rebels in his grasp, but each time they miraculously escaped him. Nicholas had come to only two conclusions; one, Max was a brilliant military strategist or two, he was getting help.

Finally Nicholas learned from one of Max's captured soldiers that Max's human wife Liz, had the gift of prognostication and her visions had repeatedly saved them. The captive told him that Max and Liz were always together and the troops trusted Liz as much as they did Max or Michael. Nicholas also learned that Max didn't trust Liz's safety to anyone else, even his second in command. Nicholas smiled, Liz was Max's Achilles’ heel and that was the type of weakness he could use to his advantage.

Many times, Nicholas had seen Max in the distance directing his army, and always his human wife had been at his side. Nicholas took out his far-viewers and set them to the extreme range. And searching the hills opposite to his position he finally spotted Max, and Liz just beyond. Nicholas reset the focus, trying to get a better look at the small woman. He had heard of humans with psychic abilities but he had always considered them to be charlatans and frauds. The odds were astronomical that Max would find a human mate with such abilities.

As he studied Liz, Nicholas wondered how attuned her abilities were at foretelling the future. Prognostication was a rare gift on Antar and even the most acclaimed seers could not predict every event. Nicholas decided he would simply have to test Liz's abilities. He would set one trap after another for the rebel army, and sooner or later the law of probability had to fall in his favor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, March 6th, 2014)
(Near Ft Collins, CO)

Nicholas smiled as he watched a large group of Max's troops walk into the trap he had set for them. Obviously he had been right, Liz couldn't foresee everything and today her failing would be the end of the rebel army.

Nicholas signaled for his troops to wait until all of the humans had entered the area before springing the trap, and his eyes quickly scanned them to see who from Max's group was present. He noticed Michael right away, because he was in the lead, but it took him a few minutes to pick out Isabel. Nicholas sighed. For years he had not known if Isabel were alive or dead and he was relieved to see her. Khivar would surely reward him for delivering her back to Antar.

Max, Liz and the other humans were not present as far as Nicholas could see, but it didn't matter because Michael and Isabel could tell him everything he needed to know; including the location of the Granolith and the current whereabouts of Max and the rest of the rebel troops.

Nicholas spoke softly into his amplifier, "Michael and Isabel are in this group," he alerted his troops. "Be careful where you aim. Greer will take Michael, I will take Isabel and the rest of you eliminate the others. I want no escapes and no survivors."

Finally the last few stragglers entered the trees and Nicholas signaled for the trap to be sprung. He watched for a moment, savoring the looks of surprise on the rebel's faces as his troops completely enclosed them. They had nowhere to hide and the only cover was the trees. He had chosen this location particularly because of the lack of cover.

Michael sent bursts of energy into the skin soldiers who suddenly emerged out of the trees around them. He attempted to find some cover as he picked off one skin after another, but there was none. A sound behind him alerted Michael and he turned just in time to see an older skin soldier rush toward him. Michael sent a blast of power into the charging soldier, breaking the seal on his husk and turning him to dust. A small black object was revealed by the soldier's demise and Michael caught it before it hit the ground. He had just stuffed the pentagon-shaped device into his pocket when he was tackled from behind by several more skins.

With a smile, Nicholas slipped into the dense undergrowth, changing his coloring until he blended into the greenery perfectly. He moved stealthily around behind his troops until he had Isabel in sight. He watched the humans fall to the ground dead, one after another until there were only a handful left and then he rushed forward and grabbed Isabel from behind. "How nice to see you again Vilondra."

Isabel was surprised at first but she struggled against her captor. She couldn't see him but she recognized his voice from when he had nearly captured them and killed Alex. She screamed in rage, throwing her full weight against the smaller man.

Nicholas was momentarily knocked off balance and his grip on Isabel loosened. Isabel spun toward him and aimed a burst of energy at him but Nicholas used his powers to keep his feet and reached out to force her hand aside. Her blast went wide but still caught Nicholas on the shoulder and he roared with rage, spinning Isabel around and trapping her arms behind her. He roughly shoved her to her knees to gain control of her and looked to where Greer's team was securing Michael.

Nicholas motioned for two of his men to come forward and take Isabel. She struggled against them but their superior strength kept her easily subdued.

Nicholas incredulously examined his shoulder, where Isabel had hit him. He had not been injured the entire time he had been on Earth, and the fact that Isabel had succeeded made all of his latent anger against her rise to the surface. He had intended to return her to Antar intact but that was not the only option. "Where's Greer?" Nicholas growled as he reached into his pocket.

One of the skin soldiers motioned to Michael, "He killed Greer."

Nicholas looked Michael in the eyes and Michael could see the burning hatred within. Michael fought desperately to escape his captors but they held him fast. A feeling of horror overcame him as Nicholas suddenly pulled a device from his pocket and a long thin blade slid out of it. Michael surged forward, pulling the three soldiers with him a few feet, but they held him back.

Nicholas held Michael's eyes as he brushed Isabel's golden hair aside from the back of her neck and raised his arm to strike.

"NO!" Michael screamed, as he struggled helplessly, and Nicholas plunged the blade into the base of Isabel's head.

For a moment Isabel swayed but then Nicholas slowly withdrew the blade, and the soldiers let her lifeless body slump forward and fall to the ground.

Michael was suddenly thrown back into his captors by a nearby explosion and he shook off the skins holding him and jumped to his feet. He took a hesitating step toward Isabel but someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward the trees. Michael was so stunned that he didn't struggle and let himself be led deeper into the forest.

"Are you injured?" Serena asked as they ran, but Michael didn't answer. Serena quickly looked back over her shoulder at him. He was stumbling along behind her only because she pulled him, but his head was turned back to the place where Isabel had fallen. She knew she had to snap him out of his shock. Both of their lives might depend on it. She raised her voice, "Michael!"

Michael turned his head toward her and tried to slow their pace. "We have to go back for Isabel," he said woodenly.

Serena could hear the sounds of pursuit now. She couldn't allow Michael to stop, and she used a harsher tone of voice to bring him back to the reality of the situation. "Isabel is dead and we will be too if we don't hurry."

Michael's head snapped up and he focused on Serena for the first time and briefly nodded. He followed her unresistingly and quickly looked around as they continued to run, trying to determine their position from the maps he had studied. A rock formation to the south caught his attention and suddenly he knew where they were. He surged forward and pulled Serena by the hand, angling her toward the rocks. "There's a small cave on the other side of these rocks. We can hide inside until the skins are gone."

They increased their pace as they rounded the rocks attempting to put as much distance between themselves and their pursuers as possible. Michael pushed Serena into the cave ahead of him and crawled in after her. He turned and passed his hand over the small entrance covering it with rock.

Serena kindled a small light when he finished and he noticed for the first time that she was injured. "You're hurt," he said, as he crossed to her and inspected her wound. It was a deep, raw wound high on her chest by the left shoulder, and her left arm hung uselessly at her side.

"I was hit by a blast from one of the skins that knocked me unconscious for a few moments and I awoke too late to save Isabel."

Michael nodded, "I'm not very good at healing wounds like this but I'll give it a try."

Serena shook her head, "It would take too much of your power and we may need you to be at full strength to get away."

"But the pain," Michael argued.

"There is not much pain," Serena lied. "I can endure it until we return to Max."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas' soldiers had been searching the woods for more than four hours with no sign of Michael or the shape shifter. He still couldn't believe that they had escaped. In the confusion of the attack, the shape shifter must have waited until her best opportunity to rescue Michael. Nicholas just couldn't understand why she had not tried to save Isabel.

He looked at the tissue-harvesting device in his hand. Michael may have escaped him this time but he had collected Isabel's brain cells and that would ensure Vilondra would live again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 10:07 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 9

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Tuesday, March 11th, 2014)
(Near Greeley, CO)

It had taken five days for Michael and Serena to elude the skins and rendezvous with the main body of the troops, and in that time Serena never let Michael see how much pain she was experiencing.

When they arrived at camp, she allowed Max to take her into his tent to examine her wound, but she was fairly certain of the outcome. The wound had been too serious and it had started to heal wrong. She watched the play of emotions across Max's face as he examined her and knew when he came to the same conclusion.

"Max, I know you can't fix my arm," she said softly.

Max shook his head sadly. "I'll do what I can but you're right. You will have very limited use of this arm. I'm sorry Serena."

Serena shook her head, "I am not sorry. I have done my duty."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, March 17th, 2014)
(Near the remnants of Denver, CO)

Michael rushed into the tent Max was using as his headquarters, "Max, we figured out how to use the amplifier and intercepted a message."

"Good," Max said. "What did you find out?"

Michael shook his head, "It's not good. The skins have found the President and what's left of the government, and are moving troops to take them."

"Where are they?" Max asked.

"They’re in some kind of underground shelter in Vermont." Michael said softly. "It's more than nineteen-hundred miles, Max. Even at top speed it would take more than two days to get there. We would never reach them in time."

Max slammed his fist on the table, the impotent feeling overwhelming him. "If the skins get the President, they'll force him to officially sign his power over to them. The U.S. government will fall and with it the Earth."

"There is nothing we can do," Michael said. "We can keep fighting, but if the President and the government fall, the people will lose heart." He released a sigh filled with sorrow and defeat. "Isabel, Jim, Amy, Alex, your parents, Liz's parents; so many are dead. What's the point? We haven't saved the world Max, we've failed."

Max stood to his full height, his eyes blazing. "Soon we will be the last obstacle between Nicholas and the total conquest of Earth, but there's one thing we can do. We’ll implement Serena's plan. We'll go back in time and stop the end of the world."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Kyle and Serena sat at the table in Max and Liz's tent trying to work out the details of the plan.

"There has to be a point in time when things started to go wrong," Max said, "and if we can figure out what that was we can change it."

"Yeah," Michael scoffed, "maybe you can go back to yourself in kindergarten and tell him to start stock-piling weapons of mass-destruction, because short of nukes, I don't know how we could win."

"Funny Michael," Max said dryly, "but you do actually have a point."

"I do?"

"Yeah," Max explained, "we weren't strong enough to beat the skins. Serena told me that on Antar we were three of the most powerful beings. Maybe if we had worked on developing our powers more, we would have been ready for the skins."

"So you go back to Max in kindergarten and tell him to hone his alien powers?" Kyle asked.

"That might be part of it," Max said, "but there has to be something else. A specific event we can change that will alter the outcome of the future."

"We could stop the skins from destroying Roswell," Maria suggested. "We could turn them in to the FBI sooner."

"No," Michael argued, "they hadn't done anything yet. What are you going to tell the FBI? That they will do it in the future but now they won't because you changed history and stopped them?"

Maria's brow wrinkled, "That doesn't even make sense. At least we could stop Kyle from being taken and save Alex."

Michael ignored her, "What if we stopped the Harvest?" If the original skins all died, maybe they wouldn't send more. Then maybe we could save Courtney and the skins wouldn't find out about us."

"Courtney again," Maria sighed. "I can't believe that you are still thinking about her after all of these years."

Max hastily changed the subject, "Okay, those all have possibilities. Can anyone think of anything else?"

Liz listened to the suggestions with a growing sense of unreality. She knew what the solution was but she was too scared to say it. Her plan would mean that she and Max would never be together, never share their lives, and she felt tears roll down her face as she desperately tried to think of anything else.

Max felt a sudden wave of sorrow from Liz and turned toward her, "What's wrong, Liz?"

Liz shook her head and wiped the tears from her face. She had to tell them because she knew it was the only way to save them. She took a deep breath and looked up, "Tess."

"What?" Michael asked.

"Tess is the answer," Liz said softly as she turned to Max. "In the message, your mother said you were all sent here to learn to use your skills and powers. But we messed that up when we let Tess leave. She should have been with you, helping you. She would have made you stronger."

Everyone turned to Serena and she agreed, "It is true that the four of you worked well together on Antar. I did not know what powers Vilondra and Ava possessed because it was a closely guarded secret, but all four of you were very powerful and were inseparable in the last days of Zan's empire. Before we left to come to Earth, Sodan once told me that your powers complimented one another and that you were stronger together."

"Okay," Kyle said. "We start looking for Tess?"

"If she's still alive," Maria said blandly.

Max shook his head. "If Tess was interested in helping us, she could have found us. Even if she is alive, I don't think she cares about helping us or anyone else."

Kyle agreed with a nod. "Then we go back in time and get Tess to stay. Simple."

Max shook his head, "It won't be that easy."

"Why not?" Michael asked.

Max had told Liz all about his encounters with Tess years ago and she knew the answer, "Because Tess will not stay unless Max is with her."

"But Max loves you," Maria objected. "He would never be with Tess."

"We will have to change that," Liz said simply.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Liz said, "but we'll have to find a way."

Max felt a shiver of distaste shoot down his spine. Even after all of these years, he couldn't stand the thought of being with Tess, but he knew he had no choice. This whole mess was his fault and he would be the one to fix it. He would go back in time and he would make sure that this time, Max chose Tess.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, March 19th, 2014)
(Roswell, NM)

Max, Liz, Michael, Maria and Kyle had traveled quickly and arrived in Roswell that afternoon. On their journey, they had seen no sign of pursuit and they felt even luckier when they found a part of Roswell that had somewhat survived the destruction. A few houses on the edge of town were mostly intact and the small group settled into one of them for the evening.

Max had determined they would have a better chance of getting to Roswell if they left the main body of the army behind. A smaller group could travel more quickly was less likely to attract attention. Max had told the troops they had a plan and left one of the former military men in charge. He sent the troops east, away from trouble and told them they would join them later. Then he sent Serena northwest and instructed her to send a signal, hoping to draw the skins away and keep them busy. The five remaining members of the group had climbed into a Jeep and headed to the place where it had all started.

Conversation was sparse as they finished their evening meal, knowing that tomorrow they would lose their leader. Max had insisted he would be the one to go back in time and ordered Michael to take over the fight when he was gone. Michael had argued, but in the end reluctantly agreed, knowing Max was right.

Kyle took the first watch as it grew dark, and the others settled into the living room.

Maria was the first to ask the question that was on all of their minds, "How are you going to do it, Max?"

Max shook his head. "I don't know," he said sadly. "I would just go to my younger self if I could but Serena said that wasn't possible." He shrugged, "I guess I'll go to Tess and explain how important it is for us to be together."

"Oh, she'll love that," Maria sneered. "I can't believe that witch is going to win. It just isn't fair."

Liz smiled sadly, "Life isn't fair, Maria."

Maria nodded in agreement and a sudden thought occurred to her. One sure way to keep Liz out of the picture was to let her die at the Crashdown when she was shot. Maria knew if Liz thought it was the only way to change things she would stop Max from saving her. "When will you go back to?" she asked softly.

Liz reached for Max's hand and squeezed it reassuringly, "Max and I talked about it a little last night. We decided he will have to go back before we made love because Serena said that's what solidified the bond between us. There’s no way we would leave each other after being connected so closely, so it has to be before."

Max nodded sadly and brought Liz's hand to his lips. "But we don't want to go back too far because we learned a lot of important things right before that time, about the skins and the other pods. And it wasn't too bad with Tess then," he finished softly.

He paused for a moment and continued in a stronger voice, "We have to be careful because we don't know how altering the time line will change things. Any small difference could have huge consequences, and Liz and I don't want to risk changing things too much. Plus, I have to make sure not to run into my other self, so I had to choose a day when I remembered where I was and what I was doing. We decided I should go back to the night that I serenaded Liz with the Maraichi band. It's the perfect time. It was a few days before Liz and I got back together, but after we learned about the skins, and I remember that night well enough to avoid my younger self."

Maria sighed in relief. At least her other self would still have her best friend in her life.

Michael looked at Liz and Max's clasped hands and then up to their faces. He couldn't even imagine the bond they shared but he knew they belonged together. And the fact that they were willing to sacrifice their love to save the world left him in awe of them. What would happen if they succeeded? he wondered. Would the world be a different place? Would Max and Liz's sacrifice make a better future? If Serena's theory was correct, none of them would ever know if Max had succeeded, they would just simply cease to be.

He looked at Max and Liz one more time. They should be alone, this would be their last night together. He reached for Maria's hand and rose to his feet, pulling her with him. "It's been a long day. I think it's time for bed," he said tactfully.

Max and Liz both smiled at him and spoke in unison, "Good night."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday Nicholas had discovered the main body of Max's troops traveling east. They had been easily captured but Nicholas had been disappointed to learn that Max and the others were not among them. He had carefully searched the mind of one human after another until he was sure he had discovered the truth. Max had devised a plan and he and the others were heading south.

It had been relatively easy to guess where they were going. Nicholas had suspected for years that the Granolith must be near Roswell. And with Max’s destination known, one of the warships had pinpointed the group within a few hours.

Nicholas had hastily eliminated the rest of the rebel troops and gathered his army, still over eight thousand strong, into the three warships. They tracked the Jeep from orbit until it stopped in Roswell and then Nicholas ordered the ships to land. They needed to take the group alive to find the Granolith and that could only be accomplished on the ground.

They knew the basic area where Max had stopped for the night but Nicholas sent out scouts to discover the exact building, then at first light, they would start bombing to drive Max into the open. With all of his strength concentrated on a single goal, Nicholas was positive they would succeed in taking Max and the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell, NM)

Song Playing: Never Tear Us Apart by INXS

Max led Liz into the bedroom they were using and closed the door behind him.

Liz turned to Max and pulled him down onto the bed with her. She traced her hands over his handsome face. "Max," her gentle voice urged him, "I want you to go to me."

Max picked up on her meaning immediately. She wanted him to go to the Liz in the past for help. A sudden sorrow overcame him and he flashed on all of the times they had shared. He wondered what his life would have been like if Liz had not been with him but he couldn't even begin to imagine a world without her, she was so much a part of his life. He did suspect that there were times in the last few years he wouldn’t have been strong enough to go on without her, but he stayed silent, cursing himself for his weakness.

He wanted to go to his younger self and knock some sense into him, wake him up, and force him to accept his destiny. He had been so foolish to allow his wish for a normal life to consume him so entirely. His love for Liz had been so overwhelming and so selfish that there had been no room in his life for anything else. He had cavalierly driven Tess away and neglected the duties of leadership that had continued to return to him, no matter how hard he had tried to leave them behind.

Max sighed, letting his guilt and weariness show and hoped that Liz's strength was enough to save him from himself and with him, save them all. But he knew it was. She loved him just as completely as he loved her but he knew she would survive without him. Liz possessed strength that he lacked, even when she had been seventeen. She had loved him desperately but she had found the strength to walk away from him at the pod chamber, all of those years ago. Max knew she would do whatever she had to do, to ensure their survival.

He cursed himself again. He was allowing the events to dictate his actions. He would not let his failure condemn a seventeen year-old Liz to carry the weight of two worlds on her shoulders.

"No," he said harshly. "I will find another way."

"Max," Liz smiled sadly and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "there is no other way."

"There has to be,” Max insisted. “We don't even know if this idea will work. What if I go back and separate us and it still isn't enough?"

"Max," Liz said softly, "we have to do something and this is the best plan we could come up with."

Max shook his head, "I can't do this to you, to her."

Liz took his hand in hers and brought it to her lips. "You aren't doing anything to me. I want you to go to me. You know I would do anything for you."

Tears fell freely from his eyes. "It's my failure, my weakness that has forced us into this position. I can't let you suffer for my shortcomings."

Liz gently kissed the tears from his face. "If I can't be with you, at least let me serve you."

"But you will have to live with this secret for the rest of your life," Max protested.

"And I will have a piece of you that no one can take from me." Liz kissed his lips hungrily, knowing it would be their last night together. Max would do as she asked, even though he was fighting her, she could feel it through their bond. There was no other choice and he knew he could trust her to do what had to be done.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Thursday, March 20th, 2014)
(Roswell, NM)

Michael burst into the room where Max and Liz were sleeping, "We've got to go now! The skin army is just a couple of miles out of town!"

Max grabbed Liz and hauled her out of bed. He reached for his boots and an explosion rocked the house. Liz was thrown into him and they fell back onto the bed.

Another explosion detonated just outside, shattering the window and Max put up his hand, instantly raising a shield to protect them from the flying glass.

They quickly scrambled to their feet and ran for the door, as Kyle burst into the room and looked them over quickly for injury. "They are just lobbing explosives, it doesn't look like they know where we are. They're probably just trying to flush us out."

"Okay," Max yelled over the sound of explosions. "Get to the Jeep and let's get out of here."

Liz pulled on her boots and reached for Max's hand, "It's time."

Max nodded sadly and squeezed her hand, "Let's go."

They entered the hall just as Michael pulled a sleepy Maria from their room and pushed her at Liz. Michael rushed toward the door, "I'll check the road and make sure it's clear."

"Meet us at the Jeep," Max called, as he headed toward the garage.

Michael looked out the window and when he saw no movement, slipped through the door. He slowly circled the house, checking the ruins of the surrounding buildings and streets, and when he didn't see anything, he crossed to the garage door and used his powers to lift it.

A blast hit him in the back and spun him around, as a skin soldier ran toward him with his arm outstretched. Michael aimed a blast at the soldier’s mid-section and the enemy disintegrated into a shower of dust. Grasping his hand to his chest, Michael sank down onto the ground. With a strange sense of unreality, he raised his hand and looked at the blood covering it. The blast had gone all the way through him.

Max ran through the garage and dropped to his knees, taking Michael in his arms. Max laid his hand across the wound and quickly connected with Michael but the amount of damage brought tears to his eyes.

Michael could feel the life pouring out of him and he knew Max couldn't save him. "I'm sorry Max," he whispered.

Max shook his head, "You've nothing to be sorry for. You're the best second in command and brother I could have asked for."

Liz and Kyle ran into the garage and stopped a few steps away.

Maria pushed past them and fell to her knees beside Max and Michael, tears running down her face. "Michael," she sobbed, "you've got to hold on. It's not that bad. Max can fix you up."

Michael tried to shake his head but winced in pain. "Maria," he gasped, "love you."

"No Michael, don't you let go!" Maria yelled at him, "I love you too much."

Michael smiled and coughed out his last breath. Max felt him go still in his arms. He wanted to cry out, but they had to leave or they would all die. He hugged his brother one last time and got to his feet, pulling a sobbing Maria with him. "I'm sorry Maria but we've got to go."

He sent a thought to Liz and she came forward and took the devastated Maria to the Jeep.

"We just can't leave him here," Maria cried.

Liz pulled Maria into her arms, "I'm sorry Maria. There's no time, we'll all die if we don't go now."

Kyle helped Max pull Michael's body into the garage and Kyle covered him with his jacket. "I'm sorry," he said to Max.

Max nodded and they climbed into the Jeep. Max drove out onto the street and a skin soldier jumped in front of them. Max accelerated and hit him before he could move, and the body disintegrated instantly.

The road ahead of them exploded, and Max swerved to avoid the broken pavement. They drove past an alley, and a truck with four skin soldiers in the bed pulled out onto the road behind them. The soldiers aimed blasts of energy at the Jeep and Max quickly turned, hoping to avoid them. He took side streets, changing direction several times trying to keep the burnt-out shells of buildings between them, but the truck started closing.

Kyle grabbed the blaster in his belt and turned in the seat to take aim at their attackers. He carefully targeted the front tire as the truck pulled closer to them. With a single shot he hit the tire, which exploded and forced the wheels sideways. The truck flipped onto its side and ejected the soldiers from the bed.

Max maneuvered the Jeep through the allies and finally back onto the main road. As they continued into the desert, Kyle kept a watch for more skins, but the only movement behind them was the fading sound of explosions.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Jeep skidded to a stop near the foot of the rock formation that housed the pod chamber and Granolith. The four survivors jumped out and Max handed backpacks to Kyle and Maria, "Get started on the pod chamber and Liz and I will make a control crystal."

Max met Kyle's gaze and held it, and Kyle nodded. Even though they had never been able to communicate through a connection, a moment of perfect understanding passed between them.

Kyle knew Max was asking him to look out for Liz and Maria if the plan failed. Kyle reached out his hand and Max took it, only to be pulled into a brotherly embrace. Kyle held him tightly for a moment, "You are the closest thing to a brother I ever had, Max. It was an honor knowing and fighting with you."

Max nodded, "We'll fix this. It'll turn out better next time."

Kyle cocked his head to the side, "It couldn't get much worse."

Max smiled and nodded. Trust Kyle to try and lighten the mood.

Kyle shared a brief smile with Max, then he took the backpacks and jogged up the ledge. He stopped at the door and used his powers to activate the door and disappeared inside.

Max turned and embraced Maria, "I'm sorry about Michael and your mother and Alex..."

Maria cut him off, "None of it was your fault, Max. I've never blamed any of you for anything that happened.” She released him and stepped back to see his face. You and I have had a special bond since the summer when Liz left all those years ago. I'm just sorry I have to lose you, even if it will fix everything."

Max smiled sadly, "Thanks Maria."

Maria nodded and glanced at Liz, "I'd better go help Kyle. The skins will be here soon." She turned away quickly before her tears started, and ran up the hill.

Max turned to Liz, "Are you ready to do this?"

Liz shook her head, "No, but we don't have any other choice." She sighed and refocused her thoughts, "Do you remember what Serena told us?"

Max nodded, "Yeah, it seemed pretty simple."

Max and Liz knelt in the sand and Liz gathered a handful of the grainy particles. Max raised his hand above them, building his energy, and then stopped as tears gathered in his eyes. It had been his idea to do this but now that it was time, he had changed his mind. More than anything he didn't want to leave Liz. He didn't care if the skins overwhelmed and killed every person on Earth, he only cared about staying with Liz. Even if it meant that they would only have a matter of moments together before they died, it was better than surviving apart.

Liz could feel Max's sorrow through their bond. She had been fiercely shielding her emotions from Max so he wouldn't know how terrified she was about what they were doing. Max had been such an integral part of her life and she didn't know how she would live without him.

Trying to push the useless emotions away, Liz forced herself to concentrate on Max’s hand hovering over hers, but when his hand remained where it was, she knew something was wrong. Liz opened a tiny fraction of the connection between them, but Max was shielding too. She knew he was trying to protect her, but nothing could stop the pain that was already starting to consume her.

She could feel Max's gaze on her and looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She studied his face, trying desperately to memorize every plain, every curve; the shape of his mouth, the exact color of his eyes, the way his hair curled around his neck.

Max reached out and gently touched her face, "Liz."

The tears spilled over her lids and down her face, at the tone in Max's voice. He sounded so sad, so defeated, as if he had already given up. Liz let the sand sift through her fingers, took Max's face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his, "No matter what happens, I will always love you."

Max pressed his lips to hers and felt the bittersweet sensation of knowing it would be the last time. He sat back enough to look into her eyes. "Liz I just..." he started, but was interrupted by the sound of an explosion just a few miles away. The skin army was approaching and they were running out of time.

Liz quickly scooped up another handful of sand, "We have to hurry. Remember to concentrate on the night you serenaded me. Picture my balcony a few minutes before the other you arrived. I had just returned from the psychic and I was standing in front of my mirror, imagining what our wedding ceremony would be like."

Max nodded and winced, pushing aside the pain in his heart. The Liz he was going to visit would never have that wedding ceremony, would never share her life with his. Max hardened his heart to his feelings. He was doing this to save the other Liz, to save them all, he just wished he didn't have to sacrifice his Liz in the process. Before he could reconsider again, he passed his hand over the shiny grains of sand, pushing his energy and his intent into them, as he formed them into a six-sided crystal.

Just as he finished, another explosion sounded much nearer and Max stuffed the crystal into his pocket as he and Liz rose to their feet. Hand in hand, they raced up the trail toward the pod chamber door and as they reached it, a closer explosion caused the ground under them to roll. Liz staggered, almost falling, but Max kept his balance and pulled her with him into the relative safety of the pod chamber.

Max nodded to Kyle and Maria, who were already well into their task.

"Good luck," said Kyle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Granolith Chamber)
(Minutes Before The Fall)

Max and Liz stumbled into the Granolith chamber as the explosions drew nearer, rocking the ground below them. As Max looked at the Granolith before him, the reality of the situation came crashing down around him. No matter what he did in the other time line, he would never be with his Liz again. He turned to Liz in desperation, begging her one last time to change her mind, "I won't leave you."

The same desperation was echoed in her voice but she would not relent, "No, no. No, Max. You have to."

Hearing the pain in her tone he continued, hopeful that he could appeal to her. "If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist, not as we do now." But he could see the resolution in her eyes and knew she wouldn't give into him.

"Max, if you don't do this, we're gonna die, everyone will. Max, you have to do this. You have to try it."

"I'll never see you again." He smiled sadly, knowing her decision was irreversible. Her strength and resolution were contagious and shored up his flagging courage. Liz would force him to save the world when he would have been happy to die now at her side. "Thank you."

"For what?"

She had misunderstood him and he covered quickly. For everything, he thought. There were so many things and he regretted, and the end had come upon them so quickly he could not take the time to enumerate every wonderful moment of their lives together. "For every kiss, every smile."

Liz opened the connection between them one last time and let all of her love surge into him, "Max, I don't have any regrets."

Max felt the full strength of her love and devotion pouring over him and sent back his own, basking in the power of the emotions between them, the perfect unity of their souls. An explosion shook the chamber again, throwing them to the floor. They were out of time, and before he could change his mind he thrust the crystal into the base of the Granolith.

Together they watched the powerful machine come to life, unsure of what would happen.

Suddenly Max was disoriented and looked around to discover that he was inside the Granolith, separated from his wife for the first time in years. He turned to look at Liz for the last time, desperately trying to memorize her as she stood before him. Attempting to control his raging grief, he reached for Liz's calming influence, as he always had in bad times. He pressed his hand to the surface separating them and she raised her hand to his, but before they could touch, Max felt the power rush through him as the Granolith propelled him into the past.

As Max's body faded into nothingness, Liz felt their connection sputter and die, and as the grief started to consume her, his name was forced from her lips in anguish, "Aah! Maaax!" The overwhelming pain of his loss drove her to her knees.

Liz had pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind, carefully not letting herself think about what they were doing. She had known she would never see Max again but only now did she allow reality to set in. If she had let herself think about being without Max, she never would have let him leave. She would have clung to him and begged him to stay and let the world fall apart around them.

Max was her best friend, her life, her heart and soul, without him she just felt empty inside. She didn’t know how to live without him, how to go on alone. Max was everything.

Maria came in moments later and found Liz still on her knees. "We heard the activation," she said softly.

Liz nodded, unable to speak.

Maria's own loss was still fresh but she proceeded gently, "Liz we have to finish this. The skins are almost here."

Liz silently rose to her feet. There was still too much to do and she would have the rest of her life to grieve the loss of her beloved husband. She took a deep breath and pushed her pain aside. "Let's get it over with."

Maria passed half of the packages to Liz and they spaced them evenly throughout the room, connecting the wires that they pressed into the soft clay-like substance. They left the Granolith chamber and carefully threaded their way through the C-4 lining the pod chamber, connecting the wiring from one room to the other and activating the remote detonator.

When they were finished, Liz and Maria joined Kyle outside, where he was keeping watch, and they got into the Jeep and drove quickly away from the pod chamber and the approaching army.

Liz shrugged into the backpack that contained the remote detonators as they drove. With Max gone and Michael dead, Liz knew the rebellion would look to her to lead them but she just didn’t have the strength. Neither she nor Max had anticipated the loss of their connection when he went back in time and she wouldn't have allowed it to change their plans, but the sense of loss was almost more than she could bear. It felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest, as if half of her was gone, and she longed for death to stop her pain.

Liz took a deep breath and focused her remaining strength on accomplishing the all-important mission. Kyle had argued that they should wait until the skins entered the Granolith chamber to detonate the explosives but Liz feared the skins might have enough power to stop the explosion by disconnecting the wires or mutating the C-4 into play-doh or something else equally harmless. So it had been decided that they would wait to detonate until the skins were near but not in the door, hoping they would eliminate a few of the soldiers when they destroyed the Granolith. They simply couldn’t take the chance and let the Granolith to fall into Khivar's hands. It had to be destroyed.

Liz finished the sentence in her head. It had to be destroyed, in case Max failed. Max. His name echoed through her head. It was doubtful they would know if he had succeeded or failed. For all they knew, he was already dead, destroyed in the Granolith or on the trip back. The theories of time-travel Serena had worked out were sound but they were just that, theories, and Liz would never know of her husband's fate. She felt the suffocating grief start to engulf her again and with great effort pushed it back.

They had all suffered great losses at the hands of the skins, losing their friends, families and lovers, their way of life, their freedom, and their planet, but Liz and Maria agreed, Kyle should activate the detonator. After his capture and torture, his hatred of the skins was a tangible thing and Liz doubted that even the lingering death of every one of their enemies would satisfy his hunger for revenge.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With Maria and Liz beside him, Kyle watched from a ridge a mile away as the skins' terrible army advanced on the rock formation housing the pod chamber and the Granolith. They had left the pod chamber door open purposfully, and sent a signal from one of the orbs to attract the skins and lead them into the trap.

The first of the skin scouts started the climb up the rocky surface, and Kyle desperately searched the area for Nicholas, who had haunted his dreams and his fantasies of revenge, but the leader of the skin army was nowhere in sight. And as the first skin soldier reached the entrance to the pod chamber, Kyle reluctantly depressed the button to activate the explosives.

The explosion was tremendous, bigger than they had anticipated, and the resulting shockwave leveled anything that stood for hundreds of feet. Rocks and flaming debris rained down on the skin army, who scurried for cover that didn’t exist. As the dust cleared, the three friends were satisfied to see a gaping crater had replaced the rock formation and there was no sign of the Granolith.

Kyle's eyes burned brightly with the fire of satisfaction as he watched the skin soldiers die, engulfed in fire or crushed under rocks, but he searched the chaos in vain for Nicholas. The diminutive General was not among his troops and Kyle felt a shiver of cold dread race up his spine. He stood and pulled Maria to her feet with him. "We've got to get out of here."

He turned to Liz but she was already standing, facing something behind them with a look of calm resignation, almost relief, on her face. Kyle spun toward the beings he knew were there, and drew his blaster as he turned, only to have it knocked out of his hand before he could fire a shot.

"What did you think you could do human?" Nicholas scoffed. "Haven't I proven my superiority over your species?"

Kyle's rage boiled through him and he rushed the smaller being with murderous intent, only to be knocked back into Liz with a careless flip of Nicholas' hand.

Liz helped Kyle stand and kept a hand on his arm, willing him to look at her.

But Kyle refused to look into her eyes, knowing he could not stand to see the emptiness he knew he would find there. Since losing Max, Liz had spoken less than a dozen words and Kyle knew that having destroyed the Granolith, she wished for death, where she hoped to join Max.

Years ago he had read a quote by the Buddha that he had always thought described Liz perfectly. Good people shine from afar, like snowy mountains.

Kyle dared a glance in Liz’s direction but then quickly looked away. He could still see the golden light shining from her, but it was dulled by her grief, like a dark cloud blocking the light of the sun. Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He did not want to acknowledge that the small woman who had kept their group together for so many years, who had demonstrated her unfathomable strength, time and time again, who had stood between them and death, had given up. He did not want proof that his vivacious, beautiful friend craved death above all else.

Nicholas saw Kyle's reaction and continued. "There is no use resisting." He refocused on the small brown-haired woman before him. "Khivar is waiting for his prize, Liz Evans. Where is your husband?" Nicholas looked around, considering the three before him for the first time. "Max is always at your side. Why did he leave you unprotected?"

Kyle felt Liz open the connection between them and he started to resist, but she dropped in the kernel of an idea before he could shut her out. She had retained some of the explosives and a detonator but she doubted she could activate it alone. Through their connection, Kyle felt her grief wash over him like a hot suffocating rain that pressed the breath from his lungs, and he understood the depth of her connection and her love for Max for the first time. Being without Max was literally killing her. Kyle wanted to comfort Liz, take away her suffering, but he realized what she was asking him to do would put an end to all of their pain. He silently relayed his agreement to her and placed a strong arm around her as if to offer comfort, but instead slipped his hand into the backpack she was wearing.

Liz straightened to her full height and looked Nicholas in the eyes, but spoke in a ragged tone, "Max is dead."

She reached for Maria's hand and a look of understanding passed between them. Maria moved closer and signaled her agreement with a sad smile and a squeeze of her hand. "I love you Maria," Liz whispered to her life-long friend.

Maria whispered, "I love you too."

Liz felt Kyle in her mind as his hand closed over hers.

It's done, he said.

She responded aloud with a sigh of relief, knowing her pain would soon end, and spoke in Kyle's mind, I'm glad that we'll end this together.

Me too Liz, Kyle said as he squeezed her hand. There is no path through the air. No creature is eternal, but the awakened never die.

Liz smiled sadly and squeezed his hand, Thank you Kyle. Thanks for everything.

Even though Liz could no longer feel Max through their connection, she reached out with her mind for the shining, golden thread that bound them together. She wondered briefly if she could invoke it without Max but it slipped eagerly into place as it always did. Liz gathered her strength, built her power, as she had never done before, and using a burst of energy sent all of her love into the bond, hoping that Max would somehow receive her final message to him.

And holding the hands of the only loved-ones left to her, as Kyle counted down in her mind, 5 - 4 - 3, Liz turned to face Nicholas. "And now we will all go to meet Max, together."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 10:16 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 10

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode – The End of the World)
(Monday, October 23rd, 2000)

Max felt a solid surface beneath his feet and quickly looked around. He was on Liz's balcony, just as they had planned and he felt a rush of satisfaction go through him. If he could do this, change history, maybe he could save the world, save all of them, but then the sickening pain of the loss of his connection with Liz hit him. He almost fell to his knees and reached out to steady himself on the sill.

Liz, as a young woman he remembered so well, was in her room standing before her mirror, juggling the items that had been disturbed by his arrival. He smiled humorlessly remembering what his Liz had told him of the events of that evening. She had irrevocably decided they could not be together, but he had changed her mind so easily a few days later. And now he was here to permanently rend them apart.

As the Liz before him turned toward him, his eyes ran eagerly over her beautiful face. She had been his whole world for so long that Max could not envision a life without Liz in it. She was the person who he loved above everything, for whom he would sacrifice all, but they were forced to be eternally apart. He was not able to keep the anguish out of the single word he spoke. "Liz."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: Girl by Chicago

When Max left Liz's house he had stolen a car and driven directly to the pod chamber to spend the night. It was the one place he was unlikely to meet anyone. As he had driven through Roswell, he could still see the ruined city it had become and promised himself he wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

Max climbed the path to the pod chamber door and passed his hand over the locking device. The door slid open and he walked inside to look into the Granolith chamber. It was the last place he had seen his Liz and he felt drawn to it. He entered the chamber and walked to where Liz had stood as the Granolith had propelled him back in time and reached up to touch the place where they had almost touched, but not.

As his hand made contact with the smooth, cool surface of the Granolith, the connection that Max shared with Liz suddenly blazed back into life and he grabbed for the wall to steady himself as the emotions poured over him.

He saw all of the precious times they had shared together flash past his eyes, and felt Liz's emotions wrapped up in them. And the one image that was the strongest, the most precious to Liz, was their wedding day. The images swirled around him, growing stronger and more vivid. It was as if he were there again, but this time he was seeing it through Liz's eyes and felt the overwhelming joy she had experienced that day. He held the image in his mind like it was a tangible thing and basked in the love, Liz's love for him, which accompanied the images.

Then another image wiped away all of the others. It was an image Max didn’t recognize, and was not part of, and he knew it had happened after he had left her. Liz stood proudly with Kyle and Maria before Nicholas and several skin soldiers, and Max desperately grasped for the image to discover Liz’s fate. But the blinding flash of an explosion followed by darkness was all that he saw. Liz was dead. Max knew it with a certainty the left his soul cold. Liz, the love of his life, his best friend and soul mate, had died and it was all his fault. Even his last desperate action of coming back in time had not saved her.

Liz had sent her thoughts, her love, to him as the last act of her life. She had wanted to tell him they had succeeded in their mission. Maria, Kyle and herself had destroyed the Granolith after he had left and she had sent all of her love and devotion spiraling into their connection, hoping against hope that he would receive it. He could feel her doubt that he would get her message but she had sent it anyway, believing their bond would somehow transcend time and space. But he could also feel the anguish she had experienced when their connection had been severed and how she had wished for, even welcomed death and the oblivion that would put an end to her suffering.

The emotions were too overwhelming and Max fell to the floor sobbing, devastated he had not been by his wife's side when she had died. He had failed her completely. He welcomed the grief that threatened to engulf him as the memories of their life together assailed him. Liz's happy, laughing face hung before him like a haunting reminder of what knowing him, being with him, had done to her. He had ruined Liz's life. He had killed her.

And then his thoughts turned to the innocent girl sleeping just a few miles away. She was his main concern now. This Liz had never seen war or witnessed the murder of friends and family. She'd never had to make life or death decisions. She'd never been forced to kill, and he vowed that she never would.

He had failed Liz once, but he could make sure that he didn’t fail her again. He would make sure this Liz would never suffer and die at the hands of aliens. She would not die hopeless and wishing for an end to her life. He would make Liz see the importance of staying away from her Max, and he would convince her to do whatever she had to do to make the younger version of himself release her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode – The End of the World)
(Tuesday, October 24th, 2000)

Song Playing: Everything I Do, I Do It for You by Bryan Adams

Max waited on Liz's balcony while she went to confront his younger self.

After the fiasco with Tess outside the Crashdown, he had redoubled his efforts to convince Liz to sever all ties between herself and her Max. Liz had fought him, but he had convinced her to continue, and now she was going to face his younger self directly.

Max walked around the small space, smiling sadly, touching the items that held so many memories. The good times and the bad alike were precious to him and he allowed himself to mourn all he had lost, and all his younger self would never have.

And as he moved toward the spot where he and Liz had shared their first kiss, he felt a strange sensation as new memories started to crowd his old ones. In his mind, he saw Liz come to his room. He felt his younger self’s joy and hope at her presence, then confusion as she would not allow him to speak, and finally despair as she stood before him and told him all of the things he had been most afraid of. She said that his alien nature had endangered her and was causing her to push him away.

Through the eyes of his younger self, Max watched Liz leave his room and felt an anguish rise up within him that echoed what his younger self was feeling. And even though he knew Liz's words to be lies, the pain was fresh and sharp. He longed to offer comfort to his younger self, but even if it were possible, he wouldn't. He had to do everything in his power to make sure that Liz would not die fighting a losing war without him, and if it meant that his younger self had to suffer without her, then it was a small price to pay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz returned and Max sat watching her cry. He was hopeful that she had succeeded in pushing his younger self away but the pain of losing his Liz, added to the pain of witnessing the Liz before him mourning, was almost more than he could bear. He reached for a tissue hoping to comfort her in any small way but his hand passed through the box.

Even with grief overwhelming her, Liz noticed immediately. "What, what's happening?" she asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"This must be it," Max said with relief. "What you did must have worked. I'm leaving."

"What, so you're just, you're going back to where you came from?"

Max smiled sadly, realizing for the first time that his passing would cause her even more pain. He was the one lifeline she had in the hopeless future she perceived without him, and when he was gone, she would be utterly alone with their secret. He ached that he had to cause her pain but he was satisfied it was worth it to save her from suffering and death.

"There's nowhere to go back to," Max said softly, as he eagerly reached for the void that beckoned to him. He thought for a moment he could almost see his Liz waiting for him, welcoming him, but then his memories started to shift and he was brought solidly back to Earth.

His younger self had gone to Maria and she was telling him to stop pursuing Liz, to leave her alone. But as his younger self considered releasing Liz, he remembered her earlier actions when she had set him up with Tess, and the light of hope was rekindled within him. Max’s younger self wondered if Liz was pushing him away because she felt it was the right thing to do. And as Maria's voice intruded on his thoughts, he knew with absolute certainty that he would not give her up. He shrugged and looked up at Maria, "I can't help it. I love her. What can I say?"

Max admired his younger self for his stubborn refusal to give up. Perhaps if he had possessed that same driving relentlessness, they wouldn't be where they were now. Then he cursed his younger self for that same stubbornness. They had been so close to succeeding and he had been robbed of his chance to rejoin his Liz. "It didn't work," Max said, slamming his now solid hand down. "We have to do something else."

But the Liz before him was fighting him too. "No. I, I can't."

"You have to," he replied more harshly than he meant to.

Liz looked him in the eyes. "Do you know how hard it was for me to tell him that I didn't want to die for him? He's the only reason that I'm alive right now. You, you've, you got to come up with another plan. Please go to someone else. I, I just, I can't do this anymore."

Max could hear the anguish in her voice and he longed to comfort her, but everything he was doing was to save her, and he hardened his heart. He had to convince her to continue but he knew that she wouldn’t accept her own salvation as a reason to act. He would do anything to save her; lie, cheat, steal or kill. He felt a brief moment of guilt but he quickly pushed it aside as the solution came to him. He only had this one last chance to give her a normal life so he unashamedly based his argument on the others he knew she would risk all to save.

"Just twenty-five minutes before I came here, I held Michael in my arms, dead." He saw her jerk to attention, knew that his tactic was working, and continued relentlessly. "Isabel died two weeks before that."

Max could see the resolution start to settle into her features and he knew he had already won her over. "Now you have to do this. You have to find a way." You have to find a way Liz, he said silently to himself, your life depends on it. He continued aloud, "All of our lives depend on it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode – The End of the World)
(Wednesday, October 25th, 2000)
(The Parker House – Liz’s Bathroom)

Song Playing: This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush

Max sat on the edge of the bathtub, remembering the events of the coming Friday night, the night of the Gomez concert so many years ago, events that would now never happen. His Liz had been softening toward him and he had been hopeful that he could persuade her to give them another chance. But when he had arrived outside her window and discovered her distressed state, his only thought had been to comfort her. That was the night that they had made love for the first time and it was start of the rest of their lives together.

Max was brought back to the present as his younger self approached Liz's window, just like he had done so many years before, concert tickets in hand. That night he had come to ask Liz to the concert again. He had found her alone, studying, and she had refused to come out to talk to him, needing the protection of the window frame between. It had made Max’s heart soar that she was so afraid of her own behavior around him, and though they hadn’t even touched, he had pressed his advantage. He had professed his love and told her they were meant to be together, countering every one of her arguments. And even though she had eventually asked him to leave, he had never doubted that she was close to surrender.

But suddenly his memories shifted as his younger self looked into Liz's dark room and heard talking from inside.

At first, the younger Max couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing, but as he took in the scene before him, understanding slashed through him like a knife. Liz was in bed with Kyle. His life, his love, had betrayed him with another man.

Even knowing the truth, Max shared the anguish his younger self was feeling, the fresh agony searing his soul. It rivaled the sense of loss he had felt when his connection with Liz had been severed and his head bowed under the weight of the pain. He struggled to block out the pain of his younger self, as the younger Max stumbled across the roof and fumbled blindly down the ladder. Max concentrated on the life he had shared with his Liz, the happy times they had lived before the invasion. He let Liz's love for him carry away the pain and he pushed the new memories aside.

After a few moments Max could hear movement in Liz's room and he knew she was getting rid of Kyle. He waited until she silently opened the door to the bathroom to let him out, and then he followed her through the window and onto the balcony. Liz collapsed onto the chair as if her strength had abandoned her. Max sat next to her and noticed she wasn’t crying and suspected the last couple of days had been so painful that she had no tears left.

Even though he had seen proof on many occasions, Max was still surprised by Liz's strength. "I've fought a thousand battles, but watching you do that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"The look on his face. On your face," Liz said miserably.

He had consigned her to a life without her soul mate and she was only concerned Max's feelings. Typical Liz, he thought. "Maybe it's for the best. For you, too," he rushed to reassure her.

Liz was dumbfounded, "What are you talking about?

Max had selfishly wished she would remain alone after he was gone, but he now that the moment was upon him, he had to make sure Liz had a chance at happiness. He smiled joylessly, the words he was about to speak ripping him apart inside. "I saw you with Kyle. He's turning out to be a, a great guy."

He had said it earlier and he had thought it impossible, but he was jealous of Kyle. Jealous of the friendship that Kyle would share with Liz and jealous of the connection that would bind them together, and perhaps convince them to be together. He practically choked as he continued, imagining another man touching her. "Maybe it would be better for you to be with a human."

Liz was always amazed that a handsome, intelligent man like Max could doubt himself so much. He didn't realize even now, after they had spent so many years together, that he had changed her forever. "Don't you realize what you are to me?" Liz asked him. "What you're always going to be? You're the love of my life. Everyone else is going to be second best. There'll never be another you."

Max's heart swelled with love at her words. He had known she loved him but he was surprised at the depth of her feelings, even after she and his younger self had been apart for all of those months.

"So Max and, Tess are going to be together now," Liz made it more of a statement than a question.

Max wanted to reassure her their love would never end, that he would never even consider being with Tess, but he couldn't risk giving her that kind of hope. "I don't know,” he said softly. “I don't know anything now. This is a different world."

"I'm going to be alone," Liz said simply.

The thought of Liz pining for him for the rest of her life, filled him with dread. She was a kind and loving person with her whole life ahead of her. He had ruined her life and her happiness in his reality and he wanted to do something to guarantee her happiness this time around. "Maybe. Maybe not." He continued the thought silently to himself; maybe in the future it would be possible for them to be together. Maybe. He continued aloud, "From now on, the future is to be determined. It's what I've always said to you, Liz. We create our own destiny."

Liz knew this was her last chance to be with Max, and she couldn't pass it up. "Could you dance with me?"

It was the last thing he had expected her to say and he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "What?"

"I want to have my wedding dance."

Liz had always loved to dance and Max was sorry he hadn't thought of it. As he took Liz into his arms one last time, the bittersweet strains of their song started to echo through his head.

Come to me now
And lay your hands over me

Max smiled, remembering the first time they had danced to the song, on their wedding night. The memory was so strong, that for a moment he was back there, lazily spinning around the dingy floor with his new bride.

Even if it's a lie
Say it will be all right
And I shall believe

As they danced, a new set of memories intruded into Max’s mind. His younger self had gone to the park and Tess had found him there. And when he had looked into her eyes, really looked, what he saw was not what he had expected. In her eyes he saw loneliness and fear of rejection.

For the first time Max considered how alone Tess must have been, how much she had felt like an outsider, and he was filled with shame that he had pushed her away.

I'm broken in two
And I know you're on to me
That I only come home
When I'm so all alone
But I do believe

As Max twirled Liz around, he felt a shift in the universe that echoed through his soul like the resolution of a chord. His younger self had not stopped loving Liz and he now knew that he never would, even after the ultimate act of betrayal. But his pain had allowed him to open his heart, to realize that loving Liz did not stop him from caring for others, especially his family. He would never love Tess as she wanted, but he could offer her friendship, support and a place in the family.

And when Tess placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, Max knew his younger self had made the decision to make Tess more a part of their group.

That not everything is gonna be the way
You think it ought to be
It seems like every time I try to make it right
It all comes down on me

His own knowledge merging with the discovery of his younger self suddenly made everything become so clear. After all these years, Max realized that he had been a fool, because what Tess had really craved all along, he had been lucky to find with Michael and Isabel, with the Evans, with Liz. What he had selfishly denied Tess, was a family.

Please say honestly you won't give up on me
And I shall believe
And I shall believe

He had treated Tess badly not because he had been afraid of growing close to her, but because he hadn’t wanted to face up to what she had represented in his past life. And he had allowed her to leave because she had been a constant reminder of his responsibilities. Without her there it had been easier for him to forget he wasn't human, forget about a planet he didn't want to remember, and a people he didn't know. Out of sight out of mind.

Open the door
And show me your face tonight
I know it's true
No one heals me like you
And you hold the key

He had mistakenly thought if he accepted the Kingship, he would have to abandon Liz, but he could see now that it was not a question of either or, it was a balancing act. He had been a fool not to see it before. He could be the King of Antar and still have Liz in his life, at his side.

Never again
would I turn away from you
I'm so heavy tonight
But your love is all right
And I do believe

He had tried to deny his duty to his people and live a normal human life with Liz but his duties had continually resurfaced. And now that the end was near, he was faced with the truth. He wasn't a normal human. He was the King of Antar. There was no escaping that destiny and if he had accepted it sooner, embraced everything that it meant, none of this would have happened.

He had denied what he was for too long. Khivar's invasion of Earth had forced him to accept his position, but by then it had been too late. He wasn’t prepared, he didn’t know how to lead his people and they had lost. If he had accepted his duty sooner, he could have prepared, made alliances, developed their powers. He and Liz could have been together for the rest of their long lives, battling Khivar, raising a family, or whatever else their lives would have included, instead of dying alone, years apart in different realities.

That not everything is gonna be the way
You think it ought to be
It seems like every time I try to make it right
It all comes down on me

Max ached to tell Liz of his discovery; she and the younger Max could be together. It wasn't their love that had pushed Tess away. It had been his exclusion of Tess from their family, their group, his need to deny what and who he was. He eagerly reached for Liz as she twirled away from him, but his hand passed through hers. Max looked at it dumbly as he watched the yawning void rush up to meet him.

Please say honestly
You won't give up on me
And I shall believe

"Liz," he cried out urgently, but she didn’t hear him, didn’t look in his direction. He had failed her again but this time there would be no going back to fix it.

Max watched her spinning away from him and considered himself lucky that she was the last thing he would ever see. "I love you Liz," he whispered, but his voice was lost even to his own ears, as he dissolved into the blackness.

And I shall believe
I shall believe

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

END OF BOOK 8 - RESTRUCTURING REALITY (THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE - MAX)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

Post by **Ti88** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:44 pm

i have to totally catch up on this story. i started reading it before the hack and i haven't had a chance to finish it. bu t i totally loved what i had read of it before...in fact i thikn this was one traice had recomennddeed to me

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:24 am

i have to totally catch up on this story. i started reading it before the hack and i haven't had a chance to finish it. bu t i totally loved what i had read of it before...in fact i thikn this was one traice had recomennddeed to me

Ti88

Well keep reading. The stroy really picks up speed from here. :D

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BOOK 9 - VERISIMILITUDE (THE CONSPIRACY EXPOSED)

veri-si-mil-i-tude -
1 : having the appearance of truth

DISCLAIMER: Some of the dialogue used was taken from the episodes. I am not claiming credit for having written it but used it simply to set up the tone of a scene or show parallels between lives and realities.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Did you ever get the feeling that the whole story of season 2 was not revealed? This is a full account of what really happened at the New York Summit & the events leading up to Alex's death & Tess' Departure.

The story picks up in the episode The End of the World, right after Max saw Liz and Kyle in bed together and future Max disappeared. All of the events take place just as they aired in the episodes, I am simply showing some of the important things that didn't air. I have not recounted all of the stories in the episodes but jumped ahead to parts I felt needed clarification.

I am assuming that the reader is very familiar with the episodes and will be able to place the scenes but if you are having trouble with when something is happening, check the timeline. I have broken down each episode into the major events.

Each scene that takes place during an episode is referenced with the episode title. Each change of date is also marked. If a scene has no date it takes place later in the day of the last date. For an exact placement of the extra scenes see the timeline. Any scenes with a date but no episode title take place between episodes.

The dates for some things may be different than you might expect. I tried to use the dates mentioned on the Silver Handprint website and in the episodes as much as possible but some of the dates would have put too many or too few days in certain episodes or put the gang in school on Saturday or Sunday. The dates in some of the episodes are so messed up, it isn't even funny.

I tried to stick to the dates mentioned as much as possible but there are differences. For instance, in the episode Harvest, the TV announcer says Whitaker died on the 25th. Isabel clearly said the 25th was the day before, making the day of the episode Thursday the 26th. Three days later, in the episode Wipeout, Nicholas says that it is Saturday. Only in a messed-up world where ‘time exists in multiple subset dimensions, so we are on Pacific and Eastern and Central and Mountain time all at once,’ could three days after Thursday be Saturday. So I made it Sunday, like it should be, and moved on.

Also I know that some people think it is strange that Max and Liz kept 'breaking up' even when they weren't together, but this never struck me as being odd. It is quite obvious to me that no matter what had happened, they both still loved one another and both still thought they would be able to get back together eventually.

There are many examples of their continuing feelings for one another, throughout Season 2, and I have included a few to remind the reader and show the reasons for their behavior.

NAGGING QUESTIONS:
1. What did the dupes do to Tess in New York?
2. What happened to the dupes? What happened to the dupes' protector?
3. How come after ten-plus years of memory recovery, Tess can only remember vague images and feelings from her past life, but after a couple of weeks, Max can remember just as much?
4. Did Tess really pull off the whole 'Sweden' trip by herself?
5. Why didn't Tess, Max or the others go to Brody/Larek to get the book translated?
6. Who the hell is Leanna? And what is the deal with the binary code?
7. Is there a plausible explanation for Max’s asinine behavior at the end of season 2?
8. Did Nasedo really betray the Pod Squad to Khivar?
9. What about everything that happened in the End of the World and the sacrifices that Liz and Future Max made? Was it all for nothing?

DEFINITION:
Veritem Generator - aka the Greenis - the device (green rod) used by the skins in the episode Wipeout to make the humans disappear
trithium amplification generator – aka amplifier - the black, chevron-shaped device that is used by the Skins for communication and suspending the powers of Antarians among other things.
Transverse Thought Projector - the device used by Antarians to amplify their powers to 'possess' humans.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

WHO'S WHO & NAME PRONUNCIATIONS
Book 9 - Verisimilitude (The Conspiracy Exposed)

EARTH

Humans
Liz Parker - the girl that Max Evans loved enough to risk exposure, healing her when she was shot at the Crashdown Cafe
Jeff Parker - Liz's father - owns the Crashdown Cafe
Nancy Parker - Liz's mother
Philip Evans - Max and Isabel's adoptive father - he is a lawyer
Diane Evans - Max and Isabel's adoptive mother
Maria DeLuca - Liz's best friend
Amy DeLuca - Maria's mother - owns a novelty store specializing in alien merchandise
Sean DeLuca - Maria's cousin and former inmate of Chavez County Juvenile
Alex Whitman - Liz and Maria's best friend
Chuck (Charles) Whitman - Alex's father
Gloria Whitman - Alex's mother
Kyle Valenti – Jim Valenti’s son and Liz's friend
Sheriff Jim Valenti Jr. - Sheriff of Roswell - Kyle's father
Deputy Eric Hansen - Deputy in the Roswell Sheriff's office - promoted to Sheriff after Jim Valenti was asked to step down
Agent Daniel Pierce - Deputy Dave Fisher - head of the special unit 5/2/1999 - 5/14/2000
Brody Davis - internet start-up millionaire - believes he was abducted by aliens and cured of his cancer - bought the Roswell UFO Museum from Milton Ross to conduct research in Roswell where he believes there is alien activity
Grant Sorensen - geologist - possessed by the Ganderium Queen
Melissa Foster - the girl that Isabel and Valenti mistakenly thought was the kidnap victim
Charles Dupree - Grandpa Dupree - human taken by the shape shifters for his DNA - Laurie Dupree's Grandfather
Laurie Dupree - Granddaughter of Charles Dupree (Michael's DNA donor) - kidnapped by the Ganderium Queen because of a rare gene flaw
Bobby Dupree - son of Charles - uncle of Laurie
Meredith Dupree - daughter of Charles - aunt of Laurie - after Laurie's parents died Bobby and Meredith had Laurie declared insane so they could control her money
Dan Lubertkin - member of the State Police Board and Sheriff's old friend
Agent Susanne Duff - FBI Agent investigating the kidnapping of Laurie Dupree
Leanna - aka Jennifer Coleman – a student at the University of Las Cruces, who Alex thinks he met In Sweden
Ray White - aka Alex Whitman - Liz and Maria's best friend
Mr. Stockman - employee of the Swedish embassy who helps Liz identify the building in the photo with Alex and Leanna
Don Peters - professor of computer science at the University of Las Cruces who helped Liz get Alex's research

Shape Shifters Loyal to the Royal Four
Nasedo - Sodan - Ed Harding - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat and a pilot, special skill - heat and energy blasts
Letras - (le-tras) - Zan's former tutor, expert in philosophy, history and military tactics, captured by the special unit and killed
Cuerena (soor'-ren-ya) – Serena - scientist and Granolith expert, special skills - illusion - assigned the dupes protector
Tic Tac - Kaldar - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat, special skill - empath

Skins
Nicholas Crawford - General Calles Nicaron (kal-ees) (ni-ca'-ron) - Khivar's right hand and head general
Courtney Banks - Lieutenant Scorene - (skor-ra-nay) - Rath's friend from childhood and member of the Michael worshippers
Congresswoman Vanessa (Crawford) Whitaker- Major Nesta - Head of the Granolith Project
Tyrone Greer - T. Greer - Major Grester - Head of the Vilondra Project
Walt Crawford - Colonel Jafto - Nicholas' second in command, posing as his father
Ida Crawford - Idos - Nicholas' personal servant, posing as his mother
Gregory Jensen - Gragras - (gra-gras) - the scientist in charge of the skins project
Corporal Raltos - one of the soldiers prepared for Khivar to possess on Earth

Hybrids
Max Evans - Zan
Isabel Evans - Vilondra
Michael Guerin - Rath
Tess Harding - Alyssa Morgan

The Dupes
Zan - Max's dupe
Lonni - Isabel's dupe
Rath - Michael's dupe
Ava - Tess' dupe

Possessed Humans
Brody - Larek
Grant Sorensen - Ganderium Queen

ANTAR

Tageions (tauj'-ee-ons) - people inhabiting the north lands
King Zantor Tageonant (tauj'-o-nant) - (Zan) - Max - the rightful King of Antar
Queen Avalynd Telnada Tageonant - (Ava) - Zan's young bride
Royal Princess Vilondra Tageonant - Isabel - Zan’s sister
Queen Nedra Tageonant (ne'-dra) - Zan & Vilondra's mother

Tageonon (tauj'-o-non) - the capitol city of Antar, where the king's palace is located
Sodan (so-dan) - Nasedo - Zan's most trusted protector
Jensto (jens-toe) - a scientist in Zan's employ
General Toaks - named Zan's second in command after Rath died - Queen Nedra's head General in the resistance against Khivar
General Alarath Varros (Rath) - Michael - Zan's best friend and second in command
Kaldar – Tic Tac - Rath's most trusted protector
Lady Chanya Santas (shawn'-ya) - Vilondra's friend

Harcions (Har-see-ons) - people inhabiting the south lands
Khivar Roistar (roys'-tar) - man who took Zan's throne
General Calles Nicaron (kal-ees) (ni-ca'-ron) - Nicholas - Khivar's right hand and head general
Lieutenant Scorene - (skor-ra-nay) - Courtney - Rath's childhood friend
Major Nesta - Congresswoman Vanessa (Crawford) Whitaker - Head of the Granolith Project
Major Grester - T. Greer - Head of the Vilondra Project
Colonel Jafto - Walt Crawford - Nicholas' second in command, posing as his father
Idos - Ida Crawford - Nicholas' personal servant, posing as his mother
Gragras - (gra-gras) - Gregory - the scientist in charge of the skins project
Corporal Raltos - one of the soldiers prepared for Khivar to possess on Earth

Roistar (roys'-tar) - formerly Tageonon, Khivar changed the name when he assumed the throne
The Leptes (the Antarian word for Vengeance) - the ship Khivar sent to Earth with Nicholas and the skins

Shape Shifters sent to Earth with the Pods
Sodan - Nasedo - Ed Harding - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat and a pilot - special ability energy blasts
Letras - (le-tras) - Zan's former tutor, expert in philosophy, history and military tactics - captured by the special unit and died
Cuerena (soor'-ren-ya) – Serena - scientist and Granolith expert - special ability illusion - assigned the dupes protector
Kaldar - Tic Tac - expert in hand-to-hand and weapons combat - special ability empath

Leaders of the other planets in the Antarian system
Larek - Brody - Royal Duke of Talros (tal'-ros)
Hanar - Minister of Sofek (so-fec')
Sero - Chancellor of Yedom (yea'-dom)
Kathana - Royal Duchess of Ravok (ra'-voc)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 1

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - End of the World)
(Wednesday, October 25, 2000)

Max stumbled blindly away from Liz's balcony, the sight of her in bed with Kyle, the only thing he could see. He wasn't capable of rational thought, the grief of losing Liz so suddenly and unexpectedly, overshadowed everything else. He walked away from the building, giving no thought to a destination, just knowing he had to get away.

Unmindful of how he got there, he eventually found himself in the park and collapsed onto a bench, his strength suddenly leaving him. He still couldn't believe what he had seen, but the scene played over and over in his head, forcing him to acknowledge the truth. He felt as if the world had suddenly turned on its side and everything he had ever believed was a lie.

Liz, his best friend, his love, his soul mate, had betrayed him in the worst way possible and things would never be the same again. Even though they were not together, he had known there would never be anyone else for him or Liz. They loved one another too completely to ever contemplate being with anyone else. Max had felt with a soul-deep certainty that it was just a matter of time until Liz stopped fighting him and they would be reunited. She loved him as much as he loved her and the only reason she had insisted on keeping them apart was because she thought it was for his own good.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess walked through the park as she often did in the evenings contemplating the events of the day. Max had been on her mind so much lately that it didn't surprise her to see him, but she was surprised by the state she found him in. She slowly approached him but Max was so absorbed in his misery that he didn't even notice her until she spoke to him, "Are you okay?"

Surprised by Tess' appearance Max answered truthfully, "No."

Tess was unsure of what to do. Max looked like he had lost his best friend and even though she knew she was the last person he wanted to talk to, she really didn't think he should be alone. "Can I sit down?"

Max looked at Tess strangely, her question catching him off guard, "Sure."

They sat in silence for a few moments and Tess wondered what could have done this to Max. It wasn't like him to fall apart. He was usually so controlled but she could tell he was on the edge. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked softly.

"No," Max said, his grief making his voice gruff.

Tess winced, interpreting his harsh tone as being directed toward her. Maybe Max really wanted to be alone and felt she was intruding. She hesitatingly asked him the question she had been dreading, "Do you want me to leave?"

Max looked at Tess, sitting next to him. He didn't know what he expected but it wasn't the vulnerable look he saw in her eyes. He had always thought she was so single-minded about their mission that she never had a doubt, never questioned her place in the grand design. But as he studied her, he could see that she was scared too. She had asked him if he wanted her to leave and his first impulse had been to say yes, but he could tell she was asking not just about this night but about their lives. What she was really asking him was did he want her to leave his life.

Suddenly Max felt ashamed. Tess had no friends or family other than Isabel, Michael and himself and he had made her feel like an outsider in her own family. He had treated her like she had no place among them, like she would contaminate them somehow, and he was sorry. Tess had nowhere else to go, and being the leader, he was ultimately responsible for her. "No," he said softly, answering her question.

Tess could practically feel the grief pouring off of Max and she instinctively wanted to offer comfort, but she was not sure of how Max would receive her gesture. She reached out tentatively and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, ready to pull it back immediately if he was offended. But when he looked at her with his tear-filled eyes, she knew he had accepted the gesture in the spirit she had offered it.

Tess suddenly felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her. She had struggled all of those months trying to get Max to see her and now he finally had. It meant the world to her that the man she loved had finally accepted her as a friend.

Max let her hand rest on his shoulder and turned and looked out into the night, not ready for her to see the extent of his grief. "Liz slept with Kyle," he said in a broken voice.

"What?" Tess asked. She couldn't have been more surprised if Max had said the moon had fallen out of the sky. But then she remembered what Liz had said to her when she had offered to help with Max.

Tess, I am sick of living like this, and I'm not gonna be free to move on unless I get Max to move on.

Tess remembered that Liz had been almost desperate for Tess to accept her offer of help. Tess had believed Liz to be sincere about helping her with Max, but she hadn't realized the lengths Liz would be willing to go.

Max continued as if Tess hadn't spoken. "I can hardly believe it's really true, but I saw it with my own eyes." His voice became softer as he spoke and he ended the sentence in a whisper.

Tess was genuinely surprised by the extent of Max's grief. Max had told her many times he loved Liz, but Tess had never even suspected that his feelings for the human ran so deep. "I'm so sorry Max," Tess said sincerely.

"I love her so much," he continued, "and she loves me. How could she have done it? Didn't she have any faith in me, in us?"

Tess answered honestly, "I don't know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Liz's balcony)

Song Playing: Without You Feels by Seven Mary Three

Liz stopped her spin and turned back to the older Max, but he wasn't where she expected him to be. She looked around, but suddenly the truth of the situation struck her. Max was gone. The plan had worked, they had changed the time line and he was gone. She wavered unsteadily on her feet, feeling as if she might faint, more alone than she had ever been in her life.

Automatically her eyes were drawn to the sky, and a shooting star passed overhead as if it were heralding Max's death and carrying his soul into the heavens.

Liz stood in shock, unable to believe that Max was really lost to her forever. Intellectually she had known she would never be with her Max again, but now that the Max from the future was gone, she knew the end had come. She could no longer pretend she would have a future with Max, she couldn't let the world be destroyed because she and Max loved one another. So she had traded her life with Max, for the safety of everyone on Earth. And even though Liz thought the satisfaction of saving the planet should have been enough, she was already grieving the loss of her love.

It had almost killed her to have to cause Max so much pain. Liz could still see the look of horror and agony on Max's face as he had gazed through her window and she knew it would haunt her the rest of her life. As he had stumbled away, it was as if Liz could feel the pain Max was experiencing. It felt like a physical object had crushed her chest, driving the air from her lungs, and for the space of several heartbeats she thought she would die.

Liz had thought it had taken all of her courage to turn away from Max at the cave last summer, but she had been horribly wrong. She had been forced to summon a strength she didn't know she possessed to stop herself from running after Max when he had seen her in bed with Kyle, wanting nothing more than to soothe the lines of agony from Max’s face. Loving him like she did, she was willing to sacrifice anything to stop Max's pain, and the only reason she stopped herself from telling him the truth was because Max himself had asked her to do it.

She would have rather died herself than pretend to betray him, but the older Max had been convinced it was the only way to save them. Liz hadn't wanted to believe him but she had come to the conclusion that she could not be with Max when she had heard the message from his mother in the cave. Even without the message, Liz would have done anything he asked of her; he was Max and she loved him with everything she was.

She couldn't believe how unfair life was. Even though she had not been with Max, she had known they would always love one another. She had told him they couldn't be together and she had really believed it was for the best, but she knew that Max would never stop loving her. And she had held on to the hope that one day it would be possible for them to be together, somehow. But now, after what she had done to push him away, she had given up hope. She had killed Max's love for her, and eventually he would turn to Tess.

Liz collapsed onto her lawn chair and she let the tears that had been threatening for days, flow freely down her cheeks as she mourned her lost love and the heroic Max from the future who had sacrificed himself to give them a better life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Harvest)
(Thursday, October 26th, 2000)
(West Roswell High School)

Song Playing: It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing by Shania Twain

Kyle watched Liz closely throughout their History class. Last night she had been so devastated after Max left, she had barely said a word. He had wanted to stay and make sure she was okay but she had obviously been anxious for him to leave.

Today it seemed as if all of the life had been taken out of Liz. She moved in a slow, jerky manner as if she were in physical pain, and the light of curiosity and intelligence that usually shined from her eyes had been replaced by a spiritless, unseeing stare. She was obviously still deeply affected by what had happened the night before.

Kyle had recently read a quote by the Buddha that he thought described Liz perfectly. Good people shine from afar, like snowy mountains. As he studied her, her could still see the golden light shining from her but it was dulled like a dark cloud blocking the light of the sun.

He didn't know why Liz had asked him to help her make Max think they had slept together, but she had been so desperate when she had come to him yesterday, that he couldn't deny her. He'd wanted to find out what had really happened so he could comfort her, but he knew she wouldn't allow it. She had deflected all of his questions by simply saying she couldn't tell him. He didn't know what had happened to make her think she needed to take such drastic action but something was definitely wrong.

Even though he had originally thought that Max had come between himself and Liz, Kyle had been forced to admit some time ago, it wasn't the truth. Max and Liz had something special between them and they would have found one another eventually. Liz had explained her reasons for leaving Max over the summer, but Kyle had always thought it was only a matter of time before they got together again.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class Kyle followed Liz into the hall and pulled her aside. "Liz I don't know what happened last night," he held up a hand to stop her objection, "and you don't have to tell me." He released a sigh, "But Liz something is wrong, I know it is, and if you ever need to talk or just need a friend, I'm here for you."

Liz smiled. Kyle was becoming a really good guy just like the Max from the future had said. She touched his arm, "Thanks Kyle."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Congresswoman Whitaker's Office)
(Roswell, NM)

Song Playing: With or Without You by U2

Liz stayed behind after the others had left, claiming that she needed to straighten up, but she really needed a few minutes to collect herself after Max's accusations. Never in her wildest imaginings had she thought that Max would stop trusting her, but he obviously had. Somehow word of Whitaker's death had gotten out and she had been Max's first and only suspect. She supposed she should have suspected it was possible he would lose faith in her, but they had been through so much together, she simply hadn't expected him to turn on her so completely.

A solitary tear ran down her cheek and she brushed it impatiently away; she had to be stronger than this if she were to convince Max it was true. She had to harden her heart against his remarks and grieve his loss in solitary. She knew that in Max's mind she had betrayed him in the worst possible way and she deserved to suffer. He was simply striking out because of the pain that she had caused him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: Breathe by Greenwheel

Max sat behind Liz and studied the back of her head as she drove the Jeep down the dark road, toward Copper Summit. He had been up all night last night, trying to figure out what he had really seen at Liz's house, but he was still no closer to a solution. He had seen the evidence with his own eyes, but he just couldn't accept it and the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced it couldn't be true. Everything in his heart told him the Liz he knew would never have betrayed him.

As she drove, Liz could feel Max's gaze burning into the back of her head, and she nervously glanced in the mirror at him. "I'm, I'm okay up here, if you want to get some sleep."

"I haven't slept since I saw you with Kyle," Max started gruffly, but his tone quickly changed to a pleading one. "Liz, I know you, and I don't believe that you would do that to me. It doesn't make sense. Tell me what happened."

Against her will, Liz's eyes were drawn to Max's image in the rear-view mirror. She could hear the anguish in his voice and more than anything she wanted to tell him the truth. A piece of her died every time she saw evidence of the suffering her betrayal had caused him; the sharp tone of his voice, the pain in his soulful eyes.

Her eyes met his in the mirror and she winced at the intensity of emotion she saw reflected. Max looked haggard, crippled. Liz felt as if her heart had been crushed and she opened her mouth to confess but she forced herself to remember why she was doing it and the words that would relieve both of their suffering died in her throat. She closed her mouth as the tears gathered in her eyes, and left Max's question unanswered.

Even if she lost every friend she had ever had and died of a broken heart, Liz vowed she would keep the secret. This Max would never know that everything she was doing was for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Harvest)
(Friday, October 27th, 2000)
(The Crawford House)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

Nicholas put on his shy teenager act and looked around the wall at the visitors sitting on the sofa in his living room, across from Walt and Ida. Greer had called to warn him the outsiders were coming because they had asked about the harvest and Vilondra. Nicholas didn't know who they were but obviously they must know something. When they arrived, Ida told him they were kids who knew Vanessa from Roswell.

There were three girls and a guy, and Nicholas studied them as Walt kept them engaged in an inane conversation. Nothing particular struck him about the guy or two of the girls, but the girl closest to him somehow seemed familiar. Then suddenly she looked over at him, and when their eyes met, he recognized her immediately. It was Vilondra.

"Hi," she greeted him.

Nicholas didn't return her greeting, wondering if her companions were also part of the Royal Four as he suspected, and why they were here.

Ida called out to him, "Nicholas, there you are. Come on in here. Come on, say hello."

"No, ma'am," Nicholas answered as he silently signaled Walt to join him. He didn't have time to sit and chat and perhaps allow Vilondra to figure out who he was.

His mind was spinning with possibilities as he went into the kitchen to wait for Walt. More than likely, the guy was Zan and one of the other girls was Ava, but where was Rath? Was the other girl a shape shifter? Ida had told him the dark haired girl, Liz, worked for Vanessa and had come supposedly to return Vanessa’s personal items, but obviously that was simply an excuse. Why had they come to Copper Summit now? Nicholas wondered. Did they know about the harvest?

After a few moments, Walt joined him, "What do you think, Sir?"

"I’m not sure," Nicholas admitted. "Lets go to the UFL building." He motioned to the other room, "We won't be overheard there and we can find out exactly what they asked Gragras and Greer."

Walt nodded and the two of them walked up the road toward the Universal Friendship League building. When they were out of sight of the house, Nicholas pulled out his amplifier and signaled Gragras, "Meet me at the UFL building."

Gragras and Greer were waiting for them when they arrived and Nicholas turned to Greer. "Tell me Greer, what exactly did these kids say to you?"

Greer nodded, "They were asking about the UFL. Asked what it is and they seemed really interested in getting a look inside the building. And the girl asked about the Vilondra project."

Nicholas' interest was peeked, "Which girl?"

"I only saw one girl," Greer said. "She was tall, blonde, hair pulled back, and she was wearing all black."

Nicholas nodded and turned to Gragras. "They spoke to you first and you alerted Greer."

Gragras nodded, "They asked if this was Copper Summit and I gave them the usual spiel about the town going bust. Then they said they were looking for the UFL building and I figured they must be with us. I don’t know all of our people and I asked if they were here for the harvest, but they didn't know what that was."

Nicholas interrupted, "You didn't think it was odd they were asking about the building?"

Gragras shrugged, "I just figured they hadn't been back to town in a while."

Nicholas let it go and prompted him to continue.

"The girl, the blonde in black, had a letter and said they had been invited to the harvest. Of course then I knew they weren't part of our group but I pointed out the building and called Greer."

"Why all of these questions, Sir?" Walt asked. "Do you think they know too much?"

Nicholas smiled, "The blonde with all the questions is Vilondra."

"You're sure?" asked Greer.

Nicholas nodded, "I knew her very well on Antar. I assure you it is her."

"Then Max must be Zan," Walt deduced. "When they arrived at the house, all of the women looked to him to see what to do. He was definitely in charge."

Nicholas accepted information with a nod. "The girl, Liz, worked for Vanessa. After she died, they must have gone through her papers and found the letter from the UFL and followed it here."

Greer spoke up, "A woman from Vanessa's office did call here yesterday. She said she had just opened the letter and was sorry to tell us that the Congresswoman was dead. It must have been them."

Nicholas continued, "When Vanessa disappeared, I assumed she must be a trator, but it’s obvious now that these kids must have been involved, and probably killed her. But they wouldn't have been suspicious of Vanessa unless she tipped her hand to them.”

"What do you want to do?" asked Walt.

Nicholas thought for a moment. "I need to get Isabel away from the others and find out what she knows. I want the rest of you to lay low for tonight. We don't know which of the other girls is Ava, and we don't know where Rath is. I will find out what I can tonight, and Walt will gather everyone here early tomorrow for a briefing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

During dinner at the Crawford house, Liz was forced to watch the interaction between Tess and Max, and a sick feeling penetrated her heart, seeing how quickly and readily Max had accepted Tess. Two days ago he could barely stand to be in the same room with her, and now he was allowing her to practically climb all over him.

Liz knew that Max was watching her closely and suspected he was only allowing Tess' attentions because he knew it would cause her pain, as she had done to him. She pasted on a smile and tried to ignore them, but Tess laughed at something Max said drawing Liz’s eyes back to them. Liz had intended to try and help Tess fit into the group, but obviously Tess didn’t need any more help from her. Liz watched as Tess ran her hand down Max's arm and suddenly she couldn't stand it any longer, she had to get away. Politely excusing herself, Liz headed out the door.

Walking quickly away from the house and down the main road, the scene from the Jeep last night played in Liz’s head. She could still see the image of Tess' head resting on Max's shoulder. Tess had never made a secret of the fact that she wanted Max and she was taking full advantage of his softening attitude toward her. And not only was Liz horribly jealous but she felt betrayed that Max would turn away from her so quickly and so completely. A shiver of reaction raced through her and she crossed her arms across her chest to ward off the chill.

There were footsteps behind her and she didn't have to turn to know who it was. Max was the last person she wanted to see when she was this vulnerable.

Max had seen Liz leave the house and he had followed her as quickly as he had been able to get away. He needed to get her alone so he could ask her what had happened.

He grimaced when he suddenly remembered it was Friday and the night of the Gomez concert. In his daydreams he had imagined the night many times. He and Liz would go to dinner in a romantic restaurant, where they would recapture the easy closeness of their friendship. They would laugh and smile, and when he reached out across the table to take her hand in his, she wouldn't object.

Later at the concert, they would sit close together on the blanket he had brought and as the night grew cooler, Liz would lean into him. He would put his arm around her, to enclose her small frame in his jacket and Liz would put her arm around his waist and snuggle closer. He would take her free hand in his and feel the incredibly soft texture of her skin. Then he would cradle her head under his chin and greedily inhale the sweet scent of her hair. And when their song was played, he would place a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Liz would look up at him and suddenly everything else would fade into the background, like it used to, and both of them would know that nothing was more important than being together. He would lean in, careful not to scare her, but she would sigh and close her eyes, welcoming his kiss.

Max sighed. That was how it should have been. He had pictured the night so many times, in so many ways, changing the details, but the evening had always ended with he and Liz together. Never in his worst nightmares had he even come close to imagining the reality.

"Liz!" Max called out, but she kept walking and he rushed to catch up to her. "Liz, what are you doing? We agreed none of us would go anywhere alone."

"Fine," Liz said stubbornly, as she turned to go back.

But Max was not ready to let her leave and he reached out to her, "Wait."

She was forced to put up an angry front to avoid breaking into tears. "Max, look. There's just," Liz stuttered, trying to say the words that would make him leave, "there's nothing left to say."

"Except the truth," Max said softly.

For a moment Liz was really scared. Had Max figured out the truth? Was the whole thing for nothing? Liz decided to play dumb and lashed out at him, "We have already been through this!"

Liz's anger brought his to the surface, "So far, all I know is what I saw. And what I saw can't be true, because it means everything I felt in my heart for the last year is a lie! Now, you owe me an explanation, and I want it right now!"

Liz winced as Max's words hit her like a physical object. She couldn't bear to tell him all of the wonderful feelings that had passed between them weren't true, but she couldn't think fast enough to answer him and stalled for time, "Please quit shouting, Max. You're scaring me."

"That's a lie, too!" Max growled and then regretted it. He knew something was wrong with the whole scenario and he wanted to get to the truth. He lowered his voice, "You're not scared. You're hiding something."

"I'm not," Liz denied too quickly.

Max immediately picked up on her slip. "What the hell is going on with you, Liz? We never lied to each other, never kept a secret from each other."

The conversation was quickly spiraling out of her control and Liz knew if she didn't do something quickly, Max would figure out something close to the truth. She took a deep breath and spoke the words that would turn him away permanently, "You know, you have got me up on this pedestal, Max, and I'm not this perfect person. I made a mistake. Look, Kyle and I made love. The end. I'm sorry."

Liz's words slashed at Max's heart. Somehow he still didn't believe Liz would have slept with Kyle but she had said the words herself, it must be true. Max studied Liz's face wondering how things had gone so badly between them. How could it end like this when they loved one another so much? Without a word, he turned and walked slowly away from her.

Liz felt as stricken as Max looked and she would have given anything to spare him the pain. But she knew the other Max had been right, this Max would have never given her up without a good enough reason. Even now he was still pursuing her, still hunting for answers. The only way to turn him from her was to break his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nicholas waited until Isabel had settled into her room for the night before approaching her. He stopped outside her door and studied her face intently. Of course she looked different than she had on Antar but it was surprising to him that she moved with the same elegant grace Vilondra had possessed.

At that moment, Isabel noticed him and greeted him with a smile, "Oh, Nicholas. Come in. I don't bite."

Nicholas suppressed a smile at her remark. She was treating him like the shy child he appeared to be. He was sure Isabel didn't recognize him and continued in his innocent role, "This used to be her room."

Isabel hung her head guiltily, "I'm so sorry about your sister."

"I was gonna visit her in Washington next year," Nicholas continued, trying to steer the conversation. "We were gonna spend three days just at the Air and Space Museum."

"Did you get a lot of time with her, growing up?" Isabel asked.

Nicholas shrugged, "When she'd visit, she'd make time. She always told me there's this whole wide world out there. She didn't want me stuck in Copper Summit for the rest of my life." He focused on Isabel to gage her reaction, "She used to tell me stories about this planet in another galaxy, how there was this war going on, like a revolution."

"True stories?" Isabel asked breathlessly.

Nicholas could see he had her full attention. "How could they be true?" he asked innocently.

"Did she ever mention Vilondra?" Isabel pressed.

Nicholas' gaze narrowed as she broached the subject he was interested in, "How do you know about Vilondra?"

"Vanessa told me some stories, too," Isabel replied.

Suddenly Tess appeared, "Hey." And then noticing the intent look on Isabel's face, she realized she had interrupted something. "Oh, sorry," Tess addressed Nicholas, in a tone that made it clear she wanted to be alone with Isabel.

"I have to go," Nicholas said, as he turned to leave. He was frustrated to have been interrupted, but he had discovered part of what he wanted to know. The scientists speculations had been correct. Isabel had little or no memory of her other life and that meant the others were ignorant as well.

He wondered why their shape shifters had not helped them with memory recovery techniques. It was possible the shape shifters had hidden the pods and then perished in the crash. And if that was the case, the Royal Four could be completely ignorant of who they were.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Harvest)
(Saturday, October 28th, 2000)
(The Universal Friendship League Building)
(Copper Summit, AZ)

It was just before dawn and all of Nicholas' remaining troops were gathered around him to hear his orders.

Nicholas stood on the dais, with Greer on one side and Walt and Ida on the other. "This is a great day for us,” he called out the assembled troops. “Three of the Royal Four have delivered themselves into our hands."

Suddenly the room erupted into gasps and murmurs and Nicholas raised his hand to signal for silence. "Apparently they have no memories of their lives on Antar and that will only make them easier to defeat. One of the main goals of our mission has always been to bring back Vilondra alive and today that is our most important objective. I want to make sure Vilondra is safe before we take others. So go about your business, act normally. At the funeral I will draw Vilondra away and then you can have the others."

A cheer went through the crowd and Nicholas let the troops celebrate for a few minutes before he called them to order again. "If the others get, um, roughed up a bit in the struggle I will understand, but for now we need them alive. After we get the location of the Granolith however," Nicholas shrugged, "we only need enough of Zan's body to verify his identity."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Song Playing: The World Has Turned Around by Weezer

As they drove away from Copper Summit and it was clear they weren't being followed, Max started to relax. They'd had a really close call with the skins, barely escaping with their lives. He hadn't realized how dangerous it would be or he would have never risked going there, and he certainly would never have risked taking Liz.

Max automatically glanced at Liz in the rearview mirror. He had insisted that she come with them, not because she was their only link to Whitaker, as he had told everyone, but because he wanted to be near her. And even though she had told him just days before that she wouldn't die for him, Liz had not even hesitated to come. Something just didn't add up about her actions, but Max couldn't put his finger on it. Everything Liz said pointed to the fact that she slept with Kyle, but everything his heart told him said it was a lie. The only thing he was sure of, was that something was very wrong.

But even with everything that Liz had done, when the skins had attacked them, his first thought had been to save her any way he could. And Max was forced to admit to himself what he instinctively already knew. He still loved Liz with all of his heart and no matter what happened, he always would.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

In the first few hours after the destruction of the growing husks, seven skin soldiers died, and Walt and several others collapsed. Nicholas had them taken to the ship, where they maintained their native atmosphere, knowing it was the only way to save them. The medical staff stripped off the husks and the ailing soldiers rapidly recovered, but now they would be forced to remain on the ship until they returned to Antar.

The remaining soldiers' husks started to deteriorate rapidly and Nicholas knew they only had a matter of days at the most, before he lost them all. The outlook was bleak but Nicholas did have one last trick up his sleeve.

They had brought with them a technology, a veritem generator, that was capable of reproducing the multi-phasal dimensions that existed on Antar, and then temporarily separating one where human bodies could not exist. It would only work in a small area, but it would cause all of the humans to shift into another reality while they searched the town for the Royal Four. This was the first chance they'd had to use it but it was perfect timing. It was unlikely the Royal Four would be expecting them and with what Greer and the others had told him about their powers, they would be easily overtaken.

That afternoon Nicholas held a briefing with the few remaining soldiers. "Tomorrow we are going to Roswell. Just outside of town we will deploy the veritem generator. All of the humans will disappear and the Royal Four will have no where to hide."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:29 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 2

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Wipeout)
(Sunday, October 29th, 2000)
(Crashdown Cafe)

Liz released a deep breath when Ida and Nicholas left the Crashdown. It had only been due to Tess' powers that they hadn’t been discovered. The other Max had been right, they needed Tess. They were stronger with her.

Liz watched as Tess practically collapsed at the counter and saw Max go to attend her. Quickly Liz turned and ran upstairs not able to watch Max comforting the other girl. Everything was happening so fast; Max's distrust of her, his acceptance of Tess, and now all of the humans were gone, including her parents.

Liz went into her room hoping for some comfort from the familiar surroundings, but instead she found a basket of laundry her mother had obviously put there. She picked up a shirt and suddenly heard a sound behind her in the hallway. But she wasn't scared, because without turning she knew who it was, and spoke over her shoulder, "My mom always listened to Elvis Costello on laundry day." Liz turned to look at Max, "I am so scared."

"What happened to your family," Max started, "to all the humans. It's our fault."

"We haven't lost them yet," Liz said with a nod, looking at Max's sympathetic face. She had seen the relief on his face earlier when she and Maria arrived at the Crashdown. He had been almost weak with relief that she was still alive and she had felt the same way when she saw him. Her first impulse had been to race into his arms and never leave, but she had stopped herself. It was obvious Max still had strong feeling for her and Liz longed to tell him the truth, but instead she spoke aloud the words she had been repeating to herself for days, that now also applied to the current situation, "We have to stay strong."

"Yeah," Max said. He made a movement toward her, his only thought to offer her comfort but then he noticed her bed. It was the place where she and Kyle had been together and Max recoiled from it. He had been so relieved to see Liz alive that he had forgotten about what had happened, but now all of his anger and heartache came rushing back again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Courtney carefully made her way down the alley. Michael had told her where to find the Granolith and now she just hoped she could make it there before her husk failed. It would be easy enough to steal a car since all of them had been left on the streets with the keys still in them but she had to find one that wasn't blocked in by other cars, and avoid Nicholas’ troops.

She was forced to stop again to catch her breath. Gasping for air, she leaned against the side of the building and her legs suddenly gave out. Courtney could hear the approaching footsteps and tried desperately to hide herself but she was too weak to rise to her feet. She crawled down into a doorway, hoping the skins wouldn't notice her but they were on top of her before she could get away.

The first soldier picked her up and slammed her against the wall, "I should kill you now, traitor."

"Go ahead," Courtney taunted. "Nicholas won't be mad at all that you denied him the pleasure."

The other soldier grabbed the first by the shoulder and pulled him away from her, "I've already alerted Nicholas. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Courtney sank down to the ground and closed her eyes, trying to conserve her energy. When Nicholas got there she would need all of her strength to hide the location of the Granolith from him.

Sooner than she expected, Nicholas was kneeling before her, "When my soldiers told me what they had found, I had to see for myself. What's the matter, Courtney? Too weak to run?"

"Leave me alone," Courtney groaned.

"You always were the social butterfly, Courtney. Always the first to make new friends, but what I want to know is, where are yours hiding?"

Courtney ignored his question. "I think I see a chest hair, Nicholas. Way to go."

Nicholas shrugged, "Fine. We'll do this the hard way." He grabbed her head roughly and forced a connection.

The pain of the involuntary connection was beyond what she expected and a cry was forced from her, "Ahh! Ahhh!"

Nicholas kept up a commentary as he watched her memories rush through her mind, "Let's see. You had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then you slipped into that husk that punk stole from us."

"No. No!" she moaned as she realized she had no defenses against him.

Nicholas ignored her protests and continued his search, "Boring. Boring. Boring. Aha!" he exclaimed as he stumbled onto the image of Max saying that they would head to the school. Nicholas broke the connection, "School? On a Saturday? What a drag."

It was Sunday but Courtney didn't bother correcting him, she knew she wouldn't last much longer. "I hope they kill you."

"You've become awfully chummy with them, haven't you, Courtney?" Nicholas sneered, as he continued to search through her memories. "Are you hiding something else? You are. You have a secret. What do you know?"

Courtney concentrated harder, attempting to keep him out of her mind, but he easily pushed past her defenses, causing her even more pain. "Ohhh!" The images of her memories rushed through her mind as Nicholas extracted them. Finally she saw Michael telling her where the Granolith was so she could save herself.

The Granolith," Nicholas said with genuine surprise. "That's a bonus. I hope he gave you detailed directions.

Courtney knew she was dying. Her husk was failing and she was having more difficulty breathing with every moment, but she didn't want to die. No matter how useless it was, she wanted to fight to live till her very last breath, but more than that, she wanted to live to see Michael on the Antarian throne. She couldn't let Nicholas get the Granolith, and as he outstretched his hand to connect with her again, she reached behind her and released the valve on her husk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(West Roswell High School)

Max saw Isabel propped up against a row of lockers and ran forward, "Isabel!" He fell to his knees before her and tried to wake her, "Isabel."

Suddenly there was a sound behind them, "Ahem!" and Max turned to see Nicholas and what was left of the skin army.

With a flick of his hand Nicholas threw the three of them against the lockers and they collapsed unconscious. Nicholas created four pillars and his troops quickly tied the Royal Four to them.

The others woke up fairly quickly but Max continued to sag in his bonds and Nicholas grew tired of waiting. He slapped Max hard and he came groggily awake.

Max was confused for a moment. He woke to find himself bound to a pole but he looked around to see Michael, Isabel and Tess also bound, and it all came rushing back to him.

"What happened to you, guy?" Nicholas mocked Max. "You used to determine the fate of entire armies with the flip of a coin. Luckily for me," he motioned to the others bound behind him, "you continue to put your faith in the wrong people."

Nicholas walked behind Max and passed Isabel. He was furious at her for denying him in Copper Summit and he cruelly used her ignorance of the past against her and Max, "Does this scene feel familiar, Vilondra?"

Nicholas walked by Michael and continued to mock Max's leadership, "And your trusted second. The boy who spilled the secret of the Granolith to one of our exiled members." He faced Michael, "Rule number one of war, keep your big mouth shut. Courtney knew that. That's why she killed herself before I could get its exact location.” Nicholas smiled, not able to resist a little more mockage. “By the way, love the hair. Hope you win."

He returned to Max, "There's one more thing I need to know before we can all call it a day. Where's the Granolith?"

"I'm not telling you," Max growled.

Nicholas smiled, "Oh, you will."

With a wave of his hand, Nicholas pushed a steady stream of energy into Max's friends and they obligingly screamed.

"Wait!" Max said. "I'll take you there. Just you and me. This has nothing to do with them."

"Max, don't," Isabel said.

Nicholas laughed, "This is too easy. In the old days, I would've been no match for you but now..." he let his sentence trail off and grabbed Max's head, immediately forming a connection, brutally pushing through Max's memories, searching for the location of the Granolith. At first, the memories flashed before him but they kept returning to a single image of a dark-haired girl, who Nicholas recognized as Liz. Then Max started to struggle and Nicholas was forced out.

"Either way, you're going to die, Max," Nicholas said. "So why don't you just make this easy on yourself?" He tried to form a connection again but Max shored up his defenses, preventing a connection and Nicholas removed his hand in surprise. Max was stronger than he had anticipated.

Max sagged in his bonds exhausted and Nicholas suspected he had used all of his power to repel him. "Ready to tell me now?" Nicholas taunted him. He reached for Max's head again but a scream of rage erupted from Tess. A ball of fire started to build behind her and Nicholas backed away from her as the fire suddenly spilled past her and engulfed the others around him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz and Maria had just finished filling in Alex on what had happened in the time the humans had disappeared.

"So that is why, like every car in Roswell simultaneously wrecked?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Liz said. "The drivers just weren't there anymore."

"But it didn't seem like any time passed at all," Alex said. "How long was I, you know, gone?"

Liz shook her head, "I don't know. It seemed like forever, but I guess it was only a couple of hours."

"And you, Maria, Kyle and the Sheriff only escaped because you were out-of-town."

"But it caught up with us eventually," Maria said.

"What do you mean?" asked Alex.

Maria explained, "First the Sheriff disappeared at the UFO center, then Liz in the car." Maria grabbed Liz's hand remembering. "Then Kyle and I got to the billboard with the rod thingy, and he attacked a skin and then disappeared, and I was all alone. I put the jumper cables on the green rod and I must have disappeared too because the next second the rod was destroyed and Liz and Kyle were back."

"That's weird though," Alex said. "Why didn't Kyle and the Sheriff disappear at the same time. They came into Roswell together." He motioned to Maria, "And why did you disappear last?"

Maria shook her head, "I don't know."

"I have a theory," Liz said, "but I guess we'll never know if I'm right."

"Well let's hear it," said Maria. "I'd certainly like to know."

"The Sheriff was the first to disappear. He was attacked and injured by that skin guy in the Crashdown, and Kyle said he was really agitated just before he dissolved. His adrenaline levels would have been elevated from everything that happened. What if he just reached a critical level and then, poof, he shifted."

"Okay," said Alex, "how does that explain the rest of you?"

Liz nodded, "Just before I disappeared, I was really upset about Max. I was so scared he would die. I remember that I was yelling and I couldn't seem to sit still."

Alex nodded, "So you're adrenaline levels were elevated too."

"And then Kyle fought another skin guy," Maria said, picking up on Liz's theory, "and he disappeared. But Kyle saved me. I was getting really freaked out that Liz disappeared and he calmed me down. He made a joke and it made me laugh. But I got really worried when I couldn't get the cables on the rod, and then finally I figured it out and I was so excited but worried about what I would do if it didn't work..."

"And then you disappeared," Liz finished.

"Yeah," Maria nodded.

"It seems like a pretty sound theory," Alex said.

Liz shrugged, "It doesn't really matter. I'm just glad everyone is back safe."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, October 30th, 2000)

Tess had watched Max staring at Liz all through their Biology class with growing anger. Even after Liz had caused him so much heartache, she was all he thought about. Tess had thought Max would turn from Liz completely, but it hadn't happened. It looked like Max was willing to just forget the whole thing.

But Tess wasn't going to let that happen. She had a perfect plan that would humiliate Max and force him to forget Liz, and she knew just the person to execute it. She looked around to make sure she wasn't being observed and took a seat next to Pam Troy. "How's it going?" Tess started conversationally.

Pam glanced at Tess dismissively, "Whatever."

Tess smiled, "Have you heard the latest about Liz Parker?"

Suddenly interested, Pam turned back to Tess, "What do you know?"

"Well it seems that Miss Goody-two-shoes Parker isn't as pure as she wants everyone to believe."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)
(Onboard the Leptus)

Normally Nicholas would have been transmitting his report to Antar but in times of great import Khivar would possess one of the soldiers specially trained for that purpose. Nicholas had been forced to report the destruction of most of his remaining troops to Khivar, and as he had once predicted, Khivar was not pleased with his failure.

As Nicholas watched Corporal Raltos, who housed Khivar's projected consciousness, pace back and forth before him, he related in detail the events that had transpired in Roswell the day before. He told Khivar of the Royal Four's capture and his attempted interrogation of Max.

“And what information were you able to retrieve from him, Nicaron?”

I almost had the location of the Granolith, but surprisingly Max was mostly able to keep me out of his mind. All I really saw were repeated flashes of the human girl Liz, who worked for Vanessa. I was about to try again when Tess screamed and invoked a huge fireball, catching us completely off guard. The only reason I survived was because I dropped to the floor and shape shifted to fit into the pattern of the tile. After they left I found Ida. She had better reflexes than the rest of us and used her speed to escape, but she was somewhat singed. And other than myself, she was the only survivor."

Khivar stopped pacing, "What do you mean? Tess engulfed your troops in a fireball?"

"Yes," Nicholas answered, trying to read the expression on the borrowed face. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"She was never capable of anything like that in her former life. She was an empath."

Nicholas shrugged, curious but unconcerned. "Perhaps the cloning process somehow gave them more power. Jensto said it was possible."

"Perhaps," Khivar said distractedly. "This is an interesting turn of events. I will have to consider the implications. But of more urgency is your present course of action.”

Nicholas sighed, unwilling to report another failure to Khivar, “My liege, all of the surviving troops are all confined to the ship because their skins have completely failed. I am the only one who can move around freely. The troops think I am keeping my skin alive only with the use of my powers.”

Khivar nodded, “This setback might force me to send you a new compliment of troops, even though I really don't want to waste the resources to do that."

Nicholas knew that Khivar had initially tried to keep the fact that the Royal Four had been sent to Earth a secret, but word had rapidly spread throughout the system. Zan's supporters had used his rebirth as a rallying point and Khivar had been forced not only to defend his position on Antar but he was constantly fighting with the four other planets as well. Khivar needed proof of Zan's death to dissolve the rebellion and bring the system back under control.

While they were discussing Nicholas' course of action, Khivar conceived a plan. They would use the royal communication frequency to send an invitation to a peace summit, to the Royal Four. Khivar would offer a deal to Max, as Zan was now called. If Max accepted, they would all return to Antar with the Granolith and Khivar would simply have him executed. If Max didn't accept, Khivar would see to it that the leaders of the other planets blamed him for the continuation of the war and they would turn against him. Either way Khivar would benefit.

Nicholas ordered a Lieutenant to send the invitation on the royal frequency, while he and Khivar went over the details of the plan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(New York City, NY)
(The dupes home)

A bright shaft of light suddenly emitted from the orb that Ava had been using as a paperweight. Zan and Ava looked at one another and Serena reached for it apprehensively. The others shape shifters had agreed they would only use the orb in the case of an emergency.

Lonni grabbed the orb before Serena could reach it and sent a burst of power into it activating the message.

This is Nicholas Crawford, Khivar's representative on Earth. In light of recent events, his Majesty Khivar Roistar invites the Royal Four to attend a peace conference to discuss a cessation of the hostilities that have plagued the five planets of our system. Khivar wishes to extend a hand of peace at a place and of your choosing.

All five planets will be represented and of course the discussion will include terms for your return to Antar.

We eagerly await your reply.

Lonni excitedly turned to the others, "We can go home."

Zan shook his head, "It sounds like a trap to me. When we answer the message they’ll find out where we are."

Lonni sighed, "Zan do you have to be such a chump. The war can't last forever. Maybe they really want peace."

"I don't believe it," Zan said.

Rath took up Lonni's side immediately, "We can at least go and see what they're offering."

Serena, knowing the message was not for them, spoke up, "I think Zan is right. It would be just like Khivar to try and lead you into a trap."

"Zan," Lonni protested, "It might be the only chance we have to go home."

Zan grabbed the orb from Lonni and slammed it down onto the desk, "Shut up Lonni.

"This decision affects all of us," argued Rath. "We should all get a say."

"Yeah Zan," Ava said. "Maybe we should just listen to what they have to say."

Zan scowled at Ava and she immediately backed down. "Nobody is going to any peace conference," he growled.

Ava nodded and slipped her arm through his, “You’re right baby, it’s probably a trap.”

Zan continued to scowl at her until she released his arm and backed away. Then Zan turned his gaze on Rath, "And there's not going to be a vote. I'm the man. We do what I say."

Rath held his gaze until Lonni broke in, "Boys, chill."

Rath gave Zan another measuring look and Lonni touched his arm, "Rath, let it go. Let's take a walk."

Rath knew Lonni must have an idea and he backed down with a smile. "Yeah, let's get outta here."

Rath waited until they were out of ear-shot, "So what do you have in mind?"

"What makes you think I have something in mind?" Lonni asked innocently.

Rath smiled as he slipped his arm around her waist, "Because I know you."

Lonni frowned. "This may be the only chance we're ever going to have to get off this stinking planet and I'm not going to let Zan just throw it away."

"He's powerful and he's got Ava and Serena backing him," Rath reminded her.

"Ava won't be a problem," Lonni said confidently. "And as for Serena, I think it's time to cut the apron strings."

"Okay," Rath agreed, "and the summit?"

"Let's take care of Serena first. Then we'll send them an answer."

"How do you want to do it?"

"I say we get Ava to lead the shape shifter into a trap and you shoot her from behind."

"Ava likes Serena," Rath said. "She won't help us."

Lonni smiled, "She will if she thinks we are just going to talk to her."

Rath smiled.

Lonni pulled out her cell phone and dialed Ava’s number. "Ava, it's Lonni. Rath and I are gonna get a slice. Why don't you come with us?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rath crammed pizza into his mouth and let Lonni do the talking.

"You want to go home, don't you?" Lonni asked Ava. "And be the Queen again?"

"Of course," Ava started, "but Zan..."

Lonni cut her off, "Zan is just being stubborn. If we could convince Serena that we are ready to go home, she could help us talk to Zan."

"So why tell me?" asked Ava.

Lonni smiled, "You are so close to Serena, we thought you could help us change her mind."

Ava looked at Lonni and Rath, wondering about their real motives but she nodded. "Okay. When do you want to talk to her?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ava had a lot on her mind as she and Serena walked through the underground tunnels, heading for the surface. Lonni had planned their route and picked a spot where she and Rath would just happen to run in to them. The plan was that the three of them together would be able to get Serena to see their side about returning home.

As they walked, Ava decided to broach the subject without the others, "Serena, why are you so against going to the summit?"

"If I thought it was real I wouldn't be against it," Serena explained. "But you don't remember our enemies. They would say anything to draw you into the open and then kill you without a second thought."

"But it could be our only chance to return to Antar," argued Ava. "Are you sure it isn't a real conference?"

"Yes," agreed Lonni, stepping out of the shadows. "How do you know for sure?"

Serena was surprised by Lonni's sudden appearance but not alarmed, and she continued with her answer. "If the conference were real..."

Her answer was cut short as a blast of energy hit her in the back and seared through to her chest. With a look of total shock, Serena put her hand to her chest and collapsed to the ground.

Ava stood in stunned horror as Rath emerged into the light to stand beside Lonni. "What did you do?" Ava asked, her voice breathy.

"She would have never understood," Lonni said. "She was always spouting all of that crap about preparing to return and how we weren't ready. She would have blocked our return to Antar any way she could and we would never have been able to convince Zan. But with her out of the way it'll be no problem to get Zan to go home."

Ava looked at the still form of the shape shifter, "You didn't have to kill her. We could have persuaded her. She was our protector."

"Hmmpf. Some protector," Rath said. "Couldn't even protect herself."

"But what will Zan say?" Ava asked.

"He won't say anything," Lonni said as she loomed over the smaller girl, "because he won't know."

"I can't keep something like this from him," Ava protested.

"You can and you will," Lonni said, her tone soft but menacing. "Because if you do tell him, Rath and I will say that you were in on the plan from the beginning and then you chickened out. Who do you think Zan will believe anyway?" Lonni paused to let her words sink in. "You," Lonni asked pointing to Ava, "his former wife, who he hasn't so much as touched in months, or me, his beloved sister?"

Ava winced as Lonni's taunt hit a nerve. She wasn't sure who Zan would believe and reluctantly agreed. "Okay," Ava sighed.

"Good," Lonni purred, putting her arm around Ava’s shoulders. “There’s nothing to worry about. It will all be okay. Once we get home you and Zan will be married again, and you’ll live happily ever after as King and Queen.”

Ava nodded hesitantly.

Lonni smiled. “Tonight, I want you to take my brother to a movie or something to keep him occupied while Rath and I talk to the summit people."

Ava glanced down at Serena's body. "What about her?"

Lonni indicated a large crack in the wall of the tunnel with a jut of her chin, "We’ll wall her up in there."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lonni waited until Zan and Ava left for the movie before she slipped the orb into her pocket. Then she and Rath took the train to the last stop, before activating the orb. "This is Vilondra Tageonant calling for Nicholas Crawford."

She was answered immediately, "Vilondra Tageonant, acknowledged. Stand-by."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Copper Summit, AZ)

It had been a few hours since the message had been sent and Nicholas was beginning to wonder if the Royal Four had received it. He was about to have it rebroadcast when a Lieutenant burst into the room interrupting his conversation with Khivar.

"Your Majesty, General, we have received a reply, but it is not from New Mexico as you expected. It's from New York."

Nicholas turned to look at Khivar with surprise but Khivar comprehended the situation immediately. "The duplicates perhaps? Jensto did tell us that two sets of clones were sent to Earth, the real Royal Four and a set of decoys." Khivar turned to the Lieutenant, "Did the caller identify themselves?"

"Yes, your Majesty," the Lieutenant answered with a low, formal bow, "it’s Vilondra. She is awaiting your reply."

Nicholas dismissed the Lieutenant with a wave of his hand and turned to Khivar with a shrug, "They might know the location of the Granolith."

"It is possible, but unlikely," Khivar said, "but even if they don't, they could be useful in another way. It is probable that the duplicates believe themselves to be the real Royal Four. And to be effective as a decoy, the duplicate Zan would have to be able to pass as the real Zan. We could bring the duplicate Zan to the summit and use him to get Zan's followers on Antar to surrender and accept my government."

Nicholas nodded, "And the Granolith?"

Khivar motioned to the amplifier, changing the subject, "It is interesting that Vilondra contacted us don't you think?"

"Maybe she remembers you,” Nicholas suggested. “Do you want to handle this yourself?"

Khivar shook his head. "No, she is not the real Vilondra. I want you to find out as much as you can from her and then I will decide what to do."

Nicholas picked up the amplifier and spoke into it, "Vilondra, how lovely to hear from you. I am Khivar’s representative on Earth, Nicholas. Are you calling in regards to the summit?"

"Yeah," Lonni said sarcastically. "Why don't you start by calling me Lonni, Nicholas," she said getting right to the point. "I don't know what Khivar wants from this summit, but I will help in any way I can. I just want to go home."

Nicholas laughed, "Khivar wants the Granolith."

"Never heard of it," Lonni admitted. "What is it?"

Nicholas shrugged, "Just a religious piece of junk that the people of our planet worship. It's about ten feet tall, a big, black cone-shaped thing with a crystal at the base."

Lonni shook her head, "I've never seen anything like that."

"You're sure you don't have it?" Nicholas asked. "Maybe Zan knows where it is?"

"No, sorry," Lonni said. "If we had, it would be yours no problem. What would we want with some religious thing?"

"What indeed?" Nicholas asked, and then quickly changed the subject. "Why didn't your brother contact us?"

"Zan's a little shy," Lonni purred.

"Too shy to come to a peace summit?" Nicholas asked.

"What's in it for me if I get him to come?" Lonni asked calculatingly.

Nicholas laughed, "If you get him to come and tell his troops on Antar to lay down their arms, I will provide you with passage home."

"Okay," Lonni agreed. "Give me a few days to work on him. I'll contact you again when I have news."

Nicholas switched off the amplifier and Khivar spoke first, "We will still have to deal with the real Royal Four to get the Granolith, but if this Zan can get his followers to back down, it will make things much easier."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Monday, November 6th, 2000)
(New York, NY)

Over the next week Lonni, Rath and Ava continually bugged Zan to change his mind and accept the invitation to the summit, but each time he flatly refused. With each refusal, Lonni grew more desperate and she and Rath tried every trick they could think of.

Finally Lonni was forced to admit that they wouldn't be able to convince him and she contacted Nicholas to tell him. "Zan won't come to the conference," she blurted out.

Nicholas swore, annoyed that this plan was not working out either. All of his remaining troops were now confined to the ship and even if Khivar sent reinforcements today it would be four years for them to reach Earth. Nicholas was on his own. With Tess' demonstration of power he was worried that Max and the others were regaining their former stature and he felt a sense of urgency to get the matter resolved. But he was not sure he could handle them alone.

Suddenly an idea occurred to him that might be just the answer to all his problems. Perhaps he could get Lonni to do his dirty work for him. He spoke into the amplifier, "Lonni I may have a solution to your problem."

"And what is that, Nicholas?" she asked sarcastically.

"Are you aware of the other set of pods that were sent to Earth?"

The question caught Lonni completely off guard, "No. What are you talking about?"

Nicholas smiled. This was too easy. He knew the best lies were couched in the truth and he let Lonni draw her own conclusions. "Two sets of clones were created from the genetic material of the Royal Four and sent to Earth. A real set and an inferior set designed to act as decoys should the need arise."

"And what does this other set of clones, the inferior set, have to do with me?" Lonni asked.

"Well," Nicholas drawled, "I just happen to know where they are, and if you can't convince your Zan to go to the summit perhaps the other Zan will be more cooperative."

"You don't know Zan," Lonni argued. "He won't just sit by and let all of this happen around him."

"Then maybe he has outlived his usefulness," Nicholas said simply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Tuesday, November 7th, 2000)
(New York, NY)

"They contacted us again last night," Rath said to Zan. "Same invite. We gotta tell 'em something."

Zan was sick of this conversation, "Tell 'em no."

"Yo," Lonni jumped into the conversation, "you sayin' we ain't going to the summit?"

Zan smiled, knowing his answer would annoy Lonni, "That's what I'm saying."

Rath was instantly angry, "Yo, that's messed up, duke. This is the only time we've ever been contacted."

Zan shrugged, uncaring, "Whatever. That's it."

"We tell 'em no, they won't ask again," Ava spoke up.

Zan was surprised by her outburst. She rarely went against him, rarely had her own opinion. He had tried to follow his destiny and be with her but he had felt like he was betraying himself, and in the last couple of months he had started to put a distance between them. He had been with her physically but she had never really known him, and she had never owned his heart. He knew she was scared that she was losing him and her new attitude was simply an attempt to interest him, but it only made him pity her. He turned to her with a smile that was more of a grimace and said the words that were sure to upset her and the others the most. "Tell 'em hell no."

"What is up with you, man?" Rath asked. "I'm tired of you. I'll go by myself!"

Zan was amused by Rath's temper. Rath often fronted, but backed down quickly when Zan called his bluff. Zan stepped close to Rath and spoke softly, "They don't want the number two. They want the Royal Four."

"Why don't we go and see what they gotta say? Why don't we go and get the answers?" Rath asked.

Zan raised his voice for the first time, angry that the others didn't see the threat in the invitation, "What if it's a setup?"

"No, it's not a setup! They need us!" Rath assured him.

Zan stepped closer to Rath, "I'm the man. Don't forget."

Rath held his ground and for a moment Zan thought he might actually challenge his authority, but Lonni intervened.

"Yo, guys," Lonni interrupted them, "It's been a mad, long day. Let's just chill." She spoke in Rath's mind, Back off and we'll go ahead with the plan.

Rath held Zan's gaze a moment longer and then stepped back with a smile. Lonni's plan would get rid of Zan permanently. "Yeah. You the man," he agreed with Zan.

Rath stepped behind Zan, next to Lonni, and looked over at her. Lonni had been able to speak in his mind since the first time they had gotten together physically, and over the next year it had solidified into a permanent connection. He was not capable of speaking to her telepathically but she usually understood him with a single glance. She signaled her intentions with a look and a nod and Rath knew the time had come.

Lonni bounced the basketball past Zan toward the street, and as she expected, he reached for it. And when Zan leaned forward, Rath used his powers to push Zan into the street.

At first, Zan though it was a joke. He had felt the burst of power that had knocked him into the street but it hadn't been enough to injure him and he thought Lonni and Rath were playing with him. Then suddenly a bright light illuminated the street and he turned to stare unbelievingly as two headlights of a large truck, rapidly bore down on him. He might have been able to get out of the way before the truck reached him but he was frozen in shock. Lonni and Rath, two of the people he trusted most in the world, had betrayed him.

Rath raised his hand and used his powers to increase the speed of the truck. Zan didn't move as the truck barreled over him and Rath released it from his powers. He carefully approached Zan's still form, alert for any sign of life. Lonni brushed past him and knelt next to Zan, and Rath called out a warning "Careful, make sure."

Lonni ignored Rath, leaning over her brother and looked into his eyes. He was still alive but she could tell by his shallow breathing it was only a matter of moments. "You should have listened to us, your Majesty," she sneered.

Zan's eyes hardened and he breathed out a single word, "Traitor."

The driver of the truck stopped down the road and ran back to where Zan was laying in the street.

His footsteps alerted Lonni and she motioned to Rath. With a flip of his hand, Rath threw the driver into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

Lonni stood and turned to Rath, "You fixed up the place to dump his body."

Rath nodded, "Just like you said. Down the alley under the pavement."

"Okay," Lonni said. "Let's get him outta here. Somebody might report this even if it is New York." She motioned to Ava, who had stood on the edge of the sidewalk the whole time, "Get over here and give us a hand."

Lonni's voice directed at her snapped Ava out of her shock. "What have you done?" she asked in a whisper.

"I'm getting us home," Lonni said simply.

Zan could do nothing as Lonni and Rath lifted his broken body. He could feel his life force, literally pouring from him.

Lonni called out to Ava, "Clean up the blood in the road and on the truck and then follow us to make sure there's no trail."

Zan wondered briefly if this was what had happened on Antar, ending his other life. He had been so worried about enemies from outside but it was his closest friends he should have watched. His sister and his best friend had betrayed him and he had never even suspected a thing, but somehow their actions didn't come as a complete surprise. What had surprised him was Ava's involvement. He knew that she loved him and even thought he couldn't return her feelings, he had trusted in her loyalty completely.

Zan didn't want to die, but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had lived his life as he chose but his one regret was that he never found his dream-girl.

As his vision blurred and everything went dark, Zan’s thoughts returned to the faceless, dark-haired girl who had haunted his dreams since he was a child. Zan felt a terrible sadness that he would never know who she was or why she came to him in his dreams. And as if his thoughts had conjured her, suddenly she was before him.

Zan reached out to her as her long, dark hair swirled in the breeze, shifting across her face. For a heartbeat he thought she would be revealed to him, but her features were obscured by the warm, golden light that originated from within her; his love as elusive as ever. The light flared and rapidly grew in intensity, surrounding him, flowing through him, and even though Zan had not seen his beloved's face, a feeling of peace and perfect contentment, that he had never known existed washed over him, enveloping his entire being. For the first time in his life he felt the joy of true love and willingly surrendered his life.

And as Zan released his final breath, the light from a red giant star, that had exploded hundreds of years before, finally reached the Earth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rath dumped Zan's body unceremoniously into the grave he had prepared and used his powers to quickly cover it, leaving no trace that the concrete had been disturbed. Then he turned his back on his former friend and King without a backward glance and walked away as if Zan had never existed. He noted that Lonni had already taken the orb from her pocket and he jogged over to where she and Ava were standing.

Lonni pushed a stream of power into the orb and looked at Rath with a smile as she spoke. "Nicholas, we're gonna need a new King."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:20 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 3 a

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Tuesday, November 14th, 2000)
(New York City)
(Central Park)

There were people all around them, walking, playing, eating, and Rath's eyes continually scanned the crowd looking for their contact. Rath leaned against a tree and glanced at Lonni and Ava sitting on a bench. "Where is this guy? He's late."

"Yo, he'll show," Lonni said. "He needs us."

"He could be here already," said Ava, looking around nervously. "We don't know what he looks like."

A boy who had been circling the area on a scooter suddenly stopped before them and lowered his sunglasses. "I can tell you what he looks like."

Rath glanced at the boy and quickly dismissed him, "Get lost, kid."

The boy smiled and flung the backpack he was wearing to the ground, "I thought your manners would have improved after two lifetimes, Rath."

Rath gaped in surprise but Lonni laughed.

"You're Nicholas?" Rath asked. "Why are you a kid?"

Lonni answered Rath's question. "It's a camouflage technique. No one would ever suspect a kid."

Nicholas nodded, "I'm impressed."

"Yeah, whatever," Lonni said. "What do you have for us?"

"Down to business. I like that," Nicholas said, as he opened the backpack. He withdrew a book and held it out to Lonni. "The summit will only proceed if a King is present, so I would suggest any means necessary to get him there."

Lonni took the book. It was a Roswell New Mexico high school yearbook. "They live in Roswell?" she asked incredulously.

"It's better than this toilet," Nicholas sneered.

"You don't like New York?" Rath challenged him.

"No," Nicholas said. New York reminded him too much of home and how much time he had wasted on this planet. It also reminded him of Katian and how vulnerable he had allowed himself to become. "I hate this stinking town, but I will be staying here until the summit."

"So a date has been set?" asked Lonni. "I thought you said we could choose the date."

"I did, but the other families are getting anxious," Nicholas explained. "To placate them, Khivar had to set a date, but if you can't arrange for a King to be there then the whole thing will be called off. The summit is set for November twenty-third."

"Then we've gotta hurry," Rath pointed out.

"Yeah," Lonni agreed, "we'll leave tonight."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(West Roswell High School)

"A black hole," Mr. Seligman started, knowing it would get the class' attention, "that's what is left after a star dies. And that's exactly what happened last week, my friends. The spectacular, stellar, implosion of a red giant, unheard of in the history of astronomy. The first time a post main-sequence star, burning in its prime, suddenly and without warning violently exploded in a supernova of a hundred million degrees and disappeared. A process that typically takes many thousands of years. What could have accounted for this remarkable loss?"

Mr. Seligman's words struck Max more that he would have thought possible, leaving him with a feeling like he had been punched in the stomach. He felt tears gathering in his eyes as he attempted to breathe past it, but a profound sorrow settled over his entire being as if he had lost a beloved friend. Intellectually, he knew it was ridiculous to feel a physical loss for a star that until today he had not known existed, but for some reason its passing seemed to herald disaster.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Antar)
(Capitol city of Roistar - formerly Tageonon)
(Secret Headquarters of the Resistance Loyal to the Tageonants)

"Your Highness," General Toaks addressed Queen Nedra, bowing formally. "Our operative inside Khivar's inner circle has discovered that Khivar will issue an invitation to the heads of the four planets for a peace conference."

Nedra shrugged, "He has attempted peace conferences before, why is this one different?"

"Because, your Highness, Khivar is telling the other leaders that his Majesty, King Zantor will be present at this one."

"Zan?" she asked with a gasp. "How is that possible? The other families are not stupid, they will require proof that it is Zan."

Toaks nodded, "Khivar is suggesting the conference take place on Earth. It is relatively neutral territory, Zan is there and the other families can attend by using human hosts."

"It could be a trap to lure Zan into the open," Nedra said, thinking aloud.

Toaks agreed, "It had crossed my mind as well."

"Or it could be the first genuine opportunity to bring Zan, Vilondra and the others back home to us," Nedra said hopefully. "The war has been raging for so long, even Khivar must wish it to end."

Toaks was not as optimistic as the dowager Queen. "Khivar will only end this on his terms."

"We need to warn Zan it could be a trap," Nedra said, "or at least try to insure the conference is conducted properly."

"Larek will attend as the leader of Talros," Toaks reminded her. "He and his family have always been allies of the Tageonants."

"Yes, they have," Nedra agreed. "It is too bad we have not been able to keep in touch with him over the years, but regular communication would have been too dangerous for all of us. Larek is a good man and he will ensure the conference is legitimate. But perhaps we should warn him of our fears. Send a messenger to him and offer him the use of the human we have prepared. The war has hit his planet severely and if Larek can use Brody, it will save some of his precious resources for his own people."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Wednesday, November 15th, 2000)

Lonni rubbed the back of her neck. The radio stations all sucked outside of New York and not for the first time she wished they had stolen a car with some better CDs. They had been on the road for more than twenty-four hours and not only was she tired of traveling but she was tired of Ava's sulking.

Lonni had always disliked the other girl. She thought her weak and inferior. Since Lonni could remember, Ava had followed Zan around like a lost dog, even though he continually rejected her. Ava never seemed to have a thought of her own, simply echoing what Zan said, blindly following his lead. More than once Lonni had told Ava to get a life, but Ava seemed content to wait for Zan to notice her.

Then with her other recovered memories, Lonni had received flashes about what Ava had done on Antar in their past life. At first, she thought to taunt Ava with the truth, but Lonni had wisely decided to keep it to herself. It was too big a weapon to use simply to get a reaction, although occasionally she couldn't help dropping hints. It was perfectly obvious that Ava didn't remember much about her other life but sometimes Lonni could see the worry in the other girl's eyes, as if somehow she knew things weren't right. But now that Zan was gone, Lonni didn't have to worry that Ava would turn against them, because she had nowhere else to go.

She spoke into Rath's mind, See if you can get Ava to talk. We might need her to pull this off.

Rath glanced in the mirror at Ava, "What's your problem, Ava? You ain't said nothin' in two days."

Ava had been in shock since they had killed Zan. She still couldn't believe he was gone and his sister had done it. She felt almost hysterical but struggled to keep her voice calm, "You said you were gonna make him change his mind about going to the summit. You..."

Rath cut her off, "Well, we couldn't, so we went with an alternative."

Ava couldn't believe that Rath could just erase Zan from their lives so quickly. "He was the leader, Rath!"

"Zan coulda ruled a planet, but he didn't wanna deal," Rath said, "We're better off without him."

Ava took a deep breath, "And how do we know this, other Zan is gonna be any different?"

Lonni joined the conversation for the first time, "Max. Max Evans. That's his name. And we don't. We don't. But we'll be smarter about it this time. We'll find another way in."

"They don't wanna meet with just the three of us," Rath explained to Ava again. "They want the King. So all we gotta do is get him to the summit, and we'll marinate on the rest later."

Ava withdrew into herself again. Lonni and Rath would do anything to get what they wanted and she wondered how long it would be before she was of no use to them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Thursday, November 16th, 2000)

Song Playing: My Immortal by Evanescense

Max watched Liz surreptitiously as she moved around the Crashdown. He had been watching her a lot since the night he had seen her in bed with Kyle. Because no matter what Liz said, Max knew she hadn't told him the whole truth.

It was as if Liz was suddenly two different people. When Liz knew he was there, she put on a front, cheerful, laughing, without a care in the world, as if she were really moving on with her life. But when she didn't realize he was observing her, she was the complete opposite. She moved more slowly as if there was a physical weight bearing down on her, and Max had glimpsed the anguish and hopelessness she tried so hard to hide.

Max knew Liz wasn't in love with Kyle, and he rarely saw them together. They were certainly not back together and he couldn't imagine her sleeping with someone she didn't love. But she had told him she had slept with Kyle. Either she had slept with Kyle to push him away, or she had been willing to lie and say she had, and Max didn't know which was worse.

Max could see that Liz still loved him. He had seen the anguish in her face when he had confronted her in Copper Summit. He had seen it when she had left him in the UFO museum to destroy the device the skins had used to make the humans disappear. And he had seen it in school two days ago, when Liz had tried to talk to him about the supernova. He could tell that Liz had been almost desperate to talk to him, but the memory of her continual lies had made him cruel. And even though she might not have intended her statement about the star to encompass their relationship, Max had heartlessly twisted his answer to leave her in no doubt of his meaning.

To him their love had been perfect. He had believed their bond was so strong that nothing or no one could have possibly come between them. But Liz had proved him wrong. She had been willing to sacrifice their love not once but twice.

Sometimes he wished that he didn't love Liz, but it was a part of who he was. No matter what happened, Max knew he would love Liz the rest of his life, but their perfect, shining love had been tarnished by lies and betrayal. The flame that had burned so brightly between them had not burned out it as he had told Liz, but it was diminished, wavering as if it were starved for oxygen, and it would never be the same again.

Liz glanced at the booth where Max was sitting as she wiped the counter. She had watched Max as he sat in the Crashdown every day after school. Even though he didn't seem to want to be around her, he came anyway, and she often wondered why. Something deep inside her knew Max could never truly stop loving her and the feeling grew stronger each time he came through the door.

It was tearing Liz apart inside that she and Max were no longer friends, and he would no longer confide in her. They might never be together as a couple, but she had counted on their continuing friendship. She had tried repeatedly to talk to him, and each time he had rebuffed her, but she couldn't stop trying.

Liz gathered her courage, and with a plausible conversation starter she quickly approached him before she chickened out. "Um, do you want anything else from the kitchen? Cause it's gonna close."

Suddenly the subject of his thoughts appeared before him and Max shifted uncomfortably, somehow afraid that Liz could tell the direction of his contemplations. "No, thanks," he said as he quickly gathered his things and started to rise.

Liz's hope faded as Max tried to escape her and the pretence fell away, revealing her true feelings. "I hate this,” she said. “I hate that we can't even be around each other. Long before we kissed, we were friends. We talked. We laughed. I don't understand why we just can't go back to that."

Her request caught him by surprise and Max shook his head automatically, "We can't. I can't. I just..." He looked into Liz's pleading eyes, and for a moment his heart softened. "I need time."

Liz was thrilled by his answer. It was the first time she had dared to hope that there was a chance of saving any part of their friendship. "Okay," she eagerly agreed, "I understand that, I do. I can respect it." As she spoke she could see Max withdrawing from her again, "But, um, I don't want you to hate me."

Max glanced at Liz quickly and then looked away. He could see the pain in her expression but he didn't want to acknowledge it. It shouldn't matter to him what Liz was thinking. She was the one who had betrayed him. She deserved her pain, but he still loved her and ached to offer her comfort.

He wanted nothing more than for things to go back to the way they had been before, but it was too late for that. And before he could do something he would regret, he turned his back on her without a word and walked away.

Liz seemed to sink in on herself as Max left and her hope deflated. For a moment she had dared to hope that things between herself and Max would be okay, but he had rebuffed her again. It just wasn't fair that she had done all of this for him but he would never even know. But she had known the consequences and chosen the path anyway and she didn't regret her decision. She only wished that she had not been forced to hurt Max in the process.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Friday, November 17th, 2000)
(West Roswell High School

Rath entered the school and looked again at the picture of Liz, he had taken from Max's drawer. He shook his head, still not able to believe an uptight guy like Max could get a hottie like Liz. Rath knew it had surprised Lonni that he was attracted to Liz, but when he had first seen her picture he had been instantly drawn to her. There was just something about the girl, and even though he couldn't place what it was, it really didn't matter to him. All he knew was that he wanted her.

Even though his attire and hair were radically different from Michael's, the students assumed they were the same person, and as Rath wandered around the high school, he picked up several pieces of interesting gossip.

Rath ran into a guy who knew Michael and he asked the guy where Liz was. The guy, Scott, told him not only her full name, and that she was considered a brain, but he also joked about how over the summer Liz had dumped Max. Rath laughed at the news, figuring Liz had gotten fed up with Max's crap. Scott also laughed about the fact that Max was obsessed with Liz, practically stalking her to get her back, but she wouldn't give in.

Rath also learned that Michael was dating a human named Maria DeLuca. Scott gave Rath a wink and asked how he handled the blonde spitfire. Rath simply smiled. He didn't know what Maria looked like but he was considering looking her up after he found Liz.

Scott didn't know what class Liz was currently in, but he told Rath where her locker was, and as Rath rounded the corner, he saw Liz. His eyes quickly took in her appearance and he smiled. She was even hotter in person. He approached, stopping just behind her and delivered his best line. "Whassup? You look tight."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max waited for Maria outside her history class and motioned to her when she emerged. "We need to move the meeting to tonight."

"But Max," Maria protested, "I already changed my performance to tonight."

"This is important, Maria."

Maria was suddenly concerned, "Is something wrong?"

Max nodded, "Yeah, we need an emergency meeting with everyone to figure this out. Just tell Alex and L-Liz to be at the museum right after it closes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell UFO Museum)

Max glanced at his watch again. It was past the time he had told everyone to meet, but Alex still wasn't there and Max decided he couldn't wait any longer. "I am going to start even though Alex isn't here yet. This is just too important."

"What happened, Max?" Isabel asked.

"Well Brody told me he has been tracking signals near New York. Someone is sending or receiving messages and it could be the skins. And then Mr. Seligman told us about a star that suddenly went supernova, against every law of science known to man."

He paused and looked around at the others but he saw confusion in their faces and he continued to explain. "So I think that the signals Brody tracked could be connected to the dying star somehow, and..."

Michael cut him off, "You called us all together here for this emergency meeting to talk about a star that croaked?"

This wasn't the reaction Max had been hoping for and he tried to make them understand, "I think it could mean something. It's," he paused looking for the right words, "been haunting me."

Maria stepped forward, "I cancelled my performance, Max."

"I think we should be ready for the next challenge," Max defended himself. "The skins or someone else could be massing for an attack."

"We don't know that," Isabel said. "You're just guessing. The signals and the star might just be a coincidence."

"Or it might be a lucky accident that we..." Max was distracted by Alex running down the stairs. "Alex. You're late.

Alex pointed up the stairs behind him, mumbling inarticulately, "Uh, um, uh."

Max barely had time to take in the appearance of the three new-comers before the one who resembled Michael shouted, "Hey, yo, up here!"

"Now this is freaky," Maria said as they clomped down the stairs.

Max stepped out in front of the others, ready to defend them, "Who are you?"

"We're you," said Isabel's look-a-like.

Isabel looked to the others for an explanation, "I... I don't understand."

"They're shape-shifters," Michael guessed.

Lonni smiled, "I know you must be buggin' out right now, 'cause I'd be buggin', too."

"How could this be?" Isabel asked.

Suddenly the truth dawned on Michael, "Eight. Eight. There were eight pods originally."

"You know about that," Rath said with surprise.

Michael nodded, "Yeah, I, we just found out recently, so... I just, didn't know you'd look like us."

"All we know is that there were eight originally,” Max explained. “We never knew what happened to the other four."

"They went to New York," Lonni said.

"New York?" Max asked. He should have been surprised that the visitors had come from New York but he wasn't. Maybe the strange feelings he had experienced had really been about the others coming instead of about the star dying.

"The Big Apple," Rath answered, "Center of the universe. Amazing pizza."

Liz listened silently but one thing was bothering her, "Um, but there's only three of you."

Lonni bowed her head, "We had a fourth. We just lost him."

Liz noticed that Tess' double addressed Max directly. "His name was, Zan."

Liz could see the pain on the girl's face and she sympathized with her. It had only been a few weeks since the Max from the future had disappeared and she had irrevocably lost her Max. It had been like losing him twice, and the pain was still fresh.

She studied the girl as the others continued to talk. The blonde looked so much like Tess but Liz could tell there were differences. The newcomer seemed unsure of herself, downtrodden, even scared, and Liz felt sorry for her. Liz didn't know what had happened in this girl's life, but she wished there was something she could do to help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Meet the Dupes)
(Saturday, November 18th, 2000)

Song Playing: Bring Me to Life by Evanesense

Max stepped onto the ladder leading to Liz's balcony for the first time since he had seen her in bed with Kyle. The sudden thought caused his stomach to clench and he grabbed the side of the ladder for support. Maybe it had been a mistake for him to come and see Liz but he was drawn here for many different reasons.

Max had to admit to himself that he simply wanted to see Liz once more before he left, but it was not the only thing he had come to do.

He felt as if everyone around him had betrayed him. Isabel had been keeping secrets from him, lying to him, and Michael had betrayed them all to Courtney when he had told her the location of the Granolith. Max still couldn't believe two of the people he had trusted the most could do that to him, but Liz's betrayal had been the worst.

Max reached into his pocket and brushed his fingers over the box within. He needed to confront Liz with his feelings about what had happened, and return the one thing she had given to him. Somehow he felt that giving it back to her would allow him to make a clean break from her.

Max took a deep breath, climbed the last few steps to the top of the ladder, and crossed to Liz's window. For a moment he didn't want to look into her room, fearing what he might see, but he forced himself to confront the truth. Liz was inside, lying on her bed clutching a stuffed animal, and in her other hand she held a long strip of white paper.

At first Max thought she was studying, reading her notes, but then he recognized what she was holding because he had one too. It was a strip of photos taken in a photo booth that they had made last spring before things had gone so terribly wrong.

Max felt a sickening rumble in his stomach. Whether she had slept with Kyle or not, Liz wanted him to believe she had. Everything they could have had between them, all of the potential happiness, all of the love, Liz had simply thrown away. She had betrayed them both.

Max now wanted this over more than ever, and he knocked on her window.

Liz was looking at the pictures of herself and Max that had been taken before all the trouble had started. As she studied every detail of each picture, the day they were taken came flooding back to her. The memories were so strong it could have been yesterday instead of months before, but Liz knew she would remember that day the rest of her life. She and Max had been so happy together, it was just not fair they were forced to be apart.

A knock at the window interrupted her reverie, and as she recognized Max a feeling of relief and happiness washed through her entire being. It was the first time Max had approached her since he had seen her with Kyle and she felt sure he was there to renew their friendship.

Max watched as Liz recognized him and practically skipped to the window. She was glad to see him, but he no longer wanted to be there and anger rose up within him.

Liz opened the window and stood back to allow Max to climb in, like he had done so many times before. "Hi," she greeted him cheerfully.

Max climbed through the window and turned to confront Liz. There were so many conflicting feelings raging through him that he didn't know what to do. He wanted to be cruel to her, to hate her, but at the same time he loved Liz and wanted to protect her from everything, including himself.

He started slowly, hesitatingly, "You said, you wanted to be friends. And I thought about it. And, I realized that, that I can't be friends with you, because, I'm still hanging on. To you. To what we had."

Any feeling of happiness Liz had experienced at seeing Max was crushed as he spoke. Maybe she had been asking too much for them to just be friends again.

Max watched as the light of optimism in Liz's eyes was extinguished by his words and he hated himself for hurting her, but he ruthlessly continued. "So, I decided to make a clean break." He reached into his pocket, withdrew the box and pushed it toward her, "Here."

He barely looked at Liz as she opened the box, not wanting to see the pain he knew would be clearly written on her face.

Liz felt her heart drop as she opened the box, revealing the knife she had given him. "Max, this is yours. I gave it to you last Christmas."

Max shook his head. "I'm giving it back." He lowered his head to avoid Liz's glance. "I'm, I'm going to New York with Rath and Lonni and," Max raised his head and looked Liz in the eyes wanting to see how his words effected her, " and Tess. To the summit."

Liz swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump quickly forming in her throat, wondering if this was the end of everything. "Are you gonna come back?"

Max hated himself for wanting to hurt Liz in any way but the anger within him had made him cruel. He shook his head trying to concentrate on Liz's question but everything was just so uncertain. "I don't know. I can't think that far ahead."

Liz was devastated by Max's answer and lowered her head so Max wouldn't see her reaction. He could walk out of her life forever and she would never know what happened to him. She had never even considered that he might leave Roswell, but it was happening right before her.

When Liz didn't respond Max started toward the window.

Max's movement jolted Liz out of her contemplation. She couldn't let Max leave without arming him with everything she knew, and granted it wasn't much, but her information might save him. "Wait, um, Max. Um, when, when you're at the summit, the Granolith, okay? It's powerful, and it could be really dangerous if the wrong people get their hands on it."

Max turned back to her angrily, "What are you talking about? How do you know anything about the Granolith?"

Liz could see the confusion and disbelief on Max's face and realized that from his point of view, she would be ignorant about the Granolith. "Oh! I can't tell you. But I just, I know, and..." she let her words trail off when she could see that she wasn't getting through to him. "Please, Max," she begged. "You have to trust me."

Max couldn't believe what Liz was asking. It was just too much. After everything that had happened, after she had betrayed him in the worst way possible and continued to lie to him, it was almost funny. He could feel hysterical laughter start to rise up within him but brutally pushed it down, turning on her heartlessly. "I guess that's the problem, Liz."

Max left without looking back and Liz slammed the window down behind him in frustration. She was so angry that he wouldn't listen to her, didn't trust her, but what made it worse was it was all her own doing. If she hadn't pretended to sleep with Kyle, Max would know she was telling the truth. And now there was the possibility that she and Max would never see one another again. For the rest of his life, Max would think she had betrayed him, and if he disregarded her warning about the Granolith it might cost him his life.

Of course if she hadn't pretended to sleep with Kyle, the world would have ended. But how did she know it still wouldn't end?

The other Max had never said anything about a summit, but then he hadn't said very much about anything. Liz had simply trusted that the new world she and the other Max had created would be better, but now, for the first time she questioned the consequences of their actions. What if the new world wasn't any better? What if something she had done made the future worse?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max in the City - aka. Journey to New York)
(Wednesday, November 22nd, 2000)
(New York, NY)

Max grew more and more apprehensive as he and Rath entered the building where they were supposed to meet the emissary. Max didn't know what was about to happen but whatever it was he was afraid that he wouldn't be up to it. How could he think of himself of a leader when everyone was turning against him? He hadn't even had enough power to keep Liz with him.

Rath and Lonni were no better. They wouldn't reveal anything to him, only that he had to pass a test before they would be admitted to the summit. The nature of the test remained a mystery but Rath assured him he would pass.

He and Rath entered the room and walked to where the emissary was sitting. Max hesitated, looking at the ordinary, bald man at the table. He didn't know what he had expected, an alien maybe, but he felt disappointed.

Rath walked ahead of him and pulled out the chair, indicating that he should sit.

Max slowly walked forward and sat in the chair. He looked around nervously but turned to face the other man. The emissary rose from his seat and walked toward Max and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but stilled as the other man examined him. The emissary stopped behind him and before Max could wonder what he was doing, he felt a burst of energy passing into his head and pushing through.

It didn't exactly hurt, but the sensation was strange and Max had a moment of discomfort. He watched amazed as the energy emerged from his forehead and started to form an image. Five pinpoints of light defined themselves, growing and swirling and finally arranging themselves into a familiar 'V' pattern. The bottom light shone more brightly than the others, briefly eclipsing them and then the image faded.

The emissary regained his seat before Max recovered from his surprise, and Max sat dumbfounded as the emissary filled out some paperwork and handed it to him.

"Sign here," said the emissary motioning to the line, "your Majesty."

The use of the title startled Max and he looked up to meet the emissary's eyes. The man deferred to him respectfully and Max suddenly felt empowered. He had assumed the roll of the leader but this was the first time that someone outside his group had acknowledged it, and for the first time it actually seemed real to him.

Max sat up straighter. For the first time, he felt like the King of Antar.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max in the City - aka. Journey to New York)
(Thursday, November 23rd, 2000)
(Thanksgiving)
(New York, NY)
(The dupes’ home)

Lonni and Rath hadn't been forthcoming with the answers Max wanted and finally he confronted them. "So what was it the emissary did to me?"

Lonni laughed, "He was looking for the mark of the King, the Royal seal.

On a convenient piece of wood, Rath used his powers to create a rough version of the V-shaped pattern that had come from Max's head.

"So this is the Royal seal?" Max asked.

"You got it," Rath answered, motioning to the representations of the planets. "And these are the five worlds of our star system.

Max motioned to the bottom spot, "And that one? That's home? Home." He savored the world in his mouth. He had never really thought of the place they had originally come from as home but now it seemed real to him in a way that it never had before.

"Bingo," Rath said. "That's how the emissary knew you were the real deal. You got the royal seal stenciled on your brain."

Max continued with his questions, "And these other four worlds? They'll all be sending a representative to the summit?"

Rath nodded, "Well, they'll be doing the possession thing again, you know, like the emissary."

"Why don't they, come in person?" Tess asked.

Rath rolled his eyes. He was tired of dealing with Tess, she was so much like Ava. "You see, little girl," he sneered, "space is what we call very, very big. You know, it's not easy to get places. People just don't zip around the galaxy like on Star Trek."

Lonni rushed to smooth over Rath's rudeness, "No one's coming back here again in person unless there's a good reason."

"Like to bring us home," Rath said.

"We can go home?" Tess gasped with obvious pleasure.

"Yeah, we can," Rath said pointing to Max. "If the man here cuts a deal at the summit."

Max was suddenly wary, "What kind of a deal?"

"A deal to bring peace back to our world," Lonni said grandly.

Rath picked up on the cue he and Lonni had practiced. "In our world, blood on the streets, baby. That dude Khivar that took your throne. People hate his ass."

"Our mother sent our pods to earth for safekeeping, hoping we'd come back one day," Lonni continued.

"And that day is now," Rath said. "The word is that Khivar's desperate, and he'll do anything to end the fighting."

"Including let us come back home," Lonni added.

"Home," Max repeated distractedly, a thousand thoughts running through his head. "I never thought... Not this soon." His thoughts automatically turned to Roswell and Liz. He had never thought he would actually leave Earth, but suddenly the possibility was in front of him. And then his thoughts turned in another direction, "What about Michael and Isabel?"

"And Ava?" Tess asked.

"They're expecting the Royal Four, yo, not the Royal Seven," Lonni said angrily.

"I am not leaving Michael and Isabel behind," Max challenged.

Lonni instantly started to soothe him, "Look, Max. Max. They seem so happy, in that cute little town." She could see that her argument wasn't swaying him and tried another tactic. "Chill, chill. It'll all be okay. You'll see. It'll all fall our way. Unless they bring up the Granolith again."

"The Granolith?" Max asked, surprised by its introduction into the conversation. His mind raced back to the conversation he'd had with Liz before he left, and her words echoed through his head.

...the Granolith, okay? It's powerful, and it could be really dangerous if the wrong people get their hands on it.

Liz had been right. He might not know what it was or what it did, but there were others who did and wanted it. Again he wondered how Liz knew about the Granolith but quickly pushed the thought aside. For the moment it didn't matter how she knew, it only mattered that she was right and he had to protect it.

Rath interrupted his thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, it's this stupid religious thing."

Lonni expanded the explanation, "Our protector told us it's like the holy grail, some piece of junk people on our planet worship for some reason. You ever heard of it?"

"No," Max lied easily.

"No?" Lonni asked somewhat surprised.

"That's too bad," Rath said.

"Yeah," Lonni agreed. "Would have been a nice bargaining chip if you had."

"I haven't," Max reaffirmed.

"No problem," Lonni said with a shrug. "They probably won't even bring it up anyway."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Café)

Liz sipped her tea and listened in fascination as Ava told her about their life in New York.

"Zan was stubborn, strong," Ava said. "He put up a wall, and you just couldn't get through. He always tried to do everything right, to be perfect. He was like that, right up until..." she let the sentence trail off.

Liz knew Zan's death was still painful for Ava. It was obvious from what the other girl had been telling her that she and Zan had been great friends and companions, and Liz felt she must have done the right thing in letting Max go. But the realization saddened her and she worked to keep her voice steady, "You must have loved him a lot."

"Yeah," Ava agreed softly. Her whole life had changed practically overnight when Lonni and Rath killed Zan. Ava thought she had a place in the world, a purpose. She was Zan’s wife, lover and Queen, but all of that was gone in an instant and Ava had begun to question her whole life. As ironic as it seemed, Ava had started to wonder if Lonni and Rath had been right all of those years. In the last few days she had carefully reexamined every minute of her life she had spent with Zan from a new perspective, and the doubts had come rushing in. Zan had been her best friend, her confident, her champion, but he had never once told her he loved her.

Ava sighed and finally admitted to Liz her worst fear. "I'm not sure he ever really loved me back though."

The admission shocked Liz, "Why?"

Ava shrugged, "Just a feeling. I always felt like he was waiting for someone else to walk into his life." She pictured all of the nights that she had heard Zan dreaming and she knew that hadn’t been about her. The remembrance was painful and she quickly changed the subject. "So what about you? How'd you find out about Max? He just hauled off and dropped the bomb one day?"

"No," Liz shook her head. "It was right over there. I was working, and he was sitting at that booth. And, um, someone brought in a gun, and it kinda went off, and I got shot. I was dying, but Max brought me back."

Liz suddenly had all of Ava's attention, "He brought you back?"

"Yeah," Liz said.

Ava remembered what their protector had told them about healing humans and looked at Liz carefully. This human was changing and she didn't seem to know it. With shaking hands Ava sipped her tea to give herself a moment, and wondered what she should tell Liz. Despite the fact that Liz was a human and a cornball too, Ava liked her. Liz was kind and understanding and Ava felt an instant friendship with her. Ava didn't want to scare Liz though and instead decided to ask some of the thousand questions in her head. "So how long ago was it that Max healed you?"

Liz had noted the other girl's strange reaction and had been about to question her but she was distracted by Ava’s new question, "Um, it was just over a year ago."

"And then you got together?" Ava asked.

Liz shook her head, "Not right away. We had been friends since elementary school, but when he healed me he made a connection and I saw into his soul. It was incredible and I fell in love with him instantly. He thought we should stay apart because we are different. We tried, but we couldn't stay away from each other, and finally we got together. And then I started getting visions when we kissed. It was just so perfect, as if we were meant to be together."

Ava felt a shiver of reaction race up her spine and quickly took a gulp of the hot tea to push back the chill. Serena had told them that humans would be changed but she had said it would take time. But a connection had manifested between Liz and Max almost immediately after he had healed her. Ava looked at Liz again with a tinge of jealously. Ava had a feeling that Liz would be powerful when she came into her full abilities and Ava also believed that Max's healing of Liz had created a bond that would join them together forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:21 am

Part 3 b

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max in the City - aka. Journey to New York)
(Friday, November 24th, 2000)
(New York, NY)

After Rath and Lonni's lesson in Antarian history and politics and a sleepless night, Max needed some time to himself and went for a walk. There were so many different thoughts flying through his head and he wanted to sort through some of them. The situation on Antar, the peace conference, Liz and the Granolith, and the possibility of returning to their planet; it all seemed so overwhelming.

He wished he could talk to Liz and ask her what she knew, but she wouldn't tell him before, and after the way he had left things between them he didn't think she would have changed her mind. Max's mind raced with possibilities about how Liz could have discovered anything about the Granolith. She could have guessed, he supposed, but that wouldn't explain why she wouldn't tell him. No, he thought, someone must have told her about it.

Maybe Nasedo had told her something when he had taken her, but that would mean she hadn't told him everything about her time with the shape shifter. Maybe what Nasedo had told her was something so terrible that she didn't want them to find out. Maybe Nasedo had threatened her. But that couldn't be right, Max argued with himself, Liz would have told him when Nasedo died.

Max shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. He would never reason out how Liz knew. He would simply have to ask her again when he saw her. But, came the sudden thought, he might not be returning to Roswell, he might be going to Antar.

He had never suspected when he had agreed to come to the summit that there would be the possibility of returning to Antar, but Lonni and Rath acted like it was a certainty. They also seemed to take for granted that they would be going instead of Michael and Isabel.

Last summer, when he, Isabel, Michael, Tess and Liz had heard the message in the cave, Max had assumed they were the Royal Four. He had not even considered there might be another set of clones. When the others had come to Roswell, Lonni had told Michael the New York set were the real ones and Max had actually been relieved because it meant he didn't have to take the responsibility of saving his planet. But, Max reasoned, it couldn't be the truth because he had been given the Granolith. He, Michael, Isabel and Tess were the real Royal Four and Lonni and Rath were simply trying to use the situation to their advantage.

Max didn't know what would happen at the peace summit or if there would be a chance to return to Antar. Even if the war ended and they could return Max didn't know what he would do, but he wanted Michael and Isabel to be able to make their own choices. Things had been bad between himself and Isabel and Michael when he left but they were still two of the most important people in his life, and they deserved to know what was going on.

He walked to the pay phone, picked up the receiver and quickly dialed his home number.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rath, Lonni, Max and Tess walked into the building where the summit was being held.

As Rath and Lonni had agreed earlier, Rath offered reassurance to Max. "Now, you get in trouble, you look to us, and we'll help you out."

Tess was appalled at the suggestion. Max was the King, he would make the decisions. "I think he'll handle it," she told Rath belligerently.

Rath turned to Tess, surprised by her outburst. "Hey, is someone talkin' to you, retard?"

Tess felt a flash of pain and embarrassment caused by Rath's comment. No one had ever talked to her like he did, but obviously he treated Ava this way.

Max stopped and turned to Rath, tired of Lonni and Rath's continual abuse and superior attitude. "All right, that's it. Let's get something clear right here, right now. I'm the one who passed the emissary's test. And that means from now on, I'm the one in charge here."

Lonni's instant reaction was to back down and try to placate Max. She had dealt with Zan for so long she knew Max would accept her submissive posturing as an apology. "Understood, duke. You're the King."

Max glared at Rath and continued, "And for your information, her name is Tess."

Rath glanced at Lonni and she nodded to him, "Rath, take Tess and go inside. I wanna talk to Max for a minute."

Rath turned to Tess, "Come on."

Tess walked alongside the Michael look-a-like but she wasn't paying attention to where they were going. Her heart was full to bursting because of what Max had done. He had stood up for her, defended her, and she was so happy she felt like shouting with joy. Max was finally accepting her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"We're here in the spirit of reconciliation." Larek said. "We're not here to rehash the past, point fingers, and assign blame."

Max listened to the others arguing about war and politics and he felt like a dumb kid just like he had told Tess he would. When he had seen the emissary he had felt like a leader, but now he was just an observer. He didn't know enough about what had been happening to contribute anything constructive and he just felt useless.

Nicholas had also been sitting back and observing the others arguing. He glanced at Max and smiled. The former all-powerful King of Antar was just a confused teenager, in over his head.

Nicholas waited until the argument reached a peak and then casually offered the answer. "And Khivar has a solution."

Max's attention was captured by Nicholas' words and he focused on the boy across the table.

Nicholas met Max's eyes to make sure he had his attention and continued with Khivar's offer. "Khivar will abdicate the throne and allow the Royal Four to return home under the following conditions. One, Max becomes King only in name. All real power and government remains in Khivar's hands. Two, Max calls upon his followers to lay down their weapons and support the new government. And three, most importantly," he paused for effect, "Max returns the Granolith to us."

"The Granolith?" Kathana asked incredulously.

Nicholas winced inwardly. This was the most dangerous part of Khivar's plan, revealing the absence of the Granolith, but Khivar had decided it was worth the risk to get it back. Nicholas quickly explained, "No, it's no longer on our world. Yes, we've known about it for a long time. No, Khivar decided he didn't need to tell you, and yes, we know where it is. It's with Max."

With his last statement Nicholas returned his gaze to Max and the eyes of all the others turned to him too.

"Is this true, Max?" Larek asked.

Max considered lying but the skins already knew it was on Earth. "It's here," he admitted.

"What?" Lonni asked with disbelief.

Nicholas smiled. Everything was falling into place. "So there you have it. Max comes home with the Granolith. All is forgiven." He paused to look at Max, "Do we have a deal?"

Max looked at the others seated at the table. He felt completely overwhelmed. "I,” he paused stalling for time, “need to think about this."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lonni watched as Max and Tess left the summit room to think over Khivar's deal. It had really surprised her when Max had revealed he had the Granolith. She would have sworn he had told her the truth, but more than that she wondered just how much control she really had over him. If Max was keeping things from her, it meant he didn't trust them.

And then there was Nicholas. Lonni had suspected she couldn't trust him completely and she had been right. Nicholas had mentioned nothing about knowing Max from before. At least she and Nicholas had a common goal that would help unite them. They both wanted to go home and would do anything to get there.

Lonni slipped behind a pillar and used her powers to conceal herself, waiting for Nicholas to return.

He entered the room talking to himself, "God, I hate this town." Suddenly he felt the use of power and called out, "Hello?"

Lonni dropped the illusion and revealed herself to him, "Yo."

Nicholas smiled, "Yo yourself."

Lonni circled him like a predator stalking its prey, knowing it would raise Nicholas' interest. "Miss me?" she purred.

"Always," he admitted. "Can't wait to see more of you."

"Well, that'll have to wait until we get home," she teased.

Nicholas was interested but business always came first, "Let's be clear, Lonni. You don't get home unless I get the Granolith."

Lonni's temper flared at his tone. No one talked to her, the Royal Princess of Antar, that way. "Let me be clear, Nicholas,” she said, with a touch of anger. “I don't give a damn whether or not you get the Granolith. I'm going home."

Nicholas smiled, hearing Vilondra in her voice, "Big talk for a woman with no cards to play."

Lonni thought about certain facts she had discovered about their past lives and smiled. "I've got cards. I just haven't shown them to you yet." Her voice dropped to a purr, "You know, I'm not like the others. I remember our world. I remember Khivar. And I remember what it was like to be Vilondra," she taunted Nicholas with a hint of what she remembered, but knew it would reveal nothing to him. "I want that life, and I'll do what I have to, to get back. Be on my side, and you'll benefit. Be against me, and..” she trailed off to make her point. “Well, it would be a mad, crazy idea to be against me."

Lonni dismissed the problem of Max with a wave of her hand, "Don't worry about Max. He's a cornball. He'll go for the deal. He'll go for the deal because millions of lives hang in the balance. Besides, he wants to go home and give mommy a kiss and get fitted for his crown."

Nicholas listened to her carefully, trying to discover her meaning about remembering the past but quickly decided she simply wanted to be reunited with Khivar. If she remembered anything else about her other life, she would have attempted to use it as leverage to insure her return. He relaxed against the pole with a smile and continued the discussion of her brother, "He won't live long enough to wear it. Khivar wants him dead."

"Well, I'd have to be a special kind of stupid not to have figured that out," she said sarcastically.

"If he takes the deal," Nicholas continued, "there'll be a nice public execution to attend. If he doesn't take the deal, Khivar still wants him dead."

Lonni nodded, "I can arrange that. What's in it for me?"

Nicholas smiled. Lonni was trying to make a deal. She didn't remember anything useful from her other life. "Passage home," he said casually. "But just you. The freak with the mohawk stays here."

Lonni hesitated for only a second. Since she had remembered her real love Khivar, she had known that her relationship with Rath was only a temporary diversion, and now it looked like Rath’s time was up. "Yeah, I can live with that. See you at the summit."

"What a woman." Nicholas smiled. He wondered if Khivar would let him keep her if he did bring her back to Antar. Khivar would have Isabel, and that would leave the feisty Lonni for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lonni stopped around the corner and took a surreptitious look back at the diminutive Nicholas. The Granolith, always the Granolith, she thought. Nicholas seemed to be awfully focused on an item he described as a piece of junk. And in the conference, she had been surprised that the leaders of the other worlds had been interested in the Granolith too.

When she and Rath had brought Max and Tess back to New York, Lonni had questioned Nicholas about the Granolith. He had told her it was a religious icon that had been in her family for years and that's why he thought she would know where it was. But she hadn’t believed him and pressed for more information. It was then that the heat of desire had lit Nicholas' eyes, and Lonni had bargained for the truth about the Granolith with a promise of future favors and one searing kiss.

Nicholas had then admitted the Granolith did have one other purpose. It was capable of faster-than-light travel, and when it was attached to the propulsion unit of his ship, it would allow them to return to Antar in a matter of days, instead of years. The trip would use up all of the Granolith's energy, but the people of Antar thought of it as some kind of holy grail and Khivar was eager to have it returned. "Because as the infamous Karl Marx once said," Nicholas had quoted, "religion is the opiate of the masses."

It could be a religious icon, Lonni supposed, that would explain everyone's interest, but she suspected it was much, much more. Max had it, and Nicholas wanted it, badly. If she could get her hands on it, she could bargain for a trip home and everything else she desired.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max and Tess exited the building and Max talked through his misgivings about Khivar's offer. "Cut a deal with Nicholas? I don't trust him any more than I can throw him."

"You could throw him pretty far," Tess added.

Max ignored her inane comment and continued, "Then there's Lonni and Rath. It's hard to believe they have the same DNA of Michael and Isabel."

"For what it's worth," Tess said, trying to be helpful, "I don't trust them."

"And then there's this whole thing about the Granolith..."

Tess interrupted him, "Why did you lie to Lonni and Rath about the Granolith, anyway?"

Max shook his head, not sure how to explain it to her, "There was something Liz said, just before we left. She told me the Granolith could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands."

"How does she know that?" Tess exclaimed unbelievingly.

"She wouldn't say," Max said.

"But she's never even seen the Granolith." Tess shook her head. She had thought Liz was out of their lives finally, but she kept showing up again and again.

"I know. I know," Max agreed. "But I just keep thinking about it. The way she said it. She seemed so sure. I just don't know what to do."

Tess changed the subject away from Liz. "Whatever you do, it'll be the right choice. I'm sure of it."

Max looked at her in surprise, "Why?"

"Because despite whatever Nicholas said about you in there, I know that you were a great man in that other life, a great King," Tess explained. "I know it in my bones."

Max studied Tess. He was glad they had come to a non-verbal understanding of sorts. He would accept her as a friend and she would act like one instead of always throwing herself at him. "All you've ever done, is trust me, been there for me, whenever I needed you. I've never done anything to deserve that kind of loyalty."

Tess smiled, "I think in that other life, you must have been one great husband."

Max smiled back, accepting the compliment in the spirit in which Tess had offered it and Tess relaxed even more. Liz had been right about the way to win Max's friendship. It would take time but he was accepting her more each day.

And when Max held out his arm to escort her back inside Tess felt as if he had offered her his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Café)

Isabel slammed her hands down on the table in frustration, "Damn it! It's not working. I can't reach him."

"Yeah, but you gotta try again," Michael said.

Isabel shook her head, "Won't do any good. He's not hearing me."

"Okay, so um, what's plan 'B'?" Liz asked.

"There isn't one," Isabel said with finality.

Ava had watched Isabel's repeated attempts to contact Max with growing concern. If they didn't get through to him soon it could cost him his life. Suddenly an idea occurred to her. The connection Max had created with Liz could save him. She stood up, grabbed a chair and walked toward them, "Liz can do it."

"What?" Isabel asked.

"What are you talking about?" Liz gasped.

"Max brought you back from the dead," Ava explained briefly, pushing Liz down into the chair. "You've been changed."

"What do you mean by changed?" Liz asked, suddenly alarmed.

Ava shook her head, "Look, there ain't enough time to explain. You just gotta trust me here. If Max brought you back, then, you're different now."

Isabel reached out to Liz, "Liz, take my hand."

Liz sat with her hands in her lap. There were so many emotions rushing through her that she couldn't separate them, but looming above all the others was fear. Max had changed her when he healed her. What did that mean? Was she becoming a more advanced human or an alien or maybe something in-between?

But it wasn't the change that scared her the most. Something deep inside her worried if she was able to connect with Max, she would never be able to give him up. It was as if he would become a part of her that she could never escape. A few months ago she would have welcomed being that close to him, but now with what she knew about the future, she couldn't let it happen. She wasn't strong enough to give Max up again.

Also Liz was worried about what Isabel might see when they were connected. If Isabel discovered the visit from the other Max it might ruin everything she had worked so hard to do.

Liz's inner agony was evident in her voice, "I don't know why, but I'm really scared to do this. You know, if you can't contact him what makes you think I can?"

"I know my brother," Isabel said, "and I know that if there is one voice he will hear no matter where he is, no matter what he's doing, it's yours." She could see the fear and pain in Liz's face and she was sorry to cause her more, but this was their only option and Isabel steeled herself. "Take my hand, Liz."

Isabel's words offered Liz no comfort. Instead they reinforced her fears. But how could she refuse to help? Max's life hung in the balance and that was the only thing that mattered. She would have to deal with the rest later. Pushing her fears away, Liz reached out to Isabel and as they touched hands, she closed her eyes.

As they connected, Isabel waited for the rush of images she usually received, but strangely there was nothing. It was as if Liz were desperately trying to stop her from seeing into her memory. Isabel was curious as to the reason Liz would try so hard to keep her out, but figured she simply wanted her privacy.

Where her hand touched Liz's, Isabel was also surprised to feel intermittent surges of power. Ava said Liz was changed but Isabel hadn't really believed her, she was simply desperate to try anything. Now she could see Ava was right.

To Liz, the connection with Isabel seemed different than the one she had with Max, but, she reasoned, it was probably because she and Max left themselves completely open to one another. With Isabel, Liz was working hard to keep her out of her mind.

Liz concentrated on relaxing and she could feel Isabel's presence guiding her into another state of consciousness. It should have been strange, but Liz found it somewhat familiar. It felt as if they were floating through time and space, the only thing anchoring them, was each other. Soft, white fog surrounded them, swirling and ebbing in a current Liz couldn't see, and there was a feeling of tremendous speed.

Isabel concentrated on finding Max, reaching out for the part of him that was uniquely Max. Being connected with Liz allowed her go farther than she had before, but suddenly it was as if she had no control. Then she realized with surprise that Liz was leading her. She felt Liz soar ahead of her and knew instinctively that Liz was honing in on Max.

Suddenly Liz knew exactly where Max was and reached out to him.

Isabel opened her eyes. Liz had surpassed her limits and no longer needed her guidance. Isabel knew Liz could find Max. She just hoped she got to him in time.

The fog before Liz thinned and she found herself on an unfamiliar street. She looked around quickly, trying to get her bearings and then she saw Max. He was with Tess, Lonni and Rath, and Liz watched in horror as Rath grabbed Tess from behind, and Lonni raised her arm to drop a scaffold on Max.

"Max look out! Behind you!" Liz yelled, but Max couldn't hear her. She tried to go to him but for some reason, she couldn't move. Becoming more desperate with each moment, she started motioning frantically, and finally caught his eye.

She made wild gestures with her arms as she yelled, "Hurry, Max! Run!" Each motion made her feel more and more exhausted but she struggled to push past it, watching as a confused Max took one step toward her and then another. The fog swirled thickly around her again and started to obscure her view of Max. Suddenly the scaffold fell and Liz screamed, but she saw it hit the ground safely behind him before she lost the connection with him.

It felt like she fell back into her body, hitting the cushioned surface of the chair beneath her hard. She was exhausted and the pull of sleep beckoned and she felt herself sliding out of the chair.

Someone caught her and then there were raised voices and someone was shaking her. Liz opened her eyes to find Michael cradling her on the floor.

"Liz, are you okay?" Michael asked.

She nodded, still feeling somewhat disconnected, "Yeah."

"What happened?" Isabel asked. "You screamed. Is Max okay?"

Liz released a sigh and smiled, "Yeah. I got there just in time."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(New York, NY)

Lonni watched as Max stepped out from under the scaffold just as it crashed, missing him by inches. She quickly used her powers to change her appearance and rushed away to meet Rath.

Now that the attempt on Max's life had failed, he would know they were not his allies and they had to resort to her plan 'B.'

Lonni entered the building where the summit had been held and descended into the basement. She had intended getting information out of Tess even if Max had died, but now Tess would be part of the plan.

When Lonni appeared, Tess started toward her, only to be stopped by Rath's hand on her shoulder. "Is Max...” Tess gasped, “Is he dead?"

Lonni smiled at the smaller girl, "Of course not."

Tess shook her head, "But I saw you. You tried to kill him."

"No," said Lonni smoothly. "We only distracted him so we could talk to you, in private."

"What do you want?" Tess asked breathlessly, remembering the torture she had received from Congresswoman Whitaker.

"First," Lonni said, approaching her, "I want to show something to you."

Tess shook her head and backed away, but Rath grabbed her from behind and pushed her down into a chair.

Lonni knelt down before Tess. "My powers are the same as Isabel's, so you know I don't have the ability to put images in you head, like you do."

Tess nodded, agreeing.

"I just want to show you what I remember about our life on Antar," Lonni explained, holding out her hand.

"Why?" Tess asked.

Lonni cocked her head to the side, "Don't you want to know the truth about Ava and Zan?"

Tess studied Lonni briefly. She didn't know what Lonni had in mind, but she was frustrated because no matter how hard she had tried over the years, she hadn’t been able to recover more than a few vague memories. She was desperate to remember her other life, and making up her mind suddenly, took Lonni's hand.

The connection started immediately and Tess watched her former self through Lonni's memories. At first, the memories were disjointed, a series of still images, but then they started to flow through her mind, faster and faster until she couldn't distinguish one image from another. It was like watching a movie in extreme fast forward, but she was still able to understand what was happening.

Tess had gotten vague images of her other life but they were nothing compared to Lonni's memories. The images were so vivid, so alive, and Tess had no doubt they were the truth. The pictures slammed into her, assaulting her, and she was unable to stop them. Even when the terrible truth started to unravel and Tess desperately tried to sever the connection, the images still came.

"NOOOOO!" Tess cried. "No, it can't be."

The memories become more sporadic and Tess could see that Lonni didn't know the whole story of what had happened but what she did know was enough. "No. No. No. No." Tess repeated, shaking her head, as if the action would somehow rewrite the past.

Lonni broke the connection and looked into Tess' eyes. "So little Queen," she sneered, "either you help us or we will simply go to Max with what we know."

Tess sagged, defeated and shook her head, "You can't tell him."

Lonni smiled, "We both want the same thing. We want to go home, and with your help not only will we go home but we will go in style. If you help us, Max will never have to know the truth and you two can live on Antar a happy little husband and wife."

Tess considered her options. Briefly she thought about going to Max and telling him the truth but she knew he would turn against her. The other choice was joining with Lonni and Rath and possibly getting everything she had ever wanted. It didn't take long for her to make up her mind. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

Lonni smiled, "First, I want the Granolith..."

Lonni was cut off as Rath suddenly burst into the room and Tess noted vaguely that she hadn't seen him leave.

"We've gotta go," Rath said. "Max is almost here."

Lonni handed Tess a cell phone, "I'll call you later and we can talk about the details."

Tess nodded and started to rise but Lonni grabbed her.

"Listen to me, Tess. Don't screw with us. I would hate to have to tell my brother what really happened."

Tess stood and watched distractedly as Lonni and Rath ran out a door in the rear. She stuffed the cell phone in her pocket and started up the stairs. She had just reached the middle of the room when the full weight of the truth came crashing down on her. And swaying slightly, her knees collapsed and she hit the floor hard.

Tess didn't want to believe what Lonni had shown her but she knew it was true. Lonni's memories explained some of the fragmented images in Tess' head, giving meaning to things Tess had been unable to decipher. It also explained why she hadn't made greater progress on her memory recovery, because somehow, deep inside, she knew that she didn't want to remember the truth. And suddenly some of Tess' own memories started to come forward. They were just snatches of conversations and situations but they confirmed everything Lonni had shown her.

Tess wanted to cry. If the truth were revealed to Max, he would turn from her forever. But she loved him desperately and she would do anything to keep him.

She had never felt so scared and alone in her life. She had just started to make friends, a home. What would happen to her if the truth were discovered?

"Tess!"

Suddenly she heard Max calling her name and knew she had only moments to concoct a plausible story. She crossed her legs and extended her arms, releasing a tension-filled breath as Kyle had taught her. Then she tried to concentrate on clearing and calming her mind, reminding herself that Max didn't know the truth and she would make sure he never found out.

"Tess!"

Max's voice was closer this time and Tess pushed the memory of the past few minutes to the back of her mind, letting her body relax completely.

"Tess! Tess!" Max cried as he entered the room and saw her sitting on the floor. He ran to her, falling to his knees before her and took her face in his hands, desperate to see if she was alive, "Tess, are you all right?"

Tess opened her eyes and answered honestly, "I don't know."

"What happened?" Max asked anxiously.

"They tried to get inside my head," she said truthfully and then quickly added, "to find out where the Granolith is. I, I didn't want them to, so I fought back."

"How?" Max asked.

Tess was so thrilled Max was worried about her, that she couldn't think fast enough to make up an answer, "I, I don't know."

Max looked around, "Where are they?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

Max helped her to her feet, but she was shaky and he grabbed her by the shoulders, concerned that Lonni and Rath might have injured her in some way. "Tess. Tess, are you all right?"

With everything that had happened, she suddenly needed to be comforted and she craved her own room and her own things. "I'm ready to go home now."

She could see Max misinterpreted her statement and clarified with a sigh, "Home to Roswell."

It was evident to Max that Tess was still shaky, and he pulled her into a concerned embrace, "Okay."

The pleasure of being in Max's arms, pushed Tess’ recent discoveries aside and she leaned into him. She loved him more at that moment than she ever had, and she vowed she would do anything to make him hers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lonni and Rath watched from the shadows as Max and Tess left, arm in arm. When they were out of sight Lonni turned to Rath, "Ain't that sweet?"

Rath simply laughed. "Okay so when do we contact her?"

"We'll give her a day or two to settle in and worry about things and then we'll show up on her doorstep and give her a surprise."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:25 am

PART 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Friday, November 24th, 2000)

Max had taken the remaining eight dollars out of his pocket and pooled it with the six ones Tess had left, and used his powers to change the bills to hundreds. Then he had altered their IDs giving them new names and making them both in their twenties.

The agent at the counter had not even looked at them oddly when they bought the tickets and now they were on the plane heading for home.

Max looked out the window as Tess snuggled into his side. It had been a weird couple of days but finally it was over. He turned to look at Tess. She just hadn't seemed to be herself since he had found her and he was worried about what had happened to her. "Tess, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Tess said, smiling up at him. "I'm fine."

"Do you remember anything else about what happened back there?" he asked.

Tess shook her head, hoping to put an end to the subject. "No, but I remember that I saw Lonni try to kill you. How did you get away?"

"It was the strangest thing," Max said with a distant look in his eye and a smile. "I had a vision of Liz."

"Liz?" Tess asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he continued, turning to look out the window, as he remembered. "I could see her and she was obviously yelling but I couldn't hear what she was saying. But I could tell that she was frantic about something. I walked toward her and then the scaffold crashed down barely missing me." He turned to look at Tess, "I don't know how Liz knew I was in danger but she saved my life."

"I'm sure it wasn't really Liz," Tess scoffed. "I mean, how could it be?"

Max shook his head, "I don't know. It was similar to when Isabel dream-walked me but I was awake and I didn't see Liz in my head, she was right in front of me. But it was real Tess. I know it was."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(New York, NY)
(A Sidewalk Café)

Lonni slid into an empty chair at Nicholas' table. Nicholas put down his fork and used a napkin to dab his mouth. "I hope you are here with good news."

"Well Max is still alive, if that's what you mean," Lonni said.

Nicholas' eyes narrowed as he sat back, "So why are you here?"

"There has been a change of plan," Lonni explained. "Let's just say that a better opportunity presented itself. I am playing some of those cards I told you about and I think we will both be pleased with the results."

"And you want my help?" Nicholas asked.

"No," Lonni said, "I want you to back off. Max and the others know you are their enemy and if they see you they'll get suspicious."

Nicholas nodded, "What's your plan?"

Lonni smiled and leaned across the table, "I think I'll play my cards close to the chest this time, but I’ll let you know when I win the pot."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Max in the City - aka. Journey to New York)
(Saturday, November 25th, 2000)
(The Evans House)

Max pushed open the front door and let his backpack fall to the floor. He looked around the living room that he had taken for granted for so many years and sighed. It was good to be home. He had never really considered leaving Earth before but when the possibility had been raised in New York he had been frightened. Earth was home to him, this house, his family, it was the only home he knew.

He wanted to believe that his fear of leaving Earth had played no part in his decision not to take Khivar's deal, but he couldn't lie to himself. It was true he didn't trust Nicholas or Khivar and he instinctively knew there must be a downside to the deal. It was also true that he was apprehensive about handing over the Granolith to his enemies, but part of his decision had been based on the fact that he didn't want to leave Earth.

He had also been worried that Lonni had invited herself and Rath instead of Michael and Isabel, but Max was pretty sure he could have made the deal so all of them could return. But the fact was, when it came down to it, he didn't want to go to Antar because it would mean leaving his home, and Liz. Even after everything that had happened, Max couldn’t imagine not seeing Liz every day, not being in the same town, on the same planet. He loved Liz, he always would.

Max heard someone moving around in the kitchen and walked in to let his family know he was back and apologize for his behavior, but Isabel was the only one there. "Hey," Max said.

Isabel put down the glass she was holding, "You're back? What happened at the summit?"

"Well," Max explained, "Nicholas was there.”

“Nicholas?”

Max nodded, “He was representing Khivar at the summit.”

“What about the other skins? Walt? Ida?”

“I don’t know,” Max said with a shrug. “Nicholas is the only one I saw. It did seem odd that no one else was with him, no guards, no entourage, and I wondered if Nicholas was the only one who survived Tess’ fireball.”

Isabel nodded and Max continued, “Nicholas told us about a deal Khivar was offering to me. He said the four of us could return to Antar if I got my supporters to stop fighting Khivar and let him rule. He also wanted the Granolith."

"Why?" Isabel asked. "Did you find out what it is?"

Max shook his head, "I don't know. Lonni told me it's a religious icon our people worship, but I think it has to be a lot more."

Isabel nodded, "So when you said the four of us could go to Antar..."

"Yeah," Max interrupted her. "The invitation was issued to Lonni, Rath, Tess and I."

"If you took the deal you were just going to leave me and Michael here?" asked Isabel.

Max shook his head, "Of course not, but that was one of several reasons I said no."

"So in the end, what made you decide not to take the deal?" Isabel asked.

"I was going to," Max admitted. "I was gonna take the chance that, that Nicholas was telling the truth." Max paused and looked at his sister. They had both said some terrible things and he wanted to reassure her that things hadn't changed between them, even if it wasn't the whole truth behind his decision. "But in the end, I realized that, that any deal which meant leaving you and Michael behind was something I couldn't do. You're my sister, Isabel. Isabel, Vilondra, whatever your name is, it doesn't matter to me. You're my sister, and I love you, and that comes first. Always."

Isabel hugged Max and accepted his apology, "Thank you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crashdown Cafe)

As Ava packed her few belongings, she told Liz what she knew. "Our protector told us that if we brought a human back it would change them. And when you told me about your connection with Max, I knew it was true."

"That's how you knew I could contact him?" Liz asked.

"I really didn't know," Ava admitted, "but with a connection like you told me about, I thought there was a good chance."

"So you don't know what kind of powers I will get or even if I will get any."

Ava stuffed the last shirt into her bag, "No. Your guess is as good as mine."

Liz followed Ava down the stairs to the door, "Are you sure you have to leave?"

Ava smiled. She'd never had a close friend and she didn't want to leave. Liz had been so kind to her but she couldn't stay. "Yeah. I don't really belong here."

"Sure you do," Liz assured her.

Ava shook her head, "Thanks, but I gotta go. I gotta figure out what I wanta do with my life."

"Okay." Liz smiled, "Good-bye. Good luck, okay?"

"Thanks. You, too," Ava said.

Liz reached out and hugged Ava.

At first Ava was surprised but after a moment she hugged Liz back. "So cornball," she teased as they parted.

Liz laughed, "Okay."

Ava waved to her new friend and then went out the door to head toward the bus station.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max climbed the ladder to Liz's balcony apprehensively. After the way they had parted he didn't know how she would greet him or if she would even talk to him. And he had to admit, he deserved her anger. He had acted like a complete jerk when she had tried to warn him about the Granolith.

He had been so hurt by her betrayal that he had lashed out at her and said the most hurtful thing he could think of, and then dismissed her warning about the Granolith until it was almost too late. He hated himself for saying those things to her but the thing bothering him the most was the fact that she had been right. Somehow Liz knew more about the Granolith than he and the other aliens did, and he needed to find out how.

Liz had told him that she couldn't say how she knew about the Granolith but Max felt it was somehow connected to her sleeping with Kyle. That was when she had started acting strangely and when she had started keeping things from him, lying to him. Liz, Kyle and the Granolith were somehow all connected. Something had happened and he wanted to get to the truth. But he also respected and trusted Liz enough to know if she said she couldn't tell him then there must be a good reason. Liz had betrayed him or appeared to, but Max had started to wonder if she had done it because she felt she had to. Something wasn't right, Max could feel it but he didn't have the slightest clue as to what it was.

Max crossed to the window and saw Liz inside and took a deep breath to gather his courage before he knocked. He tapped softly on the glass and immediately Liz turned toward him. For a moment he saw a look of fear and surprise cross her face but it was quickly replaced by a shy smile. Max released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Liz was glad to see him and his heart soared.

Liz had wondered what would happen between herself and Max the next time she saw him and she had simply hoped that her saving his life would allow them to be friends again. But seeing him so soon filled her with expectations. She crossed to the window and raised it, silently inviting Max to enter.

"Hi," Max greeted as he climbed in through the window.

"It's good to see you back safe," Liz said.

"I have you to thank for that," Max nodded. "I'm just not sure how you did it."

"Neither am I," Liz admitted.

"Isabel told me what Ava said," he motioned nervously toward her, "about how my healing you changed you somehow."

"Yeah," Liz said, as she turned toward the mirror, "I keep looking for some sort of change."

Max walked up behind her. "You mean like..." he raised two fingers up above her head mimicking antennae.

Liz laughed, "Yeah. Something like that." She looked over her shoulder in the mirror and a warm feeling of happiness and peace settled on her to see Max enjoying himself again. It had been so long since she had seen him smile, ever since he had seen her with Kyle. She let her thoughts trail off and concentrated on him, "It's nice to see you smile again."

Max became suddenly serious and waited for Liz to face him, "I want to thank you for saving my life."

Liz shrugged, "I guess that makes us even." She lowered her eyes still feeling guilty. She didn't want Max to thank her, she felt like it was her fault for his being in danger in the first place. If she hadn't pretended to sleep with Kyle maybe Max wouldn't have gone to New York in the first place.

Max could see something was upsetting Liz but he continued anyway. "And, I'd like to, start again."

Liz felt the hope rise up within her at his words. Maybe Max wanted to get back together, she thought, he wanted to give their relationship another chance.

Max continued, "Our friendship, that is. I mean, I miss it."

Liz nodded sadly, Max's words killing her hopes. She couldn’t have allowed a romantic relationship to start between them again, but for a moment she had forgotten. "Yeah," she said quickly, trying to cover her disappointment. "Um, I miss it, too."

Max smiled. He was sure he saw disappointment in Liz's face when he said he wanted to be friends. No matter what Liz had done to push him away, she still loved him. And it gave him the first hope he'd had since he'd seen her with Kyle.

He turned to leave but Liz's reaction made him bold and he had to ask the question that had been uppermost in his mind for weeks. He had asked her before, but for some reason he just didn't believe Liz's answer. Max took a deep breath, "There's just one thing I have to say. One thing I have to ask. And, I promise I'll never ask it again."

"Yeah?" Liz asked apprehensively. "Go ahead."

Max looked Liz in the eyes, eager to catch every emotion. "Did you, sleep with Kyle?" he asked breathlessly.

Liz felt the instant prick of tears in her eyes as Max held her gaze. She couldn't believe Max was asking her again. He just wouldn't let it go. Liz knew Max must still love her to keep after her so relentlessly but the knowledge gave her no joy. As tempting as it was to tell him the truth and end the hurt, she couldn't do it. She would have to live with the secret of what had really happened, the rest of her life.

Liz opened her mouth to lie to Max again but the words wouldn't come. She couldn't bear to say them again and her eyes never leaving his, she forced herself to nod.

Before Max had asked the question, he had known what the answer would be but he had allowed himself to briefly hope Liz would say no. He had promised Liz he wouldn't ask again and he intended to keep his promise. He just hoped that one day Liz would tell him the whole truth about what had really happened. "Okay," he said as he nodded sadly and forced out a brief smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Max crossed the roof without looking back, he had too much on his mind. He wanted Liz back but he knew he would have to work slowly. She had made it clear that she didn't want a romantic relationship, even to the point of sleeping with another man, but that didn't matter to Max. He knew she had done it because she felt she had to. But no matter what had happened, he still loved her and he would get her back. Today he had laid the groundwork to renew his friendship with Liz and eventually he would make her his again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Evans House)

"So Ava said that Liz would develop powers because Max healed her?" Tess asked Isabel incredulously.

"Not exactly," Isabel said. "She just said that Liz was changed."

"But Liz is getting powers?" Tess asked.

Isabel nodded, "Yeah, she is. I could feel it when we connected and she was able to contact Max without me, I just got her started. She has some kind of bond with Max, maybe because he healed her, or maybe just because they love each other."

A hundred questions flew through Tess' mind. What kind of powers would Liz develop? If she could get into Max's head from across the country, then what could she do to people close to her? If Liz found out the truth about what had happened on Antar she would surely tell Max, and Tess couldn't let that happen.

Isabel broke off when she noticed Tess' scowl. "What?"

Tess shook her head, "I just wonder what kind of powers Liz will get, that's all."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess waited behind the Crashdown in the dark alley, knowing Liz would soon bring out the trash. The fact that Liz was developing powers complicated things, but it was easily fixed.

As the back door opened and Liz appeared, Tess stepped out from behind the dumpster, "Hi, Liz."

Liz jumped at the sound of her voice and Tess smiled.

"Oh," Liz gasped, "Tess, you startled me."

"Sorry," Tess said, "I was just out for a walk."

Liz frowned, "Do you always walk in the alleys?"

Tess shrugged, tired of the game. "Liz," she said to get the other girl's attention, and when Liz looked at her, Tess quickly closed her eyes and started the mind warp. She implanted the idea in Liz's head to discourage her from wanting to work at developing her powers, and instead work to suppress them. Tess even gave Liz the knowledge of how to control her burgeoning powers and ways to redirect the excess energy.

The whole thing took only a moment and Tess opened her eyes to see a dazed, unfocused Liz before her. Tess waved her hand in front of Liz's face. "Liz?" she asked innocently.

The motion brought Liz out of her trance and she refocused on Tess, "Oh, I'm sorry. I must be more tired than I thought. What were you saying?"

Tess shrugged, "It wasn't important. I'll see you tomorrow."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Wednesday, November 29th, 2000)
(The Valenti House)

Jim opened the door to Isabel and Michael, "Hi, what's going on?"

Isabel shrugged, "We came to see if Tess wants to go shopping with us, Sheriff Va-len-ti."

Jim nodded, glad they were finally becoming friends with Tess. He motioned inside, "You know where her room is."

Isabel smiled and she and Michael went past him and down the hall. Isabel knocked on the door and then pushed it open, without waiting for an answer.

Tess looked up from the homework she was doing, "Kyle..." but stopped when she saw who it was. "Oh, Isabel, Michael. What are you doing here?"

Isabel shut the door behind her and the illusion suddenly faded away, revealing Lonni and Rath. "We're here to start on the plan."

Tess jumped off the bed. "Are you crazy coming here like this?"

"Chill," Rath said. "We got it under control."

"What do you want?" Tess hissed.

"We need to have a little talk about what we are going to do," Lonni said.

"Well not here," Tess whispered.

Rath motioned to the door, "Let's go then."

Lonni smiled, "We told Valenti we were taking you shopping."

Lonni and Rath morphed back into their disguises and Rath opened the door, motioning to Lonni and Tess, "After you."

"Such a gentleman," Tess sneered.

They passed the Sheriff in the living room and Tess waved nervously, trying to get out of the house quickly, afraid of what Lonni and Rath might do to Jim if he became suspicious. "Um, were going out, um shopping."

Jim barely looked up from the football game he was watching, "You kids have fun."

Rath paused at the door and looked back, "Word."

The three climbed into the car and Tess immediately attacked them verbally, "What the hell do you think you're doing coming here? What if the real Isabel and Michael just happened to show up?"

Lonni laughed, "That isn't gonna happen now is it? They don't really have anything to do with you."

Tess sat back against the seat with a huff, "Still it's dangerous."

Rath drove the car into the desert just outside of town and stopped behind some rocks.

Tess exited the car and slumped down onto a near-by rock. "Okay, so what do you want?"

Rath picked up a stick and started hitting rocks out into the desert, ignoring her.

Lonni climbed onto the hood of the car. "We want Max and the Granolith."

"Why do you want Max?" Tess asked apprehensively.

Lonni rolled her eyes, "We need Max to take back to Antar, so he and Khivar can work out a deal and stop the war."

Tess shook her head, "Max won't go."

"So, you have to give him a reason to want to go," Rath said over his shoulder.

"You're his wife," Lonni mocked. "Use that as a reason to get close to him."

"But won't Khivar just kill Max?" Tess asked.

"You heard Khivar's offer at the summit," Lonni said. "It was made in front of the other families. Khivar just can't kill Max. People would know."

"And what about Michael and Isabel?" Tess asked. "There is no way he will leave them behind."

Lonni shrugged, "They don't really matter, but if Max won't leave without them then get them to come too and we'll sort it out later."

"And the Granolith?" Tess asked. "I'm not just going to hand it over to you."

Rath turned to Tess for the first time, "You'll do whatever we say, little girl, or Maxie will find out the truth."

Tess shrugged and quickly changed the subject, "What is the Granolith anyway?"

"I told you the truth before," Lonni said, repeating Nicholas' lie easily. "Our protector told us it's like a religious artifact. It has been in my family for generations. It also happens to be capable of faster than light travel and it can get us home in just a few days instead of the years it would normally take."

Tess gasped, "You mean we can go home? Today?"

"Well," Lonni admitted, "not today. See, we don't know how to use the Granolith."

"But you could just hand it over to Nicholas..." Tess started only to be cut off.

"No, we can't trust Nicholas," Lonni said with a shrug. "Besides, he might not know how to work it either. And even if he did, what would stop him from taking the Granolith and leaving us here?” She shook her head, “We need some leverage so we can make a deal."

Tess frowned, "So what do we do?"

"We need to figure out how to work the Granolith and use it to our advantage," Lonni explained. "You're sure you don't know anything about it?"

"There is a metal book written in the Antarian language that our protector, Nasedo gave us. The book tells about the Granolith, how to use it."

"Have you read it?" Lonni asked.

"No. Nasedo told me it was written in the Antarian Royal code and even he didn't know how to read it, but he said it would come back to me..." she trailed off and then finished softly, "when I regained enough of my memories."

Lonni smiled cruelly, "Those memories were taken from Rath and me so we can't read it either. I remember the language and the fact that there was a code but I can't decipher it."

Lonni thought a moment. "I've heard of supercomputers that the government uses to break other countries codes. So maybe our best option is to get someone who is good with computers to help us break the code."

Tess smiled, "I know just the person we need."

"Who's that?" Lonni asked.

"Alex," Tess said. "You met him when you were here."

"You mean Opie?" Lonni asked with a laugh. "What can he do?"

"He's a computer genius," Tess explained.

"Is he really? How convenient," Lonni said with a smile. "Now we just need to come up with a plan."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, December 3rd, 2000)
(West Roswell High School)
(Chemistry Lab)

Song Playing: Somewhere Out There by Our Lady Peace

Liz watched as Max poured the mixture into the beaker and turned on the bunsen burner. He was reading the directions aloud as he followed them, and she smiled remembering all of the other times they had worked together.

He turned to her with a smile, "Okay, we just need to bring it to a boil and then measure the precipitates."

Liz nodded and released a sigh of relief as he turned back to stir the mixture. Things were still a little strained between them but Max was really trying to put the past behind them and renew their friendship. And to see a genuine smile on his face was worth more to her than all of the money in the world.

With her eyes, Liz lovingly traced his profile of his face as he concentrated on his work. She longed to reach out and touch him, to run her fingers over his cheek and down the side of his face to his soft lips, but she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. She knew they could never be together, it just wasn't possible. But, she thought to herself, if they could be friends, it might be enough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, December 9th, 2000)
(Roswell Airport)

Maria and Liz hugged Alex one last time before he went through the airport metal detector. Only ticketed passengers were allowed past that point and they had to say their goodbyes there.

"Have a great time, Alex," Liz said.

"And don't let all of those gorgeous Swedish women make you forget your friends back here," Maria added with a wink.

Alex smiled, "No way."

"What about your host family's phone number or address?" Liz asked.

"Real mail is so slow to and from Europe that I probably wouldn't get any letters in time to answer them but e-mail is almost instantaneous." He lifted up his laptop and pointed to it with his free hand, "See, got the computer right here. And I'm also taking my cell phone so you can call and it'll be just like I never left.

He shrugged, "How great could Sweden be anyway? I'm sure it's just the same as here but with snow and lots of hot tubs and blonde beauties in bikinis as far as the eye can see." He paused in mock consideration. "Actually," he said in a teasing tone, "I may never come back."

Alex stopped just past the security check and turned to wave one more time. Then he gathered his belongings and started the long trek to the plane. "Of course," he murmured to himself, "I would be at the very last gate."

"You know," a familiar voice said to him, "talking to yourself is a sign of a demented mind."

Alex turned toward the speaker with a smile, "Isabel? How did you get here?"

Isabel smiled and leaned in close with a wave of her hand, "Just a little alien magic."

Her gaze drifted past him and he turned to see Michael coming toward them with a wheelchair. "Michael?" Alex asked, but as the other guy approached, Alex could see that he was mistaken. "Rath." Alex turned quickly back to Isabel but saw Lonni where Isabel had been. "What is going on?" he asked suspiciously, as he started to back away.

Lonni grabbed his arm in a surprisingly strong grip and held him painfully. Alex struggled against her, "What are you doing?"

"We want you to do us a favor, Opie," Lonni purred in her own voice.

"What kind of a favor?" Alex asked apprehensively.

Suddenly Tess appeared out of thin air next to Lonni, "We need you to do some computer work."

A sharp prick in the back of Alex's neck alerted him to the fact that he’d concentrated his attention in the wrong direction. He swung around and tried to call out, but Rath's hand over his mouth prevented any sound from escaping and he collapsed into Rath's arms as his strength suddenly left him. Alex struggled to keep his eyes open as he watched through an increasingly thick haze while Rath placed him into the wheel chair. They started down the corridor and Alex could hear vague pieces of the others' conversation but it made no sense to him, and after a moment he slid into unconsciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(University of Las Cruces - Dorm Room)

Tess stopped the mind warp and opened her eyes. "It's done." She glanced at Alex who was sitting on a chair in a sort of trance and turned her attention to Lonni. "I did just what you said. I made him believe that he was on a top-secret mission to translate the book. He believes he has to tell his friends and family he is in Sweden for their own safety, so the skins can't find out the truth. I told him if the book fell into the wrong hands, everyone on Earth would be killed."

She took a deep breath and continued. "He will stay in the room during the day and work from here. And when he needs to go the Computer Science building he will do it after two a.m. I also told him that we enrolled him as Ray White and to interact with as few people as possible. Oh, and I gave him a craving for Thai food, like you said."

"Good," Lonni said. "That Thai place is the only place around here that delivers to the dorms besides pizza and I certainly don't want to spend my time cooking for him."

"Yeah and that pizza place sucks," Rath said.

Lonni nodded and motioned to the blonde girl laying on the floor unconscious, "And Leanna?"

Tess nodded. "I have made her believe she wants to go home for the next semester, to take a break from school. And if she gets the urge to come back to school, I gave her a compulsion to call me first. So you can take her place, move right into her dorm room and stay close to Alex."

Lonni nodded again. She had chosen Leanna because she was about the same height, build and coloring as Isabel, who Lonni would be impersonating to keep Alex in line. It would only require a small amount of power to make herself appear to be Leanna when she needed to be the other girl and no one would question her presence on campus.

"So," Tess asked, "what is Rath going to do?"

"He'll stay here with Alex and do whatever needs doing," Lonni said with a shrug and then elaborated. "One thing he's going to do is get books on Sweden and make the stupid slides of Alex's trip. You said everyone would expect him to take dozens of slides so we have to provide slides to make this believable. And when this is over, you will simply erase all of the memories of translating the book out of his head and give him the memories of actually having been in Sweden, so we have to do some research to make it authentic."

Tess nodded.

"How long will this mind warp work?" Rath asked Tess.

"I don't know exactly," Tess admitted.

"Well you'd better make sure it's long enough," Rath growled. "This had better not get screwed up because you can't control your powers."

"Chill," Lonni soothed him, running her hand down his arm. "Tess is going to come down here once a week and make sure everything is running smoothly. Aren't you?" Lonni asked, turning her glance to the smaller girl.

"Once a week?" Tess asked. "I don't know if I can get away that often."

"You'd better find a way," Lonni's voice rose slightly, "or I don't need to tell you what will happen."

Tess nodded, resigned to the deal she had been forced to make.

"And I want you to keep in touch," Lonni said with a softer tone and a smile. "I want to know everything that is happening in that cute little town of yours. I want to know everything about what Max and the others are doing. Anything could be important to us, so keep your eyes open." Lonni handed Tess a slip of paper, "Here is my cell phone number. You will call me every day at midnight, to report," she ordered, "but if anything important happens don't wait, call immediately."

Tess glanced at Alex. "What about if his friends try to call him in ‘Sweden’?"

"No, that's not a problem," Lonni said. "I had Rath go to the high school and the Whitman's house and change the contact number for the family he was suppose to stay with, to a cell phone I set up."

"So they won't be calling Sweden," Tess said, "they will be calling here." She nodded, "But what about the mail?"

"Do you ever stop nagging? We aren't stupid you know." Lonni sighed, "We changed the mailing address when we changed the telephone number. We set it up so all the mail would go to a post office box in Sweden and once a week it will be gathered and sent here. The mail is so slow between here and there that no one will notice, even if they are stupid enough to send mail. Why would anyone send real mail anyway? E-mail is so much faster."

"But the mail will have the wrong post marks, when it is sent from here," Tess pointed out. "Someone might notice that."

Lonni looked at her like she had lost her mind and suddenly the solution came to Tess, "Oh! You can fix it with your powers."

Lonni continued before Tess could ask, "We also contacted the real Olsen's in Sweden, pretending we were the student exchange program and told them Alex had gotten ill and was not able to come, but they would be put back on the list and hopefully get another student real soon."

Tess nodded. “So the school still thinks Alex is going to Sweden.”

Lonni nodded and motioned to Alex, "Can we question him now?"

"Yeah," Tess said. "Just snap your fingers a couple of times and he'll come out of it."

Lonni morphed into Isabel's form and snapped her fingers directly in front of Alex's face, "Alex."

He immediately focused on her, "Huh? What did you say Isabel?"

The faux Isabel smiled, "I just asked if you could tell me how long the translation will take?"

Alex shook his head. "I'll have to write a sub-routine to get the computer to work on it at night and early morning when no one else is around. That will take a few days. And then I will have to see how quickly the computer works to give you an accurate estimate."

Lonni was becoming impatient but she determinedly kept her cool, "So when can you give us an estimate?"

Alex shrugged, "In a week or so, I think."

Lonni sighed, "What about a guess now?"

Alex thought for a moment, "It's a good thing you remembered the base language because without the language and it being in code, the translation could theoretically have taken years to complete." He shrugged, "But hopefully it will only take a couple of months."

"But Alex, you are only here for a little over a month?" Lonni reminded him. "What if the translation isn't finished by then?"

"No problem," Alex assured her. "I can set the program to work without me and e-mail the results to us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Saturday, December 16th, 2000)
(Liz’ Room)

Liz ran her fingers over the letters engraved on the knife. Max had given it back to her because he said he needed to make a clean break from her, and maybe it was easier that way for both of them. But Liz had hoped that Max loved her enough to want to keep it as a memento.

She sighed and replaced the knife into its box. There was no use dwelling on things she couldn't change. She was just grateful that Max wanted to be friends. Liz put the box into the drawer of her dresser next to the pictures of Max, and pushed the thoughts of what could have been to the back of her mind.

Liz smiled. There were more immediate concerns, like what she was going to get her friend Max for Christmas.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Roswell the Miracle - aka. A Roswell Christmas Carol)
(Thursday, December 21st, 2000)
(University of Las Cruces – dorm room)

Alex groggily put his hand to his head, attempting to dull the throbbing pain. He realized that he was sitting in a chair but couldn't remember where he was and slowly opened his eyes. The bright screen of his laptop was before him but the other surroundings were unfamiliar. He quickly looked around the room, taking in the table and chair, a small bed and kitchen in the corner. His first thought was that he was in an apartment of some kind, then he remembered seeing Isabel and Michael at the airport.

But it hadn't been Isabel or Michael it had been Lonni and Rath and they had done something to him, drugged him. Alex rubbed his eyes trying to remember anything else, but it was all just a blank. His brain was fuzzy but he forced himself to put together the pieces of what he knew. Lonni and Rath and Tess, or had it been Ava, had taken him from the airport and brought him to this place. But why?

Vaguely he wondered how long he had been gone and if the others had missed him yet, then he remembered he had been leaving for Sweden. No one would realize he was gone right away but when he didn't show up in Sweden surely someone would report him missing.

He reached out to the touch pad on his computer and moved the pointer to the bottom of the screen to see the date, but recoiled in surprise when it was revealed. December twenty-first? The date couldn't possibly be right. That would mean he had been gone for almost two weeks.

Alex attempted to get out of the chair but his legs gave out and he fell heavily to the floor.

"Where'd you think you're going?" asked a male voice, with an unmistakable New York accent.

Alex craned his head to see Rath rising from the sofa. He hadn't seen him before because Rath had been seated directly behind him. Alex attempted to scramble away from Rath but the larger boy subdued him easily with a firm grip, and forced him back into the chair.

"Where are we? What am I doing here?" Alex asked.

"So you're coming out of it, huh?" Rath asked.

"Out of what?" Alex asked, getting angry. "What's going on?"

Rath chuckled, "Chill. You just volunteered to help me and Lonni on a little project we're doing."

Alex shook his head, "I don't remember that."

"Oh sure," Rath assured him. "We needed some help with the computer and since you are so good with them..."

Alex cut him off, "But you drugged me at the airport."

Suddenly the door opened and Alex launched himself toward the escape route but was stopped as two people came through. Lonni used her powers to propel Alex back into the room and instantly Rath was on him. Alex struggled but it was no use and suddenly Tess was before him.

"Tess what is going on?" Alex asked. "What are you doing with them?"

"It's about time you two showed up," Rath said.

Tess ignored Alex and spoke to Lonni and Rath. "He's breaking out of the mind warp sooner every time," she admitted, "but I'm afraid if I give him a stronger dose, it might damage his mind."

"Well, you'll have to come down more often," Lonni said.

"How am I going to do that?" Tess asked. "What if they notice I’m gone a lot? What if they get suspicious?"

Lonni laughed, "I bet no one even notices you are gone." She moved in close behind Tess and pulled one of her blonde curls through her fingers as she spoke softly into her ear. "I bet no one notices you at all. But help us get this book translated and the whole of Antar will fall to their knees before you. Queen Tess the savior of Antar." Lonni suddenly released Tess' hair with a shrug, "And if anyone does notice you’re gone just tell them you’re shopping."

Alex listened to their conversation but most of it didn't make any sense to him. Apparently Tess had struck a bargain to help Lonni and Rath, and mind warping him was a part of it.

"Tess," he said, to get her attention, "I don't know what you're doing but there's still time to reconsider. Just go to Max and Isabel and tell them the truth. They'll understand, they'll help."

Tess looked at Alex for the first time and shook her head, "No one will help either of us." Then she closed her eyes and started the mind warp.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess stopped her car in the Valenti's driveway and released a heavy sigh. She didn't like helping Lonni and Rath but she didn't have any other choice. If she didn't do what they said, they would ruin everything between herself and Max. Besides, she wanted to go home just as badly as they did and it was apparent Max was in no hurry to return.

She felt badly about using Alex, remembering his plea for help but pushed it to the back of her mind. Alex wasn't important. He would go home when it was over and wouldn't remember anything that had happened. The only thing that mattered was getting home and being with Max.

Tess got out of the car with the bags of stuff she had quickly purchased to make her story of Christmas shopping more believable and headed for the door.

There were some ways she envied Alex. He had a home, a family, friends, people who loved him, and she didn't have any of that. She didn't remember her real family other than Max, Isabel and Michael and they didn't really want to have anything to do with her.

The closest thing to a family she had on Earth, was the Valentis.

She pushed open the door, dropped her bags on the floor and plopped down onto the ottoman, ready with her cover story. "It is a zoo out there. God, every store is packed with desperate people trying to find the perfect present. Oh, and the streets are loaded with overzealous people singing. And then, there's all these insane people dragging Christmas trees on top of their cars."

"Whoo!! Oh!!" the Sheriff and Kyle cheered.

Tess was confused by their reaction, but suddenly the lack of Christmas decorations struck her, "But clearly you guys don't bother with Christmas trees."

"We've got ours out in the garage," Kyle said, "Plastic."

"Oh," Tess said, disappointed. "Oh, well I guess there's no hurry to bring it into the house then."

"Well actually," the Sheriff said, "we haven't brought it in for a few years."

"We like it in the garage," Kyle agreed. "I use it to dry my socks."

"Good!" the Sheriff exclaimed, "Second down. Second down, here we go. Come on. Come on. Visualize."

"Oh, and about Christmas dinner," Tess started expectantly, "I hope you guys aren't planning some big..."

Kyle cut her off, "We usually hit the Crashdown for turkey."

"Seven ninety-five, all-you-can-eat," the Sheriff said.

Tess smiled to cover her disappointment, "Great. You know, I don't celebrate Christmas anyway." She gathered her bags and headed to her room. Nasedo had taught her not to care about her human side and they had never celebrated Christmas. But for some reason, the holiday seemed important to her this year.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max had been haunted all day, by the man who had died, and the ghost's accusations were hitting too close to home. Max needed to talk to someone who could help him try and figure out what to do, and the first and only person he thought of was Liz.

He stopped the Jeep outside the Crashdown and walked toward the door but stopped when he saw Liz through the window. She had her back to him but he knew her instantly. The delicate curve of her body, the dark sweep of her hair; every detail about her was indelibly etched into his memory. He would know her anywhere.

He had come to her because he knew Liz would help him. She kept him anchored and gave him strength, and together he knew they would find the solution. Together nothing could stop them.

Max took a step toward the window and Liz instantly turned around, as if she had known he was there.

Liz had been attempting to balance the register for the evening when suddenly she knew Max was behind her. She turned, a smile of greeting lighting her face but it was almost immediately replaced by a look of concern when she saw the serious expression on Max's face.

Liz met him at the door and pushed it open. Max didn't quite know how to tell her what had been happening and he started shakily, "You know how we said that we were going to try to be friends?"

"Yeah," Liz agreed. This was the first time Max had approached her alone, and away from school. It made her think back to last year when they were first getting together and he had come by the Crashdown all the time.

"I think I need a friend," Max said.

"Oh," Liz said, realizing she had misinterpreted his reason for coming. She studied his face and noticed for the first time how unsettled he seemed. Something was wrong. "Oh. Okay," she said, stepping back to allow him to enter. "Come on in."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Roswell the Miracle - aka. A Roswell Christmas Carol)
(Friday, December 22nd, 2000)

Tess had noticed the chemistry between the Sheriff and Amy DeLuca almost immediately and an idea had been forming in her mind since then. Just once she decided that she wanted to be a part of a real family and she wanted to do something nice for Kyle and the Sheriff for accepting her into their home.

She reread the note she had written with a smile. It was perfect. She would just deliver it to Amy on her way to the grocery store tomorrow and everything would be set for the perfect Christmas.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Roswell the Miracle - aka. A Roswell Christmas Carol)
(Sunday, December 24th, 2000)

After Michael had taken him to Brody's house to see Brody with his daughter, Max had started to think about what the ghost had said to him.

It's Christmas. You should be with your loved ones.

And having seen Brody and his daughter together, Max knew he was right. But as much as he loved Isabel and Michael and his parents, they weren't the ones he wanted to be with tonight. There was one person who was always there for him, who always supported him. She was his best friend, his soul mate, and he knew he could always turn to her.

It had been Liz he had thought of when the ghost had mentioned loved ones, and despite his earlier decision not to go to midnight services, Max knew that's where he wanted to be because that was where he would find Liz.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC

roswelloracle · Post by **roswelloracle** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:11 am

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

PART 5 a

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunday, January 21st, 2001)
(University of Las Cruces)

Tess used her powers to conceal herself from the single student she encountered on her way to Alex's dorm room. It was after two a.m. and most of the tenants in the dormitory were asleep. That was the reason Lonni had made the rule that no one left or entered Alex's room except in the early hours of the morning.

Tess let herself into Alex's room and quietly closed the door behind her. "How is the translation progressing?" she asked Lonni.

Lonni shrugged, "Alex seems to be pleased with the progress. He said something about algorithms and probability." She shrugged. "All I know is that the computer still hasn't finished the decryption."

"So when will it finish?" Tess asked.

Lonni shook her head, "He doesn't know. He said it could be a week or six months."

"But he told us he would have a time estimate," Tess pointed out.

"Well he doesn't," Lonni said. "Believe me, I've tried to get a more accurate date from him but he just doesn't know."

"He’s supposed to go back to Roswell next week," Tess protested. "What are we going to do then?"

"It's like I told you before," said Lonni. "Alex will set up the computer to continue to work. He can put in a program that lets him access the computer from his house. He will set up a laptop for us, with a link to his computer and when the decryption is finally finished the computer will e-mail us the results. Then, just like we planned, you can tell Max you remember how to read the language and it's time to go home."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Tess drove back to Roswell, she considered Lonni's plan. Lonni might not think that Isabel and Michael were important, but Tess knew Khivar wanted Isabel back. She could remember pieces of the conversation she'd had with Congresswoman Whitaker the night Whitaker had kidnapped her. Whitaker had said Khivar and Vilondra were lovers and the skins were definitely expecting Isabel to return with them.

Lonni probably wanted to claim Isabel's place at Khivar's side but Tess suspected Khivar didn't want an imitation. He would want the real thing and Tess had to make sure Isabel came with them.

Tess wasn't sure about Michael however. The little she knew about him on Antar wasn't enough to make a decision concerning his importance to Khivar but she decided she had better bring him as well.

But Michael was the least of her problems. He had always wanted to find his real home and she was sure that he would jump at the opportunity to return. She just wasn't sure of what Max and Isabel would do. If they were given a choice, they might choose to stay. So as far as Tess could see, the only solution was not to give them a choice.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - To Serve & Protect)
(Friday, January 26th, 2001)
(Frazier Woods)

The Ganderium Queen used the borrowed human body of Grant Sorensen to pull the selected host through the woods in the body bag. She was glad she had gotten a strong human because the human girl was heavy and her struggling made the journey even more difficult.

She pulled the syringe out of her pocket, knelt down beside the body bag and quickly injected the host with another dose of the sedative. The burial would be easier if the host was quiet.

Dragging the now still human a few more minutes, the Queen finally reached the hole she had prepared. She unzipped the bag and rolled the limp girl out of the bag and into the hole. Then she used her connection with the hive, to signal the release of the Ganderium drones into the water table to make their way to the host.

She had chosen this spot because the underground water was close to the surface and her Ganderium drones would have easy access to the host. It would take several days for enough of the drones to reach the host and to build up the crystal concentration in the host's blood, but if it was done too quickly it would kill her. The crystal concentration had to be just right in the human's blood, or the Queen herself would not be able to successfully infect her.

The Queen put the box over the girl's head and carefully checked the air supply before sealing the box and completely covering the girl with soil. Then she scattered leaves and twigs over the area to make it impossible to distinguish from the surroundings, and with a final look around, she walked back the way she had come.

They had been forced to keep themselves hidden for so long while building up their numbers and strength enough for her to be able to leave the hive, the Queen thought to herself, but their patience would pay off in a matter of days. Soon she would be able to infect the host and then they would be able to spread themselves to every living thing on the planet, insuring their survival.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel laughed as she watched Kyle's dream end with him transforming into an alien. Why was it that people had the mental image of green, slimy aliens? Who was to say there weren't blue or orange aliens? And why the slime?

Suddenly Isabel was standing in a clearing in the woods and she felt confused and frightened. She could hear a girl screaming and looked around to find the source but all she could see were trees and blinding flashes of light. She stumbled forward toward the trees that seemed to be rushing around her, but stopped when a man came into her line of vision. At first she couldn't tell what was happening but then her vision cleared and she stared in horror at what she was witnessing. The man was dragging a body bag but the struggling person inside was obviously still alive.

Isabel jolted awake, "No!" she shouted before realizing she was safe in her room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - To Serve & Protect)
(Saturday, January 27th, 2001)
(Crashdown Café)

"It's not your home," Maria yelled after Sean as he walked out the front door.

"Did you know he was getting out?" Liz asked.

"No way," said Maria. "I would have alerted the National Guard or something." She gestured toward the door, "Shouldn't he have a police escort or one of those ankle bracelet tracker thingers."

Liz laughed, "He isn't that bad."

"Not that bad?" Maria asked. "You don't call him leading a group of hooligans to break into our school and vandalize the whole place bad?"

"Well," Liz started, "it is traditional for Goddard High kids to break in to West Roswell and cover our school seal with their own before the big game between the schools."

"But Sean and his friends didn't just cover the seal, they practically destroyed it," Maria pointed out," and a lot of other stuff too, not to mention all the TVs and stuff they loaded into their car."

"Yeah," Liz agreed, "they definitely went too far." She shrugged, "I just mean it's not like he's a murderer or anything."

"I'll get back to you on that," Maria said dryly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - To Serve & Protect)
(Sunday, January 28th, 2001)

Valenti closed his office door behind him, shutting Dan out. He handed the photo to Isabel. "Is this her?"

Isabel looked at the girl in the photograph. "The hair's the right color. I think so," she said consideringly. She ran her fingers over the photo and quickly tried to connect with the other girl but she didn't receive any images, which usually meant the person was awake, or dead, Isabel thought with a shudder.

"Are you sure?" Valenti asked.

"I never saw her clearly," Isabel admitted. "But it's her," she said with more conviction, not willing to let her uncertainty hamper the investigation. "It has to be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Michael’s Apartment)

Tess glanced at her watch as she knocked on Michael's door. It was just nine o'clock and she was supposed to be headed to Las Cruces. Alex was scheduled to return from 'Sweden' later today and she would have to clean up his mind, but first she had to attend the emergency meeting Max had called.

Michael opened the door with barely a glance in her direction and turned away from her without a word. Max and Isabel were already there and Max started immediately after Tess closed the door behind her.

"We wanted you to know that Isabel has been having these dreams, visions about a girl who has been kidnapped," Max said.

Michael rubbed his eyes, "That's great. You get me up early on a Sunday to tell us about dreams."

"They're not just dreams, Michael," Isabel said. "They're real. There's a girl in trouble."

"So why are you dreaming about her?" Michael asked, suddenly interested. "You never dreamed about anyone else before. Is she an alien?"

Isabel shrugged. "I don't know who or what she is, but she needs help."

"So how do we help her?" Tess asked.

"I don't think there is anything we can do right now," Max said. "We told the Sheriff everything we know and he’s looking into it. We just wanted to let you know what was going on."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess smiled with satisfaction as she let herself out of Michael's apartment. Max had been making sure she was included in the group more and more. In the last few months they had become closer, he had started to care about her and she felt it was only a matter of time until he was hers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max and Isabel drove straight to the Sheriff's office with the new information.

And when then were in Valenti’s office, Max took the initiative, "Isabel had another dream and this time she saw who the kidnapper was. It's Grant."

"Sorenson?" Valenti asked with surprise.

"I'm positive," Isabel said.

Valenti sighed, "Alright, I'll take care of it."

"You want us to help?" Max offered.

Valenti didn't want to risk involving them, "Not this time."

Isabel waited until she and Max had gotten back into the car before she asked the question that had been worrying her, "Max, don't you think we should help Valenti? I mean we don't know why Grant is doing this."

"Exactly," Max said. "He might just be crazy or a serial killer and the alien angle is just a coincidence."

Isabel studied Max's face for a moment, "You don't really believe that Max. There is something alien going on and Grant is right in the middle of it. What if it isn't Grant's fault? What if he’s being controlled by an alien, like Brody? That’s why we should help," Isabel argued.

"No, that’s why we should stay out of it," Max said. "What if someone is using him and this situation to draw us out." Max shook his head, "What Valenti told Michael is true. If we get more involved in this, the wrong people might start asking questions."

Isabel sat silently and Max continued, "And I think we should keep this to ourselves. We don't want Michael running off and doing something stupid like confronting Grant."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell Airport)

Tess pushed Alex down onto a bench as Lonni and Rath unloaded Alex's belongings on the curb beside them. The flight Alex was scheduled to be on from Sweden was due in about an hour and she still had to prepare him before his parents came to pick him up. She sat next to him and started a mind warp to change his memories of Las Cruces, to the itinerary and pictures of Sweden that Lonni had provided.

It would have been too hard to try and replace all of his memories of the last few weeks, so she simply told him to substitute images of Sweden for what he really remembered. Whenever he thought of the dorm he would substitute images of the Olsen's home. Whenever he thought of Rath he would see the Olsen family and whenever he thought of Isabel or Lonni he would see Leanna. She also gave him Lonni's cell phone number and e-mail address for when he wanted to contact his long-distance girlfriend.

Then she flipped through the book of slides, shaking her head at the huge number Rath had created. He must have really gotten into it. With a weary sigh, Tess concentrated on putting the images into Alex's memory and integrating them into the itinerary Lonni had put together. She also placed some basic Swedish vocabulary in his mind from the book provided.

Tess had never liked Alex because she had seen him as one of the reasons Isabel was reluctant to accept her destiny to be with Michael. She didn't like the way Alex followed Isabel around and she considered him to be way too geeky. So while she was in his mind, she replaced some of his goofiness with a new suave demeanor. She also gave him the knowledge on how to be a little more cool around Isabel, to have some pride instead of being such a lap-dog.

When she was finished, Tess opened her eyes and sighed with exhaustion. The amount of mind warping she had been doing over the last month was catching up with her and she was glad the hard part was finally over. Alex would go back to his normal life, the computer would continue to decode the book, and when it was finished, they could go home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dan entered Valenti's office and confronted him, "Judith Foster is filing a grievance with the State Police Board. She wants a formal investigation into your actions."

Valenti looked at his old friend, "I wonder who put that idea in her head?"

"Lot of questions here, Jimbo," he said with a drawl. "Time for you to start thinking of some answers."

"Talk to my lawyer," Valenti said.

Dan was about to press the subject when the phone rang. He listened as Jim spoke into the receiver but as the conversation continued, he became more suspicious. He waited until Jim put the phone down. "Do deputies always call you on your private line?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll talk to you in the morning," Valenti said dismissively.

"You know, your Daddy went down just like this," Dan warned his old friend. "Got some fool notion into his head, ignored the law and his friends, and ended up handing over his badge."

"Is that a threat?" Valenti asked.

Dan nodded, 'If that phone call was from those kids, consider it a warning."

Watching out the window, Dan waited until Jim had reached the parking lot, and then he ran to his car. Jim was obviously up to something stupid and he wanted to find out what it was. Maybe he could put a stop to it before his old friend ruined his life any more.

He pulled his car onto the road and followed the police cruiser at a discrete distance, but Valenti accelerated quickly ahead, catching Dan by surprise, and when he rounded the next corner, Valenti's cruiser was nowhere to be seen.

Dan had caught a few words of Jim's phone conversation and most of it had not made any sense but two of the words stood out. Frazier Woods. Jim was going to Frazier Woods. Dan made a right and headed to the highway. If he hurried, he would catch Jim in the act.

After a few minutes of driving, he slowed the car and pulled onto the dirt track that led into Frazier Woods. The track was scarred with deep ruts and potholes, making driving difficult, and he drove slowly, thoroughly searching each lay-by and turn-off for any sign of Jim's cruiser.

He had been searching for more than half and hour before he heard the gunshot.

Quickly turning his car, Dan headed back in the direction he had come, and a second shot was fired. He stopped his car in a lay-by when he heard a third shot and he drew his gun and headed into the trees toward where the shots were coming from.

He heard a fourth shot, obviously from a high-powered rifle, and then several more shots just ahead. He could see three people through the trees and came out behind them. "Freeze."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Frazier Woods)

As the ambulance with Laurie Dupree inside pulled away, Dan approached Max and Isabel Evans, "Okay, you kids will ride back to the Sheriff's station with Deputy Hansen."

Max looked at Isabel quickly and then back to Dan, "We came with Sheriff Valenti, he can take us home."

Dan smiled, "Well the Sheriff has other things to do. Besides, we have a few questions about this situation that need answering."

Hansen opened the door of his squad car, "Right this way Ms. Evans, Mr. Evans."

Max looked to Valenti but the Sheriff indicated with a jut of his chin that they should do what they were told.

Max let Isabel enter the car first and then he climbed in with her. Hansen shut the door behind them and Max quickly whispered to Isabel, "We didn't have a chance to get our story straight with Valenti. But I heard him tell that Dan guy that we were with him. Dan said Valenti could get suspended for that. So if they ask us, we've got to tell them Valenti didn't bring us out here."

"So what do we tell them?" Isabel hissed.

Max shrugged and thought for a moment, "We'll tell them we were hiking in the woods and heard the girl screaming and called Valenti."

"Okay," Isabel agreed, looking out the window at the Sheriff. "I just hope everything will be okay for Valenti."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - We Are Family)
(Sunday, January 28th, 2001)
(The Evans House – Isabel’s Room)

Isabel got out of bed, padded to the window and gazed out into the dark sky. The questions at the Sheriff's station had been endless and even though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. There were too many thoughts running through her head, too many questions.

She had been wrong about the identity of the girl taken but the kidnapping had happened just as she had seen it. Isabel had been almost relieved when Valenti had told them Melissa Foster was okay because it meant that the other part of her vision could have been wrong too. Again Isabel envisioned Grant pulling the body bag with the struggling Laurie inside, but quickly squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wipe away the image.

The Grant she knew was gentle and funny and very serious about his work, and she enjoyed spending time with him. It was possible, she told herself, that she her subconscious had just superimposed Grant's face on the kidnapper because she had recently been with him. It could have been part of her dream, she thought. Maybe Grant was completely innocent and she had been wrong about him like she had been wrong about Melissa Foster.

Isabel sank into a chair with a sigh. Valenti was investigating Grant because she had told him to, but she desperately hoped the investigation cleared him. She didn't want to believe Grant was capable of doing what she had seen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - We Are Family)
(Monday, January 29th, 2001)
(The Valenti House)

Michael waited as Max knocked on the Sheriff's door. They had gotten a message to come to his house as quickly as possible and Michael was afraid of what might be waiting for them.

Isabel opened the door and Max asked what they were both thinking, "We got a message from Valenti. What's going on?"

"Laurie Dupree is here," Isabel said.

Michael was somewhat surprised but relieved Laurie was okay and followed Isabel as she led them to a closed door.

Michael stood back as Isabel knocked, calling to the girl inside, "Laurie? Laurie, you can come out. It's okay. You remember Max. He was there that night. This is our friend Michael."

Michael got a glimpse of the girl for the first time, "Hey."

Laurie's eyes quickly flicked between the members of the group and suddenly she erupted into hysterics, "You stay away from me! You're dead! You're dead!" She slammed the door and locked it.

Michael didn't know if Laurie was an alien or not but she was definitely crazy. She had threatened to kill them and they were only trying to help her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - We Are Family)
(Tuesday, January 30th, 2001)
(West Roswell High School)
(Eraser Room)

As Liz had watched the slides of Alex's trip, the night before, she had become more and more sad. Since Max had healed her, it seemed as if all of their lives had been centered around the aliens’ problems, either solving them or waiting for the next one to occur. And it was not that she blamed them, it was just the opposite. Liz considered helping them and keeping them safe more important than anything else.

But their problems were not only consuming her life, the problems were consuming the aliens’ lives to the exclusion of everything else. They were all sacrificing their lives to this cause and it was just so unfair because there was so much to do and see in the world and Liz was afraid they would be robbed of their opportunities, their youth. The possibility had bothered her so much that she had written a note to Max to meet her so she could discuss it with him.

The sound of the door opening drew her attention and she looked over to see Max entering.

"I got your note," Max said with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Liz assured him, but then thought better of her answer. "No. No, um that's not true. I've just been thinking a lot lately, and..." she trailed off and then started again. "Have you ever wanted to see Sweden?"

"Sweden?" Max asked puzzled by the sudden change of subject.

Liz could see the confusion on his face, "I mean or anywhere. Peru, Nigeria, New Zealand."

"Sure," Max agreed, "but the closest I'm gonna get right now is the Granolith chamber.” He studied her face, “Why?"

Liz sighed, "Watching Alex this week, I just realized that it's our right to see the world, to live our dreams, live life."

Max shook his head, "Liz, that can't happen."

"Why?" Liz asked.

"Because it doesn't work that way for us," he said gently. "You know that."

Liz continued, "You and Isabel and Michael and Tess are, you guys are getting cheated on a lot of things, and it's not fair. None of it is."

Max remembered the things Liz had said to him in his room months ago. She wanted to be safe and being involved with them, with him, made her anything but safe. They had been involving her too much in their problems and even though he wanted to keep her at his side, he loved her too much to force her to stay.

He took a deep breath, the words he was about to speak tearing him apart inside. "Liz, you, should get to see Sweden. We... I, hold you back."

Liz shook her head, "No, Max."

"Kyle was right," Max said.

Liz remembered Kyle's words to Max.

You and your Martian friends move in, take over, and obliterate any shred of normalcy. Our lives are no longer ours,

And Liz instantly denied them, "That's not true."

"Everyone we touch gets hurt in some way or another," Max said. "Five years from now, I don't want you to open your eyes and realize that, that you missed out. You're part of the group. You always will be. But you need to be allowed to," he paused looking for the right word, "to grow."

Max's words brought tears to her eyes and Liz pulled him into an embrace. It was obvious he only wanted the best for her and even though she knew he loved her and wanted her to stay, he was letting her go. She held him tight for a few moments and then whispered into his ear, "Why can't you come with me?"

Max held Liz to him in a desperate embrace. He loved her so much and he was terrified of losing her but as much as he wanted to just leave it all behind and go with her, he wouldn't. He wasn't giving up on her or their relationship, just the opposite, he knew that someday they would be together but right now it wasn't possible. Liz had shown him that sometimes you had to sacrifice your wants for the greater good, and right now he needed to be here. Liz already knew his answer and the reasons behind it, but he said it aloud for both of them, "Because I can't. But I'll be watching you, Liz Parker, wherever you go. And I'll be here when you get back."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell City Council Chambers)

Jim sat in the council room after everyone else had left. He still couldn't believe they had fired him but even though he was sorry to lose his job, he felt it was worth it because they had rescued Laurie.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention and he looked up as Dan reentered the room. His old friend had testified against him but Jim wasn't angry, because he could imagine how his actions appeared to others. "Are you sure it's wise to be alone with me?" Jim joked. "You have to go back to Santa Fe tomorrow and you might get tainted by association."

"That's real funny Jimbo," Dan said sarcastically. "Just tell me one thing. Is whatever secret you're protecting worth your job?"

"I don't know what you mean," Jim said, automatically denying Dan's accusation.

Dan studied him for a moment and then shrugged, "Maybe you don't. Maybe you are crazy just like your old man, but whatever you think is going on has changed you, and I don't know who you are anymore."

Jim shook his head, "That's funny, I was just thinking that I didn't know you anymore. There was a time when we would have backed-up each other without question."

"That's because I trusted you to do the right thing," Dan explained. "But now..." he let his sentence trail off.

Jim picked up where Dan stopped, "Now you don't."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Evans House – Max’s Room)

Max studied the sample of the blue crystal under the microscope. "I don't believe this."

"What?" Michael asked anxiously.

"It looks like they're pulsating," Max said.

"What does that mean, that they're alive?"

Max shrugged, "I don't know what it means. I've never seen anything like it but maybe we should check into Laurie's background to find out why she was taken."

Michael nodded, "Her chart in the hospital said she was in a mental hospital. Maybe we should start there."

"Okay," Max agreed. "You and Isabel go and check it out and I'll see what I can find out about these crystals."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - We Are Family)
(Friday, February 2nd, 2001)
(Pinecrest Psychiatric Hospital)

Isabel shivered as she looked around the room, "Can you imagine being locked up in a place like this?"

Michael didn't even have to think about his answer, "This would suck big."

"Okay, this just doesn't feel right," Isabel said. "Digging through the intimate details of these people's lives."

Michael ignored Isabel's comment and opened a file drawer and quickly scanned through the files looking for Dupree. "Yes!" he cried and pulled the file out and opened it but his elation turned to disappointment when he saw that it was empty, "No."

Isabel pushed her scruples aside and searched a pile of duffel bags, quickly realizing what they were. "Michael," she called to him, "they're full of personal belongings." She found the bag marked Dupree, opened it and pulled out a stack of photos. "Look, here. Look at this." She flipped through the old photos but stopped when a familiar face caught her attention. "My God," she said, showing the photo to Michael. "That looks just like you!"

"It is me." Michael was dumbfounded as he stared at the photo that could have been of himself. He had searched his whole life for his real family and finally he had found them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Disturbing Behavior)
(Saturday, February 3rd, 2001)
(The Evans House - Max's Room)

The mass of Ganderium crystals acted more on instinct than with actual thought. They had been surrounded by potentially dangerous humans since their capture so they had remained dormant.

But when they found themselves in an open container with a single sleeping human, they took the opportunity to sample his DNA for the defective gene they needed to build their numbers. They pushed their way out of the container and across the surface, quickly covering the nearest appendage.

The human awoke before they had finished sampling the DNA so they used their tactile strength to anchor his appendage until they had finished. Joyously they discovered the defective gene but almost immediately they discovered that the human already had Ganderium crystals in his system.

Immediately they released the human not wanting to risk harming him or their Ganderium brothers within.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - Disturbing Behavior)
(Sunday, February 4th, 2001)
(Roswell UFO Museum)
(Brody’s Office)

"I've been put under hypnosis before," Brody said. "It's never helped me remember anything about my experiences."

"This would be different," Isabel claimed, hoping to convince him. "I have a gift. I'm a little psychic."

Brody wondered if she was joking and looked to Max and Liz to see if they were laughing. "Come on."

Liz picked up Isabel's story, "You believe in aliens, but you don't believe in psychic phenomena?"

"I was abducted by aliens," Brody explained. "I know they exist."

"I know my gift exists," Isabel asserted.

"Aren't you at least curious?" Max coaxed.

"Okay," Brody agreed, "So what do we do?"

Isabel released a tension-filled breath and quickly took charge before he could change his mind. "Okay. Relax. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Give me your hand. This won't hurt."

She didn't know exactly what she should do to contact Larek or how much power it would take, so as she reached for his hand, she built her power to a tremendous level.

Brody continued to speak even with his eyes shut, "I just want to warn you, the last time I was put through this, I was a very difficult subject. I just don't want you to be too disappointed when..."

Isabel barely touched Brody's hand but the reaction was instantaneous. She felt her power enter his body and immediately an answering surge of power burst from him. It was like two magnets of the same polarity being forced together. She felt her power and the other react, and the resulting force threw them across the room in opposite directions.

Isabel felt herself hit the wall and then the floor, and stars danced before her eyes for a moment before she could clear them. When she could focus, Max was on the floor before her.

"You shouldn't have done that," Brody said from across the room.

"Brody?" Max asked.

"Larek," Brody's mouth answered. "This body has not been prepared for communication. Its heart has stopped."

Isabel got up painfully, but she glad the plan had worked, and she and Max went to Brody's side.

Larek continued, "It may restart once I've released him. What is it you want?"

"We need your help," Max started to explain. "We think that some form of a, a parasite was released into our Earth's ecosystem when our ship crashed fifty years ago. We think they're dangerous..."

Larek cut him off, not really having heard anything after Max said a parasite had been released. "When you say parasite, do you mean the Ganderium from your ship have escaped into the ecosystem?"

"I don't know," Max said. "It looks like blue crystals."

Larek was horrified. The Ganderium were safe as long as they remained under controlled circumstances but if they had gotten loose, he didn't even want to think about what they would do. "Earth is in serious trouble," Larek said. "You must leave now."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked, not sure what Larek meant.

"Earth has become infected," Larek explained quickly. He needed to leave the body soon or he would kill the human. "You're no longer safe there. Get off the planet now."

"Okay," Max said, trying to take in everything Larek had said.

Larek took Max's 'Okay' for agreement and he pulled his consciousness out of the human to prevent further damage.

Brody's body suddenly sagged and Max knew that Larek had released him. "Wait, wait, wait!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Antarian System)
(Planet Talros)

Larek placed the transverse thought projector aside. He didn't know that communication through a human was even possible in the manner in which Max had just contacted him. It had just been lucky that he had been close to the thought projector to receive its signal. He had felt the call in his mind somehow, probably because of his connection with the human, Brody, and rushed to the thought projector for the power burst he needed for the communication.

It was too bad the Ganderium had gotten loose on Earth. Eventually they would destroy everything, and the planet would become unlivable until the Ganderium all died out.

It was also unfortunate that Max and the others would be forced to leave. Larek didn't know if they had an alternate plan and it would probably mean they would have to return to Antar and face Khivar. Larek would harbor them on Talros if he could, but his army was no match for Khivar's mighty war-machine. Khivar could simply send a fraction of his war ships...

Larek let the thought trail off, as suddenly some of Max's words came back to him. He had been so focused on the Ganderium problem he hadn't realized what Max had been saying, but now it came back to him with the full force of the meaning. Max had said their ship had crashed fifty years before and that was what had allowed the Ganderium to escape.

Max's ship had crashed. Max hadn't said how bad the damage had been but only a hull breach would have let the Ganderium escape.

What if Max and the others didn't have a way off the planet? Larek wondered.

It would take four years for a ship to arrive from Antar, and Max and the Earth didn't have that much time.

The only chance Max and the Earth had, was to stop the Ganderium, and with no memories of their past life, they would need all the help he could give them. Larek reached for the thought projector, passing his hand over the controls. He would have to work quickly to prepare the human Brody in order to assist Max.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Episode - How the Other Half Live)
(Monday, February 5th, 2001)

Tess' hands shook as she dialed Lonni's number, Liz's answer to her question echoing through her mind.

Tess had been confused by Larek's warning and asked, And just so I'm clear, when Larek said that Earth was infected, what exactly are we talking here? You know, a couple of acres? Couple of miles?

Then Liz had given her chilling answer, I think he was speaking a little more globally.

Globally, Tess thought. The whole world would become unlivable and they had to get off the planet.

"Come on, pick-up. Pick-up," Tess chanted under her breath as she listened to Lonni's phone ringing.

Finally on the fourth ring, Lonni answered with an annoyed tone in her voice, "Yeah."

"It's Tess and we've got a big problem," she started, and then quickly outlined what they had learned about the Ganderium threat.

"Wait a minute," Lonni said. "Your telling me the whole Earth can become contaminated just like that?"

"That's what Larek told us would happen if we don't stop it," Tess said, her voice raising hysterically. "We have to get off of this planet. We have to tell Nicholas what is happening and give him the Granolith and he will take us home."

"No!" Lonni exclaimed. "I will not give up my only piece of leverage that easily. You said yourself that this girl, Laurie wasn't infected yet. That will give us a little more time to get the translation and who knows, maybe in the mean time, my brother will save the world. If it starts going bad and the girl does become infected we can tell Nicholas then."

"But Lonni..." Tess argued, only to be cut off.

"You'll do as I say, Tess," Lonni said in a threatening tone. "I've waited too long for you to mess this up because you got freaked out."

"So what should I do?" asked Tess helplessly.

"You do whatever Max tells you to stop these things, that is what you do," mocked Lonni, "and if anything happens, call me immediately."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Dupree House - Basement)

Laurie pulled a dress out of a box, "This is Grandma's. I never met her."

"What was her name?" Michael asked, genuinely interested.

Laurie smiled, "Ada Jane. She's dead too."

Michael was surprised that he was disappointed. He had just found his family but most of them were dead. Unconsciously he reached up to scratch his eyebrow but stopped when he saw Laurie looking at his hand.

"Can't fight who we are Michael," Laurie said. "You're Grandpa's legacy, and I'm crazy."

Michael took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You are not crazy," he asserted. "What happened to you was real. I mean, you have a right to live your life. Bobby and Meredith have tried to take that away from you, but it's yours. Just like this house is yours. Now look, I'm not what you would call an optimist, life sucks, people suck. That's reality. But you're special. You're a good person and you deserve better than to be locked up in an institution because it's more convenient for your aunt and uncle. This is your life, and this is your house.

Laurie was dumbfounded for a moment. No one had ever talked to her like Michael did. He actually believed in her. She turned to him with a smile.

Michael smiled back, hoping that he had reached her. "So your Grandpa left you the house because he didn't trust Bobby or Meredith but what about your parents?"

"I don't even remember them," Laurie said. "They died when I was little and I was raised here by Grandpa."

"Then this has been your home your whole life," Michael said, "and you should start acting like it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Frazier Woods)

The Ganderium crystals reacted to the intrusion of their nest by the two humans the only way they could, by sealing them inside and cutting off their oxygen. The hive of crystals worked cooperatively, the ones in contact with the surface oxygen passing it through the shared surface to the ones inside, so they would not die. But they could cut off the oxygen to the humans, it was their only defense.

Then they simply had to wait until the intruders died.

Then an attack started from the surface. More humans were attempting to enter the hive and the crystals worked together to reinforce the outer shell, to prevent any more intruders from invading.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Roswell, NM)

The Ganderium Queen in side the borrowed human, Grant, had just reached the outskirts of town, when she received the impression that the hive was in danger. She immediately turned the vehicle and headed it back toward Frazier Woods.

It took her more than half-an-hour to arrive at the area where the hive was located but when she reached the turn-off, the other cars present alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. She continued past the cars and parked behind some trees where she wouldn't be observed by the humans present.

She crept through the trees silently to observe the actions of the humans. They were digging around the hive, apparently attempting to get inside. Rage boiled up within her, knowing that the humans meant to do harm to her drones, and she turned back to the truck to look for a weapon.

Suddenly Grant came back to his senses. He was standing next to his truck and there were trees all around. At first he didn't realize where he was but he recognized the area almost immediately. He was in Frazier Woods.

He didn't remember how he got there but he started toward his truck. He had the compulsion to go to Tucson and he didn't know why. He didn't want to go to Tucson and he fought the urge, clapping his hand to his head as the pain started.

Suddenly he heard voices and crept through the trees until he could see who it was. He was surprised to see Isabel and Max and two other girls with shovels. They seemed to be having an intense conversation and then suddenly Isabel headed for her car.

He watched her for a moment before he made up his mind. There was something wrong with him and Isabel was the only one he could think of to turn to for help.

Grant sprinted back to his truck and put it in gear. He would follow Isabel and get her to help him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~