Re: RE: Finally an update
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2003 2:31 pm
by Angel13
Thanks for all the great feedback guys!! Sadly, yes...Jim is dead. Dead as a doornail. Don't want you guys to keep hoping he'll be back.<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=
http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Part 37<br><br>Six pairs of eyes stare at the open door Kyle left in his wake. “Max, we have to do something. We can’t just let him leave like that.” Isabel says.<br><br>Jesse moves to put an arm around Isabel. “What are we supposed to do? Chase him down and keep him here against his will?”<br><br>Everyone looks around in confusion as to what to do. Making up her mind, Liz grabs her backpack and heads to the door. She turns and says, “I’m gonna try to talk to him. Why don’t you guys figure out what we’re gonna do next and I’ll try to bring them back.” <br><br>Before she can leave, Max grabs her arm and says, “Be careful.”<br><br>“I will.” She looks at him a moment then heads down the hall after Kyle and Serena.<br><br>She catches up with them outside in front of the building where she finds Kyle sitting on the front steps with Serena standing in front of him. Sagging with the relief that she won’t have to run down the street in search of them, she drops her backpack to the ground and sits next to Kyle.<br><br>“Liz, don’t. Whatever you’re doing…just…don’t.” Kyle says, his head hanging down resting in his hands.<br><br>“Serena, do you mind if Kyle and I go get some coffee?” Liz asks.<br><br>“No. We’re leaving…not going out for <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>coffee</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> with you.” Kyle answers quickly.<br><br>“Just a few minutes, Kyle. I get that much. Then you can come get Serena and you guys can go.” Liz is insistent as she stands up and moves so Serena can climb back up the steps to go inside. She stops and gives Liz’s hand an encouraging squeeze before going in.<br><br>Hiking up her backpack, Liz grabs Kyle’s hand and pulls him up. “Come on, there has to be somewhere close to here we can go.”<br><br>He reluctantly gets up and says, “We saw a place earlier…around the corner.”<br><br>“Good. Then that’s where we’re going.” Liz starts walking down the street without looking back…expecting Kyle to follow her. Which he does, with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. <br><br>Twenty minutes later, Liz and Kyle are seated at a table in the corner of a deli around the corner. They’re both sipping coffee and haven’t said a word since they got there. Kyle knows what Liz is doing, but she’s right, he owes her. He’s still in shock about his dad…can’t believe that he’s gone. Gone, not coming back. What’s he gonna do without him? There are so many things that he wanted to tell him, and now because of this alien freak show of a life he’s living, his dad is dead.<br><br>Liz watches the emotions cross Kyle’s face before he drops his head in his hands. She looks out the window at the new morning. People rushing to work to begin their days just like they did yesterday and just like they’ll do tomorrow. She wonders what that kind of life would be like. A normal life, with a normal job and a normal family. Before that thought has a chance to take anchor in her head, she pushes it away. She’ll never have that life, none of them will. It’s better to just not think about it. She gave up normal a long time ago.<br><br>She turns back to Kyle and says, “I’m so sorry, Kyle.” <br><br>He looks up at her and notices how tired she looks. How run down and pale she is. Feeling bad for what she’s been through, he says, “Was it bad…as bad as last time?”<br><br>Liz looks down at the table, remembering how scared she was…for herself, for Max, for Jim. “Sometimes. I wasn’t there…long.” She looks up at Kyle and they share a look of shared remembrance of the time they spent there. It doesn’t seem that long ago.<br><br>“Did you…did you see him? My dad? While you were there?” Kyle asks, his voice catching.<br><br>Liz nods her head and says, “Just for a little while. They took him away first…after the first time…” She lets the sentence hang.<br><br>Kyle nods and looks away for a moment before Liz says, “I don’t know…exactly what happened. I…know what he was feeling…I…” She doesn’t want to continue, but his look tells her to continue. “The last thoughts I got from him were of you, Kyle. Of how much he loved you. He was worried about you but I let him know you were ok. That seemed to give him some peace.”<br><br>Kyle can’t fight the tears that fill his eyes as he angrily says, “Liz, I can’t do this anymore. I know it’s stupid to think I can just run away, but I just…can’t do this anymore.” He subconsciously scratches the side of his head and continues. “I don’t want this life. I don’t want these powers, and I don’t wanna know any aliens. I hate them, I hate this.”<br><br>“Kyle, you have to think about this. You have to think about Serena, too. And your baby. This isn’t the best time to break away on your own. The best thing to do right now is to stay together. At least until we can figure out what’s going on.” Liz grabs his hand across the table. “Look, Kyle, I totally understand not wanting to live your life like this. Believe me, sometimes I wish I could just run away from it all, too.”<br><br>“Why, Liz? Why my dad? It was Evans that they wanted…wasn’t that enough?” Kyle turns toward the window, trying to cover his face and the choked sob threatening to escape. “It’s not right.” He whispers.<br><br>Liz lets him have some time to compose himself. She knows it’s hard for him to show emotion…he uses humor most of the time to cover it, but she’s known him a long time. His dad was the closest person to him…all those years it was just the two of them.<br><br>She doesn’t know if there’s a way to make this situation work considering the tension that’s always existed between Kyle and Max. Now this. Of course Kyle would project all of this onto Max…it’s easier for Kyle to blame him.<br><br>“Kyle, you have to know that this isn’t Max’s fault.”<br><br>“Save it, Liz.” Kyle starts, but Liz interrupts him and leans forward over the table, closer.<br><br>“No, Kyle…I know how hard this is. But you have to realize that the person to blame here isn’t Max, it’s Weston. You, especially, should know that. There wasn’t anything Max could do…he can’t bring back the dead. If he could…if he could, Alex would be here.” They both look at each other at the memory and Liz says quietly, “Max didn’t kill your dad, Kyle.”<br><br>“He might as well have, Liz.” Kyle sighs and looks at the table.<br><br>“I know this life isn’t one you would have chosen, Kyle. And a lot of horrible things have happened to us because of the secret we have. But can you think about something for a minute? Things happen for a reason, I’m sure of it. If you didn’t live this life, you would have never met Serena. You wouldn’t be having a baby. You have to think about them now.” When Liz mentions them, Kyle’s head snaps up.<br><br>“What are you gonna do when it’s time for the baby to come, Kyle? You can’t go to a hospital. What if something goes wrong?” <br><br>“We’ll handle it.” Kyle says, but Liz can see the uncertainty inside of him. She’s trying not to blatantly read his thoughts, but can’t help but pick up on some things. <br><br>“Kyle…” She gives him a look that tells him she knows. “You just can’t risk it, Kyle. You know that…I know you do. We don’t know if there’s anyone still after us. This isn’t the time to be thinking about branching out on your own. I’m sorry Kyle, but you can’t protect the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>three</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> of you if something happens.” She places emphasis on three, hoping that will be what it takes to get Kyle to see reason.<br><br>“We need you. We’re stronger when we’re together.” Liz delivers her last plea. “Please, don’t leave. I need you to stay, not just because you’re an asset, not just because it won’t be safe, but because you’re my friend.”<br><br>She gets up from the table and walks over to his chair. Leaning down, she puts one hand on his left cheek and gives him a light kiss on his right. “Whatever you decide, I’ll understand. You know how to get a hold of me.” She stands up. “Thank you…for hearing me out. I’ll go tell Serena where she can find you.” Kyle watches as she walks out of the deli without turning back.<br><br>Back at the apartment, Liz walks in to see Serena and Maria huddled together talking while Isabel, Jesse, Michael and Max seemed to be talking strategy. When the door opens, everyone turns to look at Liz and she looks at Max, slightly shrugging her shoulders.<br><br>She sits down next to Maria and Serena and says, “I’m sorry Serena, you know how stubborn he is…I just don’t know what he’s gonna do.”<br><br>Serena gives her a slight smile and says, “Well, I better go.” She stands up and gives Liz a hug. “Thanks for trying. If he’d listen to anyone, it’s you.” They look at each other sadly as Serena moves to hug Maria.<br><br>As everyone moves to say goodbye to Serena, the door suddenly slams open and Kyle walks in. Startled, no one can do anything but stare. Serena turns to see Kyle and smiles expectantly, hoping he’s here because they’re staying, not because he came to get her.<br><br>Kyle looks at everyone in the room, noticing their looks of surprise, sadness, weariness, and hopefulness. He looks at Max for several long moments, both staring the other down. Finally, he looks over at Serena and walks toward her, shutting the door and dropping his bag. “We’ll stay. For now.” He looks down at her stomach, indicating that the baby is his primary concern.<br><br>Serena grabs his hand and whispers, “Thank you.” before sitting him down at the table and smoothing his hair with her hand and kissing him lightly. <br><br>Kyle glances at Liz to see relief wash over her face as she gives him a grateful smile.<br><br>She looks at the rest of the group and says, “I really want to take a bath. After that, I think we need to have a discussion about what’s happened and what we’re doing after this.”<br><br>She sees everyone nod in agreement and looks at Max quickly before heading to the bathroom. She can’t think about Max right now. So much has happened…too much. Her argument with Max, being captured and tortured…again. Being rescued by Gerard of all people, finding out Jim is dead. She just wants to escape in a hot bath for a few minutes. She almost makes it before the tears start falling.<br><br>“Max, she doesn’t look so good.” Isabel whispers to Max as she watches Liz disappear into the bathroom.<br><br>Max’s eyes fall from Liz to the floor as he turns back around in his chair. <br><br>“Maybe she’s just tired. She’s been through a lot, so have you. You guys should try to get some sleep.” Jesse sees the look on Max’s face, the dark circles beneath his eyes as well as the darkening bruise around his eye that he hasn’t healed. <br><br>“We need a plan. Then I’ll get some sleep.” Max says quietly. The truth is, he couldn’t sleep now if he wanted to. He’s only heard bits and pieces of what happened, but from what he can gather, they kidnapped this guy Gerard and made a deal with him. Get him, Liz and Jim out in exchange for healing his daughter. What he doesn’t know, is how active they’ll be now in pursuing them. How far will they have to run?<br><br>“Liz will know what’s happening more than anyone. We just need to wait for her to finish her bath.” Max looks toward Michael and says, “Maybe you and Maria could go get some supplies?<br><br>Michael looks mildly irritated but stands up anyway and says, “Sure. Any requests?”<br><br>“Soap.” Isabel says quickly.<br><br>“Toothpaste.” Serena calls out.<br><br>“Food.”<br><br>“Batteries.”<br><br>Michael throws his hands up in the air, rolls his eyes and says, “Make a list.”<br><br>After an hour has gone by, Max makes his way back to the bathroom and knocks on the door. “Liz, are you alright?”<br><br>A pause, then, “I’m fine, Max.”<br><br>He places his hand on the door and says, “Can I come in?”<br><br>He doesn’t hear anything for a minute and starts to turn away when Liz says, “Ok.”<br><br>He unlocks the door and enters quickly, shutting the door behind him. The bathroom is warm from the hot water and he turns around expecting to see Liz still in the tub. But she’s wrapped in a towel, sitting on the edge of the tub, her hair wet.<br><br>“I thought we should talk…first.” Max says, looking at her drawn face. He moves to sit on the toilet, facing her. <br><br>She chews on her lip and nods as he sits. “Max…I…Jim. Why? Why did they kill him?” She buries her face in her hands.<br><br>Max moves forward and says, “I don’t know. But…Liz, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure he’s dead?” Max is still holding onto the hope that they can get Jim back…that somehow this is a mistake and Gerard lied to them.<br><br>“Yes.” She whispers. “I felt him…I knew when it happened.” A painful sob escapes as she looks up. “He was so scared, Max. And there was nothing I could do.”<br><br>“Was there anything we could have done? I didn’t believe Gerard when he told us, but you were so determined not to go back.” Max wipes the tears from her cheek.<br><br>Liz shakes her head. “No. I could see it…I saw in my mind what Gerard saw. There was no way you could have brought him back. He was dead, Max…had been for a while.”<br><br>They sit in silence for a moment before Max says, “I dreamt about him, the other night.”<br><br>Liz wipes at her eyes and looks at Max. “Really? Maybe he was trying to tell you something. You know, subconsciously?”<br><br>“He said we were never getting out of there.” Max looks down at the fading linoleum on the floor. “Liz, I thought we were gonna die…I thought they were going to kill you. I dreamt that, too. When they were…cutting into you…Jim and I watched. They put us in those cells so we would have to watch. It was awful.”<br><br>Liz drops to the floor and wraps her arms around Max and holds him. “It’s over, Max.” She rubs her hands down his back and can feel that there are incision marks that he hasn’t healed. “It’s over.”<br><br>Just outside the bathroom, Kyle turns around and walks back into the front room.<br><br>“Kyle…you ok?” Serena asks him. She notices that he looks a little shaken.<br><br>He looks at her and says, “Yah, I’m fine.” He gives her a reassuring smile and kisses her hand as he sits down. “I’m a little antsy, though. I’d like to know what we’re doing next.”<br><br>Just then, Michael and Maria walk in loaded down with bags. “Ugh! Michael, you could have at least carried the heavy ones.” Maria is telling him as they walk in.<br><br>“Mine are just as heavy as yours.” Michael says as he puts his bags on the table.<br><br>Serena looks up at Michael with accusing eyes when she sees that his bags contain bread and toilet paper.<br><br>“Whatever.” Maria dumps her bags on the floor as soon as she steps inside. “Next time someone else can go with you.”<br><br>“Where’s Max?” Michael asks.<br><br>“In the bathroom.” Isabel tells him as she sorts through the bags. “I forgot to tell you…oh good! You got some anyway.” She pulls out a bottle of Tabasco sauce in relief.<br><br>Liz walks out of the bathroom first. She glances at the bags and asks, “Anything in there I can eat quick? I’m starving.”<br><br>Maria grabs a bar and hands it to Liz. “I got some protein bars…here.”<br><br>Liz smiles and says, “Thanks.”<br><br>A few minutes later, Max walks out…his hair wet from a quick shower. He looks around to make sure everyone is there and says, “Is everyone ready to discuss the situation?”<br><br>Liz grabs Maria’s hand as they sit down. She can see that everyone feels uncomfortable around Kyle so she makes sure to sit next to him and gives him an encouraging smile. <br><br>“Liz, how are you feeling?” Isabel says with concern. “We were so worried.”<br><br>Liz looks up at Isabel and says, “I’m ok…just tired…I guess.”<br><br>Max doesn’t believer her, but isn’t going to press her about it in front of everyone. Isabel doesn’t really believe her either, but she lets it go…for now.<br><br>“I guess I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t much.” Liz starts. “First, you’ll be relieved to know,” she looks at Isabel and Kyle. “that Weston is dead. Gerard killed him.”<br><br>“Good.” Isabel is visibly shaken by her memories of Weston and she looks at Kyle…tears in her eyes, and whispers, “Good.”<br><br>“So what does this mean?” Jesse asks. “If Gerard and Weston were the ones in charge there…what’s that mean now?”<br><br>“That’s the bad news. I have no idea.” Liz tells him. “I read the basics of your deal with him from his thoughts. And I think…from what I could tell…that he’s giving up his life in the government. He was going to try to destroy what he could between the time he helped us escape until they discovered us missing. What I don’t know is if he did, or whether or not his superiors will continue with their investigations.”<br><br>“So we’re basically in the dark.” Michael laments. “What’d they do to you? Did they get anything more than what they had before?”<br><br>Maria swats him on the arm and scowls at him. “Michael…God! Show a little sensitivity.”<br><br>“What?” Michael looks completely baffled.<br><br>Max and Liz look at each other before Liz explains. “They um…they didn’t find out about my new abilities. But they did do…things…to me. Not as much as last time, but they did a little exploring. But I think they just did it because they wanted to see Max heal me.”<br><br>“Did you do it in front of them?” Michael asks, incredulous.<br><br>“Michael, they already knew I could heal. What’s the difference?” Max says.<br><br>“The difference is now they have proof.” Michael doesn’t see how they can be so casual about this.<br><br>“Michael, shut up. They know all about our powers. You seem to forget they’ve already had an alien in their custody. For a lot longer than a few days.” Isabel puts Michael in his place, irritated that he’s getting upset over this. “Liz, go on.”<br><br>Liz smiles gratefully at Isabel and says, “They got samples from Max, though,…so they have pathology from 2 out of 3 of you…as well as me, Kyle, and…Jim.” She glances at Kyle briefly before saying, “I’m assuming that whatever they…did…to him is what killed him. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have on purpose…Jim’s powers had started to manifest themselves so they would have wanted to study them. Something must have happened that they didn’t expect.”<br><br>Maria suddenly bursts into tears and covers her mouth with her hand. She jumps up and says, “I’m sorry…I…I just…” as she flees the room and runs in the bedroom.<br><br>Michael looks from Maria’s departing figure to Liz, then gets up and follows Maria. Silence descends on the room as everyone glances over at Kyle. He wipes his face and composes himself before saying, “Geez…I thought I was the one who was supposed to run from the room crying.”<br><br>Serena rubs his arm affectionately and gives him a small smile. “So, what do you think we should do now?” She asks Liz. <br><br>Max notices how everyone looks to Liz and he’s once again reminded of why she’s a much better leader than he is. She looks at him and he knows she’s worried about it.<br><br>“Max, what do you think we should do?” Liz asks him. He knows she’s asking him so everyone will think she looks to him for advice. But he knows she’s much more capable than he is in keeping the group organized and together. <br><br>“I think we should play it safe and leave the country for a while…as soon as possible. At some point, I’d like to explore the possibility of contacting Gerard to see if he’ll tell us anything regarding the operation.” Max sees everyone nodding in agreement.<br><br>“When do we leave?” Serena asks.<br><br>“Tomorrow at the latest. Does that sound good?” Max looks to Kyle…knowing it’ll be hard for him to leave the country…to leave his father.<br><br>Kyle just looks up quickly and says, “Yah. That sounds fine.” He stands up then and heads to the door. “I’m going for a walk.” He sees everyone looking at him worriedly, especially Serena. “I’ll be back…and I won’t go far.” then walks out.<br><br>“Well, we’ll get everything ready to go.” Isabel breaks the silence. She looks at Max. “I think you and Liz should get some rest. You look like hell.” She stands up with Jesse to go pack supplies.<br><br>Liz laughs sarcastically and rolls her eyes as she stands up. “Thanks Isabel.”<br><br>She feels dizzy as she stands up and Max grabs her arm, steadying her. She feels his concern and looks up at him. “I’m ok. I just need to sleep.”<br><br>He nods disbelievingly and leads her to the bedroom. Just as he’s about to knock on the door, it opens and Maria walks out…Michael close behind.<br><br>“Sorry about that.” Maria says to Liz. “It just hit me, all of a sudden, that he’s gone…you know? And I just…”<br><br>“It’s ok, Maria.” Liz smiles at her. “We’re gonna get some sleep.” She moves further into the bedroom but not too far to hear Maria say to Michael, “That’s good…she looks like hell.”<br><br>~TBC~<br> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:maroon;font-family:verdana;"><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>If you reach out for more, you'll find nothing but sorrow. 'Cause knowledge is hollow. And pride is hard to swallow. So come and sit on my box, enjoy the view of this water, where my lifeboat is sinking.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="
http://www.roswell-orbs.com/home.html"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="
http://www.roswell-orbs.com/images/titl ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></a><!--EZCODE LINK END--></p><i></i>
Re: Ruins ~M/L~ pts. 1-37 *new part 37 3/7
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 6:06 pm
by Angel13
Part 38<br><br>“Liz.” She hears a whisper in the darkness as she lies on her back on the only decent bed in this apartment. She doesn’t reply, hoping he’ll think she’s asleep.<br><br>“I know you’re awake.” She hears a couple minutes later and she rolls her eyes.<br><br>“I’m fine, Max.” Liz answers the questions she knows he’s about to ask.<br><br>“That ability of yours is extremely irritating. Has anyone ever told you that?” <br><br>“Yes. Frequently.” She answers him with the shortest answers possible. There aren’t any more questions after that and she feels bad for giving him the cold shoulder, but there are just too many things swirling around in her head right now to have the discussion with Max that she wants to have.<br><br>Liz drifts off the sleep shortly after that, but Max can’t sleep. He turns on his side and watches Liz as she sleeps…watches the stray rays of sunshine slipping through the curtain as they fall over her hair. How is she so strong? Through everything, she’s the glue keeping their fragile group…and sanity…together. As he watches her chest rise and fall, he looks back up to her pale face. He knows there’s something wrong. Is it physical? Something they did to her that he couldn’t fix? Maybe her powers are finally getting to be too much for her body. Sighing, he closes his eyes as the questions swim around in his head. She keeps insisting she’s ok, but he knows she’s not. And it scares him to death.<br><br>Meanwhile, in Central Park, Kyle sits on a bench overlooking a small pond. Staring, unseeing, at the ducks happily splashing in the sunshine as a group of kids stand at the edge throwing in chunks of bread. Instead, he’s thinking about the past…about the paths that he and his dad had chosen.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Does this have anything to do with that Max kid? <br>What...the entire country knows? <br>Kyle, listen to me. I don't want you getting mixed up with that kid. <br>What are you talking about? What do you care about Max Evans? <br>Kyle, I don't want you around him. Do you hear me?<br>~~~~~~~<br><br>Kyle...do you remember what you did the night after your mom left? <br>I lent you Mr. Squishels. <br>You were worried about me, and you didn't want me sleeping alone, so you did instead. That was a brave thing for a 6-year-old to do, and I was...and I was proud of you. <br>I remember the first time you tied your own shoes...and when we, uh...we took the training wheels off of your bike. <br>I'm in awe of you every day, son. And I apologize for not recognizing the man that you're becoming...because you're a darn...you're a darn good one. <br><br>~~~~~~~<br><br>He saved my life, Kyle. And now he’s dead.<br><br>What are you talking about?<br><br>I…I was shot and he…he saved me. He saved me like he saved you.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br><br>Closing his eyes, he leans his head back and feels the sun warm his face. He remembers high school and finding himself involved all of a sudden in this new life, this crazy alien crap and how easy it seemed. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>So is this the sixth or seventh hole we’ve dug today? <br>Hey, hey. I was kinda wondering what the hell you people were doing sophomore year. <br>Ah, well, a lot of secret meetings, a lot of lying to authorities. Sometimes narrowly escaping gunfire…although generally that was pretty rare. <br>So what do we lowly human folk get out of all this? <br>I’m not sure. <br>See, I guess what I have a problem with is that suddenly I’m a member of this club I never wanted to join. <br>Yeah. <br>And it turns out this club bears a striking resemblance to a chain gang.<br><br>~~~~~~~<br><br>In the Honda, Jim looks over to see Kyle staring out at the passing landscape through the window next to him. “You alright, son?”<br><br>Kyle nods and says, “Yah…you know…just thinking.”<br><br>Jim doesn’t want to push him so he nods and continues driving…hoping Kyle will open up.<br><br>“I just…” Kyle begins, looking over at his Dad to see if he’s listening. “I’ve tried…really hard…to make myself at peace with this whole alien situation. It’s just totally not fair the way our lives have been completely changed because of them. But then I think about something Alex and I talked about…a couple of years ago.” He sees his Dad look over at the mention of Alex’s name.<br><br>“We were stuck in that cave with the blue crystals…” Kyle laughs sarcastically. “I mean, listen to me! Killer crystals. Anyway, we were running out of air and really thought we’d die in there and Alex was talking about how amazing it was that we were a part of this…that we had this knowledge. He said he’d rather die now, knowing that, than to go back to his normal life.” He’s silent for a few moments before looking over at his Dad. “Do you think he’d still think that now? Do <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>you</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> think that?”<br><br>Jim looks at Kyle and thinks for a moment before saying, “Yah, son…I do think that. And I think Alex would still believe it, too. Granted, we’ve been through some terrible things because we know this secret. But I’d rather know, than live the rest of my life in ignorance.”<br><br>Kyle goes back to looking out the window and after a couple of minutes, Jim nudges him and grins while wiggling his fingers. “And hey…soon, we’ll be able to pop our own popcorn without sticking it in the microwave.”</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Kyle thinks back to how funny they thought that was…on their drive from Kentucky to Dallas right after they rescued Liz and Isabel from the FBI. They actually had to pull over because they were laughing so hard. As he hears the children laughing and feels the sun on his face, his thoughts turn back to their junior year in high school, before he ever became aware of how truly evil evil could get.<br><br>~~~~~~~<br><br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>So this is how it ends... <br>Somehow this is not how I pictured it. <br>It was hell of a ride though. <br>I guess. <br>I mean, think about it. We not only met aliens, but they killed us. How many people can say that? <br>You’re getting delirious, is that it? <br>Nah, take...take a step away from your life, Kyle. You know, I mean, you’re part of this...this amazing thing. This...amazing knowledge that you have that 6 billion people on this planet don’t. You really want to step out of this cave if it meant that you were gonna be another dumb jock? <br>You know what, I wouldn’t.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Sighing, he sits up, finding himself humming the strains of American Pie as he pushes up from the bench. He leaves the kids behind as he walks back toward the sounds of the city…back to the life he’s chosen.<br><br>When he gets back, he overhears Serena and Maria talking.<br><br>“I don’t know. She just doesn’t look very good…and she never has to sleep this much.” Maria says.<br><br>“Maybe it’s just what she says…that she’s tired. She’s been through a lot. I’m sure she’ll look better when she gets up.”<br><br>“I hope you’re right.” Maria sees Kyle walk in. “Kyle…you’re back.”<br><br>Serena turns and gives him an appraising look.<br><br>“Yup, all in one piece.” He offers before reaching down to stroke Serena’s hair. “What’d I miss?”<br><br>“Nothing, we were just worried about Liz.” Serena offers.<br><br>He looks toward the closed bedroom door and asks, “Sleeping?”<br><br>“Yah, they need it.” Maria says and looks him over. He has an odd look on his face. Worried that he’s still ready to bolt, she asks, “You ok?”<br><br>Kyle knows they’re all on edge, and his outburst earlier didn’t help anything. “Ummm…yah. Just thinking about some stuff, that’s all.” He still hears the echoes of his dad and Alex in his head. Looking over, he sees Isabel and Michael huddled together talking. He was hoping Max would be awake when he got back…he needed to talk to him. <br><br>Several hours later, it’s late afternoon and everyone’s getting antsy. Especially because Liz and Max are still asleep. Michael’s tapping his fingers on the table to a rhythm only he knows as Maria throws him an annoyed look every few minutes. Isabel has been pacing for what seems like hours as Jesse tries to read an old worn out paperback that he’s already read a dozen times.<br><br>“I think we should wake them up.” Serena offers in the silence. “I mean…Liz <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>never</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> sleeps this long. It’s been over nine hours and the most she’s ever needed before was four or five.”<br><br>Everyone looks over at her with looks of trepidation. But Michael jumps up and says, “I’ll do it.” before striding over to the bedroom door. Maria rolls her eyes, knowing he was just waiting for an excuse to wake them up for the last few hours. He just didn’t want it to be his idea…now if Max or Liz gets mad, he can blame it on Serena.<br><br>Michael knocks on the door once before opening it and walking in. Silence falls over the living room again as everyone waits and they’re startled by Michael yelling, “Oh shit! Isabel…get in here!” <br><br>Of course, everyone, including Isabel, runs into the room and stops…looking at the bed in horror and shock. Max and Liz are lying on the bed, curled up on their sides, Max’s arm draped over Liz in what looks like a peaceful sleep. And they’re both covered in white webbing.<br><br>“Oh my god!” Maria exclaims. Everyone looks around at matching looks of shock, not knowing what to do. “What’s going on?” she asks, knowing no one has any answers. “It’s just like what happened to Michael.”<br><br>Isabel rushes to the side of the bed and bends over her brother and friend. “They’re breathing…they’re alive.” She looks around frantically…thinking…and says, “What are we gonna do? We don’t have the healing stones like last time.”<br><br>“Can’t one of you do something? Like heal them, or whatever you do?” Serena asks, frantic.<br><br>“You’re looking at the only two people we have that can heal.” Michael says.<br><br>“Well this is just great.” Kyle says. “Now what?”<br><br>Serena slumps to the floor next to Liz and tears fill her eyes. “So what…what does this mean? Are they dying?”<br><br>“No…they just…something’s off. What did River Dog tell us last time? They need balance or something. I don’t have any idea how to do that without the healing stones.” Isabel says. “They’re not dying.” She says with a conviction that not even she believes. “We need help. I wish we knew more about this…about us.”<br><br>“Isn’t there anyone…anyone you could ask, or call?” Serena asks.<br><br>“No…it’s just us.” Isabel says defeatedly. <br><br>“What about that guy…the other shapeshifter?” Kyle asks, trying to think of <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>anything</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.<br><br>“He won’t help.” Michael says. “From what Max said, he wants nothing to do with us.”<br><br>Maria thinks of something. “But doesn’t he <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>have</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to do what you tell him to…like it’s programmed into him or something?”<br><br>“Just Max…he only has to do what Max tells him.” Isabel says as they all look down at the bed again.<br><br>Falling silent again, they all wrack their brains trying to come up with something that could help. “Aren’t there others, though? Liz told me there was another set of you made.” Serena asks.<br><br>Michael runs his hands through his hair in frustration and says, “Even if we knew where they were, they weren’t exactly fans. They tried to kill Max last time he saw them. I don’t think they’d be first in line to offer help.”<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>On the other side of New York City…</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>“You feel it?” She asks him as they walk down the street. <br><br>“Yah. The king’s here. What you pickin’ up?” Her companion says.<br><br>“I feel the othahs…Isabel and the othah one.” She says. <br><br>He nods, keeping his gaze forward as they walk. He doesn’t need this shit…them comin’ here and stirin’ up trouble. “A’ight, let’s motor. Might as well get this ova with.” He crosses the street, heading downtown, expecting Ava to follow him.<br><br>~TBC~ <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=
http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... Angel13</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="
http://66.68.132.234/silver_hand.gif" BORDER=0> at: 3/18/03 9:25:47 am<br></i>
Re: RE: Finally an update
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2003 1:23 am
by Angel13
Part 39<br><br>Chaos. The small apartment had erupted in utter chaos. Half the group had moved into the living room, Kyle, Michael and Serena…debating about what they do next. While Jesse was stuck in the bedroom watching Maria and Isabel fuss over Max and Liz, arguing about what to do with them. <br><br>How the hell did this group ever function together? As Jesse looked around, listening to the arguing, the confusion, the hostility. Kyle and Michael were getting ready to come to blows…Serena’s presence, the only reason it hadn’t escalated to that point yet. Maria and Isabel were close to meeting half way across the bed, their faces were so close as they shouted. Frankly, he decided it was a wonder they ever lived past high school with the way they were acting. Clearly, the loss of Max and Liz caused the others to find themselves adrift with no compass. <br><br>He had had enough. “Shut up!” He yells suddenly. Yelling it again, louder, he finally gets everyone’s attention. “Look at yourselves! Get a grip.” He looks at every face and the mood in the room changes as if they just realize how they’ve been behaving. <br><br>Before anyone can say anything, though, there’s a knock on the door. No one moves to answer it, so Jesse walks into the living room toward the door, wearily, “Probably a neighbor complaining about the yelling.” <br><br>When he opens the door, though, he realizes it isn’t any neighbor. Staring, his mouth opens slightly as he looks the two…strangers…up and down.<br><br>“Yo. You wanna let us in or what?” <br><br>Jesse moves aside slowly as Michael rushes to the door, defenses up. “What are you doing here?”<br><br>“Hey…chill. We ain’t here ta mess with ya.” Ava says, amazed at the number of people in the room. Her eyes finally find Isabel as she steps forward.<br><br>Isabel looks at both of them, then says to Ava, “But you…you said he was dead.” as she looks over at the person who looks just like her brother.<br><br>“Yah, turns out he ain’t as dead as I thought.” Ava smirks.<br><br>“Ya wanna put that down?” Zan looks at Michael and his outstretched arm…which is aimed directly at him.<br><br>Michael hesitantly puts his arm down as he eyes Max’s dupe. “You didn’t answer my question.”<br><br>“We felt ya’s. Thought we’d pop in and say <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>HOWDY</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.” Zan says this as he hooks his thumbs in his jean pockets and adopts a southern drawl.<br><br>“What’s with all the peeps?” Ava asks, looking around. “You tell the whole state of New Mexico about us?”<br><br>Isabel rolls her eyes and ignores her question. “Actually, maybe you can help. We have a little…problem.”<br><br>Zan studies everyone in the room. “Yah? Where’s your king? You follow my sistah and Rath’s lead and kill him?”<br><br>Serena is watching this unfold, astonished. She heard Liz tell her about them, but to see them here…it was just weird. “He’s in there.” She says, nodding her head toward the bedroom.<br><br>Zan and Ava make their way through the living room, through everyone and walk to the doorway to the bedroom. When they see what’s in there, Ava says, “Holy shit…what’d ya do to ‘em?”<br><br>Isabel follows with Michael close behind and says, “We didn’t do anything to them.” defensively. “We just found them like that…and we don’t know what to do.”<br><br>Zan walks toward the bed, studying Max and says, “What kind of fucked up shit is this?” He touches the webbing and looks over at Liz…feeling a vibe coming off of her…like a pull. “Who’s that?”<br><br>“Liz. She’s his.” Ava answers him. She told him about Liz before and how nice she was to her when she was in Roswell.<br><br>“She ain’t doin’ too good. It’s comin’ from her.” Zan says, feeling the sickness radiating off of Liz.<br><br>“Liz did this?” Maria asks.<br><br>“Yah, she’s like, suckin’ the energy from everything in here…from your boy here.” Zan answers. “She has a lotta power.”<br><br>Isabel walks further into the room and looks down at Max and Liz. “Is there anything we can do? Do you know?”<br><br>Zan looks up at her, cautious. She looks just like his sister…only softer. “Dunno. You got the stones?”<br><br>Isabel’s shoulders slump and she says, “No. They were destroyed.”<br><br>Zan nods and looks back down at the bed…thinking.<br><br>Ava looks around and asks, “Your fourth ain’t here?”<br><br>Michael looks at her, the hatred on his face evident. “She’s dead.”<br><br>Ava nods and picks up that no one’s sorry about that fact. <br><br>Zan looks up and says, “We got us a four square here. Guess we can try ta juice her up…give her what she needs so she lets go.”<br><br>Isabel nods her head. “Ok…lets do it…anything that might help.” She looks at Michael and sees his hesitation.<br><br>“I…uh…I don’t have that kind of control over it.” Michael looks at Zan.<br><br>“Don’t mattah. We just need your energy…I’ll do the rest.”<br><br>Kyle’s confused and asks, “So, what…you’re gonna send your energy to Liz? What if you kill her?”<br><br>Zan smirks and says, “I don’t think we could kill her if we tried. She got more power than I evah seen. Your boy did a number on her…musta healed her or somethin’”<br><br>Kyle’s eyes open wider and he says, “Because he healed her? He healed her more than once.”<br><br>Zan looks impressed. “More than once, huh? She’s probably so juiced up, she got electricity shootin’ outta her fingertips.” He looks at Ava and they snort with laughter.<br><br>Isabel doesn’t appreciate their amusement at the situation and says, “This isn’t funny.”<br><br>Zan sobers up and says, “Yah, ok…whatevah…I hope he hasn’t been goin’ around healin’ everyone. Or we gonna have a whole planet o’ freaky humans more powerful than we are walkin’ around.”<br><br>Kyle pales visibly and backs away slightly. Ava sees him and asks, “What’s your deal?”<br><br>Maria sees him and says, “Kyle, it’s alright. He only healed you once. You’ve never been as powerful as Liz.”<br><br>“Yah, well, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>she</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> healed me too. That’s gotta do something.”<br><br>Zan turns his head when hears this. “Damn…she can heal?” He and Ava share a look and he shakes his head. “What…this guy can’t keep his hands to himself?” He turns to Michael. “Who else he heal?”<br><br>Michael scratches his eyebrow and says, “Kyle’s dad…a bunch of kids with cancer…oh, and he tried to heal this other kid, but it didn’t work.” Michael looks at Isabel. “Is that it? I can’t remember.”<br><br>“Jesus…what the fuck’s he thinkin’?” Zan exclaims…horrified that his double has been going around healing everyone is sight. <br><br>Exasperated, Isabel says, “Can we talk about this later? And maybe deal with our current problem?”<br><br>“Right.” Zan turns back to the bed. “A’ight. We gotta concentrate on her…just…send your energy. Keep contact with Ava…she’ll filter it to me.” He turns to Ava and grabs her hand, placing his other hand on Liz.<br><br>Turning to Liz, Zan kneels on the floor and mutters, “How do I get myself in this shit?”<br><br>Ava kneels down next to him, then Isabel and Michael. They’re all holding hands and before long, light shoots out of their joined hands…traveling from Michael to Isabel to Ava and finally to Zan, whose back arches like he’s just been hit with something powerful.<br><br>His hand is gripping Liz’s arm…glowing so bright everyone can see his bones and tendons. Less than a minute goes by and Max wakes up with a start, sitting up and clawing at the webbing that’s covering him. Panicking, he sees Kyle, Serena, Jesse and Maria staring at him before looking next to him. He reacts instantly to what he sees and makes a grab for Zan’s arm. Zan’s eyes open suddenly and look straight into Max’s. An instant later, without Zan even moving, Max is thrown off the bed and across the room. <br><br>Maria rushes to him and helps him sit up. “Max, are you ok?”<br><br>Max rubs his head and looks at the spectacle in front of him. “What the hell is going on?” He finally sees Liz covered in white webbing and he cries out, “What are they doing to her?” He tries to stand up, but his knees buckle and he slides down the wall.<br><br>Jesse puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “It’s ok…they’re trying to help.” Jesse can’t keep his gaze away for long, though, and looks back at the four of them. Isabel is practically glowing, sweat beading on her forehead. <br><br>Serena kneels down on the floor close to Max. “They just showed up, said they could feel you here. You and Liz…you were unconscious and covered in that stuff.” She nods toward Liz and the webbing still covering her. “We didn’t know what to do.”<br><br>“How long?” Max asks, feeling how dry his throat is.<br><br>“About nine hours. We don’t know when that…stuff…started, though.” Serena tells him, picking off some webbing from Max’s shirt. “Zan…says it’s coming from Liz. He said she’s sick and was pulling your energy from you…from the room. I think they’re trying heal her.” <br><br>Max feels a sudden surge of energy and sees the light that’s coming from them get brighter. He looks at Liz, who hasn’t moved at all, then at Zan. He’s draining, fast…they all are. All Max can think of is all that energy being poured into Liz.<br><br>Suddenly, the room goes dark and Zan breaks away, falling back. Isabel and Michael look completely drained as they fall back, sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. <br><br>Looking at Liz, Maria says, “It didn’t work. She looks the same.” <br><br>Zan whispers from the corner, “Rip that shit off her. She’ll be up soon.” He’s breathing heavily and doesn’t have enough energy to move his head. <br><br>Maria does as he says, Serena stepping forward to help. Max slowly slides up the wall and makes his way to Liz. He sits next to her on the bed and strokes her hair back from her face. <br><br>Jesse moves next to Isabel and helps her up as Zan says, “You’s got any juice, or somethin’ with some fuckin’ sugar in it?”<br><br>Max looks over at him, startled to her his own voice talking like…that. Maria looks from Michael to Zan and says, “Yah, does that help?”<br><br>Zan just looks at her and she leaves the room to get them all some of Liz’s power bars and some orange juice. She returns and gives it to them, watching Zan drink the whole glass in two seconds before ripping into the bar. He nudges Ava, who had drifted off and says, “Hey peaches…drink this.”<br><br>Max watches them, slightly disconcerted before he turns his attention back to Liz. “What did you do to her?”<br><br>Zan looks at him, not appreciating his tone, and says, “Juiced her up. She’ll be a’ight…someone did a number on her though.”<br><br>Max doesn’t know what to say to that as he feels her forehead. She feels ok…he can feel their connection at least. <br><br>“Hey sweet cheeks, you got more?” Zan says to Maria, holding up his empty glass.<br><br>She rolls her eyes and gets his glass. “Yah, the name’s Maria.” She takes it into the next room and comes back with a full glass.<br><br>“Thanks. We gonna need to crash…you’s got room?” Zan asks Max.<br><br>He looks over and says, “Not exactly, you can sleep where you find room, though.”<br><br>“Cool.” Zan slowly stands up, pulling Ava with him. They walk into the living room and look around. “What a dump. Looks like we get the floor.” He lays down on the floor next to the ratty couch and pulls Ava close to him before they both fall asleep.<br><br>Max turns to see everyone looking at him expectantly. “I guess we need to schedule some guard duty. Go in pairs, I don’t want anyone alone.”<br><br>Jesse nods and says, “Kyle? You wanna go with me? We’ll take first shift.”<br><br>“Sure. It’s starting to get a little crowded in here.” Kyle tells him and gives Serena a kiss before putting his coat on. Kyle throws Jesse a gun and walkie talkie and they both head out the front door.<br><br>Max throws a pillow on the floor for Michael and helps Maria get Isabel up and into the bed next to Liz. “They just need to rest for a while.” He tells her as she grabs a blanket and lays it over Michael’s sleeping form.<br><br>She nods and looks over at Liz. “He said she’d be awake soon. Why isn’t she awake?”<br><br>“I don’t know.” Max says as he sits on the floor next to Liz’s side of the bed, holding her hand.<br><br>He stays next to her for the next few hours, picking webbing off of her and throwing it away. He still has no idea what happened and hopes someone will fill him in later. Right now, he just wants Liz to wake up. He stares at her, willing her to do so. <br><br>When Liz wakes up, she sees that it’s dark outside and she’s disoriented. Looking down, she sees Max sitting on the floor, holding her hand with his head resting on the side of the bed…asleep. Furrowing her brow and wondering what he’s doing down there, she turns her head and sees Isabel in the bed sleeping next to her. Turning back to Max, she sees Michael and Maria on the floor just behind Max…sleeping, too. What’s going on here? <br><br>Her throat feels like sandpaper and her mouth is pasty and she tries to sit up, gently pulling her hand from Max’s. Oddly, she feels very awake and…her body almost seems to be humming. She slips out of bed quietly and walks into the living room to see Serena asleep on the couch and her eyes are drawn to the floor. Taking a step back, her eyes widening, she sees Tess of all people on the floor. Just as she’s about to wake everyone up screaming, she sees who’s next to her and stops in her tracks.<br><br>Moving forward slowly, she realizes that it’s not Tess…it’s Ava…and Zan? But…he’s supposed to be dead…isn’t he? She looks around at all the sleeping bodies and starts to panic. What’s going on? She’s obviously been asleep for a very long time. She doesn’t see Jesse or Kyle anywhere and she spins around, confused and disoriented. <br><br>Taking a deep breath, she tries to calm down and place the pieces in the puzzle. She’s missing too many, though, and can feel the panic start up again. She looks down at Ava and Zan…then back in the bedroom. Yup, Max is in there. “Ok…ok…don’t freak out.” She whispers to herself.<br> <br>Max wakes up with a start, panic rolling through him in waves. He looks up and sees that Liz is gone and he jumps up, looking around the room. He sees her and rushes into the living room. “Liz.” He whispers and spins her around, seeing the panic in her eyes. “It’s ok.” <br><br>She grabs onto him tightly and says, “What’s happened, Max. What’s going on here? Where are Jesse and Kyle? Why are they here?” She points to the two figures sleeping on the floor. “I thought he was dead.”<br><br>“Shhh…it’s ok. Calm down. They came to help…I think. I’m not too sure because I kind of came in in the middle.” He strokes her hair and says, “Jesse and Kyle are on patrol.”<br><br>She visibly relaxes when she hears that and she looks around. “What time is it? How long did I sleep?”<br><br>He looks at his watch and says, “It’s midnight. You…we were asleep for a long time…all day.”<br><br>Liz rubs her face and looks down at herself. She’s a mess. Sighing, she says, “Ok, I need a shower and I don’t wanna wake everyone up. Come with me to the bathroom?” When she sees the look on his face, she says, “You can come in <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>after</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> I get in the shower.”<br><br>He nods. “Ok.” He watches as she takes one last look around and heads to the bathroom, grabbing her bag on the way. Giving her a few minutes, he goes back and knocks on the door softly before hearing her tell him to come in.<br><br>Shutting the door behind him, he sits down on the toilet and tries not to think about her being naked right next to him. She’s probably picking up his thoughts and that makes him think about it more…uncontrollably.<br><br>Liz laughs to herself when she hears what he’s thinking and says, “So…you wanna fill me in?”<br><br>No, I wanna join you. “I’m not sure.” He says instead. “I woke up and everyone was in the bedroom, surrounding the bed and we…we were covered in that webbing. Remember…like Michael back in high school?”<br><br>“So that’s what this stuff is.” Liz says. “Ok, go ahead.”<br><br>“When I woke up, I saw Zan…touching you…and Ava, Isabel and Michael. They were…I don’t know…Zan called it “juicing you up”. Whatever that means.” He rolls his eyes and continues. “I tried to get him off of you and he threw me across the room. After a few minutes, they let go and pretty much all went to sleep. Serena told me Zan and Ava just showed up…that they felt us here. He also said you were sick.” He thinks back and shrugs to himself. “That’s about all I know at this point. That was about seven hours ago.”<br><br>When Liz doesn’t say anything for a while, Max asks, “How do you feel? Do you remember anything?”<br><br>“Actually, I feel really good. Like…my body is thrumming with energy…it’s…it’s strange. I’m not sure if I remember anything. I think I was dreaming, or maybe not. I remember you…but not you.” She’s silent for a moment. “I guess that’s Zan. I thought I was dreaming about you, but it wasn’t you…he was…different.” <br><br>Max doesn’t know what to think about that. Obviously Zan connected with her. What does that mean? Did he see her…did she see him? A stab of jealousy hits him and he feels his blood pressure go up a notch.<br><br>Coming out of her thoughts about what she saw, Liz says, “I don’t know what I saw or if it was real. At this point, there are so many of you it’s hard to keep track.” She laughs a little at that, then sobers quickly. How ridiculous is this? She’s got three different Max’s floating around in her psyche now. Like the one wasn’t enough. “How are Isabel and Michael?” She asks, wanting to get off the topic of multiple Max’s.<br><br>“Drained…tired. I think they’ll be ok, though.” Max answers her…still thinking about what she said before. “Did you know you were sick?”<br><br>She doesn’t say anything for a while and he thinks she’s not going to answer him. “Yes.” She finally says. “I knew. I just thought that if I could get some sleep it would get better, though. I’m sorry, Max.”<br><br>“Was it something they did to you? Do you know?” He asks, wondering if he didn’t heal her all the way after they operated on her.<br><br>Again, she doesn’t answer him right away. He hears her turn off the water and she reaches out for a towel before saying, “Yah…something they did to me…something they took, I think.” <br><br>Before he can ask her anything else, there’s a loud banging on the bathroom door. “Yo! I gotta piss!”<br><br>Max cringes and looks from the door to Liz. “God, can you believe we’re genetically identical?”<br><br>She smiles at him, curious to see Zan-The Live Version. “Let me get dressed, tell him I’ll be out in a minute.”<br><br>Max nods and opens the door a crack, squeezing through before Zan can see in. “She’ll be out in a minute.” He tells him.<br><br>Max walks into the kitchen and watches as a few minutes later Liz opens the bathroom door and steps out…meeting Zan for the first time. She looks at the floor, then up at him. “Sorry…the bathroom’s all yours.”<br><br>Zan touches her arm and smirks. “No prob babe.” He raises his eyebrows suggestively and says, “You get what you need from me? You feel bettah?” His voice is low…smooth. <br><br>Liz looks nervously over to Max and knows he’s ready to explode with anger before turning back to Zan. “Um…yah…thanks. I feel much better.” She steps away from him and walks toward Max…who doesn’t miss her flushed face. <br><br>As Liz walks away, Zan appreciates the view from behind…an appreciation that doesn’t go unnoticed by Max. Zan smirks at him before walking into the bathroom. “Man, that guy is uptight.” he thinks as he shuts the door.<br><br>Max watches as Liz makes herself two sandwiches loaded with meat and cheese and eats them in less time than it took her to make them.<br><br>She leans back in the chair and says, “I so needed that. I think I’m still hungry.” She smiles and gets up, pulling a bag of potato chips out of the pantry. Sitting back down at the table with Max, she says, “I feel like I haven’t eaten for days.”<br><br>Max watches her, amused, and says, “You haven’t.” She seems so full of energy…like she can’t sit still. He watches as she squirms around in the chair, bouncing both legs up and down as she digs into the chips. <br><br>“I guess I did sleep for 18 hours.” Liz rationalizes her jitteriness. “Maybe I should go for a run.”<br><br>“Liz…you can’t go for a run. You just had to be healed by not just one…but FOUR aliens because you were so sick. Maybe you should take it easy.” Max shakes his head at her, hoping she’s not serious.<br><br>She looks up in thought. “Then a walk. You can come with me. We need to talk anyway.” She looks at him and shoves another handful of chips in her mouth.<br><br>“Alright. But only a walk…a short walk.” He concedes. “And put the chips down…we’ll stop and get you something to eat with a little more nutrition in it.”<br><br>Liz jumps up out of the chair and grabs her coat, gun and walkie talkie. She throws Max his and practically runs to the door as Max tries to tie his shoelaces before she bolts on him.<br><br>He finally catches up with her…having to run because she’s half way down the street when he finally makes it outside.<br><br>“You finally decided to join me?” She jokes with him as he runs up next to her.<br><br>They walk in silence for a while. Both caught up in their thoughts. The night is clear but chilly and they can hear the sounds of the city around them. “It’s kind of like Paris…the city is up all night.” Liz finally breaks the silence.<br><br>“Yah. I like Paris better, though.” Max says.<br><br>“Yah.” She agrees…thinking about the sunset, and their little courtyard. “I’d like to go back there.”<br><br>The walk for a few blocks before Max says, “Liz, we haven’t had a chance to talk…about before. I just…I wanted to…” He’s trying to find the words to apologize for what he said in Mexico City…for everything he did…for pushing her. After everything they’ve been through in the last week…has it only been a week? Or has it been longer?…it put it all in a different perspective for him. <br><br>“Max,” Liz interrupts. “I need to tell you…at least, I think…I don’t know how to tell you this. I’m not even sure myself.” She shakes her head at her stuttering.<br><br>He looks at her and says, “What? You can tell me…you can tell me anything.”<br><br>Liz takes a deep breath, shoving her hands in her coat pocket. “I think…I think I was pregnant…when they took us.” Holding her breath, she waits for his response.<br><br>Max walks a few steps and stops…replaying her words in his mind. “Wha…you…you’re pre…wait…was?” He’s looking at her, looking her up and down, confused.<br><br>“I think…I think they took it…when they operated on me.” She watches him as he’s thinking back, processing what she’s saying. “I didn’t know…not really. Until after, and I felt like something was missing…something that had been there before. I don’t know how to explain it.”<br><br>Max is speechless so she continues, “Now that I think about it, the signs were there…before…in Mexico. I just didn’t know what it was. Not until we were out of there and I started to feel…like part of me was missing…and it threw me off balance. I’m thinking that that’s why I was sick.” She looks up at him, all the color has drained from his face and she hears the wheels turning in his mind.<br><br>“I…I didn’t know…I…” Max stutters.<br><br>“Max, how could you? <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> didn’t even know.” She starts puzzling the pieces together again and says, “I have a theory…that maybe that’s why I sucked you in, too…with the web thing. Maybe it was my body reacting to what was missing. Like it was trying to take from you what was missing from me and get it back again. I don’t know…that’s just a feeling I get.”<br><br>He’s flabbergasted. How can her mind just…keep working like that. He still can’t get past the first thing she said to him. “Liz…I…I think I need to sit down.” He swallows and jerks his head around, looking for somewhere to sit. <br><br>Liz sees a bench across the street and leads him over there. “I’m sorry…for just springing it on you like that. I guess I’ve had a little more time to think about it.”<br><br>Max sits down and says, “Are you sure? Or…is there any way you could be wrong?”<br><br>“I’m pretty sure. I feel it…I don’t really know how to explain it other than I just <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>feel</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> that that’s right.” She says.<br><br>He wipes his face with his hand. “But…I healed you…and I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see it.”<br><br>Liz looks down and says, “Maybe because there was nothing to see. I didn’t even know then…I hadn’t even thought about it at that point.”<br><br>“Oh my god.” Max whispers before a choked sob escapes his throat and he buries his face in his hands. <br><br>Liz looks away, down the street, tears filling her eyes. She watches a car drive past them, filled with laughing people…out having a good time. People…normal people…living their normal lives. With no idea of the horrors that happen in the world. How she envies them right now…how she wishes she could just hop in the car with them and escape. As the car disappears around the next corner, she wipes at her tears. If wishes were candy and nuts…isn’t that how the saying goes?<br><br>“Liz…” She’s broken out of her revere when Max grabs her hand. “I’m so…sorry.” God, sorry…what kind of word is that. It’s not even appropriate, but he has no idea what to say. He looks down at her tiny hand in his. He looks up and meets her gaze…seeing in her eyes that she knows…that she knows there’s nothing really to say. <br><br>“I know, Max.” A tear slips down her cheek and he reaches up to brush it away with his thumb. If only he could take their pain away with such a simple gesture. <br><br>Liz leans her head into his hand and says softly, “I’m sorry, Max. If I’d known, I would have…”<br><br>“No.” He grabs her face with both of his hands. “There’s nothing you could have done. If you would have fought them, it wouldn’t have mattered. You know that. It’s not your fault. Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.”<br><br>Her face crumples and he pulls her into his arms…the flood finally breaking. She hasn’t had time to even think about what had been taken from her…from them. It’s taken all of her energy just to survive…just to get here. She doesn’t even know how to mourn for something that she didn’t even know existed until it was gone. <br><br>Time passes as they both sit on that bench. Traffic and people pass by as they hold each other, comfort each other…neither saying a word. Hours pass, but they don’t notice. They listen to each other’s heartbeat, the sound of their breath as they watch the world pass them by…unnoticed. <br><br>~TBC~<br> <p></p><i></i>
Re: :)
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2003 1:58 am
by splatty
<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>will this story have a happy ending? it's so sad!!!! awesome part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :cry --><img src=
http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em> I want to be what I was when I wanted to be what I am now.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>
