Fan Fic and More

Thank you Roswell Aliens and Ti88 for the great FB. I'm glad you like the interaction between the gang...I think those are my favorite parts to write. :D

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Chapter 27: The Showdown

At the end of the week, the teens were getting ready to leave school when they realized something was amiss. There was an envelope pushed under the windshield wipers of Max’s Jeep and upon closer inspection, they found one under the wipers of Maria’s Jetta too.

The two teens cautiously opened the envelopes. The group let out a collective gasp when they saw the contents. There were pictures of their parents in each one. The parents were clearly bound and gagged and it looked like a few of them had been badly beaten too.

A hastily scrawled note in Max’s envelope informed him that he, Michael, Ava and Isabel were to head out to the pod chamber alone…or their parents would be killed.

Everyone knew this was the handy work of Lonnie and Rath. They had gone straight for the jugular by threatening to kill the pod squad’s loved ones. If they brought their human counterparts along, the parents would be killed.

Maria violently ripped a bottle of cedar oil out of her purse and began sniffing. Isabel just stood there, shaking with a combination of fear and anger. Kyle balled up his fists in instant fury. Tess and her goons had gone too far now.

“What do we do Max?!” Liz clutched at his arm in fear.

“I don’t know…I just…” He was too shaken to even formulate a plan. He looked wildly around the group and then his eyes settled on Michael.

“What do you think Michael?” Michael’s head shot up at Max’s question. Now that they were all looking to him for an answer, he suddenly felt claustrophobic. ‘This must be what it’s like for Max,’ he thought.

“They’re out by the pod chamber. Our turf. That could work to our advantage…” Michael trailed off in thought as he began to formulate a plan.

“It’s pretty rugged out there. They might not see us coming right away, but up by the pod chamber they’ll be on high ground. They’ll see us approach…they’ll know if we bring the rest of you along.” Michael’s commentary was cut off by an angry rant from Liz.

“Those are our parents out there too. Don’t you dare say that we should stay behind Michael. I will not just sit here with my fingers crossed while you go out and try to play hero!” Liz abruptly stopped her tirade when she saw a smirk appear on Michael’s face.

Michael wasn’t thrilled about being yelled at by Liz but he had to give the girl credit. Apparently they had something in common after all. They were both ready to fight ferociously to protect their loved ones. Those people might not be his parents, but they’d shown him more kindness than Hank ever had. He would make sure they all got out of this alive.

“We can’t all fit in the Jeep but if we take both cars up the main road, it’ll be too obvious that we’re not alone. Rath can block Ava’s mindwarps, so we can’t count on her to cover your presence either. We’ll have to come at them from opposite sides.” Michael looked around at the group to make sure everyone was following the plan so far.

“Max, Isabel, Ava and I will take the main road out there. That’s where they’ll be watching for us anyway. The rest of you take the long way and hike up from behind the pod chamber. No one makes a move until I say though. Got it?” When the others nodded, he added one last command.

“If I say run, you run. I mean it. No matter what happens…if I tell you to run…” Michael trailed off, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.

The teens left, with the podsters taking Max’s Jeep and the humans taking Maria’s Jetta. Max drove slowly, giving the others time to circle around and approach the pod chamber from the other side. He hated that the others were in danger now. It was weighing heavily on his heart all throughout the long drive to the chamber.

When they arrived, they couldn’t see any sign of the parents or the evil trio. The podsters cautiously approached the pod chamber and Max engaged the handprint to open the door. The parents were all gathered in the center of the chamber, bound tightly and scattered about the floor. Lonnie was standing guard over them on one side and Rath was on the other.

An eager Lonnie immediately greeted them. “Bout time yo! I was beginnin’ to think you’s was gonna jus’ leave em’ out here. Where’s your little friends?” Lonnie’s brow quirked up in question.

“Your note said to come alone. We’re here. Now let them go.” Max used his most authoritative voice, hoping to intimidate Lonnie. He glared over at Tess who was standing safely behind Rath. He couldn’t believe he’d ever had sympathy for that coward.

Rath let out a cruel laugh and leaned down to stroke Amy’s hair. “Not part of the plan. You’s gonna help us work the Granilith, or the humans here won’t live to see the light of day.” He punctuated his threat with a feral grin.

Amy’s fear was almost palpable and it fueled a white-hot anger in Michael. “Do not touch her again.” He growled. When he saw Rath grab a fistful of Amy’s hair, his eyes turned black as coal. Tess backed up against the far wall in fear.

“You gonna stop me, Duke?” Rath growled back ferociously.

The tension in the room increased exponentially the longer Michael and Rath stared each other down. No one wanted to see what would happen if the two intimidating men faced off, yet no one was willing to get in their way either. Even Lonnie took a step back, an expression of alarm clearly etched across her face. Arcs of white lightning began dancing off both men’s bodies and the whole group could feel a weird sort of electrical charge in the air.

People’s hair began to stand on end from the violent energy flowing freely from both men. Just then, Michael realized he could feel Maria nearby. He was only distracted for a split second, but that was long enough for Rath to squeeze in a quick blast.

Max threw up his shield but he hadn’t been quick enough. Michael was hit square in the chest with the thunderous blast. Max’s shield formed around them just as Michael hit the floor, bleeding freely from a pair of badly broken ribs.

From their training sessions, Max knew that his shield would only hold up to another three or four direct hits like that before it started to falter. The parents watched up from the floor in a combination of awe and panic. Even in his injured state, Michael managed to fire off a few monstrous blasts from his position on the floor. His blasts served to keep Rath and Lonnie from getting any closer to the parents.

Outside the pod chamber, the rest of the crew had managed to arrive undetected. They were filled with a sense of foreboding when they realized the entrance was closed. What if they couldn’t open the door?

“I can feel Michael in there! Something’s wrong though…they’re panicking. We have to find a way in!” Maria looked at the others frantically.

“Michael said to stay put until he gave us the word. Even if we can get that door open, what if we just make everything worse?” Kyle was none too thrilled at the idea of rushing blindly in there.

Alex turned to Liz. “You have to find out what’s going on.” Liz nodded in understanding and started concentrating on Max with all her might. Their old connection flared to life immediately and Liz was mentally thrown into the midst of the standoff going on inside. She watched for a moment, unseen by the others and then broke the connection.

“Rath is attacking them. Max’s shield is up but I don’t know how long it’ll hold. Michael’s hurt. I don’t know if they can combine their powers if one of them is hurt…we have to go in there.” Liz glanced around at the others, noting their affirmative nods.

Alex stepped forward and waved his hand over the rock, desperately hoping to see that familiar glowing handprint. He prayed that his new powers would also allow him to open the pod chamber door. The silver handprint suddenly appeared and they stood at attention as the door scraped open.

“I thought you said you was alone?!” Lonnie yelled. Everyone turned toward the entrance and saw Alex, Kyle, Liz and Maria emerge.

Max’s expression turned stricken when he realized he couldn’t shield all eight of them. If let his shield fall for even a second, Rath would surely strike a fatal blow. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just leave them standing there, completely exposed.

Liz closed her eyes and held her hand out as she’d seen Max do so many times before. She concentrated with all her might and was elated when a shimmering green shield began to bubble to life around herself and her friends. Alex took her hand, hoping it would help and much to his relief, the shield glowed even more vibrantly.

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to Maria. “If we can get close enough to the others, you should be able to join with them and create the four-square. Your powers are the same as Michael’s…it’s the only way.”

The four humans slowly started edging closer to the pod squad. Rath resumed blasting and was now joined by Lonnie as well. In the heat of battle, they had both forgotten about the parents completely. Both shields were taking a beating and they were beginning to flicker.

Michael struggled to get up and help his friends. Lonnie was blasting away relentlessly at Liz’s shield and he knew that it would soon give out. He aimed at Lonnie and fired off a massive blast through Max’s faltering shield. She was thrown through the air and landed in a heap in the far corner of the chamber.

The human crew saw that Max, Michael, Isabel and Ava were joining hands. They knew they were trying to create that foursquare unit they’d all read about in the translation. Michael was badly injured though and it didn’t look like it was working. His breathing was coming out in pained rasps and he could barely hold himself steady long enough to join hands with the others.

Maria took a chance and ran straight toward the pod squad, exposing herself in an effort to join them before both shields fell. In the background, she heard her mother scream in anguish but she couldn’t stop now. She couldn’t let things end this way. Just as Max’s shield collapsed, she dove forward and grabbed Michael’s hand. Isabel grasped onto her other hand and Ava quickly clutched Max’s.

Then, it was as if things started happening in slow motion. Liz’s shield fell and she, Kyle and Alex bolted forward to join their friends. Rath was still firing off blasts and one of them caught Kyle in the leg. His legs shot out from under him and he would have fallen, had it not been for Alex. The self-proclaimed dodge ball pro managed to sidestep a blast and stop Kyle’s fall all in one fluid movement. He nearly dragged Kyle over to the rest of their friends. As they joined hands with the others, a blinding purple light spiraled outward, knocking Rath and Tess off their feet. They landed unceremoniously in the same corner Lonnie occupied.

Before the group even had a chance to react, a strange swirling mass appeared behind the evil trio. The brilliant white light twisted forward, growing larger with each passing second. Lonnie, Rath and Tess began to hover in the air, a bizarre glow surrounding them. They were pulled into the light and then as quickly as it had appeared, the swirling mass blinked out of existence. The traitors were gone and no one knew what had happened.

After hastily untying their parents, Max started healing the injured. Amy Deluca had put up quite a fight when the evil trio captured her so they had forcefully subdued her, breaking her arm badly in the process.

Phillip, Jeff and Jim had rushed the trio at one point in an attempt to take them out before their kids could arrive and be ambushed. Jim no longer had his gun, so the three adult men hadn’t stood a chance. Jeff had been blasted so hard by Rath that the fillings in his teeth actually melted. It was like being struck by lightning.

The sheer force necessary to heal everyone was overwhelming Max. Liz quickly rushed to his side, hoping he would be able to use some of her power, as she had been able to do with Alex. It worked and soon the parents were in top form again.

They briefly discussed what had happened but they were all too shell shocked at the moment to put much effort into figuring everything out. It was decided that they would go back to town and try to contact Larek, through Brody. They were hoping that he would be able to explain what the strange vortex had been and where exactly it had sent the evil trio.

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Chapter 28: The Aftermath

When the group arrived back at the Crashdown on that fateful evening, they were greeted by Brody. He rushed out of the UFO Center as soon as he saw Max’s Jeep pull up.

“Max! Michael! We must speak in private…It’s urgent!” Brody was looking even more tousled than normal. He had a wild, frantic look about him.

Since he had addressed both Max and Michael, the group was fairly certain that it was not actually Brody standing before them. It had to be Larek because Brody would have no reason to speak with Michael.

“Come on in. Whatever it is, you can say it in front of our families. There are no secrets here…” Max led Larek in to the dining room. The whole group stared at him warily as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Larek surveyed the disheveled group in the restaurant. As his eyes caught sight of Isabel and Ava he took a deep shuddering breath.

“I was told that you were captured at the palace!” Off everyone’s confused looks he elaborated. “The Royal Antarean palace. My intelligence officials informed me that Vilandra, Ava and Rath were captured in the royal courtyard today.”

“Oh my God…It sent them to Antar?!” Isabel’s outburst served to confuse Larek even further.

The group spent the next thirty minutes bringing Larek up to speed on recent events. Although he had remained quite stoic in the beginning while the story unfurled, he did seem unsettled when they mentioned Nasedo and his version of ‘destiny’.

“Who is this Nasedo you speak of? Your mothers handpicked the protectors to be sent to Earth with you. Their Antarean names were Kal and Dendra. It would not have been possible for either one of them to lie to you…they were preprogrammed to be completely loyal. Kira and Rayna will be most upset…”

“Kira and Rayna? Who are they?” Michael interrupted with his usual impatience.

“You really don’t remember anything do you?” Larek fixed Michael with a look of pure sadness. “Rayna is your mother. Kira is their mother.” Larek pointed to Max and Isabel.

“Do you mean to tell me their parents are still alive?!” Phillip Evans was feeling rather uncomfortable at the idea of Max and Isabel having other parents out there somewhere.

“Both mothers survived the war and have remained hidden, political refugees if you will, on my home planet. Our families have been friends and allies for generations so of course they are welcome on my planet for as long as they choose to stay.” The entire group was left dumbstruck at that revelation. They never dreamed that their families would be alive after such a long time. Larek saw the group’s confusion and thought it would be wise to explain further.

“The average live expectancy in our star system is equivalent to two hundred and sixty Earth years. Our atmosphere and technology are ideal for such extreme longevity. Kira and Rayna are still young by our standards, as are you.” Larek saw shock register on their faces.

“I don’t have much longer in this body. Before I leave, I must know…If it was not you that Kivar captured, who was it?”

Max told him about the dupes and the incident earlier at the pod chamber with the strange vortex that appeared when the teens joined. Larek’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The prophecy is true then. We weren’t sure…that ancient prophecy was so vague.” Larek shook his head as if to clear it and then addressed the group.

“I must leave this body now but I will brief Kira and Rayna and return to you soon.” With that, Larek quickly returned Brody’s body to the UFO Center before releasing his hold on the innocent man.

After Larek’s hasty exit, the group began mulling over the implications of everything they had learned. The pod squad was unusually subdued. They were feeling guilty for everything their human friends and families had been subjected to earlier. Now that things were starting to quiet down, the full force of the guilt started bearing down on them.

Jeff had noticed the stricken look on Max’s face every time he looked at Liz tonight. He could tell the boy was berating himself for putting her in danger. Perhaps it was time he and Max had a long overdue man-to-man talk.

Jeff decided to fire up the grill and fix a little something for dinner. They had all missed dinner and he suspected everyone could use something to eat after their ordeal. He poked his head out of the kitchen and asked Max to come give him a hand.

Max shuffled nervously into the kitchen, knowing that Mr. Parker really just wanted to have words with him. After what happened today, he wouldn’t blame Jeff if he never allowed Liz near him again. ‘If only I had stayed away from her in the first place’, he thought. It wasn’t supposed to be like this for her.

“Today was a real awakening for me Max.” Max looked away from Jeff nervously.

“When my daughter walked into that chamber tonight, I was terrified for her.” Jeff took a good look at Max before continuing. “I saw your face Max. I know you were going to drop your shield to protect her. I don’t know if anyone else saw it, but I did. Tonight I watched a man make the decision to sacrifice himself to save my daughter.”

Max just silently nodded at Jeff. He didn’t know what to say. It was his fault Liz was involved in any of this to begin with and the guilt was breaking his heart.

“The thing is Max, people make their own choices. It’s called free will. Tess and her goons decided to betray you and there is nothing you could have done to change that. Liz made the choice to fall in love with you and become part of your world. There’s nothing I can do about that either.” Jeff paused, struggling to find the right words.

“The way I see it, you have one more choice to make tonight, Max. You can choose to love my daughter and give her a long happy life, or you can keep your distance…leaving her when she needs you most. Like I said, it’s your decision…” Max looked up at Jeff in shock. Had Liz’s father really just given his blessing?

Out in the dining room, the others were chattering excitedly about the details Larek had just revealed. The Delucas, the Valentis, Michael and Ava were sitting in a booth trying to make sense of all that had happened.

“I can’t believe your mother is still alive! You guys have family out there somewhere…” Maria chattered excitedly. She looked back and forth between Michael and Ava, noticing their blatant lack of enthusiasm.

“Why didn’t they come with though? Kira and Rayna I mean…How could a mother send her children off to some foreign planet alone?!” Michael was obviously torn about the news.

“I bet they wanted to come. I’m sure they did. They were the last surviving members of your royal houses though…they were probably needed more out there. They needed to make sure you had something left to come home to. It sounds like they went to a lot of trouble choosing your protectors. I’m sure they thought they were doing what was right…” Amy tried to reassure them.

“Well they obviously didn’t think it through very well because Ava ended up living in a sewer with a bunch of monsters and I ended up with Hank.” Michael snapped.

“They didn’t know Michael…they never knew about the others. They thought they were saving us.” Ava said quietly. “Just wait until Larek comes back…maybe he’ll bring a message from our mother.” She finished hopefully.

Michael’s eyes brightened. “Maybe…” He said tentatively.

Jim decided that now would be a good time for a slight change of subject. “I want to thank you for what you did today Michael. You did good son…you did real good.”

Michael turned, with a shocked expression on his face. “I nearly got everyone killed today. I should’ve taken out Lonnie and Rath the second we stepped into that chamber…I just…I couldn’t.”

“You wouldn’t you mean. You aren’t a murderer Michael. That’s what sets you apart from them. They had no qualms about killing everyone in that room except for maybe Max…and that was only because they needed him to work the Granilith.” Jim was suddenly cut off by Amy.

“Don’t ever let me hear you berate yourself that way again Michael Guerin. You saved my life today. I will never forget that.” Amy broke off when Maria and Kyle gasped.

“What do you mean he saved your life mom?” Maria asked. She, Kyle, Alex and Liz had been outside the chamber when Rath threatened Amy. They hadn’t heard that part of the story yet.

“Rath was going to kill us all if Max didn’t help them use the Granilith. I think he meant to start with me. Michael stopped him.” Amy beamed over at Michael as finished explaining.

Maria looked at Michael with such an expression of pride that he immediately blushed and looked away. “My hero!” She yelled, smothering him in a hug.

“You’re calling me the hero?! You’re the one that ran out into the open and saved all our butts…we are going to have a little talk about later, by the way.” Michael directed a stern glance at Maria before continuing.

“When I saw you running…they could have…you could’ve been…and when your mom screamed I thought for sure…” Michael couldn’t find the words to express how thankful he was that she was all right so he just pulled her into a massive hug instead. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, oblivious to the fact that the others were still sitting there watching them.

“Um, can we move past the mush and get to the part where Michael saved Amy’s life? I think I missed that part…” Kyle said, smirking when Michael shot a glare his way.

“I didn’t really do anything…” He paused when Amy shot him an exasperated glance. “Well…Rath scared her. I just kind of persuaded him to back away…” He muttered.

“Oh pish posh! Let me tell you guys what really happened.” Amy launched into the tale, telling Maria and Kyle every detail. “His eyes went all black and he took on Rath all by himself! There was this lightning stuff all over him and the air started to crackle…” Amy told the whole story with her hands flailing about as only a Deluca can do.

Meanwhile, Isabel and her parents were sitting over by the Whitman family. They were all trying to digest the information they’d just received. The day had been overwhelming, to say the least.

“I can’t believe we sent them to Antar. Kivar has them now. I was so relieved that they were gone but now…I’m torn between being worried that he’ll kill them and being worried that they’ll join him.” Isabel confessed.

“Honey, you couldn’t have known what was going to happen. They would’ve killed us all and you guys saved us. You did the best you could.” Dianne tried to reassure her.

Charles gave Isabel and Alex a small smile. “I think that it’s good thing that you guys aren’t celebrating their situation with Kivar. That is one of the things that sets you apart from them. If roles were reversed, they wouldn’t have given a second thought to you guys. It’s only natural that you worry about the consequences of everything that happened today.”

Philip nodded in agreement. “I was very proud of you guys today…all of you. You were faced with an impossible situation and you worked together to bring everyone home safe. I know that you’re worried about what happened to the others on Antar but there’s nothing you can do about that now. Their current situation is a direct result of their heinous acts here on Earth. You guys can’t feel guilty about choices other people made.”

Alex was so wiped out from the earlier altercation with the evil trio that he was barely able to focus on their parent’s message. He understood what they were trying to say but he hardly even had the energy left to nod in response. He put his arm around Isabel and leaned back against the booth in exhaustion.

Dianne noticed how tired the teens were. She quickly surveyed the rest of the people in the room and realized that everyone was seemed to be in the same shape as Alex and Isabel. They all desperately needed a good night’s sleep. She saw Max over in the corner talking to Liz and rose to tell him that it was time to leave.

“Liz, when I saw you guys walk into that chamber, my heart broke in two. Michael was down, my shield was taking a beating…I thought…I was…” Max trailed off, at a loss for how to explain how terrified he’d been.

“I know Max, I know. We had to go in there though. We knew the risks. I used our connection to see what was going on before we even tried the door.” Liz said, hoping to reassure him.

Max looked over at her startled. “You knew…you knew and you went in there anyway.” He was floored by the revelation. “You didn’t even know if you could produce a shield. You could’ve been killed Liz!”

“My parents and my best friends were trapped in there! Of course I went in!” Liz realized her outburst was going to catch the attention of the others so she took a deep breath and continued more quietly.

“I lied to you Max. That day I told you I didn’t want to die for you…I lied. If you had been killed today, my heart would have died with you. I can’t just stand idly by when my friends and family are in danger. I’m not made that way. You should know that by now and if you can’t handle that then we’re going to have a problem.”

At that very moment, Jeff’s words echoed through Max’s mind. He knew that it was time to make a decision. Liz knew the dangers of being involved with him but she didn’t care. He couldn’t go through life only honoring their relationship half-way. He couldn’t keep her in his life and still expect to shield her from all the danger at the same time. It just wouldn’t work that way.

“You are so amazing Liz Parker, do you know that? I have a confession of my own I guess. In the pod chamber, I was going to drop my shield to protect you.” When Liz began protesting, Max hushed her with a finger on her lips.

“Just let me finish. I couldn’t just stand there, hiding behind my own shield, when you four were completely exposed. I just couldn’t…I’m not made that way either. I love you Liz, and I want us to have a long, happy life together. I think there are probably some things that we both could’ve done differently but I also think that none of those things are strong enough to break us…unless we let them. I have no intention of doing that, do you?” Max asked, searching her face for an answer.

“Oh Max! I was so sure you were going to give me another one of those awful ‘take a step back’ speeches again. You’ve been so distant since we left the pod chamber I thought…I…” She threw her arms around him and drowned him in a searing kiss.

Dianne Evans had just witnessed a moment between her son and his love that she knew she would cherish forever. A quiet sniffling nearby alerted her to the fact that Nancy Parker had also witnessed the moment. As the teen’s kiss lingered, Dianne became uncomfortable so she subtly cleared her throat hoping to get their attention.

Max and Liz broke apart and immediately blushed when they realized both their mothers were openly staring at them. Max gave Liz another hug and followed his mother back over to their table. It was time to leave and most of the families were saying their goodbyes, vowing to meet up again in the next few days.

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Chapter 29: A Touch of Normal

The teens were able to spend the rest of that weekend catching up on some much-needed rest. They had pushed their collective powers to the limit and many of them were feeling the strain. It was a time of quiet reflection that weekend because they all knew that they would have to go back to school on Monday like nothing had ever happened. It was vital if they wanted to continue ‘hiding in plain sight’.

On Sunday afternoon, Amy Deluca decided to host a small, low-key dinner at her house. Michael, Kyle and Jim had all been invited over and the menu was deliberately kept simple for the affair. She too was still reeling from the events with the evil trio.

“Mom! What do I do if the sauce starts squirting out of the pan?” Maria shouted. Cooking really wasn’t her number one talent.

“What?!” Amy passed the place settings she was holding off to Ava and ran into the kitchen. “Honey, you have to stir the sauce.” She said in exasperation.

“You just said to watch it. You specifically told me to watch the sauce. If you wanted me to stir it, why didn’t you say so?” Maria asked in frustration. How am I ever going to learn to cook if no one ever tells me these things, she asked herself. One little kitchen fire and everyone just writes you off as hopeless. Maria sighed indignantly.

“It sounds like there’s someone at the door. Why don’t you go let the guys in and I’ll take over here?” Her mother said. Now was not the time for a battle of wills between the two Deluca women and she knew it.

Maria bounced over and greeted the guys at the door. Jim and Kyle sauntered in and made themselves at home. Michael hung back in the doorway uncomfortably. He looked around nervously and shuffled his feet a bit.

“Are you actually going to come in Spaceboy?” Maria asked with a sarcastic smirk. “I’m not bringing your plate out here so you might as well at least try to get a bit closer to the dining room.” She added.

Michael scowled. “I’m not good at all this family stuff. You already know how this is going to go. I’ll probably say the wrong thing at the worst time and if I’m lucky, your mom won’t hear because she’ll be too distracted by a belch I couldn’t manage to cover up. Oh, and then if I’m really lucky she won’t even notice the belch because she’ll be focusing on the way I chew with my mouth open.” Michael confessed, all in one breath.

Maria giggled. “You do know that you’re babbling right? If you don’t stop, Kyle will probably hear and you know he’ll never let you live it down. You wouldn’t want him to think I’m rubbing off on you, would you?” She added with a wink. Michael’s scowl deepened.

Maria tugged him into the house. “Now get your butt in here and have dinner with us. My mother knows what you’re like Michael…if you suddenly developed perfect manners she’d probably think you’re a shapeshifter wearing a Michael suit. You’ll be fine…I promise.”

They all sat down together and managed to have a semi-civilized dinner. Aside from the fact that Kyle kept shooting Ava sly little smiles and Michael kept glaring at Kyle in response, dinner was fairly uneventful. They even managed to discuss the events out at the pod chamber with a minimum amount of fuss.

“So you guys knew what was going on before you opened the door?” Jim asked, intrigued.

“Yup. Liz did her thing and took a look-see first. Kyle here didn’t want to go in at first but after Liz told us what was going on, we knew we had to get in there.” Maria said.

Kyle scowled indignantly. “Hey! Michael told us not to make a move until he gave the word. I just didn’t want to go rushing in there and screw up his plans!” He defended himself. He gulped when Michael fixed him with an intense stare.

“Thanks Valenti.” Michael said. “We’ve never been great friends or anything but you trusted me. Thank you for that.” Michael had never been a man of many words but his message was very clear. He respected Kyle’s desire to be cautious and stick to the original plan. He didn’t see Kyle’s initial hesitation as cowardice. Michael was very aware that Kyle had joined the rest of them in battle, even though he had no powers of his own to defend himself.

“Wow. So…um.” Kyle was momentarily dumbstruck by Michael’s comment. “Go me!” He raised his fists in the air as though he was cheering on his favorite sports team. It brought laughter to the rest of the table.

“So who would’ve thought Alex would actually be able to use his dodgeball skills in real life?” Maria joked. The maneuver Alex had used to dodge Rath’s blasts, while grabbing an injured Kyle had been quite clever.

“What do you mean?” Ava asked. She had been turned the other way, keeping an eye on Lonnie and Rath when Kyle had been caught in the leg by one of Rath’s blasts. She missed Alex’s fancy footwork.

Maria launched into a short history of Alex, Dodgeball King and then retold the event from the pod chamber. Ava was horrified to realize how close Kyle had been to death, again, at the hands of one of her own people. Her dark mood lifted when he subtly reached under the table and took her hand, in reassurance. It was as if he knew just what she was thinking.

Over at the Evans residence, Alex was just sitting down to dinner with his girlfriend’s family. Philip and Dianne decided that it was he was long overdue for an invitation to family dinner over at their house. Isabel had been invited to his house dozens of times and they were ashamed that they hadn’t gotten around to inviting Alex over earlier.

“So tell me about your interests Alex. Do you have any hobbies outside of alien espionage?” Philip asked.

Alex chuckled. “Well, I enjoy music. A couple of friends and I started up this garage band last year. We’re not that good but it’s a lot of fun anyway. Maria wrote a couple of songs for us last summer too.” He said.

Dianne’s eyes brightened. “Really? That’s fascinating!” She was so busy being impressed by Alex’s hobbies; she didn’t notice Max spitting some of her homemade casserole into his napkin. She was a great mother but a positively awful cook.

“So how long have you two known each other?” Philip asked, gesturing to Alex and Isabel.

“Dad! Tell me you didn’t invite Alex over here just to play twenty questions.” Isabel exclaimed in embarrassment. Max tried to hide an amused grin, and another mouthful of casserole, in his napkin.

Alex smiled reassuringly over at Isabel. “It’s OK Iz. I don’t mind.” He turned and addressed Mr. Evans. “I think I noticed Isabel long before she noticed me. In the third grade, she was the first girl that managed to achieve non-cootie status in my eyes.” He said with a smirk.

“That’s not true at all Alex! We might not have become friends until later but I knew exactly who you were, even back then. You were the boy who stuck up for my brother in gym class on our first day of school. The boys were picking on him so you told the teacher on them…and got a rather painful looking shiner for it after school if I remember correctly.” Her eyes began to tear up as memories flooded her mind.

“You were the boy who used to ‘accidentally’ forget to throw out his unopened granola bars and juice boxes at lunch everyday…they were always left conveniently right where Michael could find them. His own foster father wouldn’t make sure he got fed but you did. You were the boy who punched Eddie Simms, a goon twice your size, right in the eye for teasing Maria about the day her father left. Even in elementary school, you were always trying to help people. I always knew who you were Alex Whitman.”

There wasn’t a dry eye left at the table after Isabel ended her heartfelt declaration. Even Max was moved by his sister’s confession. Alex was stunned to realize that she had noticed him all those years ago. Her Ice Queen act had always kept her innermost feelings hidden back then. Alex suddenly felt so humbled to be loved by this gorgeous young woman in front of him. Humbled, because he truly was her first love.

ok i so have to stay out of lurker mode. it makes me think i've left feeback when i haven't. wow oh wow oh wow. what a fight. those dupes and tess....arrrg

i must say i love your discription of the didplays of power and ruthlessness. his teeth melted. even if i didn't know rath and michael were clones of the same people this little scene totally showed it. they both will do whatever it takes ti get what they want. even go up against each other.

max and liz. alex and kye. just awesome insteractions and heartfelt revelations all around. love a babbling michael. and amy with michael is so sweet. i think kyle and ava are sweet on each other looking forward to how that developes/.

Okay, I'm going to have to do some serious quoting here! These chapters were so good! And I just loved the way the parents reacted to Max and Michael and the others after the fight... how they realized that Max loved Liz enough to sacrifice himself for her and how Amy was so grateful to Michael.

And now to the quotes and comments:

“It didn’t work! They broke through the mindwarp. Somehow they broke through the damn warp and turned on me. They knocked me out and disabled my powers!”

“Whatcha mean ‘disabled’?” Rath growled. He didn’t like the thought that someone had found a way to turn off their powers. He hadn’t even realized that was possible.

“I mean I woke up on the floor with no powers! Do I have to spell it out for you?” Tess snarled. In her anxious state, her fear of Rath was forgotten.

I love it!

Alex smirked. “See, all those years you guys teased me for my honorary girlfriend status is going to come back to haunt you. I know all their tricks…so therefore I know how to beat them at their own game.” Alex flashed a toothy grin before elaborating. “If they think we’re talking about sports, they’ll tune us out and then we can say whatever we want with them none the wiser.”

Leave it to Alex to absorb something "useful" from his experiences with the girls! That was really cute!

Before the group even had a chance to react, a strange swirling mass appeared behind the evil trio. The brilliant white light twisted forward, growing larger with each passing second. Lonnie, Rath and Tess began to hover in the air, a bizarre glow surrounding them. They were pulled into the light and then as quickly as it had appeared, the swirling mass blinked out of existence. The traitors were gone and no one knew what had happened.

Wow!

“Oh my God…It sent them to Antar?!” Isabel’s outburst served to confuse Larek even further

Double wow! And Yes! That sounds good to me!

“The thing is Max, people make their own choices. It’s called free will. Tess and her goons decided to betray you and there is nothing you could have done to change that. Liz made the choice to fall in love with you and become part of your world. There’s nothing I can do about that either.” Jeff paused, struggling to find the right words.

“The way I see it, you have one more choice to make tonight, Max. You can choose to love my daughter and give her a long happy life, or you can keep your distance…leaving her when she needs you most. Like I said, it’s your decision…” Max looked up at Jeff in shock. Had Liz’s father really just given his blessing?

Woo Hoo! That was great! I told you I loved all that part with the parents after the big fight.

“You just said to watch it. You specifically told me to watch the sauce. If you wanted me to stir it, why didn’t you say so?” Maria asked in frustration. How am I ever going to learn to cook if no one ever tells me these things, she asked herself. One little kitchen fire and everyone just writes you off as hopeless. Maria sighed indignantly.

Yep, that sounds like Maria! I love it!

Michael scowled. “I’m not good at all this family stuff. You already know how this is going to go. I’ll probably say the wrong thing at the worst time and if I’m lucky, your mom won’t hear because she’ll be too distracted by a belch I couldn’t manage to cover up. Oh, and then if I’m really lucky she won’t even notice the belch because she’ll be focusing on the way I chew with my mouth open.” Michael confessed, all in one breath.

Maria giggled. “You do know that you’re babbling right? If you don’t stop, Kyle will probably hear and you know he’ll never let you live it down. You wouldn’t want him to think I’m rubbing off on you, would you?” She added with a wink. Michael’s scowl deepened.

Maria tugged him into the house. “Now get your butt in here and have dinner with us. My mother knows what you’re like Michael…if you suddenly developed perfect manners she’d probably think you’re a shapeshifter wearing a Michael suit. You’ll be fine…I promise.”

That was so right on, and really good!

“You were the boy who used to ‘accidentally’ forget to throw out his unopened granola bars and juice boxes at lunch everyday…they were always left conveniently right where Michael could find them. His own foster father wouldn’t make sure he got fed but you did. You were the boy who punched Eddie Simms, a goon twice your size, right in the eye for teasing Maria about the day her father left. Even in elementary school, you were always trying to help people. I always knew who you were Alex Whitman.”.

Awwww... and Isabel wraps it up with such touching and sweet words about Alex! That was incredible! So she noticed him all along for all the thoughtful things he did. These chapters were so touching and filled with emotion. I can't tell you how much I loved them! You are really good!


Gerry

Thank you for the great feedback Ti88 and Gerry! :D If you guys aren't careful you're going to spoil me.

I'm sorry for the huge delay in posting these next few parts. Bad pooklette...bad! LOL Since I've been seriously slacking at posting, I'm going to make up for it by posting the rest of the fic today. I suppose it ruins some of the suspense, but I have the sequel just raring to go so why not, right? I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Chapter 30: The Truth

It was nearly a week before Larek was able to return. Mr. Parker saw Brody strolling into the Crashdown just before closing and personally went to take the man’s order. When he approached, order pad in hand, Brody ordered the “Royal Antar Special” and Jeff knew without a doubt that it was Larek standing before him. Jeff nodded, walked over to the restaurant door, and put up the ‘closed’ sign.

After a few phone calls, the rest of the group started filing into the restaurant. Michael nearly broke the glass in the door when he came rushing in. He just knew that Larek would be able to answer some of the questions that hadn’t been covered in the translation of the Book. The lights briefly flickered from all the nervous energy Michael was trying to repress.

Larek addressed the group as soon as the last of them had arrived. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I had more time to prepare this body so we should be able to clear up a lot tonight.”

“I have briefed your mothers on the situation here. It was their wish that I clarify some details that your translation did not include. There is a lot of information to discuss so if you would allow me to speak without interruptions first, we should have time for questions after I’m done.” The group nodded so Larek quickly began.

“From the very beginning, Kivar would not agree to negotiations with Zan. There was a deep-seated animosity between the two men that prevented any hope of compromise. He would however, agree to participate in discussions with Vilandra. As you know, Vilandra was a highly respected diplomat in the Alpha system. It was well known that Kivar was quite fond of her and she hoped to use that fondness to garner peace between Antar and Eros. We believe that he had no intention of allowing peace though.” Larek paused to look over at Isabel sadly.

“Kivar manipulated Vilandra’s goodwill and led her to believe that he was willing to concede to some of the Royal Empire’s requests. On the day you were all killed, he was at the Royal Palace in conference with Vilandra. We believe he wanted to keep her in his presence for two reasons. One, so that she would not be injured in the upcoming battle and two, so that the Royal Four would not be able to join together and defeat him. This is why your unit was incomplete on that day. Vilandra never betrayed your people. It was Kivar who betrayed and murdered your people.” He stopped speaking for a moment, out of respect, when Isabel began quietly crying. He knew he had just taken an enormous weight off the Princess’ shoulders.

“All four of you were killed on that day. As you know, your royal seer demanded your bodies be collected so that your essences may be preserved. A large transport ship managed to slip away in the midst of the fighting. On that ship was a small group of Antar’s finest scientists, your mothers and a seer bearing your essences and genetic materials. They arrived safely on my planet, Saria, and were immediately granted political refuge. You were recreated on my planet, by a group of Sarian and Antarean scientists. As you know, they sent you here to Earth so that you may grow and mature as far away from Kivar’s influence as possible.” Larek paused, taking a drink of the Tabasco laden cherry cola Jeff Parker had brought to him. Unfortunately, his human host’s taste buds did not appreciate the concoction so he quickly put the glass down and continued.

“We were able to obtain biological samples from four humans that had a very specific genetic mutation. This mutation was necessary to bind the human and Antarean DNA. This selection process took nearly three Earth months and then it took another month to create viable clones. We now believe that the lab was infiltrated by one of Kivar’s spies during the cloning process. We believe the imposters you spoke of, ‘the dupes’, were created by Kivar. These very same individuals are now residing in the Royal Palace with him, no doubt revealing everything they know about you.” Despite the shocked outcry from the parents, Larek continued on, trying to finish relaying the most vital details from Kira and Rayna.

“If any one of the imposters knew the hidden location of the Granilith, it will be imperative that you move it immediately. The ‘skins’ you spoke of must have been Kivar’s men. The radiation from Earth’s sun would be toxic to the people of Eros so they would be forced to don protective suits. It is likely that your ship crashed with another ship sent from Eros containing the imposters. At the summit, we assumed that Nicholas had taken a host body just as the rest of us had. We did not realize that Kivar had actually sent him to Earth. He and his soldiers will surely die here unless they find the Granilith.”

“You must not allow them to locate the Granilith. Kira programmed the Granilith to reactivate on August first in the year 2008, as indicated by Earth’s Gregorian calendar system. On that day, the Granilith will transport anyone in its immediate presence to an undisclosed location chosen by Kira. If Kivar’s men get to the Granilith first, not only will they possess the strongest source of power in the known universe, but they will also be transported directly to the Queen Mother of Antar.”

Jeff Parker couldn’t keep quiet any longer. This man had just calmly told them that the kids’ greatest enemy now had access to their very whereabouts. His assassins were still here on Earth and there was a great possibility that he would soon send reinforcements. After all that, Larek had the audacity to be concerned about the Granilith?!

“You’re telling me that this Kivar guy knows all about us now? He already murdered the Royal Four once…what’s stopping him from trying it again now that he knows exactly where they are?” Jeff asked urgently.

“I have taken the liberty of sending a small group of my best soldiers here to assist you in protecting yourselves. They have been given orders to contact Michael immediately upon their arrival. Following Antarean tradition, they will obey any orders given by either Michael or Maria. In the event of their Commanders’ absence, they will obey direct orders from Max and Liz.” He looked around, confused as to why the group looked so surprised.

“They’ll follow Maria and Liz’s command? I don’t understand.” Charles Whitman said.

“Maria has the Royal Seal of the House of Rathemere. She is Michael’s chosen mate. Michael is rightfully still the Master Commander of Antar and as his mate, Maria, is therefore of equal status. Liz has the Royal Seal of the House of Zandros and as Max’s chosen mate, she the rightful Queen of Antar.” Larek explained.

A collective gasp sounded around the room. The gravity of it all was like a cold splash of water in the face. Even though the translation had alluded to the possibility, they never really admitted to themselves that things could play out this way.

“Where is this seal? I don’t see anything…” Amy asked impatiently.

“It is imprinted on their essences…or as you say on Earth, on their souls. It isn’t visible but I can sense it. My men and most likely Kivar’s men will be able to sense it as well. That is probably how Nasedo found you. He could sense the Royal Seals. I believe he worked for Kivar. That would explain why he led you astray with so much misinformation.” Larek said.

“Will we ever remember our past life? We’ve all had brief flashes of things that could have been from our past lives but we never knew if they were real or just mindwarps from Tess.” Isabel said.

“In theory, you will not remember your past lives in the way that you mean. You will not be able to recall the events of their lives as though they were your own. You share the much of the same DNA and the same essences, but your life experiences are all different. You may receive flashes of events from the past, however we believe those flashes will be very superficial. In other words, your flashes may be compared to the act of remembering a story you were once told. You did not live the events per se, but on some level you are aware that they occurred.” Larek struggled to explain the consequences of their cloning.

Michael finally broke his silence. “Are we like them? I mean do you see any similarities between us and…our former selves?” He struggled to find the right words to explain his peculiar question.

“In many ways, yes, you are. In you Michael, I see the same fierce protectiveness that I knew in Commander Rath. He took the needs and the safety of his people very seriously. He was one of the single most loyal men I’ve ever known. He was known to show a fair bit of temper when the welfare of his people was threatened. I do believe that is where I see the strongest similarities in you, Michael. The most striking difference I have seen thus far is the fact that you have allowed yourself to find love. Rath did not. He and Vilandra were betrothed but those who knew them well, knew that they were more like siblings than mates.” Larek explained carefully.

“We knew each other well, didn’t we? You and I, I mean.” Michael asked.

Larek smiled sadly. “Yes…yes we did,” was his only response. It was obvious that Larek was struggling to reconcile the presence of the young man in front of him with the memories he had of his friend Commander Rath. He turned and addressed Ava.

“Ava, I do believe that you possess some of the very same qualities that made you so beloved to your people in your last lifetime. Lady Ava shared her brother’s passion for the safety and needs of the people. Truth, justice and compassion were some of her primary concerns and as such, she strived to ensure fairness and equality in all of her judiciary duties. I sense that same passion in you Ava. I do believe you are stronger, in a sense, than your former self though. You have a certain wariness or pain in your heart now...” Larek said. He then turned and looked at Isabel.

“I see so very much of Vilandra in you Isabel. You display the same regal presence as Vilandra did. She had a way of commanding the attention of an entire room without so much as uttering a word. Her main concerns were the happiness and well being of her people. She excelled at diplomacy and was well known throughout the system for her humanitarian efforts to improve the quality of life for all its citizens. You do seem to be a bit more hesitant in your actions in this lifetime though. Your loyalty to your loved ones is the same but your confidence in yourself seems to have been wounded somewhere along the way.” Larek commented gently. Lastly, he addressed Max.

“Max, in you I see as many similarities as I see differences. Like your sister, your confidence seems to have wavered. King Zan was a fierce negotiator and was not easily intimidated. He too excelled at diplomacy and strived to ensure the freedom and prosperity of the entire system. He was particularly convinced that order and control were necessary to guarantee the success of the Royal Empire in directing interplanetary affairs. He was a fair, albeit mildly stubborn, man.” Larek decided it was best to stop there and let Max draw his own conclusions. The young man had been remarkably hard for him to read and he had recently come to the conclusion that he may have misunderstood Max and his intentions when they had first met in New York.

“At the summit, why did you tell me that you hated to see history repeat itself?” Max had been wondering about that ever since Larek had said it.

“The animosity between you and Kivar prevented either of you from making an honest attempt at negotiations. Neither of you was willing to give up any concessions to the other. You did not wish to give up control to him and he did not wish to be controlled. At the peace summit, I did not yet have the full details of Kivar’s treachery on Earth, so outwardly it appeared to be just another round of you two butting heads. I apologize Max. I did not have enough information and made a rash judgment.” At Larek’s apology, Max nodded in acceptance.

Jim decided now would be a good time to ask a question of his own. “Let me see if I understand the traditional Antarean hierarchy. In matters of defense, Michael and Maria call the shots. If neither of them were available, then Max and Liz would take the helm. If they weren’t available, then Ava and her mate would be the next contact…and then after her, Isabel and her mate would take over. In diplomatic matters, it would go Max and Liz, then Michael and Maria, then Isabel and then Ava. Do I have that right?” Jim, ever the detective, wanted to make sure he had a clear view of the group’s dynamics.

Larek answered, “That is correct. I do need to mention that Alex also bears the Seal of the House of Zandros. Isabel and Alex would be considered of equal status in the Alpha system.” He hesitated to mention the tentative connection he sensed between Ava and the human named Kyle. Because Kyle had yet to bear the Seal of Rathemere, he assumed it would be more prudent to remain silent about their connection.

Isabel gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. “Oh Alex, I’m sorry! You’re marked now. They’ll be after you too…”

“Iz, we knew something like this might happen. I have absolutely no regrets. I wouldn’t change a thing. You know that.” Alex reached over and put his arm around her protectively. Larek noted the way the human, Alex, was so accepting of the new role thrust upon him. He could sense that the boy was not complying out of lust for power, but out of love for his mate. Larek respected that highly.

“These soldiers you sent…can we ask them to respect commands from others?” Ava quietly asked. She had noticed how quiet Kyle had gotten once Larek explained the hierarchy. She didn’t want him to feel like he was the only unprotected member of the group.

“Yes, I suppose you could but I would advise against it. It isn’t wise to complicate the chain of command.” Larek paused and then amended his prior remark a bit. “They will be mindful of your friend’s position within the group, I assure you.” He pointed directly over at Kyle, hoping that she would understand his subtle acknowledgement of her relationship with the human. Ava nodded shyly at Larek’s explanation.

“Just how many soldiers are we talking about in this ‘small group’?” Sheriff was still trying to get a bearing on the group’s security.

“At this time, I was only able to spare twenty. Our intelligence suggests that Kivar cannot afford to spare more than twenty or thirty of his men for a mission to Earth. As you know, our star system is in an active state of warfare and Kivar needs as many men as he can get to defend his position on Antar.”

“How long will it take for your soldiers to arrive here? How will we know if they’re your men or Kivar’s?” Jim asked.

“They should arrive here and make first contact with you in ten Earth days. They will reveal their identity to you by coming to the restaurant in small groups and ordering the ‘Royal Antar Special’ just as I did tonight. They will be studying Earth history and customs on their journey here. They are all aware that subtlety is of the utmost importance and their actions will not call any undue attention to your families.” Larek assured them.

"Won't they stand out anyway? The Book said the Antarean DNA was mixed with human to make them...well to...you know, enhance their physique. Will these soldiers look...human?" Gloria struggled to find a subtle way to ask her question.

Larek smiled in amusement. "Yes, they will. Aside from the shape shifters, most citizens of the Alpha system are humanoid in appearance. We are smaller in stature, meaning we are shorter and more slendar, however our facial features are indistinguishable from humans. Large stocky forms were no longer necessary for our survival and therefore ceased through evolution." Larek suddenly realized that he’d been using his host body’s resources for far too long.

“I must leave now. To stay any longer would be risking permanent physical damage to this host. I will contact you again soon.” And with that, he rushed back over to the UFO Center to leave Brody in peace. Tomorrow, Brody would wake up at his desk feeling like he had the mother of all hangovers.

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Chapter 31: Now What?

In the ten days between Larek’s visit and the arrival of the soldiers, the gang met several times in an effort to reconcile the new information they’d received with the new responsibilities they would be faced with. Michael and Maria were both overwhelmed at the thought that these twenty alien soldiers would be looking to them for direction. Would these soldiers really want to take orders from a bunch of teenagers? And further, was it even reasonable for the teens to be in command of a small army in the first place? Finally during a meeting with both parents and teens after-hours at the Crashdown, the group managed to come to an agreement on what their new roles would entail.

“This is nuts you guys. I mean, we’re just teenagers. We’re still in high school for heavens sakes! What do we know about running a planet or commanding soldiers?” Maria pointed out to the group.

“I don’t know that you have to worry about all that yet. You’re thinking too far ahead. Right now, all we need to be concerned with is watching out for Kivar’s men. The soldiers will be here to help us with that.” Jim said.

“Yeah but still…they’re going to get here and then what? We just ‘order’ them to watch our backs while we go on with life as though nothing’s changed?” Maria insisted.

Alex nodded in agreement. “Where are we going to put these guys when they get here? We can’t just sneak twenty strangers into Roswell in the middle of the night and expect people not to notice.”

Kyle added his two cents. “Are they even going to want to take orders from a bunch of clueless teenagers anyway? I mean…what are we going to tell them? We don’t know if the bad guys are even here yet and we certainly don’t know what they look like. So what, we just tell them ‘go flush out the bad guys’ and then leave it at that? That’s not going to cut it.” He said.

Jim shook his head. “No, of course not. When they get here, they’ll report directly to Michael and Maria. At that time I think it would be wise for all of us to meet so that we can hammer out the pertinent details like where they’re going to stay, what they’re going to do for money, etcetera. They might even have some of that covered already but we won’t know until they get here. We’ll get everything sorted out…we always do.” He explained gently.

Liz piped up. “Before we go any further here, I think we need to decide how active a role we all want to play in this situation. I mean we’ve never really even talked about whether or not we all want to be leaders. If we do this, we can’t just do it halfway. Either we’re in or we’re out.” She said.

The others looked around hesitantly. It was true. They never had sat down and decided if they were going to accept their roles as leaders of the Royal Empire. Perhaps it would be possible for them to abdicate their positions and assign or elect others in their place. It was a possibility that none of them had voiced up until that point because things had just been thrust upon them so quickly.

Surprisingly, Michael was the first to speak up. “I don’t think that I can just walk away from this. These people are counting on us to make things right and I think we can do it. I don’t know exactly how, but I think we can.” He said.

“We’d have a lot to learn though. We don’t know anything about our people, their culture, the Alpha system…any of it. We won’t be of any use to them if we’re here, issuing vague orders that have no basis on their reality.” Max pointed out.

Ava sat up straighter and said, “I agree with Michael. Politicians here on Earth aren’t just born leaders…their leadership is fostered through decades of learning. There’s no reason we can’t learn about Antarean politics and culture. I bet Larek can help us with all that…the soldiers too even.” She said, nodding with enthusiasm.

Isabel frowned for a second. “OK, assuming that we can learn enough about the Royal Empire from here…you’re still forgetting the most important part. If we do this, at some point we’ll have to go back to Antar. All of us. Are you ready to leave the only planet you’ve ever known? It isn’t like we’re talking about moving to another state here…we’d be moving to the other side of the galaxy, or further even. We don’t even know where Antar really is for heavens sakes!”

Jeff Parker saw how distraught the kids were getting. He decided that maybe it was time to put things into perspective a bit, both for their peace of mind as well as his own.

“Let me ask you guys a question. Hypothetically, if you knew that you would be able to come back home, would you be willing to go to Antar?” He asked. There was total silence as each teen considered his question. When they all slowly nodded yes, he continued.

“OK. Again, hypothetically, if you were able to bring your families to Antar with you, would you be willing to go?” The teens considered the question for a split second and then nodded affirmatively. He asked one more question.

“If you had to relocate to Antar permanently but were still able to communicate regularly with your families on Earth, would you go?” This time the teens seemed more hesitant to answer the question. Jeff realized that the real source of their anxiety was the thought of leaving their families behind.

“Here’s what I think…maybe it’ll help. I think that you can’t decide if you’re going to accept your roles as leaders because you’re afraid it’ll take you away from your families and everything you’ve ever known. I also think that if that was no longer a concern, you’d be able to make a more objective decision about what you want to do.” He paused to gather his thoughts for a moment. The teens stared at him in stunned silence. None of them had ever pictured Jeff Parker would be the voice of reason in this situation. Until recently, he hadn’t exactly been known for his open mind.

Jeff continued. “I suspect that if you were called to Antar, permanently even, you would still be able to come back here to visit. You opened a portal to Antar from the pod chamber here on Earth, so who’s to say that you couldn’t do the same from Antar? Also, these soldiers are making the trip from Saria to here in roughly ten days. Again, who’s to say that you couldn’t do the same? So assuming that interplanetary travel wasn’t an issue…would you be willing to accept the responsibilities of leading the Royal Empire?” He finished, asking the million-dollar question.

Liz was the first to respond. “If I knew that we could learn enough about the Alpha system to be of any use to them then yes, I would.” She said emphatically. The others began nodding in agreement.

“Just to clear things up here…are we saying that we’re going to do this? Is everyone absolutely sure about this? We can’t possibly make things worse than Kivar has but if we’re going to step up to the plate then we have to do it right. They don’t need a bunch of kids play-acting…they need real leaders. Do you think we have it in us to be those leaders?” Max asked.

Michael jumped in. “I think we will have what it takes. In time. The Granilith’s set to power up in 2008. I think by that time we will be ready. For now, all we need to concentrate on is staying away from Kivar’s guys. I say we contact Larek and find out how we’re going to learn about Antar and then we spend the next seven years catching up.”

Maria smiled. “We could have like our own little ‘alien study group’.” She said with a nervous giggle.

“So step one is, we try to contact Larek about learning everything pertaining to the Royal Empire. Step two is meeting with the soldiers and coming up with a game plan for them. If those two things go well then we’re on the right track, agreed?” Max asked.

The others nodded hesitantly. The thought of trying to fill the shoes of the great leaders before them was intimidating to say the least. For many of them, the toughest decision of the day was usually along the lines of what to wear to school. All of this new responsibility carried very serious consequences with it. They would have to become experts in…well, in pretty much everything. They would have to learn about diplomacy, economics, interstellar trade, military tactics, etcetera. There would be no room for error anymore; not when an entire star system was hanging in the balance.

They decided that there was no time like the present in regards to contacting Larek so they all filed out of the Crashdown and crossed the street in the direction of the UFO Center. It was after hours but Max knew that Brody would still be there, toiling over some new information he found on the Internet or some such thing. The plan was for them to go in there under the guise of wanting a tour, but while Max kept Brody distracted, the rest of the group would try mentally calling out to Larek. The Book had said to ‘call Saria for help if they ever needed it’ and since they couldn’t very well use a phone for the task they could only assume it meant that they’d have to do it mentally.

“Brody? Are you here?” Max called out.

Brody came rushing out from his office and was surprised to be greeted with the sight of an entire crowd of people in his Center. He looked around in confusion and then turned to Max.

“Well hello Max. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Brody asked. He shot a shy little smile over to Maria but abruptly turned away when he noticed Michael’s angry scowl.

“We were having a little family get together tonight and our parents mentioned that they’d never been in here since you remodeled the place. I thought it might be fun to give them a quick tour…if that’s alright with you, that is.” Max answered.

Brody beamed proudly. “Oh, of course! Please, help yourselves then. You know the drill Max…the restricted areas are off limits, but feel free to peruse the rest of the collection at your leisure. Just do me a favor and lock up on your…” Brody abruptly trailed off and dropped to the floor.

He opened his eyes and looked around at the group before him. When he next spoke to the group, they all realized that they had succeeded in contacting Larek. “We must keep this meeting brief. I didn’t have enough time to prepare this body properly and the longer I’m here, the more we risk physical harm to this host.”

Isabel stepped forward and addressed Larek quickly. “Larek, we were wondering if there was any way you could help us learn more about the Alpha system. We need to know anything and everything. We can’t possibly be decent leaders if we don’t know anything about our people or their homelands.”

Larek nodded quickly. “Yes, I believe that would be a very wise decision. I will send word to the ships en route to your planet immediately. Our historical documents are preserved in a format similar to what you would call digital encryption. The ships are equipped with information receivers that can be used to convert these documents into a useable digital format for your convenience. I will begin the process immediately.”

Max smiled in relief. “Thank you Larek. We really appreciate all the help you’ve given us.”

Larek smiled in return. “It is my pleasure Max. I cannot express the relief I feel knowing that the Royal Empire will soon be lead by the houses of Zandros and Rathemere once again. Your houses have become a symbol of hope and unity to the people of the Alpha system and I truly feel that the only hope for peace lie in your return to power. As the King of Saria, I have done what I can to foster unity between the planets but I do not have the same influence over the people you once had…or that you still have. It has been so long since our system has seen peace…” Larek paused sadly. “I regret that I must leave this host now. Please do not hesitate to contact me in this manner again if you require more assistance.”

The group let out a collective sigh of relief. The teens all felt the pull of their responsibilities toward the alien nations that were looking to them for help. They didn’t truly know how they were going to unite an entire war torn star system but people considered them to be some kind of mythical symbol of peace so they had to at least try to help. The information Larek was sending should go a long way toward helping them fulfill their destiny.

Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.


Epilogue:

The arrival of Larek’s soldiers went largely unnoticed by the general public, thanks to the stealth capabilities of their highly advanced alien ships. The ships were virtually invisible to all known human technology and they could not be detected with the naked eye. All the worrying the teens had done over getting the soldiers settled into Roswell had been for nothing. They wouldn’t need any special housing or money, at least for now, because they were capable of teleporting to and from their hidden ships. This skill, disappearing and reappearing elsewhere in the blink of an eye, enabled them to reside in the barracks on their ships for the time being.

The soldiers made their presence known to the pod squad and friends over a period of two days and quickly established ‘human’ identities that would help them blend in with society. Aside from the fact that they were all very small of stature, none of them taller than 5’5” in fact, they appeared completely human. Many of them had unusual coloring, such ‘Connor’ who had pale blonde hair and even paler icy blue eyes, but their looks were not so unusual that they would attract suspicion. Their short, slim stature actually made them look younger which was very beneficial considering the majority of the time that they were actually exposed to the public, they would be seen with young adults. If they were seen with the podsquad and crew, they would just look like some of the teens’ random classmates or friends.

As promised, the soldiers brought with them massive amounts of information on the Alpha system. They presented the information to the teens in the form of small diskettes that looked remarkably like tiny CDs. Alex was able to work with a soldier by the human name of Brayden to modify the CD-ROM drives in a few of the families’ computers so that they could read the tiny diskettes. Thankfully, Larek had apparently seen to it that the information was translated into English before it was encoded on the diskettes so that helped to simplify things a lot. The gang managed to slip in some ‘alien study time’ between all of their regular high school studies and had a special meeting each Saturday night to discuss what they learned so far.

The teens had a private meeting, just after the soldiers arrived and agreed that they would never order these soldiers to do anything that they, themselves, wouldn’t be willing to do. Ava had a private talk with Michael and Maria, asking them to make sure the soldiers didn’t treat Kyle like an outsider just because he didn’t have a Seal. She didn’t think that such a request would violate their pact since she was really only trying to clarify Kyle’s position in the group. Michael and Maria agreed and notified the soldiers that Kyle, as well as all of the parents, were to be shown the utmost respect. They both felt awkward ‘ordering’ this group of men and women to do their bidding but surprisingly the soldiers seemed to expect them to do so.

The teens had relocated the Granilith to a large subterranean chamber out near Pullman Ranch just before the soldiers arrived on Earth. After nearly a full week of practice, they were able to join their powers and teleport the entire contents of the original pod chamber to the new location. Poor Amy nearly had an aneurysm when she found out the teens had spent days out in the desert moving her Jetta from place to place exercising their collective powers for the task. They had yet to reveal the actual location of the new Granilith chamber to any of the soldiers. Both the Book and Larek had been so adamant that its location be kept a secret that they didn’t feel comfortable revealing its hiding place to anyone outside their group yet.

The pod squad and crew were able to finish out the school year without any threats from Kivar. They had yet to encounter any more of the Earthbound skins either. They knew Kivar would be sending men to find them eventually. Jim had warned the teens that he was probably just waiting for them to become complacent and then he’d choose to make his move. For this reason, the group continued their Sunday night practice sessions and pushed their powers to the limit each week. They knew if they wanted to prevail against Kivar’s forces, they’d have to be in top form. For the time being, they continued to practice alone, out at the quarry. They weren’t quite ready to have the soldiers witness their fledgling powers.

Aside from the practice sessions at the quarry, everywhere the gang went Larek’s soldiers followed close behind. Each member of the group had assigned guards and the soldiers took their jobs very seriously. Half the soldiers pulled ‘guard duty’ and the other half spent most of the summer scouting the immediate area for skins or enemy forces. This routine had been established at the very first official meeting with the soldiers. Michael had given the arrangement a lot of thought before they arrived and when he suggested his plan to the group, they had all agreed it would be the best way to handle things for now.

As it turned out, many of the soldiers Larek had sent them were originally Antarean soldiers who were covertly recruited by Kira and Rayna to and join forces with Saria. Michael was shocked to find that these men were actually honored to serve under his authority again. For them, it was like a new source of hope. Maria was floored by the way they all seemed to adore her from the moment they set foot on Earth. She had been worried that they might consider her ‘unworthy’ of their Commander’s love because she was human. Actually, it seemed to be quite to the contrary…They seemed to revere her because of their Commander’s love for her.

The only notable alien crisis after the arrival of the soldiers was the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of Laurie Dupree, which was made possible by a vivid series of flashes Isabel received. She turned out to be the granddaughter of Michael’s DNA donor. The gang was forced to tell her their secret, and thankfully she had accepted both Michael and Ava as family soon thereafter. Jim had almost lost his job during the Laurie crisis, but surprisingly he managed to come out of the incident unscathed once again. Dillan, Kyle’s royal guardian, played a large part in helping Jim keep his job through some creative editing of the official reports.

The teens decided that it would be best if they all stayed close to home for college. They applied to Las Cruces for the following fall and amazingly all of them, even Michael, got accepted. They graduated from Roswell High on the first Friday in June, all of them feeling like they were beginning an exciting new phase in their lives.

At the big graduation party Jeff and Nancy held at the Crashdown, Liz and Max were caught in a heavy lip lock in the back room. Jeff’s first instinct was to break them apart and send Liz to her room, but he stopped and reminded himself that they were adults now and would be heading off to college together in the fall anyway. Old habits die hard it seems.

Michael had given up the lease on his apartment and moved into the Deluca residence, at the insistence of Amy. She badgered him for over a month until he relented. She pointed out that it was only a temporary arrangement that would allow him to save up money for college. In reality, she really did want to help him get ahead financially but she also wanted to give him a semi-normal family life before he ventured out on his own next fall. It was something he and his sister Ava never had. Aside from the fact that he was living with his girlfriend, a fact that he enjoyed to the fullest, it really was like belonging to a genuine family. He and Maria bickered as always, but they were more in love than ever. Amy was forced to chase him out of her daughter’s room with a rolled up newspaper on more than one occasion.

Isabel had become a regular participant in the family night festivities at the Whitman household and her relationship with Alex was getting stronger by the day. His parents were very accepting of his new ‘Antarean Diplomat’ status, a fact that Isabel was very thankful for. Both sets of parents were thrilled that their kids had quite obviously found love.

Ava still lived with the Delucas but she had been able to impersonate Tess for the rest of the school year and was thrilled to receive her diploma with the rest of the gang. She had never been able to go to a formal school before but unbeknownst to Lonnie and Rath, she had spent quite a bit of time at the public library in New York educating herself. Because of that early preparation, she was able to keep up with her newly adopted high school studies in Roswell. It stung a bit that her diploma had Tess’ name on it but she kept reminding herself that she earned it no matter what name was on it. She and Kyle had quite the budding romance going. They were still a bit unsure of themselves, but anyone could see that they were falling in love.

All in all, the group was doing well. They were all looking forward to college next fall. Isabel, true to her prediction, was planning on studying Political Science and Alex, self-proclaimed computer geek, decided to major in Computer Engineering with a minor in Robotics. Max couldn’t seem to find one program that would fit his interests and needs so he opted to pursue an Interdisciplinary Degree, based on a mixture of Economics and Sociology. Liz was excited to begin her Molecular Biology program and her parents were thrilled. Kyle surprised everyone by deciding to major in Mechanical Engineering. He said he wanted to introduce high-performance sports cars to the people of Antar. No one was really sure if he was kidding about that or not. Ava intended to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice. She had this almost instinctual need to protect the innocent so she decided to make a career out of it. Maria’s plans shocked the group. She was planning on moving away from the music industry completely, claiming that even if she did get a recording contract they would probably try to change her music into something indistinguishable anyway. She’d actually enjoyed the detective work she and Michael had done over the past year and decided to turn it into a career by joining Ava in the Criminal Justice program. Michael, of course, hadn’t picked a major yet. He was starting off with a heavy load of history classes in the fall. He said if he was supposed to be some great leader, he’d better learn as much history as possible because the only way to fix the future is to learn the mistakes of the past.

The parents quietly noted that their children’s chosen majors reflected all of the necessary avenues they would have to cover if and when they were called to defend Antar. They would need diplomats like Isabel; scientists like Liz, Alex and Kyle; criminalists like Ava and Maria; and creative thinkers like Michael and Max. They weren’t even sure if the teens had realized what they were doing when they chose their paths but it certainly appeared that this group would have what it takes to see it through. Little did their parents know, the fight would come sooner than they’d anticipated…

THE END

That was great! The last line sounds a little ominous, though. So now, the sequel huh? The Power Of Eight! I love it! Here are a few other comments:

“From the very beginning, Kivar would not agree to negotiations with Zan. There was a deep-seated animosity between the two men that prevented any hope of compromise. He would however, agree to participate in discussions with Vilandra. As you know, Vilandra was a highly respected diplomat in the Alpha system. It was well known that Kivar was quite fond of her and she hoped to use that fondness to garner peace between Antar and Eros. We believe that he had no intention of allowing peace though.” Larek paused to look over at Isabel sadly.

“Kivar manipulated Vilandra’s goodwill and led her to believe that he was willing to concede to some of the Royal Empire’s requests. On the day you were all killed, he was at the Royal Palace in conference with Vilandra. We believe he wanted to keep her in his presence for two reasons. One, so that she would not be injured in the upcoming battle and two, so that the Royal Four would not be able to join together and defeat him. This is why your unit was incomplete on that day. Vilandra never betrayed your people. It was Kivar who betrayed and murdered your people.” He stopped speaking for a moment, out of respect, when Isabel began quietly crying. He knew he had just taken an enormous weight off the Princess’ shoulders.

Excellent! Isabel knows now that she didn't betray them! And Larek is giving them a lot of useful information.

At the summit, we assumed that Nicholas had taken a host body just as the rest of us had. We did not realize that Kivar had actually sent him to Earth. He and his soldiers will surely die here unless they find the Granilith.”

That would explain one of the reasons Nicholas wants to find it so bad.

Michael finally broke his silence. “Are we like them? I mean do you see any similarities between us and…our former selves?” He struggled to find the right words to explain his peculiar question.

“In many ways, yes, you are. In you Michael, I see the same fierce protectiveness that I knew in Commander Rath. He took the needs and the safety of his people very seriously. He was one of the single most loyal men I’ve ever known. He was known to show a fair bit of temper when the welfare of his people was threatened. I do believe that is where I see the strongest similarities in you, Michael. The most striking difference I have seen thus far is the fact that you have allowed yourself to find love. Rath did not. He and Vilandra were betrothed but those who knew them well, knew that they were more like siblings than mates.” Larek explained carefully.

I enjoyed that! And that was a good question Michael asked.

Tomorrow, Brody would wake up at his desk feeling like he had the mother of all hangovers.

Poor Brody!

Maria smiled. “We could have like our own little ‘alien study group’.” She said with a nervous giggle.

Ha! Leave it to Maria! Good idea, though!

Ava still lived with the Delucas but she had been able to impersonate Tess for the rest of the school year and was thrilled to receive her diploma with the rest of the gang. She had never been able to go to a formal school before but unbeknownst to Lonnie and Rath, she had spent quite a bit of time at the public library in New York educating herself. Because of that early preparation, she was able to keep up with her newly adopted high school studies in Roswell. It stung a bit that her diploma had Tess’ name on it but she kept reminding herself that she earned it no matter what name was on it. She and Kyle had quite the budding romance going. They were still a bit unsure of themselves, but anyone could see that they were falling in love.

Oh, I loved that! Ava receiving Tess' diploma! It does kind of s*** that it has to have Tess' name on it, but then for all practical purposes, she is Tess now... as far as anyone will ever know.

And I loved all the parents' reactions to Larek's information, too! This has been a great story! I'm looking forward to The Power Of Eight!

great finish. love the story. and the parents thry truelly truelly rock. takinmng aves in like that. seating things right with isabel. and the seqel rocks also...post it here no?